Chapter 4 fourth quarter

Nozakiya vacated a tatami room for Otojiro, and the owner was also present, waiting for Moshichi.Xi Ji, who was standing aside, seemed very dissatisfied with this, but Mao Qi didn't care.Generally speaking, it was the shop's fault that the young man had an affair with the hawker woman who went in and out of the shop.Mao Qi intends to teach the other party a lesson. Otojiro looked younger than his actual age, strong and tall, and just as Ase boasted, he was quite a handsome man.However, after this kind of thing happened, Mao Qi always felt displeased with his eyes that kept turning his bones, and that pair of white and slender hands that were extremely disproportionate to his figure also exuded a smell of promiscuity .

"I've been dating Miss Aso for half a year." Otonojiro readily admitted. "However, I want to make it clear that I didn't seduce her, and I made it clear from the beginning that it is impossible for me to marry her." "Is it just a temporary relationship?" "There are things like this between men and women, too." Otojiro raised his head provocatively and said, "Boss, you probably wouldn't say that if you have a relationship with a man and a woman, you must get married, would you?" Because of this, I don't go to Ashi's house, and I always choose teahouses or boat charter taverns for trysts, and the time is very short - Otojiro said so.

"So, you and Ah Shi are having a hasty tryst?" "Yes." Probably Otojiro also felt guilty, squinting back at his master. "Nevertheless, I never got into trouble with the shop." The owner of the Nozaki House sighed a long time, and said: "On this point, Otojiro is right. He is in charge of purchasing, and he can't do things without going out. Sometimes he travels far, and sometimes he has to spend some money on communication. However, even if he spends time and money, he will definitely negotiate a good deal. The things we wholesale are among the best in Edo, but our purchase price is 30% off the general market price, and this is all from Otojiro Credit."

Moshichi turned a deaf ear to his master's opening remarks, and asked Otonjiro, "When did you meet Ashi recently?" "At the end of last year, it was probably the end of the year and the middle of the year. At that time, I just stood at the back door and chatted a few words." "Standing and chatting?" Otojiro said loudly: "Because I was about to break up with Miss Aso. After I had a relationship with Miss Aso, I soon found out that she is a dangerous woman. I have told you several times, but she often brings up the matter of marriage. No matter what I say, she won't listen to it. I think the only way to say this is to break up. I also told Miss Ashi about this. I said I can't see her again. But she just didn't give up and came to me several times Once, she wanted to ask me to go out. Of course, she didn't make a scene in the shop, but it was very verbose, and I really didn't like her."

Otojiro also said that because he didn't want to meet Ashi, every time she came to buy in the morning, he always tried to avoid it. "Well, when you met Ashi in the middle of the year, did you tell her that the helpers would go home to see your mother on the rest day?" Yinjiro said with a sneer: "How could I say that kind of thing." Based on years of experience, Moqi knew that Otojiro was lying, but he kept his face. "What do you love about Ashi?" To this sudden question, Otojiro timidly said "Ah". "Because you fell in love with her, did you have sex with her?"

"Yes, of course." Otojiro looked unspeakable, sneaking glances at the master and the leader from time to time. "As you can see, that person is tall, with a clear personality, black and white, and much older than me... It makes me feel like I am with my sister. Probably because I fell in love with her. So I didn't expect it at all. Until that person will pester me." What a willful man.Ash didn't look at the man. "Where were you all day yesterday? Try to be as specific as possible." Otojiro said that he was outside yesterday afternoon. "After all, it's the New Year, so go visit regular customers and go to the money shop."

Otonojiro told the location and the approximate time of staying there one by one. "However, in the evening... when the sun went down, I wandered around the river for about a quarter of an hour (30 minutes)." "why?" "Thinking about something." Otojiro said angrily. "Think about how to deal with Miss Ashi. Tomorrow is the servant's day off. I have to go home and let my mother see that I am safe and sound. When I think about not worrying her, I feel even more distressed. If Miss Ashi If you continue to entangle me, it will ruin my future." Moshichi was surprised that Otojiro spoke so frankly.In the case of Otojiro, in order to avoid suspicion, most people usually say that they love the dead woman so much that it is impossible to kill her and so on.

Could it be that Otojiro really didn't kill Ashi?Or, he killed a woman, but he is very sure that he can absolutely deny it to the end, and it won't be revealed? "Otojiro came back here at 6:30 (7:00 pm) last night." The master said. "He came to say hello to me and said 'just got back', so absolutely right." "Why do you know it's six quarters and a half?" "There is a missing clock in my room. I maintain and adjust it myself every day, and it will never be inaccurate. When Otojiro came back yesterday, the missing clock reported six quarters and a half."

It took six quarters for Ashi to return to Genbei Daizain in Higashi-Eidai-cho. From there to the shop in Mifune Kuramae-cho, would it be possible to get back in less than half an hour with the strength of a man's feet? It's possible if you just go and come back.However, it would be a different matter if Otojiro killed Aso at Genbei Daizain, stripped her naked, sank her body in the river, and came back later.If Otojiro waited for her to come back in the room first, and then killed her immediately, he must also pay attention to the movements around him, no matter how fast he is, it will take a quarter of an hour.Also, stripping the clothes off the dead took more time than expected.

As a result, Otojiro had to rush back within the remaining quarter of an hour.This is absolutely impossible. Maoqi narrowed her eyes as if she was looking at something small and said, "What about at night?" "Otojiro stayed in the shop all night." Otonojiro also nodded in agreement with the boss. "Today is the helper's day off. Last night was the eve of the day off. There are accounts reconciliation and so on. Trivial things pile up like a mountain. There are so many that we have to burn the lights to rush to work." "After I come back, I will go to the bathhouse with everyone. I only go out at this time, and stay in the shop for the rest of the time. You can ask anyone at random to confirm with everyone."

After Otonjiro finished speaking, he looked straight at Moshichi. No need for Otojiro's reminder, from that time until late at night, Moshichi asked all the helpers in the shop, and confirmed the statements of Nozakiya's owner and Otojiro. So that's the case, Mao Qi thought.No wonder the guy wasn't afraid of being suspected at all. Moshichi said "that's it for today", and when he was about to leave Nozakiya, Otojiro sent him to the back door of the kitchen. He put his hands on the floor and sent Moshichi to leave. When he raised his head, he wondered if he remembered the unpleasant conversation, like where He frowned in pain.Mao Qi thought to himself, although he didn't know where he was hurting, it was definitely not because of Ah Shi's death. When Mao Qi returned home that night, he was so angry that he couldn't even drink the wine, and he couldn't sleep because of the excitement.Otojiro's somewhat arrogant face appeared in front of his eyes from time to time. Mao Qi thought there must be something strange about it.It was that guy who killed Ah Shi, but he was confident that nothing would come out, so he confessed like that. Six quarters to six quarters, is there no problem with this time? Mao Qi repeatedly stood and sat for a while, but couldn't think of any way.The head lady is very aware of Mao Qi's temperament, she will not pay attention to him at this time, and let him go, so she should have gone to bed first. He couldn't think of a way, which made Mao Qi very angry, and so on, he was hungry. That's when I remembered the bean curd sushi vendor that Shiji said during the day and was still doing business late at night. Mao Qi put on the straw sandals and planned to have a look.Although it does not help the brain at present, it can always fill the stomach.