Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Barbershop

Going to the barber shop was an idea that Kindaichi Kosuke had come up with in the morning. "Are you going to live in Qianguang Temple? But although the temple is very quiet, life is somewhat inconvenient!" Kiyoko, the owner of the barber shop, asked while combing Kindaichi Kosuke's messy hair. "Anyway, I'm used to this kind of life. Besides, I don't have anywhere to go now." "Hey! It seems that we are both fallen people in the world!" "Boss, where is your hometown? It seems that you are not from this island." "Me! I'm a homeless man who has traveled almost all over Japan. By the way, sir, is he from the east?"

"Me? I'm a bum like you. Just got here from New Guinea recently." "That's because of the war, there's nothing you can do about it! Are you from Tokyo?" The boss asked again. "Well, before I was arrested and sent to the army, I lived in Tokyo; when I came back to my hometown, I saw that everything was burned to the ground, and I had nowhere to go, so I had to wander around." "That's it! You look listless, is there something wrong with your body?" "My body is not bad, but I feel weak all over." "After a stupid war, everyone will be bored, so you can live in the temple with peace of mind! With the largest local ship owner as your backer, what are you afraid of? By the way, do you want to take a side?"

"No need, just shorten the surrounding area as it is." "Everyone has different requirements for hairstyles. You can't even comb your hair with a comb." "Don't say that, it took me a lot of effort to get my hair like this; when I first joined the army, I was shaved with a big bald head, and I was as stupid as a shaved sheep. I have been sad for a long time!" "Hahahaha, now that your hair is so long, don't you have to worry about catching a cold?" Kiyoko, the owner of the only barbershop on Prison Gate Island, had stayed in Yokohama for a long time, so he had a slightly Edo accent in his tone.

But his Edo accent is the same as Kindaichi Kosuke's Tokyo accent, mixed with some dialects, which sounds a bit weird. Kosuke Kindaichi looked at the mottled mirror, thinking in his heart. Didn't you come today just to find out about the island from the barber? It has been ten days since Kindaichi Kosuke arrived on this island. Because of the letter of introduction from Kito Manta, he received good hospitality no matter where he went, but he felt that everyone was beyond the proper politeness, implying It is a kind of warning to foreign visitors. In addition, he also discovered that the news of the ghost head Wantai's death quickly spread throughout the Prison Gate Island. Like a storm.People have a feeling of being shrouded in the shadow of death.

Why did Gui Tou Wantai's death cause such a big shock?What are they afraid of?Kosuke Kindaichi couldn't help but think of what Gui Tou Wantai said when he was dying. "Go to Prison Gate Island...to save my sisters...they will kill them...cousin...cousin..." After the haircut, the boss began to help Kindaichi Kosuke shave his face. "How rich is the ghost family?" Kosuke Kinda looked tentatively at the boss in the mirror, and asked cautiously. Although he felt that the boss was a little unhappy from the strength of his hands applying the soap, he still said in a relaxed tone:

"I'm curious!" "Not only are they the biggest shipowners on the island, but even the nearby islands don't have such big shipowners!" The boss finally answered. "Is it really that easy to make money as a shipowner?" "Of course!" According to Qing Gong, the owner of the barber shop, there are three levels of fishermen. The lowest level is similar to tenant farmers in the countryside. They have neither boats nor fishing nets, but they have the largest number of people. Secondly, there are boats and fishing nets, but the boats are much smaller than the trawlers. They are equivalent to farmers in the countryside.

At the top, of course, are the shipowners who are equivalent to the big landowners in the countryside, and they are usually meaner than the landowners in the countryside. . "I have also lived in the countryside before, and I know how landlords make money. Generally speaking, landlords and tenants sign leases based on the farming conditions. Usually, the rent is divided into four or six. 4/4 goes into their own pockets. And during the slack season, the tenant farmers can grow some miscellaneous grains by themselves, which is not without a small supplement to life. However, the relationship between the boat owner and the fisherman is not like this. The boat owner has the boat, the net, and the fishery rights; and the fishermen have nothing, so the fish is all the owner's, and the fishermen live only on their daily wages."

"Isn't this the same as the relationship between capitalists and laborers in cities?" Kosuke Kindaichi frowned and said. "Yes, although the shipowner will treat guests and give bonuses when there is a good harvest, but when the harvest is poor, the shipowner is not so generous. For the fishermen, they cannot support their families otherwise, so there is nothing to argue about. of." Duke Qing said angrily. "By the way, I want to see what the fishing nets on the fishing boat look like?" Kindaichi Kosuke had nothing to say. "You ask how many kinds of fishing nets are there? Let me think about it, there are silk fishing nets, pot nets, sardine nets... Let's take sardine nets for example. We only have small sardines here, and the fishing nets for this kind of fish are only available to shipowners. , and it needs to be equipped with two or three eight sculls, which requires a lot of capital to buy.

"The fishermen on the island all hold the idea of ​​​​life and death, and everyone has a mentality of enjoying themselves in time. Drinking, fighting, and shopping often make them exhausted. Therefore, the relationship between the boat owner and the fisherman in the fishing village is more than that in the countryside. The relationship with the tenant farmers is still close. Of course, as a shipowner, there are no two brushes. After all, what they are facing is not a docile tenant farmer, but a rough fisherman. How to take care of them without pampering them? It’s really hard to keep the balance in the middle. But when it comes to treating fishermen, Kaemon, the former owner of the Onitouya who passed away last year, is really an amazing person!”

The topic finally came to the ghost family. Although Kosuke Kindaichi was a little nervous, he still pretended to be relaxed and said: "This Kaemon is Manta's father, right?" "It's grandfather!" Qing Gong immediately corrected loudly. "He is usually in good spirits. Although he is short in stature, he is very courageous and a good boss. Everyone on the island calls him Lord Taige. But last year he passed away suddenly because he couldn't bear the stimulation of defeat. Only live to be seventy-eight." "What about Wantai's parents?"

This is what Kosuke Kindaichi was most curious about. He remembered that when he first went to Kitomotomoto's house to inform the news of Wantai's death, besides the three sisters Tsukiyo, Yukie, Hanako, and a girl named Sanae, he also saw an ugly girl about fifty years old. Maid, it's really strange that there is no man in that huge neighborhood. Besides, the monk of Qianguang Temple also said to him: "Actually, you can live here too, but it's just that there are all female relatives here, so it seems inconvenient." That's why Kindaichi Kosuke lived in his monastery with the monks. "I heard that Wantai's mother died shortly after giving birth to Wantai, and his stepmother also died a long time ago." "Oh! So those three ladies and Wantai are half brothers and sisters?" "yes!" "What about Wantai's father?" "With Sansong? He's still alive, but he's sick now and doesn't usually see people." "Sick? What's wrong?" "This... Let me tell you, don't say it outside, he is crazy!" Kindaichi Kosuke's eyes widened in surprise, this was beyond his expectation! "Crazy? Is he in the hospital now?" "No, he still lives in the mansion. I heard that the Guitou's family built a special confinement room to lock him in. It's been about ten years! Alas! I don't even remember what he looks like Incredible." Hearing this, Kosuke Kindaichi remembered that last time he went to Guitou's house, he seemed to have heard a strange sound similar to the roar of a wild animal, which made him feel a little scared. "Well, does that lunatic beat people?" "No, but although he is usually very quiet, he is not easy to deal with when he goes crazy. The strange thing is that the girl named Sanae only needs to call him once or twice, and he will calm down. But the strange thing is, When he's mad, it gets worse as soon as he meets his daughter... Alas! I can't understand him." "This... is really strange!" "It's not surprising. The three daughters treat their father like a tiger or a lion in the zoo. They mess with him when they have nothing to do. When he sleeps, they stick things into the lattice door to poke him, or throw paper. The group went to harass him, and then the three of them laughed and laughed... Anyone who heard this kind of thing would feel uncomfortable, even me, who came from other places, found it difficult to accept!" Kosuke Kindaichi also discovered that when the three girls heard the news of their brother's death, they were still in the mood to pay attention to trivial matters such as hair styles, kimono belts, and so on.Moreover, when the monks were talking about serious matters, they lowered their heads, giggled, pulled each other's sleeves, and turned their elbows back and forth, which seemed very indecent. At the same time, because the three girls are all beautiful, it gives people a frivolous and sick feeling. Kosuke Kindaichi felt that these three girls really looked like the three sisters of the long-haired snake demon in Greek mythology. The long-haired snake demon was originally a beautiful virgin. In order to compare with Minerva (MINERVA), the three sisters all became monsters with hair like snakes, eagle wings and brass claws. In some respects, the three sisters of the Guitou family really have a demon-like demeanor. "By the way, boss! Is that girl named Sanae Kanmanta's younger sister?" "Yes, but not her own sister. She also has an older brother named Ah Yi, who was sent to Burma because of the war, but I heard that he will be back soon." "I've also heard about this. It is said that Hajime's comrade-in-arms came to inform...By the way, don't they have parents?" Kosuke Kindaichi asked curiously. "Sanae's parents..." Qing Gong seemed to feel that it was embarrassing to talk about these gossips. He smiled, then lowered his head and said to Kindaichi Kosuke: "Sanae's parents passed away a long time ago. As early as twelve or thirteen years ago, when I first came here, Hajime and Sanae had been adopted by my family. I heard that her father died at sea." "Well, that's why there are only mad fathers, three daughters, and Sanae left in that family... Also, who is that old woman who looks like she's in her fifties?" "Oh! She is Ah Sheng, and the concubine of the previous boss. When I came here, she was probably only thirty-five or sixteen years old! But it may be because of her poor skin, she looks very old." "So that's it. Is that Ah Sheng responsible for taking care of everyone's daily life?" "Ah Sheng can't take care of people! She has no other skills except for her good temper. The previous boss wanted her because of this. If a man asks for a capable concubine, there will inevitably be constant disputes in the family. Jiayouwei Gate is a considerate person, so he would not make this kind of mistake." "Then who will handle the housework in the house?" "Sanae!" The barber shop owner replied confidently. "Sanae? But you said she just..." "Everyone admires her! Even though she is only 22 or 3 years old, she is very capable! What's more, the trendy person Zhuzang is there to help with shipping affairs." "No wonder... I came here on the same boat as Zhuzang. Excuse me, what is a fashion watcher?" Duke Qing explained: "The so-called tide watcher is the person responsible for watching the tide rise and fall, which is equivalent to the company captain in the army. Fishing boats rely on the tide watcher's red flag to decide whether to cast the net. If he does not wave the flag, he will not cast the net, so The quality of fishing boat harvest depends on whether the owner has good fashion watchers. Zhuzang is the leading trend watcher in this area. He has been working in the family since his parents' generation, so no matter how unhappy others are, he is right He needs to pay attention too." "Ah! According to what you say, is there still a branch of the Guitou family?" "Well, currently there are only two shipowners on the island, the Guitou head family and the Guitou branch family. There used to be a family called Bawu, but it collapsed four or five years ago. The Guitou head family and the branch family were originally relatives, but Generations have turned against each other, so Kaemon cannot rest in peace." "That's right!" "Because my son is crazy, my two grandsons are serving in the army, and life and death are uncertain in the flames of war, so everyone said that Master Taige still refused to close his eyes until his death." "Hey, you know a lot! What about the separation?" "Although the master of the branch family is nothing, his wife Shiho is very powerful." "Ah! It's that Shiho!" Kindaichi Kosuke seemed to have remembered something, with a look of sudden realization. "Have you seen her?" The boss stopped what he was doing and looked at Kosuke Kindaichi in surprise. "Yes! On the morning of the second day after I arrived on the island, she came to Qianguang Temple to worship Buddha." "That woman didn't go to pray to Buddha. She heard the news of Mrs. Wan's death, so she deliberately went to your place to find out the truth." "That's right, she did question me thoroughly about Wantai's dying situation, but she is really pretty." "That's why I said she is amazing! She is the daughter of the Bawu family I mentioned just now. Wantai originally planned to marry her, but I heard that she didn't like Wantai, but Ah Yi, but because Jia Emon would not let his grandson marry the daughter of a bankrupt shipowner, so when she saw something was wrong, she immediately married into the hostile branch family and became the second wife." The boss seemed to be very prejudiced against this woman, Shiho, and then he said with a look of disdain: "The branch owner Yibingwei is in his sixties this year, and Zhibao is only 27 or 28 years old. It turns out that Yibingwei has no children, so he once recognized his ex-wife's nephew as an adopted son. Until last year, Zhibao also had a child of his own. She immediately Drive the adopted son out. Huh! She is really a femme fatale! You have to be careful too, don't be fooled by her beauty." "I know, I will be very careful. Please be gentle with your hand, it hurts to cut so hard!" Kosuke Kindaichi begged for mercy. "Does it hurt? How about this?" "It doesn't hurt anymore, let's put some more soap on it! By the way, boss, who is Ukai?" "A pelican?" The boss suddenly stopped the razor and looked down at Kosuke Kindaichi. "You know a lot!" "No!" Kosuke Kindaichi felt a little embarrassed, but the boss did not become suspicious. "Ukai is a big bastard... Ah, welcome." The tone of the boss's voice changed suddenly, and Kindaichi Kosuke immediately opened his eyes when he heard the words, and saw that there seemed to be a person standing by the lattice door. "The shave is almost finished, and there is no one else making an appointment below, please come in and have a cigarette first!" "It's been a long time since I saw you, Mr. Ukai, I think your complexion is not very good, is there something uncomfortable? Or is the proprietress of the branch house taking too much care of you? Haha, I was just joking, don't be angry!" When Kindaichi Kosuke heard about Ukai's visit, he couldn't help straightening up, and looked at him in the mirror. This is really a beautiful boy that most people envy, and he can only be seen in romance novels. Kosuke Kindaichi later knew that he was Ukai Shozo.