Chapter 2 second quarter

At that time, my money was very tight. It didn't sound like a schoolboy's voice, but it wasn't a joke or an exaggeration, it was what it was.In fact, I was obsessed with one thing and spent almost all of what little pocket money I had on it.Because of it, I can't even afford a candy store. What got me hooked was backgammon, which I remember was also the game that Shu Mochi invited me to play.Of course, I know how to play backgammon, but what he taught me is how to increase my pocket money by it. He took me to a residential area by the river where many small houses with tin roofs were clustered together.Our destination is one of them, a door with broken hinges embedded in a rough entrance called the porch.The door is very low, even elementary school students like us have to pay attention to the top of our heads when we want to go in.

As soon as you enter the door, you will see the concrete floor. There is a small table on the floor, with a chair on each side of the table.There is a backgammon board on the table, and a piece of paper with backgammon game rules is pasted on the wall. When Cang Chi yelled, the paper door next to him opened immediately, and a man appeared.The man was wearing work pants, a shirt, and a dirty Japanese-style jacket.In my opinion, the man should be very old, but in retrospect, he might be around thirty-five years old.His hair, which should have been shaved into fives, had grown a lot. After Cang Mo handed out two hundred-yuan copper coins, the man put them on the table, sat down on the opposite chair, and then took out the chess pieces from under the table.

Kuramochi sat on the chair in front of me, and the two played backgammon without talking.Kuramochi made the first move, and I stood diagonally behind him to watch the battle. Kuramochi made a huge mistake on the way, so the first round was easily won by the man.Although I discovered Cang Chi's mistake, I couldn't tell him because there was a note on the wall that said "the other person was fined 100 for the exit". The second situation was evenly matched, both Kuramochi and the man made no mistakes, and finally Kuramochi made a coup to win.The man gave a low cry and lost.During the chess game, he only made a sound at this time.

Immediately after the third game, it was another stalemate, but in the end it was the man who won. "Tajima should try too. You should win." Kuramochi snapped. According to him, as long as he puts out two hundred yuan and wins two out of three battles with the man, he can get five hundred yuan if he wins.In addition, if you win two games in a row, you can also get 1,000 yuan.For elementary school students at that time, one thousand yuan was a lot of money. I hesitated, but decided to challenge anyway.I paid the man two hundred yuan and sat in the seat where Kuramo sat.I am very confident in backgammon, seeing the way Kuramochi played just now, I secretly wondered how strong this man is.

I won the first game, and it was so easy to win. It was beyond my expectation, and it was a bit disappointing. "Yeah! You can get one thousand yuan!" Cang Mochi clapped his hands and applauded. I also get carried away.Now that I have the chance to win, I have even begun to think about the use of 1,000 yuan. However, the man changed his fighting style a little at the beginning of the second game. I was confused and made a mistake accidentally and couldn't win consecutively. "It's almost there, you play hard!" Cang Chi stomped his feet, yelling that it's a pity.

Needless to say, I naturally challenged the third game cautiously. If I lose this game, let alone a thousand yuan, even two hundred yuan will fly. However, I misread the opponent's move and couldn't win the second game.I don't think this man is very strong, but it makes me feel even more annoyed. That day, I spent a total of 600 yuan, that is, I challenged it twice after that.But the result is still the same, always when the chess is in full swing, the man turns the situation around and wins at the end.I can't even figure out why I can't win. After that, every two or three days I would go to play backgammon.It's fine if I'm vulnerable, but there are times when I'm close to winning.In fact, I have almost never lost directly, so I always feel that winning is a matter of time.In addition, it is also very attractive to me to get 1,000 yuan for two consecutive victories.While arcade arcades or fishing for goldfish are fun, there's no money in that kind of thing, and the level of enthusiasm is simply not comparable.

Therefore, I want pocket money.Having said that, I can't say what the money is for, so I can't ask my parents for money.In this way, there is only one person left for me to count on. Before anyone got up, I ran to the other house where my grandmother was sleeping, opened the printed paper door, and yelled "Po... Po" like singing. Grandma closed her eyes and half opened her mouth.There was still some musty smell in the room, and the room temperature was colder than usual.Before I opened the door, the air in the room seemed to be completely still. "Grandma." I called again in a low voice.It would be bad if it was too loud to be heard, and I especially didn't want my mother to hear it.

Grandmother didn't respond.Not even an eyelid moved.I closed the paper door, climbed into the bunk, and smelled an old man's usual stench. I thought grandma was probably asleep, so I shook her body through the quilt.Grandma swayed like a doll, her body as cold and rigid as stone. Grandmother usually snores loudly, but now let alone snoring, not even a breath came from his half-open mouth. I think maybe he died? Before that, I had never seen a human corpse, so I couldn't be sure if this was the state of death.I have seen the dead bodies of cats, dogs or bugs a few times, but to me their deaths are just like broken toys.In theory I can understand that the same thing happens to humans, but I just can't experience it.

I decided not to think further about whether my grandmother was dead.The point is that grandma doesn't seem to be moving anymore, which means now is the perfect time to keep the allowance money for yourself. If you don't move faster, you will be discovered by your mother... I lifted the quilt nervously, and saw my grandmother's bony body.The grandmother's nightgown was partly open at the chest, revealing a leather-covered ribbed chest.And the smell, which I hated, got stronger. Then I opened the quilt completely, and immediately found that the hand on my stomach was holding my target tightly, and the small mallet-shaped decoration on the purse could be seen between her dry fingers.

I took my eyes off my grandmother's face and tried to get out my wallet.But her hands were tightly grasping the purse, and I pulled it a little harder, but it didn't move.Being completely immobile, it even made me wonder if my grandmother was still alive and wasn't going to hand me the wallet. But now, I'm not backing down.Only brute force grabs.With both hands, I pushed my grandmother's fingers away from the purse. Her fingers were dead and cold, like she was working with dried clay. I checked the wallet I finally snatched, and there were actually a few more in it.I cheered in my heart, since I received red envelopes from my relatives during the Chinese New Year, I haven't received a large sum of money.

Now that the goal has been achieved, it is no use staying in grandma's room.I put the quilt back to its original shape and stood up. I originally planned not to look at my grandmother's face, but her face was still in the corner of my eyes for a moment, which made me shiver. I felt that my grandmother would not rest in peace, not only that, but also seemed to be staring at the rebellious grandson who robbed her purse. I didn't have the guts to confirm this.Suddenly, a sense of dread overwhelmed me, and like a robot with broken gears, I left the bunk stiffly.I felt as if my grandmother would speak to me at any moment.I was careful not to make a sound, and after leaving the room, I fled the scene as if fleeing. About an hour later, there was an uproar when the grandmother was discovered dead. My father's mahjong friend, a doctor named Xishan who lived nearby, came to examine my grandmother's body. I wanted to go and see the situation, but Xiaofu prevented me from entering the room. Although it was confirmed that the grandmother was dead, Dr. Xishan still did not come out of the room.Both parents were in the room, as if they were discussing something with Dr. Nishiyama. A wake ceremony was held that night, which made everyone jump around all day long.From the afternoon onwards, in addition to relatives, nearby neighbors also flocked to my house and set about setting up my home as a simple wake-up venue.They set up altars and placed coffins in Buddhist halls. In the end no one told me how my grandmother died.However, I heard the word "end of life" from the conversations of relatives. I asked my uncle what it means to die, and my uncle told me in a way that was easier for me to understand: "Kazuka, you also have a plastic model that uses a motor, right? Did it stop at the end? Do you know why?" "Is it because there is no electricity?" "That's right. Humans are just like that model. Even if there is no malfunction, one day they will stop moving due to lack of electricity. This is called the end of life. The difference between human beings and models is that human beings cannot replace the batteries." After all, man is nothing but a machine.Seeing a doctor is like repairing a machine.Thinking about it this way, I realized that death is not a big deal, but it is just broken and cannot be restored. A wake is more like a banquet than mourning the dead.There are a few long coffee tables brought from nowhere in the house, on which are dishes delivered from nearby takeaway restaurants.Many people came in and out, taking turns to place chopsticks and vegetables.In addition, a lot of Japanese sake and beer were prepared at the scene, and some of the condolence guests even sat down in the living room, drinking until their speech was slurred.A few people spoke ill of him behind his back, accusing him of always being so. As the head of the funeral, the father is not a problem, and the mother is also busy with the condolence guests.The guests expressed sympathy and condolences, while the parents returned the gift with a look of sadness from the heart.Having said that, the mother winked at her natal family and said, "I feel at ease now." The other party also nodded understandingly. The funeral was held the next day, and there were more people than at the wake. For me, it was a boring ceremony, and while not having to go to school was the only thing I was happy about, I thought I might as well go to class as I choked back my yawn as I listened to the monks chant. Before the funeral, a man in black asks everyone to say their last farewell.I don't know this man, he should be from the funeral home. Everyone put the flowers in the coffin, and several of them cried. "Hexing, you also go to say goodbye to your mother-in-law." My father said to me. I approached the coffin step by step, and I saw the tip of my grandmother's nose slightly.At that moment, an unspeakable sense of fear and loathing came over me, and I stopped and stepped back.I don't know who pushed me behind my back. "I don't want it." I yelled. "I don't, I don't, I don't." My unexpected reaction made everyone around me panic.My parents didn't know what to do, they helped me by the arms from both sides and let me stand in front of the coffin. "No, it's disgusting." I tried to shake off my parents' hand, but then my father slapped me. "Don't talk nonsense! Hurry up and offer flowers!" My father forced me to take the flowers and asked me to put them in the coffin.At that time, I saw my grandmother's face.Grandma's skeletal face seemed to be smiling.That smile made me tremble even more. There was no smell that I hated at that time around my grandmother, but the scent of flowers, but the moment I smelled that scent, a violent vomiting came to my heart. I fled from the coffin as if flying backwards. My father shouted something, but I couldn't hear it.I vomited on the spot.Before that, I just drank orange juice, and my feet were dyed orange in a moment. It wasn't until I was waiting in the crematorium that I calmed down.I had no cousins ​​of the same age, so I had nothing to do and watched the adults in a daze.My father told my mother not to let me eat or drink until I got home, so I couldn't reach for the snacks I had prepared.But then again, I don't have the slightest appetite. I don't even know why I'm in such a panic.Didn't he just listen to his uncle's words the day before and realize that people are nothing but machines after all?And the death of a person means that the machine is broken. In other words, the corpse is just a simple matter.If so, why would it be...? The adults talked while drinking tea and wine.What makes me feel strange is that quite a few people are still laughing.Although there was no smile on the mother's face, her expression seemed more lively than usual.In addition, the father also looked carefree.Seeing them, I thought to myself that adults know that a dead body is just a broken machine. The cremation took more than an hour, and then I was taken to the bone picking position.My parents were worried about whether I would mess around again, but it seemed that this worry was unnecessary.I looked at the rubbish-like remains of the bones and thought, "What, that's all." Once the hideous corpse was sparked, there was almost nothing left.In this way, no one will know that I robbed my mother-in-law's wallet. That's what it's like to die—that's how I feel about it. Xiao Fu hasn't come home since the day after the funeral.Originally, she was hired to take care of her grandmother, so it was only natural that she didn't come. In the past, Xiaofu always decided the placement of seasoning or cooking utensils in the kitchen for his own convenience, but his mother didn't seem to like her configuration, and sometimes she would go to the kitchen to tidy up.She seemed to want to rearrange everything, even if there was any sugar or salt left in the container, it went straight to the trash. On the first seven days, relatives gathered again.This day really turned into a banquet. I don’t know if it was because everyone knew each other well but neglected to pay attention. Many people enjoyed themselves too much. On the surface, my father's relatives and my mother's natal family seem to be close, but as a child, I also noticed that they are actually not harmonious.The aunts, in particular, seemed displeased that the family fortune ended up in the mother's pocket. "Fengzi can now remodel as she pleases. She has been complaining that she doesn't like this kind of ancient house, and now she finally has her wish." The eldest aunt said with her mouth twisted.She was speaking to her father's cousins.For some reason, most of the heirs of the Tajima family are women, and the overwhelming majority of relatives are women. "Has Fengzi been patient until now?" "Yes. Because my sister-in-law refused. After all, this family is still registered under my sister-in-law's name." "Oh, that's it." The other women nodded secretly. The reason I was able to overhear their conversation was because I was reading a manga magazine in the corridor separated by a paper door, and they didn't see me. "Except for house matters, Fengzi can probably relax. I heard that there were a lot of things happened between me and my aunt." A cousin of his father said. "Oh, that's true," echoed the other father's cousin earnestly. "I heard that when my aunt was still in good health, she seemed to be very strict with Mineko, didn't she?" "It's not strict. For us, that's normal. I used to listen to my sister-in-law's complaints, and when I thought about marrying a daughter-in-law, I really had to do a full investigation. If I married a more well-behaved As a daughter-in-law, my sister-in-law will definitely live a long life. She often said that it was Fengzi who made her lose her life." "Maybe that's the case. Because my aunt was locked up in that room that used to be a tea room, wasn't she? Staying in that dark place all day won't cure you at all." "Besides, Fengzi hasn't taken care of her aunt's daily life at all recently, has she? I heard that she hired a maid and left all the big and small things to that person." "That maid is really too," said the eldest aunt. "I heard that people are not smart, they do things so-so, and the dishes they cook are also terrible. It's really hard to eat the dishes she cooks." The women sigh together. "So, Auntie was killed by Mineko." The speech of one of them caused everyone to be silent for a moment. "You can't say that. Anyway, this sentence is too much." Someone uttered a rebuke, but there was a gloating tone in the words. "No, that's what I think," said the great-aunt.This is no longer a half-joking statement. "I think my sister-in-law was killed by that person. It's just that I don't know if it was intentional or not." It was really hard to agree with him lightly, and everyone didn't say a word. I remember this conversation very clearly because of the disturbing words like "killed".Although I have long been familiar with the murders in TV dramas, I have never heard of them in real life. As a child, I also sensed that my mother was looking forward to my grandmother's death.But at that time, I still couldn't think of the reason why my mother locked my grandmother in such a room on purpose or invited a poor maid to take care of my grandmother. Since then, the way I look at my mother has changed a little. After the grandmother died, everyone was busy, and almost no whole family got together to have a good meal.The content of the conversation between the parents is not who has packaged how many funerals, or what should be given in return for the funeral.Neither of them said anything about how they felt about their grandmother's death. After the religious ceremony ended according to secular etiquette, this situation did not change much.The temporarily closed clinic reopened, and parents were chased by work as before. The difference is that the three meals are cooked by the mother, but the cooking skills are not as good as Xiao Fu's, and the so-called quick cooking is done.My father didn't have any complaints about this, so I naturally had no position to speak.My father taught me that being picky about food is a luxury.In that era, it should be the case for all families. Every time I eat the dishes made by my mother, I feel incredible.According to my great aunt, my grandmother seemed to have complained that Xiaofu's cooking was not good, but I never thought about it that way, and my father was always full of praise. I think, maybe mother-in-law is too extravagant. At mealtimes, the parents barely talked, except for brief conversations about the clinic's finances.After my grandmother died, especially my father became less laughing.He doesn't play with me either, always looking thoughtful. At that time, a strange rumor spread. One day, when I was walking home from school alone, someone stopped me from behind.Looking back, three sixth graders approached.One of them was the son of the owner of a nearby ironworks.He is tall and tall, looks like an adult, and is a leader in school. The boss showed a sinister smile, and stood in front of me and looked at me with disdain. "I heard that your mother-in-law was killed, right?" said the boss.The other two laughed sarcastically, looking like they were watching a good show. "No." I replied.I heard that these sixth graders would beat up the lower graders as soon as they got angry, and my voice trembled a little in disappointment. "You're lying! I've heard that the old lady at the dentist's house was poisoned little by little every day, and then died." "That's not the case!" When I got angry, the three of them probably thought it was funny, so they laughed out loud. "Oh, I'm so scared to death. If you say the wrong thing, you might be poisoned during the nutritious lunch." One of the younger brothers said in a playful way. "Oh, yes. This is not a good situation." After finishing speaking, the son of the iron factory and the two younger brothers walked away, but they still looked back at me from time to time, whispering to each other. The next day, it seemed the whole class had heard the rumor.The others didn't say anything, only Cang Chixiu told me about it. "But is this fake?" He asked me in a low voice. "It's fake! Of course it's fake. My mother-in-law died of old age." "Yes. Doesn't the so-called end of life mean that there is no special cause of death?" "It's the end of the day, just like the battery is dead." "But," he said close to my ear. "I heard that sometimes when the elderly die and don't know the name of the disease, the doctor will say that he is dying because he finds it troublesome." "But if he was poisoned to death, how could the doctor not know?" "But on the contrary, the doctors don't seem to be able to see the situation. After all, there are not many patients who were poisoned to death, and many doctors have not seen it with their own eyes." I don't know if it's because I really started to get angry, so Kuramochi didn't ask any more questions. At this time, I thought it was just a rumor among the children, but I didn't expect that the scope of the rumor was beyond my imagination. The auntie of the nearby bakery is notoriously friendly, but when I stood in front of the display window, she immediately showed a puzzled expression, then squeezed out a blunt smile, and said to me: "It seems that there is no peace today. My favorite bread." One picture is asking me to leave quickly. Not only the aunts in the bakery, but everyone who met me had embarrassing expressions on their faces.At first I thought it was a psychological effect, but Kuramochi told me it was not the same thing. "My mother also knows about that rumor." He whispered to me in school. I have absolutely no idea why rumors are being spread so much.Who did you hear it from? Hearing what I said, Kuramochi also tilted his head in thought. "I heard it from a guy in another class, and my mother told her about it from a customer." His words made my mood even more depressed, and I saw those gossiping housewives in various stores gossiping with twinkling eyes. Of course, I think my parents should also know about this rumor, but neither of them mentioned it, maybe they wanted to avoid mentioning it in front of me. But the parents seem to be restless, and the number of customers visiting the clinic has also decreased significantly, which must be inseparable from the rumors. Not long after, the police came to the house.When I came home from school, I found two shoes that I had never seen before in the hallway. From the corridor, I could see two men talking to their parents.One man was in uniform while the other was in civilian clothes.I have seen the uniformed police officer who often stands at the police station in front of the station. "No, we are definitely not doubting your government. We just want to ask if your government has a solid understanding of the matter of spreading rumors." The uniformed police officer said. "If it is an ordinary rumor, our police will not come forward. However, because the content of the rumor is not simple, we will invite the criminal police to come together." "How can we be sure? The rumor is unfounded, and we want to know who is spreading the rumor." The father's voice was surprisingly rough. "It's really nerve-wracking." Mother echoed. "So, it's also possible that this is just a simple prank..." "It's just a prank." The father interrupted the police officer. "And it's malicious!" "So, do you know anyone who might pull such a prank?" "God knows. Human beings are always jealous and hate others in some unimaginable things. Maybe someone is trying to rob my family." "Can you name some of these people? We won't reveal a word." "Well... this is it." The father pondered for a while. "Although you said it won't leak, how do I know if it will leak from somewhere?" "No, absolutely no problem." "Instead of that, why not investigate the people who heard the rumors one by one? In this way, we should be able to find the instigator who spread the rumors." "Well, because the news is complicated, we can't limit the source. Besides, some of them will refuse to tell us who they heard it from." "What a disaster. Who the hell would do such a silly thing?!" Father sighed heavily. "If you are seen when you go back, you will probably be told that the police have finally come to investigate." "No, we'll be very careful when we leave," said the uniformed police officer in a panic. The detective, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke at this moment: "Do you know about arsenic?" "Arsenic?" "Yes. Is arsenic used here... or in the clinic?" "No." Father replied immediately. "Is that poison?" "It doesn't matter if it's not arsenic. Are there any medicines that contain arsenic?" "No. Why ask such a question? Are there rumors that my mother was poisoned to death?" "In fact, that's exactly the case. The mother-in-law of the Tajima family died because a little arsenic was mixed into the food she ate every day—this is the most serious rumor at present." "Nonsense! It's all nonsense. If you find the person who spread the rumors, you'll have to sue him." Father said loudly. -------------------------------- Note: