Chapter 13 fourth quarter

Iseya never dreamed that there would be people other than Kakujiro, of course not only Moshichi, because of the visit of Senliang carp this time.When Mao Qi summoned someone to tell him his intention, the other party panicked. The shopkeeper said: "Anyway, please go into the inner room first." He led Mao Qi to the corridor, passed through countless paper doors, and there was a scent of incense on the way. The shopkeeper brought Mao Qi to a large tatami room. A huge hanging scroll of a tumbler hung on the alcove. There was a rhododendron tree in the yard full of pink flowers.Moshichi was smoking and waiting here.

Someone brought refreshments, the tea is high-quality jade dew with good color and fragrance, but it is not hot enough for Maoqi's tongue, but the hot rough tea tastes better, is this because he was born in a poor family and is impatient? Soon, a short man of about forty years old came and said some polite words about keeping the guests waiting - he was the owner of Iseya.Mao Qi felt that although the other party was short, he was quite handsome, seemed very capable, and had sharp eyes. The shopkeeper followed behind him.The shopkeeper silently bowed to Mao Qi, and then knelt down silently by the side like an ornament.

"This time, our shopkeeper Jiasuke has caused you a lot of trouble..." "I'm very sorry." Kasuke said with his head on the tatami. Shigechi smiled and said, "Kakujiro, who was carrying the burden, didn't feel troubled, but just shocked. This is also a matter of course." "This is a relationship that I didn't explain clearly." Kasuke huddled into a ball. "Generally speaking, even if it's something fresh in season, why is a bonito worth one thousand taels?" Moshichi stared at the owner of Iseya and asked.The master coughed lightly.

"Perhaps you don't believe it," began the owner of the Iseya, and then went on: "We have an acquaintance who has been close since the previous boss, and he is good at divination. We followed his advice and decided to spend a thousand Two buy bonito." It is said that the business of Iseya has not been very good recently. To break this dilemma, the man suggested that a large sum of money should be squandered at a time to open up the circulation of money in the business. "We were also very troubled when we said we were going to splurge. We couldn't find what we wanted to buy, and there was no place to spend money. So we decided to buy skipjack fish based on the season. If the price was high, the other party would probably complain, but we paid a high price. If you buy it, the other party should not refuse it."

"Then Kakujiro was chosen by chance?" To this question, the shopkeeper nodded and said, "Yes. It's just that I happened to find him. The fishmonger's bonito looks really fresh, and I think that since it costs a lot of money to buy it, it's better to buy it at a big fish shop." If you buy it from a hawker, the other party should be very happy." Mao Qi slowly exhaled the smoke. People who are keen on divination may think that this reason is very reasonable, but for Mao Qi, it cannot convince him anyway.Why would you rather talk nonsense like this than spend 1,000 taels of bonito?

The owner of Iseya took out a purple silk scarf from his pocket, and then slowly opened it. Inside were square rice cakes—two cloth bags worth twenty-five taels. "Although it is insignificant, can the boss accept it as compensation for your crime?" The boss respectfully handed the money to Maoqi with both hands.Mao Qi just kept smoking his pipe and remained silent. Then, Mao Qi suddenly said: "Although I don't know who it is, you can't eavesdrop!" Both the owner and shopkeeper of Iseya were surprised and moved their bodies.Mao Qi stood up quickly, and opened the paper door of the tatami room with a clatter—a frightened woman with a stiff body and a bloodless face was sitting outside the paper door.

However, when Mao Qi saw her face, this time it was his turn to turn pale with fright. "It's really rude." Iseya apologized. "This is my wife Jiashi. Please don't be angry, boss." Moshichi turned a deaf ear to Iseya's words, but the title "wife" stuck in his heart.The woman in front of her was indeed in her mid-thirties. But—regardless of age, that face was exactly the same as another face that Moshichi had seen recently, whether it was fair complexion or watery eyes. That face was Ah Chun. Moshichi, of course, did not accept the money. He sternly told the other party not to approach Kakujiro's family without his permission, and then left Iseya.

Mao Qi returned home, and Quan San was waiting at home. "There's nothing particularly suspicious about that shop," Quan San said. "The business is going well, and there are no reports of helpers misbehaving. But the family property is so rich that you can buy a bonito with one thousand taels." Mao Qi nodded slowly. "I walked in the corridor and smelled a strong scent of thread. Is there anyone in the family who is keen on Namo Amitabha?" Quan San said with a smile: "Well, today's investigation alone did not find out that deep. However, the incense must have been burned for my daughter."

"daughter?" "Yes, they had an only daughter named Ami who passed away half a year ago. I heard she had smallpox." Mao Qi was lost in thought. "Quan San, is Iseya an old shop with a long history?" "Yes, the current boss is the sixth generation." "Are the couples from the previous generation still alive?" "No, both of them have passed away. The previous boss passed away three years ago, and the boss's wife passed away a little later than Ami. Therefore, in terms of holding funerals one after another, Iseya has indeed been unlucky recently."

Quan San smiled wryly and continued: "I heard that the proprietress of the previous generation was a grumpy woman. I heard this from the grain wholesaler behind the shop, and I heard that the boss's wife yelled at the current proprietress, daughter-in-law Kashi, all day long. Kashi was originally the daughter of a dyeing workshop who went in and out of Iseya. To her, she was married to a rich man, but to Iseya, it was like welcoming a daughter-in-law from a small family. The boss lady seemed very unhappy about this. Abuse Kashi at every turn." Mao Qi shook hands quietly and nodded repeatedly.

He roughly understood, but it felt very unpleasant...