Chapter 17 Section 16

After getting off the "Hikari" train, Takumi stretched himself on the platform of Nagoya Station. "Ah, we've arrived in Nagoya. It's only a blink of an eye. It's the Shinkansen, it's fast. Look at the clock. It's only been two hours since we set off from Tokyo." "Don't yell so loudly, are you ashamed to be heard?" Shi Sheng frowned, and said in a low voice, "Just now in the car, you were so fast. Haven't you said enough?" "What's wrong, what's wrong with talking fast?" "There's nothing wrong with it, but don't shout too hard. You also said that the salesgirl in the car had a short skirt or something, and kept giggling."

"Well, that girl's legs are really good-looking, but she is a bit unreasonable, I don't like it very much. But the eel rice bought from her tastes good, and I will buy it when I go back." "If you still have money to take the Shinkansen when you go back—" Shisheng strode forward, and Tuoshi hurriedly followed.Shisheng walked forward without hesitation in the spacious station, and there were small shops full of local specialties on both sides of the aisle. "Oh, we're selling Uiro rice noodle cakes." "It's a specialty of Nagoya." Shi Sheng replied with a straight face.

"There are also shops that sell flat noodles. Flat noodles seem to be a specialty of Nagoya. Hey, since you're here, let's eat some." "Didn't you eat eel rice just now?" "It's irrelevant. It's the same as women eat sweets after dinner." Shisheng stopped, turned around quickly, and looked straight at Takumi's face.Takumi involuntarily avoided his gaze.Being stared at by him all the time recently, Takumi couldn't lift his head up. "Tuoshi, are you running away?" "Escape? Nonsense! What am I running from?" "Meeting the biological mother. You always want to put it off."

Shi Sheng sighed, turned his gaze to the specialty shop aside, suddenly let out an "ah" and frowned. "What's wrong?" "I forgot to buy special products. Don't the small shops at Tokyo Station sell Tokyo special products? Ningyoyaki or something. Too careless." "No need. Tojo's family makes pastries, how can anyone bring pastries to the pastry shop?" "You still don't understand. It's because they make pastries that they pay special attention to specialties from other places. They must like Kaminarimon's chestnut powder yokan."

"There's no need to make them like it, let's go." This time it was Tuoshi who took a step forward, but after a few steps, he had to stop again. "Hey, how do I go from here?" "Look at the address, didn't you bring that letter?" "Oh, that." Takumi took out the folded envelope from his coat pocket.It was from Junko, Sumiko Tojo's stepdaughter, with the address written on the back. "Uh, NETUTA Ward, Nagoya City..." "" "Really? It's there anyway." "Then just go to Atsuta Station or Jingumae Station. It's more convenient to take the Meitetsu, here."

Shi Sheng pointed in the direction with his thumb, and walked quickly towards that direction. Meitetsu tickets are also bought from time to time.Takumi also read the road map, but he didn't understand anything except that he was in Nagoya.Which route should I take?Where should I go?He knows nothing.Shi Sheng had already stuffed the bought ticket into his hand. "Have you been to Tojo's house?" "No." "Why is it so familiar?" "I've been to Nagoya a few times before. Let's go." The platforms at Meitetsu Nagoya Station are a little different.The direction of the tram is divided into many branches, but basically there are only two kinds of up and down.If you are not sure where you are going, you may go to the wrong place.The parking position of the tram also varies depending on where you go. If you don’t know where to go, you may wait in line for a long time, only to find that the door is not aligned with the door. You must get used to these.Tuoshi followed Shisheng closely, but got on the tram smoothly.Shisheng said that he had been to Nagoya, which seems to be true.

There were not many people in the tram, so they sat in facing chairs that could seat four people.Tuoshi rested his arms on the window frame, propped his chin with his hands, and looked at the flowing scenery outside. "On the Shinkansen, all I saw were dry fields and paddy fields. This area is quite open." "The Nobi Plain is quite vast, Takumi. Look, do you know how to pronounce this?" Shisheng pointed to an address printed by an advertiser pasted on the wall.His index finger is on the two characters "Zhili". "What? This is. CHIDACHI? CHIRITU?" Shi Sheng smiled smugly.

"It's pronounced CHIRYUU. It's a bit difficult, isn't it? It was even more difficult in ancient times, and it was written as 'carp'. Maybe there are a lot of carps there. But it is said that it is too difficult, so it was changed to the current Chinese characters." "Oh, since you want to change it, why don't you just change it to an easy-to-recognize character. By the way, you know a lot about such trivial matters. Who did you listen to?" Shi Sheng looked solemn for a while, and then smiled again. "My father called me. I often come here with my father."

"It's him again, the guy named Mu Tuo. Your father's hometown is in this area?" "No, it's not." Shi Sheng lowered his head, his words became vague for some reason.Then, he raised his face again. "Father likes this area and often brings me here. It is estimated that there are his memories here." "Oh, that's not bad." Takumi didn't care about these things, but suddenly remembered something, and asked, "Your father must have come here to meet the old lady Tojo. It's true that you and I are related by blood." your father?"

"no." Shisheng was silent for a while, and Tuoshi didn't care to ask, and looked at the scenery outside the window again.There are many roofs of the factory outside.He remembered that Nagoya was a famous industrial city. "I have a suggestion," Shi Sheng said, "it's more appropriate to say it's a request." "There's nothing good about it when you talk like that." "I don't think it will trouble you." "Okay, okay. What's the matter? Tell me." "Well... It's better not to explain my matter to the Tojo family for the time being. The matter is too complicated, and I want to adjust it by myself."

"What? I came here just to find out the relationship with you." "It's a coincidence if I can figure it out. The most important thing about this visit is to let me meet my biological mother. I'll talk about it later." "Weird. You said that you want to investigate the matter of your own birth. It's fine, I don't say it. But how should I introduce you?" "Just say we're friends, can't we?" "It doesn't matter. Let's just be friends." Tuoshi let go of the arm resting on his chin, and scratched the back of his head. The word "friend" made him a little uneasy.He remembered that he hadn't had this kind of intimacy for a long time.He has always held the life attitude of "not confiding in people he is familiar with". After getting off the train at Jingumae Station, Tokio ran into the nearby police station with the letter.Takumi had no choice but to follow suit.Surprisingly, the police there knew about Tojo's house. "Go straight along this road, there is Atsuta Shrine, pass there..." A middle-aged, honest-looking policeman deliberately walked out of the police station to show them the way. They followed the directions to a residential area with rows of wooden houses.Although there are many pedestrians on the street, there is a leisurely and peaceful atmosphere.There is an ancient Japanese pastry shop facing the street, and the word "Chun'an" is clearly printed on the dark blue curtain. "It seems to be there." Shi Sheng said. "It looks good." Tuoshi shrank back. "What's the matter? Go in." "Wait a minute. Let's have a cigarette first." Tuoshi took out a box of Aigu, put one in his mouth, lit it with a cheap one hundred yuan lighter, and puffed at Baiyun.A person who looked like a housewife watched the two of them warily from the corner of the eye and walked over. Tuoshi glanced at the cheap watch he got from playing billiards, it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. "Can't you guarantee that that person is at home?" "The letter said he was bedridden and probably at home." "But I don't know what the situation is. If we rush in rashly, maybe we will cause trouble for the other party." "Now you're saying what you want. Wasn't it you who said you didn't want to call in advance? They even wrote down the phone number." "I hate having people stand on guard, like an enemy." "That's why you came here without calling. Stop talking, let's go. Haven't you smoked too?" Shi Sheng stepped forward, snatched the nearly burnt cigarette from Tuoshi's mouth, threw it on the side of the road, and stomped it out with his sneakers. "It's not good to throw cigarette butts around." "Then don't smoke with this person." Shisheng said "Let's go" and pushed Tuoshi on the back.Takushi reluctantly took the heavy first step. It was darker than expected behind the curtain.Japanese sweets are displayed in a wooden frame display case.Behind the display cabinets are two female shop assistants in white coats and triangular turbans, and a woman in a kimono is working further in the room. One clerk was serving a well-dressed female customer, and the other bowed to Takumi and said, "Welcome." She was probably thinking in her heart that the customer had gone to the wrong place, but there was nothing wrong with her face. revealed.But she immediately showed surprise, because Tuoshi stood upright without saying a word. Shi Sheng poked his flank, and Tuoshi wanted to say something, but couldn't.He didn't know how to report himself. Shisheng couldn't bear it any longer, so he asked, "Is Ms. Tojo at home?" The kimono woman in the back room looked up at them upon hearing the sound. It was a thin woman in her thirties, with a bun and gold-rimmed glasses.She has a simple appearance, but it seems that she can become a beauty in an instant just by changing the way of makeup. "May I ask who from Tojo's family..." At this point, her lips stopped moving, and her eyes fell on Takumi.Then, she seemed to take a breath, and said again: "Could it be...Mr. Tuoshi?" Tuoshi took a look at Shisheng, then turned his gaze back to the woman's face, raised his chin and nodded vigorously. "Sure enough... I came here on purpose." "No, I can't say it was 'on purpose', it was because I was annoyed by this guy..." The woman didn't seem to hear Takumi's words.She walked into the shop and said, "Well, this way please." As if to lead them into the inner room. "Excuse me, are you..." Shi Sheng asked. He blinked his eyes as if he had just recovered, and lowered his head. "Sorry. I'm Junko. Tojo Junko." Tuoshi listened, and looked at Shisheng again. Under Junzi's guidance, the two went inside.The back of the store seems to be the main house.She didn't go into the room, but just walked along the corridor.Soon, a neatly tidy yard appeared in front of my eyes.They looked sideways at the yard as they walked. "Please wait here a moment." They were led into a tea room.There are about four and a half stacks here, and there is still a niche. After Tojo Junko withdrew, the two sat cross-legged on the tatami. "Okay. To have this kind of wing room means that there is a lot of land." "This house has a bit of history. Japanese pastries used to be a luxury item. Maybe the wives of the local dignitaries will be invited to a tea party to explain, and some new pastries will be introduced on the spot." "Well. You are young, so you know a lot about this kind of thing." Shi Sheng smiled and scratched his head. Tuoshi opened the paper-pasted sliding door, looked into the courtyard, and saw a stone lantern covered with moss.Presumably Sumiko Tojo spent her days leisurely in this mansion.Thinking of this woman who abandoned her infant baby due to poverty, and lived a luxurious life in this mansion with a tea room, and now she is seriously ill and bedridden, only four words floated in Tuoshi’s mind—it was her own fault . He takes out his cigarette. "I'm afraid smoking is not allowed in this kind of place." Shi Sheng said. "What? A tea room is a place like a coffee shop, isn't there an ashtray?" Tuoshi took a shell-shaped pottery in the alcove to his side. "This is a vessel for incense." "What's the matter? Just wash it?" Tuoshi lit the cigarette and shook the ash into the pottery. "This family has a lot of property." "Maybe." What a big deal!Takumi cursed secretly. "It depends on your attitude, this property may also be in your hands." "How can such a thing happen? Are you dizzy?" Tuoshi took a puff of cigarettes on Shisheng's face. Tokio waved his hand to disperse the smoke, and said, "From the letter, the owner of the store has passed away, and the current owner is Sumiko Tojo. Anyway, you are her biological son, so you have the right to inherit." "Isn't there that guy just now? It's called Junko Tojo." "Of course she also has a share, but a few percent will be transferred to your name. You have to check the "Civil Law" carefully." "There's no need to check. Who wants that woman's inheritance!" When snuffing out the cigarette butt in Baker, Takumi thought, if he was even worse... If that's the case, maybe they will use a small plan to embezzle the property of this family.No, it doesn't have to be a bad person, as long as his hatred for Tojo Sumiko is stronger, maybe he will be like that.Conversely, I don't think that way, which means I am too sloppy.Takumi felt agitated. "This is your strength." Shi Sheng said. "what?" "Careful about small things, don't mess around at critical moments. This is your character." "What nonsense?" Shi Sheng seemed to have seen through his heart before saying that, which made him very embarrassed.He tried to hide it by smoking, but the cigarette case was empty.He crumpled up the cigarette case and threw it toward the alcove. At this time, there was the sound of someone walking.With a sound of "Excuse me", the sliding door was opened, and Junko Tojo came in and sat in front of the two of them.She glanced at the shell with the cigarette butts on it, but didn't show much concern. "I told my mother about Mr. Tuoshi, and she said she must see her. Do you think it's okay?" I came here specially, so naturally I couldn't say I didn't see him.Besides, she asked in this tone, probably already aware of her previous paranoia.Takumi scratched his face and looked at Shisheng.He doesn't want to go.Zhizhi has been unable to escape until now, and he still refuses to agree readily. "What? Stop pretending." Shi Sheng said disappointedly. "Who's pretending!" He turned his face to Junko Tojo and nodded slightly. "Thank you very much." Junzi bowed his head and said, "But before I go to see my mother, I have to explain a few words first. I also wrote in the letter that my mother is sick, so she looks a bit indecent. Please forgive me." "Is the situation bad?" Shi Sheng asked. "I heard from the doctor that he may die at any time." Junko Tojo straightened his back, and his tone remained unchanged. "What disease do you have?" Tuoshi looked at Shisheng and thought, mind your own business! "There was a large blood clot inside the head, which could not be removed surgically. The blood clot was getting bigger and bigger, affecting the function of the brain. It is amazing how she survived. In fact, the mother has been almost in a comatose state recently and does not wake up for several days. Eyesight is a common occurrence. It is a miracle that I can wake up today, perhaps because I sensed that Mr. Takumi is coming." How can there be such a thing!Takumi muttered inwardly. "Then, Mr. Takumi, please come with me." Junko stood up. "This guy also goes together, can you?" Tuo Shi pointed to Shi Sheng and said. Junzi looked distressed and remained silent. Takushi said again: "He is my good friend. As I said just now, if he hadn't been urging me, I wouldn't have come. If he can't go in together, I'll go back." gone." "Tuoshi, I..." "Shut up!" Takumi roared, looking at Junko Tojo. She lowered her eyes and nodded. "Understood. Please, both of you." Takushi and Shisheng followed Junzi and walked along the corridor, but it was different from the way they came from.Tuo Shi was really surprised, how big is this house. After a while they came to a room at the end of the corridor.Chunzi opened the door a slit and announced to the inside. "Mr. Takumi is here." There is no response inside.Maybe, but it didn't reach Takumi's ears. Tojo Junko turned back to Takushi and said, "Please come in." She pulls the door open. -------------------------------- Note: