Chapter 6 Section 5

The next morning, after sending Akihiko off to work, Misako was drying clothes on the balcony when she saw Oto walk through the gate towards the main house.Probably because he drank too much last night, his complexion didn't look very good.As soon as he reached the entrance, he immediately opened the door, nodded, and walked in. The person who greeted him in the room must be Yayezi.From where Misako was, one could clearly see the maid Sumie trimming the flowers and plants in the garden. The young maid Kazumi was not here today. Misako thought, it's all over, so what's the matter with Suito coming to the house? He's working under Sugai Masaki, can he come here on a weekday morning? Fortunately, he came after Sonoko went to school.If Yuanzi ran into her, it would only make her hate her mother even more.

However, Hongchang probably hasn't gone to school yet.When Misako thought of the conversation between the Hongchang brothers and sisters yesterday, she felt uneasy. While Yuanzi loves Zhiming, Hongchang has an out-and-out Oedipus complex.No matter what he wants to do, he must first discuss it with Yayezi.Even if you are traveling, you will definitely call Ayako.When he was in high school, Yayezi parked his car in front of the school gate and waited for him all day.Misako remembered that Ayeko smiled wryly and said, "If he doesn't do that, he will be restless. I hope he can be a little more independent, but raising a child is really not easy."

Naoaki seems to have a headache about this too.Hongchang is so attached to his mother, as Sonoko said last night, Misako can easily imagine how violent a storm will be in his heart if he is told about the relationship between Ayako and Oto. There were other guests at home in the afternoon.At that time, Misako went in through the back door of the kitchen of the main house and saw Chengjiang peeling chestnuts, so she chatted with her a little.Just then, the doorbell rang. Voices came from the direction of the corridor, followed by footsteps approaching from far away.Ayako walked into the kitchen, and when she saw Misako, she opened her mouth wide in surprise.

"I'm here to ask about the preparations for tomorrow," Misako said.She was referring to something about dealing with Nao Ming's artwork.As soon as Akihiko said last night that he would give it to someone who wanted it, the relatives immediately geared up, showing a look of wanting to grab something.So Akihiko said: "_The next time the art dealer comes to the house is three days later, everyone just needs to get together the day before to discuss and decide how to distribute it." That is tomorrow.Misako discussed with Ayeko last night and decided to move the artwork to the hall one day in advance, so she had to ask Ayeko how to deal with the details.

"Hey, yes, it's time to tell you about that. But wait for me a little longer. I have something to do now. I'll call you when I'm done." It wasn't like Ayako's usual smooth tone, and Misako subconsciously realized that she shouldn't be here. "Then, I'll wait in the room." "Okay, let's do that. And Chengjiang, sorry, can you go buy something for me? I wrote what I want to buy on this note." Misako tilted her head, thinking suspiciously, it seems that her mother-in-law wants to drive out everyone who gets in the way. As Misako walked back to the annex through the back door of the kitchen, she glanced at the parking lot for visitors.There was a black Mercedes parked there, and the stench of exhaust still lingered around the car.Misako had seen that car before—Masaki Subai's spare car.What's the matter with Mr. Subei coming to the house?

Misako also found Hiroshi's Porsche parked in the garage on the roof, and he almost always drove to school.How strange, did he take the train today? Misako looked back at the main house in surprise. After nightfall, everyone began to move the artwork.Misako moved the painting from the study to the hall together with Ayako and Sumie.Although it is just a painting, the weight of the frame should not be underestimated, and care must be taken to avoid collisions. "There's no need to move these, anyway, no one seems to want them." Ayeko pointed to the glass display cabinets and wooden cabinets, and Misako agreed.Relatives were only interested in valuable paintings.

When Misako was left alone in the study, she looked around the room again.Just by removing the artwork, the room feels much more spacious. Misako saw that the door of the wooden cabinet was half open, and tried to close it, but failed. After a closer look, it turned out that the bottom part of the door was stuck by something.She thought, strange, the crossbow and two arrows were originally placed on the top, but why only one arrow was placed on the bottom? She immediately solved the problem.On closer inspection, the arrow had lost a feather.It was probably intended to be repaired, so only this one was kept in a different place.

Misako remembered that Matsumura once said "These arrows are dangerous, it's better not to touch them", so she put the arrows back in place. When the wooden cabinet door was closed, there was a click from the library next door.Misako thought no one was there, but was startled when she heard the sound.This study and the library are connected by a door, so you can come and go freely without leaving the corridor. The door opened slowly, and the person who appeared was Akihiko.Misako let out her held breath. "Husband... don't scare me!" "Who has been here?" Akihiko asked with sharp eyes, as if he didn't hear.

"Do you mean……" "Day. Is anyone in the house?" "Oh, to hear you say it... It seems that Sudou and Sugai Masaaki have been here before." Akihiko's cheek twitched suddenly.That's a habit he'll have when he's overwhelmed. "But I didn't see them. I only saw a car parked in the parking lot... Would you like to ask Mom?" "No, no need." Akihiko originally planned to leave the study, but he put his hand on the door, looked back at Misako, and said, "Don't tell anyone that I asked you about this, you understand?"

"Ok." As soon as she answered, Akihiko rudely slammed the door and left.