Chapter 6 Section 6

Takako Yonekura entered the disaster area on the third day after the earthquake.From Nara via Namba to Umeda went smoothly, but after that it was troublesome.Not only are there fewer trams, but they only go to Jiashiyuan, and then they can only walk. People who went to the disaster area carried big luggage, and there were quite a few travel bags, which should be brought for family members or friends who were affected by the disaster.Zuo Guizi was afraid of accidents, so he only put a change of clothes and simple food in his bag, and never thought of bringing things to others.She just wants to get out of trouble as soon as possible.

When the earthquake happened, she was sleeping at her home in Nara, and she also felt the shaking, but she didn't expect it to be so serious. It was only after her husband Shinji turned on the TV that she realized something serious happened.Seeing the wrecked highway twist and turn like a giant python, she thought something was wrong. There are many acquaintances in the Hanshin area, but the first thing Sakako thinks of is his father Toshiro who lives alone in Amagasaki. The phone didn't work at all, and the same goes for calls to relatives who live in Osaka.It was not until the afternoon that I finally got on the phone with a relative. At that time, I already knew that this was an unprecedented catastrophe.

The relative's family didn't have much loss, but they didn't know Junlang's safety either. Just when Zuo Guizi didn't know what to do, the aunt said on the phone: "By the way, he went to watch the night last night. It's the Suyuan family." "Ah." Zuo Guizi also remembered that she had heard from her father that her uncle Suwon had passed away, but she had almost no contact with the Suwon family, and she never thought of sending a telegram of condolence, and just ignored it.Toshiro said on the phone that he was going to watch the night. Unable to get in touch with the Mizuhara family.It was not until the evening of the next day that Zuo Guizi learned of his father's death.Toshiro's name was broadcast on TV.

I wanted to find out where Junlang's body was placed, but no matter where I called, the line was busy and I had no clue.Finally figured it out last night.Relatives in Osaka called and said they had been notified by Mizuhara Masaya.It seems that Toshiro was killed at Suwon's house. There is also no way to get in touch with Yaya. He should know Satakako's phone number, but it is difficult to call in the shelter. After arriving at Jiashiyuan, she walked along the railway tracks.There are many people in the same company.Looking at the scenes immersed in grief, she felt as if she was in a battlefield, just like the street after the air raid she had seen in a certain photo.

Her father's death was indeed sudden, but she didn't think it was a sudden tragedy. To be honest, she felt a lot more relaxed.When she knew about the earthquake, she immediately thought about her father's safety because she secretly hoped that it would be good if he was crushed to death. Zuo Takako doesn't like his father.He was a drunkard, was not serious about his work, and often quarreled with his mother.Zuo Guizi's mother has a strong personality, and after earning some money from doing things, she began to scold her husband openly.Jun Lang once beat her with his hands, and the two eventually divorced because of this matter. Maybe they were already tired of each other.

Zuo Takako doesn't want to live with either party.At that time, she had already met her current husband, Shinji, and began to live in a semi-cohabitation life without worrying about where to live.It is obvious that the mother wants to be cared for by her daughter, but Zuo Takako deliberately turns a blind eye.She thought that being involved with such parents would definitely not be good for her future.Even so, my mother would still come to the house when Shinji was away, always asking her for money, and would say a lot of bad things about my father.The father didn't ask for pocket money, but it was obvious that he wanted to rely on Takako for his retirement.Shinji runs a bar in Nara, and Satakako also helps in the store.The father thought his daughter was rich.

After walking for more than an hour, I finally arrived at the gymnasium where my father's body was placed.Many people were outside, some around the fire, some eating emergency food.There was endless crying. There were many people around one place, and Zuo Guizi also squeezed over to take a look, and saw a large white paper for drawing on the small table, with a few photos pasted on it, which seemed to be taken when the earthquake just happened.The picture quality is rough and feels weird, but you can understand it after reading the words written on the corner: "This is a part of the picture taken by the camera after the earthquake. If you want to inquire in detail, you can contact the following address." The address is located in Osaka , the photographer seems to have left here.

Seeing the young man wearing the armband, Sakako asked him where the body was placed.The young man led her to a corner of the gymnasium.Dozens of remains were lined up there, some had been placed in coffins, most were just wrapped in blankets. There was a sign indicating his identity next to the body, and Zuo Takako walked forward while watching.It was freezing cold underfoot, and the stench filled the air.Perhaps some of the corpses had begun to rot. "Sakiko." A shout came from nowhere.Zuo Guizi raised his head and saw a man wearing a dirty green winter jacket, his hair was oily and frizzy, his beard was unshaven, his complexion was extremely bad, and his cheeks were thin.Zuo Guizi was stunned for a moment before he recognized this person.

"Ah, Yaya. What a pity." "how did it get here?" "The one who walked from Jiashiyuan almost broke his leg, let's not talk about this..." "I understand. Uncle is here." Ya also pointed her thumb behind, turned and walked away. Toshiro's body was wrapped in a blanket.When it was opened, white smoke came out.It has dry ice in it. Jun Lang's face was ashen, his eyes were closed, he was expressionless rather than serene.Sakiko thought it looked like a mannequin.Seeing her father's remains, she didn't feel anything, only that the clothes on his body looked familiar - she had seen the back of her father wearing this shabby coat countless times when he went out, which shocked her to some extent.

Zuo Guizi felt that the eye circles were slightly hot, so he took out a handkerchief to hold his eyes.Even she herself was quite surprised that she shed tears, so she felt much happier. "Uncle was on the second floor of my house during the earthquake. You also know that the dilapidated house collapsed from the roof to the wall. The wound on the head was fatal. I heard that he died on the spot." Zuo Guizi nodded silently.A cloth was placed on the father's forehead.She thought that her father must have been bleeding all over his face at that time. "It's time for the funeral." After clapping her hands together, she murmured, but felt extremely annoyed.

"There is no natural gas, all crematoriums are closed, and funerals cannot be held here." "Then... what should I do?" "It seems that it can only be done at your home. Since yesterday, people have been transporting the remains out. Generally, individuals are not allowed to move the remains, but at this time, you only need to apply to the relevant department." "Transport the remains? By car?" "It seems like this is the only way to go. Zuo Guizi, do you have a car?" "Yes, yes..." "I wanted to lend you my family's car, but it was crushed by a downed utility pole. What a mess, what a mess." Zuo Guizi really wanted to complain, saying that he was the one who was really unlucky.Shinji also hated his father-in-law, so he didn't come with him.When she was about to leave the house, Xin Er dropped a sentence: "Just find a random place over there for cremation, and don't take the ashes back, just find a place like a temple and put them down." If the funeral were to be held at home, Shinji would definitely be furious.If you still want to transport the corpse, you have to use his car, and it is even more impossible for him to agree. "The procedures for applying to relevant departments can be completed quickly. Some of the deceased came here on business trips." Zuo Guizi nodded ambiguously.Ya may also have good intentions, but she feels that she is meddling.He dragged Junlang's body out of the rubble and transported it to this kind of place. He had good intentions, but it was causing trouble.If it had been ignored in the first place, the remains might have been disposed of as unidentified. Zuo Guizi thought, he must try to persuade Xin Er.This requires a bait. "Ya Ye?" She looked up at him, "Where's my dad's luggage?" "Luggage?" Ya also shook his head, "No. He only brought a funeral ceremony that day, and I remember he came empty-handed." "Where's the wallet and driver's license or something? I think he's got the keys to the house." "I have the wallet." Ya also took out the black leather wallet from the pocket of the winter jacket. "Other things should still be in his pocket. I am worried that someone will steal the wallet." "Maybe, thank you." Zuo Guizi took the wallet and opened it to look. There were only a few thousand yuan bills inside.She became suspicious, but kept silent. "If you want a relic, it's best to go to your uncle's house. Amagasaki was also severely affected by the disaster, so I don't know what happened." "Yeah. Hey, Masaya, can I be alone for a while?" "Ah, I got it. I'm sorry." Ya also seemed to feel that she had interrupted her meeting with her late father, and got up and left with an apologetic face. After confirming that Masaya was no longer in sight, Satakako began to rummage through her father's pockets.A crumpled handkerchief and keys were found in the trouser pockets, but nothing else, and nothing in the inside pocket of the jacket. She was feeling puzzled when she suddenly noticed that someone was looking at her. When she looked up, she met a woman she had never met before.The man was in his mid-twenties, his hair was tied back, he was wearing a cream-colored tracksuit and a short coat, and he seemed to be a family member of the deceased. The woman immediately lowered her eyes, as if she no longer cared about Satakako.Zuo Guizi thought, she might not be looking at herself just now. She checked Jun Lang's clothes again, but still couldn't find what she was looking for.really weird! When Toshiro called and told her to go to Suwon's house to watch the night, he once said something strange, saying that he hoped to get a large sum of money. "I told you before that I lent money to their family, plus the interest would be more than four million. I didn't expect him to repay it before, but this time it's no problem. Xingfu bought life insurance." Zuo Guizi knew about borrowing money, but hadn't heard of the details.She guessed that Toshiro must have involved Yukio in his speculation. "But, Dad, that family should have borrowed money from other places. After paying back the money, can you have the rest of the money back?" "That's why I went to watch the night and settled this matter with Ya. I have a formal IOU, let him read it, and he will admit it." "Speaking of such things during the night watch?" "Then there is no way. If you wait stupidly, the money will be taken away by other creditors. Anyway, in this way, I can pay off the loan, solve all the problems, and won't drag you down in the future." Judging from Toshiro's tone, it seemed that he wanted to deal with her as a normal father and daughter in the future. Zuo Guizi always felt that this matter had nothing to do with him, and indeed he had completely forgotten about it.But when she was notified that Toshiro died at Suwon's house, she suddenly remembered.What prompted her to think of this was Xin Er's words: "Anyway, if that person dies, you won't get a penny of inheritance." Zuo Guizi thought, if there are four million now, the big problem can be solved.The store is not doing well.A few years ago, the store could be full without much effort, but now many times only one or two groups of customers come a day.In order to reduce labor costs, Zuo Guizi reduced the manpower, but unexpectedly this further reduced the passenger flow. In fact, Zuo Guizi came here today because he was thinking about the money, otherwise she would not have come at all, at most she would have called her mother and said that it was your former husband, you should find a way to deal with it. If you tell the four million things, it is estimated that Xin Er will not object to holding a funeral for Toshiro.In fact, it doesn't need to be so grand, as long as the cremation is enough. To do this, you must first get the IOU.If there is no official certificate, just claiming that his father has lent money to Ya Ye's family, I am afraid that Ya Ye will not bother. Sakako stood up and left the body.Why can't I find an IOU?When he called that day, Toshiro did say that he wanted Yaya to read the IOU, so it was impossible for him not to bring it with him. "Zuo Guizi." As soon as she came to the corridor, she saw Ya also running over. "I brought this." He said and handed over a bouquet of incense. "Ah, thank you." Zuo Guizi took it and stared at it for a moment, then raised his head, "Hey, Yaya, didn't my father bring anything?" "what?" "For example, information and so on." She stared at Yaya's face. "Information? I'm not sure." "never seen it?" "Ok." "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I always ask some strange questions. I'll go to offer incense first." Zuo Guizi turned around and walked into the gymnasium again.As she walked towards Jun Lang's body, she murmured in her heart: She was calculated... It is impossible for the father to prevent Yaya from reading the IOU.Ya also snatched the body first after discovering it, and it must have turned into ashes by now.If the money my father lent out doesn't come back, why do I still come here?All he had to do was take the trouble of organizing his father's funeral.How should I explain it to Shinji? "Whatever you want, he is your father, I don't care." Xin Er would definitely say such indifferent words. She walked out of the gymnasium, and Yaya who was standing in the corridor came over again: "Sa Takako, what should I do?" "Yeah, what should I do?" She was full of thoughts in her mind. She was annoyed that someone had easily snatched the IOU, and hated why the trouble fell on her head, and she had to deal with her father's body.She tried not to let these emotions show. "How about letting your husband drive over? You can take uncle back directly." "Ok……" Ya also said that ordinary families would do this, but Zuo Takako felt that she was not among them.She didn't want her father's body, let alone conduct the funeral herself. "I'm afraid it won't work today, it's so late, and he still has to take care of the store." "Then I can only ask him to come tomorrow. Zuo Guizi, you can stay here. The heater was turned on yesterday, and it's not so cold anymore." Ya also made annoying suggestions one after another. Zuo Guizi really wanted to slap him, and then stepped forward and grabbed his collar, asking him where he put the IOU. "I... let's go home first today." Zuo Guizi put on a hesitant expression. "What? Back to Nara?" "Well. I always thought that I could be cremated here, and I told my husband the same. If you want to hold a funeral at home, you need to discuss it with him and make various preparations. You can put Dad's body here for another night Is it? Although this will cause you trouble." "It's okay, I'm fine." Ya also shook her head.Zuo Guizi thought, how could it be all right?There must be all kinds of tedious work, such as changing dry ice and so on.But Ya has no complaints, and Zuo Guizi feels that this is just a manifestation of his guilt. "It's really troubled you, I'm sorry." Zuo Guizi said this, but he cursed in his heart: The four million loan has been written off, what is this matter! "Ya Ye, what are your plans for the future?" At the entrance of the gymnasium, she asked Ya Ye who was sent out. "To be honest, there is nothing I can do. A factory originally agreed to hire me, but it couldn't start working for a while. Now I have nowhere to go, so I can only stay in this shelter for a while." "Not easy." "Yeah. I'm not alone." Ya also turned her gaze to the square in front of the stadium.A pickup truck came out of nowhere and was selling fast food in bags at an astonishingly high price, while hungry people rushed to buy them with helpless faces. "I'll discuss it with my husband and come back tomorrow." "Well, be careful on the road." Saying goodbye to Masaya, Sakako walked towards the gate of the gymnasium.The photos that captured the scene at the beginning of the earthquake are still posted there.I really don't understand who these photos were posted for, no one has seen them now. When walking past the photo, Zuo Guizi glanced at it inadvertently, and then stopped.A photo caught her attention—the signboard of the Suwon Factory was photographed on it, and the signboard had fallen to the ground. She put her face in front of the photo, and she had been to Mizuhara's house several times.The main building behind the factory has completely collapsed. Satakako's eyes caught something.Can't see details, but can see someone crushed under the rubble.this is-- She realized that it was her father, and the clothes were exactly the same color as the body.But if that's the case, there's one thing about the photo that doesn't match the truth. Zuo Guizi reached out and took off the photo.It's a printout from a video, and it's pretty blurry, making it hard to see details.But she felt a sudden fluster, which turned to doubt. She put the photo in her bag and was about to leave when she suddenly noticed a person standing beside her, and she couldn't help being startled.It was the young woman beside her when she faced her father's body.The woman turned and walked away without even looking at Zuo Guizi.