Chapter 2 Granny

The song show ushered in the final climax. Wearing a shiny gold suit, Sugidaira Kentaro sang his most popular song "Rain Love Onto" and walked slowly towards the center of the stage.He turned his body slightly, looking forward to the sky, and the audience began to beat the rhythm with the melody. Moko Katsuta opened her mouth wide and stared intently at the stage. She was completely immersed in the atmosphere of the scene. At this moment, the old lady sitting next to her suddenly stood up, took out a bouquet from the bag at her feet, and rushed down the steps in a hurry.On closer inspection, other audience members also rushed towards the stage below the steps.They all held bouquets or paper bags and crowded around the front of the stage, scrambling to hand the presents to Sugidaira Kentaro.

The old lady who got up from Moko just now put her hand on the head of the woman next to her, and stretched her right hand desperately grasping the bouquet, reminding Moko of a young swallow trying to beg for food from her mother. Sugihira walked towards them with the microphone in hand, first took the bouquet from the old lady, embraced it with the arm holding the microphone, and stretched out his free hand to her.The old lady shook hands with him ecstatically, and the scene was clearly seen from Moko's seat. Sugihira bent down, and politely shook hands with other audience members one by one.The audience who shook hands all showed expressions of no regrets, and returned to their seats.

The old lady sitting next to Moko also came back.In the dim light, the blush on her cheeks was still clearly visible. After Shan Ping sang "Yu Lian Yin Tou" and thanked the audience, the curtain came down.But naturally the performance would not end so simply, the audience kept applauding, and the curtain rose again.Sugihira stepped onto the stage again, and the applause became more and more enthusiastic. After returning, Shanping sang two more songs before the curtain really came to an end. Moko was pushed out of the theater by other audience members, still in a daze.The cool breeze outside makes me feel very comfortable.

As she walked towards the station, she looked back at the theater's publicity board. Next to the words "Kentaro Sugidaira Special Performance", there is a photo of Sugihira smiling.He was dressed as a chivalrous man, because the play before the ballad show was "The Love of the Prodigal Son". Sugihira on the bulletin board has gentle eyes, as if he is looking at Moko.She couldn't help feeling hot. "It was given by the person who sold the newspaper. No one in our family reads it. Mrs. Katsuta, are you interested?" Moko met the housewife next door in front of the apartment a few days ago, and the man took out an apron pocket while talking. tickets.In fact, Maozi didn't know her very well, probably to her, it was the same for anyone who gave this ticket.

"Sugidaira Kentaro Special Performance" is printed on the ticket. "Huh, Sugidaira Kentaro?" "If you're not interested, you can deal with it casually, it doesn't matter." "That's it, then I'm not going to be polite..." Before Moko could finish speaking, the housewife turned and walked away. Moko looked at the ticket in her hand again.She has known Kentaro Sugira as an actor for a long time, and she also heard that his fans are all middle-aged and elderly women.As if to confirm this statement, among the elderly Moko met in the hospital, several of them were his die-hard movie fans.But listening to their discussion, Maozi was very contemptuous, thinking why should she be so obsessed with a mere actor?What a fool to spend money on this.

And now what she got was the performance ticket of this Kentaro Sugidaira. How to deal with it?Maozi thought.Normally, she would have chosen to sell the ticket to an acquaintance, and she had made up her mind early on that someone would take it if she offered 2,000 yuan.But on this day, she suddenly had a whim, thinking that it would be nice to watch this kind of performance once in a while.She didn't have any expectations and went out just to pass the time. However-- Kentaro Sugidaira himself is so handsome.When acting is majestic, when singing is affectionate, and when talking is also refreshing.

Unexpectedly, there is such a perfect man in the world! That night, Moko was so excited that she couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Waking up at 6:00 the next morning, Moko reached out to pick up the brochure that was placed next to her pillow last night.Kentaro Sugidaira, dressed as a prodigal son, smiled softly.Just looking at this photo is like reliving the excitement of last night. That drama is so good, and that song... She wants to go one more time.According to the introduction in the brochure, the performance will last for three days, and the performance will continue today and tomorrow.

But there are no free tickets anymore, so you have to pay out of your own pocket to go.Several thousand dollars were taken out of living expenses.Thinking of this, she felt a dull pain in her stomach. Shigeko Katsuta was famous for being stingy among the elderly in the neighborhood. In addition, she was from Osaka and spoke a Kansai accent, which further deepened this impression.She was indeed extremely frugal, she didn't pay much attention to her clothes, she always had a simple diet, she ordered no newspapers, she didn't have a TV, and she didn't even have a radio. Moko has no one to rely on, and she has been living alone since her long-term caregiver passed away the year before last.With a meager income and a pitiful pension, the savings and insurance money left by her husband are her only spiritual support, and "every penny I can save is a penny" has become her means of sustaining life.

Moko looked at the brochure again, and Kentaro Sugidaira was still smiling at her, with a bright and gentle smile. No, the more I look at it, the more itchy I feel, how can I waste my spare money like this! She stuffed the brochure under the quilt, intending to forget about Sugidaira Kentaro. But think so... This afternoon, Moko reappeared in front of the theater she had been to yesterday.It was not time for the show to begin, and she hesitated whether to go in.While she was vacillating, the audience streamed into the theater, and everyone seemed happy. An old lady came to the on-site ticket office and took out her purse from her bag.

"Are there any tickets left?" she asked.The conductor answered something, and she nodded slightly after listening: "Well, as long as you have a ticket, the location doesn't matter." The old lady paid the money, took the tickets handed out from the window, and walked towards the entrance of the theater. Yes, if you continue to dawdle, the tickets might be sold out! Thinking of this, Maozi became anxious, and began to feel that there was no time to hesitate any longer. When she regained consciousness, she had come to the ticket office and opened her wallet.When he handed out a few thousand yuan bills, his right hand couldn't help trembling slightly.

But as soon as the performance started, Maozi left the matter of Qian out of the blue.Kentaro Sugidaira is so handsome, chic and charming.Although it was the same drama and the same song as yesterday, Moko was more moved and excited than yesterday, and clapped her hands until her palms turned red.When it was time for the encore, she still applauded more enthusiastically than anyone else. Ahh, Kentaro Sugidaira is awesome!Such an outstanding man, no matter how many times he sees it, he won't get tired of it! Just like yesterday, Moko headed home in a daze.But when she stopped by the supermarket and opened her wallet to buy some vegetables for dinner, she was ruthlessly pulled back to reality. no…… She suddenly fell into despair and realized that she had spent money that she shouldn't have spent. She left the supermarket without buying anything and had miso soup and pickles for dinner.She told herself that she would really, really forget about Sugidaira Kentaro in the future. This determination was maintained until the next morning. No, it should be said that it only lasted until the next morning.In the afternoon, Moko began to fidget. When she thought that Kentaro Sugidaira's performance was about to start, she couldn't calm down. She always thought that if she went out immediately, she would still be in time for the performance.She suppressed the urge with self-control.I can't do stupid things anymore, how can I have so much spare money, forget about Kentaro Sugidaira! However, she was absent-minded in everything she did. She stopped while washing the dishes and let the tap water flow continuously.When she realized it, she regretted wasting so much water. Worrying to the end, Moko still came to the theater.She said to herself silently in her heart: Today is the last time, really the last time.Anyway, the performance ends today, and I won’t be able to see it from tomorrow.As long as it is a complete closure, let go of everything today and enjoy it to the fullest. Although she had made up her mind, she still felt extremely distressed when buying the ticket.Alas, so much money, how many nutritious foods to buy! But as soon as she saw Sugidaira Kentaro appear on the stage, this thought disappeared immediately.She was completely intoxicated in the performance and had a dreamlike time. Back near the apartment, a storm of regret swept Moko's heart.Today, she not only watched the performance, but also impulsively bought a signed poster of Kentaro Sugidaira when she left the theater.In the past, she would have said angrily that it was just a piece of paper, why is it so expensive; but now when she saw Kentaro Sugidaira on the poster, she obediently opened her wallet as if under hypnotism. Forget it, today is the last time, let's take it as a commemoration. That night, Moko had dinner with pickles. Withdrawal symptoms appeared after a week. In Maozi's state, it is not easy to last a week.It's all thanks to that poster.Moko stared at the posters on the wall all day long, smiling knowingly by herself, and sometimes talking to the posters, somewhat relieved the desire to see Sugidaira Kentaro.But after a week, the poster couldn't satisfy her anymore.She longed to see Sugidaira Kentaro with her own eyes, to see him singing affectionately on the stage, talking and laughing freely, and displaying kung fu with extraordinary skills. Moko began to go to the nearby park frequently, just to pick up the discarded newspapers in the trash can and read them.Of course she is not interested in news reports, all she sees are advertisements for concerts or stage performances.And she didn't care about it before. On the morning of the fifth day of continuous running in the park, Moko finally found the news she was looking for.From next week, Kentaro Sugidaira will hold a performance in K City, a neighboring county. Next to the advertisement, there is a note that "tickets are on sale." K City... Ah, Sugihira Kentaro is going to perform in K City. It takes one and a half hours to go to K city one way, and the performance will last for three days like last time. Moko couldn't wait.Although she was breathless when she saw the ticket price, she decided not to think too much about it.She tore out the ad and took it home. The next week, Moko went to City K for three consecutive days.Thinking of meeting Sugidaira Kentaro, the one-and-a-half-hour journey is not worth mentioning at all.She also made a determination: From now on, she will never be stingy with ticket money.Not seeing how painful Sugidaira Kentaro's performance is, she has already experienced it deeply. It would not cost too much to buy a ticket for seat B, and the cost can be saved from other places.Go watch it when you want, Moko decides. But when she thought about it carefully, there was never a time when she didn't want to watch it.As long as it is the distance that can go back and forth on the same day, she will go to watch it no matter where she is, and even has a record of running continuously for a week.During this time, her dinner consisted of udon noodle soup with soy sauce.Normally, she would definitely be exhausted, but—— As long as I can see Master Shan, I can bear any kind of suffering! Relying on this belief, she finally survived. In this way, Moko went on a "pilgrimage" every day.One day, a female member of the fan club approached her.The lady was about the same age as her, but her dress was different.Needless to say, the other party is naturally more glamorous. The member told Maozi that he often saw her at the performance, so he wanted to say hello.She also invites Moko to join the fan club. "After joining the membership, you can get a report with the scheduled schedule of Master Shan's performance, and the ticket price is also discounted, and..." she said in a low voice, "After the performance, you can go to the backstage to communicate with Master Shan." "Communicate with Master Shan?" Moko's eyes widened.It sounded like a dream. "I want to join, I want to join! Please let me join!" In this way, Moko joined the fan club.After watching the first performance after joining the club, Moko came backstage with several other members.Sugidaira Kentaro appeared in front of them. "Thank you very much for your support, and please continue to support us in the future." Saying this, Sugihira shook hands with them one by one.Moko's legs trembled with excitement——Master Shan, whom she has been thinking about so much, is right in front of her eyes!Within reach of her! Sugihira also shook Moko's hand and said to her, "Please continue to support me in the future." Moko felt the blood on her cheeks like a volcanic eruption, and her whole body was hot.She responded softly, her voice was so thin that she seemed to have returned to her girlhood.She doesn't remember much of what happened after that.When she recovered, she had returned home.Her cheeks were still a little hot, and Sugihira's voice echoed in her ears: Please continue to support me from now on... But after calming down slowly, Moko's mood fell into a low ebb.She looked at herself reflected in the glass. Why is it such a poor look!Her hair was messed up, and her makeup wasn't done properly.Master Shan must think that I am a sloppy old woman.Moko hasn't bought new clothes for several years, nor has she bought shoes, handbags or accessories.She thought she was too old to spend money on such things. But when she thought that she might see Master Shan again in the future, she felt that she could no longer be as shabby as she is now, at least she couldn't be compared by other people. The next day, Moko went to the bank to withdraw some savings, stopped by the beauty salon, and then went straight to the high-end women's clothing store that she had inquired about from the beauty salon.When she returned to the apartment, Moko had paper bags full in both hands, and the money she took out had been spent. In just three months after joining the fan club, Moko ordered five suits and two kimonos, bought more than ten pairs of shoes, went to a beauty salon every month, and the number of cosmetics she owned also skyrocketed, and she even bought new ones dresser. The savings that were originally used to protect life are seeing less and less.Unbelievably, Moko felt distressed when she saw the deposit amount, but she didn't hesitate when spending the money.For Master Shan, even if it costs 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, he will not hesitate. What further hit Moko's wallet was the cost of jewelry.Moko didn't pay attention at first, but later discovered that other members of the fan club would wear different accessories every time they met Kentaro Sugidaira. "Wearing the same ring when you come here, if Master Shan finds out when you shake hands, it will be so embarrassing." A member explained to her. Moko hadn't bought any decent accessories, so she didn't think about this question at all.But hearing what she said made sense.Even with a new outfit, if the jewelry remains the same, it is still not perfect. In this way, Moko started to patronize the jewelry store again.For this reason, she naturally had to withdraw the corresponding deposit from the bank. The amount of this money was incomparable to the equipment and food expenses. No, I will go bankrupt if this continues! Moko feels heavy every time she sees the balance of her savings, but her eagerness to see Master Sugi grows stronger day by day.Now she not only goes to the surrounding cities, as long as there is a performance by Kentaro Sugidaira, she will follow him all over the country.This will naturally require accommodation, and the cost will rise as the tide rises.Because she watched the show so enthusiastically, Sugihira Kentaro seems to have an impression of her recently.When we went to meet backstage, he would always say, "Thank you for coming to support me every time." With just this sentence, Moko's depression caused by expenses disappeared instantly.When she thought that Master Shan had noticed her, she was overjoyed. What is money?Even if there are mountains of gold and silver, not spending it is the same as having no money!Passbooks cannot be taken to the underworld, as long as I spend the money on Young Master Shan, I can now enjoy the happiness like being in heaven. For Sugidaira Kentaro, Moko can endure any pain.She saves as much as she can, and she is reluctant to spend even one dollar more on living expenses. She only eats two meals a day, and she always eats simple food. When going to a distant city to watch a performance, she also racked her brains to save money.If you go with the members of the fan club, you have to take the Shinkansen and stay in a luxury hotel, so Moko always makes an appointment with them in the local area, and takes a night coach alone.I live in cheap hotels, and when the weather is fine, I even sit in the waiting room of the station until dawn. She also tried her best to buy clothes in special stores, but she had to look decent in front of Master Shan, so she always carefully selected them, even going to many department stores was a common occurrence. As for jewelry, it is through repeated manufacturing to reduce costs.What was yesterday's ring becomes a brooch today and a pendant a month later. "Why do you build so often?" The jewelry store owner asked puzzledly, but she didn't tell the truth. Moko has been a fan of Kentaro Sugidaira for more than two years, and she is also in her seventies. She was sitting in front of the dressing table to put on makeup early in the morning.In the evening, there will be Kentaro Sugidaira's solo concert at the local prefectural center, and she plans to lay flowers in front of the stage.She had never experienced this kind of experience before, and her heart was pounding with excitement. The suit I bought today was specially hung on a hanger on the wall, and I prepared new necklaces and rings.I went to the beauty salon yesterday, the shoes are brand new, and the lenses of the reading glasses have been changed.Everything is perfect, only the makeup is left. To cover up the wrinkles, Moko painted her face with a thick white foundation, bright lipstick, and black eyeshadow.In the past two years, her make-up has become scary, but she didn't realize it.Rather than saying that she hopes to become more beautiful, it is better to say that she wholeheartedly wants to cover up her old ugliness. Moko sat in front of the dressing table for about two hours.Makeup took longer and longer, but she never noticed it. After putting on her makeup, she looked at her makeup carefully, then stood up and wanted to put on a suit. In an instant, a strong sense of dizziness hit her, her eyes were dark, her mind was spinning, and she couldn't tell the direction.With a bang, she had already collapsed on the tatami. Wow!Really dizzy!As she thought, she tried her best to stand up, but she couldn't move at all, and slowly lost consciousness. It was the landlord of the apartment who found Moko Katsuta lying at home.The resident downstairs of Maozi heard a loud noise and contacted him worried about an accident. He used the backup key to open the door and enter the room. The landlord is a timid middle-aged man.When Moko was found, he was so frightened that he almost collapsed on the spot.At first sight of Moko's face, the landlord thought she had died of some kind of vicious infectious disease, and the emaciated body like a mummy added to the sense of terror.After more than ten seconds, he realized that the face was transformed into that dignified appearance due to heavy makeup, but at this time he was so scared that he peed his pants. Moko didn't die, he just passed out.The landlord hurriedly called a nearby doctor.The doctor was also surprised when he saw Moko. "She is malnourished," said the doctor, checking her pulse. "She is seriously exhausted, and it seems that she hasn't eaten properly for a long time." "It seems so." The landlord glanced at the front of the counter, where there was a plastic bag filled with toast sides—the kind of scraps you can get for free at bakeries. "Is she not short of money?" asked the doctor. "Well, there should be no shortage." The landlord looked around the room and nodded in response.His attention was all on Moko just now, and he didn't realize that the room was quite weird for a while.The walls are covered with posters and calendars, and even the ceiling is not empty. I don't know how she did it.These photos were all taken of the same person. "I didn't expect the old lady to have such a hobby." The landlord had also heard about the news that Grandma Katsuta dressed up extraordinarily well when she went out recently.At that time, he also joked that he met a grandfather who was in love with him in the old people's meeting, but he unexpectedly fell in love with Kentaro Sugidaira. "We can't just leave it alone, it's best to get her hospitalized as soon as possible," the doctor said. "Then I'll find someone to drive her there." "Well, let's do this. I'll go back to the hospital first, and you will send her here right away." The landlord and the doctor walked out of the room together. When the sound of their footsteps faded away, Maozi opened his eyes, thinking that this was going to be troublesome.She turned to look at the alarm clock, it was past four o'clock in the afternoon. Terrible, the recital is about to begin!If you continue to stay here, you will be sent to the hospital, then you will not be able to watch the recital, and you will not be able to see Master Shan. Moko got up with all her strength, took off the suit together with the hanger, put the handbag under her arm, put on her new shoes and went out.She hadn't regained her sense of balance yet, she stumbled and bumped, and managed to get out of the apartment without being noticed by the landlord.Passers-by looked sideways at him. She couldn't afford to transfer to a tram, so she decided to take a taxi.This was the first time she had called a taxi since her husband passed away.However, no car is willing to stop.Although there were empty cars passing by, they drove straight away without paying attention.Seeing that the taxis kept stopping, Moko thought it had been a long time since he took a taxi, and that the way of the car had changed.She never dreamed that it was because she was dressed so weirdly that all the taxi drivers stayed away. But after all, there are still curious taxi drivers.After an unknown number of cars passed by, one finally stopped in front of her. "Where are you going?" the driver asked. "Go to Master Sugi." Moko said "What? Where?" "I've said that Master Shan is there, of course it's the County Citizen's Center, don't hurry up!" Maozi yelled, spitting all over the place. There was no traffic jam on the road, and the taxi drove smoothly towards the destination.But Maozi was still anxious. Firstly, he was afraid that he would not be able to catch up with the performance, and secondly, he was worried about how much the bus fare would cost.Moko's heart beat wildly every time he saw the meter jump. Moko got out of the car as soon as she arrived near the County Citizen's Center, because if the fare increased, she might not be able to afford it, and she needed to find a place to change into her suit. Seeing a narrow alley between the two buildings, Moko walked in, took off her gray casual shirt, and began to change into a suit.At this time, a homeless man happened to come. Seeing her half-naked appearance, he was frightened and fled out in a hurry. Moko hurriedly changed clothes, wasting more time instead.She was sweating profusely, streaming into her eyes.She wiped off the sweat with the back of her hand, and her heavily made-up face suddenly turned into an abstract painting, but she didn't have time to pay attention. After a hard fight, Maozi finally changed into clothes and put on her jewelry.Now she can go to see Master Shan neatly, as she walked out of the alley while thinking this way, another burst of dizziness suddenly hit her. No, you can't fall here. She tried to keep her feet steady, but her body would not obey her, and she staggered up the driveway. It happened that a car was coming at a high speed. After the emergency brake was heard with a creak, there was only a muffled sound, and Maozi fell heavily on the road. "Ah, no!" It was not the driver who screamed, but Yoshio Sato, who was sitting in the back seat of the car.He clearly saw someone hit the hood. The driver held the steering wheel tightly, shrunk his neck and closed his eyes tightly. All he could think about was that he had created a catastrophe and had lost his ability to judge. "Hey, hurry up and take a look!" Sato shook the driver's shoulder, and the driver got out of the car trembling. There was a crowd of people around, Sato felt that he should get out of the car too.The driver is the agent, but if he still sits still in the back seat after bumping into someone, it will definitely damage his image.Sato put on his sunglasses and quickly thought about how to respond if he was recognized by the onlookers. Sato's stage name is Sugihira Kentaro.There was still a solo concert waiting for him at the County Citizen's Center ahead, but he was entangled in negotiating a breakup with his lover, so he set off from the hotel very late.In a hurry, the car drove very fast, and the result was an accident. The names of several powerful people already appeared in Sato's mind.It doesn't matter, an accident of this magnitude can be easily settled— He got out of the car and walked over to the agent who was standing still.The crowd of onlookers didn't seem to realize that he was Kentaro Sugidaira. "Hey, how's the situation?" He whispered to the agent. "She...she didn't move..." The manager looked like he was about to cry. On the ground was an old woman in a cheap suit, lying face down, unable to see her face. "Go and see the situation!" Hearing Sato's order, the manager's expression became more and more pitiful.He knelt down beside the old woman, tremblingly trying to turn her over. "Ah!" Seeing the big painted face, the manager let go of his hands in fright, and with a bang, the old woman's forehead hit the asphalt road again. "Hey, what's going on, this face?" Sato stammered. At this moment, the old lady who was lying on the ground slowly moved, and turned her head to look at Sato and the others.Her forehead was smashed, and there were several bloodstains on Dahua's face. When the old lady saw Sato, her eyes lit up and she smiled at her. "Ah!" Sato couldn't help stepping back. What happened after that was even more unbelievable.The seriously injured old woman stood up suddenly, and walked towards him with her hands outstretched.Screams erupted from the crowd. "Ah!" Sato wanted to escape, but his feet didn't listen, and he fell to the ground instead.He wanted to stand up, but his waist was limp and he couldn't move, only his legs were swinging in vain. The old woman with blood all over her face slowly approached, with a smile still on her face, muttering something in her mouth. "Ah! Go away! Please go away! Woooooo..." Sato finally cried out, and fluid flowed from between his legs. If he calmed down, he should be able to hear what the old woman said—— "Master Shan, what are you performing today?"