Chapter 20 Chapter 02 Sunshine and Shadow

A middle-aged lady, with her freshly washed hair loose, stood on her white heels, trying to put the lantern that had been blown out by the wind back in its original place.The white arm raised high, reflecting the shadow of the lamp and black hair, swayed gracefully.The cool evening breeze in February carries the fragrance of plum blossoms. "Ah Jia, let me hang up for you!" I don't know who suddenly said from behind. "Oh! Little Master." "Wait a minute!" It was not the little master Seijuro who came to the side, but the disciple Gion Fujiji. "Is it okay to hang it like this?"

"Excuse me!" Fujiji looked at the lantern with the words "wormwood house" written on it, and felt that it was not right, so he hung it up again.Some men, who never do anything at home, are unexpectedly kind and hardworking when they come to Huajie.Open the window and get the cushions by yourself, very diligent. "It's still relaxing here." Seijuro said that as soon as he sat down. "It's much quieter!" "Let me open the door!" Fujiji started to work again. The narrow corridors are surrounded by railings.Under the railing, the water of the Takase River gurgled.Going south from the small bridge of Sanjo, you will see the large courtyard of Zuisenin, followed by the dark Temple Street, and then Chihara.The world still clearly remembers that the Evil Tomb where Guan Baixiuci, his wives, concubines and children were beheaded and buried is nearby.

"If the women don't come quickly, it will look too deserted... It seems that there are no other guests tonight! What is this bitch, Jia, doing? Even the tea hasn't been served yet." Fujiji's personality was impatient, and he probably urged Ajia to make tea, so he went straight to the small corridor leading to the inner room. "oops!" I ran into a young girl who was holding a lacquered tea tray with a bell tied on her sleeve. "Oh! It's Zhu Shi!" "Don't spill the tea!" "Tea is fine! Your favorite Mr. Seijuro is here, why didn't you come out earlier?"

"Hey! It's really knocked over! Go get the rag, you knocked it over." "What about Ah Jia?" "I'm putting on makeup." "What? Make up so late?" "It's too busy during the day!" "Day?—Who's here during the day?" "What does it matter to you who is here? Get out of the way!" Zhu Shi entered the room. "Welcome to visit us." Seijuro was looking at the surrounding scenery and didn't notice her coming in. "Ah...is that you? Thank you for your hospitality last night." He's a little shy.

Zhu Shi took a pottery pipe from the shelf and put it on a container similar to an incense box. "Teacher, do you smoke?" "Smoking? Isn't smoking banned recently?" "But, everyone smokes secretly!" "Okay! I'll take a look." "I'll light your cigarette for you." Zhu Shi took out the tobacco from the ornate little case inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and stuffed it into the mouth of the pottery pipe with his white fingers. "Please use." She handed the cigarette holder to Seijuro. The way he smoked was very strange.

"so spicy!" "Hehehe!" "Where did Fujiji go?" "In mother's room!" "That guy must like Aka. Fujiji often comes here without telling me, doesn't he?" "Am I right?" "You're so annoying. Hehehe!" "What's so funny? Your mother is also interested in Fujiji, right?" "I don't know about that." "That's right! It must be like this... Isn't this just right? Two pairs of lovers, Fujiji and Ajia, you and me." The expression on Seijuro's face was still serious, but his own hand had already covered Zhu Shi's.

"Hate!" Zhu Shi pushed his hand away forcefully. Being pushed like this, Seijuro became even more lustful.Zhu Shi was about to get up, but Seijuro hugged her petite body tightly. "Where are you going?" "Don't, don't... let go!" "Hey! Come with me!" "Get the wine... I'm going to get the wine." "It doesn't matter if you don't take the wine." "Mother will scold me." "Ah! I'm having a heart-to-heart talk with Fujiji!" His face was pressed against Zhu Shi's cheek buried under the collar, which made her cheeks hot, and she turned aside desperately:

"Come here! Mother! Mother!" Zhu Shizhen yelled. As soon as Seijuro let go, Zhu Shi grabbed the bell on his cuff and fled to the back like a bird.Her cries were mixed with laughter from a corner of the back room. "spit……" Seijuro was a little embarrassed, a little lonely, and a little bitter, with an expression of not knowing what to do. "I want to go back!" Talking to himself alone, he walked into the hallway.With a displeased face, he was about to go out. "Huh? Teacher Qing!" Seeing this, Ah Jia hurriedly hugged him.Now she has her hair done and her makeup done.

A Jia hugged him and called Fujiji loudly. "Don't! Don't!" It was hard for him to sit back in his original seat.A Jia immediately poured him a glass of wine to calm his emotions.Fujiji pulled Zhu Shi out. Seeing Seijuro's serious face, Zhu Shi chuckled and lowered his head. "Pour the wine for Teacher Qing!" "yes." Zhu Shi picked up the jug. "That's what she is. Why is my daughter always acting like a child?" "That's good! It's like a cherry blossom in bud." Fujiji also sat down beside him. "But she is already twenty-one years old!"

"Twenty-one? I don't see twenty-one. She's so small--she looks about sixteen or seventeen." Zhu Shi said with a lively expression like a small fish: "Really? Mr. Fujiji. I'm so happy! I wish I could stay sixteen forever. Because when I was sixteen, a wonderful thing happened." "What's up?" "Can't tell anyone...at sixteen." She hugged her chest. "Where was I then, do you know? The year of the Battle of Sekigahara—" Ah Jia suddenly lowered her face and said: "Don't chatter, just talk nonsense. Go get the sanxian!"

Zhu Shi pouted and stood up.The shamisen played afterwards was not so much to meet the entertainment needs of the guests as to indulge in his own memories: "Mr. Fujiji, do you know this song?" "I know! One more song." "I really want to play all night!" "Oh! So you are indeed twenty-one years old." Seijuro propped his forehead with his hands all the time, remained silent, finally regained his composure, and suddenly said: "Zhu Shi, have a drink!" He handed Zhu Shi a glass of wine. "Okay, I'll drink." She didn't refuse at all, and drank a glass. "it is good!" Zhu Shi immediately returned the cup to Seijuro. "You seem to be drinking well!" Seijuro poured another cup. "Have another drink." "thanks!" Zhu Shi didn't put down the cup.The wine glass seems to be too small, if you change it to a big glass, you may not be able to enjoy yourself to your heart's content! This little girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old had red lips that had not been touched by a man, and a pair of shy eyes like a deer.But where did this woman drink her wine? "No! My daughter won't get drunk no matter how much she drinks. Let her play the piano!" Ah Jia said. "interesting!" Seijuro poured the wine with great interest. Seeing that the situation was not quite right, Fujiji was a little worried. "What's wrong with you? Little master drank too much tonight." "It doesn't matter." As expected, Seijuro never stopped. "Fuji, I might not be able to go back tonight!" After speaking, he continued to drink.Ah Jia echoed his statement: "Okay, you can stay here for a few days if you want. Right? Zhu Shi!" With a wink, Fujiji quietly pulled Ajia to another room, and whispered to her, this is a headache now, you can see Juro's infatuated look, no matter what, Zhu Shi must nod.It doesn't matter what Zhu Shi thinks, but your mother's opinion is more important.The two discussed seriously to see how much they would pay. "This..." In the dark, Ah Jia rested her heavily made-up cheeks with her fingers, thinking carefully. "How about it?" Fujiji leaned on his knees. "That's not bad! Although he is a strategist, the Yoshioka family can be said to be rich. Anyway, the previous generation of boxing masters has been the teacher of General Muromachi for a long time. The number of disciples is also the largest in the world. And Seijuro hasn't married a wife yet, no matter what, it's not a bad thing!" "I think so." "As long as you agree, she will have no objection. We shall both live here to-night, then!" There was no light in the room, Fujiji hugged Ajia's shoulder politely.At this time, a sound came from the next room suddenly. "Ah? Are there any other guests?" Ah Jia nodded silently.Then with her moist lips, she leaned into Fujiji's ear and said: "Come back later..." The couple walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.Seijuro was already drunk, and Fujiji was asleep in another room.He said he was sleeping, but in fact Fujiji couldn't sleep at all, and he was waiting for Ajia's visit in the middle of the night.However, when it was dawn, the back room was still quiet, and there was not even the sound of clothes rubbing against each other in the rooms of Fujiji and Seijuro. Fujiji woke up very late, with a stinky look on his face.Seijuro got up earlier than him, and drank again in the room by the river.Ajia and Zhu Shi sat aside, nothing unusual. "So, you want to take us there? Sure!" They seemed to be agreeing on something. It turned out that Akuni Kabuki was being performed on the banks of Shijo, and they were mentioning it. "Okay, let's go together! You can order some food and wine first." "Also, let's take a shower first!" "awesome!" This morning, only A Jia and Zhu Shi, the mother and daughter, were particularly excited. Recently, Izumo Wuko's Akuni dance has taken the town by storm. Many people imitated this dance troupe, calling themselves female kabuki, and set up several stages on the banks of the Shijo River, competing for luxury and romance. The dance codes include big log dance, Buddha-chanting dance, chivalrous dance, etc., and all dance troupes are showing own unique features. Sado Island Ukon, Murayama Sakon, Kitano Kotafu, Ikshima Tango Mori, Sugiyama Main Temple, etc., many geisha who took male stage names, disguised as men, entered and left the noble man's residence, which is also a recent phenomenon. "Not ready yet?" It's past noon. Ah Jia and Zhu Shi are carefully putting on makeup to watch female kabuki.Tired of waiting, Seijuro pulled his face down again. Fujiji was still angry because of what happened last night, and stopped being courteous. "It's okay to take women there, but when you go out, you have to pay attention to hairstyles and belts. For men, it's really troublesome." "I really don't want to go!" Seijuro looked at the river. He saw women drying clothes under the three small bridges, and someone riding a horse across the bridge.Seijuro remembered the scene of training in the martial arts school, and the sound of wooden knives and gun handles hitting each other rang in his ears.Many children didn't see him today, so they didn't know what to say.The younger brother Denshichiro will definitely blame himself. "Fuji, go back!" "Now that things have happened, why do you say that..." "But……" "I have already made Ah Jia and Zhu Shi so happy, now they will be angry! I will urge them to hurry up." Fujiji walked out of the room. He saw mirrors and clothes strewn about the room. "Huh? Where are they?" Not in the next room either. Fujiji came to a room with poor lighting, where the quilt smelled damp.Indifferently, he opened that room, too. Someone roared angrily: "Who?!" He unconsciously took a step back.Taking a closer look, the room is a bit dark, and it can't be compared with the living room in front. The tatami mats are shabby and damp.He saw a rogue-like ronin of about twenty-two or three-year-old lying there, with an unsheathed broadsword lying across his belly.His whole body is in the shape of "big", and the dirty soles of his feet are facing the door. "Ah... I'm too reckless, are you a guest here?" Fujiji had just finished speaking—— "I'm not a guest!" The man lay facing the ceiling, roaring. A stench of alcohol came from the man.Although he didn't know where he was from, Fujiji knew that he must not be messed with. "Oops! Excuse me, excuse me." Fujiji was about to leave. "Hey!" The other party suddenly jumped up and called him to stop. "Close the door!" "yes." Fujiji swallowed his anger and closed the door obediently.In the small room next to the bathroom, Ajia, who combed Zhu Shi's hair, dressed up like a lady from some family, and then appeared in this room. "Honey, what are you mad about?" Ah Jia said in a tone of scolding a child. Zhu Shi asked from behind: "Does Eighth Brother want to go?" "Where are you going?" "Go to see Akuni Kabuki." "Pooh!" Ben Wei Tian Youba twisted his lips like he was spitting, and said to A Jia: "How can a husband go out with his wife's best friend?" Carefully made up and dressed up—the women revel in the joy of going out.But when Matahachi said this, his mood was completely destroyed. "What did you say?" Ajia's eyes were filled with anger, and he asked: "Mr. Fujiji and I, what's wrong?" "Who said it was wrong?" "Didn't you just say that?" "..." "A big man—" Ajia stared at the silent man with a gloomy face and said: "Just jealous, disgusting!" Then suddenly turned around. "Zhu Shi! Don't worry about that psycho, let's go!" Youba stretched out his hand to grab Ajia's clothes. "What do you mean by crazy? You betrayed your husband and said I was crazy?" "what are you doing?" Ah Jia shook him off. "A husband has to look like a husband. Show us! Who do you think you're eating?" "What... what..." "Since you came out of Jiangzhou, have you ever made a penny? Didn't you rely on me and Zhu Shi to live? You can only drink, and you are drunk every day. Do you have the right to complain?" "Didn't I say that in order to support my family, I am willing to do even the work of moving stones! But you said that you don't want to live in poverty, and you don't want me to do things, but you like to do this kind of joke business.—— Stop doing it!" "What don't you do?" "This kind of business!" "Don't wash your hands, what will you eat tomorrow?" "Even if I move stones to build a city wall, I can support my family. What is it to support two or three people!" "If you like moving stones and hauling wood so much, then go out by yourself, live by yourself, and do what you like, isn't that great? You! You are a country bumpkin at heart, and rough work is more suitable for you Right? I won’t force you to stay in this house. How about it? If you don’t like it, feel free to—” In front of Youba's tears of frustration, A Jia left, and Zhu Shi also left.Until the figures of the two had completely disappeared, Youba still stared blankly into the distance. Youba's tears fell on the tatami like boiling water.It is too late to regret now, but at that time, I was injured and collapsed in the Battle of Sekigahara, hiding in a family in Ibuki Mountain, immersed in the warmth of human feelings, as if regaining my life.But in fact it is no different from falling into the hands of the enemy--Digital being captured by the enemy and locked up in the army, compared with being the solace of an amorous widow, thus losing the value of a man, and sullenly being ridiculed and insulted in the shadows , which one is happier?A Jia is like eating a fairy peach, youthful forever, full of endless sexual desire, hypocritical and despicable, she treats him like this on the wrong road of man's rebirth. "Beast!" Yatachi's body trembled. "Beastwoman!" Tears soaked his clothes, and he felt an urge to cry from the bottom of his heart. Why?Why didn't you go back to Miyamoto Village at that time?Why not return to Atong's arms? Miyamoto has his mother.Also my brother-in-law and sister, and my uncle who lives in Heyuan. ——Everyone is full of warmth! At Qibao Temple where Atong lives, the bell is ringing as usual today!The water of the Yingtian River is still flowing!It should be the spring of singing birds and fragrant flowers in Heyuan now! "Stupid idiot!" Youba beat his head with his fist. "I am stupid!" A Jia, Zhu Shi, Seijuro, Fujiji—the two guests and mother and daughter who lingered so much last night finally left the house in a mighty way. Everyone said in unison: "Oh! It's spring!" "It's almost March!" "I heard that General Tokugawa's family from Edo will go to Beijing in March. You can make a lot of money again!" "No, no." "Don't the samurai in Kanto like to have fun?" "They were reckless..." "...Mom, listen! It's the music of Ah Guo Kabuki...I heard the sound of the bell and the flute." "Hey—this kid, he keeps talking about these things, and his soul has flown to the theater!" "But……" "You should help Mr. Seijuro get the bamboo hat first!" "Hahahaha! Little master, you are really a good pair!" "Damn it!...Mr. Fujiji!" As soon as Zhu Shi turned his head, Ah Jia quickly pulled back the hand that was tightly held by Fujiji under his sleeve. ——These footsteps and voices all flowed from the side of Yuhachi's room. There is only one floor of windows separating the room from the road. "..." Matachi's eyes were full of terror, and he watched them leave from the window.I am simply a cuckold tortoise!He was filled with jealousy. "What is this?" He sat down again in the dimly lit room. "What kind of ugliness is this? How embarrassing! Look at my mournful face, how embarrassing!" Talking about this is scolding himself - no brains!I'm furious!Too superficial—he resents himself, blames himself. "The girls told me to get out, so I just left. Why do I have no reason to miss this family and hold on to it? I'm only twenty-two! I'm young and promising." Staying alone in a quiet room, Youbayou said to himself: "I'm leaving here." Saying this in his mouth, his body didn't mean to stand up.Why?He couldn't figure it out himself, he just felt confused and his mind was in chaos. I have been living this kind of life for the past two years, and Yahachi also feels that his brain has become dull.He couldn't bear his woman's obsession with bewitching him back then, and then flirting with other men.He couldn't sleep at night; he was also restless during the day and dared not go out.Only in the damp room, depressed, drink away the sorrow. The old woman! He tasted anger.He wants to kick away all the ugly things in front of him, and stretch his youthful ambition to the sky.Even if it's a bit late, at least the prodigal son can turn back. But... having said that... At night, these resolutions were thwarted by an uncanny fascination.Why is she so attractive?Is that woman a devil?Even though she told him to get the hell out, said he was a nuisance, a madman, and everything she said about him turned into a joke in the middle of the night--the woman would become a happy honey.Although she is nearly forty years old, she has bright red and moist lips, not inferior to Zhu Shi at all. There was another reason Matahachi couldn't leave. If one day he really leaves here and moves stones where Ah Jia and Zhu Shi can see, he probably won't have the courage.He has lived this kind of life for five years, and the habit of being lazy has already penetrated into his bones.Now he is dressed in silk and can tell the quality of wine. Matahachi of Miyamoto Village is no longer the simple, resolute, earthy young man he used to be.Especially when he had an affair with an older woman before the age of twenty and lived an abnormal life.It is only natural that his youth lost its vigor at some point and became groveling and sluggish. But...but today is different. "Beast! Wait a minute and don't be too impatient!" He encouraged himself angrily and stood up. "I want to get out of here!" Youba said loudly, there was no one at home, and no one stopped him. There was only a big knife that never left his hand, and You Ba stuck it around his waist, and then bit his lip to make up his mind. "I'm a man anyway." He had already developed the habit of not going out openly through the door with a curtain, but now he put on his dirty straw sandals and quickly walked out through the kitchen door. "Now..." Youba's feet seemed to be nailed, and Youba blinked in the bitter east wind in early spring. —Where are you going? To him, the world is like unfathomable sea water.The only places he is familiar with are his hometown, Miyamoto Village, and the area where the Battle of Sekigahara took place. "correct!" Youbayou, like a dog, sneaked into the kitchen door and returned home. "I have to take some money with me." He thought about it. Entered Ajia's room. Small boxes, drawers, mirror stands, he rummaged through everything he came across, but he couldn't find any money. This woman had expected this day long ago.Frustrated again, she sat down in disappointment among the messy pile of women's clothes. Red silk, Nishijin weaving, Momoyama dyeing, the clothes smell of Ajia—she is watching the performance side by side with Fujiji in the Akuni singing and dancing house on the river bank, right?Her provocative posture and white skin appeared in Youba's eyes. "The temptress!" Only regret and painful memories kept oozing out of my mind. But what makes Youba miss the most is his fiancée, Atong, who was abandoned in his hometown. He couldn't forget Atong.No, the longer the days pass, the more he can understand the innocence of the earthy girl who promised to wait for him in the countryside. Now he really wants to put his hands together to apologize to her, and really wants to see her. However, he and Atong have already broken their fate, and he has no face to see her. "It's also the whore's fault." It's too late to see now.In the past, when he honestly told about A Tong waiting for him in his hometown, A Jia showed a graceful smile on his face, as if it didn't matter, but in fact he was jealous in his heart.Finally, he found an excuse to quarrel with these things, and forced him to write a letter severing ties with Atong.Moreover, Ah Jia himself wrote an explicit letter and sent it to Atong in his hometown. "Ah, what would she think? Ah Tong, Ah Tong!" Youba was talking frantically to himself. "What is she doing now?" In his remorseful eyes, he seemed to have seen Atong, seeing his eyes full of resentment. In my hometown, Miyamoto Village, it should be almost spring!That nostalgic mountains and rivers. Youba wants to call here.The mother there, the relatives there, everyone is full of warmth, even the soil is warm. "I can no longer set foot on that land—it's all the woman's fault." Another eight flattened Ajia's suitcase, tore the clothes one by one, and kicked them to the ground. ——There has been a knock on the door since just now, but he has not heard it. "I'm sorry. I'm an errand runner for Shijo Yoshioka's family. Have the little master and Mr. Fujiji come here?" "have no idea!" "No, it's time to come. I know it's too reckless to find someone in a place where they travel privately. But now, a big event happened in the martial arts hall, which is related to the reputation of the Yoshioka family—" "Whispering!" "No, you can convey it to me...A martial arts practitioner named Miyamoto Musashi from Tajima came to the martial arts school. None of the disciples could handle him. He is very stubborn. He must wait for the little master to come back. Stay there and refuse to go. So please tell him to go back as soon as possible." "What? Miyamoto?"