I formed the strongest swordsman group

The test room, hall——

"Tea, please..."

When Ah Bi handed two cups of freshly brewed hot tea to Anthony and Alodi, his eyes couldn't stop glancing at the faces of Anthony and Alodi.

Anthony, who was kneeling on the ground in a slightly awkward posture, smiled and thanked A Bi: "Thank you."

Elodie, who was sitting side by side with Anthony, also bowed to Abi politely to thank him.

After nodding his thanks to the grandpa and grandson, A Bi quickly walked out of the living room with the tea tray in his arms.

After leaving the living room, Ah Bi saw Zhou Zhu, Kondo, and Okita standing in the corridor outside the living room.

"Auntie." Okita asked in a low voice, "What color are those two people's eyes?"

"Blue." Ah Bi, who looked like he had just escaped from the dragon's den and tiger's lair, nodded his head with a serious face, "The pupils of those two people are both blue."

Hearing what Ah Bi said, Okita hastily stuck his eyes on the crack of the paper sliding door in the living room: "It turns out that the eyes of Westerners are really not black..."

Shusuke and Kondo also put their eyes close to the crack of the paper sliding door with curious faces at this time, trying to take a good look at the appearance of Anthony and Elodie through the crack of the door.

Kondo and his family had never seen Westerners up close and personal, and they couldn't stop the curiosity in their eyes at this moment.

"Don't just stand here." Ah Bi frowned and drove away Chong Tian and the others, "Standing around outside the living room and looking at people through the crack of the door, how impolite is that? They're almost gone."

When Abi outside the hall drove away Okita and the others, Qing Deng inside the hall had already started talking with Anthony and Alodi.

"Mr. Angouleme, Miss Angouleme, it's been a long time. Has your health improved recently?" Qingdeng greeted politely with a smile on his face.

Anthony and Elodie are now wearing kimonos because they want to hide their Western identities.

Today's Elodie brought a little freshness to Qingdeng - because she was wearing a white and yellow women's kimono that he had never seen her wear before.

Maybe it's because Ai Luodi's hair color is light blonde, Qingdeng only thinks that this yellow kimono matches Ai Luo Di quite well.

Except for the clothes, Elodie is no different from the Elodie that Qingdeng knew well in his memory—a head of beautiful blond hair is tied into a three-strand braid that hangs from the right shoulder to the chest, "air bangs" "The hair on the forehead is neatly placed on the smooth forehead, and the eyes are shining with lively light.

It is true that I haven't seen this pair of grandpa and grandson for quite a long time. I haven't seen these two people since I returned to Edo at the end of January.

"Mr. Orange, thank you for your concern." Anthony smiled gratefully at Qingdeng, "My body and that of Shesun have almost recovered."

Although Anthony's Japanese is not fluent, he can speak all kinds of honorifics and modesty.

After being severely frightened and seeing the bloody scene with mutilated limbs strewn all over the scene in the "Snowy Night Fight", both Anthony and Alodi suffered from "post-traumatic stress disorder".

When they returned to Edo and parted ways with the grandparents, the two were still in a rather sluggish state.

More than a month has passed now, and the mental state of the grandpa and grandson seems to have recovered a lot, especially Elodie, her eyes have returned to their original agility.

From the looks of it, they seem to have all come out of the "spiritual trauma".

Qingdeng quite liked the old man Anthony.

It's not just because of Anthony's extremely similar appearance to KFC's grandpa, which makes him look very simple and lovable.

It is also because his personality is very gentle and polite, and it is very comfortable to get along and chat with him.

After exchanging pleasantries with Anthony, the conversation gradually got to the point—Antony began to talk about the reason for his and Alodi's sudden visit tonight.

The purpose of their sudden visit is also very simple - to come here to thank Qingdeng who saved their grandpa and grandson in that snowy night.

Anthony said that they had wanted to come to express their thanks a long time ago, but due to the poor mental condition of him and Ai Luodi, they could only postpone the visit to thank them again and again.

In the past two days, after the mental state of himself and Ai Luodi has been greatly recovered due to the long-term rest, Anthony immediately asked the government about Qingdeng's current residence, and then dragged Ai Luodi tonight without hesitation. Come to thank Qingdeng for visiting.

"Mr. Orange. I'm very sorry." Elodie, who folded her hands on her legs, bowed her waist gracefully and gracefully, and gave Qing Deng a date that no harsh critic could find any mistakes. Bowing in the same way, "It took us more than a month to come to thank you."

"Ah, it's all right." Qingdeng waved his hands quickly, signaling Alodi to straighten up quickly, "I don't mind."

Anthony and the others came here with a generous gift.

As expected of a multinational businessman who can travel across the ocean to do business in Japan, Anthony's financial resources are truly astonishing.

After bowing solemnly to Qing Deng with Ai Luodi, he directly handed Qing Deng a large brocade box containing 120 taels of gold...

With such a huge gift, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel flattered.

Facing the brocade box full of yellow and bright gold that Anthony handed him in front of him, Qingdeng politely and solemnly thanked him first, and then said to Anthony in a somewhat helpless tone:

"Mr. Angoulême, you actually don't have to make a special trip to come over to thank you."

"You should also know, right? Edo hasn't been very peaceful recently. It's better for you and Miss Angoulême to go out less now."

Before Anthony could answer the question, Elodie smiled and half-jokingly answered for her grandfather: "You have such great kindness to us, it would be too impolite if you don't visit us in person! "

Anthony nodded, and then added: "Don't worry about me and Elodie, I also know that Edo has not been very peaceful recently, so I specially chose to visit at night, and brought the bodyguard recommended to me by a friend us."

"In the dead of night, there are no people on the road. It's not easy for outsiders on the street to find out that Alodi and I are Westerners."

"The eight samurai left outside are all bodyguards recommended to me by an English friend of mine who has lived in Japan for a long time. They are strong and reliable."

Anthony and their bodyguards are now waiting outside the testing room, quietly waiting for Anthony and Alodi to come out of the testing room.

The attitude of Anthony and Elodie, knowing that Edo is in chaos now, but still insisting on visiting to thank their benefactors, made Qingdeng feel a little fond of the grandparents.

Qingdeng has always had a good impression of this kind of affectionate person.

After accepting the thank you gift from Anthony respectfully and dignifiedly, Qingdeng started chatting with Anthony.

Before they knew it, they talked about Xiaoshi and others who fought with Qingdeng against the "Big Barbarians" that night.

Because many people's injuries have not recovered, Komuro and the others are still in Edo and have not set off for Osaka. In the middle of last month, Qingdeng took time to visit those who had fought side by side with him. comrades in arms.

When visiting Komuro and the others, Komuro mentioned to Qing Deng that they would not be able to leave for Osaka until the end of March.

Anthony said that he took Alodi to visit Xiaoshi and the others who had saved their lives yesterday, and also gave Xiaoshi and them a very generous gift. Anthony did not spare those who unfortunately died in battle. pension.

...

...

Although there are strong bodyguards with them, the current security situation in Edo is still not suitable for Westerners like Anthony and Alodi to stay outside for too long.

Thank you and gifts have been sent, the purpose of this trip has been achieved.

So after chatting casually with Qingdeng for a while, Anthony wanted to leave.

Qingdeng sent Anthony and Elodie to the gate of the testing hall in person, and then stood there, silently watching as the figures of the grandfather and grandson who had once again covered their faces tightly with bamboo hats and face scarves disappeared little by little. In the darkness.

"That little girl is so beautiful." At this moment, Okita suddenly sprang out from behind Qingdeng, tiptoeing to look at Elodie, whose figure had begun to blur under the shadow.

"What?" Qingdeng joked, "Mr. Chong Tian, ​​have you fallen in love with him?"

"No." Okita curled his lips without hesitation, "I don't like people younger than me. That girl shouldn't be older than 14 years old, right?"

Qing Deng nodded: "Miss Angoulême is 12 years old."

"You're only 12..." Okita was speechless, "You're already so cute at such a young age..."

When Okita silently sighed with emotion on Ai Luodi's lovely appearance, Qingdeng couldn't help raising his gaze, and took a few more glances at Ai Luodi's back that had almost disappeared in the darkness.

Ai Luodi's behavior today made a deep impression on Qingdeng.

Before that, Qingdeng's impression of Ai Luodi was that she was lively, active, and friendly.

Until just now, it was the first time that Qingdeng saw her solemn and elegant side from Elodie.

Just now, Elodie's every move was so graceful, neither humble nor overbearing.

Sitting quietly beside her grandfather, she saluted and thanked Qingdeng with her grandfather very gracefully.

Among all the people Qingdeng knows... probably only Chiba Sanako can compare with Ai Luodi to see "whose movements are more elegant".

If Elodie were to put on a grand dress, and then let her maintain the elegant manner she had just now, it might make people mistakenly think that she was the princess of some European kingdom.

After the figures of Ai Luodi and the others completely disappeared from the field of vision, Qingdeng returned to the house with Okita who ran out to join in the fun.

Okita returned to his room on the second floor.

Qingdeng then went back to the living room, packing up the box of thank you gifts that Anthony had just handed over to him.

Open the brocade box——the golden light coming out of the box makes Qing Deng squint his eyes.

After his eyes gradually got used to the golden light, Qingdeng sighed: "Finally, the purse is not so tight..."

Anthony gave him 120 taels of gold, including the 80 taels of gold given to him by the French Legation and the 50 taels of gold from the shogunate...Qingdeng's personal assets cleared due to the burning of his home became rich again.

Although at first glance, Qingdeng seems to be extremely rich now, and his personal savings have directly broken through the 200 tael mark, but this amount is not enough to solve Qingdeng's current financial problems.

First of all - the money is far from enough for Qingdeng to rebuild his homeland.

To rebuild their home on the land belonging to their Tachibana family in Hatchobori, they have to buy a lot of wood, and then hire a group of carpenters who are reliable enough to help him build the house.

You have to buy wood, hire people, and after the new house is built, you have to buy new furniture...

The current Qingdeng cannot afford so many costly items necessary for rebuilding their homes.

Secondly—and most importantly, Qingdeng still has to help his father repay the 520 taels of gambling debt.

In a word, Qingdeng's current savings cannot fill his current funding gap.

But now that the purse is a little richer, it is always a good thing.

There is no rush to rebuild his home, anyway, he can now live in the test guard hall, and by saving up little by little, he can always save enough money to build a house.

As for his father's gambling debt, he is not in a hurry, because he does not need to pay off this huge debt in one go, he can pay it back in batches and little by little.

Anyway, as long as Qingdeng can spend a certain amount of money to repay the debt whenever a debt collector comes to the door, the "Qingshui clan" will not be too embarrassing for Qingdeng.

Holding the box of money, Qingdeng returned to the "between diners" where he lived.

When climbing the stairs leading to the second floor, Qingdeng said to himself: "Ah... now we can try to recruit Oka Yin..."

Ever since Ii Naosuke was killed and these "three-time" samurai became extremely busy due to the death order of the shogunate to "severely crack down on those with lofty ideals", Qingdeng deeply felt the inconvenience caused by the shortage of manpower...

Other concentrics can assign Gang Yin under their command to help with some chores, but Qingdeng, who has no money left to hire Gang Yin, can only do everything by himself.

When it wasn't very busy before, Qingdeng didn't feel too inconvenient because he didn't have any subordinates.

But now... the situation has changed.

Facing the rapidly increasing workload, Qing Deng, who has no subordinates to adjust, already feels a bit overwhelmed.

Now that his wallet is bulging, he can indeed consider hiring 2 or 3 Gang Yinlai to work for him.

While thinking about the matter of inviting Gang Yin seriously, Qingdeng put his box of money back into the "between diners".

When he came out of "Among the Diners", Qingdeng happened to bump into Okita who left his room at the same time in the corridor.

"Huh? Ju-jun, what's the matter?" Okita noticed the thoughtful look on Qing Deng's face, "Why do you look so preoccupied?"

"I'm not preoccupied." Qingdeng smiled, "I'm just thinking about hiring Gang Yin to help."

Qingdeng told Okita the full text of his plan to hire Oka Yin.

In the end, Qing Deng paused, and then asked Okita in a half-joking tone:

"Okita-kun, aren't you very interested in the work of 'Three Returns'? Are you interested in being my Okabiki?"

"Okahiro?" Okita's eyes lit up.

But in just a split second, the light in Okita's eyes faded away.

"I'm very interested in being your Okabiki..." Okita stretched out his hand and stroked the ponytail at the back of his head, a little regret appeared on his face, "But I don't think I have much time..."

"At this stage, I still want to focus all my energy on practicing swordsmanship and helping to run the test hall."

Okita declined his invitation -- but Qingdeng didn't feel annoyed, after all, he was just asking casually.

"I want to recruit Gang Yin now." Qingdeng smiled helplessly, "but I don't know where to find reliable candidates."

"Do you want to ask your seniors?" Okita asked, "Your seniors should have related paths, right?"

Qingdeng raised his hand and touched the back of his neck: "Well, that's the only way... huh?"

His voice suddenly stopped.

The fingers that were rubbing the back of the neck also stopped.

"That's right...how did I forget..." Qingdeng grinned, and murmured in a volume that only he himself could hear clearly, "Isn't there a good channel for me to find wage earners..."

"Mr. Chongtian." Qingdeng put down his hand touching the back of his neck, "Can I ask you to do something for me tomorrow?"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"I would like to invite you to visit Boss Kiryu's Senshiya tomorrow..."

...

...

Edo, the leased land of overseas powers, the home of Anthony and Alodi——

Anthony and his family's new house in Edo was bought by Anthony at a relatively low price from one of his friends.

Although it is a "second-hand house", both the walls and the furniture are quite brand new.

Elodie, who had just taken a comfortable hot bath, took cheerful steps in the direction of her bedroom, accompanied by the maid Leroy.

Because of the fact that she just took a shower, Elodie's body is still warm and steaming, her curly light golden long hair is loosely scattered behind her, she is wearing a white French dress, the white is rosy pink Tender little feet are wearing a pair of cotton velvet slippers made in the Middle East.

"Miss." Leroy, who followed Elodie step by step, asked at this time, "You seem very happy, did you encounter any happy things?"

"Hey." Elodie turned her head and showed a big smile to Leroy, "Yeah, it is indeed a happy encounter."

Elodie raised her right palm and pressed it to the top of her head.

"I measured my height in the shower just now - I seem to have grown taller!"

Looking at Elodie who showed such a pure and bright smiling face because of this kind of thing, Leroy was startled, and then smiled gratifiedly:

"That's it... that's really something to be happy about."

While chatting and laughing, the master and servant passed by the hall that is still brightly lit.

In the hall, Anthony sat alone on the soft sofa.

Because Anthony's back was facing Elodie, Elodie couldn't see Anthony's face and expression now, but could only see Anthony's shadowy back under the candlelight.

Blinking at Grandpa's back, the smile on Elodie's face got a little stronger.

She decided to share the joy of growing taller with her grandpa too.

So, she asked Leroy to go back to her bedroom alone to wait for her, and then quietly entered the living room.

"Grandpa..." Elodie called Anthony sweetly, and walked up to Anthony.

Immediately afterwards, Elodie froze in place.

She saw her grandfather curled up on the sofa with a sad face.

"Oh... Elodie." Seeing Elodie coming, Anthony hurriedly forced a smile on his face belatedly.

Although he had used his fastest speed to turn his sad face into a smile, the speed was still half a step too late, and Elodie had already fully seen his expression just now.

"Grandpa, what's the matter?" Elodie hurried to Anthony's knee, "Why do you look sad, did you encounter any troubles?"

Looking at Elodie with a concerned face, Anthony was moved and smiled.

He raised his old, rough hand, and gently stroked Elodie's pale blonde hair, sighing heavily.

"...It's okay. I was just thinking...was it a wrong decision to take you to escape to this Far East island country..."

After finishing speaking, Anthony sighed heavily again.

"The 'striders against barbarians' in this country are far more xenophobic and radical than I thought before..."

"Last time, if it wasn't for our good luck, Mr. Ju and Mr. Xiaoshi protected us, we might have died under the swords of those "spirited fighters"."

"I have lived in this Far East island country for so long, and as a result, the 'wind of expelling barbarians' in this country has not gradually subsided, but is now intensifying..."

A wry smile appeared on Anthony's face.

"I'm so guilty...I clearly promised you back then that I would take you to a safe place far away from that empire..."

"It's true that it's far from that empire...but it's not safe at all."

Anthony sighed again.

After his sigh fell, for a moment, silence dominated the entire hall.

It wasn't until the night wind outside the window suddenly blew the sound of "Hoo Hoo Hoo" that I finally heard Elodie break the silence of the hall with her immature voice.

"Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

Elodie gave Anthony a big smile.

Then... She raised her hand and stroked Anthony's cheek with a gentle movement as if trying to smooth out the wrinkles that were crowded together with a sad expression.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about?"

"Although some people in this country hate us foreigners, this will not destroy my current happiness at all."

"After escaping to this country with you, I'm enjoying myself every day."

"There are so many beautiful scenery here that I haven't seen before."

"There's a lot of really good food here."

"I also made precious friends like Miss Mai here."

"More importantly - now I can play with you, Grandpa, without any worries!"

Speaking of which, Elodie took half a step back, then stretched out her hands, pinched the sides of the long white dress on her body, lifted the skirt slightly, bent down, and saluted Anthony with an extremely elegant French salute.

"I am no longer the princess of that empire, I am the daughter of an ordinary French merchant—Elodie de Angoulême."

"For me, that alone is enough to make me feel extraordinarily happy."

After all, Elodie smiled brightly at Anthony.

This is a smile like an angel descending from the earth.

*****

*****

Begging for a monthly pass after a long absence! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)

Thanks to the leader of the book friend [Donghai Small Fishing Village] for the reward! Thank you so much! QAQ, I haven't seen the leader for a long time.