Chapter 23 first quarter

As usual, Seiki heard this at the "Bliss Bathhouse".It is said that the psychic Ridao was attacked and seriously injured. The weather has been good recently. Under the warm spring sunshine, I will fall asleep accidentally, but Maoqi and the others are so busy running around every day. Even the cherry blossoms that have just bloomed can only look up occasionally on the way Just a moment.Even so, Mao Qi told Tou Ziniang that while the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, she would find a way to enjoy the flowers. Tou Ziniang said that at least she had to eat some fresh food, so she made rapeseed rice. While the two were eating together, Xiji came running over.

"Ah, is it rapeseed rice? It's so good." Xiji forgot the purpose of coming here, and only thought of eating at the moment, the head lady stood up with a smile and said: "Don't worry, I'll get you some food." "At this moment, let's talk about what's going on. What's wrong with that weird Tiaoshen?" "It's too pitiful for him to say that." The head lady blamed Maoqi. "Every time you mention Changzhu that kid, you get angry. Don't forget, he's still a kid." Indeed, everyone called him "Nichido" and his real name was Nagasuke. He was the only son of Miyoshiya, a grain wholesaler behind Mifunkura.

Mao Qi felt guilty.What Mrs. Touzi said made a lot of sense, and of course Mao Qi also understood.However, when it comes to Ridao, he is always filled with anger.When he said this to Quan San before, Quan San said: "That's because the boss thinks that little worship god is very pitiful, so he is angry." After Xiji put his palms together for a big bowl of rapeseed rice served by the head wife, he immediately started to eat it.He explained quickly as he ate. "Because I'm busy with business recently, I haven't been to the Bliss Bathhouse for a long time. I went to have a look this morning, and the boss suddenly asked me if I knew about Mr. Ridao being attacked."

It is said that it happened last night.Ridou was entrusted by someone to go to the merchants near Ermu Bridge in Tachikawa. On the way home, he was attacked by several men in the dark near Maitreya Temple, surrounded by samurai residences on both sides.Those men, who could be seen as unscrupulous elements at a glance, pulled Ridao out of the sedan chair even though they didn't carry any blades, beat and kicked Ridao severely, threatened Ridao's parents beside him, and robbed all of them. The money escaped.I heard that the injuries of the parents were not as serious as Ridao, but when Ridao was beaten, the two of them were twisted by the gang, unable to save Ridao.

"How bad is it?" "I heard that there is no danger to life. But, after all, he is only a child, small and thin, and he was beaten severely. Everyone said that he would probably lie down for a while." The Gokuraku Bathhouse is located in Kitamori Shitamachi, near where Himichi was attacked.After the boss learned about the commotion, he helped to send Ridao and his parents back to Sanhao House. When the matter was over and returned to the Bliss Bathhouse, he accidentally found that his hands and front were covered with blood. Rapeseed rice with the taste of spring, Maoqi suddenly felt that he couldn't taste it, so he put down his rice bowl.

"Did Miyoshi House report to the enforcement office?" Xiji tilted his head, spat out grains of rice and said, "I don't know." "It's time to report the crime." Quan San said calmly. "It was clearly robbery." "But I haven't heard anything." The one who issued the catcher's certificate to Maoqi was the uncle of Shinnosuke Ghana. The veteran Ito Tongxin, who was an old acquaintance with Maoqi, died of a sudden illness, and he was succeeded by him. He was still young and inexperienced.In order to make up for this deficiency, he relied heavily on Mao Qi. If he heard anything, he should inform Mao Qi.

"Go to Miyoshi House and have a look." The head lady immediately said: "You can't go with a horrible face. The other party is just a child, and he is still a wounded person now." "I know." "The two couples in Sanhaowu are really pitiful..." The head lady drooped her shoulders listlessly. "Witnessing a child being beaten and kicked must be very heartbreaking for parents." When Moshichi walked quickly to Mifunezogo, there were cherry blossoms everywhere on the way, and the wind blowing across the Okawa was also very warm. The weather was so good that even if he didn't drink, he wanted to dance.However, he always had a bitter face, as if he was holding a pickle stone in his arms.

Miyoshiya shop is open for business as usual.There are many customers, and it seems that business is still very good.There was a young helper in front of the shop who was busy, his apron fluttering with the spring breeze, when Mao Qi spoke to him, the other party was speechless, and then said: "How does the boss know this?" "This kind of thing spreads quickly. How is Ridou's injury?" "Lie down at home..." The servant faltered, twisting his apron with his hands. "Now that I know about the despicable robbery of beating children on my site, I certainly can't sit idly by. It seems that Miyoshi House doesn't seem to trust me, but at least can you let me hear the details."

The young servant looked flustered, busy bowing and shaking his hands. "No, it's definitely not intentionally ignoring the boss. It's just that the boss and the boss's wife are still dizzy after that happened." The helper took Maoqi around to the shop and then to the living place.The one who came out to greet her was an older maid who knew it was difficult to deal with at first glance. She claimed to be the female steward A Taki.She looked like she was about to quarrel, Mao Qi said impatiently: "How is Changzhu's injury?" Ataki glared at Moshichi with fierce eyes.

"Master Ridao is resting." "Can't you say something?" "Doctors strictly forbid receiving visitors." "Let me tell you, Miss A Taki, I came here because I heard that Changsuke's child was injured, and I felt that I couldn't leave it alone. Don't treat me as an enemy, okay?" Ataki still had a terrifying expression on his face. "But, the boss doesn't believe in Master Ridao's spiritual power?" "Because I didn't witness it with my own eyes." Mao Qi honestly admitted. "But, these are two different things."

Even so, A Taki still led Shigeruchi to the tatami room suspiciously, and then went into the back room by himself.After a while, footsteps approached. It was the owner of Miyoshiya, Himichi's father Hanjiro. This is the first time Maoqi saw him.Moshichi believes that regardless of whether Ridou's spiritual power is real or not, parents who let young children openly do this kind of business are not advisable, so they don't like Hanjiro in the first place.Mao Qi kept thinking that if there was a chance one day, no matter what, he would give him a good meal.So when Moshichi saw Hanjiro appearing in front of him as haggard as a sick man—with sunken eyes—to be honest, he couldn’t look straight at him. "I'm sorry, but I troubled the boss to make a trip in person." Hanjiro came over after saluting, his steps faltering a bit. "You have suffered a great deal. How is the child?" "It's a life saved..." Hanjiro blinked. "Which doctor did you see?" "I heard that there is a doctor in Asakusa Mado-cho who is good at treating bruises and fractures, so we invited him over. It is Dr. Keian." "What was his diagnosis?" "He said that it will take about a year and a half to fully recover." Hanjiro sighed. "I also said that when I was seriously injured when I was young, sometimes I will fully recover when I grow up, but sometimes the injured place will change. What will happen can only be left to time and luck. He said that he will try his best to heal anyway." Even though he has such a good reputation, he didn't say "don't worry, leave everything to me" lightly. It seems that this doctor is indeed very good.Maoqi felt a little relieved. "I just told the female manager, A Taki-san, too," Moshichi adjusted his sitting posture, facing Hanjiro. "Regardless of the usual entanglements, Boss Sanhaowu, I can't let inhuman robbers who beat up children run amok in my territory. I must catch them. Can you tell me the truth about what happened last night? " Hanjiro lowered his head, his eyes seemed to be filled with tears. "You didn't seem to report the incident to your superiors last night. Do you have any scruples?" "What scruples?" Moshichi didn't answer, just stared at Hanjiro quietly.He thought, needless to say, Hanjiro should also understand what he meant. Hanjiro looked around the tatami room from time to time as if asking for help.Coincidentally, no one was there or came.Hanging on the alcove is a painting of the God of Wealth fishing for sea bream, but the laughing God of Wealth may bless the prosperity of the business, but it can't help Hanjiro at the moment. Banjiro can only give up.He probably thought that since Mao Qi had intervened, no matter how much he concealed it, he would know about it one day.This man is no fool. "Aioiya, please keep us quiet..." "Is it the merchant in Ermubashi that you visited last night?" "Yes. If we report what happened last night to our superiors, they will also go to Aioiya to investigate, right?" "of course." "At that time, the matter that Aiseiwu entrusted us will be found out." Maoqi nodded.Ushibanjiro slumped his shoulders. "It's embarrassing for them to say something like that. It's really unseemly." "What does Aioiya ask you to do?" Hanjiro stammered that Nimebashi Aioiya was a wholesaler of tortoise shell, combs, and umbrellas.The branch boss is the eldest son of Aioiya, who was supposed to inherit the main shop in Nakamachi, but he was too dissolute when he was young, and his parents gradually alienated him. After various twists and turns, he decided to let the second son inherit the main shop, and the eldest son opened a separate branch. "So the relationship between the direct line and the branch is very bad." "This kind of thing is very common." Hanjiro nodded and said "yes", and rolled his eyes again.It was only then that Mao Qi realized that he was not asking for help, but his habitual actions.I also feel that I often see this kind of look in other places. "Last night's request... that... is that the direct line boss is sick in bed, and they asked us to do something to prevent the other party from recovering." Although Mao Qi was dumbfounded, she couldn't help laughing. "It's really disrespectful. But it's too immeasurable. Don't they think that the branch boss can go back to inherit the family business after the death of the direct line boss?" "It seems to be more than that. In short, hatred is better than everything." When family members turn against each other due to disputes, it often turns into this kind of shameful ending. "However, although people who ask others to do such things are not good, there are also problems with those who accept this kind of entrustment. Besides, can Changzhu do it?" Hanjiro was very upset, Moshichi hurriedly said: "No, I have heard some rumors about Changsuke. I heard that he has a strong ability to retrieve lost things or exorcise evil spirits. However, even if Changsuke has this ability, This should be completely different from the ability to curse others or actions, right?" "Master Himichi can do it," Hanjiro said gruffly. "The boss can call him whatever he wants when he's alone, but to us, that kid is Ridou-sama, and I hope the boss can call him that." Moshichi was extremely unhappy, but he didn't say much, not to mention that he was very interested in what Hanjiro said. If Aioiya invited Himichi for this kind of thing, then the man who attacked Himichi on the way back might be someone from Aioiya's direct lineage.If the direct line knew that the branch had asked someone to curse and kill the direct line boss, they would be furious and would not sit idly by.They are very likely to spend money to hire a few strong men to beat Ridao severely, so that Ridao cannot complete the request of Aioi House. However, before Moshichi could express these thoughts, Hanjiro shook his head and said: "Boss, if you doubt the direct line of Aioiya, you are wrong." Shigeru Shigechi was taken aback, and felt more and more that Banjiro was not a fool. "why?" "This... this is..." Banjiro hesitated. "It's just how I feel." Hanjiro's eyeballs rolled violently like beans in boiling water. Seeing his appearance, Mao Qi suddenly realized. "Could it be that you...won't it be the direct line that asks you to do something?" Hanjiro stuck out his chin and nodded again and again. "Honestly, exactly." I really have nothing to say. "What do you guys do, please?" "Practices restore health." "You guys are fooling around!" However, Hanjiro acted nonchalantly. "That being said, boss, one side casts the curse, and the other prevents the curse. Isn't that a good balance? The two can offset each other. Then, let nature take its course, and the patients who were able to recover will naturally recover , the damn patient will die too." "And you can ask for rewards from both sides." Mao Qi tried his best to sarcasm. "But in this way, one party will always fail. Will you return the reward to that party?" "No. It's just that you don't receive the final reward." Under the hanging scroll of God of Wealth fishing sea bream in the alcove, there is a celadon vase that is not commensurate with a businessman of Miyoshiya's level of wealth even if the business is prosperous.Mao Qi felt that she seemed to vaguely understand why the celadon jar was here.Hanjiro seemed to be keenly aware of where Moshichi's gaze fell, and he said proudly: "It's a special order from Nagasaki." It seems that the gem contains the ashes of Miyoshiya Hanjiro's "conscience". Shigeru decided to change the subject.If he continued to talk with Hanjiro on this topic, the rapeseed rice in his stomach might not be able to digest. "Did the man who attacked you last night say anything?" "Say what?" "Well. Besides asking you to take out the money or not to touch it, when they beat Ridao, did they say, for example, that you are not allowed to do god-tracing in the future, or that you are not allowed to go anywhere if you don't want to die. " "It's Rimichi-sama." Hanjiro insisted stubbornly. "Well, they didn't make it that clear. It's just that, shouting loudly, you can't move around for a while, you deceitful little devil." I don't know if it was because he remembered what happened at that time, which made Hanjiro frown; partly because he regained the heart of being a parent and worried about his children, and partly because the other party said that Ridao was deceiving. "No matter how you think about it, it's not a simple robbery." Mao Qi said. "They know you, and they attacked after aiming at the target. The money was stolen just by the way, and the purpose from the beginning was to beat up Mr. Ridao..." "I think so too." "In this way, you must investigate your business dealings to find out who is behind the instigation. No matter who the other party is, he must have a deep hatred for you and ask someone to do it for revenge." The reason why the incident last night was not reported to the higher authorities was because of the entrustment of the branch of Aioiya, but most of it was because of Hanjiro's side, and they didn't want to expose their secret activities.Mao Qi thought secretly, these people are really outrageous. "There is another possibility, that is, competitors in the same industry. Master Ridao is very popular. Maybe there are witches or dancing gods who can only eat leftovers or sit on the bench because of this? They should be very unhappy with you." Hanjiro winced a little. "I haven't thought about it." Maybe there are too many unsightly things, and I only think about that aspect. "In short, I have to ask clearly about this before I can start investigating. So far, when you help people practice exorcism, have you ever had any disputes over remuneration, or disputes with the other party because of inefficiency? Competitors in the industry picking on you?" "This... I can't think of it for a while." "Well, think about it carefully for two or three days. If you think of something, you can write it down." Hanjiro shrank his neck slightly and said, "I can't read." This surprised Mao Qian.To be honest, Maoqi also learned to read and write after becoming a catcher, and now he is not very good at reading and writing Chinese characters.However, I didn't expect Hanjiro, the owner of Miyoshi House, to be illiterate. "Where is the lady boss?" "She writes a lot." "Then ask her to write it down for you. Any small matter is fine, and it's best to also write down the approximate date of the dispute, so that I can handle things better." Before Mao Qi left, he tentatively asked if he could take a look at Mr. Ridao.Although Banjiro agreed, he said that he was asleep now, so don't call him out. Moshichi walked along the corridor behind Hanjiro, and soon smelled an almost suffocating stench.Mao Qi couldn't help frowning. "It smells like ointment," Hanjiro said. "Dr. Gui'an's special ointment is said to be very effective for bruises. The ointment is really smelly, but I heard that all Edo people always go to Dr. Gui'an's because of this ointment." Go up to the second floor from the stairs at the end of the tatami room where Moshichi stayed, and the first room is Himichi's room.It may have just been replaced. The brand new paper door is white without any patterns.It is said that patterns distract Himichi, so he doesn't like them. Hanjiro silently opened the paper door.As soon as the door was opened, the smell of the ointment became even more choking.Mao Qi recalled that the boss's mother bought eggs back, but later the eggs became stinky, and she said that it was too dirty to throw them away, and then threw them into the stove. In the center of the tatami is a satin quilt, covered lightly with night clothes. ① A quilt shaped like clothes. It was clearly a ten-year-old boy's room, but it was tidied to the point of killing the scenery - there were no toys.Mao Qi thought to himself, what does Changzhu usually do here? "The whole body is wrapped in circles and circles of white cloth." Hanjiro said dejectedly. "Both feet fractures, and the nose is flat. The child's cute face is completely destroyed." Moshichi couldn't stay for long. "Hey, get back to health as soon as possible." Mao Qi said in such a low voice and left.