Following the route map drawn by Hidenobu, the three of them found a sparse village in the mountains that was probably less than a mile away from Hidenobu's hut. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 There are only about three or five households scattered here, and they are all far apart.

"It's there, the one with a well in front of the house."

At a glance, Hidemitsu saw the humble hut with a well in front of the door and buried in the woods. He beckoned to Hidemune and Irizawa Shinnai, signaling that he had found his target and could follow him down.

The road here was indeed not very easy to walk, so Xiuguang held on to the trees and walked towards the hut below. Xiuzong, on the other hand, almost fell and almost rolled down the mountain.

In just a few tens of meters, Xiuguang and the others walked a few miles. Irizawa was very good, he was used to walking this kind of sheep gut path as a ninja, so he quickly arrived next to the hut. And Xiuguang and Xiuzong arrived with great difficulty out of breath.

After tidying up their clothes and patting the dust, Xiuguang and his party walked around to the main entrance of the hut.

Unexpectedly, there was a little boy playing alone in front of the humble hut.

The boy was about four or five years old, and his body was dusty and dusty. It was winter, but the boy's clothes were still thin, and the clothes were very shabby, with patches everywhere. He was dragging his long snot and was crouching in the doorway playing with a mixture of snow and mud.

Just by his appearance, he knows that he must be Xiuxin's child.

Judging by the age, this boy should be Hidenobu's eldest man, Yamijiro.

At this time, Yamijiro, who was concentrating on playing with mud, discovered the existence of Hidemitsu and his party. He stared blankly at Xiuguang, who was not much older than him, and the movement of his hands stopped.

Although the clothes of Hidemitsu and his party are not usually worn by high-level samurai, they are definitely still much better than the clothes of ordinary civilians, let alone the torn clothes on Yashiro. Among the three of Hidemitsu, except for Irizawa Shinnai, he did not wear a katana, and both Hidemitsu and Hidemune had a flank around their waists.

Seeing that Yashiro looked like he had never seen the world, Hidemitsu stepped forward and asked him:

"Excuse me, are you Yamijiro?"

Yamizoro nodded dumbly, apparently still unresponsive.

"Yes, we're ......"

Before Xiuguang could finish speaking, the door suddenly opened, and an old woman carrying a baby on her back stepped out.

"Yashiro, didn't grandma say don't leave the house without permission, it's dangerous for you to ......"

The mother-in-law looked very old, she was hunched over and looked very short. The old woman reprimanded Yashiro who was squatting on the ground very kindly, and then when she was about to bring Yashiro into the house, she found Hidemitsu and his party standing at the door.

The old woman instantly became vigilant. She put Yashiro behind her and asked in a trembling voice:

"I don't know about you...... What are you doing here? And also...... ...... is this adult?! ”

She saw the katana at the waist of Hidemitsu and Hidemune, and panicked even more. After she saw Xiuguang's appearance clearly, she was also very puzzled and surprised.

"Please don't panic, mother-in-law. We have something important to tell you, it's not convenient to be outside, can you let us go in and talk? ”

Xiuguang asked the old woman politely. The old woman looked at the tall Xiuzong and the sturdy Iris Shinai beside Xiuguang, and she didn't dare to say anything, so she could only obediently let Xiuguang and his party into the house. However, she has been staring at the three of them with vigilant eyes, and she has kept Yamijiro and the baby on her back tightly protected.

Xiuguang walked over to a broken straw mat in the center of the room and sat down, with Xiuzong guarding behind him. Xiuguang was still the same as before, and asked Irizawa Shinnai to stand by the window to investigate the situation.

The old woman sent Yashiro and Sangoro into the back room, bolted the door, and then came to sit down in front of Hidemitsu with confidence.

"Old woman, actually, we are here today because of the entrustment of Lord Oda Hidenobu."

Xiuguang got straight to the point and directly explained the reason why he came here.

However, the old woman obviously kept pretending to be stupid, saying that she didn't know any "Oda-sama".

"Samurai-sama...... How can I, an old woman, know the adults of the Oda family...... My wife and I have been a farmer for generations, born here and old here, but I have never seen a samurai of the Oda family. ”

The old woman kept saying that she didn't know or didn't know. But Hidemitsu can understand why she's lying. After all, if you easily believe in Xiuguang, it is very likely that Xiuxin will put his children in danger.

So Xiuguang didn't accuse him, but continued to speak.

"Old woman. I'm telling the truth, trust us. Please look at this thing. ”

Xiuguang took out the token that Xiuxin gave him and put it in front of the old woman.

"It's not ......"

When the old woman saw this, she touched it a few times as if she missed it.

This token is actually just a very ordinary piece of clothing. Hideshin told them that the dress was specially sewn for him by the woman he loved so much. Although ordinary, Hidenobu values it very much.

"Sure enough, it was my hard-working granddaughter......

The old woman also recognized the old dress, and her wrinkled face showed deep nostalgia and kindness.

"Also, this handwritten letter from Lord Hidenobu."

Xiuguang handed over a small note written by Xiuxin. Xiuxin said that although the old woman was illiterate, she could still read such a few simple sentences.

There was only one sentence on the small note, which read "I believe in Lord Xiuguang, let the children go with them, you should take care of your body" These twenty or so words.

"This ...... It's really Hidenobu-sama's handwriting......"

The old woman squinted her eyes and looked at it for a long time, and finally believed what Xiuguang said.

She sighed and walked slowly to the door of the back room, turning the deadbolt on.

"This is Yashiro, the eldest son born to Hidenobu-sama and his old granddaughter. This child is Sangoro, who was born just last year and is the second son. ”

The old woman brought out the curious Yashiro, who was still a baby in her arms.

"My wife has lived to be almost ninety years old, my husband died early, and my daughter died when she was still young, leaving only a little granddaughter that her father did not want. My little granddaughter, although she also left early, was with Hidenobu-sama when she was alive...... So she must not be in pain...... Even in heaven it is a happy ......"

The old woman gently folded the garment as a token and handed it to Yamizoro's hand. Yashiro was still young and didn't understand the meaning of his great-grandmother's handing over the old clothes in front of him.

"Samurai-sama, please take Yashiro and Sangoro away...... They shouldn't have grown up here, please let my two great-grandchildren live well...... That's what Hidenobu-sama meant. ”

The old woman wiped the tears that flowed from her sunken eye sockets, and Haosheng instructed Yashiro to have some parents in the short term, and then asked Xiuguang to take the two children away.

But Yashiro didn't seem to want to leave his close great-grandmother, and he cried and made a fuss on the ground.

"Yamitsuro don't leave grandma! Yamijiro wants to be with his grandmother and father! ”

"Yashiro...... This is your father's last wish, and I hope you will live well...... When you grow up...... You can come back to see your father and grandmother......"

"Is it true? When he grows up, Mizoro can meet his father and grandmother again? ”

"Yes, as long as Yamijiro grows up and becomes a great man...... You'll be able to see your father and grandmother again......"

The old woman hugged Yamijiro, who was crying, and kept comforting him. But only she knows that this will be a farewell between her and her two beloved grandchildren.

In the end, Yashiro, half-relieved and half-coaxed by the old woman, agreed to follow Hidemitsu and them.

After paying one last respects to the tombs of Yamijiro and Sangoro's mother, they followed Hidemitsu and his party on their way to Osaka Castle. Yashiro walked on his own, while Sangoro was carried by Irizawa Shinnai.

The old woman kept standing behind their departing backs, waving her hands and wiping her tears, unwilling to leave for a long time.

As they walked back, they passed by Hidenobu's hut.

Yamizoro didn't know that this hut was where his biological father, Hidenobu, was now, so he didn't notice the hut and walked forward happily.

Xiuguang didn't stop, because he knew that he didn't need to go to Xiuxin's house to say hello to him anymore. Because he knew that Hidenobu must be standing by the window at this time, watching them leave.

"Ah, it's snowing again."

The sky had stopped snowing, but at this time, snowflakes fell from the sky and slowly fell on the ground where the snow was still covered.

Yasan Shiro happily waved his arms towards the sky, trying to catch the snowflakes that fell from the sky. Sangoro also giggled.

Looking at Yamijiro and Sangoro, who were laughing in front of him, the corners of Hidemitsu's mouth curled, and he looked back at Hidenobu's hut, and then continued to walk forward.

One life is about to pass away, and there will be many more lives to come.

Hidenobu stood by the window, looking at their sometimes blurry and sometimes clear backs in the snow, and smiled contentedly.