Chapter 2 vision

The next morning, Nakagaki Terumichi and Rose met in the lobby of Kobe Far East Hotel as agreed, and then went to the skyscraper restaurant on the eleventh floor for dinner. Sitting in the restaurant, you can see the mountains and the sea in the distance, and the view is excellent. There used to be a large piece of dirty oil in Kobe Port, but when viewed from the eleventh floor, the oil pollution became so small that it hardly existed. "Kobe Port is quite beautiful. Although it was gray when I went ashore yesterday." Nakagaki said, turning his gaze to the south-facing window. "As the saying goes, distance is beauty."

Rose answered casually.It was only when I spoke my own words that I suddenly felt something in my heart. Want to know the past of your parents, isn't it also an attempt to narrow the distance with the past? Some things look beautiful from a distance, but once you get close, you will find it ugly and dirty. Should history be viewed as a distant view? Mrs. Lusen's indifferent attitude yesterday seemed to be a warning that if she got close to her, she might find unexpected dirt! Rose remembered what it had been like on the pier when she came ashore yesterday. The cargo in the cabin was hoisted by the crane, and then thrown on the concrete floor of the pier, raising a cloud of white dust.There is a layer of grass mixed with heavy oil floating on the sea near the pier.

Rose told herself that she could not escape from reality, only a girl who loves to dream would indulge in the weaving fantasies.And she has already passed the age of chasing dreams. The realities of the docks and the realities of the past—both take courage and face them without flinching. Nakagaki Terumichi was also thinking about the same scene at this time—however, it had a completely different content from Rose. (That's life...and I always seem to be otherworldly.) Nakagaki suddenly became envious of the people working at the dock.He also wanted to taste life, and first of all he had to have a job.Although the task Rose entrusted could not allow him to experience the taste of life, it was at least a job.

Nakagaki took out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was the "data card" he copied from Shimada at Xiangshun Temple.For him, this is the beginning of the work. "Hmm...the last time you asked me to do something, here is a little clue. This is the list of people related to the Marshall incident. Some people are in Kobe now." "It seems to be nearby!" Rose took a look at the card. "Hey, this is Chinese." "That's right. I checked the phone book. This Mr. Wang Dongming's shop is in the second section of Rongding, and his family lives in Liujia."

"I want to go to the house where I was born first." "Isn't it burned?" "Well, so it shouldn't be the house where I was born, but the place where I was born." "Do you have an address?" "Write it down in a notebook. Of course, there may be a new house built at this address, but I want to walk around there." Nakagaki could understand Rose's mood. ——The place where I was born. Visiting that place is not all about girlish nostalgia. From the time she moved to Tokyo at the age of five until she returned to China now, Rose never set foot on the land of Kobe again.

"I treat this meal, and you will treat the next meal." After eating, Rose spoke first and stood up. She went to the counter to pay the bill while taking the notebook out of the bag. "Is it far from here?" A friendly man in his forties who looked like a restaurant manager leaned over and looked at the open notebook, "It's not too far. It takes about five minutes by car. However, this is an old address from a long time ago." "Well, it's been a long time... Has the name of the street changed?" "That's right. You wrote Kobe Ward, but now it's called Ikuta Ward. But the street name remains the same."

Rose asks how to get there. According to the manager, if you walk north from the intersection in front of the city tram station on the first section of Nakayamate, the next street is the intersection of the third section and the fourth section of Kitano Town.The third section is on the east side, and there is a police station at the corner of the street, you can find it just by asking there. "Even the name of the place has been changed!" Sitting in the car, Rose muttered to herself.The distant past rushed to her at once. After getting out of the car, Nakagaki went into the police station alone and asked for his address.The little policeman said very kindly:

"That's Mr. Maggot's house. But the owner is probably on a business trip to India, and the wife is still at home. She went shopping in the morning and passed in front of the police station." The officer seemed to know everything about the neighborhood, big and small. The address they were looking for was in an alley. Not long after entering the alley, Rose stopped. "I seem to remember...Although the impression is very vague, but it is true that every time I went out when I was a child, I would be told to stop when I walked out of the alley and see if there were any cars on both sides! The voice of the naughty voice is still in my mind. .”

She said, taking a deep breath. The things that are often reminded have long been formed into a thin film in the corner of the mind and left behind. "Well, here it is." Nakagaki, who was walking while checking the house number, suddenly stopped in front of a bungalow and carefully looked at the address written in English on the brass house number. "The house looks very old..." Rose stared at the red-painted door and said in a low voice.This should be a "new" house rebuilt after the fire, but the new house has become obsolete with time.From this point, Rose suddenly discovered that there is a distance between "now" and "past".

Nakagaki was leaning on a telegraph pole not far from Rose, stuffing a cigarette into his mouth.He wanted her to have the chance to face the past alone. The house is surrounded by white barbed wire, through which a small courtyard can be glimpsed indistinctly, and some red and yellow flowers are planted neatly in the courtyard. Rose looked around, "I still remember that there are ruins everywhere after the air raid, only this house is lonely..." "It was just after the end of the war, and now the ground is full of houses." Nakagaki lit his cigarette.He intended to stay aside and not bother Rose.

"Rose. Why don't you walk around slowly by yourself?" "Me alone? What about you?" "I want to go to the police station. The police officer seems to know this area very well, so you might as well try your luck." "Oh." Rose pondered for a moment, "That's fine... just a moment, I'll go find you right away." Nakagaki walked back. As soon as he headed towards the police station, the previous policeman greeted him with a smile, "Is Mrs. Margot at home?" "Well, I suppose Mr. Maggot isn't home and I don't want to be intrusive. It's nothing urgent anyway." Nakagaki walked into Pai Shixin while talking. "Mr. Maggot will be back in about a week," said the constable. He had a round face and looked very young, though I'm afraid he was over fifty.The half-white hair gives people a kind and friendly feeling. "Actually, it doesn't matter if Mr. Maggot is not here," said Nakagaki. "Oh? Are you a reporter from a newspaper?" "No, it's the magazine...Tokyo's..." "I want to ask some foreigners about Kobe's past." Nakagaki was a little short of words. "Then you are not coming to see Mr. Maggot. He has only been in Japan five years." "I would like to ask him to introduce... Maybe some of the people introduced are well-informed... Maybe I can get some news." "So that's how it is. There are a lot of foreigners living around here. May I introduce you?" "Thank you so much if you can." "Ah, who should I find?" The policeman picked up the receiver and closed his eyes. "If you have lived here for 50 or 60 years, you need to be familiar. Well... I think Mr. Portman is the one. He is in his seventies and was born in Japan. Although he is French, he can speak Japanese fluently." ...By the way, may I ask your surname?" "My name is Nakagaki." "Which magazine?" "Hey...I'm not an exclusive reporter, but a report writer." "what is this?" It seems that even the police officers in the foreign area are not very good at English.Nakagaki thought about it, so he had to change to a more popular name. "It's what most people call a columnist." "A columnist?" The police officer stared at Nakagaki.His expression seemed to say, aren’t those gossips in the magazines that specialize in excrement the masterpieces of you columnists?It seems that he is also wary of Nakagaki. "However, I never dig other people's privacy. I just like to collect some interesting past events that no one knows." Nakagaki hastily added. "Really? . . . You're a good columnist. Like TV, there's bad shows and good shows, isn't it?" As the policeman spoke, he began to make phone calls.It seems that old Mr. Bowman picked it up. "Hello, I'm Ohara from the police station... How are you? I have something to trouble you... I have a reporter from a magazine here, and I want to know some stories about Kobe in the past, so I hope I can chat with you... ...now I'll go visit, okay?" The other party readily agreed, and at the same time said that they are at home and welcome visitors. Nakagaki walked out of the police station and waited for a while, then saw Rose coming out of the alley.Her cheeks flushed. Nakagaki told Rose about the police officer introducing him to old Mr. Portman. "The police officer told Mr. Bowman that I will go to visit immediately, and I am sorry to delay too long. Do you want to go together?" "I think it's better to avoid it... If you want to talk about my mother, it might be better if I'm not there." Then she said that she hadn't packed her luggage yet, and she wanted to go back to the Eucalyptus room first. Nakagaki hailed a taxi for Rose at the intersection, watched her leave, and walked to Portman's house alone.The police officer at the police station drew a simple map, which was clearly marked.Kitano Second Section is not far from here. Sure enough, I found Boman's house near Kitano Tenjin. Although the house is an old concrete building, the fence has just been painted.The green fence glistens in the spring sun.Nakagaki rang the doorbell, and the door opened immediately. A white-haired old man in a bright red sportswear stood at the door, about 180 centimeters tall. "Is it a reporter from Zhishe? I'm Kraut? Portman, please come in." The soft eyes behind the glasses showed a welcome look.The oval cheeks are bronzed by the sun and look very healthy. A round table and some chairs were placed in a corner of the lawn in the yard, and a red and white checked cloth was spread on the round table.There is also a drum-shaped ceramic ottoman next to it, which looks a bit like a lion, probably something from China. "Just chat here, it will be more comfortable than in the house." Bowman pointed to the round table and walked over.From that vigorous gait, it is impossible to tell that he is over seven years old.He went to the window and yelled inside: "A guest is coming!" "You are in good health." After sitting down on the chair, Nakagaki said politely. "Thanks to being fond of sports when I was young. By the way, what do you want to ask me?" Bowman sat cross-legged on the chair.He was born in Japan, and although he is fluent in Japanese, he has a strange accent. "I want to know about the foreigners who stayed in Japan during the war. Is there anything interesting..." "During the war?" Bowman, who had been smiling all the time, immediately turned serious, with the corners of his mouth drooping. "There are a lot of stories, but none of them are interesting. Because it was one of the saddest times." At this time, an old woman in a kimono came out of the house with a tea tray in her hand. "This is the bitch." Boman introduced to Nakagaki. The talkative police officer did not tell Nakagaki that Boman's wife is Japanese. Mrs. Bowman put the tea tray on the china stool and bowed politely. Nakagaki hurriedly stood up and nodded in return. "Are you talking nonsense again?" Mrs. Portman looked at her husband with a gentle smile. "Didn't you talk too much last time and scold others? You have to be careful this time." "What!" Boman smiled wryly, "I just answered him today! I won't mention anything else. Alright! Go back and clean it!" "No, I want to listen here. I want to monitor carefully to see if you are talking nonsense." Mrs. Portman smiled and put the black tea cups in front of the two of them. "Well, what do you want to ask?" Probably because his wife was in the front, Portman urged Nakagaki with a serious expression.The open and relaxed atmosphere when we first met has disappeared. "Well... Since you don't want to mention things during the war, let's talk about something else... Oh... can you talk about your feelings about marrying a Japanese wife?..." Nakagaki said hesitantly. Actually inquire about Simon?Mrs. Gilmore was what he meant.In order to narrow the topic, he plans to start with foreigners marrying Japanese wives. "Ha, ha, ha..." Mrs. Bowman covered her mouth with her hands and laughed. "Oh, if you want to inquire about this, it's inconvenient to have me around... Sorry, I'll take my leave first." She said standing up. Seeing his wife enter the house, old Mr. Bowman immediately looked animated.He smiled happily, straightened his crossed legs, and placed them on the round stool. The topic was interrupted repeatedly, making Nakagaki a little frustrated.As a last resort, he had no choice but to find another topic. He stared at the round stool and asked: "This is something from China. Is it very old?" "Oh... I don't understand antiques at all. It was given to me by someone else, so it shouldn't be too expensive. A friend used to deal in art and antiques, and he gave it to me. It seems to mention the history, but I forgot." "He's an antique dealer from England? His name is Gilmore, and he lives in Kobe, isn't he?" Nakagaki asked hurriedly. "Well, you know Gilmore?" "No, I have a little bit of his data on hand because I'm sorting out the stories of foreign residents in Kobe." "You're really hardworking. You even collected Gilmore's information... I heard that the man died in London two or three years ago. Do you know?" "have no idea." In order not to reveal that he knew too much about Gilmore and arouse his suspicions, Nakagaki deliberately pretended that his knowledge was limited. "He's a strange man. Probably all the people who sell moldy antiques are a bit strange." "Really? As far as I know, this Mr. Gilmore seems to have married a Japanese wife." "By the way! Mrs. Gilmore's a bit odd, too. It's an unusual couple anyway, really." "how to say?" "It's hard to explain clearly. Let's talk about Mr. Gilmore first. This man doesn't say anything, and what's on his mind can't be guessed by others... It's just so unpredictable. His wife is just the opposite. What's on her mind, Mouth must speak out, and not just words, but also actions. In short, she likes to do her own way and doesn't care about other people's opinions at all. However, although there are some gossips, I think her essence is not bad... Some people say that she died unfortunately, it is completely She was condemned by God. Thinking about it carefully, she is quite pitiful." "Unfortunate death?" Nakagaki pretends to be ignorant of Mrs. Gilmore's death. "It's a tragedy that there was a fire and they didn't escape..." "Then," Nakagaki said as much as possible in the official tone of a reporter's interview, "you said just now that there were some rumors about her?" "Don't write these things down!... My wife is also Japanese. Generally speaking, Japanese women are very loyal, but there are exceptions. There are some bad rumors about that woman, do you understand?" "I see." Boman hesitated to hint at Mrs. Gilmore's affair scandal, but from his expression, Nakagaki knew that he could no longer find out more detailed information. "Have you asked the Ohara police officer at the police station for anything?" Mr. Bowman asked as if remembering something. "No." Nakagaki shook his head. Perhaps it was inconvenient for Portman to speak, and he was implying that he could ask the Ohara police officer at the police station, and maybe he would get more information—Nakagaki guessed. (Just ask when I get back.) Nakagaki thought to himself. Now that the chatterbox was open, the old man began to recall the good old days. Although he was born in Japan, he returned to his native France for education as a young man and returned to Japan during World War I.He admitted that he did so in order to avoid military service. On the way back to Japan, he was forced to stay in the port of Athens for a whole week because of rumors that the German warship Emden was in the nearby sea. The old man takes pride in driving the car. "I'll show you something fun." After speaking, Portman walked into the room and took out a rather old piece of paper. It turned out that the driver's license was issued in the tenth year of Taisho, and the issuing unit was the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. According to him, due to the earthquake in the 12th year of Taisho, all the original documents were burned, so that the previously issued driver's license was invalid, and a new one was issued later.However, the old man still kept this old driver's license. "Occasionally speeding or something, show this old driver's license to Mr. Police, they will probably be startled, and then let me go. Sometimes the inspectors around here will deliberately stop me and ask me to take this old driver's license Show them." They chatted about the past for about an hour, and Nakagaki got up to leave. "If your masterpiece is published in a magazine, don't forget to give me a copy. I can probably understand 70% of Chinese characters." Boman said. "Yes... I don't know which one it will be listed in yet." Nakagaki walked out of Portman's house with a feeling of guilt. Before leaving, he went to the police station to express his gratitude. "Thanks to you, I heard many interesting stories." "Because he's an interesting old gentleman." Police officer Ohara is very happy to help the media occasionally. Feeling guilty, Nakagaki sat down on the chair and started chatting with Ohara—— "How long have you been here?" "Well, it's been eighteen years. I've been in this police station... probably there's no other place to transfer. Ha, ha, ha." Nakagaki calculated backwards in his heart.Eighteen years ago, it meant that Ohara was transferred here several years after Gilmore's house burned down.He probably wouldn't know Rose's mother. It looks like the thread is about to break. "So, who was the previous Mr. Constable?" Nakagaki asked persistently. "He's at the police station in Nagata." Nagata is far from that.Nakagaki was a little disappointed.However, since Ohara has lived here for eighteen years, he may have heard some rumors. "Actually, when I was a child, I would live here with an aunt from far away for about a month. At that time, World War II had just ended, and there were bombed-up relics everywhere after air raids. It looked so dilapidated." "Yes. When I transferred here, there were still ruins everywhere." "At that time, I remember that there seemed to be a fire." "Ah, it was at the house of the Mr. Maggot you first asked about. Before I was transferred, another foreign family lived there. The Japanese wife was burned to death, causing a great commotion." "Is that right there?" "During the air raid, there was only one nearby house that was not destroyed by the bombing, standing alone. Therefore, although the fire was fierce, there was no need to worry about spreading the fire." "It's very lively now." "That's right. The houses are all built up. When I first transferred, there was a road behind Mr. Maggot's house, but it was private land, so after a while, the road disappeared and was covered. Go to the house! And the alley you walked through just now, there used to be only two or three families on both sides, and the rest were all vacant land." "I remember there used to be a nice aunt living nearby who would give me chewing gum and chocolates...could it be the lady who burned to death?" "I don't know." "If it is... no, it can't be that coincidental!? Do you know that lady?" "I was transferred here many years after the fire. I only heard Mrs. Fushimi mention that she is a strange woman." "Mrs. Fushimi?" "She works in the Nakayamate Catholic Church. That lady is a close friend of hers, and she has a very friendly personality, so she will probably treat you to chewing gum." Nakagaki thanked him again and walked out of the police station. It turned out that Mrs. Fushimi, who worked in a Catholic church, knew Rose's mother. (Should I visit her now?) As soon as the thought arose, he felt physically tired.Probably he used deception to gain the trust of old Mr. Portman and Police Officer Ohara, which made his nerves ache! (Anyway, there is no rush, I will go next time.) he thought, walking slowly down the slope. On the other hand, Rose and Nakagaki went straight back to Eucalyptus House after breaking up. Her luggage hasn't been packed yet. Except for the five large wooden boxes of books that have not yet arrived from the container ship in London, the rest are only some carry-on items. However, it is quite troublesome to tidy up one day at a time. As Rose took out the clothes from the suitcase and ironed them, she thought about how to spend the month before class. She decided to go to Tokyo. After all, she lived in that city for ten years, and she misses it a lot.Besides, maybe you can meet up with old tame friends from the past. (and then to Kanazawa...) Rose's mother was originally from Kanazawa. This is what she found out with great difficulty from her taciturn father. My mother's natal family opened a "Peacock Hall" in Kanazawa, specializing in local products.His mother's real name was Hisako Tachibana, and both of her parents died in her early years, leaving only one younger sister.However, since marrying Gilmore, she has not corresponded with her natal family again, as if she had severed the relationship-that's all she knows. As for what famous products Peacock Hall makes?Why did the mother sever ties with her natal family?No matter how she asked these questions, her father always answered: "I don't know. Your mother didn't tell me." (impossible!) Rose thought her father must know the details.Perhaps her mother's marriage to her father was the fuse that caused her discord with her natal family.Exotic marriages are uncommon even now and fraught with problems.However, in any case, her father was dead, and if Rose wanted to know the identity, she had to find out by herself. Therefore, she must go to Kanazawa. About going to Tokyo, Rose and Mrs. Rimbaud had already made an appointment.She knew which hotel Mrs. Rimbaud was staying at, and she would just call and book a room before she went. Rose puffed and chewed, and opened another suitcase. There are many gifts in it, which are going to be given to the people who take care of her in Japan.Those gifts were sourced from all over the world.She picked up a bottle of perfume bought in Paris, and suddenly had the urge to give this bottle of perfume to Clara next door?Rosen's thoughts. She deliberately came to visit yesterday, and today I should return the gift—well, a bottle of perfume is a pretty good gift by the way. Although Nakagaki had found the address of Mrs. Gilmore's friend just now, he planned to visit again in a few days on the grounds that he was too tired. It can be seen that his personality is not bright enough. Rose was different. She just thought of asking for Mrs. Tulusen's perfume, so she immediately dropped the things she was sorting and ran to the next door. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. (Did you go out?...) Just when I was about to give up, I suddenly heard the sound of music coming from the room.The house is advertised as completely soundproof, but if the volume is too loud, it will still spread to the corridor. Now that the stereo is on, Mrs. Russen should be at home, and may not hear the knock on the door.Rose thought, trying to turn the doorknob. The door was unlocked. She opened the door, and at the same time cried out: "Mrs. Russen!" Still no answer. Entering the door is a small cloakroom. The door to the living room is open, and you can see the yellow carpet and the stereo in the corner.The cover of the record case was left open, showing that the music was coming from the radio. It was quite lively jazz playing. With the door in the way, only half of the sofa could be seen, and Rose had to lean out to see if Mrs. Russen was sitting on the other sofa. It was a great surprise, however, that Mrs. Russen was a jazz lover.People really can't be judged by appearances. Rose's impression of Mrs. Lusen has also changed a hundred and eighty degrees from when she first met. Rose couldn't help smiling—a middle-aged French woman who loved jazz. (Perhaps this is her private hobby and a little secret she doesn't want others to know.) Rose hesitated. She should respect other people's right to privacy. But since he had already said hello, if he turned around and left at this time, it would be more like fleeing after peeking into privacy, giving people the illusion of despicableness.So, she decided to greet loudly again. "Mrs. Russen!" After a while there was still no answer. Rose looked towards the living room, only to think that the color of the carpet was a little strange.This yellow carpet should have no patterns, but now there seem to be some black and reddish stripes. (really weird!) And the stripes were still moving slowly—like crawling. Rose walked to the living room door and looked in. One fell to the ground.It was a woman in black, and those red threads stretched from her chest to the blanket just now. A moan came from Rose's mouth, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from screaming. The woman's face could not be seen.Although she was lying on her back, her face was turned to the other side.From the attire, it can be seen that it is a woman, with a red slipper on one foot, and the other slipper falls quite far away. "Mrs. Russen!" After forcibly suppressing the urge to shout, only a hoarse sound came out of his throat. Although no face was seen, it could be deduced from the clothes and shoes that the woman lying on the blanket was Mrs. Lusen. Rose pressed her hand to her chest. I just felt my heart pounding. She held back the throbbing emotions and encouraged herself to be calm. (do you died?) Maybe he's not dead yet, and if he doesn't call a doctor quickly, he might die from serious injuries. (Do you want to be sure?) Should she press her hand on the blood-stained chest of the wounded to determine whether the heart is still beating? Thinking of this, Rose couldn't help trembling all over, and her fingertips kept shaking.Could this timid finger detect Mrs. Russen's heartbeat? (Should remain live.) Subconsciously, I remembered my favorite detective novels when I was in college, and this kind of basic knowledge was often mentioned in the novels.She thought: I can't touch Mrs. Lusen, even if she is still alive, there is nothing I can do. (In any case, call the police and doctors immediately.) Her knees were trembling, and she really wanted to leave quickly, but her feet seemed to be stuck, and she had no strength at all. After finally struggling to get back to her room, she grabbed the microphone. She lived in Japan during Girls' Generation, and she still remembers calling 110 in case of an emergency. But she also knew that was a long time ago.Even the place name of Kobe Ward was changed to Ikuta Ward, wouldn't the emergency number of 110 be changed? (Call the school first!) She hurriedly dialed the number she remembered. ——Hey, this is Fuso Women's University. The switchboard said in a lazy voice. "Miss Yamashita?... Please find Miss Yamashita!" Rose yelled hoarsely. It seemed as if I had waited for a long time before I heard the voice from the bottom of the mountain pouring out from the microphone. ——Hey, I've kept you waiting, I'm Yamashita... "I'm Gilmore. Please, please call the police immediately, please. Next door...dead...dead. No, maybe still alive...blood...blood..."