Chapter 6 track

Originally thought that as long as they arrived in Kanazawa, they could immediately inquire about "Peacock Hall", but in fact it was not as easy as they thought. They found "Peacock" brand pastries in the souvenir shop at the station, and the address and phone number of the manufacturer Peacock Hall were printed on the wrapping paper. The question is, who can I ask about the eldest lady of Peacock Hall who ran away from home thirty-five years ago? Nakagaki pretended to be a colleague and asked a middle-aged woman in the station shopping street: "Peacock Hall's business is doing well."

"So-so. Because it is a time-honored brand and has some regular customers." The woman replied. Asking too many questions in one place can easily lead to suspicion.Nakagaki and the others stopped there. I have already booked a room at a hotel in Tangyong Hot Spring in the suburbs.There is still time to wander around the city before returning to the hostel. So Nakagaki and Rose took a taxi to Kenrokuen. Kenrokuen was built in the fifth year of Bunsei (AD 1822) by Maeda Qiguang, the lord of the Kaga domain.Its back-to-the-woods-style garden is one of the three major gardens in Japan and is very famous.

In addition, because it has six advantages of grandeur, seclusion, artificiality, Canggu, water spring, and overlooking at the same time, it is named "Kenliu Garden". Among them, Nakagaki was troubled by how to explain "deepness".Although Rose's Japanese is good, she still can't understand such difficult words. "Abyss means a mixture of dark, esoteric and mysterious." Standing in front of the Ishikawa gate, Nakagaki stammered as he explained. "I can understand part of it." Rose nodded. If it is dark around us, sometimes we have to use lights to illuminate.

The Western European-style understanding weapon is analysis, but Japanese-style concepts are difficult to analyze clearly.And the closer you get to the core, the more you need to abandon Western European-style analytical prejudices. They turned right along the stone lantern and walked across Hongqiao. (My mother often came here to play when I was a child.) Thinking of this, Rose suddenly felt a heat in her chest. One of the characteristics of Kenrokuen is "artificial".There is no doubt that artificial carvings can be seen everywhere in the garden. However, it tries to avoid giving the impression of being "overly artificial".Appreciators can certainly see which scenes are from "human hands", but it feels very natural and unobtrusive.

Tourists are probably only dumbfounded—this is exactly Rose's impression of the landscape of Kenrokuen. The instructions say that there are: To put it bluntly, Kenrokuen is nothing more than a park made up of trees, artificial rivers, and ponds—Rose analyzed it this way. In order to provide children with a playground, there is a sand pile and a pergolas in one corner of the garden. They sit under a pergola. "Isn't Mama's birth near here?" asked Rose. Looking at the children playing on the sand pile and making happy noises from time to time, Rose imagined her mother's childhood.

Nakagaki opened the map he bought at the station. According to the address written on the wrapping paper of "Peacock Brand" pastry, Xianglinfang should not be far from here. "It doesn't seem too far from here along the road to the county government." "So, mother used to come here to play when I was a child?" "Very likely. In the past, there were not as many cars as there are now. It shouldn't be dangerous to walk here... However, it is not clear whether the address of Peacock Hall is their old home or they just moved here. Besides, they The place where I live may not be the same as the factory."

"Hahaha……" Rose suddenly laughed. Since embarking on a trip to Shinano Road, she has repeatedly warned herself not to use reason to analyze everything.She believes that the true essence of Japan cannot be captured by rational analysis. Unexpectedly, now I actually heard the words of analysis and reasoning from Nakagakiguchi.As if being punctured by a needle and deflated, Rose's tense heart immediately relaxed.She felt that her state was very funny. She approached Nakagaki with a smile. Nakagaki put his arms around her shoulders and said: "You are very happy!"

She is not happy.That kind of mood is a bit like a female student giggling and giggling when she sees her chopsticks falling to the ground. It is a psychological state that destroys the balance. "All in all, Mum probably came here to play when she was a kid," she said. "But this playground..." Nakagaki thought for a while, "Did it exist before? I think it was built later..." "Hahaha……" Rose was getting more and more uncomfortable, and she even grabbed Nakagaki's knee with her hand and shook it vigorously. Nakagaki hugged her tighter. "Let's go to Peacock Hall to see." He asked.

Rose fell on Nakagaki, eyes closed. "I want to know more about it..." "Then, let's inquire around the neighborhood." There are also many souvenir shops near Kenrokuen, which should be able to provide more information than the station shopping street—— At this time, Nakagaki should have felt the slight trembling of Rose's shoulder under the palm more keenly. She also wanted to snuggle up to Nakagaki for a while, hugging each other. (I wanted to get closer to him, but I didn't expect it to be counterproductive...) Rose was a little disappointed.However, she soon let go.

(In Japan, it is probably not used to seeing young men and women openly embracing each other on park chairs.) Thinking that she should be more considerate to the other party, Rose stood up and said, "Let's go." "Are you leaving?" Nakagaki showed a surprised expression. "what……" Now Rose finally understands some knowledge beyond books. It turns out that the Japanese like to beat around the bush.Just like Kenrokuen Garden is obviously a man-made garden, but it is required to reveal the natural style everywhere.The Japanese avoid expressing their feelings directly, and even when dealing with some important issues, they prefer to adopt devious tactics rather than quick and decisive.

For example, when Nakagaki said "let's go and find out", his original intention was not to act immediately as Rose understood. They stood up. Standing for a moment in front of the Cuisa surrounding the Piaochi - just like this, let the feelings fill each other's hearts. Walking outside to the native product shop street, Nakagaki went through each house to see if there was an elderly boss who seemed to like the bosses. Soon, he discovered that in a shop with the old signboard of "Kutani Yaki Kiln System", a small old man with all his hair had fallen out was smiling outside. (He seems very amiable.) Nakagaki thought. Their eyes met, and they bowed to Convenience and said: "Welcome, do you need any local products?... We have everything in it!" "Let's go in and have a look." Rose said softly. Like Nakagaki, she seemed to be on the lookout for suitable conversation candidates. The two walked into the shop together. "I want a set of coffee mugs and a vase. I don't have any in my room." Rose started shopping. Probably want to buy something to relax the mood of the boss, so that the next conversation will be smoother. While Rose was picking things out, Nakagaki asked the shop owner: "Have you been in this shop for a long time?" "Well. It's been forty years." The host replied. The main products in the store are porcelain, and there are also some local products and postcards.Of course, the peacock pastry is also among them. "That's all." Rose's coffee cup set was very plain in color, but the vase was gorgeous.It is the pattern of a peacock spreading its tail. Nakagaki filled in the address and asked the boss to deliver the porcelain directly to Eucalyptus House. The boss bowed again and again and said, "Thank you, I will definitely deliver it." "Look! There are also pastries from Peacock Hall." Nakagaki said nonchalantly, "I still remember eating this kind of pastries when I was a child." "Yes, this store has been around for a long time. I'm afraid it has a history of hundreds of years." "My grandfather was very familiar with the old owner of the Peacock Hall...It's really nostalgic. Of course, the next generation has been in charge now." "Yes. The old shop owner's daughter will recruit her to inherit the ancestral business." Nakagaki remembered that Rose would have mentioned that her mother had a younger sister. "I still remember that when I was young, I was taken to the Peacock Hall by the elders... It was a long time ago." Zhong Yuan suddenly became aware of his age, and hurriedly continued: "It seems that the old shop owner has two daughters." "That's right." The boss replied. "Now it's my younger sister who inherits the ancestral business." "Oh? Is my sister married?" "No," the boss lowered his voice, "my sister ran away from home...that kid has such a strong personality!" "runaway?" "That's right. I heard that she was in love with a student from No. 4 High School... It's not a big deal now, but it was big news at the time." "Kicked out by her family?...Since she has a lover, why don't she help them?" "It doesn't seem that simple... I heard that my sister also likes that high school student... Anyway, it's complicated." "A triangle relationship?" "Probably... It's not that I like to talk about people's parents. In fact, it was the elder sister who took away the younger sister's lover. Their parents had passed away at that time, and the uncle was the guardian. This uncle is very strict." Nakagaki looked in Rose's direction, and saw her with her back to them, watching the Kutani yaki in the box.However, I believe she is pricking up her ears at this moment, eavesdropping on the conversation between Nakagaki and the shopkeeper. "So he came forward to stop it?" "That's right. To this day, the Peacock Hall is still not allowed to mention the matter of my sister. My sister has died long ago." "Was it a mystery then?" "Well, they seldom mention it, and outsiders naturally don't know much about it." "Really?" Nakagaki stopped talking when he said this. He remembered lying to the boss just now that he would go to the Peacock Hall when he was a child and met the two sisters.However, my sister ran away from home thirty-five years ago, so unless Nakagaki is forty years old this year, it is impossible for her to comply.Although the boss doesn't seem to be aware of this loophole, but sooner or later the conversation will be ruined.What's more, Zhong Yuan, who is nearly thirty years old, doesn't look like someone in his forties. "There were a lot of rumors at that time." The chatty boss lit a cigarette, "It was said that she lived with the student of the No. People... Well, in short, people from Peacock Hall don’t tell us, and we outsiders can’t figure it out. There are many rumors about my sister, but it seems that she passed away in Kobe.” "Oh……" "Koko from Peacock Hall—oh, that's my sister's name—would tell friends that I thought of Kobe visiting her sister's grave, but unfortunately I couldn't find the opportunity..." According to the owner of the porcelain shop, the hostess of the Peacock Hall got married later, and she was an honest and well-behaved man.Now the couple were in their late fifties, and their knees were weak—but none of those things were relevant to what Rose wanted to know. "We know our elder sister Hisako very well, and we still miss her occasionally...I often think, what if the successor of Peacock Hall is Hisako?" The old man finished his preface in the tone of a critic, shut his mouth temporarily, and cast his eyes on the ceiling. "The current Peacock Hall is more than successful, but insufficient to create. If Jiuzi is still there, she will definitely do it with great fanfare. Maybe she will carry out diversified operations and change her hometown into a ten-story building... On the other hand, if the investment fails, The century-old foundation of the entire Peacock Hall will collapse. In short, if Jiuzi wants to do it, it will either be a big success or a big failure. She must not be willing to abide by the rules." "Build a ten-story building?" Nakagaki was shocked by the boss's sudden assumption, while remembering his own responsibilities, "Now the Peacock Hall is still in the old place?" "Always there. Been there since over a hundred years ago." "When I went," Nakagaki said hesitantly, "the family of the owner of Peacock Hall lived there. Is it still there?" "Well. They never moved away." "Speaking of which, Kanazawa hasn't changed much." As he spoke, Nakagaki looked towards Rose.She also happened to turn her head and nodded slightly. The ancient Peacock Hall has always been in Xianglinfang.Rose's mother has lived here since she was a child, and often goes to Kenrokuen to play. It turned out that Kenrokuen was one of my mother's relics—thanks to Nakagaki's Western-style reasoning.However, as the memory of her deceased mother gradually deepened, she also felt timid in her heart. "Let's go," she said. Walking out of the shop, Nakagaki asked, "How about going to the Peacock Hall?" Rose hesitated. Rose also knew about the separation of her mother from her natal family.In the past, she thought it must be because her mother married a foreigner that she was not accepted by her conservative natal family.However, according to the owner of the porcelain shop, there was another reason—the mother actually snatched away her sister's lover. "I want to think about it tonight," she replied. Until now, Peacock Hall still regards talking about mother as a taboo.However, my mother's younger sister, Rose's biological aunt, would mention to friends that she wanted to go to her sister's grave to pay homage. Judging from the fact that the aunt is already married, it is possible that the old hatred of being robbed of love has long since disappeared.She is just out of a kind of inertia, or influenced by the surrounding environment, so never mention anything about her sister.The years should have melted away her hatred for her sister. Rose felt she needed to think about it. "Then go back to Tangyong Hot Spring." Rose obeyed Nakagaki's arrangement. When booking a room, Nakagaki originally wanted to arrange a Western-style room, but Rose thought the Japanese-style room was better, so she finally booked two Japanese-style rooms. Leaving Kenrokuen, they took a taxi to Tangyong Hot Spring. As far as the administrative district is concerned, Tangyong Hot Spring belongs to Kanazawa City, but it takes half an hour to get there from Kenrokuen.The urban scenery outside the car window gradually disappeared, replaced by rural scenery. Thinking of delaying and procrastinating what should be done, Rose felt that there was a fly in the ointment.Even though she expressed that she wanted to think about it more, after a long time, even she became impatient. The scenery outside the car window seemed to reflect her mood, a sense of dissatisfaction that something was missing. "Ah, I see!" she exclaimed. "What's up?" Seeing Rose, who had been silent since getting in the car, suddenly yelled, Nakagaki asked reflexively. "So there's no chimney!" replied Rose. When taking the Shin-Etsu Line, the scenery she saw was similar to what she saw now, but she didn't notice anything at that time, and now she suddenly remembered it. Almost every building in Europe has a big chimney, which represents a symbol of human behavior such as heating and cooking.Japanese houses also have chimneys, but they are not so obvious—as if deliberately hiding the traces of life. "What happened to the chimney?" Nakagaki asked with a puzzled expression. "The biggest difference between the scenery of the Japanese countryside and that of Europe is that almost every household in Europe has a huge chimney on the roof, but Japan does not." "I see, there is such a difference!" Nakagaki had no choice but to regard these as Rose's whim. Yuyong Onsen is located in the suburbs of Kanazawa.Although the local hostel is relatively old, the scale is not small.Some would serve as dormitories for U.S. military officers for a time after the war. Although the bedrooms are separated, dinner is enjoyed together. For the first time in her life, Rose wore Japanese pajamas. When she stayed at Farui Temple, she always wore the pajamas she brought. "Is it suitable?" Rose tilted her head and held her sleeves with both hands, looking very delicate. After she was full, she straightened her legs and said with a wry smile: "I'm not used to sitting cross-legged for a long time." At this moment, the phone in the room rang. Nakagaki picked up the microphone, "Hi, are you looking for Rose? Miss Gilmore? Please wait a moment." As he answered, he said to Rose: "Someone wants to see you." "Who is it? I just got here, so no one should know." They decided to stay in a hotel after they arrived in Kanazawa, and no one else knew their whereabouts. Rose dawdled to the phone because her feet were numb. —Excuse me, Rose?Miss Gilmore?Can you speak Japanese? Orthodox English came out of the microphone.The man's voice was hoarse, as if he was getting old. "Yes." Rose replied in Japanese. --what!That's great.Let me introduce myself first.My surname is Izawa, and I accidentally found your name on the list of hotel guests just now. I wonder if it might be the daughter of Hisako Tachibana... Please forgive me for being presumptuous. The other party spoke slowly and clearly. "Well, I am." Rose rushed to answer as if wanting to inhale the other party's words: "Hisako Tachibana is my mother." ——Sure enough, I guessed right.I still remember that when Miss Hisako married Mr. Gilmore, she sent me a card... As for me, I can say that I used to know Lingtang very well, so they could be regarded as boyfriend and girlfriend.Now seeing the old man's daughter, I can't help but want to call and ask. This old gentleman surnamed Izawa traveled to Kanazawa with his former students this time, and he expressed the hope that he could meet Rose before going back. "I'm with friends, but that's all right," Rose replied. She was very curious about her mother's former boyfriend. Izawa, led by the waitress, is an educator-like gentleman with a strict attitude, who is older than the person on the phone.Since he is mother's boyfriend, he must be around sixty years old—— Rose politely chatted. Ize has a big body, but his complexion is not very good, especially when speaking, the sentences seem to be connected a bit stiffly.Rose thought, maybe it was because of staying in school for too long. "I heard you said that you once had a relationship with your mother?" After introducing Nakagaki, Rose immediately asked straightforwardly. "Ms. Hisako is my idol. Because she already has someone in mind, so I just have an unrequited love. As long as she is willing to say a word to me, I will be very happy." Izawa answered with a smile, his shoulders were stiff with tension. "My mother's favorite person is Mr. Keisuke Imamura." Rose was frank.There is no need to hide what happened thirty-five years ago.However, Ize seemed to tense up when he heard it. "You already know?" he whispered. "That was a long time ago." Rose said, "my mother has been dead for more than twenty years. When she was in Kanazawa, she was younger than me now! Walking around in Kanazawa, the mind naturally emerges Lively images of young girls." "Young girl... No, this adjective is not enough to describe your mother. I think Miss Hisako is a very assertive woman, and one of the few people who dare to pursue the truth... Maybe many people don't know her well. No, I'm afraid that at that time No one sees her precious real value. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around nearby, and you must speak ill of her... In short, your mother is a great woman above her level.” Izawa praised Hisako with a harsh and hoarse voice. (Fushimi Hiroko, Kato Mitsuko, plus this Izawa. Everyone praised mother with the highest praise...) In addition to being grateful for these lavish compliments, Rose also felt an unsteady sense of loss. (Could it be that the people who came into contact with my mother either praised her enthusiastically or hated her extremely? Isn’t there anyone in the middle?) Rose felt that way. So far, all I have heard are praises, even Ize is no exception.Rose suddenly wanted to chat with someone who hated her mother. —nobody understood her. The praisers have repeatedly said this, which shows that more people do not understand the mother and have negative comments on her.It's just that these negative comments haven't reached Rose's ears yet. It is really strange that Izawa, who is close to his ear, still praises Tachibana Hisako obsessively like a literary youth. (Even if he was an idol in school days, he shouldn't be regarded as a god, right?) Rose was deeply dissatisfied with the unspecific rhetoric, and the more she listened to it, the more irritable she became. I have known for a long time that Tachibana Hisako is beautiful, has a great personality, and acts bravely! — She had an urge to scream. "Teacher, it's time to eat." When Izzy's companion probed into the room and reminded Izzy, Rose seemed relieved.The man who claimed to be Yi Ze's student was actually nearly forty years old, and he looked like a boss. "Then we can't wait." Ize stood up. "Teacher." Ize's student said, "Are you okay? You don't look very well." "nothing." "Next time we go on a trip, just stay for one night. This time, I was finally invited by the teacher, but I've been sitting at home all the time. It's really boring." "Well...it won't be boring. It's good to go out for fun once in a while." The teacher and the student got up to say goodbye and walked out of the room. "They're all saying the same thing!" After Ize went back, Rose said to Nakagaki. "After about thirty years, he abstracted his love for your mother." Nakagaki was also a little disappointed by Izawa's talk. "I figured it out, I'm going to the Peacock Hall!" Rose finally made up her mind. "Go in a fair way?" "Of course," Rose replied. "Otherwise, if it goes on like this, my doubts will never be answered. Anyway, I want to meet the person who hates my mother."