Chapter 4 third chapter

On both sides of the road leading to the end, black and white whale screens stretch continuously, and at the end, a group of people are holding Buddhist ceremonies noisily. —the smell of a funeral. Isama Kazunari's nose felt so. The fresh fragrance of flowers, the fragrance of incense sticks, the ancient fragrance of temples, the fragrance of camphor attached to mourning clothes, and the fragrance of damp earth.All smells with Buddhist overtones are the smell of the so-called funeral.This seemed to be what Isama smelled.However, it is quite far away from the venue, so it shouldn't be able to smell it.

Everything is the false smell evoked by the landscape, the olfactoryization of sight. — Black and white black and white. A continuous object in black and white.It seems that even the black and white, the blue of the sky, and the gold of the Buddhist utensils dotted everywhere are contaminated with flavor.Isama explained arbitrarily: because these items almost all appeared in a complete set at the funeral. "What a luxurious funeral. The funeral is so grand, it's no different from a happy event. Well, it's a waste to put so many flowers." Wu Renji said, turning to Izuma, grinning.

The teeth are so white, maybe it's because the face is very dark, this old man is quite tanned.Not only that, but the hand towel that is rolled up and tied around the head also has a boiled color. "Who..." Isama asked with his unique grammar.He always omits most of the sentences, but still can convey the meaning accurately.Of course, he was asking for the name of the person who had just died. "I don't know if you know, but everyone in this area knows a rich man named Yunosuke Orisaku." "Rich?" "But not an upstart." "Aristocratic family?"

"Aristocratic family...you can count as an aristocratic family, but you should be a fisherman. Yes, then you can be considered an upstart." When Renji said this, he took a deep breath from the pipe, stopped breathing for a moment, pouted his mouth round, and spit out donut-shaped smoke with a "bo". "It's still quite cold, do you want to go inside?" "No." "That's it. The one who died was the master weaver. I remember he was only in his fifties. In this area, it is widely rumored that the master was poisoned to death." "Poisoned? Then he was killed?"

"It's rumored. The rumor can't be true. It's just that there is no wind without waves." Ren Ji's tone was like that of an Edo man.When Isama said that, Renji protested, "Nonsense, I'm an out-and-out countryman from Anju". He made an exaggerated gesture, still full of Edo flavor. "Then the source is..." "It's a long story, let's go into the house." Renji said, standing up. Renji is very small, whether he is sitting or standing, he is equally short.Isama is tall and tall, casually taller than Renji by two heads, but he is a little hunchbacked, so he doesn't look very tall.

Renji has undoubtedly entered old age, while Isama, despite his aging appearance, is actually only in his early thirties. The age difference between the two is like father and son, but they don't look much different. They feel almost like a pair of friends.Part of the reason is that the old man Renji is short and sometimes innocent, but the most important reason is that Isama's appearance is prematurely aging. This is Boso, Uhara, Okitsu Town. It is the third month of the lunar calendar in spring, and the wind blowing through is still cold in early spring at the fishing port. The two, whose actual age and relationship are both elusive, were sitting on a wooden box by the roadside under the budding cherry tree, waiting for someone.

Isama's usual job is to run a fishing pond, and his hobby is also fishing. He is a somewhat strange person.It is hard to say that his clothing business is average. At first glance, it is really hard to tell which country he is from.Now he was wearing a hat like a Turk's and a coat like a Russian's.Although chaotic, it is extremely coordinated. This man of no nationality is what everyone calls the ghost of the day.It means that although he dresses very conspicuously, he does not emphasize his presence to the surroundings.He usually makes people wonder whether he is there or not, even if he is not, no one will be troubled by it.So he always takes advantage of this, and goes out and wanders as he pleases.At the end of last year, because of some incidents, he temporarily settled down for a while.But in March, as soon as he felt the arrival of spring, his wanderlust flared up again, as literally described as ready to move, restless, and finally left home.

He seems to want to go to the seaside that he has never been to and catch some inexplicable fish. So Isama visited the fishing port in Chiba, and two days ago, he stayed at the old man Renji's house. Isama and the old man Renji just shared the same tram, and Isama didn't know how it would develop into this.They hardly know the details of each other's origins, but Izuma learned from the information heard in the clip that the old man Renji was originally a fisherman who injured his foot in the war and is currently living in seclusion at home. Renji usually makes some dry goods to get by, but in fact he lives on the living expenses sent by his son. In other words, he doesn't need to work at all.However, apart from his lame feet, Renji was in good health, so he was flustered all day long, and Isama could just accompany him to relieve his boredom.

The old man's house was a detached house with a rusted tin roof. It was desolate and simple. It was indeed not very warm when you actually went inside and took a look.However, Isama may not feel cold because he is convinced that spring has arrived.And he was wearing a winter coat, so it was only natural that he didn't feel cold. "The weaver, the Katsuura area was originally rich and famous, but I don't know the details. I heard that the weaver was already there when General Uemura entered Katsuura Castle. Here, lay a cushion." Isama arranged the piece of cloth that was unclear whether it was a cushion or a rag, and sat down.Then he asked:

"Uemura is..." "Tadatomo Uemura, a retainer of the Tokugawa family. Don't you know?" "have no idea." "Speaking of which, the Katsuura area was originally the territory of the Masaki clan, the vassals of the Anbo Rimi clan. The Masaki clan and the Odawara Hojo family shared a common fate and perished. It was Uemura who entered the city instead of the Masaki clan." "When did this happen?" "It happened in the second year of Wanzhi." "Long time." "of course." No wonder chickens talk to ducks, that is quite a long time ago.

Speaking of Wanzhi, it was around 1660, and the old man Renji talked about things three hundred years ago in one breath. "Weaving writers are also generals?" "No, no, it shouldn't be. I think they should be farmers or fishermen. Every household in this area is." "But it has a long history, right?" "Yeah. But everyone knows that weavers are different from other families in the village. It's different from the beginning. Regarding this, I have heard some strange rumors before, but I haven't heard much about it now. Because weavers are local No one dares to openly disobey them." "Strange rumor?" "Oh, it's a story. I heard that the weavers got rich by doing bad things in the past, so they were plagued by resentful spirits for generations, and every husband who married into a family died early. But this is just the narrow-mindedness of the country people, who think that all rich people do things It’s the poor people’s inferiority complex that makes them rich.” "The so-called... bad things in the past are..." "I can't do anything if I know it, it's a story." Isama was even more interested. He begged Ren Ji to tell him by all means. The old man said, "You are really curious," and grinned. "I don't know when it started to spread, but it's really the story of the old grandmother. Here, lady of heaven and man, that's the story." "The one who hid the feather robe?" "That's the one, you know. The ancestors of Zhizuo hid the feathers of the celestial girl." Is that a bad thing? The story of Tianren Niangzi in Isama's memory is as follows: A man found the goddess bathing by the river and hid the plumage hanging from a branch.The celestial girl can't go back to heaven, so she becomes a man's wife.After Tian gave birth to a child, he found the man's hidden feather, so he returned to the sky-he remembered that there seemed to be a follow-up, and some versions had different endings, but it should be roughly the same.The man deceived the woman with tricks and clever words, saying that it was a bad thing and it was indeed a bad thing, but it ended in a tragic end, and Isama felt that the man was not so bad that he must be cursed from generation to generation.He stated his feelings. Renji replied: "Well, it's a little different. It is said that the ancestors of weaving hid the feather clothes, and after marrying the celestial girl, they sold the feather clothes to the princes and became a rich man." "Sold……" "It was sold, and it was sold for a good price, so the goddess can never go back. Zhizao's ancestors got wealth and peerless beauty, and became a rich man. So, there is no way to be as happy as the story. " "Then the curse is..." "Of course it's the wife's curse. The celestial girl later discovered the secret and knew that she had been cheated. She was mad with anger, but the feathers were gone, and she couldn't go back even if she wanted to. It's just that this place is different from other stories. The celestial girl—that is, Wife, I am very unwilling. Because I don’t want to let the weaver who deceived me lose all sons and grandchildren, so I cursed all the sons-in-law who married into the marriage. The children born are all female, and they are the blood of heavenly women. Then every day A married son-in-law was killed in two or three strokes. In other words, it was the weaver’s woman who cursed the weaver, and that’s how it ended. Boring.” "But...the weaver has not lost his heir." "Of course. Didn't I tell you? This is a story. It must have been made up. Speaking of which, he died early, but Mr. Yunosuke lived to be more than fifty, right? The previous generation also lived to sixty Two years old. So the legend, not so much a story, is a slander at all. No one will tell it anymore. But the weaver is indeed not a ship owner, nor a rich peasant, but he has been a long time ago. Rich, it's true." "It's amazing." "Strange cat? Where did the cat come from? I don't know what the ancestors of weavers are like, but the previous generation and the previous generation, just like their surnames, got rich by weaving." According to the old man, the weavers seem to have gotten rich from the production of power looms between the Meiji and Taisho years.The so-called power loom refers to a weaving machine that operates by power.Isama is not sure, but I heard that domestically produced power looms were completed around the Meiji 30th year (1897), and weavers participated in the mass production of power looms. "But I don't know why the country folks in Katsuura would invest in something like that. Weaving looms - that's the name of the company - got off the ground and made a fortune. Then around Meiji Thirty-Five Years, even built a palace." "palace?" "We've called it that since we were kids, and some unscrupulous people called it 'Spider's Web Mansion.' Isn't that what spiders do, spinning silk from their asses? That's why weavers get rich off looms. It’s the mansion built on the tip of Cape Myojin, on the other side of the cliff, it’s a scary big house.” "Scary?" "It's too big to kill people." "That's it." Izuma suddenly wanted to see that house. "It's hard to see such a luxurious building in this area. It really happened. So, the story just now didn't exist in the past, but it spread after the house was built. I think so of." Indeed, the anecdote that the ancestors got rich by selling feather clothes can also be said to reflect the fact that the weavers got rich by making looms - but this is almost like playing a game of notation.Then this is not an ancient legend, it must have been fabricated after the weaving writer became rich—after the late Meiji period.When Isama said this, Renji nodded solemnly, "Yes, yes", and said, "But if you want to be connected with the story of the loom, it should be okay for Baihe to repay your kindness?" Even if you ask Isama if it is possible , he has no way of answering. "So, at that time, the whole village was quite puzzled. However, the previous generation of weavers was kind and generous. After getting rich, they would repay the village whenever they had the opportunity. Do you know the girl's school in the mountain next door?" "have no idea." "My granddaughter goes to that school. That school is a boarding school, and it is very famous. The one who built that school was the master weaver of the previous generation. I heard that the master of the previous generation believed in the teaching of Jesus." "Jesus?……" I mean Christianity.Is only the previous generation Christian? Always feel very strange. "Because of that, weavers were always viewed with colored eyes, but until the last generation, they completely won the trust of the local villagers." Constant donations, donations, and even building schools, the community seems to be unable to disagree. The local residents are engaged in primary industries and live a solid life. From their point of view, nouveau riche who rely on investment business to get rich in one fell swoop must be suspicious.It is also understandable to fabricate mysterious legends.But it would be foolish to continue spreading such rumors regardless of local interests.So the rumors will naturally disappear.This shows that in this day and age, economics is more influential than superstition. "And then came the current generation of Mr. Yunosuke..." Renji crossed his arms and tilted his neck when he said this. "Uh, what's the name of that great chaebol? Didn't a big man who originally traded in silk thread pass away last year? His name is Chai, Chai..." "Shibata Yohiro?" "It's him, you know. That Shibata is like the backing for the Oda family, so..." Why did Shibata's name pop up? Isama thought about it. The head of the Shibata Zaibatsu - Shibata Yohiro is a giant, and it is even rumored that he is behind the scenes of the financial industry.Even the owner of a mere fishing pond knows his name, which shows how big a man Shibata Yohiro is. But the big man passed away suddenly last summer.It is said that his sudden death has caused various impacts on all walks of life, and even Isama's surroundings have been affected by the aftermath of the incident. Shibata's influence can be said to be inestimable.Isama himself was spared, as usual, by wandering the backcountry, but Isama's friends were caught in a dilemma by being involved in events related to the death of the giant. ——This person still influences future generations after his death. Isama thought, Shibata Yohiro is a big shot, no wonder. It's just that he won't say such words. "Then why Shibata..." "Oh, the master weaver of the previous generation seems to have some kind of personal relationship with that man named Shibata, so..." Judging by the name of the company, Weaving seems to be making looms as well.Weaving and Yoshihiro Shibata, who made his fortune by trading silk threads, should also have known each other through the textile industry.When Xiongnosuke’s generation of weaving and textile machines joined the Shibata Group, I don’t know whether it was because of Shibata’s business strategy or his own talent. He himself became Shibata’s confidant and occupied an important place in the organization. "...Master Yunosuke was even called Shibata's right-hand man during his lifetime." "very impressive." So rather than being a local celebrity, it should be said that he is directing the overall situation and secretly manipulating the financial circles. "Anyway, Mr. Yuunosuke is an amazing person. He seems to have been born in Echigo, so it's worth his time crossing the Three Kingdoms Gorge." "Echigo? Is Mr. Yunosuke an adopted son?" "Yes, he is the son-in-law of the recruiter. The weaver is a female family." "Women...?" "Yes. This is also a legend, so it is superstition. In fact, I heard that there were male heads a few generations ago, and it is not true that only girls are born. But..." Renji said that although weaving writers do not adopt the system of sister-in-law supervisors, it is also a fact that they often recruit relatives.The head of the previous generation and the previous generation all recruited son-in-law.Hearing this, Isama finally understood. Then it is not surprising that only the head of the previous generation was abruptly a Christian.In addition, the story that the married son-in-law will die early is also reasonable.Isama has always felt that it is strange to say that the son-in-law died early instead of the son or daughter-in-law. And if you think about it carefully, if it is not for the female family, the curse of the goddess will be broken. "It must have been in the 14th year of Taisho that the current master became a weaving writer. At that time, the wedding was extremely grand, and there were continuous banquets for three days and three nights. Oh, I am a little... a little bit unwilling." "Unwilling?" "Well, the weaving writer's wife was still a young lady at the time, called Masako. She had black and beautiful hair, and fair skin. She was a great beauty, brother. She was so beautiful that people doubted that she was really a descendant of a fairy. Only at that time , I really believe in that legend." Old Renji scratched his sunburned brown bald head. "Hehehe, I am really a toad who wants to eat swan meat." He is ashamed. "She is a widow now, are you going to pursue her?" Of course Isama was joking, but Renji seemed to be taking it seriously. He was still a little embarrassed. "Hahaha, don't say silly things. She is already an old woman, and I am also an old man. I don't have the strength to interview women at night." In order to hide his embarrassment, Renji yelled "Hey!", stood up, staggered to the window, and opened the window with a rattling sound. A gust of cold wind blew in loudly. However, the wind in March of the lunar calendar is no longer bone-chillingly cold. Looking at the scenery outside the window, Renji murmured: "Before, during, and after the war, weavers did not know what kind of business they did, and they made a lot of money. It may be that Mr. Xiongzhisuke was born with Business mind. After he teamed up with someone from Shibata, although he was silent on the surface, the local people knew that he had made a fuss, and he might have done a lot of greedy things in private. But Mr. Xiongzhisuke Human beings are even stranger than the previous generation's head of the family..." "Then..." Only then did Izuma realize that they were talking about the fact that the recently deceased master might have been poisoned. "...Is it poisonous..." "That's right. The rumors of weaving writers, the seeds were actually planted last year. Those long whale screens were also pulled in that place last spring. It's just a misfortune in mourning." "Who……" Passed away? ——Isama omitted this part. "That's right, it happened to be the season of cherry blossoms. The eldest daughter, Miss Zi, died without warning...she was only twenty-eight, what a pity." "Is it an accident?" "I don't know. There were bad rumors at the time, but none of the rumors were true." "But where there is no wind, there is no wave." "That's right. So... oh, it's very clear from here, come here and have a look." Renji waved his thick and short palm, beckoning to Isama.Isama stood up nimbly like a clockwork doll, approached the old man, and looked out the window as instructed. Renji murmured in his ear, "Why haven't you come out yet? The secret burial was over yesterday. Normally, the ceremony should be finished in one go. There must be too many mourners. Maybe it's better than The population of this town is even larger. I think the monastery must also prepare a large bucket full of incense to burn it? This is really terrible." It's strange what the old man worries about.If so much incense is burned, it will definitely be full of smoke, like a fire.Isaac laughed lightly. Then Isama noticed something: the window of the old man's quiet place faced the road leading directly to the monastery. Until just now, Isama and the old man were still sitting under the cherry blossom tree directly in front of this house.On the other side of the cherry tree, the black and white curtain repeats continuously, stretching out straightly, becoming narrower as it goes further away.At the funeral of Miss Zi, the cherry blossoms in full bloom must have added soft colors to the black and white landscape. ——But even so, it should still smell like a funeral. Maybe the scent will be different. Now the cherry tree is still in bud, and it looks boring. Renji put his right hand on his forehead and said, "Oh, finally the incense is finished. One after another, it's like ants moving. Oh, it's in the middle. Here, look." Isama leaned out further, even sticking his face out of the window.Renji said: "Seeing her, I really feel that the legend is not entirely a lie. Well, that is Mrs. Masako..." Isama stared at it. It smells like a funeral. A crowd gathered in front of the door. There was an elegant woman in mourning. It was the head of mourning, with his hair plastered on his head in an uncluttered manner.Although she couldn't see her face clearly, she could still see her determination from a distance. "How is it? She is forty-seven this year, she doesn't look like that age at all, does she? It looks like she's just in her early thirties." Isama couldn't see that clearly. "Beside her there is a girl holding a tablet, that is the third daughter Aoi..." Renji's eyesight seems to be very good. Having said that, Isama stared more carefully.But even if you look carefully, you can only see that it is a woman in a western dress. "Is there a female student in uniform next to me? That's Miss Bi..." This Isama was quickly spotted, because her color was somewhat different from the others, not black but gray.The uniform has a large white bow on the chest. "Somewhere far away, here, there is a woman with her head down. That's the second daughter, Miss Qian..." Isama couldn't see where she was at all. She was buried in the black clothes of mourners and servants, like a crow in the dark night. Izuma said he couldn't find it, Renji said: "Miss Qian is very non-existent, she is a restrained person." Although Izuma said he couldn't see who it was, Renji completely ignored it. She seemed to praise: "The three of them are as beautiful as heaven." "Is it that beautiful?" "Yes, they are the daughters of Mrs. Masako. The three of them don't look alike, but they are all beauties. But, the three of them are all daughters, and there is no boy, right? This is the source of disputes, the origin of rumors .” "Inheritance... question?" The issue of inheritance can be regarded as a regular drama in funeral disputes, but Renji said, "It's not right, if I insist, it is a dispute over inheritance rights", and rejected Isama's words.Isama didn't know what was different. "I don't want to divide the property, or want to fight for more property. It's not like this. Isn't there an order of inheritance? First, Mrs. Masako, then the daughters, will not turn against each other because of the inheritance distribution .” "So...is it a question of entitlement?" If Yuunosuke is a big figure in the center of the Shibata Zaibatsu, he should also serve as the president, chairman or chairman of the board, and his legacy may not be all tangible.In other words, although there was no dispute over inheritance, everyone was arguing about who should inherit the previous generation, the previous generation, and the system built by Yunosuke.Isama understood this way, but it still seemed a little wrong. "This problem is also there, but the biggest problem is the throne of the head." "Home?" "In other words, who is the most powerful man among weavers?" "The most powerful? A man?" "That's right. Parents, the man who will succeed the weaver." "There are no men." "Yes, this is the seed of fire, the source of rumors." Having said that, Renji finally turned his dark face to Isama.His eyes were serious, only his mouth was smiling.Ren Ji's whole body is only white teeth, which looks really weird to the extreme. In other words, is this a matter of ancient institutions—bad habits?Judging from Renji's words, although the weaving writers belonged to an aristocratic family, they were not noble or orthodox.Even so, is there such a custom?It seems that there are indeed. "Are the daughters... all unmarried?" "No. Miss Qian recruited a son-in-law the year before last. The husband called him Shiliang. Of course, the son-in-law was the son-in-law. When there was no son-in-law, the son-in-law inherited the family business for generations of weavers. Moreover, Miss Zi, who passed away last year, was unmarried, so I will take care of you." If it comes in order, the new head weaver will be this one, right?" "right." "That's the problem. This is Ryo. He was originally the son of a servant. This guy was favored by Master Xiongzhisuke. He loved him in many ways since he was a child. He said that he would definitely do something in the future and let him work in the company. Then I heard that It was Liang who fell in love with Miss Qian, and the master adopted him as his son-in-law. However, Mrs. Masako strongly opposed it at the time." "Because of different identities?" "Hahaha, just kidding, madam wouldn't say that kind of outdated words, there has been no distinction of status and class for a long time. Now the four peoples are equal, and it is a democratic society. It has nothing to do with status or anything." "So……" "Madam thinks that Liang has a character problem." "something wrong?" "Yes. But, if Liang fell in love with Miss Zi, it would be impossible for her to marry her. Miss Qian is the second daughter. The son-in-law of the eldest daughter, Miss Zi, will inherit the family business. Because of this, Madam is unwilling reluctantly agreed." "Where is Miss Qian herself?" "I don't know about that. Master Yunosuke and Mrs. Masako are the ones who made the decision. But, well, Miss Murasaki died." "Oh." Renji said, "There will be twists and turns in the future", then he closed his mouth and looked at Isama with a strange expression. "Leaving aside your business vision and brains, Madam is much better than Master in terms of knowing people." "Master, did you miss it?" "yes." I heard that just after marrying, Shiliang became a useless person. After marrying into the family, Liang was promoted to a cadre of the Shibata Group, responsible for the operation of the group's companies.At the beginning, he seemed to be very motivated, but I don’t know if he had no business acumen, was overwhelmed by the big names of Shibata and weaving, or just unlucky—if what Yunosuke valued was his time in the original company If he is not a talented person, then maybe it is just unlucky-in short, none of Liang's actions are successful, but they are counterproductive and counterproductive.He failed one after another and suffered a lot.Once they failed to live up to their expectations, they would be defeated in the next moment, and they would be devastated in a blink of an eye.The business suddenly deteriorated, and the company faced a crisis of bankruptcy. Yes Liang, as literally described, became a useless person. Also because he was promoted by himself, Yunosuke seemed to take care of Shiliang in the first year. In terms of funds, it seems that a relatively high amount has been injected, so it is barely supported for the time being, but after all, it is a drop in the bucket and cannot overcome the crisis. It was Liang's company that went bankrupt in the spring of the following year. Even as cadres and relatives, Shi Liang was still able to take some form of responsibility for the failure of the business.Shi Liang was dismissed from his position as a cadre and assigned to other subsidiaries, but he was unwilling to work under others, so he finally quit his job, and then lived in depression. "He is always drunk and misbehaving. He gambles, plays with women, and punches people at every turn. There is no way to deal with it. The master is also troubled. It seems that he has been asked to help run the school since last autumn, but I heard that It's just because if you don't have a job, you don't look good." "School?" "Well, school. It's an idle job, but the usual life is still the same decadent..." Shi Liang encounters setbacks and Zi dies suddenly. These two events happen one after another, making the weaving writer face a crisis of life and death. If something happens to the eldest daughter, as long as the second daughter's son-in-law can be relied on, the family will still be safe.On the contrary, no matter how useless the second daughter's son-in-law is, as long as the eldest daughter is still there, there is no need to give up the head of the family, so it is not a big problem. But the two safety valves fell off in one go. A man who is called an orator is tantamount to entering the center of the Shibata Zaibatsu, and it also means being called the core of the Japanese financial circle.Even if he didn't give up the head of the family to Shiliang, he would no longer be qualified to be a member of weavers. Yunosuke is desperate for Ryo. "What about divorce?" "Miss Qian is very virtuous. No matter what her husband treats her badly, she will swallow her anger. Even if the husband is such a wimp, she still does not forget to take care of her husband. A woman who dies with her is a model wife." "model?" "It's a model. Because she even said that if her husband is kicked out, she will leave with her. All the wives have said that, but this guy is still not cheering up. It's really..." Renji said displeased After a pause, "...you don't deserve to be a man." He exaggerated like singing. "Hey, the master and madam will let Shi Liang do whatever they want, and it's because they love their daughter, for the poor daughter's sake. But now the master has passed away... what will happen in the future?" "But there are other daughters..." "Miss Bi is only thirteen years old, in the same grade as my granddaughter. Miss Kui is around twenty-two this year, but she is a troublesome girl. I heard that she declared that she does not want to get married." "This is really..." "Yeah. I don't understand complicated things. Maybe she hates men. Ms. Aoi seems to be a lot of perverts, and men may also stay away from her and dare not approach her. Speaking of which, Miss Aoi and Mr. Yunosuke are getting along very badly." Well, I always contradict the master, that's why the master loves Miss Qian even more." "So……" What happened to poisoning? "Then what? Oh, poisoning, right? Master, his heart has been bad for four or five years after the defeat, and he is often bedridden. Alas, the possibility has also become weak. Perhaps it is because of this that he made a mistake. It must be someone like Liang. After Miss Zi passed away, well, someone who always took care of the master, and the master has always respected Shibata, passed away with him. It must have hit him too hard. So since last autumn, he has been ill. gone." I heard that at that time there were also rumors that Ryo poisoned his father-in-law. Shi Ryo thought that Yuunosuke was his only backing, but it seemed that even Yunosuke had given up on him. If he continued to be so stupid, he might be exiled.Maybe the three girls will get married first before that, so it's better to let Yuunosuke die early... "It sounds reasonable at first glance, but it doesn't make sense in fact." "It doesn't make sense?" "Yes. Here. This is too uneconomical. If it were me, I would obediently wag my tail and beg for mercy, and buy the master's heart again. This is easier, more beneficial, and the most practical way. Kill me if I get in the way Fall——If Shi Liang was such a man of backbone, he would never have fallen into this situation. In fact, after the master passed away, Shi Liang's position can be said to be getting worse and worse, and as I just said , and the third daughter insisted not to get married, so this rumor is nonsense. But there are other rumors. Another rumor said that the poisoner was the third daughter—that is, Miss Kui." "And why?" "The reason is not that the father and daughter are not in harmony. Miss Kui likes to talk about complicated things, such as how the father's power is, and how the old ideological norms are. I don't understand profound things, but I just hit What can a father do for women... Well, country old men really don't understand these things, so Ms. Aoi attracted some people's resentment. Although young girls seem to agree with Ms. Aoi's words, but ah... That's why everyone hates Ms. Aoi Stay away. Housework is also a kind of labor, and childbearing is a woman’s freedom—I understand this, but even if men are not allowed to put on airs, there is no other meaning for us people to live except for putting on airs.” "Oh……" Such a thing would never happen to Isama. He always avoided such essential disputes. "What do you mean that this society is centered on stinky men, but we are only fishing. Other people manage this society, but ah, these are two different things..." Renji folded his arms. "Will someone poison because of this? Will a daughter kill her father because of this? I think it's impossible. The relationship between parent and child can't be shaken because of this fallacy, right? So I think rumors are just rumors after all. .” Isama thought, this old man is very kind. Maybe it can be said to be simple. The evil is in power in the world, and sometimes there is no need for unreasonable reasoning, and the friendship will be severed. But with regard to the rumors about this land, the old man's analysis should be correct. Regardless of whether it is a cultural issue or a social issue, as long as you study and think deeply, you will definitely encounter the barrier of gender.If you don't think about it, you won't encounter it, and even if you do, sometimes you won't notice it.However, to break through this barrier, killing such acts is the most inappropriate.Killing can't solve any problem at all, and Izuma thinks that those who will notice this kind of problem are those who are thoughtful, and it is a contradiction that a thoughtful person would choose to kill such foolishness rashly. So gossip is like the old man said, it is a kind of slander. ——If it's the other way around, it's understandable. Reformists are thorns in the eyes of conservatives, suppressed, and finally obliterated—there are such things.It is always a minority who come up with new ideas, so it is only necessary to eliminate the central figures with appealing power to extinguish the flames of innovation.In such cases, the simplistic violence of killing is sometimes effective.On the contrary, those who want to maintain the old system are often associated with power. From this perspective, the old forces and crime seem to be a good match. ——It’s not necessarily the case, is it? Isama quickly changed his mind. Because there are many minority thugs who continue to kill in order to subvert the system. Isama is well aware of how pointless it is to preach generalism.不管怎么样，伊佐间都不会有那种彼此对立、相互颉颃的二元论价值观。问题再怎么严重，暴力解决的选项都在他的理解范畴之外。 "Ok……" 想了一堆有的没有的，结果说出口来的却是没有意义的感叹词。一方面是因为他没有明确的见解，另一方面也是有一点死心，觉得这番话说给仁吉听也没用。 仁吉盘着胳膊、仰起身子看着外面。然后他把脸皱成一团说：“负责葬礼的人一定忙翻了，跟我老母死掉的时候可不一样。町长、村长、县政府的官员，甚至连国家的大人物都来了。光是雄之介老爷事业方面的吊唁客就来了一堆。之后好像还要在神奈川那里举办公司葬礼，直接去那里就好了嘛，何必来这种乡下地方呢？快点埋了吧。” “还没下葬？” “还没呀。而且寺院里明明就有墓地，却还要搬回去宫殿埋在旁边，真会给人添麻烦，多费工夫。根本不必搬来寺院，在自己家里把丧事办一办就好了嘛。咦？” 仁吉伸出手指。“啊，那棺材简直像神轿一样，快来看。” 伊佐间照着仁吉说的，望向黑白的小径。 长长的队伍朝着伊佐间方向前进。 提灯。幡旗。龙头。火炬与钲。 牵引着灵膳绳索的人。 如神轿般的棺木。 天盖。孙杖。花笼。 后面是一个接着一个的吊唁客。 一个女孩捧着牌位跟在棺木旁边——是葵。 ——哦？ 她有如蜡像一般。不，她有着陶器般的质感，就像人偶一样。说漂亮，的确是非常漂亮，却也不到惊为天人的地步。有种她会这么漂亮是理所当然的感觉。画像上的女子、做出来的人偶不管再怎么标致、美丽，因为本来就是要做成那个样子的，所以是理所当然之事。毋宁说她是活生生的这一点，才教人感到不可思议。 绝非男性，也非中性，非男也非女——那只是个美丽的事物。 短发和洋装更加深了这种印象。 有一个穿制服的少女在一旁捧着灵膳。 是个楚楚可怜的女孩，长发丝丝飘逸。 这个女孩也很美丽，但就像仁吉说的，长得和姐姐一点都不像。虽然脸色苍白，却不悲伤，而是一种心不在焉的表情。 感觉她的一双眼睛大得异样。 不是女人，而是少女。 伊佐间目不转睛地凝视，少女的脸颊忽地抽搐。 那是细微的、一点点的抽搐。 ——在笑。 这一定是错觉，但看起来如此。 她们的身后，跟着生下她们的母亲。 威严——存在感——自信——这些词汇掠过脑海。 每一个都不能正确地表达。 ——坚强……吗？ 或许是难以亲近，也难怪仁吉会痴心妄想。事实上，她的容貌确实足以形容为绝世美人。 伊佐间不喜欢美人或美女这种庸俗而且不明不白的形容，但是关于她——织作真佐子——的容貌，“绝世”这个部分是毋庸置疑的。就算撇开美丑不说，她的氛围也与这个渔村格格不入。 绝世的未亡人头发一丝不乱。 漆黑的瞳孔坚毅地注视着前方。 宛若率领着大队的将校。 葬礼大队肃穆地转弯，通过窗户前方行进。提灯。幡旗。龙头。火炬与钲。棺木。 美得不像真人的女人们默默地穿过伊佐间眼前。天盖。孙杖。花笼。 接着是众多身穿黑色丧服的士兵们。 “是……女王蜂吗？” “蜜蜂才没那么漂亮哩。” "So……" “或许是……女郎蜘蛛吧。” “虽然漂亮……” “却难以亲近。” 仁吉说着，离开窗户，倦怠地、垂落似地独坐到地炉旁边。 伊佐间也离开窗边。 身着黑服的一行人绵延不绝，但每张脸长得都一样，伊佐间觉得再看下去也没有意思，简直就像在清点聚集到糖果旁边来的蚂蚁。 --So to say. 次女在吗？ “那个次女……” “茜小姐吗？还是老样子，一张贞女典范的表情哪，非常含蓄，总觉得很可怜哪。” “她在吗？” “当然在啦。这是她父亲的葬礼哪，怎么可能不在？” “在队伍中？” “在真佐子夫人的斜后方。照顺序的话，应该要走在葵小姐前面才对，可能是想到自己的丈夫没出息，才躲在后面吧。她很清楚自己的立场。” 完全没看到，是埋没在人群之中了吗？ “她真的在吗？” “有啦，就在队伍中央，棺材后面。” “在啊……” 那就是在吧，好像看漏了。 仁吉说着“我去泡个茶呗”，再次站了起来，又问道：“你那个朋友真的会来吗？” “哦，昨天他说会搭最早的一班车过来。” “总觉得过意不去哪，希望不会让他白跑一趟。” “没关系的。他不久前出差，结果连要鉴定的东西都没有，亏了不少，这里至少肯定有东西给他鉴定。” “不过是堆破铜烂铁啦，真令人担心。嗯？” 仁吉就要伸手拉茶柜把手时，忽地望向窗户，“噢”了一声停下手来。接着他回过头来，唐突地问：“小哥，怎么样？我很清楚织作家的内情吧？你不觉得我清楚过头了吗？” “什么？是很清楚啊。” “你知道我为什么那么清楚吗？” “不知道。是跟人家嚼舌头听来的吗？” “那是婆婆妈妈们才会做的事。我就算整天闲着，可也是个老爷子，才不干那种事哩。说穿了很简单，织作家的内幕啊，是有出处的。消息的来源现在正往这儿走来呢。” “来源？” 仿佛说好似地，门板“喀哒喀哒”响了起来。伊佐间朝门口一看，一个大个子的老人打开了拉门。他的脸露出一半，那一半脸上的眼睛看到了伊佐间。 “噢，有客人啊……仁吉啊，现在方便吗？” 声音很浑厚。仁吉一手拿着茶壶说道：“没关系啦。外头很冷，快进来吧。” 相较之下，仁吉的声音是沙哑的。 门可能没办法打得更开，来客侧着身体，笨拙地从隙缝里挤进屋子，背着手想要关上门，却关不上，缠斗了好一会，总算把门关上之后，才露出整个正面，“呼”地深深吁了一口气。 “怎么？葬礼不要紧吗？” “没事。不，反倒是宅子里的人待不住哪。” 客人略垂着头，坐在入口处。他的肩膀相当宽阔，尺寸不够大的丧服穿在他身上显得很勉强，一点都不适合。俗话说人要衣装，看样子是骗人的。 男子的年纪与仁吉大约相同。不知是剃掉的还是秃头，顶上童山濯濯。 从服装和他的话来推测，男子应该与织作家的葬礼有关。仁吉一边泡茶，一边咒骂似地说道：“什么待不住，家里的事怎么办？” “宅子里有公司的人在，还有阿节和葬仪人员，他们会处理啦。我做的本来就是外头的工作，没我的事，不需要我。话说回来，仁吉啊，这位是哪位啊？” 大块头的老人狐疑地打量伊佐间。这也难怪，伊佐间的打扮就算在东京也很引人注目。 “最近认识的，叫做……” “我姓伊佐间，伊贺的伊，佐仓的佐，中间的间。” “对对对，伊佐间先生。伊佐间先生，这家伙叫出门耕作，是织作家的那个……用人。算用人吧？” “用人？” “喏，就我刚才说的，那个不配当男人的浪荡子的老爸啦。” 他就是是亮的父亲吧。耕作老人长得有点像外国人，他那张洋风的脸歪了起来。伊佐间心想：他在秃头之前肯定相当受女人欢迎吧。 “仁吉，你又口无遮拦地把家里的丑事说出去了吗？” “听你鬼扯。什么家里，那是你家，对我来说是别人家。耕作，人言可畏啊。如果你不想要人家说嘴，连对我都别说。不过就算你不说，整个村子也都知道了。” “真拿你没办法……” 耕作老人的脸又纠结了一下，接着慵懒地起身，走上客间，在伊佐间对面坐下。 “……头痛死啦，脸上无光哪。” “那是因为你香薰太多啦。伊佐间先生，这家伙和我已经是六十年的老交情了，不用在意他。他是自作自受。” 就算仁吉这么说，也不好在本人面前唾弃人家的儿子。伊佐间思忖了一会儿，只说了句“幸会”。耕作老人说：“你好，我是出门，让你见笑啦。”略略缩起了庞大的身躯。 “你那个蠢儿子怎么了？我刚才瞄了一下，也没在送葬队伍里看见他。” “他不在啦，昨天起就不见人影了。” “又窝到哪个女人家去了吗？” “我怎么知道。本来就已经够难堪的了，又来了一大堆公司的人。都市人的眼神好恐怖啊，说什么大织作家的入赘女婿把公司给搞垮，连葬礼也不参加，还说什么没办法，出身低贱就是这样。真可恶。” “混账，哪有什么低贱不低贱的。不管是织作还是出门，本来不都一样是渔夫吗？” “现在是主人和用人。” “身份……地位不同是吗？” 仁吉向老友劝茶，露出苦笑。 “可是仁吉先生，你刚才说现在已经没有身份之别了。” 仁吉的确这么说过。 “伊佐间先生啊，家世门第什么的的确已经没有了。可是……是啊，地位还是不同哪。对方是大财阀的有钱人，而咱们只是小穷人啊。”仁吉自嘲似地说道。 伊佐间有种非常复杂的感觉。 现代已经没有武士农民这种身份上下之别，拘泥于家世门第的风潮也逐渐衰退，但是不知道为何，众人似乎就是无法平等。 或许在阶级社会成长的人，若是少了阶级，就无法认识自己与对象的关系。所以就算制度崩坏了，还是会以其他的阶级替代。如果不确认自己属于哪一个阶级，就会感到不安吗？不，自己与他人的关系，早就变成了一种阶级。 在这里，经济能力的大小也轻易地取代了身份阶级。富人与穷人相比，富人比较伟大——这样的公式在大家的默认下已然成立。 富人是成功者，而成功者是了不起的，这在资本主义的自由竞争社会里是天经地义的事——若这么说也就这样了，但惟独这一点，不能完全归咎于资本主义。 因为除了经济能力以外，还有许多这类阶级主义的意识——评定优劣加以歧视的意识——存在。这在日常生活中无所不见。例如说，美丽的事物和丑陋的事物相较，美丽的事物比较优秀，或是聪明人与傻瓜相比，聪明人比较好。世人动辄就想决定高下，然后上位者瞧不起下位者，下位者羡慕上位者，理所当然似地活着。 决定等级这种行为原本就是毫无意义而且极为鄙俗的。伊佐间觉得满不在乎地接受阶级是愚蠢的，为此忽喜忽忧更是愚昧至极。 想到此，伊佐间忽地发现一件事：认为这很愚蠢的自己，不正是在瞧不起愚蠢的阶级信奉者吗？ ——或许这么活着比较轻松。 伊佐间转念想道。结果他也没有强烈的主张，想到最后只会“嗯”或“哦”地应声而已。 “……说的也是呢。” 比“嗯”长了一点。 “就是啊。这个世上啊，没人赢得过有钱人的。而且我们渔夫也变了不少哪，比起观察出潮汐变化的人，现在能够多卖掉一条鱼的人更受敬重。再说只要有钱，也能够轻松地当上船东哪。” “是啊。所以咱们乡下人怎么样都赢不过都市人哪，经手的钱差多喽。织作老爷尽管和我们一样是乡下人，却胜过了都市人，出人头地，和我们地位不同。和老爷相较之下，是亮那个不成材的家伙，就算被人说是乡下包子也没辙哪。” 耕作垂下肩膀，整个人缩得更小了。“别说这个了，仁吉，这位是怎么……” “哈哈哈，伊佐间先生是个风雅的钓客，四处漂泊哪。他从前天起就住在我这儿，他说想钓钓鲣鱼或鲔鱼之类的鱼，真是笑破我的肚皮了。” “鲣鱼和鲔鱼要是可以随便在海边钓到，那还得了。”老人们愉快地笑了。 完全是渔夫的表情。 “那你钓了些什么？” “石鲷、瓜子鱲。” “很不错嘛。怎么样？吃掉了吗？” “嗯，吃掉了。” 真的非常鲜美。 仁吉出声啜饮着茶，自豪地说：“是我告诉他哪里有好钓场的，当然钓得到了。” “茂浦那边吗？” “那是我的秘密场所，才不告诉你。” “对了，仁吉，说到茂浦郊外那边，芳江的家……” “芳江？哦，那个上吊小屋啊。” “上吊小屋？” 又出现奇怪的东西了。 “哦，有那么一间小屋。小屋怎么了？” “昨天我有事经过那前面，结果啊，那里面竟然亮着灯哩。”耕作老人睁大一双有着两三层眼皮的眼睛，神情古怪地说。他的表情看似生气，但其实好像是在害怕。 仁吉露出他洁白的牙齿，粗鲁地说：“胡说八道。芳江死掉以后，又没有家人，那里早就成了废屋了，过去八年都在那里任由风吹雨打。你说有灯，是晚上吗？怎么可能？有谁会在晚上去那种废屋呢？毛死人了。是你的错觉吧。” “才不是错觉。” “那是芳江变鬼出来了吗？被男人抛弃，孩子被抢走，好恨哪好恨哪……笑死人了。要是她会变成鬼出来，早就该变了。事到如今，她要向谁吐露怨恨啊？” “请问……”伊佐间被这件事挑起了好奇心。 仁吉露出恶作剧孩童般的笑容说：“你真的很喜欢听这种事呢，喏，从海边一直走过去，有一座石碑叫做茂浦，以前有一个叫做芳江的女人独居在那里。” “她是外地流浪过来的，姓什么来着？” “没有人和她来往。从昭和七八年左右起定居在那里的，所以也住了十二三年吧。那是七八年前的事了，那时候她大概三十七八岁，她在小屋里头上吊自杀了。” "why?" “不知道。不过她的人生难说是幸福，过得好像很寂寞。起初她和一个男孩住在一起，好像是私生子。她是人家的妾，有人包养她。但是住了三年左右，那个孩子就不见了。” “那是昭和十年的事，男孩是被人家带走的。我没有看到，不过雄之介老爷说，是包养芳江的某处老爷要让那孩子继承家业的样子。” “这样啊。然后她就成了孤单一人，一直住在那里。” “她上吊自杀是战败那一年，所以住了十年吧。在她上吊之前，喏，大家不是管那里叫卖淫小屋吗？芳江不是在接客吗？” “应该不是吗？这里可是个小村子啊。光是当人家的小老婆就惹来一堆闲言闲语了。所以表面上，她和任何人都没有往来，可是血气方刚的年轻人都会去夜访，彼此怂恿这：去小屋吧，去小屋吧。真是任性胡来。” “哼，你也有去过吧，仁吉？” “这么说的你自己才去过吧？我有老婆孩子，才不会去那种地方哩。你那时候已经是鳏夫了吧？晚上一个人寂寞难耐，所以跑去了对吧？” “笨蛋，我还有是亮，才不会去咧。” "Excuse me……" 这两个老人不仅记忆不真确，还会见风使舵，任意改写过去，谈论的内容离伊佐间的问题愈来愈远了。 “……那里有灯亮着？” “开得亮晃晃的。遮雨板虽然关着，不过那栋小屋很简陋，屋顶那是木板盖的，屋顶和墙壁上的洞穴全都幽幽地透出光来，歪斜的门啊，也这样'咻……'” 耕作老人睁大略带酒意而充血的眼睛，比手画脚、劲道十足地表演。 “芳江都死了八年了，怎么可能嘛。”仁吉打岔说。 大个子老人热情的演出被浇了冷水，不服地瞪住小个子老人。“就是因为不可能才奇怪啊，你这老头真是糊涂。” “那你看了屋子里面了吗？” “才没看咧，恐怖死了。” 仁吉拍膝大笑：“哈哈哈，搞不好芳江正在里面引诱你呢。令人怀念的耕作先生呀，要不要进来玩玩呀？耕作，你平白错过大好机会啦。你碰上的牡丹灯笼，连圆朝都会吓得屁滚尿流哪。不不不，要讲怪谈，季节还太早了。这顶多是你在吹嘘吧。” “你这个老色狼，人家可是说认真的。” “哪里认真啦？都年纪一大把了，胆子怎么小成那样？你就是没出过海，才会这么窝囊，没用。个子大成那样，胆子小也该有个限度啊。还是把我的胆子分一半给你好了？我年轻的时候啊，可是遭遇过更多更恐怖的事哪，那种怪谈海上多得是。” “多得是吗？” “是啊。伊佐间先生，你真的很喜欢这种话题呢。” "Ok……" “这一带啊，有种叫做'海人道'的妖怪出没。夜晚开船出海的话，就会看到一个朦胧的人影漂浮在海面，然后用恐怖的声音说着：给我勺子……给我勺子……叫你给我勺子啊……” “不要这样啦！仁吉！” “哈哈哈，你这个没胆的老头子。然后啊，如果不小心把勺子借给了他，他就会用勺子舀水到船里，把船沉了。但是如果不借的话，他就会兴风作浪，船一样会沉没。” 这是——船幽灵吧，伊佐间以前也听说过。 他有一个朋友对妖怪知之甚详，可能是从他那儿听来的。 “所以啊，这一带的船一定都会准备没底的勺子，专门借给海人道用的。” “胡说八道，现在哪里还有船会准备那种东西？” “连船都没坐过，你少在那里不懂装懂。当然有了。” “那你见过吗？” “以前我家老头子遇过。” “哼，那一定是骗人的。” “你是说我爸是骗子吗？说到海上的怪异现象，可是多得数不清。像是半夜里，海面像这样发出一整片光芒，或是明明没风，却传来隆隆声响，这种事根本是家常便饭，我也遇过好几次。像海人道，也不是遇难死掉的人的亡灵这类东西。海就是个魔物，海人道就是海化身出来作怪的。” 仁吉本来还算是在说笑，但说到这里，突然口沫横飞，大力主张起来，伊佐间感到很困惑。 "Is it that... scary?" “恐怖啊，要是船底破了个洞，就成了永无止境的水地狱啊。夜晚的大海深不见底，暴风雨的大海根本就是个怪物。不是渔夫，是不会了解的。渔夫等于是乘着像叶片般的小舟，光靠自己的意志根本无能为力，只能任凭大海摆布。喏，那尊佛也是，是大海把它引导到我身边来的。” “哦，那尊佛。” 耕作露出诧异的表情问道：“尸体？谁的尸体？” “不是人啦，是像，佛像。二十多年前不是给你看过了吗？你忘记啦？就是那尊长得很漂亮的佛像啊。”