Chapter 8 Section 8

On the fourth day after the disaster, Yaya returned home, surrounded the side of the factory that barely survived the collapse with a tent, and used a kerosene stove to resist the severe cold.He really didn't want to stay in the shelter anymore.Since yesterday, the number of people evacuating has increased.Repeated aftershocks have made many people afraid to continue living in houses that may collapse at any time.The gymnasium was full of people, and the space was gradually occupied by families supporting the old and young. Single people like Yaya gradually had no place to stand. They were so noisy that they couldn't sleep at night, and the surroundings were full of crying and complaining.Ya has also mastered the essentials of receiving food and water, and also understands not to move around as much as possible, so as not to waste energy.

He started thinking about leaving here.I can no longer live at home, so I can only find a way out elsewhere.But there is no goal at all.The Nishinomiya factory where I was going to work could not be contacted, and even if I contacted, it is impossible to get a satisfactory answer.He didn't want to move around uncertainly and spend what little money he had left.Moreover, if you want to receive your father's insurance money, it's best not to leave here casually. He adjusted the heat on the stove, and took rice balls and canned tea out of the bag next to him.This was sent at the shelter this morning.I'm tired of rice balls, but now I can't ask for anything more.

He took a bite and suddenly remembered what happened that day.Just as he was disheartened by the theft of the food in the refrigerator, Xin Haimeidong handed over a rice ball wrapped in plastic wrap, saying that he sent it after he left the gymnasium. They chatted for a while afterward.She seems to have grown up in Kansai, went to Tokyo after work, and encountered this earthquake after resigning. "What company?" Yaya asked. "Companies dealing in clothing and accessories also import foreign goods and sell them at cheaper prices than market prices." "Oh, it feels very beautiful. Will you go abroad too?"

"Well, I go out a few times a year." "That's great. I've never been to Hawaii." "I'm not going to play, it's not interesting at all. The schedule is very tight, and it's very exhausting to negotiate with those foreigners. I just sleep in the hotel after work, and I haven't been to any scenic spots at all." "Oh. But I'm still very envious." After talking with Mifuyu, Yaya finally felt relieved.She didn't seem to have seen the scene where she killed her uncle, otherwise she would never have spoken so unsuspectingly, and she would never have sent rice balls.She said she saw him give bread to the child at the gym, so she guessed he must be hungry now.

"Why did you resign?" "It's hard to explain. When a woman approaches thirty, it's very troublesome." Meidong smiled with her eyes narrowed.There was something in that expression that attracted Masaya deeply. "It's not that big, is it?" "Only two years left." She held up two fingers. "Twenty-eight? Same age as me. I thought you were younger." "Oh, you're also twenty-eight." For some reason, she seemed to be nodding with satisfaction, "I guess you're that old." We talked a lot after that.Mifuyu seemed eager to talk to others, and so did Ya, and he felt that even if it wasn't in the current situation, it would be fun to be with her.She didn't have any make-up, she was dressed like a disaster victim, but her beautiful appearance has not diminished in the slightest, and her bare face can highlight the real highlights.

Mifuyu doesn't talk about her near-rape incident.Ya also guessed that she wanted to forget about those unhappiness, so she didn't mention it. Ya could not leave this place, one of the reasons was Mifuyu.What is her plan for the future?Will you go back to Tokyo, or do you have other places to go? I didn't see her at the shelter last night.Ya is also particularly worried that she has left here.But the remains of her parents are still in the gymnasium, and as long as the remains are there, she will definitely come back.Ya is also relieved for the time being. Just after noon, Ya also wanted to make the tent that was used as a wall stronger, when he suddenly heard a man's deep voice behind him: "Ya Ye."

It was a man of about forty years old with a combed-back hair, wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses.He put his hands in his pockets, paid attention to his feet, walked up to him, and took off his sunglasses halfway.Ya didn't remember seeing this face either. "It's really miserable this time, it's really a catastrophe." The visitor said in a chatty tone. "Sorry, you are..." Ya also asked cautiously. "Thinking about it carefully, it's the first time we've met, but I've seen your photo." The man squeezed a smile from the corner of his mouth, and handed over a business card with "Xiaogu Enterprise General Manager Xiaogu Shinji" printed on it.

"Mr. Kotani...uh, you are..." "Sakako's husband." "Ah, it belongs to Takako..." Ya didn't remember Xiaogu's surname either, he suddenly remembered that his uncle had said that Takako hadn't officially registered for marriage. "I heard from Zuo Guizi that her father's affairs have caused you a lot of trouble." "No trouble, I didn't do anything." "No, no, your father's funeral is not over yet, and such a big incident happened again." "It's nothing." Ya Ye scratched his head while guessing the purpose of this person coming here, it seems that it is definitely not just to thank you.The ominous premonition quickly spread in the heart like ink dripping into the water.

"It's really cold, it's so cold to the bone. Can you let me in?" Xiaogu shrank his back and pointed at the tent. "Please." Yaya replied. Xiaogu sat on the upside-down bucket, leaned next to the stove, covered the stove with his hands, and said with a smile: "Finally alive." Under the swaying light of the blazing fire below, Xiaogu's face looked even more ruthless . "Has Takako gone to the gym?" "No, she will come back later." "Oh?" "Go to a place first, and come back after finishing the work. I will call you at the station." Xiaogu took out his mobile phone from the pocket of his leather jacket.

"Driving to pick her up?" "No, a motorcycle." "motorcycle?" "I came here on a motorcycle from Nara. According to Satakako, the traffic is so congested that I don't know when I can get there by car." "But the motorcycle can't transport my uncle's body." "Well, that can't be helped." "It can't be helped... Aren't you here to collect the body?" "Didn't I just say that?" Xiao Gu rolled his eyes upwards and stared at Ya Ye, "The road is too congested to drive." Ya also closed her mouth and looked at the zipper of Xiaogu's leather jacket.Then why are you here?Why not go to the gym and come home?

"The earthquake was indeed tragic, but you were miserable enough before. Your father isn't too old, is he?" "Ah..." Ya also nodded anxiously, wondering about the other party's purpose. "I heard from Zuo Guizi that the operating conditions of your factory are very bad." "Well, the whole economy sucks." "Although the recession is bad, not all the company's bosses hang themselves." Xiao Gu smiled while shaking his shoulders.Ya also couldn't understand how he could say such words to the victim indifferently under such circumstances.It seems that there is only one possibility, he did it on purpose, obviously to anger Yaya. "That's right, Zuo Guizi made various investigations on her father and found a note, or something like a memo, that caught her attention. It said that her father had lent four million to your family. You heard Have you ever done this?" Sure enough, Ya thought so too.Zuo Guizi kept asking her father what she brought yesterday, probably because she was looking for an IOU.Ya also pretended not to know, but Zuo Guizi obviously had doubts, and could even feel that she was doubting herself. Zuo Guizi told her husband about the situation, and Xiao Gu came.It seemed that this man had the confidence to get money from Ya Ye.Based on what?The IOU no longer exists: on the night of the great earthquake, it was thrown into the fire and reduced to ashes. "I haven't heard of it." Ya also shook his head, "Father is in charge of raising money. When negotiating with creditors, uncle didn't participate." "Although they are not biological brothers, that is also the relationship between brother-in-law and brother-in-law. They can't be like other creditors. They must discuss slowly alone. But your father is no longer here, so what will Zuo Guizi's father do? Of course I asked you to talk about it." .” "never heard of that." "Really?" Xiaogu stared, his voice added a sense of menace. Ya also kept his face expressionless on purpose, silently shrinking his chin.It's best not to talk too much. "Oh, if you say that, there's nothing you can do." Xiaogu said, rubbing his hands on the stove, making the sound of dry skin rubbing. "You came here just to tell me this?" "How can you talk like that? My wife's father is dead, of course I should come." Xiao Gu stared at Ya Ye, and loosened the corner of his mouth.In Ya Ye's view, Xiaogu's smile looks even more ferocious and terrifying. Kotani reached into the inside of the leather jacket and took out a photo. "This was taken home by Zuo Guizi yesterday, and he said it was a bit weird." As soon as Ya Ye stretched out his hand, Xiao Gu immediately took the photo back. "I'll take it, you can come over and take a look. This photo may become important evidence, and it can't be re-edited." That's not a photo, it looks like it was typed out with a printer.Ya also felt like a shot in a video tape.He moved his face closer as he said. The photo shows my own factory, which seems to have just been damaged by an earthquake.I don't know who took it, I didn't notice it at all at the time. "How?" Xiaogu raised one eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth curved. "The above is my factory?" "Yes. Not only the factory, but the house behind it was also photographed. Look here, it seems to be crushed under the rubble, isn't it Zuo Takako's father?" Indeed, there was a figure at the place he was pointing at, no matter from the position or the clothes, it was undoubtedly Jun Lang. "Don't you think it's strange?" Xiaogu smiled slightly, "The second floor collapsed, the roof fell down, and the tiles were broken. I heard that the tile hit his forehead and killed him on the spot, right? But this The person in the photo looks like he is about to crawl out, his hands seem to be still moving, and there is no wound on his forehead." Yaya's expression didn't change.He didn't know how to hide it, he just felt that his hands and feet were getting cold, but his armpits were sweating, cold sweat. "That's what I think," Kotani continued, putting the photo in front of Yaya, "Sakako's father must still be alive, at least at this time." Ya also had goosebumps all over her body, and she couldn't help but want to rub her arms, but she tried her best to hold it back. When he saw Jun Lang, Jun Lang didn't move at all, so he always thought that Jun Lang had passed out when he was pressed down.It seems that this is not the case. Toshiro once tried to climb out with his own strength, and Yaya arrived only when he was exhausted. "I heard he died instantly. Anyway, that's what the police say." "Maybe he died on the spot. The police shouldn't be wrong about this kind of thing. But when this photo was taken, the old man was still alive, isn't that right?" Ya also pretended to stare at the photo again, and said, as if puzzled, "It's hard to say anything just by looking at this photo." "Why?" Xiaogu's eyes seemed to be rounded in surprise, "No matter how you look at it, he is still alive, isn't he just trying to climb out of the collapsed house?" "It's not impossible to see it that way, but the earthquake caused everything to shake and collapse. Maybe it happened to be shot like this for some reason." "Can the corpse dance like this by chance? The most important thing is that there is no wound on his forehead. Didn't it mean that his forehead was cracked?" Xiaogu pointed to his forehead. "You always emphasize that there are no wounds. How can you tell from this photo alone? Look, uncle's face is too small and blurry." "That's a crack on the forehead. Under normal circumstances, the face will definitely be covered with blood. Even if it's blurred, it's impossible not to see it." "Even if you tell me this..." Ya also faltered. "Sakako's father is not dead. This was taken while he was alive." Kotani put the photo back into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, "This is so strange. Why does the rubble hit the forehead? The house has collapsed, where did it fly from?" Rubble from here?" "I don't know about that. My uncle had already passed away when I saw it. There were aftershocks all the time. It must be that debris from a nearby building or something fell down." "It's not a typhoon, how could debris from other buildings fly over? It's absolutely impossible." "Then..." Ya also took a breath, looked at Xiaogu's face and said word by word, "Then what do you think is going on? Mr. Xiaogu, what do you want to say?" Xiao Gu relaxed the corners of his mouth again, looking as if he was secretly laughing.He took out cigarettes and a lighter from the outer pocket of the leather jacket, took one in his mouth, and handed the cigarette case to Yaya.Ya shook her head too.Kotani lit the fire with a lighter, pretending to be leisurely puffing out the smoke.Maybe he wanted to make Ya feel uneasy. After smoking a cigarette, Xiaogu wanted to get down to business.He just moved his lips when a woman's voice came from nowhere: "Is anyone there?" As if feeling that the best time to speak was interrupted, Xiaogu seemed very unhappy.Ya also came out of the tent. At the entrance to the factory stood a small, middle-aged woman in a duffel coat and tight tracksuit.Ya also asked, "What's the matter?" "Do you have any extra heating appliances?" The other party asked politely. "Heating . . . a stove or something?" "No, our house has a stove, but we don't have kerosene or electricity. I want to ask if there is anything that can be heated without oil or electricity..." The middle-aged woman lowered her head while talking.She also felt that there was no such thing as magic, but she had to look for it.Perhaps the young child is trembling waiting for the mother to bring back the warmth. "I've never heard of such a thing. It doesn't exist here." "Oh." Her head dropped even lower. At this moment, Ya also saw Xin Haimeidong walking across the road.She seemed to notice Yaya too, and smiled at him.She was holding a paper bag in her hand. The middle-aged woman bowed her head and wanted to leave.Suddenly, a thought flashed through Yaya's mind. "Wait a minute, please. Do you have a kerosene stove?" "Well, but no kerosene." Gasoline and kerosene have been in short supply since yesterday, as everyone is scrambling to buy them, and sales have been restricted to ensure the needs of government agencies and the Self-Defense Forces. "I have kerosene." Yaya's words made her eyes widen. "Ah? You have?" "Well, there are quite a lot. If you want, I can transfer it to you." "Yeah... that's great. I'm going to get the container right now." She walked away quickly. Meifuyu came closer.She seemed to have heard the conversation just now, and asked in surprise: "Is there so much kerosene?" "Well, I had completely forgotten about it. It was all in that iron bucket." He pointed to the four hundred-liter iron bucket standing beside the damaged wall. "How come there are so many?" "This machine is intended to be used, but not as fuel." Ya Ye stood next to his father's proud electric discharge machine. "This machine is used to process metals in oil, and it uses kerosene." "Oh..." I don't know if I understood, but Meifuyu nodded in admiration. "There's something weird about it. Father foolishly put whiskey in it. But it's got a smell at most and nothing else." Meifu who had been listening with a smile suddenly frowned: "Who is that person?" In front of her line of sight was the tent.Xiaogu shrank his head back. "The husband of the cousin who came yesterday." "Come to collect the remains?" "No, the road is too congested to drive. I just came to meet you today." "Oh." Meidong showed a surprised expression. "Leave that aside, where did you go yesterday?" "Go shopping in Osaka." She shook the paper bag slightly, then looked at the tent again, "That man is looking at us again." "I'll go to the gym in a while, and I'll tell you in detail then." "understood." After sending Mifuyu off, Masa also returned to the tent.Xiaogu is still smoking, and several cigarette butts have fallen under his feet. "Who is that woman?" "Neighbor." "Oh, let me just ask." Xiaogu threw the unfinished cigarette on the ground, "Do you plan to rebuild the factory?" "How can there be money. Besides, this place doesn't belong to me anymore." "Can't you pay off the rest of the loan with your father's insurance money? By the way, I still feel something is wrong about Zuo Guizi's father. I heard from Zuo Guizi that the IOU that her father brought is missing." "I haven't seen that thing, so I can't say anything." "Haven't you seen it?" Kotani looked at Yaya from head to toe with contemptuous eyes, "If what Satakako's father said is true, then this earthquake is a good thing for you. The one who lent you the money When the person dies, the IOU disappears, isn't it equivalent to writing off the loan?" "What do you mean?" "What I'm talking about is the truth, plus this strange photo." Xiaogu patted his chest, "Of course we will have all kinds of imaginations. Although we don't want to think too much, but what is suspicious is suspicious, and what is strange is strangeness." "You mean, what did I do to Satakako's father?" "Well, it's hard to say." "Please don't say anything just based on this photo." "Yeah, one photo is really not enough, but it's not the only one. Look at you, your face has changed with fright. Scared?" "If there are other photos, show them to me." Ya also stretched out her hand. "It's not a photo, it's a video. The photo you saw just now was printed from a video tape. Zuo Guizi went to find the owner of the video tape. After watching the video, we can know whether Zuo Guizi's father was dead or alive." Ya was also surprised.Indeed, if it was a video tape, he should be able to know Junlang's situation in more detail. "What's the matter? Why are you silent all of a sudden?" "It's nothing." Ya also shook her head, "Can I have a cigarette?" "Of course." Xiaogu handed over the cigarette case and lighter together. Masa also smoked while thinking about various possibilities.Whatever it is, come up with an excuse.However, in case there is a shot of smashing Junlang's forehead in the video—— "Hey, Yaya, what's the real situation?" Xiaogu's tone suddenly softened a lot, "Did you hear that Zuo Takako's father said about borrowing money? If you were telling the truth, Zuo Takako and I wouldn't be entangled like this , you won’t be suspected anymore. Think about it yourself.” He wants to make a deal with me.No, exactly scaring me.In any case, his goal is money. "No matter what you say, I'm not lying." "Don't be so stubborn, you will regret it." Xiaogu pressed every step of the way. At this time, the phone on the inside of Xiaogu's leather jacket rang. "It's Zuo Takako." He said as he took out his mobile phone, "Oh, it's me. Did you go?...Huh? TV station?...Why is this, is it going to be broadcast on the show?...Ah, I see. Is that right? There's a solution... Well, let's go back today... I'm basically done here... Got it, let's go right now." Xiaogu put the phone back in his pocket. "This is troublesome. I heard that the video tape was borrowed by the TV station. If there are abnormalities recorded in it, it may cause a sensation." "There can be no unusual circumstances." "It's hard to say. Anyway, we will understand after watching it. After the TV station returns the video tape, the other party will lend it to us immediately. Before that, you should think about it yourself." Xiao Gu stood up, "It seems that Sa Takako's father's It’s best not to cremate the body yet. It will depend on the situation, maybe the police will investigate.” He walked out of the tent with a low laugh. After the sound of the motor faded away, Ya also came outside.What should I do?How can one escape from this situation?He couldn't help but want to put his head in his hands, but suddenly he heard someone calling him from behind: "Mr. Mizuhara." Ya was also startled, looked back, and saw Meidong standing there, still holding the paper bag in her hand. "You didn't go to the shelter?" "There is something I want to give you." Meifuyu came to Yaya's side and handed over the paper bag in her hand. "what?" He wanted to open it, but she stopped him with her hand. "Open it later." "Oh... Got it, thank you." "Hey," Meidong looked into his eyes, "do you want to leave here?" "what?" "Let's go together." Ya also held her breath and looked into her eyes, her heart beating faster. At this moment, a woman's voice came: "Excuse me, excuse me." The middle-aged woman who came just now came again with a red plastic bucket in her hand, followed by a woman of similar age, also carrying a plastic bucket. Barrel, it seems, is her friend. "Can we have some kerosene?" "Ah, yes." Ya also prepared to lead them to the iron bucket. "Two hundred and fifty yuan per liter." Mei Dong said.Ya also looked at her in surprise. "Oh, two hundred and fifty yuan..." The middle-aged woman looked at the container in her hand. "This is 20 liters, and the total is 5,000 yuan." Mei Dong said in a businesslike tone. Ya also stared at Mifuyu's face.She glanced at him, as if saying, "Don't talk, leave it to me." Mifuyu took the money from the two women and gave it to Masaya.He wanted to say that he didn't need to charge money.She seemed to have seen through his mind long ago, and muttered: "If a person's mind is too good, he cannot survive." Ya also opened her eyes wide.Mifuyu turned around and left the factory. After selling the kerosene, Ya also walked into the tent and looked at the paper bag Meidong gave him.Inside was a box.Ya also opened the cover, and couldn't help being stunned: a home video camera with an LCD screen, and a small note that said: "Open the video and have a look." The battery appears to be fully charged.Ya also switched the camera's mode to play video and pressed the button. Yaya almost cried out when she saw the scene that appeared.The leaning building is undoubtedly his own factory, and the main house behind it was also photographed. in addition-- Toshiro, who was crushed under the ruins and was struggling, appeared on the screen, waving his arms like swimming. The screen moves slowly sideways.A tall man in a green winter suit flits across the frame.