Chapter 6 Section 1

Mizushima Residence is located at the east end of the street.There are green everywhere, wide roads, few cars and few people, no tall buildings, all are spacious single-family houses, and some very spectacular mansions, whose shape can't even be recognized from the front.This must be the so-called high-end residential area. Among them, Mizushima Mansion is the most conspicuous.The architectural appearance composed of elegant curves and curved surfaces is obviously influenced by the French Art Nouveau (French Art Nouveau, which began in the 1880s, with the use of smooth and graceful lines, organic shapes and beautiful female images. famous.) influence.Even the iron gates are ornately decorated.

I rang the doorbell that didn't match the appearance of this mansion, and reported my name as Tianxiayi introduced by the mayor.After waiting for a while, a man's voice came from inside - "please", and the door opened automatically. There is a long distance from the door to the entrance.But due to the blooming flowers everywhere, this long road did not make me and Xiaolu feel bored at all. A man in a black suit stood in front of the entrance. "Welcome, welcome. I am Hei Ben, the housekeeper." "I am Tianxia Yi. She is my assistant." "The mayor told me that we've been waiting for you." The butler said this, but he made no effort to hide his disapproval.

Climbing the short stairs and opening two doors, we followed the butler into the house.The floor was covered with thick carpet, and there was no sound of footsteps when walking on it.There is a grand piano in the corner of the room, and I don't know who plays it on weekdays. The butler said "please wait here" and left. I sat in a luxurious high-end chair and looked around the room.A few European medieval paintings hung in frames on the wall.These paintings should be worth a lot, but unfortunately, I don't have this knowledge. All I could think about was how to talk to Yuichiro Mizushima when he appeared.To be honest, I'm a little... no, I should be quite nervous.

It's been a whole day since I came to this block very abruptly.Last night I stayed in the hotel that Mayor Hino had booked for me, and I couldn't sleep all night.All this is obviously like in a dream, but I can't sleep, which is a bit ironic.However, after getting up this morning, I am still the best in the world.This proves that everything is not a dream.While I was having breakfast, Little Green came to see me. She came to tell me that the mayor had made arrangements for me to meet Yuichiro Mizushima.Mizushima is a member of the Memorial Preservation Committee.The mayor wanted to do something for me, but to settle things so quickly would just overwhelm me.However, Yuichiro Mizushima is not easy to meet people, and I don't like to complain.

The president of Mizushima Industry, the most powerful and rich man in the neighborhood—that's all the information I got from Xiaomidori.How can I find out?I can't just ask, "Did you do the robbery and dig the hole?" "Very few guests come." A voice came from behind.Looking back, a short man in a purple sweater was standing there.This person is slightly fat, with a broad face, the part above the nose is already aging, but his cheeks are very rosy, making it difficult to guess his age. "Excuse me, my name is Tianxiayi." "I heard. You're here to interview about the Preservation Committee."

The mayor told Yuichiro Mizushima that I was a writer. "Is this lady your assistant? She's really young." The man didn't seem to know Xiaolu. "Ah, you are..." "I am Mizushima's son." The short man approached the piano, lifted the lid, and played two minuets.Played very well. "Does very few people come to your house?" I was very concerned about what he said just now, and asked. "The people who can make me money are another matter. And you, maybe because you are related to the memorial hall, so you agree to see you." "You seem to be particularly concerned about the memorial."

"Especially... not at all." Yuichiro's son stuffed one hand into his pocket and pouted, "It's just that he intends to keep the memorial hall for himself." "Keep it for yourself... Do you mean to buy it?" "Can I buy it?" "There is hardly anything money can't buy in this world, girl." "But why?" I asked. The man shook his hand that was not in his pocket, and said, "Isn't that obvious? I want to get the history. Buying the memorial hall is equivalent to buying the past of this small town." "Why does your father want to get history?"

Hearing my question, he looked helpless, looked at me with wide eyes, and said, "I didn't expect there to be people who are so stupid that I need to explain all this clearly. It is the commonality of people in this small town to get history." desire." "I know. That's why your father joined the Preservation Committee. But I don't think it's meaningful to just buy a memorial hall." "You seem to know nothing about my father. For him, history is not important, what is important is the history that is beneficial to him. As long as he buys the memorial hall, he can publish the history that is beneficial to him according to his own intentions."

"Is it claiming to be a descendant of the pioneers?" "Probably." I shook my head slightly and said, "I really can't understand this kind of thinking." "You are an outsider, so you don't understand." "Oh?" "The residents here are very disturbed. Why am I here? And why is it just here? No one can explain. For example, our house," he said, spreading his hands and looking up at the ceiling, "such an exaggerated Why does a home exist here? What should we do here? Where is the answer?" He breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "It's useless to tell you."

"I understand." Xiaolu said, "I'm also thinking about the same question: why am I here? What is the value of my being here?" "This lady seems to be a local." Mizushima Yuichiro's son nodded and said. At this moment, footsteps came from the corridor.The sound of walking on such a thick carpet is enough to show that this person is very anxious. The butler rushed in. "Ah, Master Haruki, you are here." Haruki seems to be the man's name. "What happened?" "Master...Master is a little strange." "What did you say?" Haruki turned to the housekeeper, "Strange...what do you mean?"

"I called several times, but there was no response." "It must be taking a nap." "But my voice was so loud, I didn't respond..." At this point, the butler stopped, probably because he couldn't say something unlucky. When Mizushima Haruki walked to the corridor, he confirmed again: "Are you sure that father is in the room? He didn't go out?" "No." The butler shook his head. Haruki ran to his father's room.I followed closely, and Xiaolu also followed. Coming to the hall, Haruki ran to the stairs with elegant curves, and ran up the stairs.The front is us.He knocked hard on the door. "dad!" No reply.Haruki turned the handle, but the door wouldn't open at all. "Where are the keys?" "Here." Panting heavily, the butler stuffed the key into the keyhole. With a click, the lock unlocked.Haruki pushed open the door. Everyone was stunned immediately. Opposite the door was an unbelievable sight—no, there wasn't any there, except for a large plank that stood in the way. "What is this?" Chun Shu knocked on the board. "Like the back of a piece of furniture," I said, "like a wardrobe or a bookshelf." "There is no wardrobe in the master's room," said the butler. "It's a bookshelf." Chun Shu looked up and said, "There are many bookshelves in my father's room. Why are they placed here?" The housekeeper didn't seem to know how to answer, and shook his head anxiously. "Let's move it away first," I said. "Yes. But..." Haruki pushed a little harder, shook his head and said, "There is no place to grab it, and it is impossible to push it to the side, and it is very heavy." "Master, master!" The butler shouted again, but there was still no response. "It seems that there is no way to remove it, but to push it down." "Me too. Can you help me?" "certainly." Haruki and I began to push the upper part of the bookshelf, and the housekeeper and Xiaolu also came to help. The bookshelf tilted quickly, and the opposite side was crackling, and the books fell off.Then, with a bang, the bookshelf fell to the ground like a huge piece of wood. Only then did we see the inside of the room.Anyone can see that there is a person lying in the middle of the room. "Ah, sir!" The butler was the first to speak.He straddled the bookshelves and ran to the center of the room with a speed that was disproportionate to his size. Haruki also followed, and Xiaolu and I followed closely behind.As I stepped over the bookshelves, I looked around the room.Yuichiro Mizushima fell to the ground in an abnormal state, and the layout of the room was also unusual. The tables, chairs, and sofas were all against the walls, and of course some of them might have been there, but there was a large writing desk in front of the window, which felt very unnatural.The bookshelf in front of the door was naturally moved.Next to the bookshelf that fell on the ground, there were several encyclopedia dictionaries scattered. There was nothing in the center of the room except Mizushima lying on a circular carpet.The butler knelt beside him and began to cry. "My lord, ah, my lord, how could this be?" Yuichiro Mizushima was wearing a golden robe, which seemed to have a pajamas underneath.Most of his white hair has been dyed dark brown. If you look closely, you can see bullet marks on his right temple.He holds a gun in his right hand. "Father committed suicide." Haruki whispered.