Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

Konnosuke woke up at seven o'clock.He felt a little tired all over his body, and his limbs were sore.This is not usually the case.He immediately pondered the cause of his fatigue, but found no definite answer. There was a banquet the night before, and it was rare to drink some wine.The fatigue that may have been caused by this came out today after a day.Even at banquets, Konnosuke rarely exceeds his prescribed alcohol limit.But the night before yesterday, I was the host. In order to persuade the guests, I had to lead the toast. Not only is my body sore, it may be a psychological effect, but I also feel a little fever.Kinnosuke thought about today's work, and when he was convinced that there was nothing he had to deal with, he decided to take a day off.Not only today, but since last year, he has been nervous about physical fatigue. When he feels slightly tired, he tries to rest as much as possible.

Gyonosuke went downstairs to Xiangyang Corridor, and had a face-to-face with Minako who came out of the kitchen. "I don't go to work today, I may have a fever." Mina let out an "ah" when she heard that, but she had a newspaper in her hand, so she went straight into the dining room. When Konosuke was standing in front of the mirror frame in the bathroom, Minako had already turned around. "Do you really have a fever? Could it be a cold?" Minako said, putting her hand on her husband's forehead.Konosuke felt that Minako's hand touching his forehead was cold.

"A little hot?" "No, I'm afraid not. My hands have been washing things in the water just now, and they are cold. I'm not sure if they are hot." At this time, Konnosuke inadvertently turned his gaze to his own face reflected in the mirror.He saw that Mei Nazi's white and tender hand was about to retract, but when he blinked, the white and tender hand did not completely leave his forehead. After hesitating for a moment, he touched the hairline of his forehead with a white finger. "Adhesive dust or something." "It's not gray." Kyonosuke said.

"It's ash—it's been removed." Mina quickly withdrew her hand, as if she had really dusted off.Immediately afterwards, she brought the topic back. "It doesn't matter, I probably don't have a fever. However, if you can not go to work, you can rest." At this moment, Konnosuke's mind was not on the company, but what he cared about was the dust that the young wife cleverly changed the subject just now.Dust is impossible to dust off.Because it was not ash, but a spot on the skin that Kinnosuke himself only discovered four or five days ago. After washing his face, Kinnosuke took the newspaper to the corridor and sat on the rattan chair, but he didn't read the newspaper, just sat there blankly.

What exactly is love?This question suddenly rushed to his mind.What is love?This problem should have been solved several years ago.But it suddenly rushed to my heart, which means that it has not been resolved at all. Minako notices the spots on her husband's face in the bathroom.At first she might have thought it was ash, but she must have figured it out pretty quickly.It was a sign of aging popping up on the skin of my husband's face. Yet the young wife did not point it out.Not pointing it out is obviously unnatural, so it cannot be denied that her intentions are at work.The wife must be trying to avoid embarrassing her husband with a huge age gap. Perhaps this is the thoughtfulness of the young wife to the old husband.

However, such thoughtfulness was not only shown this morning.Take the silver hair that is already quite conspicuous on her husband's head, she never mentioned it, as if the word "white hair" was a taboo between two people, she avoided saying it. What is the nature of Minazi's mental state when she treats herself like this?It could be about love, or it could be the exact opposite.However, in any case, these are the wives' concern for their husbands, and there is no doubt that they do this to prevent the husband from feeling unhappy.From this point of view, this can still be called love.Conversely, if the wife's kindness is regarded as the hypocritical attitude when treating guests politely, then it is far from love.It's even the opposite.

The final conclusion of Jiaozhisuke is that maybe this can be called love, but it is more or less artificial. "Is the tea there?" Minako's voice came from the dining room. "Just drink here." So Minako brought the tea to the corridor.Konosuke noticed something he hadn't noticed just now——Minako was wearing a small green thing on her earlobe.Those are earrings.He saw Minako wearing earrings for the first time.Perhaps because of the green objects on the earlobes, Minazi's face looked a little taut and younger than usual. Konosuke didn't like earrings in the first place.If you see a young woman with small ornaments hanging from her earlobes on the tram.Although he couldn't say she wasn't cute, he couldn't help feeling that she was a superfluous thing attached to his body.

If it's a girl in her twenties, it's okay. Hanging earrings on the earlobe will add a childishness that matches her age, and it looks like a child is doing naughty things.But if she was over thirty years old, even for the sake of affection, he would not say compliments to her.Even though it was someone else's business, he would have an urge to tear off the extra thing from the earlobe at once, making him feel relieved. When the tea bowl was placed on the table, Minako realized that Kinnosuke's gaze was on her earlobe.She put her hand to her ear, touched the earring with her fingers and said, "This is a gift from someone."

"Who sent it?" Kyonosuke asked while picking up the tea bowl, and then turned his gaze to the bushes in the yard. "Mr. Yoshimatsu's wife." Yoshimatsu is the manager of the Ohira Stock Exchange.Konosuke saw it in the newspaper and knew that he had just returned from a trip abroad.Probably this is what he brought back from abroad and distributed to Minako.Minako might feel a little uncomfortable, so she turned her face to her husband and asked, "Isn't it appropriate?" Probably because of the earrings on and her lips were redder than usual.If you put on a more gorgeous suit, you can say that you are in your twenties.

"Strange?" Minako asked again. "It's good." Konosuke said.Just now Minazi pretended not to notice her own aging, but this time he replied like this, somewhat with the meaning of reciprocating her. "Don't your ears hurt?" "No, not at all—just a light nip." "Then, is it easy to fall?" "No, here, look." Minako held the earring with her thumb and ring finger, pulled it lightly to show Konnosuke, and confirmed that it would not fall off.Since it doesn't hurt and won't fall off, the way this little ornament clamps the earlobe may be quite ingenious. "It won't sway from side to side, won't it be inappropriate to wear a kimono?"

"Well." "There are also some that can dangle, and they go with a suit." Jiaozhisuke thought to himself, don't hang this stuff up.But no sound.For Konnosuke, silence was nothing more than an expression of love for his young wife.However, Konnosuke himself couldn't help but feel that it was also contrived. After eating breakfast, Jiaozhisuke went up to the second floor and entered his study.There are still a dozen new foreign publications that he wants to read but can't read in time. He doesn't go to work today, so he plans to lie on the bed and read as he likes. While Konosuke was taking a book from the shelf, Minako came in. "Oops: Are you going to read again?" "There's nothing to do." "You didn't go to work because you were tired." She said with a reproachful tone, "Mr. Mimura is calling." "Tell him, I'm going to work!" Konnosuke suddenly straightened his face. "But, they called the company first, and they called home when they heard that you were not at work." "Did you inform the company about my absence from work?" "Ai." "Say I'm sick?" "I didn't say that. If you said you were sick, someone from the secretarial department would come." "If you're at home and you're not sick, then all the calls will come here." Kinnosuke's tone was blaming Minako for her mishandling. "Anyway, tell him I'm not feeling well, and I'm lying down resting—bring me some tea next time upstairs." "Okay." Minazi walked out of the study immediately, served tea after a while, and said, "This time, Mr. Miki from the company called, what should I do?" "uncomfortable!" "But, he is Mr. Miki!" "It doesn't matter who he is, if he's uncomfortable, he's uncomfortable!" Minako walked out immediately.From behind her came the words of Kinnosuke: "Give me a thicker one." Minako brought tea again.This time it was also said that someone was calling. "Troublesome, I told him you were resting, but..." "who is it?" "Mr. Yoshizuka." "Yoshizuka? I don't know." "He said you asked him to go to the company today." "Oh! It's that Yoshizuka." He remembered that there was indeed such a thing.But said: "Lie down and fell asleep!" "Lie down and drink tea." Jiaozhisuke heard that Minazi's words were mocking him. "Today is a day off! Don't call me!" Konosuke said angrily. From time to time the phone rang upstairs.It seemed that every time a call came, Minazi went to the phone to deal with it, but she didn't pass the call upstairs. Gyonosuke walked out of the study from time to time and went to the stairs to clap hands.Then Minako's voice came; "Here we come." Then he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, lifting his earring-wearing face. "Give me tea." "Okay, here we come." After she answered, she hurried back to the kitchen. This was repeated several times throughout the morning.This time, I can't tell how many times, the wife at the bottom of the stairs said to her husband: "When you want tea, can you please ring the bell? This will save trouble." "Ring the bell?" "Yes, as soon as I rang the bell, I thought I wanted tea, and I'll bring it to you right away." That's true.Most of the time, an average of two or three teas are required in an hour.It may be a good idea to arrange to ring the bell as a signal for tea.Gyonosuke also saved himself from clapping every time he walked out of the study to the stairs.For Minako, there was no need to go down the stairs to wait for her husband's orders. The reason why Kyonosuke didn't ring the bell, but walked out of the study to the stairs, was to save Minako from having to climb the stairs to the study, out of the kindness of taking care of his wife, but she ignored it at all.Konosuke heard this from Minako's words, and felt dissatisfied.He thought that this solution was devised for her own convenience. "You mean, as soon as I rang the bell, you thought I wanted tea, didn't you?" Konosuke asked again with disgust in his heart. "Ai!" "Perhaps there will be something else besides tea?" "That's true, but..." A sad shadow crossed Minazi's face.This can also be felt from the stairs. "However, there are not many other things. Almost all of them are for tea." "Okay, then I'll ring the bell. If it's thicker, I'll ring it longer." She probably couldn't help laughing.This caused Konnosuke's displeasure.He felt that artificial love had begun to show its flaws. At this moment, Harue, the maid, said, "There is a call from Mr. Tokiwa, and he asked if it is okay to visit now?" "Let me pick it up." Minako followed the spring school, probably to refuse Tokiwa's visit. As soon as he heard about Tokiwa, Konosuke suddenly wanted to meet him.Rather than reading a book in the study and occasionally ringing the bell to drink tea, it would be more interesting to talk with Daisaku Tokiwa. When Konosuke went downstairs, he heard Minako talking by the phone. "...I don't have a fever, and I don't seem to be sick, I just feel unwell." While Minako was talking, Konnosuke came to her side. "I'll pick it up." "Oh! Please wait a moment." Minako covered the receiver with her hands, turned her face to Konnosuke, and said softly, "I told him that you are lying down and resting." "Do not worry about it." "It doesn't matter what!" A stern look flashed between Minazi's brows. "I told him you were lying down and resting, and now you're out. What's the matter? I'm not happy!" Said so, but then asked: "Then, does it matter if you let him come?" "Ok." After thinking for a while, Minazi said to the microphone, "I've kept you waiting." Then she said with a coquettish smile, "It doesn't matter, please come... Anyway, he's not very good. He seems to be a man, some meet him, some No interview...yes, that's how capricious...well, welcome." After finishing speaking, he put down the microphone. "He said that you are suffering from a willful disease. This feigning is exposed. I can't stand it!" However, there was no unbearable expression on his face. "I'm alone," Kyonosuke said. "This……" "What, I mean, no one else will come with me." "I don't think there will be. But..." The tone made her sound unsure. "Didn't he say to come alone?" "No, but..." "That's being alone." "...I think so." "You think? If you don't say anything, you're alone." Kyonosuke looked at Minako's face carefully as he spoke.It was reasonable to think that one must come alone, but she did not think so.This dissatisfied him.He wanted to see Tokiwa, but he didn't want to meet that young man named Uozu who might come with him.It's not that I have any ill feeling towards him, but I don't know why I don't want to see him. Minako was still unhappy when she entered the dining room.Whether Tokipan came alone or in two, the young wife seemed to have some doubts in her heart. "Take off the earrings, they are ugly in front of guests." At this time, Kinnosuke no longer cared about the etiquette that an elderly husband should have.Minako lazily removed first one and then the other. About an hour later, Tokiwa Daisaku's resonant voice came from the main entrance: "Your house is really nice!" The voice spread all the way to the second floor.It appeared that he had come alone.Gyonosuke asked Harue to take the kimono to the second floor and put it on. Going down to the reception room on the ground floor, I saw Daisaku Tokiwa in a suit kneeling there, looking very reserved.As soon as he saw Jiaozhisuke, he greeted him: "You are so tired, I still come to bother you..." "It doesn't matter where it is. It's nothing. If I don't call it sick, I won't get rest." "That's right. You are so busy... I sometimes pretend to be sick. But the phone still follows my ass." "That's right." "I had a friend who always pretended to be sick, and then he really got sick and died." "Ho." "On the morning of his death, his family called and said he was dead. But I said: I'm not popular with him...it's true." At this time, Minazi was about to come in with tea.But upon hearing this, he quickly turned back with the tray he was holding in his hand.After a while, the laughter of Minako and Chunzhi spread from the kitchen to the reception room. Minako appeared for the second time, and when she put the tea bowl in front of them, Tokiwa said, "It's for the incident last time. I brought the climbing rope from the victim, can you please take a look?" " "take a look?" "I have a layman's idea. I thought, if you looked at the breaks in the climbing ropes, you might find something new." "There won't be." Konnosuke replied a little nervously. "Can't you judge how the climbing rope broke based on the break?" "I can't judge." "Really?" Tokipan said, opened the leather bag he brought, groped for a while, and took out a small nylon bag from it. "Here, this is it." "Hey." Kinnosuke's eyes were attracted by it. "Do you want to open it and have a look?" "Since you brought it here on purpose, let's take a look." At this time, Kennosuke suddenly cast his gaze on Minako, and found that her face was bloodless and distorted ugly, so he said, "Let's leave it alone. It’s the same when you look at it.” It seems that the piece of climbing rope left on the body was too much stimulation to the young wife. "Don't you watch?" Tokiwa asked in surprise. "Don't read it. I think it's unnecessary to read it. Please put it away." When Konosuke said this, he felt a bit commanding, but he thought that if he didn't speak more forcefully, Tokiwa Not likely to let it go. "Really, that's a pity." With a very regretful look, Tokiwa put the nylon bag with the broken climbing rope back into his leather bag, and said bluntly, "I'm too presumptuous. A layman is ridiculous. I thought that if I inspected it with a microscope, I would immediately discover something important." Then he laughed. "Of course, there are ways to check the fracture of the climbing rope from various aspects. For example, detecting the adhesive on it, or studying the fracture state of the climbing rope fracture, etc. There may also be various other methods. Through these methods , may be able to clarify to a certain extent what the fracture is explaining. Of course, there is nothing to do here. If you borrow it for two or three days, take it to the laboratory... But, I think, even if you do this, it will be helpful for solving the mountaineering problem. The rope incident will not have much effect. Just like the last experiment, it can only provide materials for judgment. At first glance, it seems that the more materials for judgment, the better, but it is not necessarily true. Because the more materials, the more likely it is to be mixed into Some untrue material that caused misjudgment." "That's true... But according to your point of view, scientists can't go on in the profession." "No, that doesn't dissuade us from science. We live for the work of manipulating materials, and we find it worthwhile. Others use the materials we provide." "Who?" "Probably a genius. A genius can grasp the truth from various materials." "Intuition?" "In the final analysis, it is intuition. But if people who are not geniuses are allowed to judge, it will be bad. Because they will mess up the materials, make wild guesses, and thus lead to whimsical conclusions. People like me want to avoid making that kind of mistake, so Just believe what the material says. I realized I'm not a genius, so I threw away my intuitive judgment at first... I can check and provide if I ask for it, whether it's a broken climbing rope or something else Material. It can also explain the meaning of the material. However, if anyone draws arbitrary conclusions from it, I will suffer." "You..." Minazi, who had been silent all this time, raised his head and said, "I don't understand the profound truth, but if the experiment is like that, then you shouldn't have accepted it last time. Because of that According to the experiment, most people generally believe that the climbing rope was cut intentionally." "I didn't say anything like that. It's just that it hurts me for someone to draw that conclusion arbitrarily. That's what I was talking about." Minako didn't listen, and repeated, "It's fine if you don't accept it." "No, I forced him to accept it." After Tokipan said it, he probably vaguely saw the differences between their husband and wife. "Let's say goodbye today. It interrupted your good rest day." He was about to stand up. "What's the matter! Sit down for a while. I haven't finished talking last time." "Oh! Is it the matter of putting the money in an altar and burying it in the yard?" "Yes, lately I've been getting more and more into that state of mind." Minazi interrupted anxiously and asked, "What are you talking about?" Tokiwa just laughed loudly at this, then said "Then..." and got up to leave. After seeing Tokiwa off, Konosuke and Minako returned to the reception room at the same time, and each sat where they had been before. "I'm sorry Mr. Tokiwa. I'm here on a special trip." "Not necessarily, he will entrust others, but he just came to us to talk about it first." Kennosuke said. In fact, Konosuke saw Mina's pale face just now, and in order to protect her, he didn't ask Tokiwa to open the bag containing the severed end of the climbing rope, but he didn't say anything. Minako seemed to be meditating.After a while, she said as if she had made up her mind to ask clearly: "How did the climbing rope break?" "Based on the last test alone, the climbing rope itself will not break due to its own weakness. If you test the fracture just now, maybe you will get another result, but..." "Then, just give it a test, why not test it." "For whom?" At this moment, Konosuke realized that his gaze and Minako's gaze were intertwined, and they were tightly entangled in the air, even Konnosuke himself felt strange about it. Ever since Uojin and her husband had an invisible confrontation, Minako felt disheartened and listless whenever she was alone.She sat in the dining room, not wanting to do anything. Konnosuke, who went up to the study room on the second floor, felt somewhat embarrassed, and extended the interval between ringing the bell, which was rare in the past.Even so, he still rang the bell from time to time to let Chun Zhi serve tea. Minako would sometimes—once or twice a month—fell into a void and bored with everything, but never as much as today.With the matter of Yujin in the middle, it was rare for me to quarrel with my husband like this in the past.This was a problem that could neither be explained nor resolved, so the deep depression haunted her for a long time. She thought that maybe going out for a walk on the road under the sunshine in early summer would make her feel brighter.What is there to do in the street?As she thought about it, she suddenly remembered a dress she had made in a small suit shop in Ginza. She tried it on and never went there again.The price is not expensive, and I am embarrassed to ask the store to deliver it. I originally planned to pick it up when I went to Ginza one day, so I have not picked it up yet. Minako decided to use this excuse to go to the streets.Once she decides, she can't wait to get outside and get some fresh air.So, I went up to the second floor and said, "Go to Ginza for about two hours, okay? I want to get a dress." Kyonosuke was lying on his back on the bed reading a book.She thought how this person could read books and never get tired of them! "Go." Konosuke responded. His eyes moved away from the book, his expression was calm, as if he had completely forgotten what happened just now.He has a eccentric personality, and his mouth is broken and difficult to serve, but he forgets it later, which is his advantage.But today Minazi's husband is very proud. "I'll be back in the evening." "Yeah." The husband's eyes were fixed on the book again. Minako put on her kimono and put the earrings that her husband had asked her to take off to put back on her ears.She looked in the mirror and thought; I am still young, and wearing earrings is a matter of course.She looked at the small green ornament on her earlobe in the mirror for a moment.I hadn't felt it in the morning, but now it felt like a small sign of defiance to someone. Still, Minako changed her mind and took it off, but when she stood up, it adorned her ear again. "I'll be back before evening. Don't make tea for him upstairs, just give him rough tea." Minako ordered Chun Zhi and walked out of the door. Take the suburban tram to Meguro, then change to the state-owned tram, get off at Shimbashi, and then walk to Ginza.Pedestrians on the street have already put on light summer clothes.After walking for a while, the sweat oozes out. On the way from Shinbashi to the suit shop in Nishi Ginza, I suddenly thought of Uozu's company to visit him.For the sake of Yulu, the sulking that arose after having a quarrel with her husband might disappear after seeing Yujin. Minako remembered her husband's tone of voice when he spoke to her, as if she had some special feelings for Uozu.She still remembers her expression and tone of voice to her husband. After crossing the dirt bridge and walking into the shaded road, she stopped for a while.Groups of young women, as if they had made an appointment, all showed their arms and walked vigorously and energetically. Among them, there were some who were about the same age as her. But it is completely different.They dress smartly and walk lightly.In another two or three years, small wrinkles may appear around the corners of their eyes.They seem to be doing this to get ahead of time and enjoy their last youth to the fullest. Minako stared at her own face reflected in the bright window of the foreign goods store, and the green earrings came into view first.This seems to be sticking other people's things to one's own ears, which is very incongruous.Youth is only shown in the earrings, but the clothes and face are old. My husband said, "It's ugly, take it off." He said that, but I was actually young.The earrings don't match me, it's the result of blindly dressing up in clothes and spirits to look old-fashioned and simple in order to match myself with my husband. For the first time since her marriage to Konnosuke, Minako felt young.In the past, when the idea of ​​"I'm still young" came up, she always pushed it away.But now she has shaken off this self-repression.She doesn't need to worry about anyone, I just want to see myself as young! When Minazi was looking at the window, there were two or three young men who looked like college students, leaning towards her as if they were about to pounce on her.The suffocating smell of the young man surrounded Minako.Minako originally wanted to leave here and go to the company where Uozu worked to find him, but she didn't really make up her mind. In the end, she went to her original destination first—the suit shop in Ginza.When she walked to the front of the store, she stopped again, hesitated for a long time, not knowing whether to go in or not to go in.If you walk into a store, of course you have to take a dress.But it seemed stupid to visit Uozu at the company with a package of clothes.Going to visit Uozu.It's better not to go into the shop. Minako stood on the road in front of the store, still unable to decide whether to enter the store or not.Suddenly, he found a young woman standing on his right hand.Looking at her appearance, she knew that she was waiting for someone, and looked around from time to time in a state of anxiety. After a while, the woman walked away.The tight-waisted skirts that are popular this year make her a little hard to walk, and at the same time make her taut body look young.After a while she stopped, and a tall man of thirty-five or six years old appeared in front of her.The woman raised her head and said a few words to him, and then walked forward together.Minazi felt that the woman was forcibly taken away.And in the feeling she felt being pulled away was also what might be called jealousy. As the young woman disappeared into the crowd, Minako walked in the opposite direction.While walking, I thought: What can I do?Now that it's started, let's go. Minako walked back to Xinqiao, and then walked back to the direction of the village street.She walked in a hurry, as if she was in a hurry, sometimes overtaking the people in front, sometimes passing through the crowd. Before arriving at the Nanfang Building, Minazi went straight in through the main entrance, walked to the elevator opposite the main entrance, and went up to the third floor.She pushed open the door of the New East Asia Trading Company, and said Uozu's name to the female staff at the desk next to the door. "I'm not here today, I'm going to Yokohama." After hearing these words, Mina was relieved.She came excitedly but was rejected, but she thought it was still so good. Minako walked out of the Nanfang Building and came to the road.At this time, she felt that she came here precisely because she expected Yujin to be away, otherwise she would not have come.This time, she walked slowly, arrived at Xinqiao, and bought a ticket to Guohei.As a result, she came to Ginza for no reason. On the tram back, Minako completely regained her inner peace.After getting off the train in Meguro, she walked out of the station, went to a nearby Western-style confectionery shop to buy a box of cream pancakes, and then took the suburban tram home. When he got home, Konnosuke was walking in the yard. "I bought some snacks, do you want to eat?" "No, it's time to eat." As he spoke, Konosuke turned his hunched back around and walked towards the opposite side.