Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

Mameha has won her bet with Mom, but she still has a stake in my future.So for the next few years, she always managed to get me acquainted with her best customers, as well as other geisha in Gion.At the time, we were just recovering from the Great Depression, and there weren't many formal receptions.She took me to many informal gatherings, not only tea house banquets, but also hiking and swimming, sightseeing tours, Kabuki performances, etc. Many of Gion's grand banquets feature well-known artists, writers, and kabuki performers.But a general geisha banquet is very boring. The host is probably the leader of a small company, and the guest of honor is his supplier, or an employee he just promoted, or something like that.From time to time, some geisha kindly told me that as an apprentice, my task is not only to dress up beautifully, but also to sit quietly and listen to other people's speeches, hoping to become a person who is good at talking one day.Alas, but most of the talk I hear at parties isn't smart.A male guest might say to the geisha next to him, "It's warm, isn't it?" The geisha will reply, "Oh, yes, it's very warm!" The guests began to sing, and soon, the guests who talked to her were so drunk that they forgot that they hadn't been as happy as they wanted.It's always been a horrible waste, in my opinion.

Of course, from time to time I overhear a conversation of a really smart geisha, and Mameha is naturally one of them.I learned a lot from her talk.For example, if a guest says to her, "It's warm, isn't it?" she has at least a dozen responses ready.If the other party is an old pervert, she might say, "Warm? Maybe it's because you have so many beautiful women around you?" If it's an arrogant young businessman who doesn't know the heights of the world, she might kill his prestige, " You have six of the best geisha in Gion sitting next to you, and you can only talk about the weather and nothing else." I happened to be watching her once, and she knelt down beside a very young lad, He was only nineteen or twenty years old at the most, and if his father hadn't been the host of the party, he probably wouldn't have come to the geisha banquet.Of course, he didn't know what to say or do among the geisha, and I'm sure he felt nervous, but he turned to Mameha very bravely, and said to her, "Warm, isn't it?" She lowered her voice, and replied: "Oh, warm, of course you're right. You should have seen me coming out of the bathroom this morning! I usually feel cool and relaxed when I'm naked. But this morning, I was covered in a little sweat Beads, on the thighs, on the belly, and... well, and other places."

The poor boy's fingers were trembling as he put the glass down on the table.I'm sure he'll never forget this geisha party as long as he lives. In the summer of 1938, when I was eighteen, it was time to "change my collar".Apprentices wear red collars, while geisha wear white collars.Although if you saw a geisha with an apprentice, you wouldn't pay attention to their collars.Apprentices wear elaborate long-sleeved kimonos with dragging obi that might remind you of Japanese dolls, while geishas may have a more modest appearance, but are more feminine. Less than three weeks after I changed my collar, my mom came and told me I was going to have a danna next month.

"A danna? But, mother, I'm only eighteen..." "I'll make up my mind," Mom said, "Only a fool would let go of Yan Junhe's conditions." When I heard it, my heart almost stopped beating.I think it was obvious that Yan would one day offer to be my danna, after all he had competed for my "Shui Yang" a few years ago, and since then he has invited me more often than anyone else. I'm going to accompany the banquet.On the day when Nobuo and I met in the sumo arena for the first time, my almanac said, "The balance of good and bad luck opens the door of destiny." After that, I think of this sentence almost every day, the so-called good and bad... Well, it's Mameha and Hatsumomo, the consequence - I was adopted by my mother, and the antecedent - "Mizuyo", and of course the president and Nobu.I'm not saying I don't like Yeon, quite the opposite.Just by becoming his mistress, my life will never be related to the president.

In the afternoon, I started to feel dizzy and my head was buzzing strangely, so I went to talk to Mameha at her apartment.It was hot, and I sat at the table, sipping her cold barley tea, not wanting her to see how I felt.I have undergone all kinds of training just to get close to the chairman. If my life is only Nobu, dance performances, and night after night in Gion, I don’t know why I have to struggle so much. Mameha had been waiting for a long time to hear why I came here. I put the teacup on the table, took a few minutes to calm myself, and finally swallowed my saliva and said reluctantly: "Mom told me that in a month I might There will be a danna."

"Yes, I know. This girl is Yeon Joon Hwa." I've been trying so hard not to cry, I can barely speak. "Mr. Yen is a nice man," she said, "and he likes you very much." "Yes, I like Nobu too, but..." "But because you want Shizue's fate. Is it?" Although Jingzhi is not a popular geisha, everyone in Gion thinks she is the luckiest woman.For thirty years she was the mistress of a pharmacist.He wasn't very rich, and she wasn't very beautiful, but you couldn't find a couple as affectionate as they were in all of Kyoto.As usual, Mameha can always tell the truth that I don't want to admit.

"Sayuri, you're eighteen," she continued, "neither you nor I know our destiny. Probably you never will! Fate isn't always like the end of a dinner party. Sometimes it's just a struggle to get by That's all." "But, Mameha-san, this is too cruel!" "Yes, it was brutal," she said, "but none of us escaped our fate." "I'm not trying to escape my fate. As you said, Mr. Yan is a good man. For his love, I know I shouldn't have any other thoughts except gratitude, but... I still have many dreams." "So you're worried that if Nobu touches you, your dream will be shattered? Seriously, Sayuri, what do you think about the life of a geisha? If we had a good life, we wouldn't come to be a geisha. We came to be a geisha because There is no choice."

"Hey, Mameha-san... Am I stupid for doing this? I've been holding on to hope that one day..." "Little girls have hopes for all sorts of stupid things, Sayuri. Hopes are like hair accessories, girls want to wear as many as possible, but when they get old, even just one looks stupid .” I tried to hold back my tears, but a few drops came out, like drops of sap oozing from a tree. "Sayuri, go back to your art hall," Mameha said to me, "Get ready for the night before you. Nothing beats disappointment like work." I looked up at her, wanting to plead one last time, but seeing her expression, I withdrew my intention.I don't know what she was thinking, but there seemed to be nothing in her eyes, her beautiful oval face was tensed, and the corners of her eyes and mouth were wrinkled.Then she sighed heavily, and lowered her eyes to look at her teacup. I think this kind of eyes are bitter.

A few weeks passed, and one evening, in the foyer of the Ichiritei Tea House, Mameha mentioned that it was time for her and her mother to settle their bets.I'm sure you remember the bet they made on whether I would be able to pay off my debts before I was twenty.Of course, I was eighteen and the debt was paid off. A few days later, I was called to the living room downstairs of our art building, and I saw Mameha and mother sitting opposite each other across the table, chatting about the summer weather.Sitting next to Mameha was Mrs. Ikuta, who was Mameha's manager.Mrs. Sheng Xing held up her glasses and took out a ledger from the bag on her lap.She spread out the ledger on the table and explained each item to her mother, while Mameha and I sat in silence.

"That's Sayuri's income for the last year," Mom interjected. "My God, I hope we're as lucky as you think! It's more than the entire income of our museum." "Yes, the figures are astonishing," said Mrs. Yogata, "but I believe they are the exact figures. I have double-checked them at the Gion Registry." Finally, when they agreed on the amount that Mom should pay Mameha, Mom categorically denied that she had agreed to pay double. We sat in silence for a while.Finally Mrs. Kogata said, "Mrs. Nitta, I am in a very difficult situation. I remember very clearly that Mameha didn't say that to me."

"Of course you remember," Mom said, "Mameha has her memories, and I have mine. We wanted a third party, and luckily we have one here. Although Sayuri was young at the time, she had a brain for numbers." .” "I believe she has a strong memory," Mrs. Shengxing said, "but no one can say that she has no private interests. After all, she is the daughter of Yiguan." "Yes, she has," Mameha said, speaking for the first time in a long time, "but she's also an honest girl. I'm ready to take her word for it, if Mrs. Nitta accepts it too." "Of course I do," Mom said. Of all the women in Gion, Mameha and Mama were the two most influential in my life, and obviously I was going to offend one of them.I have no ambiguity about the truth of the matter in my heart, but on the other hand, I have to continue to live in the art hall with my mother.Of course, Mameha has done more for me than anyone else in Gion, and I can't take my mother's stand against her. "How?" Mom said to me. "What I remember is that Mameha did agree to only take half, but you also agreed to give her double in the end. Mom, I'm sorry, that's all I remember." There was a silence, and then Mom said, "Well, I'm not as young as I used to be. It's not the first time my memory has gone wrong." Finally, they talked about Dana.In the end, Mameha persuaded my mother to let Junnosuke Tottori be my danna.I don't know if Mameha had a change of heart and wanted to save me from Nobu, or if she had some other purpose.Mom refused at first, thinking that soldiers had never treated geisha as well as businessmen or nobles, but when she heard that the general had just got a new position in the "Military Supply Department Procurement", she began to waver.Regardless of whether the war is over in the short term, General Tottori can provide everything to our Geikan because he is the one who looks after the resources of the army.This advantage is quite advantageous in the war years when supplies are scarce. For the next week, my mother wandered around Gion, calling one phone after another, trying to find out about General Tottori.She was so involved in her work that sometimes she didn't seem to hear me when I spoke to her.I think she's busy thinking, her mind is like a locomotive pulling too many cars. During this time, I saw Nobu as soon as he came to Gion, and I tried my best to pretend that nothing happened.He probably expected me to be his mistress by mid-July.Of course I thought so too, but until the end of the month, his negotiations seemed to be going nowhere.In the weeks that followed, I noticed several times that he looked at me with bewilderment.One night, he strode past the hostess of the Yiliting tea house without even nodding his head. I have never seen him so rude.The hostess has always regarded Nobu as a regular customer. She glanced at me, surprised and worried.When I went to the parties that Yen hosted, I couldn't help noticing his anger—the muscles in his jaw twitching as he slammed the drink into his mouth.I don't blame him for feeling that way.I think he must think that I am heartless and ungrateful. He treats me so well, but I don't take him seriously.Thinking of this, I was depressed, and suddenly the soft sound of the wine glass being placed on the table woke me up.When I looked up, Nobu was looking at me.The guests around him were all laughing and talking, but he was the only one sitting there looking straight at me, as lost as I was.We were like two wet marks in a burning coal.