Chapter 8 chapter eight

Two days later, Horizawa still didn't come back. For Masako, these two days had been an unprecedented and depressing time. Mother also came to tell Lingzi that she still hadn't come home. "There is still no news, but I hope there will be no accidents." At this time, Changzi became the mother's only support.So far, my mother had never experienced such a difficult thing. She came here in a taxi in a panic, stayed at Changzi's house for less than thirty minutes, and was impatient and anxious to go back. "Did you tell Papa?" "Well. Things have come to this point. If something happens, I can't afford it! That's why I told your father as a last resort." Mother said, sighing.

"So, what did Dad say?" "He was taken aback first, then lost his temper, and severely criticized me." "Furious? . . . why?" "He said that Lingzi had a good man and eloped with him." Hearing this, Changzi's heart felt blocked.Reiko didn't come back, and neither was Horizawa.There may be a thread between the two that binds them together.However, she dared not tell her mother this. "Your father also said, let her go away for such a casual girl!" "The matter has not been figured out yet, so don't draw conclusions too early."

"Yes, I think so too. Your father said that the young girl went out for a few days without telling her parents, what other possibility is there besides elopement?" My father was right, but my mother didn't dare to argue, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart. "Could it be that something happened to Lingzi without anyone noticing?" In the newspapers recently, there have been several reports of young women being killed.Mother's fear was not unfounded. "I think I should quickly make up my mind to report to the police and ask for the missing relatives to be found."

"That's a way." "So dad agrees?" "Your father said it would be shameful to report to the police. But I think Lingzi doesn't have to elope with a man. It's better to report to the police for the record. Changzi, ask Mr. Ying what he thinks?" Masako bit her lip, trying not to let her mother see the secret in her heart. "Yingfu has not come back from a business trip." "Ouch! What? It's been many days, why haven't you come back yet?" Mother didn't immediately connect Reiko's disappearance with Horizawa's absence from a business trip.

"I think what your father said makes sense." Mother whispered: "Lingzi always hangs out with those elderly people. But she is cheerful by nature, so I thought there would be nothing wrong. Your father blamed me for pampering her too much." It seems that it is better to report to the police." Masako agrees.It would be great if the police could find out Reiko's whereabouts, but there is no news of Horizawa next to her.Changzi wanted to tell his mother about his uneasiness, but seeing that his mother was bewildered by Lingzi's disappearance, he finally didn't have the courage to speak to her.

She thought again, wait a little longer, and talk to her mother after she has definite news.Horizawa and Reiko just left Tokyo one after the other, and there was no news after they left. The analysis from these two points alone is not enough. Besides, the two are usually not very friendly.Horizawa doesn't seem to be interested in this sister-in-law, and Reiko doesn't like her brother-in-law either.Every time she came, she was sure that Horizawa was not at home.It was hard for Masako to imagine that these two were dating behind her back. The next day, Horizawa's work unit called again, asking if Horizawa had returned home.Changzi didn't know how to answer.She couldn't lie, she had to tell the truth.It was the principal who called.

"What's going on! What a headache!" the head of the class muttered. "I am so sorry!" "I'm sorry, it's a trivial matter to be sorry, I'm afraid he will fall ill outside." "Yeah! I really fell ill, and there should be news!" "Yes, it doesn't mean you fall ill in a remote place where it's impossible to even send a letter!" Is the teacher's tone conjecture, or sarcasm? Two days past the scheduled date, there was still no news from Horizawa. Masako felt anxious and felt that she could no longer keep silent.If Lingzi hadn't come back, she had no choice but to tell her mother.

If the two really eloped, after clarifying the matter, they can also take measures to deal with the aftermath. that night. Someone knocked violently on the door.Ever since her husband went on a business trip, Masako locked the door as soon as it got dark. Changzi looked at his watch, it was eight o'clock. At first she thought it was someone from her natal family.Mother would not have knocked on the door so roughly, maybe it was father, or Horizawa had returned. Changzi walked towards the door, dropped the ring and asked: "Which one is it?" "We are from B Newspaper, is this Horizawa's house?" A hoarse voice came from outside the door.

Hearing that it was a newspaper office, Changzi froze as if he had been electrocuted. "Yes, it's the Horizawa family, what's your business?" Masako saw her husband's face overlapped with her own. "It's inconvenient to talk here, please open the door, it won't take you a lot of time." Masako opened the door a crack.Two strange men appeared in front of them. One of them handed over a business card. "I am this..." Changzi involuntarily took the business card.The two pushed the door open on their own initiative and entered.Both had long, unkempt hair and dirty balachit ties.One of them was carrying a large camera.Met these two strangers.Changzi panicked and was speechless.

"Excuse me! This is the residence of Mr. Hideo Horizawa from the Economic Planning Agency!" "yes……" "Are you a wife?" "yes." "Is it convenient for us to talk here?" Changzi didn't know what the two of them were here for.Outside the door is a corridor.There are people coming and going in the corridor, and if the voice is a little louder, it will leak out the door. Changzi had to let the two strangers in. The two journalists sat down on their knees in front of Changzi. "Madam, I heard that Mr. Horizawa is on a business trip, isn't it?" After finishing speaking, he took out a notebook from his pocket.

Another man is fiddling with a camera. "yes." Changzi's face lost all color. "Is it really a business trip?" There was a slight smile on the reporter's mouth. "yes." "That's strange." The reporter held the pencil and notebook in his hand, watching Changzi's facial expression. "I heard from people in the agency that Mr. Horizawa asked for leave." Masako was silent, and she couldn't answer. "How? Did he really say he was on a business trip when he left home?" "yes." Changzi thought: Since I already know, why bother to ask, this is trying to get something out of her mouth. "Has there been no news since your husband left?" "Yes, not at all." Changzi lowered his eyelids. "When did he leave home?" "What are you asking this for?" Changzi couldn't bear it anymore and raised his eyes. Journalists idly ran their fingers through their hair. "To tell you the truth, there is something I want to ask you." Masako swallowed and stared at the other person's face. "Madam, you have a sister named Lingzi, don't you?" The reporter asked stammeringly.Masako felt more and more unhappy. "yes." The reporter with the camera pointed at Masako to take pictures. "Please put it down," Masako shouted. "What happened? Why did you take my picture?" "Oh..." the reporter said consolingly. "We heard that your husband and your sister ran away together." "No, that won't happen." Changzi said in a loud voice, "My husband and sister are late for a day or two, other than that, there will be nothing else!" "Then, do you know where Miss Lingzi has gone?" "..." "If you don't know, it will be a headache... Then where is your husband? We don't think there is anything wrong with this information." "What information?" Chang Zixiang was hit hard. "We got the information from the Economic Planning Agency. Ma'am, did your husband and sister have a relationship before?" "Yes, no, that's absolutely impossible." Changzi's face turned pale. "Where did this information come from?" "Then we don't know. Your husband's work unit called us." "Telephone?" Changzi's eyes were dark. Who made the call?The journalists didn't know either. It seemed that it wasn't a cover-up. The two of them really didn't know. "Madam, I'm sorry, but we really have nothing to offer. We're here? To tell you the truth, I want to hear your thoughts." The journalist picks up a pencil and prepares for the record. Thoughts? ——How can there be any feelings? "I don't know anything about the situation, so there's nothing to talk about." "No. Ma'am, the matter has come to this point, which shows that the information is not a rumor. Your husband said that he was on a business trip, and his whereabouts are unknown. Your sister ran away from home the day before, and there has been no news. Who is called to consider? This is obviously an elopement." !" The word "elope" was like a gust of cold wind blowing through Changzi's whole body.She never thought about these two words, but the fact was before her eyes. "Madam, you may be surprised to hear that. It's no wonder, because you may not know the ambiguous relationship between your husband and sister." "I don't believe that's going to be true." The reporter immediately took note of this sentence. "So, you trust your husband Luo!" ...Do you trust Horizawa?Masako himself couldn't figure it out.She dare not say that she fully trusts her husband.But she is fully confident that there is no improper relationship between her husband and her sister. "I don't think that's going to happen to him and his sister." "Then you trust your sister Lo!" "Yes. My sister would never do such a thing." "However, the whereabouts of both of them are unknown now, and they left home one after the other, just one day apart. What do you think about this?" "It was a coincidence." Changzi said firmly. "Ha...by chance..." The reporter nodded sarcastically, and when the flashlight came on, the reporter took a photo while Changzi was unaware. "Why take a photo?" Chang Yukeng said, "Why is your newspaper so interested in someone as unknown as me?" "Don't say you're interested. We're here on the order of the editorial department. We don't know much about the actual situation. I'm sorry." The reporter apologized to Changzi. "If you find out that your husband and sister really eloped, madam, can you forgive them?" "Let's go!" Changzi was so angry that his voice trembled. "There will be no such thing. It's too much for you to ask me to talk about my feelings based on imagination! Please go back!" Ten minutes after Changzi sent the two of them off, another group of journalists came. "This is Mr. Horizawa's residence!...Just a little time is all it takes, just stand here and talk!" The man spoke very loudly. Changzi was afraid of disturbing the neighbors, so he hurriedly opened the door to let them in. Like the two reporters who had just sent away, the other one was holding a camera and asked almost exactly the same questions. "I think it's a distant statement." Masako didn't let them in. "So, madam, you don't believe Lo!" "All in all, I have nothing to say about your questions." "However, it is always true that your husband and sister left home one after the other! From this point of view, the information is not unfounded!" "This kind of nonsense information has nothing to do with me, please come back!" "Madam, your sadness is understandable, but please tell me, even one sentence, two sentences are fine." "I have nothing to say." "This is difficult! Then I will write according to the mood of the lady we have seen, so it will be all right!" "I didn't say anything anyway." At this moment, the flash came on again. "Please go back!" Changzi said with a trembling voice. Why did this unfortunate thing happen to me?Masako felt her mind go numb. She quickly changed her clothes and left the house.If we stay any longer, there may be news reporters coming to interview one after another. She locked the door and walked out of the apartment, cold air blowing in her face and a new moon overhead. A car with the banner of the newspaper was driving towards him, one step too late, and it was time to be stuck at home again. Masako was in the tram, and even got off the tram, and even forgot how to walk back to her mother's house.Passengers in the carriage read newspapers or weekly magazines in peace.Pedestrians on the street hurried on their way.Changzi suddenly realized that he seemed to be isolated from the crowd. At the door of her mother's house, the maid greeted her from inside. "Oh, miss, the lady has gone to your place. Haven't you met her?" "Really? No." Went for two miles.Mother must have something to say to herself. "Where's Dad?" "Master is in the back room." Masako walked in along the corridor.The light was on in the living room where my father used to sit.Through the sliding glass door, I saw my father's figure. Sitting on the tatami mat, the muscles in his face twisted when he saw Masako, and he stared at Masako with terrifying eyes. "dad!" Only then did Changzi burst into tears.
The relevant report was published in the newspaper the next day, and the handling of the layout was much larger than Changzi imagined.The content is roughly the same, and photos of Horizawa and Reiko are also posted. "The official of the Economic Planning Department and his sister-in-law both disappeared, and died in love to liquidate the evil love" Headlines and content are pretty much the same. ——Hideo Horizawa, a class A class member of the Economic Planning Department, was unable to extricate himself from his love with his wife and sister, and was troubled by his wife's triangular relationship. He hinted at his wife and sister and ran away from home on July 16.Horizawa asked for leave from his unit and told his family that he was on a business trip. Horizawa's wife was unwilling to comment on this, but said that she did not find any irregularities between her husband and sister. ... Such an exaggeration of such a common event, and a photo of Changzi, seemed too unnatural. Changzi read the newspaper as if it was someone else's business and had nothing to do with him.It's like an explosion in the distance, now there is only a blast of wind, and there is no real feeling of becoming oneself immediately. However, on the day the news was published in the newspaper, everyone in the apartment looked at Changzi with strange eyes, which was the first step in the explosion. People who usually greeted each other with a smile, but when they saw Changzi, they took the initiative to avoid her. They didn't want to see her, and they didn't want to talk to her.Masako felt as uncomfortable as a needle prick from the curious gaze shot at her back. I didn't close my eyes last night.Mother couldn't sleep either.Even if my father went to bed early, he might not be able to fall asleep. Mother asked Masako about Horizawa.She didn't believe that Horizawa and Reiko would run away.Judging from Lingzi's usual performance, there is no sign of this at all.Horizawa didn't show anything like that either. However, the reporter's words had to be admitted to be true. The two left, one after the other, only one day away.And they all went to Sendai. Is there any reason why they chose Sendai? Horizawa has loved traveling since he was a student. Maybe he has been to Sendai once or twice. Reiko knows nothing about Tohoku.If they choose Sendai, then Xuan Lingzi must obey Horizawa. News reports estimated that the two died in love. This kind of statement can't make Changzi feel the truth.Why did they both choose to die? However, Masako slowly felt the seriousness of the problem when the Economic Planning Agency announced Horizawa's suspension. Two weeks have passed since the pair went missing. According to the newspaper reports, the Economic Planning Agency can no longer remain silent.Horizawa's colleagues are conveying the instructions of the section chief, announcing Horizawa's temporary suspension.Make a decision after finding out the truth. This is a temporary measure, which means that once the report in the newspaper is true, the possibility of resignation cannot be ruled out.A person who dies in love cannot hold public office. Horizawa is usually valued by the head of the section and the head of the department, and Horizawa himself is proud of it. Unexpectedly, something happened. The relationship between superiors and subordinates is nothing more than that. On the one hand, the suspension has maintained the dignity of the government, on the other hand, this matter also involves the responsibility of the minister and the section chief.If a subordinate has an accident, even if it is not a mistake at work, the boss must take preventive measures to avoid being passive. Masako, however, had no way of defending herself, and the people in the apartment focused on her alone.Not only that, people who knew her read the reports in the newspaper and looked at the wife who was abandoned by her husband with curious and mocking eyes.He seemed to sympathize with her on the surface, but sneered at her behind his back. Masako decided to move out of the apartment after discussing with her mother. Mother tried to persuade her to go back to her natal family more than once, but Changzi didn't have the courage.When I returned to my natal family, although I could avoid those contemptuous eyes, I had to watch my father's face every day. My father was a strong person, and he never let people do business.Ever since the incident between Reiko and Horizawa, he seemed to have lost his temper suddenly. The mother complained to Changzi and cried.Father said nothing, but his body was suddenly weakened by the shock he had received. Masako moves to another apartment.The residents here are almost all single women. The apartment is located in Qingshan, which was a high-end residential complex before the war.Today many small dwellings are built.The apartment Masako rents is located at the end of Aoyama.Most of the residents are company employees, beauticians, teachers, tailors, etc. Masako moved to Aoyama a month after Horizawa and Reiko left. Changzi also thought that this incident was not true, because so far no conclusive evidence of the two being together has been found.If there had been any sign of anything like this in the past, Masako might have listened to the public opinion. Changzi shouted in his heart: Lingzi, you are an idiot!Come out!what are you doing According to Lingzi's character, maybe she made everyone uneasy on the one hand, and on the other hand she was still snickering!Maybe one day she will suddenly appear in front of everyone, dancing and laughing, causing people to be dumbfounded and unknown. Two or three days after moving. Masako remembered going to visit Lingzi's good friend Kikuko Ono.The image of Ono Kikuko has long appeared in Masako's mind.But so far she has not been able to make up her mind, and she has no time to consider visiting Kikuko Ono. Masako always felt that Kikuko Ono might know the whereabouts of Jin Lingzi.