117話 考えるとお腹が空く
実のところ、雨妹の見た目は髪の色が同じであるという点以外、母とは顔かたちや立ち姿といったものは、瓜二つというほどそっくりなわけではない。
もちろん同じ地味顔系であるし、よくよく見れば親子であると思わせる類似点はあるようだが。
尼たち曰く「雰囲気が違うので、パッと見では似て見えない」らしい。
なのに明が雨妹を見て母の名を呼んだのは、この母と同じ髪の色だけで判断したとしても、母をよく知っていたということになる。
――もしや明様は、ウチの父母のデートのお守もしていたのかな?
そんな推測が成り立つものの、だとしても名前を呼んで謝るとはどういうことか?
「む~ん、色々考えていると、お腹が空いてきちゃいます......」
脳は糖分を活力源にするというから、きっと糖分が足りなくなってきているのだろう。
それに雨妹はなんだかんだで宮城から出て内城へ向かうのに、そこそこの距離を歩いている。
なにせ宮城の中を走っている馬車というのは、高貴な方々が乗る軒車か、荷物を運ぶ荷車しか走っておらず、庶民が使う馬車なんてものはない。
故に下っ端は一つの都市ほどもある広さである宮城の中を、ひたすら歩くしかないのだ。
こうなると、元気になるには甘味をどこかで確保しなくてはならない。
なにせ今日は仕事ではないので、おやつを手に入れていないのだ。
けれど甘味を手に入れるためには、宮城へ戻るか外城へ出なければならない。
そして外城へ出る場合、雨妹だけでは恐らく許可が下りない。
というわけで。
「李将軍もお腹が空きませんか?
同行者をハラヘリ仲間に引き入れようと、必死の訴えを試みる。
これに、李将軍が「ククッ」と笑いを漏らす。
「なるほど、噂に聞く通りの食いしん坊だな。
なんと、外城へ出るのを許可された。
この熊さん、なかなかいい熊さんである。
外城へ出ると、李将軍が足を向けたのは高級な店が立ち並ぶ中央通りではなく、昨夜の飲み屋が並んでいた通りでもなく、市場であった。
――意外なような、似合っているような......。
将軍としてはおかしいのかもしれないが、熊男としては市場が似合うという、難しい男である。
そして熊男曰く。
「こういうところで食うのが、性に合うんだよ。
そう言って頭を掻く。
「そんなことを言っても、接待とかあるんでしょう?」
雨妹が当然の指摘をすると、李将軍が嫌そうな顔をする。
「ありゃあ苦行だよ、苦行。飯の味も覚えちゃいねぇ」
なるほど、この熊男はいわゆるジャンクフードなどを好むようだ。
そして市場の人々から「将軍様、美味しいのがあるよ!」と気軽に声をかけられる所を見ると、李将軍はここへ度々出没しているようだ。
そんな話をしながら、甘味を物色して歩いていると。
「おやぁ、昨日の夜のお嬢さんじゃねぇかい?」
横手からそう声をかけられた。
「へっ?」
雨妹は自分のことかと振り返る。
「誰でぃ、そちらさんは?」
しかしそちらには既に李将軍が立ち塞がっていて、その大きな背中に隠されて相手が見えない。
もしかして雨妹を守ってくれているのかもしれないが、横にも縦にも大きすぎて視界を塞がれるのはどうなのだろう?
少なくとも、まるで自分が小人になった気分になる雨妹であった。
とりあえず相手が誰かだけでも確かめようと、李将軍の背中の横から顔を出せば、そこにいたのは昨夜の飲み屋の主であった。
「ああ、どうも!」
「やっぱりそうだった、人違いかと焦ったぜ。
雨妹が片手を振って挨拶すると、飲み屋の主がホッとした顔をする。
熊男に凄まれたら、さぞや怖かっただろう。
「李将軍、この人、昨日明様が飲み潰れていたお店の店主さんですよ」
雨妹が説明すると、李将軍は立ち塞がるのを止めて横に退いた。
「そうかい、じゃあ部下が世話になったのに、失礼したな」
ペコリと頭を軽く下げる李将軍に、飲み屋の主が「いやいや」と頭を横に振る。
「こっちこそあのお客さんを引き取ってもらって、助かったってもんでさぁ。
Chapter 117
Actually, aside from the same hair color they shared, Yui Mei and her mother didn't look exactly alike in terms of facial features and posture.
Of course they were similar in that both of them were homely, and there were enough resemblance for people to see they were mother and daughter.
According to the nuns, "the air is different, so they don't look alike at first glance", apparently.
And yet, the fact that Ming called Yui Mei's mother the moment he saw Yui Mei meant he must have known her well, even if he just based it on the color of her hair.
'Maybe Lord Ming watched over Mother and Father's dates?'
Still, even if that was true, what on earth happened for him to apologize while calling her name? No matter how Yui Mei thought about it, she couldn't guess the answer.
"Mmm, thinking about a lot of things is making me hungry..."
The brain's main source of energy was sugar, so the sugar in her system probably wasn't enough now.
Besides, because of a few things, Yui Mei had to walk quite a considerable distance to leave the Imperial Palace and head towards the Inner City.
At any rate, the only carriages that run in the Imperial Palace belonged to the nobility, or else were carrying goods. There was no such thing as a horse-drawn carriage for the commoners.
Thus, the lowly people didn't have a choice but to walk inside the Imperial Palace, which was as big as an entire city.
As such, Yui Mei definitely had to get her hands on some sweets in order to become more energetic.
At any rate, she didn't have any jobs today, so she wouldn't receive any snacks.
However, in order to obtain something sweet, she could only return to the Imperial Palace, or else go to the Outer City.
She probably won't be permitted if she wanted to go to the Outer City.
And so --
"General Li, aren't you hungry? You're hungry, right!?"
Yui Mei desperately pleaded, trying to turn him into a fellow hungry comrade.
General Li chuckled.
"Haha, you're a glutton just like rumors say, huh. Alright, since we're here, wanna go outside to get some grub?"
He unexpectedly approved the trip to the Outer City.
So this bear man was a great bear.
When they stepped into the Outer City, General Li didn't head towards the high end restaurants lined up along the main street, nor did he go to the pubs along the alley they went yesterday. He strode towards the marketplace.
'It's a bit unexpected, but at the same time it feels like it's just like him...'
It was strange for a general to be there, but as a bear man, the marketplace suited him like fish in the water. He was a complicated guy.
According to the bear man --
"Eating in this kind of place fits me more. Sitting in pretty restaurants is a bit... "
He scratched his head while muttering those lines.
"Even if you say that, you still have to attend to meet and dine with people, right?"
Yui Mei pointed the obvious, but General Li scowled.
"That's torture, you know, torture. I don't even remember what the food tastes like."
Oh, in short, this bear man preferred the so-called junk foods.
Yui Mei observed how the people in the marketplace called out to him lightheartedly, saying 'Lord General, we have something delicious for you!', so General Li was probably a regular to this place.
They hunted for some sweets while conversing.
"Oh, aren't you the girl from yesterday?"
Somebody called out to her from the side
"Eh?"
Yui Mei turned around to check if he was referring to her.
"Hey, who are you?"
However, General Li already stood in her way, and his huge, broad back hid the person from her sight.
Perhaps the general was protecting her, but because he was both too tall and too broad, he already blocked her view.
Yui Mei felt as if she had turned into a dwarf.
At any rate, she wanted to check the person who called out to her, so she poked her head from behind General Li. The owner of the pub they went to yesterday was standing before them.
"Ahh, hello!"
"Yeah, so it's really you, I got a bit nervous thinking I might be mistaken. So you're with Lord General today, huh?"
The pub owner seemed relieved when Yui Mei waved her hand at him.
It must have been really scary being intimidated by the bear man.
"General Li, this person owns the pub where Lord Ming was drinking himself to death yesterday!"
General Li backed down and stopped intimidating him when he heard Yui Mei's explanation.
"Really, sorry then. Thanks, my subordinate was in your care."
General Li lightly nodded, while the pub owner shook his head.
"Actually, we should be the one saying thanks. You helped us a lot by taking that customer with you. That customer didn't stop drinking for a long time."
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ