Chapter 19 fourth quarter

Four days passed, five days passed, and Aji has not returned. Shinosuke visits Mikawaya.Going once a day is not enough, sometimes two or three times a day.Every time he was looking forward to it in his heart—maybe today he could hear "Ah, our lady came back safely just now". But Aji was never seen.The remorse and boredom in Shengzhisuke's heart increased day by day. Had I known this, I should have taken more aggressive measures on the boat.We should have jumped onto the gangsters’ boat and threatened them with knives, telling them where Aggie was, or grabbing the sick man’s chest and shaking him vigorously, forcing him to take us to where Aggie is.

Shigeemon and Katsueda are like walking corpses, their figures are getting thinner and thinner day by day.The two couldn't eat, and couldn't sleep at night.Jihei stayed in Mikawa House, sometimes encouraged the couple, sometimes reprimanded them, and took good care of them from the sidelines, but the situation did not improve. Shengzhisuke didn't know what face to face when getting up, eating, bathing, and working every day.As a matter of fact, he lived in a daze every day, but when he suddenly came back to his senses, he felt deeply that now was not the time to do such a thing, so he froze on the spot.

"Mr. Sheng, are you okay?" A Jin was very worried for him, but Sheng Zhisuke didn't know how to reply. The sad and distraught appearance of Shengzhisuke quickly spread among the residents of the Fukan longhouse.Everyone didn't know the reason, except for Taiyi, who was reliable but still a child at heart, everyone was an adult who knew how to handle things properly, and no one directly asked "Mr. Sheng, what's wrong with you", so everyone stayed away Observe him and make different guesses.Grandma Duojin decided that his application for an official must have failed, and said loudly to everyone, her son Chenji hurriedly stopped; Axiu occasionally looked at Shengzhisuke with ulterior motives, but she didn't know what she was thinking.Kayo seemed to think that Shengzhisuke had eaten a bad stomach, which is what Axiu told her; as for Ajin and Taiyi's father Tonzang, as usual, he said drunkenly:

"Mr. Sheng, the worries of the world can be relieved when you get drunk." But in exchange for this, Ah Jin scolded him. "Speaking like this again, Dad, you want Mr. Sheng to buy you a drink, right?" Fu Kan, who just came to collect the rent, was retying his long coat rope while looking at Sheng Zhisuke. He seemed to have something to say, but finally gave up and left. The boredom in Sheng Zhisuke's heart was mixed with a cold fear - could it be that I seriously misjudged it? He believed that the pen and ink used to write the letter were Yatate of Shigeemon.In other words, this kidnapping case was a play, and since he didn't force his way, Aji should not be in danger of life, so he didn't take any action when paying the ransom.

But what if you misjudged yourself? Wouldn't Aji's life be in danger because of Shengzhisuke's misjudgment?After the gangsters won the ransom, Aji was useless.Whether it is to kill her or resell her elsewhere, it is up to them.Aji didn't return to Mikawaya, wasn't it all caused by Shengnosuke's rash judgment? If it's really acting, why is Shigeemon so haggard?If he knew that Aji was safe, and knew how to stage a kidnapping drama, then even if his worried appearance was all faked, he wouldn't have become so haggard. Having said that, Sheng Zhisuke can't be said to be sure of these inside stories.These are his assumptions, without further assurances.

I don't know if it was the second day or the third day, when Liusuke from Shengbuntang came, Shengzhisuke told him about it and issued a password, asking him not to reveal it, and at the same time asked Mrs. Kim, the clerk who often came in and out of Mikawaya.He thought to himself, could it be that Mrs. Jin and Aji secretly communicated about the song and met to elope? Absolutely impossible—Liusuo patted his chest and assured him. "Because Mrs. Jin has another lover. But the other party is a maid in a nearby restaurant. There is nothing to be proud of marrying such a girl."

"Then Mrs. Jin needs this money to marry that girl?" Sheng Zhisuke asked this question at the beginning, and Liusuke rarely showed displeasure. "This is really not like your usual tone, brother Sheng. Mrs. Jin is not such a person." "However, sometimes it is inevitable that people will have evil thoughts." "Speaking of evil thoughts, it's the way you spoke just now." No, no, this situation of yours should be considered a slip of the tongue——Liusuke returned to his original frivolous expression. "Brother Sheng, no matter what, it's useless for you to worry about it alone. It's best to report the case to the Yamen."

"Mr. Jibei will not agree." "There's nothing you can do if you don't agree. It's not Mr. Jihei's daughter who was kidnapped. If this continues, the owner of Mikawaya and his wife will wither and die." Although the words were correct, Sheng Zhisuke bowed his head and remained silent. On the morning of the sixth day, Sheng Zhisuke washed his face in a sleepless state, and then suddenly thought of meeting Kazuka.Hexiang should be very worried about the future development.She is very smart, and what to do next may be based on her wisdom.His steps were not at all easy as he walked towards the Wada house.Now he only wants to see He Xiang and talk to her, but he doesn't want He Xiang to know that he mishandled it.He was afraid to see the terrible suspicion on Hexiang's face, suspecting that his speculation was wrong and Aji was killed.

He came to the signboard he had seen before when he sent Kazuka home, watching the big indigo-dyed noren curtain swaying in the damp breeze, Shengzhisuke hesitated. "Oh, you've finally come here." The voice came from a high place, and Shengzhisuke looked up at the eaves of Wada House.Between the big eaves and the small eaves, there is a district mark with the house number written on it. "You're looking at the wrong place, Mr. Guqiao." The speaker is behind.Tatsu - no, it's Tatsu.This female high school hero is wrapped in a corset, showing her strong arms. She puts her hands on her waist like King Ni, and looks down at Shengnosuke. "Why didn't you come earlier? Miss has been waiting for a long time."

It's useless—Shonosuke was grabbed by the collar behind him and pulled into Wada House. In the large side room with six tatami mats that looks like a reception room, there is a scroll hanging in the alcove.There are eight Dharma statues drawn on it, either angry or smiling, with different expressions, which seem to be very old. "It was painted by my grandfather." His hobby is painting - He Xiang added. Yes - Sheng Zhisuke responded.He Xiang was as usual, with a turban on his face.While this doesn't bother Shengnosuke, it bothers him deeply that Jindo sits with his back against the paper door as if to spy on their meeting.

"I'm not here." Zindo said relaxedly from the height again.Even sitting, she is still the same tall. "If you think I'm in the way, please think of me as a brazier." Oh—— Sheng Zhisuke shrank.This brazier is too huge, and it is not suitable for the season. This morning, Hexiang is wearing a water blue headscarf.Maybe it's because the rainy season is coming, Sheng Zhisuke thought to himself. At this time, Kazuka's eyes exposed from the turban suddenly showed a serious color. "Mr. Guqiao." "Ah, yes." "Please cheer up a little bit." Suddenly, he reprimanded. "Am I not cheered up enough?" "Your expression now is like a student who was punished by Mr. Wubu for a prank." After finishing speaking, Hexiang smiled. "Because of the Chinese poetry incident, I met Takebe-sensei through the introduction of the owner of Murata House. His wife is gentle and a good person." During this period that Shengzhisuke didn't know, Kazuka slowly interacted with people. "I want to help out at the private school. If it's copying children's textbooks or copybooks, I should be competent. In this way, I will become Mr. Furuhashi's business rival." "Then, that's going to bother me." "If you're bothered, work hard and don't lose to me." Mingming is younger than Sheng Zhisuke, but he preaches like a big sister. "You look haggard these days." He Xiang's voice turned soft.Jindo snickered aside. "What makes you so distressed? Is it related to the disappearance of the owner of Murata House a few days ago?" Was he missing? That would be considered missing, right?Sheng Zhisuke couldn't help laughing.He let out a series of events that happened.He Xiang didn't interrupt at all, when she mentioned the matter of the boat, she clasped her hands on her knees and listened intently. After speaking for a paragraph, Kazuka turned to look at Jindo. "Please bring some tea." The tall figure stood up silently and disappeared from the room.Kazuka turned back to face Shengnosuke, took off her hood, and looked straight into his eyes. "Mr. Guqiao, you really need to cheer up now." "It seems that I really misjudged." "No, that's not what it means. I want you to show confidence." Show confidence? "Since this is the result of your appraisal, Furuhashi-san, the letter should have been written by Shigeemon-san of Mikawaya. This kidnapping case is a drama—at least in part." "But, since Shigeemon-san knows the script, why is he still so depressed and miserable?" "Mr. Guqiao, this is the key." Hexiang waved her fist anxiously. "Just because Mr. Shigeemon is in pain, you can't deny the fact that they are acting. Pain and sadness are inner feelings, which can't be seen with the naked eye, and can't be touched with the hands. However, the handwriting of the letter can be seen with the naked eye, and can be identified. It can be identified. Things are less misjudged than things invisible to the naked eye." Jindo moved his tall body, and returned silently with refreshments again. "Mr. Shigeemon has something to do with this kidnapping case. He probably wrote the letter after agreeing with her daughter, Ms. Aji, to perform this play together. But the proprietress, Ms. Katsue, doesn't seem to know." "I don't think she knew at all. From the way she looked on the boat, I'm sure." "Maybe Mr. Shigeemon regards his wife as important as his only child. Now that his daughter is hidden from his wife, he looks haggard because of his sadness. He knows the truth, but his wife, who is kept in the dark, laments day and night. Shigeemon-san’s face becomes thinner because of the heavy burden. Is there a possibility?” Indeed.It turns out that the inner thoughts are not visible to the naked eye, it depends on how to explain them. "You should talk to Mr. Shigeemon as soon as possible." "Right away?" Sheng Zhisuke was about to get up, and Kazuka made a movement like holding him with both hands. "Don't worry, just wait a moment. Even though Mr. Shigeemon is so distressed, he still hides it from Mrs. Katsue. I don't think he will take it lightly." "From the truth?" Jin Duo repeated, and the hand pouring the tea stopped. "Where did you learn that word, madam?" "Aren't you a brazier? A brazier can't talk, Jindo." Yes yes yes - said the tall waitress. "Then I will be a bird that is good at learning people's words. Isn't there a parrot that comes from Nanman across the sea? Put it in a beautiful cage." "If you interrupt again, be careful that I will really put you in a birdcage." "I'm ashamed to say it. You are obviously the bird in the cage." Sheng Zhisuke was surprised.When the young lady of Wadaya was talking with her guardian, they had no scruples about each other.Hexiang, who seems to have a docile personality, unexpectedly also has a pungent side, presumably because of the influence of this waitress. Jindo smiled slightly, "If you speak too aggressively, Mr. Guqiao will dislike you." He Xiang's face flushed red.Only then did Shengzhisuke realize that the red spots on her face had faded today.As Jihei said, the condition of the erythema changes with the seasons and physical conditions. "No, I, I won't..." Even Sheng Zhisuke was also embarrassed, not knowing how to deal with himself. "Miss Hexiang's pungentness, I don't dislike it at all." Even though he was embarrassed, he said it anyway. "That's great, miss." "But, but, what do you think should be done to get Shigeemon-san to confess?" "This still needs other evidence." He Xiang regained his spirits, and said with one hand on the half of his face without erythema. "I need evidence that Furuhashi-san, you can put in front of Shigeemon-san's nose, so that he can say in front of his face, 'Because of this, such and such, I think this kidnapping case is all a drama '." "If it's not in front of his nose, it's okay to talk about it, isn't it?" "It's all right." Seeing Shengzhisuke's timid appearance, Kazuka felt a little disappointed, pouted slightly, and then laughed out loud. "Calm down first and have a cup of tea. Miss Aggie is sure to be safe and well. Just think about it. Since her biological father is arranging flowers in this play, her daughter's life will not be in danger." "Flower arrangement?" Changjinta and Shengnosuke said in unison this time, and Kazuka blushed even more. "Sorry, I used the wrong word!" Jin Da laughed loudly, so Sheng Zhisuke didn't feel embarrassed. He Xiang still blushed and turned serious. "I think it's a good idea to talk to Aqian, who is Miss Aji's guardian, and Mr. Jin Tai of Shengwentang. Especially Aqian, she knows what happened to Miss Aji before the kidnapping happened." The doubts in Shengzhisuke's smoldering chest were removed, his head started to work, and he nodded heavily. "That's right, there seems to be some problem between their mother and daughter, and it's hard to tell an outsider like me." "Mr. Jin Tai can be regarded as an outsider, but he often goes in and out of Sanhe House, and some things are easy for outsiders to find out." And the shamisen — Kazuka stared at a certain point in front of her, her index finger pressed to her lips. "Miss Aggie's shamisen?" "That's right. She was sent for repairs just before the kidnapping happened, so Mr. Furuhashi, you must be very concerned." "It's simply because this matter is different from usual..." "If she pretends to be kidnapped and runs away from home, then Miss Aji can't take the things around her with her. She can't let go of her beloved three-stringed violin except for it. Maybe she left it elsewhere in advance so that she can get it back secretly in the future. " Sheng Zhisuke was taken aback.Hearing He Xiang's words, he realized that he had thought so, but only vaguely.Miss Hexiang is really smart.She obviously doesn't know the outside world... No, it's because she doesn't know that she won't be deceived. "I'll investigate right away to see who is going to get that three-stringed violin." "Let me go." Jindo patted his chest. "Mr. Guqiao, if you suddenly went to find the master of the three-stringed violin, you will definitely not be able to tell the result. If you fail to fix one, you may be discovered by the owner of Sanheya." "However, we only know Master Wenchun, and we don't know the three-stringed instrument craftsman who often comes in and out of her place." "I'll look into it carefully. I'll be not only a brazier, but a fire bucket." Jindo seems to be acting not only as Kazuka's guardian, but also as an agent. "In addition, Mr. Guqiao, did you find any other abnormalities? You can tell me about even trivial things." Before and after the kidnapping, did you witness or hear anything else in Mikawa House? "Think about it carefully..." Sheng Zhisuke folded his arms across his chest. "The man on the boat coughed frequently. I talked about him having tuberculosis. At that time..." Shigeemon is a bit weird—is he coughing badly? "I seem to be very worried about the other party. The other party is obviously the gangster who kidnapped his daughter." In fact, even Jibei was surprised that Mikawaya's boss was worried about this. "The owner of Sanhewu went on to say that if the other party was a patient, he probably wouldn't have come to Ajihu. I didn't study this matter carefully at the time." He Xiang blinked. "However, you still care about it now." Shigeemon probably knew the man on the boat, and was even worried about his health. "Also, Mikawaya's control over the accounts is impeccable... Maybe the couple are very strict with money. Once it involves a large amount of three hundred taels of expenditure, if there is no reasonable excuse, I am afraid that even Mr. Shigeemon will not be able to do it without authorization. Use it, it's best to confirm it." "I see, is there anything else?" Shengzhisuke scratched his nose. "In short...the boss and the boss's wife are currently haggard, lying on the bed..." "It must be very nerve-wracking not to eat." There is no way to go to the battlefield to fight when you are hungry-Zindo said. "When the lady is depressed and can't eat, I will cook egg porridge for her. It doesn't hurt the stomach, and it can also warm the body." "It's not important." Hexiang said so, but when the egg was mentioned, Shengzhisuke suddenly remembered. "Unfortunately, I heard that Mrs. Shengzhi doesn't eat eggs." I just heard about it from Jibei yesterday. "As Ms. Jinda said, eggs are nutritious and easy to obtain food. Mr. Jihei also brought eggs to comfort her, but Mrs. Katsueda will have trouble when she eats eggs." Hexiang was dumbfounded, and Shengzhisuke suddenly panicked. "Sorry for saying such insignificant things." "You tell me the situation, what kind of situation is it?" Hexiang moved her knees forward. "Itching all over the body, and even fever in severe cases." "There are indeed such people." Jindo nodded with his big face. Hexiang's eyes widened even further. "Is it not in her constitution to eat eggs?" "Seems." "About that, Miss Aggie too?" I haven't heard of this. "This..." "Please confirm." Sheng Zhisuke was taken aback. "Is this so important?" He Xiang said solemnly, "Yes, it's very important. The guardian Ah Qian should know... No, no. Don't ask Ah Qian, it's better to ask other people. There is another point." He Xiang was thinking hard, her smooth eyebrows and eyes Wrinkled slightly. "By the way, please ask Miss Aggie if she looks like her father or mother. Who do you think she looks like when you first see her, just ask this question intuitively." Jinda looked at Kazuya with a satisfied face. "Then Mr. Guqiao, let's proceed." The two stood up, and at this time Hexiang called them as if suddenly returning to his senses. "Because it is to investigate the inside story of other people's misfortunes, Mr. Furuhashi and Jinta, you can't show your enthusiasm. This is too careless." Having said that, Hexiang himself looks energetic, which is really weird to say. People in Edo seem to call this kind of girl "chawan".In Shengzhisuke's vassal state, it is called "WASASII", which means eloquent teeth, plus a strong personality, which means both praise and criticism. "My lady is very convincing." The tall Jinta whispered this to Shengzhisuke, and by the way slapped him hard on the back, Shengzhisuke staggered suddenly.