"Please give me a little more time, and I promise to return the copper coins to you with interest."
The Ohkashi family was one of the shogunate's public servants, and Ohkashi himself worked in the Ashikaga clan, and was honored as a guard Ashikaga shogun for generations.
But at this time, Daocao stood in front of the wine shop, bowing his noble head deeply to the humble townspeople and merchants.
The reason is simple. In order to maintain the family's livelihood, she owes him a lot of money. What's even more frightening is that winter has just begun and the family has no food again.
In order for his family to survive this winter, Dacao had to go to the merchant house again and beg the merchant to lend him more money to buy some food for his family.
In front of her, a rich old woman in thick clothes shook her stubby finger.
"Okusaji, this is not possible.
Even if you can’t pay back the principal, you should at least pay back some interest, right? Isn’t it a bit too much to not even pay interest?”
Dacao's throat was dry and he whispered.
"Boss Kamemaru, when I get my salary, I will pay you back as soon as possible. I swear on the honor of the Ohkusa family, please believe me!"
Boss Kamemaru sighed.
"Okay, I will believe you again."
After saying that, she turned around and was about to enter the store.
Dacao gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Please wait!"
Boss Kamemaru turned to look at her, with a playful light in his eyes, as if he already knew that Daocao would call him to stop him.
"what happened again?"
Dacao let out a deep breath.
"Can you, can you lend me some more money?"
Boss Kamemaru showed a mocking smile.
"Okusaji, this is what's wrong with you. I've already tolerated your loan period, why do you keep pushing further?
You have to borrow and repay, and it is not difficult to borrow again. You should at least repay the previous money before talking about the next loan, right?"
Dacao sighed and bowed again.
"I'm very sorry, but please help me."
Boss Kamemaru showed disdain in his eyes.
"While the shogun was in Kyoto, you noble Ashikaga Hakai had already lost your rank and salary.
Now that General Xishou has left the capital, how can you guarantee that you will have the money to pay him back?
Ogusa Ji, you are a noble warrior Ji. The oath you made with your family honor is not meant to fool me, is it?"
Dacao's eyes turned red. His self-esteem was damaged because he had to kowtow in front of the merchants. He finally couldn't stand the humiliation of his family name, so he drew his sword and cursed.
"Ba Ge Ya Lu! Don't go too far!"
Boss Kamemaru was startled, and when she saw the shining knife, she couldn't help but tremble.
Fortunately, the two wild warriors she hired stood in front, drawing their swords towards the grass.
"Okusaji, put down your weapons first, and say what you have to say!"
Dacao cursed with red eyes.
"You are also Ji Ji, you didn't hear that she is humiliating the family honor of a warrior family!"
The two wild warriors looked at the grass coldly and said nothing.
They were hired by Boss Kamemaru, and they were just homeless wild samurai. If Boss Kamemaru was injured here, and he didn't know where to go for his next meal, how could he care about honor.
Looking at the numb eyes of the two Ji warriors, Dacao gradually calmed down. Thinking of her hungry husband and children at home, she could only return the sword to its sheath and sighed.
"Boss Kamemaru, I swear, I will definitely pay back the money. But now, I really need money. Can you lend me more, please."
Boss Kamemaru breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ohusa's clothes were soft. She felt that her crotch pants were a little damp, and her face looked unhappy.
"Hey, the impulsive grass has learned to calm down. What makes you smart? Is it the power of poverty?
It's a pity, I don't want to lend money to someone who pulls a knife on me."
With a desperate expression on the grass, he turned around and wanted to leave.
"Wait a moment!"
Boss Kamemaru's words brought a glimmer of hope back to Ohkusa's eyes. She slowly turned back and looked at Boss Kamemaru.
Boss Kamemaru said with a soft smile.
"Actually, it's not that you can't borrow it. I have two options here. You can choose either one.
Well, I heard that your son is very handsome, well-educated, and has a good temperament. I am very familiar with Natsume, the boss of Veranda, and I can recommend him to work there.
Boss Natsume is a very generous person, as long as you are willing to let your son go to her place to help, she will definitely pay you back."
Dacao's eyes widened.
"My son doesn't know how to go to the veranda! The boys of the Da Cao family are not meant to be unclean wandering boys!"
Boss Kamemaru twitched his lips and sneered.
"Then there's only one way left, kneel down and beg me.
As long as you sincerely kneel before me, kowtow and beg me to help you, I, a compassionate person, will definitely agree to it."
Ohkusa's breathing became heavier and heavier, and his eyes became redder and redder. The two wild samurai protecting Kamemaru's boss were already holding the handles of their swords vigilantly, fearing that the grass would burst out and hurt someone.
Boss Kamemaru said with a smile.
"Think about your husband, think about your children, and think about how they will survive this cold winter.
Think about it carefully, as long as you kneel down and kowtow, I will give you money, and I can even give you a little more salt, how about grass, have you thought clearly?"
Dacao's eyes were filled with despair.
A lowly businessman spoke nonsense in front of her, tarnished her family name, humiliated her son, and forced her to kneel down and kowtow, all the while claiming that he was helping her.
What happened to this world? Is this world still the world of the Wu family?
Da Cao's fists were clenched and veins popped out, but she couldn't draw the sword.
As Boss Kamemaru said, she has a husband, she has children, she is the easiest group of people in society to be manipulated, and she is full of weaknesses.
If a disgusting businessman like Kamemaru dares to lend money in the castle town, he must have a background behind him. No matter which big boss in the shogunate is behind her, Ocao cannot afford to offend her.
The Ashikaga Shogun family has collapsed, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki, a poor lord himself, has run away. As a loyal dog of Ashikaga, what dignity do the Ashikaga Horsemen have left?
A bereaved dog is so miserable.
On one side is the sense of honor of the shogunate's samurai family, and on the other is the family who are suffering from hunger and cold. Ocao's sense of honor and Ocao's bottom line seem to be smashed to pieces at this moment.
Her knees were so stiff that she couldn't kneel down, but reality was bending her legs bit by bit.
As Boss Kamemaru said, poverty makes people smart. Once you kneel down once, you will never stand up again. Smart people are willing to do anything for money.
Maybe tomorrow's grass will be like the two wild warriors in front of them who desperately protect the merchants in order to eat, laughing at their former honor and becoming a slave to money.
Moral decay and social decay may begin from the moment the dignity of the poor is completely trampled on.
When people no longer have a bottom line in front of money, the morality of the entire society will be lowered.
Boss Kamemaru watched the grass bend down little by little, and his heart was filled with the joy of conquest.
This is the worst of times, and it is also the best of times. It is precisely because of the troubled times that businessmen like her can make the Wu family bow their heads and dare to trample on the dignity of the Wu family.
Anything led by the shogunate samurai family or based on the Hime Warriors are all nonsense! Ideals are all lies, only money is real!
Under the twisted smile of Boss Kamemaru, just when Ohkusa's knees were about to touch the ground, a sound came from behind her.
"Mom!"
Dacao's heart, which was about to sink, suddenly rose again. That was her son's voice!
She was panicked. She didn't want her son to see the humiliating scene of her kneeling in front of the merchant.
After all, Da Cao's knees did not touch the ground. She stood up again and looked back behind her. Behind her, a little boy with a yellow face and skinny muscles was leaning on the threshold, looking at her.
"Xiao Shi, why are you here?
It’s cold and you don’t have much to wear, so why are you coming to the castle town? Where is your father! How does he take care of you!”
Dacao was anxious to cover her child with something, but she herself was wearing thin clothes and shivering slightly in the cold wind.
In desperation, Dacao could only hug the child tightly, trying to use her own body temperature to warm the child a little.
But Xiaoshi was very excited, her little face was bright red, and she shouted to Dacao.
"Mom, go back quickly. Father asked me to come to you and distribute food! Food is being distributed from house to house. It is this year's new rice!"
Dacao was shocked and asked.
"What food? Where did it come from?"
How could a child know so much? He just kept urging me.
"Go back quickly! Grandma! Let's go back quickly to collect food!"
Dacao picked up the child, and the mother and child ran quickly down the street, full of hope.
Behind them, Boss Kamemaru looked gloomy and said to the two escorting wild warriors.