Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Like the atomic bomb dome, the miniature garden is also surrounded by a high fence to prevent people from entering.Undeterred by this, however, Meggie found a gap in the middle of the fence, into which someone had evidently entered (Holmes suspected that someone had cut the wire with pliers, and stretched the wire with gloved hands to make the gap wide enough let one pass).Soon they were on a tangle of winding, winding footpaths—paths that skirted lifeless black ponds, gray soot all the way, charred plum trees and Cherry branches.They walked leisurely, stopping from time to time to look around, carefully looking at the burnt remnants of this historic garden-the tea room was only charred rubble, and hundreds, even thousands of rhododendron bushes once bloomed. There are only a few withered plants in the place now.

But Mr. Mayge kept silent about what he had witnessed, which made Holmes somewhat depressed.When he asked about the glorious history of the garden, Meggie ignored his question.Not only that, but he seemed unwilling to stay beside Holmes. Sometimes, he would walk in front, and sometimes, when Holmes was not paying attention, he would suddenly fall behind.In fact, since asking those women for directions, Mei Qi’s mood has been quite low, maybe because he heard some things he didn’t want to know, or maybe it’s because the beautiful garden in his memory has now turned into something different. The public is welcome to visit the restricted area.

However, they soon discover that they are not the only trespassers.On the path, a sophisticated-looking adult man came toward them—the man must be in his forties or early fifties, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows—and he was leading a cheerful little boy, A boy in blue shorts and a white shirt skipped along beside him.When the two sides met, the man nodded politely to Mei Qi, said something in Japanese, and when Mei Qi answered him, he nodded politely again.He looked like he still wanted to talk to Mei Qi, but the boy kept pulling his hand and urging him to move forward, so he just nodded and continued walking.

Holmes asked what the man had said, and Meggie shook her head and shrugged.Holmes found that this brief encounter seemed to make Meggie very uneasy, and he kept looking behind him, appearing uneasy.For a while, he walked close to Holmes, his knuckles turning white from the exertion he was carrying the suitcase—he looked as if he had just seen a ghost.Before he picked up his pace again, he said: "It's strange, I thought I just saw me and my father, but I didn't see my brother—my real brother, not Kensui Lang. Because you I always thought I was an only child and didn't have any siblings, so I didn't feel the need to mention him to you. In fact, he died of tuberculosis, just a month or so after we walked this path together. He glanced back again, and quickened his pace. "It is very strange, Mr. Holmes. It was so many years ago, and yet it does not feel at all remote."

"Indeed," said Holmes, "sometimes I am surprised and startled by the sudden and unexpected reappearances of pasts I thought long forgotten. If they had not found me, I would never have remembered them at all." They followed the path to a relatively large pond with an arched stone bridge over it.In the pond, there are several small islands, and on each small island, there are remnants of tea houses, huts or small bridges.The entire garden also suddenly became open, as if far away from any city.Meggie, who was walking ahead, stopped and waited for Holmes to catch up with him.The two then stared for a while at a monk sitting cross-legged on a small island.Wearing a long robe, the monk sat upright, motionless like a statue, bowing his shaved head in prayer.

Holmes bent down at Meggie's feet, picked up a green pebble from the road, and put it in his pocket. "I think there is no such thing as fate in Japan." Mei Qi stared at the monk intently, and finally said, "After my brother died, I saw my father less and less. Those days, He traveled a lot, mainly to London and Berlin. By the way, my brother was Kenji, and when he died, my mother's grief infected the whole family. I especially wanted to travel with my father, but I was still in school, And my mother needed me by her side more than ever. My father, however, encouraged my idea, promising that if I would work hard at English and do well in school, he might one day take me to I traveled abroad together. So, as you can imagine, I spent all my spare time practicing English, listening, speaking, reading and writing. I think, in a way, that kind of hardworking The energy also developed in me the determination necessary to be a writer."

When they started walking again, the monk suddenly raised his head and looked up at the sky.He chanted scriptures in a low voice, the humming sound rippled from the pond. "More than a year has passed," Mei Qi continued, "my father sent me a book from London, a hardcover edition. It was the first English novel I read from beginning to end, and it was also my first This is the first time I came into contact with Dr. Watson's story about your adventures. Unfortunately, I have not been able to read other English novels written by him for a long time after that, until I left Japan to study in England. See it again. Because my mother was not in a good state of mind at the time, she didn't allow any books about you, or even about England, in our house. In fact, she sent me the book that my father sent me. Throw it all away—she found my book stash and threw it away without my permission. Luckily I finished the last chapter the night before."

"Her reaction was a little too violent," said Holmes. "It's true," said Mr. Mei Qi, "I was angry for weeks and didn't talk to her or eat her cooking. It was a bad time for everyone during that time." They came to a hill on the north bank of the pond. The adjacent creek outside the garden and the mountains in the distance formed a beautiful background.Someone deliberately placed a big stone beside the hill. The top half of the stone was sawed off and smoothed, which could be used as a natural bench. So Holmes and Meggie sat down and enjoyed the beautiful scenery before them.

Sitting there, Holmes felt that he was as vicissitudes as this ancient boulder resting beside the hill. When everything that was once glorious around him had faded or disappeared, only he still existed.On the opposite bank of the pond, there were a few large unpruned trees of strange shape, their bent and bare branches no longer able to separate the garden from the houses and crowded streets of the city.For a while they just sat there like this, hardly speaking, just looking at the scenery in silence.Holmes kept thinking about what Meggie had said to him, and finally said: "I hope you don't think I'm too nosy—but I guess your father is dead?"

"When my parents got married, my mother was less than half my father's age," Mei Qi said, "so, I'm sure my father was dead by this time. But I have no idea where he died , and how he died. To be honest, I was expecting you to tell me." "Why do you think I know?" Mei Qi bent forward, clasped her hands, and stared at Holmes with incomparable concentration: "During the time we exchanged letters, didn't you think my name looked familiar?" "No, I don't think it looks familiar. Should I?" "What about my father's name? Meiqi Matsuda, or rather, Matsuda Meiqi."

"I'm afraid I still don't understand what you mean." "My father seems to have had dealings with you when he was in England. I never knew how to bring this up with you, because I was afraid that you would question my intentions of inviting you to Japan. I thought you would Guess the connection, and tell me about it." "When did these interactions between him and me take place? I can assure you, I really have no memory at all." Mei Qi nodded solemnly, unzipped the suitcase at her feet, spread the suitcase on the road, and carefully rummaged through a pile of her own clothes.At last he took out a letter, opened it and handed it to Holmes: "My father sent it with the book. The letter is addressed to my mother." Holmes held the letter before him, and looked at it carefully. "The letter was written forty—maybe fifty years ago, wasn't it? You can see that the edges of the paper have turned yellow, and the black ink has turned blue-black." Holmes returned the letter to Meggie. "But unfortunately, I really can't understand the content inside, can I trouble you—" "I will do my best." Mr. Mei Qi showed a confused expression, and began to translate: "I consulted the great detective Sherlock Holmes in London, and I realized that it is best for us to stay in England forever. Good choice. As you can see from this book, Holmes is indeed a very clever and wise man, and his opinion on this important matter must not be ignored. I have already made arrangements, all the estates and The property will be transferred to your name until Minmu grows up and can take over the responsibility." Then Mei Qi folded the letter and added, "This letter was signed in 1903 March 23rd—that is, I was eleven and he was fifty-nine. We haven't heard from him since, and we don't know why he felt compelled to stay in England. In other words, it's all the information we have." "What a pity." Holmes watched Meggie put the letter back in the trunk.Now, he obviously can't tell Mei Qi that his father lied, but he can express his doubts and explain why he can't be sure whether he has met Matsuda Mei Qi. "I may or may not have met him. You don't know how many people have come to me in those years, literally thousands. I've been impressed by a few, but I think if I did meet a Japanese living in London, I should remember, don't you? But anyway, I really can't remember. I'm sorry, I can't help you." Mei Qi waved her hand, as if she had decided to give up.He suddenly removed his serious expression, "There is no need to be so troublesome," he said in a relaxed tone, "I don't care about my father, he disappeared for so long, I have already buried him in my childhood memory together with my younger brother Hit. The reason I am asking you this is for my mother because to this day she is still in pain. I know I should have mentioned this to you sooner but it is hard for me to be in her face Say, so we'll have to wait until we're out on a trip." "Your prudence and your filial piety to your mother," said Holmes kindly, "I admire you very much." "You've been honored," said Mei Qi, "but please don't let this little thing get in the way of what you're really here for - my invitation is sincere and I hope you understand - we still have a lot to see Yes, to talk." "Of course," said Holmes. For a long time after this, however, nothing was said, and neither of them felt the need to speak, except for a few general chatter from Mr. Mei Qi (“I’m afraid we have to go, don’t miss the ferry”). .They left the garden and took the ferry to Miyajima. They were also silent all the way, and they didn't even speak when they saw the huge red arch erected on the sea.They boarded a bus bound for Hofu, at the Red Leaf Hot Spring Hotel (it is said that a white fox once healed his injured leg in the hot spring, so now when you soak in the steaming hot spring, you may still see The looming face of the white fox in the steam) settles down and prepares for a night of sleep, the embarrassing silence continues unabated.The silence was not broken until just before dinner, when Meggie looked straight at Holmes, smiled broadly, and said, "It was a pleasant evening." Holmes smiled back, but not enthusiastically. "Indeed." He replied curtly.