Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The Closed Village

Matsuzaki woke up after having a strange dream.At the end of the day yesterday, it was not so much physical fatigue as mental fatigue. Since it was the first time to work abroad, as soon as I came to this small island of Bali, I felt a sense of urgency to complete the orders issued by my boss as soon as possible. "Hey! Let's have breakfast!" Only the senior Muto shouted in the dining room.Matsuzaki got up from the bed, rubbed his eyes and walked into the dining room.He was only wearing shorts.Muto, who was sitting in front of the dining table, saw it and greeted with a smile: "Oh, ladies first!"

The Indonesian maid standing in the corner of the restaurant giggled.Matsuzaki had no choice but to go back to the dormitory, put on his trousers and undershirt, took a notebook and went back to the dining room. "What are you doing with the notebook?" Muto asked. After Matsuzaki yawned heavily, he said: "Yesterday, after I made an international call to the headquarters to report, they gave me instructions to investigate three things as soon as possible. They still didn't say any reason." "What's the matter?" "First," Matsuzaki opened his notebook and read aloud, "Does the Tan couple from the Assam Chamber of Commerce have the qualifications of Ham?"

"Ham?" "It's amateur radio experts. And let me investigate whether there is radio communication between them and Japanese radio amateurs. If there is radio communication, there must be an antenna about 20 meters high." "Why do you want to investigate such a thing?" Muto asked Matsuzaki while putting the tea in his mouth after listening. "As I said just now, the section chief didn't tell me any reason." "What does the Assam Chamber of Commerce have to do with our company?" "Who knows." "However, I don't think that old couple is likely to be qualified for Ham."

"I think so, but—" "What are the other two things about?" "Do the Tan couple have anything to do with the Japanese? What kind of Japanese are they with? Let me investigate as soon as possible." "There will definitely not be. Because among the Japanese in Bali, the name of the Assam Chamber of Commerce will never be mentioned. There should not be a trading company that does business with that kind of small grocery store." "I'm feeling it too." Only one person, a Japanese, had contact with the old couple.Matsuzaki did not mention Miki Yumiko to Muto.For some reason, he wanted to keep this secret first, because in his opinion, there would be no relationship between her and the Assam Chamber of Commerce in the sense that his boss had talked about in the international long-distance call.

"What's the third thing? If it's a difficult job, I will try my best to help you after work." "Well, it's a little inexplicable. Within two or three days, the Assam Chamber of Commerce will receive a huge sum of money from the Denpasar branch of Bank Indonesia. It is said to confirm whether anyone has withdrawn the huge sum of money." "Huge sum? How much is it?" "I heard it's $1 million." "Hmph!" Muto crossed his arms and complained, "Even if it's a huge sum of money, why did you remit such a large amount of money to that kind of grocery store? Could it be that our company remitted it to the Assam Chamber of Commerce?"

"That's said to be a secret. Anyway, if the Tan couple offered the $1 million, just look into what they'd do with it." "Let me help you investigate those things. Because there are bank employees I know in Bank Indonesia." "But will the bank clerk tell you the depositor's secret?" "This is Indonesia!" "Oh." "A country where even gods can be bought." Muto smiled triumphantly. Miss Ta'e walked up to Matsuzaki and whispered something to him.Since he was speaking in Indonesian, he could not quite understand what was said.

"What did she say?" he asked Muto. "She asked you, how does breakfast taste?" "Chasi, Tiku! Chasi, Tiku!" Matsuzaki hastily made do with the Indonesian he had learned. Probably the pronunciation was a little weird, and Miss Ta'e laughed out loud. "This person is very interesting!" She said something in Japanese, and then walked into the room and disappeared while letting out a pleasant laugh. "Does my pronunciation sound weird?" "The pronunciation is pretty correct. However, 'chasi, tiku' means 'beautiful'. If you want to say 'the taste is good', you should say 'er na'. Yesterday you should have said, 'er na uh Na' is right."

At 10 o'clock, Matsuzaki went to meet Miki Yumiko near the Assam Chamber of Commerce. Today she is also wearing batik clothes.Clothes made of brightly colored batik cloth look great in the harsh sunlight of southern countries. "Today, shall I introduce you to Tan and his wife?" Yumiko said to Matsuzaki as she walked away. "Thank you so much." "However, I'm not good at business matters. So you have to decide by yourself. I will help you translate." "That's good." Yumiko had already greeted her before.So as soon as the two came to the Assam Chamber of Commerce, Matsuzaki was invited into the house.

In the carpeted room, after Matsuzaki sat cross-legged, the master served him the brewed tea. "I told them that you are a businessman." Yumiko whispered to Matsuzaki. After Matsuzaki nodded, he said to the Tan couple: "I am very interested in the bamboo crafts you made." "Thank you so much for your appreciation." Tan Sharino said with a smile. "One more thing. I heard from Ms. Yumiko that your old paintings are very good. Can you let me feast my eyes?" Under Matsuzaki's pleading, the old man went to fetch a painting for him to admire. Not religious paintings, but landscape paintings of Bali.The painting shows five girls who are weaving sari cloth.This is really a delicate and nuanced painting.Even the girl's hair is clearly drawn one by one. This is a unique style of painting, which is different from Japanese paintings and Western paintings.There is none of the grotesqueness in modern painting.Different from the strong visual stimulation of today's paintings, this is a painting that makes people feel extremely beautiful.

"Please sell it to me." Matsuzaki begged the old man according to his own will, regardless of his boss's order. The old man looked at his wife and discussed something in a low voice. "Today, you are a guest, so I will give you this painting as a gift." He smiled at Matsuzaki. "How can I do that, I can't just accept it like this, please make a price." "This is a gift for you," the old man insisted. Yumiko whispered to the side and reminded, "At this time, according to the etiquette, you should thank you for accepting it." "But, such an expensive gift..."

"In the future, you can also give a gift of the same value." "Understood." Matsuzaki nodded, thanked him, and accepted the old man's painting. Afterwards, Matsuzaki took a look inside the house on the pretext of wanting to go to the toilet.There is neither an instrument like a telephone nor a vertical antenna. "Are the Tan couples born here?" Matsuzaki asked casually. The old couple looked at each other again.After a pause, the old man's wife, Mrs. Joan, replied, "We were not born here in Bali. We were born in Taroban Village in Lombok." After bidding farewell to the old couple Tan and his wife, as soon as they walked outside, a storm blew up.Holding the painting, Matsuzaki and Yumiko rushed towards the nearby Chinese restaurant. An American couple with a child is having dinner. "I'd like to eat some cheaper meals with ample portions." As soon as Matsuzaki said, Yumiko immediately ordered fried rice for him.Indeed, not only is the portion large, but it is also cheap at 250 rupees (175 yen).However, the taste of Chinese food in Bali is different from that in Tokyo.A lot of Indonesian-style spices are added, so it is very spicy. "How much is this painting worth?" Matsuzaki asked Yumiko as he put the painting presented by Tan and his wife on the dining table.The painting is about 80 centimeters square.After looking at it carefully, Yumiko said, "I think it costs about 40,000 rupees to buy it normally." "For 40,000 rupees, that's 28,000 yen?" "The price is not very high." "Yes, it's not expensive. But it's a good painting. The five girls in this painting look very similar. Could it be that they were modeled by the daughters of the old couple?" "The Tan couple don't have any children." "Isn't that rare?" "Why do you say that?" "Because I heard that Indonesians advocate big familyism like having children in the house." "Stupid! Even among Indonesians, there will always be people without children." Yumiko laughed. "How about going to the beach for a swim tomorrow?" "Uh?" "I want to ask you to go to the seaside for a day together." "Then what about your job? You are an elite member of a large trading company." Yumiko said in a slightly sarcastic tone. Matsuzaki could only smile wryly, and said, "Tomorrow is Sunday, and I want to go swimming on Sunday. I also want to see how you look in a swimsuit instead of this cross-dyed cloth." "Mr. Matsuzaki." "Uh?" "Okay. That's the deal." "but……" "what?" "Trapia, Cassie (thank you)." "Koon Bali." "Uh?" "I said 'you're welcome'." Yumiko said with a smile. "However, speaking of locations, I want to go to Sanuru Beach." "Is there a beautiful sea view there?" "It is not only the most beautiful coast in Bali, but also only takes about 15 minutes by car from here to there. However, a high-end hotel that has just been built is a bit unpleasant." "Ok." "Actually, there's a Kechaku dance there starting in the evening, I just want to see that." "Kechaku?" "Literally translated, it is the dance of the apes, the most representative dance in Bali." "Great, I'll go to see it with you from the evening on." Matsuzaki said enthusiastically. Totsukawa had a rare look of anxiety on his face. Because the kidnapper did not come to any contact, and he did not find the prisoner's shelter. And it's not all.In the evening, Kajiki, the vice president of New Pacific Trading, made a phone call that disappointed Totsukawa. "It was you who said that the prisoner and the old couple from the Assam Chamber of Commerce communicated by radio telephone, so I sent my subordinates to investigate. However, according to the reports of my subordinates, neither the radio equipment nor the antenna was found. Kajigi seemed to be sternly asking, "Please, your reasoning is not reliable at all!" "I'm sorry. But is your report sure and reliable?" Totsukawa felt very surprised, but still wanted to confirm. "Let me tell you, when my subordinates visited, the Tan couple personally served tea, and he also walked around their house to confirm that there were no antennas or radio equipment." "In that case, it should be right." "How is your police search going? Is the president still missing? Has the prisoner not been caught?" "We're doing our best." "You are the police, can't you say something else?" Kajigi hung up the phone at this point. After Totsukawa put down the microphone, he pondered for a while. The prisoner and his designated ransom recipient, an elderly couple in Denpasar, communicated by wireless phone.In this regard, Totsukawa seems to be convinced, but this reasoning seems to be too disappointing. Totsukawa was both puzzled and persecuted.If it wasn't for Ham, I couldn't think of any other way to communicate.I have contacted the International Bureau before, and if anyone from the Assam Chamber of Commerce in Denpasar, Bali has applied for international long-distance calling services, I request them to contact the search headquarters immediately.However, so far, no one has been found. If you don't use international calls, don't you also use wireless phones? "I can't figure it out!" While Totsukawa was complaining, Kamei Kamei returned with a tired face. 20 criminals were mobilized to divide Tokyo into seven areas, and a thorough investigation was conducted on those qualified to be Ham. However, there may be little hope of finding the report of the culprit. "You've all worked hard." Totsukawa comforted Criminal Kamei and said. "Where is there. I have seen 26 people who are qualified to be Ham, but I have not found any men who look like prisoners. Tomorrow, I will continue to investigate." "That's up to you. Since tomorrow is Sunday, the bank will not be open. Therefore, the one million US dollars that has been transferred to Bank Indonesia in Denpasar City will not be withdrawn tomorrow." "That is to say, if the prisoner is found tomorrow and President Tamura is rescued, the 1 million US dollars can be recovered." "That's a good point, so I hope you will add more fuel." "Understood. In other respects, is there any good news?" "Unfortunately, not yet. No matter how you think about it, it won't work. There are 200,000 qualified people in Japan, and it is said that there are 20,000 to 30,000 people in Tokyo alone." "However, if you limit the investigation to men in their twenties and thirties, you won't feel that the number is too many to make people despair." Kamei Criminal said as if encouraging himself, and then Reaching out for a cigarette, he said, "Did the prisoner lose contact after that?" As if thinking of something, Totsukawa lit up a Seven Star cigarette and said, "It's gone at all." "Could it be that the prisoner has already killed President Tamura as a hostage?" "What's the reason? Mr. Turtle." "If the prisoner kills the hostage, if he contacts us again for some reason in the middle, if we ask to hear the voice of the president again, the prisoner will be in trouble." "It's not impossible for you to think so. But we always have to act on the assumption that the hostages are safe." "I understand what you said. But I think, isn't it possible for the prisoner to kill President Tamura and fly away to Denpasar in Bali? Because that is the safest way for the prisoner. And Since the US$1 million has already been remitted to the Bank of Indonesia, there is no reason why it must be in Tokyo." Kamei said sullenly. Apart from him, there are many criminals who have such thoughts, and Totsukawa knows this in his heart.Because the 1 million US dollars has indeed been remitted, and it is just waiting to be withdrawn at the bank window in Denpasar. Ordinary prisoners would be eager to kill the hostages and then fly to Indonesia, because that method, needless to say, is very safe for the prisoners.Totsukawa also agrees with this. "But—" Totsukawa was thinking. "Only this prisoner won't do that." Totsukawa thought so. "The prisoner has not yet killed President Tamura who was used as a hostage, and he is still in Japan." "Why, do you think that? Police, didn't you say before that the prisoner must have a deep hatred with New Pacific Oil Company and New Pacific Trading. That is the root of this case. If that is the case, shouldn't the prisoner have nothing to do?" Do you not hesitate to kill President Tamura of Shinpacific Corporation?" "However." Totsukawa said, "If it was just for revenge, you probably wouldn't choose to kidnap, but would kill at that time. Because this method is the simplest. And compared to blowing up the Yohei, it is easier to snipe President Wakamiya Perhaps it would be better. The prisoner is seeking revenge on the one hand, but on the other hand he is advocating justice. When the Yangping case happened, the prisoner clearly said that he would not engage in such despicable deeds as yours. And I think Come on, that's not just casual talk. I can't be wrong that the prisoner is acting on a principle he's laid down for himself - not to do that mean thing. And, it seems, The prisoner was not very worried about being caught. Thinking about it this way, the prisoner would definitely not kill President Tamura. If he killed the hostage and flew to Bali, the prisoner and the despicable object he said would become the same despicable people." "You mean the despicable thing the prisoner said, specifically, what despicable things the New Pacific Oil Company and New Pacific Trading might have done?" "That's the crux of the matter. If I figure that out, I think the identity of the criminal can be known. That's why I tried to investigate whether the two companies, New Pacific Oil and New Pacific Trading, have caused any problems in Indonesia. It turned out to be nothing, but there was something beautiful to talk about.” Totsukawa showed Kamei the open magazine borrowed from Kojima, the head of the Indonesian section. Criminal Kamei skimmed through it quickly, raised his head after reading, and said, "Indeed, what is said here is a good story. Even if an old man in the local area dies, it is not the responsibility of New Pacific Oil and New Pacific—" "That's true. And there doesn't seem to be any mention of the Japanese being injured. It's not clear at all whether the prisoner has anything to do with the construction of the water supply facility." "Is there anything else that can be regarded as the reason?" "Mr. Kojima said that among the things that the two companies have done together, this is the only incident where a victim appeared. I believe that the way he said it does not look like a lie." "But--" "That's right. In this way, the prisoner will avenge his kindness. If I am free to move, I will go to the Taroban village on Lombok Island to investigate." "Hasn't a new member of the New Pacific Commercial Company been dispatched to investigate the Assam Chamber of Commerce? What's that man's name?" "Matsuzaki. It seems that the kidnapping of the president was hidden from him and he was only asked to investigate the situation of the Assam Chamber of Commerce." "How about asking the member named Matsuzaki to investigate the village called Taroban for us?" "Don't be stupid." Totsukawa laughed and said, "According to what was written in the public magazine. We have no way to let him investigate for us. In case, any criminal acts in that good story will be exposed. , even if we begged them, they probably wouldn’t let their company’s members investigate, wouldn’t they?” Totsukawa kept talking while trying to imagine the fishing village called Taroban. For Totsukawa, who has never been to Indonesia, it is not possible to imagine the specific appearance of a fishing village.Only the photos he had seen in magazines at some point came to his mind. Slices of coconut trees and the so-called sea of ​​coral reefs are really the most beautiful scenery. The city of Denpasar ushered in Sunday under a clear blue sky.Matsuzaki decided to follow Yumiko's wish, instead of taking a car, he took a carriage to Sanuru Beach. The Big Eight is a convertible with seats installed.The driver was a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, and he drove the horse with a rough yell.Taxi carrying tourists sped up from behind from time to time, but the boy was still driving the horse leisurely. On both sides of the paved road are stretches of paddy fields, which is an idyllic landscape painting.The sound of "Tuk Tuk..." sounded in the air, which made people feel refreshed. Yumiko who was chatting in Bahasa Indonesia with the boy who was driving suddenly burst out laughing.She whispered in Matsuzaki's ear: "He said just now that Japanese men's mouths are eloquent. He advised me to be careful." "Perhaps your Indonesian is so good that he thinks you are also an Indonesian who gave you advice." "Puff puff!" "Anything funny?" "The kids here are smart. I'm happy to see me, just a compliment." "how come?" "In this case, we have to pay some money as a tip." Yumiko seemed to be very happy talking. The paddy field disappeared, and a golf course appeared on the right, a modern golf course with a rather impressive clubhouse. "In a little while, we will arrive at Sanuru Beach." Yumiko reminded. It was the sea breeze that blew over. Suddenly, my eyes lit up, and the blue sea appeared in front of me.What a majestic coast it would be if it weren't for the cacophony of hotels lined up there!This beach is a white beach formed by scattered Shanhu Lake. Matsuzaki rented a small sailboat with oars and went out to sea with Yumiko. She took off her hunting-dyed cloth and wore a yellow bikini underneath.The bronze slim figure makes people feel very healthy. "Chasi, Tiku (extremely beautiful)." Matsuzaki praised clumsily. "You really know how to slip your tongue and sail a boat, are you really that confident?" "I used to drive in college." As soon as the wind picked up, the small sailboat began to glide on the sea. The small sailboat left the island and sailed to the distant sea.In the time of a bag of cigarettes, the island is gone. "That's Lombok." Yumiko introduced. "Were the Tan couple really born in the Taroban village on Lombok?" "yes." "I really want to see it." "Is it because it is the hometown of the Tan couple?" "No. When I first joined New Pacific Commercial, someone told me that the most successful business of our company in Indonesia is the engineering project in Taroban Village on Lombok Island." "What is it?" "Because we laid water supply pipelines for that fishing village free of charge, even the Indonesian minister sent us a letter of thanks to us and the New Pacific Petroleum Company, which helped them together. Needless to say, the villagers are also grateful to us. They should also be grateful now. Yes. If I go with you, I think I'll be welcomed by them." "Do you think you will be welcomed just because you are a member of New Pacific Trading? Then why am I popular? I have never been to that island once." "When I get there, I will introduce you to them and say that you are my lover." "Uh?" "Why don't you just say you're my friend?" "I have no idea." Yumiko looked at Lombok quietly. "what are you thinking about?" "I've been here a year and a half, you know?" "Well, I heard you say it when we first met." "I don't want to use that to show off. I just intend to get involved in the lives of the local people a little bit. Will you do the same, alienating the Japanese and only interacting with the Indonesians?" "Ok?" "In case, in the Taroban village of Lombok, if there was such a friendly exchange and mutual assistance relationship between Japan and Indonesia as you said, I should have heard of it. Most of the people here are very talkative. As a Japanese, I should also talk about the situation in that village, but I have never heard of the fact that Taroban Village built a water supply pipeline with the help of a Japanese trading company.” “However, I have seen photos in magazines before. There are photos of the staff laying the water pipes with the locals, and there are photos of the villagers beaming around when the water is sprayed after turning on the faucet. That It’s definitely not something made up. And I’ve seen thank you letters from Indonesian ministers adorning the president’s office. That definitely can’t be forged.” Speaking of Matsuzaki, he didn't care much about politics when he was a student, and after joining Pacific Corporation, his spirit of loving the society was not particularly strong.He always thinks that the company is the company and he is himself.Even so, when he came here, he would take it seriously and unknowingly defend himself if he encountered people who were staring at his company's affairs. "Do you want to visit Lombok?" Yumiko asked. "I think so." Matsuzaki nodded. "However, it is said that the current in the strait is very strong, and such a small sailboat may be very dangerous." "The communication ship is going to Lombok, right?" "But, didn't you say that you wanted to watch the Kechaku Dance too?" "That dance can only be seen in the evening. Moreover, in Bali, there are activities such as sacrifices and dances anytime and anywhere. In contrast, I would rather go to the place called Taroban in Lombok to visit first." "You don't seem to believe what I'm saying?" "How can you know if you don't go and see?" "Okay. Then go and see?" So Matsuzaki turned the sails and turned the bow of the ship to the shore and sailed back.The sail rang "Crack! Crack!" An old-fashioned ship of less than 200 tons is crossing the Lombok Strait, and the hull keeps making "creaking" sounds.It was this ship that transported Matsuzaki and Yumiko to Mataram on Lombok.Coming from Bali, look, this island is like undeveloped land.There are no decent hotels, and none of the roads are paved.Although it looks raw and natural, it seems a little too much. Yumiko found a bojiu jeep. "He said he could send us to the Taroban village." Yumiko pointed to the bearded man sitting in the driver's seat.The man grinned in this direction. "How much will it cost?" "To Taroban Village, it costs 2,000 rupees (1,400 yen) for two people." "It's too expensive. The actual distance between Taroban Village and Mataram should only be 20 to 30 kilometers." "However, I couldn't find another car. Do you want us to take this mountain road?" "OK, let's go with it." The two sat in the back seat of a jeep scorched by the sun.The driver offered to pay an advance payment.As soon as Matsuzaki said no, the man immediately jumped out of the car and went to the corner of the tree to lie down. No way, Matsuzaki had to pay him first.As soon as he got the cash, the man grinned again as if nothing had happened, returned to the driver's seat, sat down, and immediately started the car.The car ran on the uneven road, and a cloud of dust was raised behind it. On Bali, there are many wide paddy fields, and buffaloes lie quietly in the paddy fields.Here, what can be seen on both sides of the road are banana trees and taro planted in the gaps opened in the forest.Occasionally coconut palms are also planted. The staple food on this island is probably foods like bananas and taro. Yumiko and the driver chatted in Indonesian.When the man answered, he kept turning his head while driving, which made Matsuzaki feel very nervous. "What did you just ask?" Matsuzaki asked. "Just now I asked about the situation in the Taroban village. I asked if it was true that with the assistance of the Japanese club, the people in the village were able to use the water pipes." "Then what did he answer?" "He said, Yes!" "It's really good." "Are you relieved?" "I really want to drink the water flowing from the water pipe earlier." In the direct sunlight of the equatorial region, Matsuzaki and Yumiko were grilled from head to body in the jeep.Throat felt dry and burning.It lasted about 20 long minutes.The buttocks are so painful.Finally, a small village by the sea came into view. The entrance to the village is a fence, so it probably counts as a gate. The two got out of the car there. "Look, look here!" Matsuzaki called out, pointing to the monument built on Xiaoping not far from the village. It was a stone monument about 150 centimeters high. "It records the deeds of the construction of the water supply pipeline in both Japanese and Indonesian languages." Matsuzaki raised his voice and said excitedly to Yumiko: "The water supply pipeline here is provided by two Japanese companies, the New Pacific Oil Company. , New Pacific Corporation and the Indonesian people worked together to complete the construction. What do you think?" "It's really well written." Yumiko nodded as if she was not interested. It is this small flat land that people regard as a place to fetch water.The faucet was gushing white water, and several women were washing clothes while chatting loudly. "Slamado, Xi'an (Hello!)!" The two greeted them. "Slamado, Xi'an!" The women also said with a smile. Yumiko walked among them and knelt down to chat. Because Matsuzaki couldn't understand what they were saying, he went to the faucet, washed his face with the sprayed water, and took a few more sips.Really cool and delicious water. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face.At that time, the facial expressions of the women gradually froze.The frank faces that had a good chat with Yumiko at first quickly lost their smiles.The women began to keep silent, and some even shook their heads. "What did I do?" Matsuzaki was muttering in his heart, looking over there, he saw Yumiko got up with displeasure and walked towards him. "It's kind of weird." Yumiko frowned and said to Matsuzaki. "what do you mean?" "I don't know, anyway, so as not to be a little strange." Yumiko led him through the village to the beach. They thought that there would naturally be white sand and blue sea like Sanuru Beach in Bali.However, what the two of them saw was a sea as muddy as tea-stained water. On the surface of the sea at a distance of 100 meters, a 6,000-ton ship with a strange shape floated motionless. The boat made a rattling sound and looked like it was pulling water.Men who looked like locals on the deck were working. "Maybe it's a dredger." Matsuzaki said, "It was digging deep into the seabed, and the sea was muddied as a result." "There's an Indonesian flag and a Japanese flag over there." "Really is." "Now I understand." "What do you unserstand?" "The people in this village are not from the Taroban village." Yumiko said something strange. "I don't understand what you mean. Don't you live in the Taroban village, but don't you call yourself a Taroban villager?" "That's not what it means. The women who washed clothes at the water supply place just now came from Java Island this year. It is said that the government is worried about the overpopulation problem on Java Island, so it rewards them to go to Sumatra Island. Immigrants from other islands. People here moved here from Java Island because of this policy.” "So where did the people in this village go before?" "As soon as I asked this, they suddenly fell silent. And there is another point. When I asked their husbands what they did, they only said that they worked on the boat. At that time, I thought they must be fishing at sea, but I didn't expect The so-called ship is actually this dredger.” "So, what happened to the Tan couple of the Assam Chamber of Commerce?" "None of the women at the water supply knew anything about the Tan couple." "That is to say, the Tan couple are not immigrants from Java Island, but the original residents of the Taroban village?" "probably is." "I really don't understand. Could it be that people who immigrated from Java expelled all the people from the original village in this village that has been repaired for water supply and is now suitable for living?" "The people in the countryside here are not as competitive as the Japanese, and they are not aggressive. Even if we get angry, they are still carefree. The thing of driving out all the people living in a village It should be absolutely impossible." Yumiko determined very decisively. Matsuzaki also felt that she was right. Although Matsuzaki's arrival was only three days old, compared with Tokyo, where the competition for survival is fierce, this place can be regarded as a very good place. The pace of life in Indonesia can be described as quite leisurely. "So, why did the villagers here disappear after that? Our company managed to install the water pipes for free, but in the end-" "Don't talk about it for now." Yumiko suddenly shouted. "What happened?" "There, look to the right!" "Uh?" "Go to the right, take a look at the surrounding environment in that area." Matsuzaki, who was looking at the sea, didn't quite understand what Yumiko said, so he turned his head to look at the environment in the area she was talking about. The first thing that came into view was the outline of a lifeless village.It was a poor fishing village with no more than forty or fifty households.No, should it still be called a fishing village?On the beach, a few small boats like canoes were just so broken and abandoned.It was probably a fishing boat discarded by fishermen who used to live in the village. Under the tallow mallow tree, naked children are playing with old tires.A very familiar scene, not a little different from the impression. However, when Matsuzaki looked up and looked a little farther away, he let out a small "ah". Yumiko knew what he saw. It was a continuous metal mesh. I saw metal mesh where I got off the jeep before, and I didn't expect it to be so big at first. This small coastal village is surrounded by low and flat mountains, and the metal mesh stretches along the ridgeline of the mountains, like the Great Wall of China. Matsuzaki was fascinated by the metal net, and he couldn't help but think of the scenery of Okinawa.When he was a student, he went to Okinawa several times because he liked the sea in Okinawa very much.At that time, what could not be explained was the continuous metal mesh that flew past his eyes when his car was driving along the national highway. It's that metal mesh that separates the residents of Okinawa from the U.S. naval base.Even Matsuzaki, who doesn't care about politics, will feel an inexplicable sense of oppression whenever he touches the metal mesh in Okinawa. The exact same metal mesh appeared before his eyes again.Could it be something built by the villagers of Taroban Village to prevent wild beasts from attacking?But he hasn't heard any rumors about any dangerous beasts on this island, probably snakes at most.But if it is a snake, such a large grid will have no effect at all. Matsuzaki walked to the nearest place with wire mesh.He saw a sign that said "KEEPOUT" hanging on the metal. 那个牌子的下面，意外地发现还写着一排日文：“未经许可者禁止入内。”和那一起并排写着的印度尼西亚语不用想，大概也是相同的意思的文字。在冲绳，也有用英文和日文写着的同样的文字。 然而，更让松崎吃惊的是署名人的名称。 “印度尼西亚和新太平洋合资会社。” “印度尼西亚警察署。” 所谓的印度尼西亚新太平洋合资会社就是以松崎工作所在的新太平洋商事为首的新太平联合公司在印度尼西亚从事经营业务时所用的名称。印度尼西亚为了保护民族资本，规定成立合资公司的时候，民族资本占百分之五十一以上，而外国资本占百分之四十九以下。但是，在缺乏资本的印度尼西亚，那个规定怎么也得不到遵守倒是真的。 这个印度尼西亚新太平洋合资公司，名义上应该是五十一比四十九的资本对比，但是可以肯定的是本来要投入资本量占百分之五十一的印度尼西亚公司换成了新太平洋联合公司。 “那不是你们公司吗？”由美子在身边对他说。 "yes." “来这里干什么？你们公司。” “我听说过，以我们公司为首的新太平洋联合公司有一个在龙目岛上建设一个大型石油基地的计划。这里也许是其中的一个据点。” “那么所谓的免费建设供水管道，莫非只是为了捞取这片土地的诱饵？”由美子十分严肃地说。 松崎摇了摇头，说：“没有那种事情。对印度尼西亚而言，龙目岛的开发是必不可少的任务。我想正是因为这对彼此都有好处，新太平洋联合公司才在这里投资的。眼下，印度尼西亚正在为失业问题而头痛。我们在这里投资，开始准备修建港口，这就产生了工作需求。刚才在挖泥船上的工作的村民应该就是干的这些工作。” “可是海水被污染了，也不能再出海打渔了。” “那只是一时的污染。而且，这个村里的人们大概都是从爪哇岛上移民过来的。如果那样的话，不能打渔也并没有特别大的影响。特别是，允许到这个村里生活又能用上水，还有工作可做，相比之下，这样不是受益更多吗？我虽然对印度尼西亚的事情不很了解，但是要说一般居民的贫困情况的话，只要到登巴萨市里转一转，就会清楚了。因此，我想这些和日本的水平相比，我是不会搞错的。而且，那些工作是由谁给谁的工作并不重要。总之，对这里的人们来说，有个能够谋生的地方和工作是必要的。” “怎么突然这么能说会道了呢？”由美子这么一说，松崎的脸顿时就窘红了。不过他认为自己并没有讲错。 “一味地认为日本企业总是不对的想法，我看是偏见。新闻业与其用对企业的赞美，不如批评的方式更能招揽读者。结果在海外的日本企业总是受到批评。如果，真的像他们所报道的那样，日本企业现在应该全面没落了。” “了不起的爱社精神。” “我说的只是事实。” “那么，为什么龙目岛上原来的村民消失不见了呢？” “我也不知道。不过，请稍等一下，有人——” “那对阿萨姆商会的夫妇俩。” “好像是的，你说过那对老夫妇俩是从龙目岛上的这个村里出来的。” "yes." “然而去年这里还是原来的塔罗班村的村民。如果去问一下那对老夫妇应该会知道原来这里的村民为什么抛弃了村庄，他们又都跑到哪里去了。” "Very likely." “很可能什么？” “那对老夫妇俩也许会不愿意说。如果有什么辛酸的原因的话。” “应该不会有什么辛酸的理由的。” “为什么那么肯定呢？” “你想想看啊。”松崎离开金属网，一边朝纪念碑走回去，一边对由美子说，“你看看这座碑，就算你将其指责为诱饵，无论是不是诱饵，新太平洋联合公司毕竟是为这个连水管都没有的未开化的村庄铺设了供水管道。那对村民来说，应该不会是什么辛酸经历吧？” “可能，铺设供水管道换来的却是将原属于这个村庄的那么大片土地用金属网给围了起来。” “那的确是不假。不过，补偿金应该也支付过的嘛。坦夫妇俩不是也用那笔钱在登巴萨市里开了一家叫阿萨姆商会的杂货店吗？不用说，我想那笔补偿金多少还有一点金额吧。不过，补偿金金额的麻烦哪个国家都会有吧。美国有，日本也有。” “那么，你认为坦夫妇俩会很乐意告诉我们吗？” “我不知道他们会不会乐意。即使补偿金很多，他们也还是被赶出了出生在这里的故乡。不过，我看他们不会不告诉我们的。”松崎满怀自信地说。