CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 24 AH SONG, AH SONG

"Matsuko, oh Matsuko, my poor Matsuko..."

Matsuko had just taken her medicine and fallen asleep when another thirty-something woman from the Yayoi household, dusty-faced and disheveled, rushed in, flung herself at Matsuko’s side, and clutched her little hand, sobbing so hard she could barely speak, as if the moment she let go Matsuko would slip away from this world.

You really can’t blame her for being so timid; after all, in the Middle Ages of Japan, the child mortality rate was so high it would scare modern people to death. In most common families, out of six or seven children, if two or three survived it was already considered a blessing from the gods—the mortality rate usually exceeded 50%. Even in a warrior clan, where nutrition was comparatively better, the mortality rate typically remained above 30%.

This was an era where people could drop dead from a mere cold; sudden, gut-wrenching abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea until consciousness faded—none of this spelled anything good, so death was hardly out of the ordinary.

Maeda Toshie had just calmed down after seeing the pain fade from Matsuko’s face post-medicine, but now this woman had rushed over again, wailing endlessly, snot and tears running everywhere, leaving him feeling utterly embarrassed. After gritting out a curse, he awkwardly explained to Nozawa, "Forgive us. This is Lady Ume, Matsuko’s wet nurse. She has cared for her since infancy and is deeply devoted to her. She was just very frightened this time..."

This time, he had returned home on leave to visit his family, and ran into his favorite youngest (adopted and cousin) sister. On a whim—and, admittedly, to show off a bit—he had taken her out riding on his newly-bought prized horse, and even gifted her half a jar of the Golden Flat Sugar that he’d received as a reward from Oda Nobunaga, a sweet he’d never had the heart to eat himself. And naturally, this gift led to disaster: with Japan’s humid summers and Golden Flat Sugar’s high wheat flour content, the stuff had sat in a sealed jar for half a year. It was a wonder nothing green had started growing in there. How could it possibly not spoil?

Fortunately, Golden Flat Sugar was a luxury in these times—typically imported from India, resold by the Portuguese and Dutch to China, then smuggled again to Kyushu in Japan, from Kyushu to ports along the Seto Inland Sea, then resold from the Seto Inland Sea to Kaido Town, from Kaido Town to Shimazu, then finally overland to Nagano Castle. After such a long journey, even a lump of dung was worth its weight in gold; it was indeed a luxury good. Luckily, the sugar was rare and the glass jar beautiful, so Matsuko treasured it and hadn’t dared to eat much. Otherwise, things might have turned out even worse.

Still, a sudden, twisting stomach pain and vomiting up every last thing in her belly—this was enough to scare both Maeda Toshie and the nurse Ume out of their wits. They rushed Matsuko off to nearby Nakamura to rest. But upon arriving in Nakamura, Matsuko’s condition grew even more severe—she vomited up even more sour yellow water, and suffered such terrible stomach pain and diarrhea that she fainted.

At this point, a member of the Maeda Family’s Lang Faction from Nakamura brought up Nozawa, saying there was a Samurai from out of town lodging in Hibi Village who was rumored to have impressive medical skills—he’d supposedly brought Jiulang, all but dead, back to life. Perhaps they could ask him to take a look.

Maeda Toshie, young but decisive, didn’t hesitate at this sliver of hope; he bundled Matsuko up and placed her in his arms, then galloped straight to Hibi Village. Poor Lady Ume had to run all the way on two legs, growing more terrified with every step—afraid Matsuko would be gone by the time she arrived—crying her heart out, collapsing by the roadside more than once.

Maeda Toshie, feeling awkward, explained the whole situation. Nozawa listened and gave a slight nod.

Historically, Matsuko visited Atsuta Shrine multiple times to pray for deliverance from poor appetite, acid reflux, and stomach pain—the records of such prayers are roughly as numerous as those begging for Maeda Toshie’s continued fortune in battle, i.e., praying he wouldn’t die on the battlefield. Clearly, she suffered from severe chronic gastritis. These records have survived into modern times and are stored in the museum at Atsuta Shrine. Nozawa had once skimmed them—now, looking at her, it seemed highly likely she’d had an episode of acute gastritis as a child, never quite received proper treatment, managed to claw her way through it by sheer luck, and ended up with lingering chronic illness as a result.

Still...

Nozawa sized up Maeda Toshie again. This kid was over ten years older than Matsuko?

Fifteen or sixteen versus four or five—what kind of "childhood sweethearts" is this supposed to be?

These are basically two different generations; if you went by appearances, calling them uncle and niece wouldn’t be off at all!

Nozawa had originally thought Maeda Toshie and Matsuko had married because they grew up together and formed a deep bond through shared hardships, but now...that didn’t seem right!

Could this be one of those "raising them up" scenarios? Did they have that sort of thing this early?

No wonder the Japanese are so creative in these matters—China really can’t compete. Probably never will.

Nozawa’s mind was running wild, but out loud he affected innocent curiosity as he asked Maeda Toshie, "I see. May I ask who you are?"

To his credit, Maeda Toshie didn’t act as eccentric as his clothing suggested—quick-spirited, a bit of a dandy. Maybe Nozawa’s calm and almost noble composure psyched him out; stiff and formal before warming up, he immediately sat upright, hands on knees and head bowed in a formal greeting. His voice was solemn: "Forgive me. I am the fourth son of the Hosokawa Family at Hosokawa Castle—Magoshiro Toshie—and currently a household retainer to Lord Oda Sanmaru (Nobunaga). My apologies for earlier."

Nozawa bowed his head slightly in return—a polite but understated salute—then replied, acting his part to the hilt, "Ah, so it’s Lord Magoshiro of the Hosokawa Family! I am Nozawa Sanmaru from the western regions, currently lodging here. I hope I haven’t imposed."

"Not at all, not at all. Lord Nozawa, your presence here in Hibi Village is truly a blessing for us at Hosokawa Castle!"

Maeda Toshie was still young and a bit green—honest to a fault, not at all practiced in these sorts of polite exchanges. His words sounded dry and stilted, and at the moment, his real concern was Matsuko anyway. After a perfunctory pleasantry, he looked at Nozawa expectantly. "Lord Nozawa, about Matsuko—her condition now... it should be all right, yes?"