"Creak..."
In the dim room, a beam of light streamed in with the sound of the door opening, faintly illuminating the simple furnishings within.
Then, as the door was pushed wider and wider, the light filtering through the gap broadened and brightened until it finally lit up the entire room.
The room's furnishings were quite simple, mostly in a Japanese style. Aside from the plain table, chairs, and bed, there was nothing unnecessary except for a shrine holding offerings.
Everything looked simple and unadorned.
"Tap!"
Just as the furnishings were fully illuminated, a slightly stooped elderly woman stepped into the room.
Her stern face utterly expressionless, the old woman first swept her gaze across the room. Only after confirming that nothing had changed did she step inside.
After entering, she first went to the shrine and placed the exquisite pastries in her hands as offerings. She watched for a while, then sat beside the low table, took four or five small scrolls from her robes, and placed them on the table. At the same time, she spread open the dozen or so scrolls that had already been lying there, one by one.
Then, silence fell.
Once they were spread out, the old woman began reading them with focused attention. Stern and silent, she would occasionally furrow her brows and write something on a blank scroll.
With the war's impact, this year's national budget will probably be cut by quite a bit again.
Combined with the sharp drop in mission income during the war and such a massive expansion plan, the village's finances will likely be very tight this year.
Sigh...
*I need to secure a larger budget from the Daimyo, especially for construction. And during the future peace talks and alliance negotiations, we'll also need to address this matter with