Chapter 10 Chapter 7 Ghost Painting

The hanging scroll hanging above the entrance of the soba shop is said to be a painting of ghosts. Since when did this saying start, it is impossible to test now.But those who often come and walk around here know the legend. Because the alley next to it is the only way to the nearby elementary school, it has also become the main topic that the upper grades tell the lower grades.In the season of popular ghost stories in summer, there are still children who come to read them in fear. It was an ordinary soba shop that you can see everywhere, on a corner somewhere in the middle of a shopping street.The only difference from other soba shops is that there are food samples made of resin and other plastics in the front window of other shops, but here are hanging scrolls and flower vessels.It is very elegant to say that it is elegant, but because the store only brushes off the dust during the Hungry Ghost Festival and New Year’s Eve, and usually leaves it alone, the hanging scrolls look a little dirty, as if they are protective colors, almost assimilating into the color of the walls up.In front of the hanging scroll is a woven bamboo vase with fake lisianthus flowers, the petals of which are also faded.Therefore, most people just open the curtain and walk into the store without even looking at the window.

Old customers sometimes suddenly think of asking why the hanging scroll.The boss, who usually doesn't like to talk, will only answer impatiently, "That's what my dad asked me to hang up", and then there is no more.However, after several years of patient inquiring and putting together by good customers, they realized that it was a hanging scroll that the owner's grandfather bought by accident when he was traveling.During the period when the hanging scroll was bought, there were many happy events in the family, so the grandfather thought that the hanging scroll was a mascot, and strictly ordered the boss's father to hang it in the place where the business was done, and the current boss also inherited this will.

"But it's unbelievable that such a horrible painting is a mascot." Old customers are talking behind their backs. "But in fact, the business in the store is also very prosperous." “Both the soba noodles and side dishes are delicious.” "Since ancient times, so-called mascots have been strange things." "It's scary to look at it carefully." "Maybe it's still a valuable item with a lot of background?" "Impossible, there is not even a signature." I saw the small owner of the stationery shop who likes to write calligraphy - he said he was a small boss, but he was actually over forty and a half - shook his head violently.He happened to be there when the boss cleaned the scrolls, so he had the opportunity to admire the scrolls from the window.

The more I looked at it, the more I felt that it was an old hanging scroll.After years of hanging in a window with absolutely no humidity and temperature management, no wonder it has become like that.It is covered with brown stains similar to freckles, and the lines of the painting are blurred, and the original coloring can no longer be seen.Assuming it was really an ancient painting with a lot of background, it would not be able to sell for a good price now. But what is this hanging scroll painted for? The small boss of the stationery store tilted his head in thought. There is only a dazed man standing in the center of the painting, which is very uncoordinated in terms of composition.I can't find the signature or signature, maybe it was cut from a screen or other paintings and mounted?It seems that the person who mounts the painting is not very good at aesthetics, and can't feel the effect of setting off the painting at all.

Also, what is this man? It would be fine if the painting was a fairy or an old man, but it happened to be a man of unknown age.He has a smooth face, but it feels very old-fashioned, without any characteristics, but the expression is intriguing-not a good feeling, but an expression that makes people feel that something is wrong deep in the consciousness, and the mood is very uncomfortable.Probably because of that uncomfortable feeling, some people say it is a ghost painting, right?Indeed, that face was very strange, not like a human face. And the weirdest thing is the thing painted on the man's forehead.

Although the drawing is not very clear, the man has an extra eye on his forehead.Although small, it does have a black eye drawn in the center.The man in the painting has three eyes.It would be fine if it was a Buddha statue, but it was on the face of that man who didn't have any blessings at all.It will cause a wave of horror in the hearts of those who see it.It seems that there are strange stories among children, such as "what will happen if a person passes by and meets this eye", "this eye will light up in the middle of the night", etc. It was a strange painting.At first glance, the third eye looks like nothing more than a stain.I can't see what the painting wants to express, the lines are not visible, and even as a decoration, it is doubtful whether it is qualified enough. It is a mediocre work.As long as it is left for another ten years, I am afraid that the entire content of the painting will be exposed to the sun and disappear.

In fact, what the small owner of the stationery store cares about is not the painting itself, but that people often look at the painting recently. I said it was recently, but in fact, I saw it two or three times in the past few months. The man stands in perfect contrast to the painting, which is impressive. Wearing a white short-sleeved cardigan shirt and gray slacks, very ordinary attire.Although the shirt is worn out, it has traces of being ironed. It looks like a very clean young man. Because his hair was cut very short, it highlighted the clean and neat facial lines.There is no trace of fat on the body, which is reminiscent of a newly completed statue.

The facial features are correct, but the complexion is very bad.There was no blood on the face, so the contours of the face were deepened.Under his high, protruding forehead, there are a pair of deep and dark eyes. The sweltering rainy season kept falling, and in the town that was soaking in the rain and was about to rot, only the young man revealed an atmosphere of silence. How old is he? This was the first question that the little boss thought of.At first glance, he may be about twenty-five or six years old, but his eyes and expression show an old taste. I seem to have seen this face somewhere.A long time ago, when I was a child, on the white road...

Suddenly, a profile with a star hat on his head flashed in his mind. By the way, it's Arden. The name that came to mind immediately made him feel very happy. Because his young heart always remembers Deng Zhifu walking on the road before going to the battlefield and returning home.There is a handsome side face under the hat. Uncle Deng Zhifu is a local elite. He was directly promoted to the Army Non-commissioned Officer Academy from the Nagoya Army Junior School.At first glance, he is a handsome and handsome man, boys and girls like him very much.He has a quiet personality, but he likes children very much and knows how to get along with them.So when the children saw him coming, they would shout "Aden! Arden!", and then follow him around like a puppy.I am one of those kids.

That's right, that uncle's eyes looked like this too.Although he is very young, he looks mature, as if he has shouldered the responsibility of the whole world, and his quiet eyes reveal depression and anxiety. Uncle didn't come back here after the war.The little boss only knows that he seems to have died in mainland China, and his bones have not yet been sent back to his hometown. So the uncle in his heart is always young and handsome.Perhaps it was the uncle who was possessed by the old image of the young man who was looking at the hanging scroll in front of the soba noodle shop.

The man would stare at the hanging scroll for a long time each time, then turn around and leave as if his interest had disappeared. The little boss didn't really want to find out what happened to that man, but he often had the opportunity to see the man who caught his attention. However, one day, the chance to meet that man again came by chance. That was the time when he went to a monastery in the suburbs to attend the dharma assembly and class reunion held by his mentor. Huh? He saw the familiar figure in the shirt, appearing in the place where the rainy season breaks and the mild sunlight shines on the hydrangeas in the corner of the temple. There were sounds of children playing around. The temple runs a kindergarten nearby.In the small and exquisite courtyard, the man was sitting surrounded by a group of children. The little boss felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he was also one of the children - the small courtyard with soft sunlight was like somewhere in heaven, and he was playing with his uncle.It's that wonderful feeling. The only difference between the man and the uncle is that he doesn't seem to be playing with the children, but just quietly watching the children, letting them play and talk around him.It feels like that.His expression seemed to be full of kindness, but also seemed to be full of pain.The little boss thought of the term "sage" for no reason. "What's wrong?" Seeing the little boss standing there motionless, the middle-aged abbot asked. "That gentleman followed here..." Does it matter? After hearing the little boss's unintentional question, the abbot glanced at the man, and then nodded with an "ah". "That's the benefactor who worshiped Buddha here. Before I go back, I will play with the children like that. Although I am still young, I have encountered many misfortunes... Do you know each other?" The tone of the abbot's answer was very soft. The little boss stuttered for a while. "No, it's just that I often see him around our house. Because of his good looks, I naturally remember his face." "Oh, that's how it is. It's near the mansion. May I ask where is the mansion?" After reporting his address, the abbot seemed to have realized something, and nodded his head all by himself. "He's still seeing a doctor." "See a doctor?" When he asked back, the abbot looked at the courtyard as if trying to avoid his sight and replied: "About three years ago, a couple was killed by the Asano River." "Yes, there seems to be such an incident. The group of murderers in my impression have also been arrested." "It was a couple who were about to get married. They didn't know the murderers at all, but they were brutally killed. The one who was killed was the sister of the benefactor." "what?" The little boss's heart seemed to be pulled hard. "After losing their parents one after another since they were young, their brother and sister depended on each other for life. He worked hard to finish college, worked to save money, and finally allowed his sister to marry and be worthy of his parents who died young. At this time, that kind of misfortune happened, which made him Desperate and in a trance, I finally heard that I contracted a disease and was hospitalized for a long time." "So that's what happened." The little boss felt very heartbroken.It turned out that the old-fashioned appearance came because of this. "He is the kind of person who is easily overwhelmed and has a very delicate personality. He used to suppress himself very deliberately and worked hard for his sister. After careful study, I realized that his parents also had that kind of personality. I heard that it was due to their personality. Passed away in a near-suicidal manner." The abbot's tone was flat. Is it convenient for me to continue listening to such a topic that involves personal privacy?The little boss thought to himself, but he still couldn't match the drive of curiosity. The abbot spoke with a strong Kansai accent, probably lived in Kyoto or Nara for a while?The little boss was thinking about these things while listening to the abbot. "It is said that the patient who used to lie in the bed next to him was a teacher of Buddhist art in a junior college. So he became interested in Buddhist teachings." "It would be a good thing if Buddhist teachings could help him." "Compared with the teachings of Buddhism, that person seems to be more interested in the Buddha statue itself, especially the pekoe, you know? It is the part that looks like an eye in the center of the Buddha's forehead. He seems to be very interested in that." The little boss suddenly realized.The eyes in the center of the forehead. The figure of the man who was looking at the hanging scroll in front of the soba shop appeared before his eyes. The abbot did not change his gentle tone, and reproduced the conversation between him and the man one by one. — What is the meaning of these eyes?No, after all, is it really an eye? ——No, it's a bit different from the eyes.This is the hair that grows between the eyebrows of Bodhisattvas.Because it naturally rotates to the right, it looks a bit like a round eye, but the master who carved the Buddha statue used round particles to express it; there is also a way of expressing it embedded in a crystal ball.Here shines the light of honor. ——So it’s different from the eyes? --no the same.However, there are also Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who are called three-eyed and really have eyes between the brows, such as: Horse Head Avalokitesvara and Fudo Myoyo, both of which are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who appear in anger, so the third eye is added. — Anger? --yes.Since ancient times, no matter what culture or religion in the world, there have been statues of gods with a third eye on their foreheads.It's incredible.However, no matter in Eastern or Western culture, people often say that after actually accumulating practice, you will feel like there are eyes here, and there will be a feeling of heat.I don’t know if there is any relationship between the two. By the way, it’s like seeing St. Francis in textbooks. Aren’t the Western monks all bald on the top of their heads?According to a certain theory, it is because the spiritual power will increase after practicing to a certain level, and the body will naturally adjust the energy circulating in the body, and the high heat will be emitted from the top of the head, so it will naturally become bald.Therefore, only virtuous monks can have that hairstyle.But men are more prone to baldness, so I think it's a self-righteous confuse. —Accumulate merit?What kind of world do you see with your third eye? ——Well, at my current level, I don't know.I think it should be a completely different world. The little boss remembered that someone in the classmate association mentioned that the abbot seemed to have inherited his father's temple only recently.Before that, he was a fun-loving person who traveled around the world and even went to the United States to study hippie culture.Indeed, after chatting with him, the little boss also felt that he was a temple abbot with a unique style. The abbot continued to recount his conversation with the man. - I don't know what to do with myself. ——what to do? ——I knew I should answer, but I didn't know how to answer it. —Whom should I answer? ——I can’t say, but it’s probably about the world. ——Revenge is not allowed.After revenge, there must be retribution, which is a negative chain.And there's no benefit in doing that kind of thing, even Lingmei Zaizhiling won't be happy. ——Ah, abbot, you misunderstood.I'm sorry you'd think I'm resentful of this world because of my sister, I don't mean it that way. —What does that mean? —Now the world is throwing me a problem.For such a small me, the world threw me such a big problem, and I was silent about it.This thing is beyond me.What answer should I give the world?Because of this, I feel that the current self bears a heavy responsibility. --responsibility?What do you mean by responsibility?That incident was not your fault.A lot of people get caught up in unfortunate events and feel uncontrollably guilty when it's not really their fault.You don't need to feel any responsibility at all. --may be.But in fact, the person involved is me, not others, and the chosen person is me.So there should be some reason, right?That's why the world demands my answers, right? ——Hahaha, so I understand. --Ah? —Thanks to you. --What's the meaning? ——Probably because of you, I came back here. ——Because of me? ——Compared to the pain you have encountered, my experience is as insignificant as fart.But my doubts about the world are the same as yours.I was born in a temple, and I have Buddhist teachings around me, but I resisted in my heart and wandered around when I was young, trying to find answers.Although I was tired of wandering later, so I came back to obediently inherit my father's work, just like this, calmly preaching to others, but it is also because of this that I can meet you.That is because you should accept the relationship of Buddhist teachings. --I? - That's right.The person lying next to you is a teacher who teaches Buddhist art, presumably it is also the guidance of the Buddha, right?Just because you are someone who needs Buddhist teachings, that's why.This is why you appeared in front of me. --yes?I don't believe in the word fate, nor do I believe in any Buddha's guidance. —It is your freedom to use the words you want, but I happen to be here, and you happen to be here to receive Buddhist teachings. ——Since the abbot said so, it may be true.Anyway, I feel responsible now, I wish I had this eye, this third eye.In order to no longer have this painful feeling, I hope that I can look at the world from a different realm and from a higher place.I just hope so. "Your friends should have gathered together." The abbot ended the topic abruptly, urging the little boss to pay attention to the classmate who was calling him at the other end of the corridor.Everyone is moving to a nearby delivery restaurant.Although it's a little strange for classmates to eat vegetarian dishes, but they are both at an age where they are worried about adult diseases, so this kind of gathering is not bad. Suddenly, the little boss's eyes were attracted by a photo pasted on a pillar in the corridor. It was a photo of monks in bright yellow cassocks walking. "What is this place?" "Um...Sri Lanka, maybe? I can't figure it out anymore. Shame on me, I used to wander blindly when I was young." It seems that the photo was taken by the abbot himself. "What I just said, please keep it secret anyway. The reason I told you is because I found that you seem to be very interested in that benefactor. Please don't disturb him, and don't tell others about him, please is you." The abbot bowed his head solemnly. Needless to say, the little boss had no intention of speaking directly to the man or telling others about him. He looked back at the hydrangea as if nothing had happened, and there was no one in the courtyard of the kindergarten. The sun disappeared, the children's play was no longer heard, and the figure of the man in the white shirt disappeared without a trace. The abbot's words that made him feel heavy gradually faded away as time passed.But the fate between the little boss and that man has not been broken. The third time I met the man was in a heavy rain near the end of the rainy season. To be correct, they did not meet directly. On the way back from the industry gathering, the rain suddenly became heavier, and a big hole was broken under the paper bag in the little boss's hand, so he had to go to a cigarette shop he knew to avoid the rain. When it was time to get a new paper bag to put things in, the heavy rain was still pouring down. Suddenly, he felt someone walking by nearby. look up.Through the frosted glass sliding door, people can be seen walking on the small road between the storefront and the house.It's a young man.The path seemed to lead very far, and the figure slowly disappeared. Seeing the incredulous expression on the little boss's face, the cigarette shop proprietress who came out with tea said in a low voice, "That's the tenant who lives in the back." "I see. Is there an apartment for rent in the back?" "The hardware store next door is the landlord." The proprietress looked at the sliding door with embarrassment. "I'm still very young but I haven't done anything. It seems to be related to my poor health." "Oh." "When the situation is good, he will also go to the supermarket on the bus road to help deliver the goods. Recently, he stays in the house all day and rarely sees him going out. It feels a little weird." The proprietress covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh." "No, he actually looks like a very well-behaved, honest, and polite person on the outside. He is also very handsome, and he is always well-groomed." The proprietress seemed to be afraid of being misunderstood as gossiping, so she quickly added these words. After hearing these characteristics, the figure of the man in memory suddenly appeared in the little boss's mind. Could it be him? "It's amazing that he is very popular with children. My grandson often talks to him. I don't know when they met." The little boss is sure.It must be that man.The scene of him surrounded by children in the courtyard of the temple appeared in front of his eyes. Sure enough, he still didn't stand up from the pain. The little boss couldn't help but feel heartbroken.The words the abbot said rang vividly in his ears.That kind of misfortune happened unexpectedly, which made him lose his mind, be in a trance, and finally fell ill... "Grandma, did the older brother just come back?" I saw a healthy and lively little boy wearing rain boots running in, probably a third grader in elementary school, right?It is true that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will arrive.He probably saw the figure of the man walking into the path from a long distance. The proprietress raised her face and warned the little boy. "I just came back, and I don't seem to be feeling well. You can't disturb the patient." "But my brother promised to teach me how to assemble a radio!" "Then wait until he is in good health. And it's raining so hard today." "It's because of the heavy rain that we have to assemble the radio in the house." A child of this age is really not inferior to ordinary adults when it comes to truth. The little boss smiled and looked at the overwhelmed look of the boss lady. "And my brother doesn't play with me recently, either reading scriptures in the room, or going out to find inexplicable things. Today, I finally got a chance to catch him." You should accept Buddhist teachings - the little boss remembered what the abbot said.At least he still has his heart toward Buddha—the boss feels much more at ease. After thanking the proprietress who was still arguing with his grandson, the little boss walked out of the cigarette shop. The heavy rain was still falling violently. The fate of people is really wonderful, but I wonder if this can be regarded as a kind of fate?However, living in the same town, there are so many people who have never talked to each other all their lives, and have never even noticed their existence; but there are also people who discover their existence because of some trivial things, and then start to care about each other. How to describe his existence?The man who usually doesn't appear in his life or consciousness at all, but who occasionally pops up in his mind due to certain factors and disturbs his mind. The rainy season is over and the weather has turned to scorching heat. It's the same every year, the weather is so hot that it's like being in a steam bath, and pedestrians try to walk in the shade to avoid direct sunlight. The little boss went out today to discuss the purchase of office supplies, and he couldn't stand the heat on the way home. When he saw the "ice" flag hanging in front of him, he rushed into the ice fruit room. He ordered strawberry ice without hesitation, then took off his glasses to wipe his sweat. A cool breeze blew in from the fully open window, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath. At this time, the conversation of elementary school students came from outside the window. "—I can't understand what he said recently." "Is there something wrong with his mind? That brother." Huh?The little boss turned his head quickly and saw two teenagers walking past. He had an impression of that voice, it was at that time... "It looks the same as before, and it's normal when teaching me arithmetic. My brother's nature and mathematics are better than the teacher's." "Then... what is that? It's the third eye he mentioned." "I don't know. He has been talking about looking for the third eye for a long time. He said who told him, and one person kept repeating that he found a place with the third eye. I feel very boring. Just go home." "That's weird." "That's right." "By the way, the one from class two..." The sound gradually faded away. The mood is a little strange. Obviously, it was the man they were talking about. He found the place with the third eye.What does this sentence mean? It's like fortune-telling on the street—the little boss thought while pressing his temple that ached from eating strawberry ice. When encountering troubles, standing on the crowded road or at the corner of the street and waiting for the words you hear suddenly is called street fortune-telling. Can what the two teenagers said just now give me any instructions?Why do things about that man keep getting into my ears? Only then did he realize that it was because he really wanted to know about that man.A man whose name is unknown.No, it doesn't matter what the name is, what he wants to know is what is that man who looks like an uncle thinking in his heart?How will the man who bears many misfortunes spend his life in the future? After eating strawberry ice, my hot body finally cooled down. After confirming that the sun had gradually set, the little boss decided to go to a place he hadn't planned to go before. It was the cigarette shop that asked him to replace the paper bag with a new one. The man lives behind the store.He didn't even know what his name was, and he had never talked to him, just met him by chance a few times. The world is silent and exposed to the sun.Although the zenith has been climbed, the fiery sun continues to scorch the world. The little boss stood in front of the familiar cigarette shop. The road was silent.There was no one at the front of the store, probably because it was too hot and hid inside the store, right?No, let alone the front of the store, it feels like there is no one on the whole street. The little boss temporarily stayed in front of the cigarette shop. Next to that path.Go inside, turn around the corner at the back, and you'll see the man.The young but mature man.That man who looks like a saint. What am I doing standing here? Even though he was sweating profusely, the little boss still stood there. However, he did not move after all.He didn't go into the narrow alley, but turned his head desperately, looking for the bus stop sign closest to him. Xia Tian moved heavy steps. Looking at the increase in the number of edamame pods, corn cobs, watermelon rinds, and popsicle sticks, and listening to the sound of the collision of empty beer bottles being carried by the grocery store owner, summer slowly passed by.Ignoring the children who had bad stomachs from drinking too many cold drinks and were scolded by adults while eating Zhengro pills, Xia Tian left. Summer feels like it will never end; the real sense that the next season is approaching is when you hear the news of a typhoon approaching on the radio. That day, when I woke up early in the morning, I felt that the house was filled with sweltering humidity. Needless to say, although the minimum temperature has exceeded twenty degrees for several days in a row, this is obviously a sign of the approaching low pressure.It is not a pleasant thing to realize that I am covered in sweat the moment I wake up.It was the back-to-school day of the elementary school students, and the children and the whole house were noisy. As soon as the store door is opened, the hot and humid air blows up, which makes people feel melancholy. It looks like today's weather is going to turn bad soon. The mother who went to a nearby clinic to get medicine returned home muttering. "It's actually a temporary break!" "Wow? Doctor Takano, what happened to him?" "I forgot. The doctor said something when I went there last time. Today is a happy event at the family of a big man who has taken care of Dr. Takano before. I didn't remember it until I walked to the hospital. It's really annoying. I wish I could remember it sooner." gone." It turned out that what my mother complained was not that the hospital was not opened, but that her memory was not good. "The wind is getting stronger, I think it's better for you to deliver the goods earlier." The mother said to the little boss while arranging the hair that was blown by the wind. He felt the same way.So I put down my habit of tallying goods in the morning and decided to go out first. There was a nasty strong wind blowing on the road.It was only morning, and the sky had already turned dark.The uncontrolled wind was blowing on the body riding the motorcycle from all directions. It seemed that there was no rain mixed in, but his body was already wet and sticky. People are busy making preparations for typhoon defense in the afternoon.Despite strong winds, the sweltering temperatures intensified.The shirt I changed into before going out had already stuck to my skin due to sweat. He who was uttering evil words in his heart suddenly stopped for some reason. No, it was what his eyes saw. Yellow cassock. The picture I saw in the temple clearly came to my mind. The monk came from the front. It's that man.The man was wearing cassock. Unknowingly, he slowed down, but the figure of the man was still getting bigger and bigger before his eyes.Of course the man didn't notice that someone was looking at him. He mistook it for cassock, but it was actually a yellow raincoat.The man was wearing a black baseball cap and walked quickly with his head down. Still has a bad complexion and good facial features.The flesh on the face is less, revealing a sharp outline. On the streets that seemed panicked by the approaching storm, only he exuded a cold silence.Young and old have merged into one, making it difficult to tell whether he is young or old.Sure enough, it still looks like a monk in a yellow cassock. Observing him like this is only a matter of a moment.Soon, the figure of the man disappeared behind. The yellow figure in the rear mirror gradually faded away. Where is he going? Looking at his back in the mirror, the little boss thought to himself. He wanted to turn around and chase after him, but now it was a green light and there were a lot of cars.Despite his worries, he rushed to the delivery location. In the afternoon, the wind became stronger and the rain began to follow. "Isn't it better to pull up the awning first?" "But the weather is so stuffy, and it gets dark again in the house." The wife and mother looked at the eaves and chatted. He turned on the radio to listen to the news of the typhoon. Almost no customers came to the door, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road, and some shops closed early. While sorting out the purchase list, the little boss still had the image of the yellow raincoat in his mind.No, in his mind, the man was wearing cassock. Where has he gone?Have you returned to your residence?Maybe I'm reading scriptures right now? "Ah! It's raining." After hearing his wife's voice, he looked up, and the asphalt road in front of the store turned white. Large raindrops hit the ground violently. "Wow! The windows at home should not be open, right? Damn, I seem to have forgotten to close the bathroom window." The wife jumped up asking and answering herself, and rushed home.Mother also followed to watch. My father and his old friends from the Limin Association went to the mountain to take a bath in the hot springs.There should be no way to soak in the open-air hot spring in this weather, right?The little boss thought leisurely. The rain was getting louder and louder, and the radio next to the cash register could no longer be heard. But the man's mind was completely quiet, exuding a cold and silent atmosphere as he walked alone. The man kept walking, walking alone in the rain. After being in a daze for a while, the little boss came back to his senses and heard the sound of the radio, and the rain became smaller.Next, the rain will definitely be heavy and small. The wife is back. "Oh, I was scared to death. Fortunately, the rain didn't come in. By the way, where did I put the flashlight?" "In the cupboard under the stairs?" "It's broken. It won't turn on even if you replace it with a new battery. Didn't it make a mess at home when there was a thunderstorm last time and the power went out?" "Really? I forgot. Well, I'll go get a new one now." "Is it okay? It's raining heavily." "It's fine now that I'm smaller. I'm going out for lunch. I've been so busy in the morning, and come to think of it, I haven't had lunch yet." "Then you come back early." "Ok." After saying this, the little boss walked out of the door, only to find that the umbrella didn't work at all.Holding his glasses, he ran to the nearest electrical store, and then held the wrapped flashlight in his hand, thinking about where to go next.He decided to go to the soba noodle shop, eat a plate of cold noodles casually, and go home quickly. The strong wind mixed with the rain was really unpleasant. The streets have lost their color and everyone is rushing home. There is a siren sounding in the distance, is it a fire engine? As soon as I rushed into the soba noodle shop, there were no customers inside.The store does not close after noon and is open from noon to night. "Welcome. What a damn weather." Dad, who doesn't like to greet guests, rarely opens his mouth today. "It's windy, take a step or two, and your whole body will get wet." "Take this and use it." Dad throws in a towel, which the little boss gratefully uses to wipe his head and shoulders. "A plate of cold noodles and beer." "is this okay?" "It's already closed today. The weather will only get worse. How can there be business?" When he saw his father opening the beer bottle cap, the little boss felt something was wrong. It turned out that the refreshing sound when opening a bottle was missing.The rain started to get heavier again. The murmur of the rain on the nearby tin roofs blinded him to other sounds. "what!" The two looked at the ceiling and shouted.Because it was too noisy, it made people feel depressed. As he ate his fish plate with beer, he heard the sirens whistling past again. "Why does it seem that from the beginning, I always hear fire trucks or police cars passing by?" "Is it a fire?" "Is there any way to sprinkle water in such a heavy rain?" He pricked up his ears to the shrill sirens amid the rain. The sound gave off a sense of uneasiness, of misfortune. The alarm sounded continuously.Only then did I feel that it was already gone, and a new one came. It seems that the number of cars dispatched is really quite a lot. "What happened?" "It's really strange." Dad turned on the TV set near the ceiling.But there are just reruns of boring serial dramas, no news flashes. After eating a plate of cold noodles and drinking the water under the soba noodles, he smoked a cigarette, and the sound of the rain became quieter again. "It seems that the rain is less. I'm full, so let's go back now." "That's right, thank you for coming." Hearing what the old man said behind his back, the little boss left the bill. When he walked outdoors in the strong wind and rain, the little boss couldn't help frowning. The rain was a little lighter, but it still hit the face directly. However, in the next moment, he was stunned on the spot in surprise. The figure in front of the store. The man was right in front of him. It was as if the scene in my mind had been stolen and placed in real life. Gray, but sharp silhouette. He ignored the fact that his whole body was drenched by rain, and just quietly stared at the hanging scroll in the window. Where did he start standing here? He was not wearing the raincoat he had just worn. The white shirt was completely soaked, and the line of the vest underneath clearly emerged.The slacks were black from the rain.The baseball cap on his head was also dripping wet, with rain dripping down the brim of the hat. He seemed completely unaware that anyone was looking at him. 一向都是这样，我只是个旁观者，总是走不进他的世界。 忽然间，这种痛苦的感慨袭上小老板的心头。 男子一动也不动地专心注视着挂轴。 小老板也静静地看着男子的侧脸。 仔细一看，男子的嘴唇在动。他一直在喃喃自语。 脸上有着过去从未见过的表情。 有点像是很放心、很无力、又很充实的满足感。 来到这里之前，他去了哪里呢？刚刚走进店里时，并没有看到他呀。在这之前他做了什么事？做了什么让他在这滂沱大雨中那么满足的事？Where did he go?What have you done? 小老板不断想着这些。 结果，他始终没有听出男子喃喃自语的内容。 没有听出男子不断地低语着。 我终于可以回答了。 This is my answer.

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