Chapter 38 Section fifteen

"Dang Dang, Dang, Dang!" Kuminosuke pretended to be playing the lute, and chanted the beat. "Uncle, you have really worked hard. It must have taken as long to talk about the cause and effect as it was to finish the "Volume of the Battle of Tanpu"." They were in Heishiro's house.It was almost dusk, and Xiao Pingci was preparing dinner under the stove, when he heard the burnt smell of grilled dried fish.It was a large amount of dried fish presented by Soichiro before leaving. Heishiro returned to Kawasaki this morning.It was originally planned to go back and forth on the same day but it turned into a night out. Heishiro had to find an excuse to explain to his boss why he was late.But maybe he didn't count on Heishiro in the first place, or maybe he felt good about the dried fish offered, or maybe he was all focused on the Miwaya Tsukudani he bought, and the boss didn't show any anger at all.Even so, Heishiro remained on duty for half a day, and when he got home, he saw Yumisuke waiting in the room.

"How does Uncle feel about your waist? Shall I rub it?" Yukinosuke looked worried, but Heishiro's waist didn't feel uncomfortable, because he took a sedan chair all the way back from Kawasaki.This was arranged by Soichiro. "I thought I was only going to Liuxiang Ferry, but I didn't expect to get off the boat on the opposite river bank, and there were sedan chairs waiting. I said it was ordered by the house, and the arrangement was really thoughtful. I don't know how many tips were posted. The bearers didn't let me go along the way. The sedan chair landed, how many times have you changed the bearers this trip? And there are two more, double the cost."

"Then, Second Uncle Xiaoping is also sitting?" "It's very rich!" I'm just in the middle, and I'm going to walk beside the grandpa's sedan chair—Xiao Pingji's face was blushing in the fight, but the bearers who were far stronger than Xiao Pingji said, "What's the matter?", and crowded him into the sedan chair. "That guy, don't mention whether he is used to sitting or not. This is the first time in his life that he got on a sedan chair. I saw that he was terrified, and he was afraid that the bearer would just shake him to the Western Paradise. go!"

What a pity!Yukinosuke laughed for a while.Then, putting away his smile, he suddenly whispered: "Master Soichiro is really a lonely person." Heishiro savored this sentence carefully. "It should be said that he chose to be lonely, so there is no need to be so sympathetic." "yes?" "He could have patted his ass and walked away, at least five years ago." If he is uneasy about the future and doesn't want to waste the hard work of the past, asking his father for money is also a solution.Or, make up your mind to be a prodigal, eat, drink, whore and gamble all day long, and it's okay to spend all your money.Doing nothing, just indecisive, worrying blindly, and staying in the house, he can only blame himself for being worthless.

"Will it be?" Yukinosuke asked urgently, his eyebrows drawn into a straight line. "I can somewhat understand Master Soichiro's desire not to leave his mother behind and not to cause trouble for his younger brother." Heishiro deliberately did not speak, let go of his cross-legged legs, and lay down with his back to Kuminosuke. Although Heishiro felt that Soichiro was pitiful, he thought it would be helpful for him to put aside his sympathy and lose his temper at this time.In fact, after the long conversation in the Kawasaki villa, Heishiro said: Master Soichiro, I am a little tired of all the grievances and grievances towards Minato recently, and you should stop with enough.

He also mentioned the same thing to Jiubingwei: the young shoots that would have been fine if they were eradicated earlier, will be procrastinated, and when the roots are luxuriant, it will be troublesome to clean up, and no one can control it. What this "home" of the couch needs most at the moment is this kind of courage to cut through the mess quickly—ah, that's enough, I know all of this, everything is very complicated, and everyone has a reason , but who can control so much!I'm going to do what I want - someone should be so decisive. Heishiro felt that this annoying character was definitely Aoi.Yu that woman told Soemon: I am not a "ghost" anymore, I want to be the housekeeper's wife in a legitimate way, and I want to see Sakichi, please help me arrange it.If you don't care about it and refuse to do anything, well, I'll break into the small house and drive Ateng out—it would be great if Kui could persist like this.

Even though Atou's natal family, that is, Atou's father, is someone Soemon should respect, but he is very old, no, maybe he is dead.On the other hand, Minato is already a well-to-do businessman, so breaking away from Ateng and letting Aoi take too much seat may not hinder business. The more Heishiro thought about it, the more he thought it was a brilliant idea.Why didn't Aoi do this?Why didn't Soemon do this? In any case, I want to do it willfully, otherwise I will be dissatisfied, but I am afraid of other people's eyes, and I don't want others to say "that person loses his temper when he doesn't like it, it's terrible", and I don't want others to point out "what's wrong with that person?" If you insist on going your own way, you really don’t understand the principles of being a human being.”

Not only that, but I don’t hesitate to lie to others for my own satisfaction, but I don’t want to accept blame or be resented. I must be satisfied with others’ understanding that “I have unavoidable difficulties”. How unpopular, Heishiro thought. "Master Soichiro must be very surprised to hear all these truths at once. If it were me, I'm afraid I'd have to lie down for several days." Yukinosuke's eyes darkened. But that's not the case. "On the contrary, he said that the things that have been puzzling until now have been answered once, and he feels suddenly enlightened."

"But his mother wanted to kill Mrs. Kui?" ——As for the relationship between my father and Mrs. Kui, even though I was young at the time, I also found it strange.And my mother, who saw everything in her eyes, looked terribly frightening. ——After Mrs. Kui left, the atmosphere in the house did not improve.The relationship between my father and my mother was even more alienated and indifferent than when Mrs. Kui was there. Soichiro, who was whispering like this, had a profound and frightening look on his face, which overshadowed his good upbringing and reserved prudence.Heishiro couldn't help but tremble when he saw it.

It was a feeling of hatred and fear from the heart. What is he afraid of, what is he hating?Nothing else, just a woman. Heishiro believes that Zongichiro has obediently obeyed his father's will not to marry a wife, and has not indulged in tenderness, and it is not just the reason he told himself.This fear and hatred may have taken root in his heart—don't open your heart to women, don't let women control your emotions, let alone love women, absolutely not. If you are not careful to guard against women, you will destroy your own heart. "Souichiro will temporarily live in Fujitaka."

Yukinosuke rolled his eyes wide. "You want to stay with Mrs. Ateng, don't you?" "Well. I heard that even so, Ateng doesn't recognize his son anymore. I told Soichiro that no matter what I said to her or asked her, it would be useless. But he knew this very well and answered with a smile. He just wanted to be with his mother in person. Just next to it." Also, Heishiro guessed that maybe he didn't want to see Soemon right now. What a sad filial son, Gong Zhisuke is depressed again.Because his heart is still immature, he will be sentimental about it.It would be great if he could lose his temper like Heishiro. "By the way, Uncle, did Master Soichiro mention who might harm Mrs. Kui? Did you ask?" "Hmm." This question has almost become a mantra, and Heishiro has already asked it. "He can't tell. He knows, but..." ——If I had found out where Mrs. Kui was earlier, I might have gone straight to the place, and it would be hard to guarantee that nothing would happen. Yukinosuke touched his chest with his hand. "Ah, luckily it's okay." Heishiro turned around and looked up at his nephew's puppet-like face. "How are you doing there?" Kuminosuke regained his anger a little, and began to explain in an orderly manner. "Brother Taro volunteered and promised to protect sister Ah Chu no matter what happens." "Then, after listening to your speculation, he also thinks it makes sense." "Actually," Gong Zhisuke smiled, "Brother Taro only listened to half of it, and said that this is serious, Chu is in danger, and I will protect her." What a nice guy. "It's just that a suitable hiding place couldn't be found for a while, and sister Ah Chu's parents didn't want to let the child go to another place. In the end, brother Taro lived in the house of sister Ah Chu. Of course, the reason why this must be done is already Please keep it strictly confidential and don't mention it to the outside world." Heishiro smiled. "It's really a disaster to have such a big man in the family for no reason." "However, sister Achu and brother Taro are very close! With brother Taro by his side, sister Achu seems very at ease." Gong Zhisuke tried to get Ah Chu to speak because he was younger. "But, it's useless at all." Gong Zhisuke said shaking his head. "After a while, the strangle marks on Sister Ah Chu's neck also disappeared. I thought I could ask a little bit about what happened that day." "Has even your face been rejected?" "Don't talk about shutting the door, there is no door. The so-called helplessness is really what it is." At that time, the pressure was too tight, and Ah Chu seemed to be crying, so Gong Zhisuke had to give up. "She is still young, she is so pitiful, she must be too scared, she must be terrified. Don't be discouraged, this kind of thing is inevitable." Gongzhisuke will also encounter setbacks. Gong Zhisuke nodded and replied, "Uncle said yes", but his face became even more gloomy.Today, Yumonosuke's lamp apparently ran out of oil. Then he said nonchalantly: "Uncle, I really have never seen the world." "Why? Why did you say the same thing as Soichiro?" A child of thirteen years old, what worldly experience can he speak of? "The only ones I know are the merchant's house, Mr. Sasaki's house, and uncle's place." "And Ah Feng's house!" "Sister Feng's family is also a businessman, and quite wealthy." Kuminosuke was rather annoyed and frustrated.Heishiro, who had already guessed what he wanted to say, but deliberately interrupted, snorted twice. "The cottages where the sharecroppers live...really poor." Perhaps recalling that scene, the focus of Yukinosuke's eyes became farther away. "I've never seen a house without a single tatami mat. The siding is scattered, and the wind blows in no matter where you sit. The soil on the dirt field is not compacted, it's all mud; weeds are overgrown, which can't be called a In the yard of the courtyard, there are a few skinny chickens walking waddlingly. The same is true under the stove, how should I put it, there is no decent kitchen utensils, and there is no food to eat." "I think so." "There is also the clothes on sister Ah Chu, which is so old that it can be used as a rag in my house. Not only sister Ah Chu, but even her parents are like this." Gong Zhisuke's voice became softer and softer, as if the weight in the words made him bend forward. "The children had no shoes, everyone was barefoot." "The same goes for the children in the courtyard." "That's because I like to play outside. If you want, you can afford a pair of straw sandals anytime, right?" "That's a child from a poor courtyard that you haven't seen before." Uncharacteristically, Kuminosuke raised his eyes and stared at Heishiro resentfully, causing Heishiro's back to shiver. "Don't look at me with that look." Heishiro said and got up quickly. "It's not my fault that sharecroppers have a hard life." The farming families near Edo Castle, if you look at it more broadly, are by no means poor.Those who sell fruits and vegetables, chicken and eggs earn even more money than some merchants in the city.Heishiro has been involved in all kinds of transfers, so of course he knows these things. If you want to say why, Edo Castle is a big kitchen, and it is always in pursuit of a large number of delicious ingredients: rare, seasonal, and higher quality than the market.All such ingredients, even if the price is increased by a few percent, are still very popular. However, in addition to being used as food, rice can also be used as "bonglu" or "annual tribute". The value is equal to the currency in circulation, and the price cannot be increased arbitrarily.Only side dishes and luxury goods can make money in this way.However, it is not a recent incident that more and more farmers in the surrounding Edo Castle have discovered this need and exploited it skillfully. They spend their time growing all kinds of crops, carrying them into the city and selling them in cash. Unlike the little rice given by landlords and village chiefs, what they get is money that can be used at any time.Therefore, everyone redoubles their efforts. No matter how small the land is, as long as there is a place to plant it by yourself, it will become a trick. . Having said that, no matter how hard you work, you can't get ahead, and you can only let the government and landlords squeeze the tenant farmers, after all, they still account for the majority.Ah Chu's family is probably this kind of low-level population. "I'm...a bit dizzy," Gongnosuke's voice was dry, "Although it was only for a short moment, I couldn't help but feel that in front of such poor people, no matter who killed Mrs. Aoi and for what reason It doesn't matter anymore. Really, if sister Ah Chu was not in danger, I would ignore the murderer who killed Mrs. Kui and use my mind to think about how to make sister Ah Chu's family live better." His face was wrinkled as if it had been rubbed.The Yumonosuke lamp was still short of oil, and Heishiro slapped him on the head. "That's that, this belongs to this." Heishiro said calmly. "You can't take everything in the world to yourself." Komonosuke looked up at Heishiro for a while, and replied, "Mr. Sasaki also said the same thing, although it was for another completely unrelated matter." "Oh, he's a nice gentleman." "Mister said, even if you can't hold it on your body, you can't forget it." "Anyway," Heishiro smiled slightly, "I'm relieved that Chu is safe." "me too." Seeing that Yumonosuke seemed to cheer up again, Heishiro took up the topic. "Then what did you think of?" "What do you think?" "Do you need to ask? Of course it is the murderer who killed Aoi! Didn't you mutter something last time: If it is a vendetta, it would be too straightforward..." Ah, Yumonosuke made the sound of waking up from a dream. "Please, you have to work hard! Is your head sorted out?" Yumonosuke repeated what Masagoro had explained to Masagoro on his way to visit Imozai slope. "Extraordinary passer-by," Heishiro repeated, concentrating on his thoughts. "What kind of unusual method? It's really unclear." "Yes, about that..." Not only could Gongnosuke not be able to think of words, but he also muttered with something stuffed between his molars.Is it not easy to explain? "Uncle, didn't the portrait fan case happen when it was still hot this summer?" It was the murder of the famous painter Hideaki. "At that time, the key to solving the case lay in the past events remembered by the big forehead." With the help of the big forehead's memory, I learned that there had been cases similar to Xiuming's murder in the past.Taking this as a clue, it was discovered after investigation that the two cases were not only similar, but even related. "I remember, but what does it have to do with that?" "No direct connection." Gong Zhizhu said that he and the big forehead are investigating whether there has been a case similar to Aoi's murder method before. "Manipulation, do you mean strangling someone with a handkerchief?" "Not only that. Mrs. Kui was strangled to death by a handkerchief wrapped around her neck. In other words, the murderer used ready-made items. Looking further, could it be because Mrs. Kui was wearing a handkerchief like this that triggered the murder?" This murder?" Heishiro rubbed his throat, there was a handkerchief around here, someone grabbed him and pulled him hard, tightening his neck—— "It means that the quarrel was lost for a while?" "Not really...but maybe it was a quarrel." I can't hear the clue, it's like catching a jellyfish in my hand.I think so, is it because I have only seen the sea in autumn? "Hey, all right. Have you found such a precedent?" Yukinosuke lowered his head helplessly. "No, I can't think of it for a while, maybe it will take some more time. However, I may have made a mistake." He was depressed again thinking about it.It seems that it is best to add oil to the seat lamp of Yumonosuke, and change the paper by the way.It can't be seen from the outside, but the inside seems to be broken. Let's eat something delicious today——Heishiro had just finished speaking when he heard someone approaching with warm shouts of "Ouch". "Kuminosuke, you're here. Wow, today is so cute." Xi-kun sat down by the threshold, ignoring the gloomy atmosphere between Heishiro and Yuminosuke - he probably didn't notice it, his voice was extremely cheerful. "Hey, it's even more regrettable when Kuminosuke comes here. I really want Kuminosuke to try it too! The cherry blossom pavilion is sold out today." What with what? "Dafu biscuits! Don't you remember, Mr. Xiang? It was given to me last month, and you praised it repeatedly. You ate five of them, didn't you?" Oh, that salt Daifuku. "I thought it was time to comfort you when you came back from a long trip today, so I went around and bought it. However, I just watched a maid finish shopping in front of me, and the shop said that today's portion was sold out." "Aunt, aunt." Yukinosuke called softly.Xijun shook his head repeatedly like a little girl, very unwilling. "The maid bought twenty of them! I asked: Miss, today I am here to buy Daifuku at the Cherry Blossom Pavilion for my husband. Please, can you let me have five? The maid said that it was the proprietress's confession." Yes, no! Xianggong, you haven't seen her hateful face, her mouth is pouting so high!" Xijun complained, exuding an awkward pouting mask expression.Gong Zhisuke didn't smile, but was dumbfounded. "It seems to be a tobacco shop called Isehiro in Kyobashi. My lord, it's Isehiro who sells tobacco. Don't forget. If something happens to that shop in the future, you must teach them a lesson. There are people who can eat alone in the shop." The proprietress with twenty big blessings must not be a decent shop." Even this kind of words have been exported, and the hatred of food is really deep.It seems that it is not for buying for me to eat, but because you want to eat it yourself! After talking all at once, Xijun suddenly became sober, and suddenly his eyes and ears became clear. "Oh, are you two discussing something important? Where did Xiao Ping go last time, and he didn't serve tea." "Well, it's quite important..." Speaking of this, Heishiro suddenly remembered: Yes, tobacco. "Kuminosuke, did you mention tobacco last time?" Xi Jun interrupted. "Oh, Yumonosuke is still young, you can't smoke!" "It's not that I want to smoke, Auntie, please don't worry." After dealing with Auntie with a smile on his face, Kuminosuke turned to Heishiro again. "Yes. But to be precise, it's not tobacco, but it is speculated that the source of the aroma in Mrs. Kui's room may come from tobacco." Heishiro cut him off impatiently. "I don't care about the details. Let me tell you, Soichiro knows tobacco very well." Soemon doesn't smoke at all, but Soichiro likes it very much.Heishiro would know this because Soichiro was a little restless when talking about the middle of the night.Seeing Heishiro's puzzled look, he asked with great regret: "Can I have a cigarette?" Heishiro laughed and said why be polite, just smoke.Soichiro said that it was not decent to take out a pipe in front of his elders, so he has been patient. "Soemon taught him this. Besides, Soichiro is the only one who smokes in the house. Poor thing, you have to be sneaky to smoke. However, because of this, he regards it as a personal hobby and researches it thoroughly. gone." Heishiro asked him, is there any tobacco that smells like incense, or like a sachet that women keep in their sleeves? "He said yes." However, it is very rare in Edo, and only a very small number come in from Nagasaki via Osaka.This is originally a variety from the Tang Dynasty. It is not like tobacco, but more like incense. It tastes bad when smoked, but it is very popular among women because of its fragrance. "So there really is." Kuminosuke's eyes widened. "Madam Kui also smokes, right? Then..." "You're right." Heishiro slapped his knee hard. "The house is a family that often receives gifts. According to the season, gifts will be sent continuously, so many that they fill the whole room. Among them, tobacco is occasionally mixed in, prepared by people who don't know that the house does not smoke. Soichiro As you can see, there are both rare and expensive varieties." As the only drug addict in the family, Soichiro naturally wants to see high-quality goods.However, he secretly picked something that the head of the family disliked, and it was really difficult to complain. "What's more, Soichiro's original situation is already very delicate." I dare not speak for a long time, and the tobacco I like often disappears like this. "Did you lose it?" "It's not possible! It may be transferred to another place, or used to entertain guests. It's just..." Occasionally, Soemon would choose a few boxes of particularly rare or beautifully packaged tobacco from these tobaccos to take away.No, it should be said "before". ——Before, I always thought that my father must have given some good woman as a gift, but since Mrs. Kui likes to smoke, I should take it to Mrs. Kui. Although Soichiro's tone of voice when referring to "Mrs. Aoi" was twisted like a badly grafted tree branch, Heishiro thought his speculation was quite reasonable.Moreover, maybe because he couldn't come across something he liked, he could only watch the terrible father put it in his arms, his memory was very clear. ——Speaking of fragrant and fragrant tobacco, the first thing that comes to my mind is the imported product from Tang Tubo, which is called "Lianzhixun".The tobacco is not packaged in paper packets or pouches, but in a small flat box that fits in the palm of the hand and is painted with a picture of a goddess. This summer, near the time when the cicadas were singing at dusk, Soichiro saw Minaya Soemon going out with this kind of tobacco. "Father, that thing is really rare, where did you buy it?" Soichiro had asked this question, so it really happened. "Soemon just said coldly, it was given by someone else." Did Soemon give this branch of Kaoru to Aoi?Kui kept the tobacco by her side. When she was killed, the tobacco was also in the room, in the tobacco basin.Aoi stopped smoking for the time being due to a cold, but took it out to entertain guests.This rare tobacco aroused the interest of the visitor, and he took out the pipe—— Thus leaving a fragrance.Of course, the visitor who left this scent is the murderer.I'm afraid, most likely, I can't be wrong. At this time, Heishiro was suddenly knocked down on the tatami. "Master!" It's a good thing Xijun did.She screamed and Heishiro jumped up, but was too scared to speak. Kuminosuke sat and rolled his eyes. "Kuminosuke, Kuminosuke! Cheer up, cheer up! What's going on?" Hoshikun hugged Yukinosuke, shook him vigorously, and called his name.Heishiro climbed to the side of the two and rescued Yumi nosuke from Hoshi-kun's arms.If things go on like this, people will be shaken to pieces. "Hey, Yumonosuke!" He rolled his eyes and recovered. "Auntie, Uncle." But he still hasn't caught his breath. "Well, what are you doing?" "Such an important matter, please say it early!" Then, Kinnosuke bounced like a rubber ball. "I went in the wrong direction. The problem is not the technique, but the taste. Yes, I should look for the taste!" Heishiro and Xikun were stunned with their mouths half-opened. "Are you OK?" "Kuminosuke, do you have a fever?" Yumisuke smiled. "I'm fine." When and from whom did you learn this smile?Asajiro combing his hair is about to see, let alone love at first sight, I'm afraid he will go astray. "I'm going to find Big Forehead. Uncle, I will definitely figure it out this time." Kuminosuke turned to the right.Thinking he was leaving, he turned around again. "Uncle, I have something to ask you. You can ask Aunt Liu or Lord Jiubingwei. Please ask the person who packed up Mrs. Kui's belongings, what kind of tobacco is in the tobacco tray?" "Ah, okay, it's a trivial matter. Just ask if there is Kaoru Lianzhi?" Yukinosuke had a serious look on his face. "No, on the contrary. There should be no Lian Zhixun, the murderer probably took it away." He finished speaking decisively and rushed out of the room.Probably passed by Xiaopingci, and only heard Xiaopingci say "Hey, is the young master leaving?"