Chapter 62 Chapter Thirty-One

The Birth of the Empty House, the Replaced Horse Cinnamon didn't show up at 9:30 the next morning, and he didn't show up at 10:00.This is an unprecedented anecdote.Since I started "working" in this place, every morning at 9 o'clock, the door is opened on time, showing the dazzling nose of "Mercedes-Benz", without exception.With cinnamon making such a regular and dramatic appearance, I start my day with clarity.I have been completely used to this cycle of life every day, just as people are used to the existence of gravity and air pressure.Cinnamon is so methodical and uncompromising, there is a kind of warmth that is far from being comparable to the so-called simple mechanical method, which can soothe and encourage me.Only in this way, the morning without the cinnamon figure becomes a mediocre landscape painting with exquisite technique but lost focus.

I left the window sadly, peeled an apple and ate it for breakfast.Afterwards, take a peek at Cinnamon's room, maybe something will surface on the computer.But the screen remained dead silent.Helpless, she listened to baroque music tapes while doing laundry in the kitchen, vacuuming the floor and cleaning the glass windows, as Cinnamon usually does.To pass the time, I deliberately went to the trouble of doing everything in detail.Even the root of the fan blade was scratched.However, time still refuses to go fast. At 11 o'clock, I couldn't think of anything to do, so I lay down on the sofa in the sewing room and handed myself over to the slow river of time.I try to think that the cinnamon must be only a little late for something.Maybe the car breaks down on the way, or gets caught in an unbelievable traffic jam.But that's impossible.Might as well bet all my money on it.Cinnamon's car won't have any problems, and he has already calculated the possibility of traffic jams.Even in the unlikely event of an accident, I will be contacted on the phone in the car.Cinnamon didn't come here because he decided not to.

Nearly 1:00, I made a phone call to Nutmeg's Chibao Office.No one answered.No one even hit a few times.Then call the Ushikawa office.I didn't hear a call, but a voice on the tape told me that the number was no longer in use.baffling!Two days ago, I was using that number to talk to Ushikawa on the phone.I had to fold back on the couch in the testing room.It seems that in the past two days, people ignored me as if they had made a deal. I went to the window again and looked out through the cracks in the curtains.Two winter birds, which are very lively at first glance, flew to and from the branches, looking around nervously.Then he flew away for a while, as if he was completely tired of everything there.Otherwise, nothing happened.The house seemed to be an empty house that had just been built.

* * * * * For the next five days, I never stepped into the "mansion".The desire to go down the well has been completely lost for some reason.The reason is unknown.As Noboru Watatani said, I will lose that well soon.If there are no more guests like this, with the funds I have in hand, the house will last for at most two months.So I should have used the well as often as I could while it was still in my possession.I feel pain like suffocation.I suddenly felt that there was an unnatural wrong place. I don't go to the house, just wander around aimlessly outside.In the afternoon, I went to Shinjuku West Exit Plaza, and sat on that bench to kill time with nothing to do.Nutmeg didn't show up for me.I went to her Akasaka office once, rang the doorbell in front of the elevator, and stared intently at the surveillance cameras.However, there was no response no matter how long I waited.So I finally gave up.Guess the nutmeg and cinnamon have decided to cut ties with me.The odd mother and son presumably left the sinking boat and fled to safety.This made me unexpectedly sad, as if I was betrayed by my own family in a critical moment.

At noon on the fifth day, I came to the Shinagawa Pacific Hotel coffee room.This is where I met Ghanaian Malta and Noboru Tsunatani last summer.In fact, coming here is not out of nostalgia for that time, nor is it because of a soft spot for this coffee room.I can't talk about any reason or purpose, but I almost subconsciously took the Yamatesen from Shinjuku to Shinagawa, walked over the overpass from the station and walked into the hotel.After coming in, I sat down at the table by the window, ordered a small bottle of beer, and ate my late lunch.I stared blankly at the passers-by on the overpass as if I were staring at a long row of meaningless values.

When I came back from the bathroom, I found a red hat among the mixed guests. It was as red as the plastic hat that Ghana Malta used to wear.It drew me towards the dining table.But looking closer, it was another woman.A foreign woman, younger and stronger than Ghanaian Malta.The cap is also not plastic but leather.I pay and walk outside. I put my hands in the pockets of my navy blue jacket and walked around for a while.I wore a beanie the same color as the coat, and a pair of dark sunglasses to hide the mole. The streets in December are full of unique seasonal vitality, and the station square shopping center is crowded with customers wearing thick clothes.A peaceful afternoon in winter.Light was everywhere, and sounds were shorter and clearer than usual.

I saw Ushikawa when I was waiting for a train on the platform of Shinagawa Station.He was facing me on the opposite platform, waiting for the Yamanote Line train going in the opposite direction.Ushikawa was still wearing a nondescript suit and a fancy tie, and was concentrating on reading some magazine with his ill-shaped bald head tilted.The reason why I could spot Ushikawa in the crowd at Shinagawa Station was because he was obviously different from the people around him.Before that, I had only seen Ushikawa in my kitchen, in the middle of the night, just the two of us, and Ushikawa gave a very unrealistic impression there.However, even in other places and at other times, even in the crowd of non-specific objects, Ushikawa still appears so wonderful, so dissociated from reality, so different from everyone, there seems to be a kind of sameness floating there. The heterogeneous atmosphere of the realistic scenery.

I parted from the crowd, didn't care who I bumped into, whoever I scolded, just ran down the stairs of the station, rushed to the opposite platform, and looked for Ushikawa.But I can't remember his position, and I don't know which section of the platform he is standing on.The platform is big and long, and there are too many people.During this time, a tram came into the station, opened the door, spit out men and women whose names were unknown, and swallowed another group of people whose names were not known.Before I found Ushikawa, the driving bell rang.I jumped on the tram bound for Youleding, and searched for Ushikawa from car to car.It turned out that Ushikawa was reading magazines at the door of the second carriage.I breathed evenly and stood in front of him for a while.Ushikawa didn't seem to notice.

"Mr. Ushikawa!" I greeted. Ushikawa raised his face from the magazine, and looked at my face through the thick glasses as if he was looking at some dazzling object.Looking closely under the daylight, Ushikawa was much more decrepit than usual.Fatigue and uncontrollable oily sweat seeped out from the skin thickly.His eyes had a dull light like dirty water, and the few strands of hair on his ears were like weeds protruding from the cracks in the roof tiles.The teeth that flashed between the curled lips were dirtier and jagged than I remembered.The top was still full of visible wrinkles, as if he had slept in a corner of the warehouse and just got up.Moreover, the shoulders were covered with—probably not in order to deepen the impression—dust as big as sawn wood.I took off my beanie and put my sunglasses in my pocket.

"Oh, isn't it Mr. Okada?" Ushikawa responded with a dull voice, then straightened his posture as if he was reassembling scattered objects, straightened his glasses, and coughed lightly. "It's really... that we met again, in such a place. So, what... didn't you go there today?" I nodded silently. "No wonder." Ushikawa didn't ask further. Ushikawa's voice no longer felt the usual tension, and he spoke more slowly than usual, and his characteristic rap was gone.Could it be a matter of time?Could it be that Ushikawa couldn't get the energy he deserved under the bright daylight?Or whether Ushikawa was really exhausted is unknown.Two people talking face to face like this, I seem to look down on him.Looking down in a bright place, the poor shape of his head is even more obvious. It is some kind of fruit that has been disposed of in Yan Ran's orchard due to the bad shape.I imagine someone smashing open with a baseball bat, imagining their skull cracking like overripe fruit with a thud.I don't want to imagine it like this, but the image just pops up in my mind and expands irresistibly.

"Well, Mr. Ushikawa," I said, "if possible, I would like to talk to the two of you alone. How about getting out of the car and finding a quiet place?" Ushikawa frowned in confusion, raised his stubby arm and glanced at his watch. "Yeah... I also want to talk to you slowly as I am in a mood,... I won't lie to you. It's just that I have to go to a place. That is to say, there is something urgent. So let's forget it this time, wait a minute Find another time...do you think this is okay? How about it?" I shook my head slightly. "Just a short while," I stared closely at the other person's eyes, "I don't want to waste any more time for you, and I fully understand that you are very busy. But what you said about finding another time next time, I think the two of us are likely to meet again." There's no next time. Don't you think so?" Ushikawa nodded lightly as if to cultivate himself, rolled up the magazine and put it in his pocket.He thought about it in his head for about 30 seconds, and then said: "Forget it. Got it. Then get off at the next stop and talk for 30 minutes while drinking coffee or something. I will arrange the last resort. With you It’s also a kind of fate to meet here by chance.” We got off at Tamachi Station, went out and walked into a small cafe that we saw first. "To tell you the truth, I'm planning to see you again." Ushikawa spoke first after the coffee was served, "After all, everything is over." "It's over?" "To tell you the truth, I resigned from Noboru Watani-san's job four days ago. I resigned on my own initiative. I thought about it a long time ago." I took off my hat and coat and put them on the chair next to me.The room was a bit hot, but Ushikawa was still wearing his coat. I said, "So I called your office a few days ago and no one answered?" "That's what it is. The telephone line is unplugged, and the office has quit. If you want to get out, you'd better get out as soon as possible. I don't like muddy things. So, now I'm a free body not hired by anyone. Said To put it mildly, they are freelancers; in other words, they are so-called vagrants." Ushikawa said with a slight smile.As in the past, the fleshy smile, the eyes are not smiling at all.Ushikawa stirred the coffee with cream and a spoonful of sugar with a small spoon. "Hey Okada-san, you must be asking me about Kumiko-do?" Ushikawa said, "Where is Kumiko-san, what are you doing, etc. How about it, right?" I nod.Then he said, "But first, I would like to hear why you suddenly resigned from Noboru Watatani's job." "Really want to know?" "interested in." Ushikawa sipped his coffee, frowned, and looked at me. "Really? Oh, let me tell you, of course I will tell you. But it's not particularly interesting, this. To be honest, I originally planned to follow Watatani-san to the end with Ichiren's life in mind. Before. I also said that Mr. Miyatani ran for election this time, relying on taking over the old Mr. Miyatani's constituency intact. Of course, I also transferred it to Mr. Miyatani. This change is not bad. Objectively speaking, it is relatively The old Miyatani has a future, but the new Miyatani has a future. I thought Noboru Miyatani could become a considerable figure in this world if he continues to develop like this. "Even so, I will always follow this person's mood---you can also say that I am loyal---I don't know why but I don't have the slightest bit of it. It may be strange to say that I am not without loyalty. With the old man At that time, Mietani was punched and kicked, and the treatment was almost like earwax. In comparison, the new Mietani was much more polite. But, Mr. Okada, things in the world are strange. Nuonuo kept following, but he couldn't do it to Shinwatani. Do you know why?" I shake my head. "In the final analysis---it may be too explicit to say this---because Mr. Noboru Watatani and Mr. Noboru are in the bottom of our hearts, I think." As he said, Ushikawa took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a match, inhaled it slowly, and exhaled it out slowly. "Of course Mr. Watatani and I have different looks, different origins, different backgrounds, and different heads. It's not polite to compare them when joking. Opening an umbrella on a sunny day, I can see it clearly: Hey, this kid looks gentle and innocent, but he is actually a fake, a boring vulgar thing! "Of course, if it's not a counterfeit product, it must not work. Mr. Okada, in the political world, it relies on a kind of alchemy. I have seen several cases where desires that are extremely low-grade have produced majestic fruits. I have also seen several This is the opposite example, that is to say, Gao Jie’s righteousness has left rotten and smelly fruits more than once. So frankly speaking, I’m not saying which is good and which is bad. The key to the political world is not the theory of Zheye, the result is Everything. The problem is that Watatani Noboru—maybe it’s not good to say this—even in my eyes, he is extremely bad. In front of him, my badness is nothing to compare with, and I am not an opponent at all. Seeing that we're of the same kind, let's say something dirty -- don't get me wrong -- it's the same thing as the size of that thing under your crotch, big guys are big. Get it? "Tell you Mr. Okada, a person hates someone. Guess when you hate the most---when you see a person get what you dream of easily When the power rises steadily and enters the boundary that one should not enter in every possible way. The closer the other party is to oneself, the more he hates it. That's the way it is. For me: that person is Mr. Watani. He may be surprised to hear that. How, you didn't ever such abominations?" I did hate Noboru Watatani, but the hatred Ushikawa said is not the same definition.I shake my head. "Well, Mr. Okada, it's time to talk about Ms. Kumiko. Once I called my husband and gave me a good job---let me take care of Ms. Kumiko. Mr. Wataya didn't tell me much about the situation, just said It's his younger sister, her marriage is not going well, and she is currently separated and living alone, and her health is not very good. In this way, I will be ordered to deal with this matter for a period of time. Remit the rent to the bank every month, and help find an hourly maid. It's all such insignificant chores. I'm also very busy, and I have little interest in Ms. Kumiko at first. It's just a few conversations on the phone when there are practical things. Ms. Kumiko is extremely reticent, and it feels like the door is in the corner of the room not moving at all." Having said that, Ushikawa stopped for a while to drink his water, glanced at his eyes, and lit a new cigarette as if cherishing it. "But the matter doesn't stop there. Suddenly you were involved, that is, the hanged mansion. When the weekly magazine came out to report, Mr. Watani called me over and said he was a little worried, and asked me to investigate you and the people in that report. Whether there is any connection in the house. Mr. Miyatani also knows that this kind of secret investigation is my forte. Needless to say, it's time for me to come in handy. I dug three feet and searched desperately. You know the process. But the result is really surprising. I suspected that politicians were involved, but I didn't expect to dig out such a big person. To put it rudely, it's like catching a big gill fish with a small shrimp. But I don't think so. I didn't report it to Mr. Watatani, I kept it for myself." "That's how you changed horses, didn't you?" I asked. Ushikawa puffed on the ceiling and turned to look at my face.There was a slight playful look in his eyes that wasn't there just now. "It's so intuitive, Mr. Okada! Come on, it's exactly that. I said to myself: Hey, Ushikawa, this is the right time to change doors! Of course, you have to go around for a while first. But the direction of work is already clear. It’s just that there’s a cooling-off period right now. Anyway, going from right to left right away is too blatant.” Ushikawa took out the toilet paper from his coat pocket, fingered the snot, and stuffed it back into his pocket. "So, what's going on with Kumiko?" "That's right, let's talk about Ms. Kumiko." Ushikawa said suddenly, "I have to be honest here: I have never met Ms. Kumiko, and I was lucky enough to see her face. I only talked on the phone. That person, Okada-san, I don’t see anyone, not just me. As for Watatani-san, I don’t know, that’s a mystery. I’m afraid I don’t see anyone else. I don’t even see the hourly maid. This is me I heard it directly from the maid. I wrote all my shopping and errands on memos, and I avoided seeing her when I approached her, and I hardly spoke. In fact, I also went to the apartment to check on the situation. Ms. Kumiko should be Living in the apartment, there is no such movement at all. It is surprisingly quiet. Ask people in the same apartment, and they all say that they have never seen her like that. In other words, Kumiko and his children have always lived that kind of life in the apartment. It's been more than a year, to be exact, a year and five months. There must be reasons for her reluctance to go out." "Where is Kumiko's apartment, surely you won't tell me?" Ushikawa shook his head slowly but obviously, "I'm sorry, please forgive me for this. After all, the world is as small as a long tube room, and it also concerns my personal credit." "What the hell happened to Kumiko? You don't know anything about it?" Ushikawa hesitated for a long time.I stared into Ushikawa's eyes without saying a word.Time seems to flow slowly around.Ushikawa blew his nose loudly again, bowed his head, sank back into his chair, and sighed. "Well, this is just my imagination. According to my imagination, the Watatani family has some problems. I don't know what the problem is. But anyway, Ms. Kumiko has felt or understood something before, and wants to I want to leave that house. You just showed up at that time, and the two fell in love and got married, and vowed to live together forever. It’s a joy to congratulate... If things go on like this, it would be better, but I can’t get my wish. For some reason, Mr. Wataya didn’t want to let Ms. Kumiko from his side. Leaving. Well, what do you remember about this?" "More or less." I said. "Well, I'll just keep imagining it. Wataya-san wants to take Ms. Kumiko away from you by force. He may not have cared about it when Ms. Kumiko married you, but as time goes by, Ms. Kumiko's The necessity gradually became apparent. So Mr. determined to get Kumiko back, and made every effort to do so, and succeeded. I don't know what method was used. But I guess that in the process of pushing hard, Ms. Kumiko once Something was damaged, something like a pillar that had been supporting her snapped off. Of course, this is just my wishful thinking after all." I am silent.The waiter came back and forth to pour water into the cup and remove the empty coffee cup.At this time, Ushikawa watched the wall spraying clouds and mist. "That is to say, you mean that Noboru Watatani has a similar sexual relationship with Kumiko?" "No, no, I didn't mean that," Ushikawa said, waving a lit cigarette a few times, "I'm not suggesting that. What happened and what happened between Mr. and Ms. Kumiko, I'm completely I don't know. This is beyond imagination. But, I think there seems to be something twisted there. Also, I heard that Mr. Watatani has no normal sex life with his divorced wife---this is also true. It's just hearsay." Ushikawa picked up the coffee cup, gave up and took another sip of water.Then rub your belly with your hands. "Yeah, I have a bad stomach these days. It's not good at all. It hurts after every meal. Speaking of it, it's inherited from generation to generation. Everyone in our family has a bad stomach. It's related to DNA. There is no serious thing inherited: baldness , Tooth decay, stomach pain, short-sightedness, isn’t it just the lucky bag full of spells in the first month! It’s a headache! Go to the hospital and the doctor’s words may not be pleasant, so I dare not go. "But Mr. Okada, maybe I'm meddling in my own business. It may not be that easy to bring Ms. Kumiko back from Mr. Watatani. Besides, Ms. Kumiko is not willing to go back to you at this stage. And maybe she is no longer It's Ms. Kumiko you know, maybe it has changed. So, with all due respect, even if you can find Ms. Kumiko and bring her back smoothly, the situation waiting for you may not be the two of you. It's something that can be handled with only one arm---I don't feel that way. If that's the case, there's no point in giving up halfway. That's probably why Ms. Kumiko didn't come back to you." I am silent. "Ah, although the ins and outs are complicated enough, it's also interesting to meet you. You seem to have an incredible personality or something. If I can write an autobiography in the future, I will definitely write a chapter for you. Anyway, there is nothing to hate Yes. Then let's break up happily here and call it a day, okay?" Ushikawa leaned back on the chair as if tired, and shook his head quietly a few times. "Okay, it's a bit too much. I'm sorry, my share of coffee money, please pay me. After all, I am unemployed...but you are also unemployed. Sorry, let's take care of each other. Good luck ! When you feel better, please also bless me, Ushikawa." After saying that, Ushikawa stood up, turned around and left the coffee shop.