Before it happened, there was no premonition. At 8:30 that morning, Heisuke got off the night shift and returned home.After entering the bedroom, which was only the size of four and a half straw mats, he immediately turned on the TV.In fact, there is nothing in particular that I want to see, I just want to know the result of the sumo match yesterday.Hirasuke, who is 40 years old this year, believes that today must be an ordinary day like the previous 39 years.It's not so much that he believes so, but that this is already an established track, which is harder to shake than a pyramid. Therefore, when changing the TV channel, he never thought that there would be any surprising news on the screen.Even if something happened that caused a sensation in the public opinion, it must have no direct connection with him.

There is one channel that he watches after every night shift.It was a channel that focused on broadcasting scandals in the literary and art circles, results of sports competitions, and yesterday's news. The content was very shallow, but it covered a wide range.The host of the show is an announcer who is very popular among housewives.Hirasuke is not disgusted with this announcer who looks like a kind-hearted uncle. However, what appeared on the screen today was not the usual announcer's smiling face, but a snow-covered mountain.It looks like it was filmed from a helicopter.The sound of the propeller almost overwhelmed the voice of the male reporter.

What happened?A thought flashed in Hirasuke's mind, but he didn't want to know the reason in detail.What he wants to know most at this moment is whether the wrestler he is concerned about has won.He hopes that the powerhouse he is optimistic about will advance this year. Heisuke hung the work clothes hanger with the company name on the chest on the wall, rubbed his hands and went to the next door kitchen.Although it is already mid-March, the wooden floor is still very cold without a fire for a day.He quickly put on the slippers, which were a pair of slippers with tulip patterns printed on them.

Open the refrigerator, on the middle floor, there are two plates containing fried chicken nuggets and potato salad.He took out both plates, put the fried chicken nuggets into the microwave oven, and pressed the heating button when it was set.Next, he filled the kettle with water and sat on the fire.While waiting for the water to boil, he dug out a bowl from the sink and took out a bag of instant miso soup from a cupboard drawer.Opening the mouth of the miso soup, he poured the miso powder into the bowl.In addition to these taken out, there are burgers and beef stew in the refrigerator. I'll have a hamburger for breakfast tomorrow.He made the breakfast for the next day.

Heisuke works on the production floor of an auto parts processing factory.A year ago, he was promoted to team leader.In his workshop, employees are divided into groups, and each group has a two-week day shift followed by a one-week night shift, and so on.This week it's their group's turn to work the night shift. Although the night shift disrupted the rhythm of life and made Hirasuke, who had just turned 40, feel a bit overwhelmed physically, it was not useless.Working night shifts allows you to get subsidies, and secondly, you can eat with your wife and daughter. In this year, that is, 1985, like other enterprises, Pingjie's factory operating conditions were surprisingly good, the production volume was steadily increasing, and the investment in equipment was also very strong.Of course, people like Heisuke who are on the front line have also become very busy.Normally, I should leave work at 5:30, but it is commonplace to work overtime for one or two hours, and sometimes even work overtime for 3 hours.In this way, the overtime pay is also a considerable amount, and sometimes the overtime pay is even more than the basic salary.

But more time in the factory means less time at home.It is usually nine or ten o'clock in the evening when I return home, so it is difficult for Heisuke to have dinner with his wife Naoko and daughter Sami Nami. If it is a night shift, you can get home at 8 o'clock in the morning, just in time for Sami Nami to have breakfast.It is an irreplaceable joy for Heisuke to enjoy the meals cooked by his wife while chatting innocently with his only daughter who is about to enter the sixth grade of elementary school.The fatigue after the night shift disappeared as soon as I saw my daughter's smile.

And because of this.Eating breakfast alone after the night shift made him feel tasteless.This boring breakfast will continue for 3 days from today, because Naoko took Sami Nami back to her mother's house in Nagano.Her cousin died of illness, and she had to rush back to attend his funeral.Since he had been told that he had advanced cancer and would soon die, this was hardly a sudden obituary.Naoko and the others had already prepared for this, and bought new mourning clothes. Originally it was planned that she would go to Nagano alone, but just as she was about to leave, Sami Nami suddenly yelled that she wanted to go too.She said she wanted to ski over there.There are several small ski resorts near Naoko's natal home. Since she experienced skiing for the first time last winter, Sami Nami has been completely fascinated by the charm of skiing.

My daughter finally had a spring break, but she was too busy with work to spend time with her family.Therefore, for Hirasuke, this may not be an opportunity to make up for it.So he decided to endure the loneliness alone, and let Sami Nami go with his wife.Besides, if Sami Nami is not allowed to go, his daughter will have to stay at home alone when he is on the night shift, which also makes him unbearable. The water boiled.After the instant miso soup was brewed, Heisuke took out the heated fried chicken nuggets from the microwave.Then he put the breakfast on a tray and brought it to the low table in the Japanese-style room next door.The chicken nuggets and potato salad for today, the hamburger for tomorrow, and the beef stew for the day after tomorrow were all prepared by Naoko before he left.Even the rice was prepared for Naoko before he set off, and he put it in a thermos bottle, and it was enough to eat a portion every day.Although the rice will turn yellow on the third day in the thermos, Heisuke has no right to complain.

After arranging the food on the table, Heisuke sat down cross-legged.He first took a sip of miso soup, and after a short pause, he extended his chopsticks to the fried chicken.Fried chicken nuggets are one of Naoko's specialty dishes, and also her favorite. While enjoying the familiar taste, he turned up the volume of the TV.The host was still talking on the screen, but his usual smile was gone.It seems that his expression is a little stiff, and his expression is a little nervous.Heisuke still didn't pay much attention to this, but thought absently that the report on yesterday's sports event hadn't started yet.Usually, he always used the rest time in the middle of the night shift to watch TV to learn about the results of the sumo match, but he happened to miss it yesterday.

"Next, let's understand the situation at the scene. Yamamoto, can you hear me?" After the host finished saying this, the screen was switched, as if it was the snow-covered mountains that he saw just now.A young male reporter in a ski suit stood in front of the camera with a stiff expression.Behind him, many men in black winter clothes were busy back and forth. "Okay. This is the scene of the accident. At present, the search and rescue work for passengers is still in progress. Up to now, 47 passengers and two drivers have been found. According to the information provided by the long-distance bus company, there are 53 people in this car Passengers. So there are six more passengers missing.”

Hearing this, Hirasuke finally wanted to take a serious look at Huahua.Coach—it was the word that caught his heart.Even so, it is hardly a strong concern.He continued filling his mouth with potato salad. "Yamamoto, what is the current condition of the found passengers? Just now you mentioned that many people have unfortunately died." "Well, based on the confirmed situation so far, 26 people have died, including the found remains. The rest of the passengers have been sent to the local hospital." The reporter at the scene said while looking at the records, " However, most of the survivors are seriously injured, and it can be said that the situation is very critical. Now, doctors are doing their best to rescue them." "This is really worrying." The host said emotionally. At this time, a headline appeared on the lower right of the screen - "Nagano Ski Tour Bus Falling off a Cliff Accident" Seeing this, Heisuke's hand that brought the salad to his mouth stopped suddenly.He grabbed the TV remote and changed channels, only to find the same content on each channel.In the end, he set the channel to NHK. The female announcer was about to speak. "Next, I will bring you the report of the bus accident. At about 6 o'clock this morning, a ski tour bus bound for Shiga Kogen from Tokyo had an accident. The bus belongs to the Tokyo-based Dahei Transportation Company." Hearing this, there was a slight confusion in Hirasuke's mind.That's because several key words flew into my ears one after another - Shiga Kogen, ski tour bus, Daikoku transportation... When going back to her natal home this time, Naoko has been hesitating about one thing, which is which means of transportation to take.It was inconvenient to take the tram to her natal home.In the past, Heisuke and Heisuke drove their own car back home, but Naoko couldn't drive. I have already reached a conclusion on this issue: although it is inconvenient, I can only take the tram.But it didn't take long for Naoko to come up with a brand new plan, which is to take the ski bus that young people often take.Since it is the peak season, there are ski tour buses departing from Tokyo Railway Station every day, sometimes as many as 200 a day. It happened that Naoko had a friend who worked in a travel agency, so she went to ask her.It turned out that there were still seats on a ski tour bus because a group of guests suddenly canceled the trip just before departure. "It's so lucky! From now on, we just need to ask them to come to Shiga Kogen to pick us up, so that we don't have to walk a lot with our heavy luggage." Naoko clapped her hands happily when she heard that there were still vacant seats. Hirasuke began to recall the situation at that time, and his thoughts were like going down the stairs in the dark, returning to that time with fear. That's right, she said, it's Daikoku Transportation, a ski tour bus departing from Tokyo Station to Shiga Kogen at 11 o'clock. Thinking of this, his whole body suddenly became hot, and then he was sweating all over.He felt his heart beating faster, and he could clearly feel the pulse beating behind the base of his ear. Usually, a passenger transport company will not send several buses to the same place on the same night. Hirasuke slid his knees on the ground to the TV, he didn't want to miss any details of the report. "So far, the list of the deceased whose identities have been confirmed through ID cards etc. is as follows..." A list of the dead appeared side by side on the screen.The female announcer read them one by one in a calm tone.For Hirasuke, they were all unfamiliar names. Hirasuke has completely lost his appetite.Although I was extremely thirsty, I couldn't even bother to drink water.He is now deeply immersed in a real feeling that this tragedy may have something to do with him.While he was afraid that the names of Sugita Naoko and Sugita Sami Nami would be read, he thought with three-quarters of his heart: How is it possible, this kind of tragedy should not happen to him. The female announcer's voice stopped.In other words, the list of the deceased whose identities have been confirmed has been read.Neither Naoko nor Sami Nami's names appear.Hirasuke let out a long breath, but even then, he still couldn't feel at ease, because there were more than 10 dead people whose identities had not yet been confirmed.Hirasuke began to wonder if his wife and daughter had brought any items that could prove their identity, but after much deliberation, he did not get a clear answer. Heisuke reached out and picked up the phone on the telephone stand, trying to call Naoko's natal family.Maybe they have already arrived there, and my worries are superfluous.No, it should be said that he prayed in his heart and that was the case. He grabbed the microphone and was about to press the number key when he stopped again.He couldn't remember Naoko's mother's phone number anyway.So far, he has never made a phone call. He only remembers that it is a number that is very easy to remember after making up a jingle. Although he has memorized it before, but now, he has forgotten the jingle. No way, Hirasuke had to dig out the phone book from the colored finishing box next to him.The phone book was buried at the bottom of the mountain of magazines.He quickly turned to the "KA" page, because Naoko's original surname was KA. He finally found the number he was looking for.The area code comes first, and the last four digits are 7053.After reading it, Hirasuke still couldn't remember that jingle. Hirasuke picked up the microphone again and was about to dial the number when the announcer on the TV spoke again. "According to the information just received, the names of the suspected mother and daughter who were sent to the Nagano Central Hospital should be Sugita. This is judged from the handkerchief that the girl carries with her, with this name embroidered on it. Repeat below Once, the one who was sent to Nagano Central Hospital—" Heisuke put down the phone and sat up straight. He couldn't hear what the female announcer said anymore, and there was a voice ringing in his ears all the time. It took him a long time to realize that it was his own mumbling voice. Ah, I remembered. 7053 is the homonym of Naoko's name. After another two seconds, he stood up abruptly. -------------------------------- Note: