Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty Eight

Throughout the 1930s, most Japanese lived in a dark valley, but we still had a little sunshine in Gion.I believe I need not give reasons, but the mistresses of cabinet ministers and naval officers are always the beneficiaries of large sums, which they in turn share with others.It can be said that Gion is like a pond on the top of a mountain, in which streams from all walks of life flow endlessly.In some places the water came in more abundantly, but the whole pond was always rising. Thanks to General Tottori, our art building is also one of the places with plenty of water.There were a few years when things went from bad to worse around, but even long after rationing was introduced, we still had regular access to luxuries like food, tea, linen, and even cosmetics and chocolate.But the darkness continued to hang over Japan, and finally, the ray of light on which we depended for survival was also extinguished.

In December 1942, one New Year's afternoon, I was having breakfast when a military policeman came. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and began to announce a long list of crimes against our art museum.I can't remember them all--the hoarding of cotton, the unturned metal and rubber items needed for the war, the misuse of ration coupons, and all that sort of thing.We did commit these things, but every art museum in Gion did.My guess is that our crime is simply that we have more property than most art houses, and that instead of failing prematurely, we are doing quite well. Fortunately, at this time, my mother came back.She didn't seem surprised to see the presence of military police.She invited him into the reception room and offered us some tea that came from the wrong direction.The door was closed, but I heard them talking for a long time.Later she told me that General Tottori was detained this morning.

Within a week after the military police arrived, our art museum was confiscated with many things that other families had lost long ago, such as food, clothes, and so on.Day after day life became more and more miserable, and we all began to worry about when the war would end. One morning in January of the following year, it was snowing, and I was queuing in front of the rice store with a ration coupon, when the owner next door suddenly poked his head out and yelled. "problem occurs!" We looked at each other.The geisha in front of me wiped the snow off her eyebrows and asked what he meant.

"The government has announced the closure of the geisha district," he said. "You all have to report tomorrow morning at the registry." On the way back to the Art Museum, I didn't know what to do.I went to the apartment where Mameha was living now, because her relationship with the Baron had ended a few months ago, and she had now moved into a much smaller place.I thought she might know what to do with me, but she was just as panicked as I was. "The Baron is not going to help me with anything," she said, her face pale with worry. "I can't think of anyone else to turn to. Sayuri, if you want to come out alone, go to him as soon as possible."

Nobu and I hadn't been in touch for four years, and of course I knew I couldn't go to him.As for the president... Well, I'll take every opportunity to talk to him, but I can't ask him for help.Despite his friendly manner in the hall, he never invited me to his parties, not even when there were few geisha.I feel hurt, but what can I do?Anyway, even if the chairman wants to help me, his quarrel with the military government has been in the papers recently, and he is already in trouble himself. That night, there were farewell parties everywhere in Yiliting Tea House.Interestingly, geishas reacted differently to the news.Some looked devastated, others looked like bodhisattvas, calm and beautiful but tinged with sadness.Then the maid said, someone asked me to go to another room.I thought it was a group of male guests who asked me to drink with me, but she took me to the back room of the tea house.She opened the door of a small tatami room I had never entered.There was a glass of beer on the table, and Nobu was sitting beside it.

"Come in and tell the maid to close the door. But let her bring in another beer first. You and I have something to drink for one thing." I did, and then I knelt down at the end of the table, which was across the corner from us.I felt that Nobu was almost stroking my face with his eyes, and I blushed, just like a person would blush under a warm sun, and I forgot how nice it is to be appreciated. At this moment the maid opened the door and put the beer on the table.At that time, beer was already a rarity, so watching the golden liquid fill the glass was also an extraordinary feeling.After the maid left, Nobu said, "I'm here to toast your danna."

After hearing this, I put down the beer. "I must say, Mr. Yan, there are not many things that can make us happy, but I'm afraid it will take me a few weeks to think of the reason why you toasted my Danna." "I should have been more specific. I drink to your Dana's stupidity! I told you four years ago that he was worth nothing. What do you say." "The truth is...he's not my Dana anymore." "That's what I'm going to say! Even if he's still your danna, he can't do anything for you, can he? I know Gion is closing and everyone's panicking. This morning, a geisha called My office...but can't you think of it? She asked me if I could get her a job at Iwamura Electric."

"If you don't mind, I should like to know what you told her." "I can't find a job for anyone, and I can't find a job myself. Even the chairman will probably lose his job soon, and if he doesn't listen to the government, he will go to jail. He told them, we Can't produce bayonets and magazines, but now they let us design and manufacture fighter jets!" "Mr. Yen, please speak in a low voice." "Who's listening to us? Your general?" "Speaking of the general," I said, "I've been to see him." "He didn't help you, did he?"

"Yes, he said he had exhausted his influence." "His influence is short-lived. Why doesn't he reserve some for you?" "I haven't seen him in over a year." "You haven't seen me for more than four years. I've reserved the greatest influence for you. Why didn't you come to me before?" "I always thought you were angry with me. Mr. Yan, look at you! How could I come to you?" "Why can't you come to me? I can keep you out of the factory. I can send you to the perfect sanctuary. Believe me, it's as good as a bird's nest. Sayuri, I just want to One for you. But I won't unless you admit how wrong you were four years ago. You're right, I'm mad at you! We might both be dead before we've even met. I might lose this one and only chance. You don't just leave me alone, you waste your youngest years on an idiot who can't even pay his country's debt, how can he pay you Debt. He's doing just fine like a normal guy."

The words Nobu threw were like stones.Not the words themselves, nor what they mean, but the way they are spoken.At first I made up my mind that no matter what he said, I would not cry.But I soon realized that Mr. Yeon just wanted me to cry.It feels so easy, like letting a piece of paper slip through your fingers.Every teardrop that trickles down my face has a different meaning.Too many sad things!I cry for Yan, cry for myself, and cry for our boundless future.I even cried for General Tottori.Then, as Nobuyu asked, I moved a little away from the table and bowed to the floor. "Excuse my stupidity," I said.

"Oh, get up. I'll be satisfied if you say you won't make the same mistake again." "I won't." "Every minute you spend with that man is wasted! I told you that a long time ago, didn't I? Maybe you've learned to behave now and will work hard towards your future goals." "Mr. Yan, I will work hard towards my goal. I don't think about anything else." "I'm glad to hear that. Where is your aim?" "From the guy who runs Iwamura Electric," I said.Of course, I was thinking of the president. "That's right." Nobu said, "Let's toast." I drank only on my lips, my thoughts were confused, my mood was low, and I didn't feel thirsty at all.Nobu later told me about the nest he had built.That was the residence of his friend, kimono maker Isamu Arashino.Mr. Arashino's home is also his workshop, which is located on the banks of the Repulse Bay of the Kamo River, just five kilometers upstream of Gion.Years ago, he and his wife and daughter made a name for themselves making beautiful Zen kimonos.But these days, all the kimono makers are recruited to sew parachutes because they are good at working with silk after all.Nobu said that I would learn the job quickly, and that the Arashino family welcomed me very much.Yen himself would go to the relevant authorities to make the necessary arrangements.He wrote Arano's address on a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Sayuri," he said to me, "I don't know when we'll meet again, and what the world will be like when we meet again. Many terrible things can happen to us all. But whenever I think about it, the world There is still goodness, and I will think of you. "Mr. Yen! Perhaps you should have been a poet!" "You know very well that I have no poetry." "These sweet words mean you're leaving? I wish we could go for a walk together." "It's too cold. Just walk me to the door, and we'll say goodbye there." I walked with Yeon to the street.If a few years ago, there would be a car waiting for him outside, but now only government officials can ride in the car, because there is almost no gas to drive.I suggest taking him to the tram stop. "I don't need you to accompany me now," Nobu said. "I'm going to meet our Kyoto wholesaler. I have a lot of these things on my mind." "Mr. Yan, I have to say, I prefer the farewell speech you said upstairs." "In that case, it's better to go there next time." I bowed goodbye to Nobu.Most men would probably look back, but Nobu just walked slowly through the snow, turned a corner onto Shisao Street and disappeared.I was clutching the piece of paper he gave me tightly in my hand, on which Mr. Arano's address was written.I stared at the swirling snow around me, at Nobu's footprints stretching all the way around the corner, and suddenly knew what was bothering me.When will I see Nobu again?Meet the president?Or see Gion again?When I was a child, I was taken from my home.I think it's the painful memories of those years that make me feel so alone.