Little Afumi and Tasuke / Arriving in Shimōsa Province

"Yay!" The baby in his arms turned to look at Shirou and smiled.

"My name is... Afeng..." The girl stammered, only answering after confirming that Shirou didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

"Afeng and Tanabe, right? I'm Shirou. Let's get out of here first." Shirou chuckled and extended his hand.

The little girl placed one hand on Shirou's hand and used it for leverage to climb out of the small hole.

"How could this happen... The village has been burned down..." The little girl walked out of the cowshed and saw the devastation outside.

"Waaah... Waaah... The village is gone, Mom and Dad!!!" It seemed that with Shirou by her side, the tension suddenly eased, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Stop crying! Don't attract those guys. Let's think about how to survive first. Eat this!"

Shirou handed the little girl the dry food and water he found inside the house.

The little girl took the food but didn't eat it. She just stared blankly at Shirou and asked, "Who are those guys?"

"Didn't you see what happened yesterday?" Shirou asked.

"I don't know, there were really scary screams outside. My mom and dad carried me and Tianzhu here and told us to stay here and not make a sound. Then my dad grabbed a hoe and ran out, and my mom blocked the way with grass and ran out too." The little girl shook her head and said, her voice trembling with tears.

"After that, there were some scary screams, then it went quiet again. It got really hot outside, and I was terrified. I stayed inside with Tadasuke and didn't come out. Who were those guys?"

"Is that so? It's better if you don't know." Shirou didn't answer. He went to the well, drew up clean water, boiled it, let it cool, and poured it into a bamboo tube for later use.

"Who are those guys?" Afeng asked again.

Shirou hesitated for a moment, then changed his words, saying, "It was mountain bandits! Dark-skinned mountain bandits, the kind of bad guys who only come out after nightfall. They've already disappeared."

"Disappeared..." Afeng's stomach rumbled. She had been hiding in the little hole since last night and was starving. She took the hard bun that Shirou gave her, poured out a cup of water and soaked one of the buns in it, intending to feed it to Tsuke after it softened. After doing all that, she started to eat the other bun herself.

Seeing the children eating obediently, Shirou stood up and used Projection Magecraft, donning white clothes and gloves for ease of movement, and a shovel appeared in his hand. (Food)

Shirou pulled down the wooden fence behind the cowshed and went into the woods. He dug holes with a shovel. If he had gone straight down the mountain last night without lingering, he might have been able to save the villagers...

In short, he couldn't just leave the people of this village to their deaths, their bodies exposed to be devoured by wild beasts.

Then Shirou found a wooden cart, dug out the bodies from the burned ruins, loaded the bodies from other places onto the cart, pushed it into the forest, and buried them in the pit.

Then, stones are piled up to form a tombstone, which is considered a proper burial.

"Mom and Dad, don't worry. Afeng will take good care of Tian-Zhu from now on." Afeng hugged Tian-Zhu, kowtowed three times in front of her parents' graves, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and stood up.

"Do you have any relatives nearby?" Shirou asked.

"No, everyone here is a refugee. Those who couldn't escape were supposedly taken away by the army, and now my mom and dad are dead..." The little girl shook her head and answered pitifully.

"Is that so..." Shirou nodded, silently looking at the two children, two orphans with no relatives. The younger one was still an infant, and the older one was at most just starting elementary school.

There was no way they could survive alone, and in this dangerous world, even if they had relatives to rely on, they weren't guaranteed to be safe forever. Shirou made a decision: he would take them in for the time being, and once the dangers of this world were resolved, he would find a way to ensure their survival.

Shirou looked at the little girl and the baby in swaddling clothes and said, "Then I have a suggestion: would you be willing to live with me for the time being?"

Chapter 358 Little Afeng and Tadasuke

Overnight, everything was gone. The village where he was born was burned to the ground, and his parents collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Even for an adult, this was a blow that would be hard to bear.

Afeng was still a child, and there were many things she might not understand. But she was already aware of the predicament she was in. She hugged her younger brother, Tian Zhu, and kowtowed three times to her parents at their graves, because she understood that once people were buried in the ground, they would never be seen again.

As for what exactly happened with the 'death', she might not know how to explain it, but she knew in her heart that from now on, only she and her younger brother, Tianzhu, would be left in the village.

To reassure her parents who were buried in the ground, she promised them that she would take good care of her younger brother and help him grow up.

However, this was all just bravado. She had seen how adults did farm work, but that didn't mean she had the strength to use farm tools or knew what to plant. What lay ahead was a terrible, unpredictable future.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities... earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, droughts and floods, once they happen, always catch people off guard. No matter how much preparation is made, there will still be people who are injured or killed.

When faced with nature, humanity is so insignificant. Humanity conquers this and that, seemingly dominating the earth, but in reality, there is something that humanity can never conquer: nature itself.

Some things happen, and that's it; there's nothing you can do about it. They're not common occurrences, but they're not impossible either...

That's why the white god wanted to transfer all the victims to another world, so that they could survive without affecting their original world.

However, this time, it seems that due to Shirou and Alaya's intervention, the gods did not appear.

Therefore, people in this world die when they encounter misfortune.

In this cruel world, the helpless little girl, Afeng, holding the infant Tasuke in her arms, heard Shirou's invitation to take them away. It was like hearing heavenly music, perhaps a child's instinct for survival.

She and the baby both raised their heads at the same time, staring intently at Shirou, their eyes filled with expectation.

"Eh? Is that alright? Then what should we call you?" Afeng looked at Shirou pitifully, her eyes shining with hope, yet afraid of saying the wrong thing and causing Shirou to change his mind, she asked cautiously.

With eyes like that, looking at you as if you were entrusting the hope of your life to someone, how could Shirou possibly bear to refuse?

"Yes, we really should decide on a form of address." Shirou pondered, feeling somewhat conflicted, unsure which was better.

"Brother?" Afeng tried to say.

"No." Shirou waved his hand. Although he had decided to take care of them, he couldn't stay by their side as an older brother all the time. So he hoped to teach them as a guardian or a teacher.

"Uncle?" Afeng tilted his head and asked.

"No, no~!" Shirou thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered how he used to address Kiritsugu, and said to the children, "I'm much older than I look, so you should just call me Grandpa (Yoshisan)."

"We know, Grandpa!" Afeng replied with a smile.

"Yay!" the baby, held in the little girl's arms, exclaimed with a smile.

"Yes! Since you've chosen to come with me, you'll have to behave." Shirou said.

"Okay, Grandpa!"

"Yay!"

The little girl and the baby agreed again.

So Shirou, with the little girl and the baby in tow, walked out of the village, one in front of the other, in search of a place to settle down.

Now the question arises: how should we educate the adopted orphans? Based on Shirou's experiences in his previous life, he has some expertise. Precisely because Kiritsugu and Sister Fuji are negative examples, Shirou is even more qualified to express his own views.

Although he had no experience raising children, he understood how to care for and educate them. At least he fully comprehended the feelings of a child who had lost their family as they grew up.

At the same time, Shirou lived in a happy family in this life, and thus experienced the warmth and happiness that a family should have.

Of course, he cannot replace these children's parents, nor can he stay by their side forever.

Although the children have experienced such a tragedy, losing their parents and having no relatives, and in this world, there isn't even an orphanage.

The two children also lost their sense of security in the world, Shirou felt a deep pain in his heart whenever he thought about how they had survived the fire.

Shirou must use strict educational methods; a gentle approach would be counterproductive for them. The protection of a makeshift greenhouse is meaningless; they have already witnessed the cruelty of the world, so they must learn to face it with strength.

Although she wasn't beaten or scolded, she had to make Afeng learn to do everything she could, such as cooking, making tea, and doing light work. Of course, she also had to take care of her younger brother, Tian Zhu, all by herself.

"Let's go." Shirou rummaged through a few decent houses for some money, found a piece of cloth, put the items inside, tied it into a bundle, carried it in his hand, and then said to the little girl and the baby.

"Um... Grandpa, what will happen to this village in the future?" Afeng looked back at the dilapidated village and his own house, and asked reluctantly.

"The village is gone. Only bandits and wolves remain. Unless an adult brings you here to pay your respects, you are not allowed to come here alone. Follow me, we're going home!" Shirou stopped, didn't turn around, and said in a cold voice, continuing to walk forward.

"..." The little girl's eyes were filled with tears, but when she looked at Tianzhu in her arms, she saw that her little brother was smiling at her, his little fists clenched and raised, as if he was cheering her on.

"Ya ya~!" the baby cried out.

"Thank you! Tadasuke, I've decided that I'll never cry again starting today!" Afeng wiped away her tears and gave a bright smile, though her voice still carried a trace of a sob.

"Ah! Grandpa, wait for us!" Afeng adjusted the straps, carried Tian Zhu on his back, and chased after him with his small legs.

Shirou remained silent, simply standing at the village entrance, gazing at the village.

From this day forward, these houses and this land will become abandoned wastelands. It's cruel, but that's the reality. For a long time to come, it will be a wasteland, overgrown with weeds within a month, and the houses, neglected, will crumble and collapse in less than ten years.

Afeng, carrying her younger brother on her back, followed and asked, "Grandpa, where is our home?"

"Well, let's find a safe place first, exchange the jewelry for some money, and then buy some daily necessities." Shirou thought for a while and finally came up with a plan.

If he were alone, he could go anywhere, even sleep under the open sky. But he can't let his children suffer like this. It's necessary to find a safe place to settle down and build a house for the two children.

He still needs to save up some money to ensure that even after he leaves, his two children can live comfortably until they are old enough to support themselves.

Hmm... just like Kiritsugu did for him back then...

Chapter 359 Arrival in Shimousa

Shirou's bundle contained the remaining belongings from the village that hadn't been burned. He had personally buried the villagers, and the money would be used to support the villagers' sons Afeng and Tsuke, so he felt perfectly justified in taking it.

The few houses in the village that weren't burned were all located in remote corners, and they weren't wealthy families. All that could be found were some loose change and the women's gold and silver jewelry.

To exchange them for money, I need to find a place to sell all the jewelry I have. After thinking it over, I decided to go to the city of Shimousa, where I can also find out some information.

With Afeng and Tadasuke in tow, and considering that children are naturally slow-moving, walking such a long distance would probably be too much for Afeng to handle. So Shirou simply took Tadasuke from the girl's arms and held him in his embrace. Since the child's neck bones hadn't fully developed yet, he carefully supported the back of his neck on his arm to make him more comfortable.

Then he bent down, hoisted Afeng onto his shoulder, and ran quickly towards the city.

"Wow! So high! So fast!" Afeng exclaimed excitedly.

"Yay!" Tasuke exclaimed happily.

Shirou used his magic to create an invisible barrier, protecting them from the cold wind that blew towards them as they ran; the wind itself became a comfortable breeze.

An hour later, Shirou brought the child to a jewelry store in Koso Province, which also served as a pawn shop.

As soon as Shirou stepped across the threshold, the waiter inside greeted him with great enthusiasm.

"Sir, are you looking to buy jewelry? Whether it's a jade pendant befitting a gentleman of your refined appearance, or a precious pearl for your lover, we have it all!"

"No, I'm here to sell jewelry," Shirou interrupted, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing that the person greeting the customer wasn't a customer, their attitude immediately changed. They casually pointed to the right and said, "Selling jewelry? Then go to the side hall. See that screen over there? It's inside."

Seeing Shirou with two children, they wanted to sell the gold and silver jewelry.

The people around him naturally misunderstood and began to whisper among themselves. Shirou seemed to be seen as a down-on-his-luck man who had to sell his wife's jewelry; usually, someone who would do such a thing was either an alcoholic or a gambler.

'What poor children they are! They were so well-behaved, so quiet and obedient as soon as they entered the store...' The people around them looked at Afeng and the swaddled Tian-Shu with pity.

'To think she ended up with such a father... He's clearly a decent-looking man, tall and strong...'

Shirou's keen ears picked up the whispers in the outer hall, and his heart was dealt a heavy blow.

Now he regrets it a little; he should have accepted his reward from Lord Matsudaira before leaving when he was in Mikawa Province.

Behind the screen was a traditional pawnshop. The counter and windowsill were very high, a staggering 1.8 meters. The windows were also fitted with bars. For people of this era who were still quite short, with the average height of men in the country being less than 160 cm, they had to stand on tiptoe and raise their hands high to hand items to the counter.

This allows the pawnshop owner to maintain a superior attitude and lower the price of items being pawned.

The shopkeeper inventoried the gold and silver jewelry, putting away the valuables, and finally leaving behind a hairpin with gold trim and a phoenix design. He pushed it back to Shirou, saying:

"Don't take this; it's not worth much. Keep it for your wife. It'll be a keepsake."

"No..." Although he wanted to explain, Shirou decided to say less and obediently put the hairpin back under the barrage of stares from those around him.

"Hmm? Fine, I'll settle the bill for you. Since you're going to pawn it anyway, I'll give you an extra Issei, that's the price, no bargaining!" the shopkeeper said, spreading his hands.

"Alright, deal." Shirou accepted the two gold coins (small gold coins), a dozen silver coins, and some loose copper coins, then left the troublesome place with Afeng and Tasso.

In the Shimousa, there lived a rather peculiar and adorable Princess who seemed to be searching for a suitable partner for a passionate, fiery, and ultimately intense love affair. Today, she had also shunned her servants and ventured out into the streets alone, looking for a suitable match.

"Tsk... she already has two children." The long-haired girl with dragon horns in a gorgeous kimono said with a sneer.

"Afeng, let's hurry up and leave." Shirou took Tasuke, held Afeng's little hand, and led them away from this troublesome place.

"Hmm! He's actually holding a little girl's hand and walking down the street. Seeing such a tender-hearted man's back, if he were single, I'd almost like him to hold my hand and elope with me."

"Princess! You're here! Honestly! I've told you so many times, don't just run off like that. Hurry up! Master might be back today. We have to go back to the manor!" A servant dressed as a warrior ran over, grabbed the Princess, and dragged her to the other side.

"As expected of someone from the city, the people here are completely different from those in the countryside! Right, Tasuke?"

"Ya ya!" the baby seemed to agree in response.

"No, no, that person would be considered strange no matter where he is." Shirou felt he should leave this place sooner rather than later; the city's influence on children's education was far from positive.

Just then, a group of people gathered in a circle by the roadside, and music was playing inside. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be dancers performing a dance.

The dancer at the very center, like a vibrant butterfly, danced gracefully. Her blue figure, slender physique, and beautiful face were enough to make her a beauty that could topple kingdoms. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that this dancer had animal ears and a tail on her head. The people around her did not seem surprised, as if she had used some kind of illusion magic to deceive them.

However, this was a familiar face, and judging from the way she enjoyed the applause, she wasn't the type to do evil in this life, so Shirou wasn't worried.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, it's a dancer! She's so beautiful!" Afeng exclaimed, her eyes shining.

"Hmm..." Shirou thought for a moment, then took out the hairpin that he hadn't sold before and put it into the plate that the dancer had placed on the ground as a tip.

"..." The dancer paused when she saw the hairpin that had been thrown in, and glared fiercely at Shirou.

After the dance ended, the blue-robed dancer picked up the hairpin and walked towards Shirou.

"The dancer is here!" Afeng exclaimed in delight.