Chapter 7 Chapter VII

On this day, the Tsuya family, a grain wholesaler, visited as the first group of guests of the boathouse. Banquet reservations are made from evening to evening.When the western sky was just faintly dyed with red light, the protagonist, the big boss with handicapped feet, led the sedan chair team of the Tsutsuya family to the boathouse.The Kakusuke couple had told the Taiichiro couple in advance that they wanted to congratulate the houseboat on its maiden voyage before the banquet began. Kadosuke and his wife let the big boss sit on the big cushion in the tatami room, and ordered the exclusive maid to take care of it, and then followed Duo Hui to visit the boat house.Taiichiro couldn't leave the kitchen, and he didn't want Kakusuke and his wife to know exactly what was going to be served tonight before the banquet started, so he returned to work early.Kakusuke, on the other hand, gave praises and condolences to Dahui from time to time, walking around happily.

Ah Ling, daughter Ayuan and son Xiaomaru followed the adults to visit the house at first, but Xiaomaru soon got tired of looking at the house, saying that she wanted to go fishing in the river, and then said she wanted to play hide-and-seek in the storage room, yelling nonstop. Running around, A-Ling and A-Yuan chased after him panting.Aunt Ateng had sharp eyes and noticed this. She rushed over with candy in her right hand and a handful of weeds in her left hand and said: "Go and see the weeds by the river, and there will be many sparrows and swallows flying here. You have to sow the weeds before the sun goes down, and the birds will come. Be careful not to fall into the river!"

Fortunately, Aunt Ateng made a rescue, so Aling and Ayuan were able to sit by the river and lick candy while watching Xiaomaru chasing sparrows and swallows. "Maru, don't get too close to the river!" Ah Sono exhorted Xiaomaru loudly, she really deserves to be an older sister.To be able to yell like this with candy in your mouth is like a magic trick.Aunt Ateng gave color-changing round candies, which will change color when licked.Just now, when Ah Yuan opened her mouth wide to reprimand Xiaowan who was about to step on the sparrow, she vaguely saw that the candy in her mouth was red.

Ah Ling took out the candy from her mouth, it was orange.It's incredible, how is this candy made? "A-Ling, will you be bored if you move here?" Ah Yuan tapped Xiaowan on the head, then returned to Ah Ling's side and tilted his head to ask.The girl's slender neck-to-chin line is very feminine and will definitely be a beauty in the future.The ripples of the river reflected in her round eyes. "It's kind of boring." A-Ling replied honestly, "Because Grandpa Qibingwei isn't here." "That grandpa is very nice." Ah Yuan's tone seemed to be judging something, "When he is old, he will race with us. My grandpa can't even walk well."

"Because it's so old, I can't stand it." "That's right, I can't stand it." The two talked like this, regardless of the content of the conversation, Ah Ling felt as if she had grown up and was having an adult conversation. "My father brought a very expensive hanging scroll and said that it will be a gift for the boat house. I will open it for everyone to see later." "What hanging scroll?" "It's the hanging scroll where God Ebisu is fishing. It's a sea bream. There are such long sea breams below the eyes." Ah Yuan raised his hands to indicate that it was a foot long, "I heard it's a mascot."

"Thank you, Uncle Kakusuke is always so considerate." "My mother said that he only needs to be considerate." "My mother also said that it would be great if my father was as considerate as Uncle Kakusuke." To be precise, Ah Ling didn't hear Duo Hui say that with her own ears, but just overheard Ah Teng relaying Duo Hui's words to A Li, but at this moment, she is imitating the example.Well, this kind of dialogue is really like adults. "A-Ling, do you know what dishes will be served today?" "I don't know, Dad won't tell me. He said that if he told me, I would definitely tell you."

Ah Yuan raised the corners of her mouth high, smiling like a mature woman.Ah Ling thought to herself that after seeing her for a few days, Ah Yuan had already learned this expression. "Of course, Uncle has seen through us." Ah Ling replied: "Yes, I see through." Then she casually looked at Xiaowan.From time to time, Xiaomaru picked up small stones at his feet and threw them into the river.He actually wanted to use small stones to hit the water to float to the other side, but because of too much force, the stones just fell into the river with a plop. A figure in red can be seen vaguely beside Xiaomaru.

Ah Ling took a deep breath and hurriedly stood up. It's that girl.The red background is dyed with small white plum flowers.The girl standing beside Xiaomaru also threw stones into the river, the stones cut across the water neatly, and slid across the water like a water strider. "Hey, you!" Ah Ling shouted. The candy twirled around in her mouth at once, and Gudu fell into her throat, and Ah Ling couldn't breathe. Ah Ling wanted to yell again, but she opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound, only the whistling sound made when the cold wind blows through the gap of the unclosed sliding door in the cold night.

"A Ling, what's wrong with you?" Ah Ling's throat was very sore, her eyes were hot, and the eyeballs seemed to be popping out. "A Ling!" Ah Yuan waved his hands in front of Ah Ling, as if shouting something.Xiaomaru stopped throwing the stone and looked to this side, the red clothes could still be seen behind him.The girl in red hides behind Xiaomaru.Ah Ling desperately wanted to scream, the child was going to push Xiaowan into the river.Danger, danger—but no sound.The eyes gradually turned white, the fog gathered, and the head was turning around. "A-Ling is not good!"

Ah Yuan's cry came from afar. At this moment, something quickly approached Ah Ling like a gust of wind, lifting her whole body up.Ah Ling's feet floated in the air, and instantly turned upside down to turn her head down and her feet on her feet.A scene flashed like lightning in Ah Ling's mind: I once climbed to an old cherry tree in the yard of the dormitory in Yashang, hooked my feet on the branch that protruded from the bottom, hung upside down like a monkey, laughed and screamed, and got hit scolded. The top of the head is the river floor, and the bottom of the feet is the sky that is gradually turning red.Ah Ling's eyeballs were hot, her mouth was open, and the tip of her nose tingled.Almost out of breath.

Snapped!Someone patted Ah Ling's back.Ah Ling's back creaked. Snapped!Again, pop! Like a toy with a mechanism, a round candy suddenly flew out of Ah Ling's mouth, and she immediately recovered her breath.She took a deep breath and let out a wow sound.She didn't want to cry, but when she heard the sound of crying, A-Ling felt strange and realized that it was Xiao Wan who was crying. The gust of wind turned Ah Ling in a circle again, a striped collar could be seen in front of Ah Ling's eyes, and a voice came from her head: "Breathe slowly, slow down." When she came back to her senses, she found that a strange man was holding her, and that man was slowly squatting down, intending to let Ah Ling stand on the ground.Ah Ling wanted to breathe slowly according to the other party's instructions, but she could only pant like a dog sticking out its tongue.I want to cry and laugh, but my throat hurts.Tried to talk, but just kept coughing. "A Ling!" Ah Yuan left Xiao Maru who had stopped crying but her face was full of tears and ran over.The strange man looked at A-Ling's feet and reached out to pick up something. "It's rare, it's blue." The man held the color-changing candy that flew out of A-Ling's throat in his hand. "It's rare to see one that can turn blue, but you were almost killed by this candy." Ah Ling gradually understood that it was this uncle who saved her, but she still couldn't make a sound and couldn't thank him.Ah Ling kept coughing, Ah Yuan hugged Ah Ling's back, and bowed to her like a sister or mother. "Thank you, my lord." The strange man smiled and said, "Where, it's nothing." He looked about the same age as Taiichiro.Wearing a striped singlet, with a long knife and a short blade on his waist.Tall, but very thin, like a clothes hanger, with shoulder bones sticking out.The shaved forehead is smooth and shiny, and the eyes seem to be far apart.Ah Ling thought it looked like something, and thought about it: like an anglerfish? This uncle is from the Wu family.What is he doing here? The dog on the side barked "Wow, woof" as if to answer Ah Ling's question.A-Ling looked back, and there was a white dog about the size of A-Ling's favorite paper dog, looking at this side with its ears pricked up and its round eyes open.The dog had a thick rope tied around its neck, and the end of the leash was dragged along the ground. "Got it, got it." The strange warrior who rescued Ah Ling called out to the white dog with a smile, picked up the end of the thick rope and said, "Okay, let's go." It seems that this samurai master was taking a dog for a walk in the river, and happened to find that Ah Ling was choked by candy and almost choked to death. "Are you all right?" He comforted the dog wagging its tail and asked Ah Ling. "Yes, it's all right." Ah Ling was finally able to speak, although her voice was a little hoarse, but it was indeed her own voice, "Thank you, sir." "Where, where." The samurai strode forward.The snow shoes on his bare feet were worn out, and they were lifted every time he took a step.The dog was playing happily at his heels. The man and the dog walked towards the neighbor's house along the river, and Ah Ling squatted on the ground to watch them off.I saw him turn around the shabby wooden fence that was peeling off everywhere, and disappeared on the north side of the mansion. "That man is Ah Ling's neighbor." Ah Yuan said, "Do you know who he is?" "Aunt said he was Banner." Ah Ling rubbed her sore throat and stood up.She thought to herself, it's best not to say that Aunt Ateng said that he was a "poor banner". "Let's go back?" Ah Yuan held Xiaomaru's hand and said, "Fortunately, Grandma and the others didn't find out, otherwise I would have been severely scolded." Ah Yuan suddenly felt very tired and sighed.The celebratory banquet was just about to begin, but she seemed eager to go home. So Ah Ling didn't express the question in her heart: Uh, Ah Yuan, have you seen the girl in red next to Xiao Maru? Anyway the girl has disappeared.The ripples on the river looked chilly, Ah Ling shivered. The name "Tongya" is a very rare name among grain wholesalers, and it is also rare among all merchants.In fact, this name has its own origin. Speaking of "Tongya", it was not a name, but a general name.The original font size was very ordinary, taken from the place name "Mikawa House" of the hometown of the previous generation of business owners, and the name "Tongya" was just called by the customers who came to the shop to buy grains. Regardless of white rice, five grains, miso, soy sauce or oil, customers usually bring their own containers when they go to retail stores to buy things, and Mikawaya is of course no exception.However, many times I saw old people with weak legs and children who were ordered to buy things because of slippery roads or accidental falls in rainy days, and scattered the whole liter of red beans or weeds that they just bought on the ground.The previous generation of bosses thought about it: Is there a container that will not spill out the grain even if it is dropped or falls?He discussed with the proprietress, asked a cotton cloth wholesaler he knew for help, and finally ordered bags of two sizes.The big one can hold one liter of red beans, and the small one can hold half a liter of five grains. After filling the five grains, tighten the rope to form a cylindrical bag.Cotton is durable and resistant to wear and tear.When customers come to shop, first measure the grains they want and put them into bags, and then ask them to bring them next time.That said, the bags are provided for free, which is actually a big expense for the shop. But the boss was still determined to give it a try, and it was surprisingly well received.So the customers no longer called the shop that sells grains in tubular bags Sanhewu, but just called it "Tongwu"; this is the origin of the name "Tongwu". It's just that various troubles happened shortly thereafter, and they had to change this practice of giving bags to everyone who came to the shop.Some customers lost the bags they gave back and bought them in square wooden boxes; some customers expressed that they only wanted to buy bags.In addition, the nearby grain wholesalers who lost customers deliberately found trouble, paying people to buy the cheapest weeds one after another.As a result, the tube house suffered considerable losses.After all, no matter how cheap the goods are, they must be packed in bags for new customers. In this way, the more new customers, the more bags the tube house will lose. In the end, we had to change the method, and only give the bag when the customer asks for it, and not only sell the bag.The next time the customer comes to buy things again, if he brings a bag, he will continue to use the bag to hold the grain.Since then, Tsutsuya has been doing business in this way, and the current boss and Kakusuke are no exception. Today's banquet to celebrate the ancient times of the previous generation of bosses, the highlight is the tube-shaped dishes that reflect the origin of the name of the tube house. This is Taichiro's painstaking masterpiece.Although this time is a spring feast with rich ingredients, it is not interesting to just serve out seasonal dishes one by one. Taiichiro thought about it: Is there any dish that is more suitable for Tsutsuya?The fruit of hard thinking is tube-shaped dishes. Taking into account the age of the protagonist, the big boss, and the likes and dislikes of the big boss' taste, the menu for this day generally chooses soft and catchy dishes.The side dish is rapeseed flowers mixed with mustard, served in a small bowl similar to a small wine glass, and two small slices of roasted peppercorns and ginger.The bonito season is still early, and besides, the old man hardly eats fresh food these days, so he skipped the sashimi.The bowl of soup is whitebait tofu soup, followed by miso-coated bamboo shoots, omelet, grilled sea bream, and finally the tube-shaped dishes that are painstakingly prepared. The minced bream meat is sprinkled with chopped green vegetables, made into a tube, steamed first, then wrapped with thin silk angelica and tofu skin into a tube and boiled in soup. It refers to the double meaning of grain wholesaler's business and happy event.Taiichiro was worried that the dishes would be too hot and would burn the elderly and children, so he observed the situation at the banquet and waited until the time was right before serving them all together.The results were well received.When the guests opened the bowl lid and saw the tube-shaped tofu skin rolls inside, the lively atmosphere suddenly rose. Some people recalled the hard work and memories of doing business with the tube-shaped bag, and this topic aroused other topics, and everyone chatted up. Tae, who works as a maid, listened to the laughter of the Tsutsuya family, went downstairs to the kitchen, and reported the good news to Taiichiro and the young Shuta with a smile.The expressions of the two were obviously relieved, Taiichiro, who had always been sullen since he woke up this morning, finally relaxed at this moment. "It seems that the effort was not wasted on how to roll the tofu skin. No one complained that it was inconvenient to eat." "It shows that we didn't waste our time," Taiichiro said. Afterwards, there are only refreshing cold dishes mixed with vinegar and edamame rice that the big boss likes, and finally fruits. "By the way, lady boss, Sister Ateng ordered some omelets just now, and she said that the lady likes to eat them, and she wants to serve dinner for the lady." Mrs. Xiu said. "Hey, I told you that you can't serve her food from guests." Duohui frowned, while Taiichiro shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter, it's just a dish." "Yes. I also want to ask Miss, how does it taste compared to the big boss's omelet?" Shuta is still a young man with a stubborn and childish expression, because he has received strict training in Takadaya, his movements are neat, and his last words are also very crisp.Although his cooking skills are not up to standard, his serious attitude is not inferior to that of the young Taiichiro.Although he is currently only responsible for the preparation of the kitchen, but because he is good at making egg dishes, he is responsible for most of the omelet work tonight. The omelette taught by Takadaya Shichibei himself is a method that Shichibei learned elsewhere when he was young.Sweet like a dessert, fried like a Nagasaki cake.When Ah Ling's family was still in Takadaya, whenever Shichibei said that he would make omelets for everyone to eat, Ah Ling and the children in the dormitory would always scream and jump with excitement. "Then, Ah Ling has had dinner?" "Yes. Sister Ateng will be back soon and said that she can help us." Duo Hui has no time to take care of Ah Ling recently, so Ateng is in charge of taking care of her. She can't even eat together, so she feels sorry for Ah Ling.Even though she was lying next to Ah Ling at night, she didn't have the energy to look at the child's sleeping face, and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow every day.Ah Ling is a good boy, although she didn't complain, she must feel lonely in her heart.Although a plate of omelet alone is not enough to compensate her, at least it can comfort her - Duo Hui thought as he went upstairs to return to the lively banquet. The skill of cultivating Tai is not good enough, far inferior to Grandpa Qibingwei.This is Ah Ling's comment.The fried eggs made by Grandpa Shichibei are softer, and the two are almost like the difference between silk and rags. A-Teng brought dinner to accompany A-Ling to eat for a while, but because a guest came tonight, she was too anxious to sit still and left on the way.A Ling ate dinner alone, and remembered Grandpa Qibingwei's catchphrase, saying that you should chew carefully when eating, the more carefully you chew, the longer you will live like a turtle, so she chewed hard.But listening to the sound of myself chewing rice, the more I listened, the more lonely I became, and finally I swallowed my rice in big mouthfuls. Ateng didn't come back until after the meal. Ah Ling arranged the empty dishes neatly, put her hands together and said "I'm full", and planned to move the food table to the kitchen.It's boring being alone all the time. Ah Ling had already regained her spirits, as if she had never nearly choked to death on candy.The monkfish-like samurai who rescued Ah Ling didn't look like an idle young master Michong, he should be Mr. Nagasaka from the neighbor's house.Next time you run into him, you'll have to give him a big thank you. But if I meet Nagasaka-sama taking the dog for a walk with my parents, it will be troublesome.The fact that he was almost choked to death by candy had to be kept secret. If Master Nagasaka told his parents about it accidentally, he would definitely be scolded severely.However, perhaps the adults of the Wu family would not casually chat about such matters. ——Or secretly tell Aunt Ateng? Auntie, the color-changing candy you gave choked my throat, and I almost choked to death.However, if you say that, Aunt Ateng will probably be taken aback. She might apologize to A Ling before scolding A Ling. That's not good, after all, it's not Aunt Ateng's fault. Then do you want to tell my aunt about the girl in red?That girl is creepy.Auntie, this house seems to be really haunted... Holding the food table in both hands, Ah Ling came to the bottom of the stairs where the candles were lit tonight.She found someone sitting in the middle of the stairs, a hazy halo enveloped him, and Ah Ling could clearly see the creases of the other person's white socks and skirt pants.Is it a guest?The adults had ordered that when you meet guests at home, you should salute silently. After doing so, Ah Ling planned to walk down the stairs. Unexpectedly, the people on the stairs suddenly laughed. Ah Ling looked up, and met the eyes of the person sitting on the stairs. She was startled and almost knocked over the food table. The man was not tonight's guest, but a young warrior.He was wearing dress skirt trousers embroidered with family crests, and he was sitting leisurely on the stairs, with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, and a smiling face looking down at Ah Ling. "Good night," said the man. Ah Ling looked up at him intently, just like when the candy was choked in her throat, she couldn't breathe. After taking a closer look, Ah Ling realized that the man's body was translucent.Tonight, through the lights of the banquet upstairs and the candlelight at the bottom of the stairs, even the wood grain of the stairs can be clearly seen.But Ah Ling could clearly see the wood grain through the man's face and shoulders, and she could even see clearly how many stairs there were between the toes of the white socks and the top of the bun. Ah Ling stood stiffly on the spot, and the man suddenly let go of his clasped hands.Ah Ling hurriedly backed away.Then the man laughed again. "Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you." The other party's voice is hearty and pleasant, and his facial features are also very correct.Age about twenty.Thick brows, clear eyes, smooth cheeks, youthful looking. Even if the other party is a translucent person, but if it is a handsome man, it is not so scary.It might be rude to say that to an ordinary-looking person, but that's how it is in this world.Ah Ling asked quietly from under the stairs: "Master Samurai, are you a ghost?" "Well." said the person sitting on the stairs, "how do you know? Admire, admire." Seems like a friendly ghost. "Why are you sitting there?" The other party shrugged slightly and said, "I don't know, I've been here all the time. I would like to ask you, why did your parents open a restaurant in such a place?" Ah Ling didn't ask her parents about this matter.yeah, why? "I think they must have taken a fancy to this place." "The restaurant from before has collapsed." The young samurai said leisurely, scratching the back of his neck.Ah Ling saw his white palm scratching the back of his neck through his face, as if seeing a phantom.Unbelievable, but beautiful, A Ling was fascinated by it. "Come on, let's talk." The man patted the staircase he was sitting on, and called Ah Ling. "Your name is Ah Ling, right?" Ah Ling looked down at the food table in her hand.The samurai on the stairs seemed to have noticed Ah Ling's hesitation, and laughed, "Take that to the kitchen, and I'll wait for you here." Ah Ling answered "Yes" and jogged to the kitchen.There is no one in the kitchen.Aunt Ateng probably also went to the tatami room to help.Ah Ling soaked the dishes in the wooden barrel filled with water in the sink, put the food table neatly on the shelf, and hurried back to the stairs. For A-Ling, it is her duty to tidy up the dining table.Although Aunt Ateng is currently in charge of washing everyone's dishes, in the future this should be Ah Ling's job.It's ridiculous to take the time between daily routines to chat with ghosts.Ah Ling thought she was dreaming, and pinched her cheek, it hurt so much. When I went back to the stairs, I saw that the translucent warrior was still there, looking at Ah Ling. "Then rubbing your cheeks hard will ruin your lovely face." The samurai said brightly, "Girls better not rub their cheeks casually. You don't have to make sure at all, I'm neither the person in the dream nor disappear." Ah Ling put her hand on her cheek and nodded.She clambered up the stairs by the banister, and sat nervously beside the samurai.Looking beside him, the samurai's body is still unrealistically transparent, but the straight creases of the skirt pants can be seen, which is really inconceivable.Moreover, there was a faint fragrance coming from the ghost, like incense and flowers... "It seems to be very lively up there," said the samurai. He gestured to the tatami room with his right thumb across his shoulder.Indeed, not only voices could be heard upstairs, but also tuneless singing could be heard.The smell of wine and food also wafted to the stairs.Ah Ling and Samurai carried the candlelight on the second floor behind their backs, as if they were playing hide-and-seek. "Among today's guests is a girl who is about the same age as Ah Ling. Are you on good terms with her?" "Yes, her name is A Yuan." "The other party came as a guest, and Ah Ling was left out in the cold. It's boring. That's how pitiful a child of a businessman is." Seems like a reasonable ghost. "Excuse me……" "Ok?" "Master Samurai just said that you have been staying here?" "Well, yes." The other party smiled, showing white teeth, "A-Ling, if you want to use a respectful tone, you can't use 'you', but 'you', this is an honorific language." "Yes. My lord, you just said..." "There is no need to repeat the honorifics 'you' and 'my lord'. Besides, you don't have to be so polite to me, just speak as you usually do." "Yes." Ah Ling blinked. "So what? I did stay here all the time." "Yes...that, why?" "what why?" "Samurai-sama is a ghost, right?" "Ok." "And stay here all the time, right?" "yes." "So, that means, um, you're messing with this house?" "Can't you stay here if you don't cause trouble?" Ah Ling blinked again. "What should be done for the so-called mischief?" The samurai crossed his arms, put his hand on his chin, thought for a while and said, "Are you doing something bad?" "The ghosts in the stories are all like this." Ah Ling whispered, "Grandpa Qibingwei said it." "Like doing something like this?" After the samurai finished speaking, he shook his right palm from side to side, and suddenly a gust of cold wind blew from right to left, teasing Ah Ling's hair. "Is it still this kind of thing?" Wu Shi snapped his fingers this time.In an instant, the candles and tile lamps in the small tatami room under the stairs, in the kitchen, and in the corridor all blinked and went out.Ah Ling's feet were as dark as if covered by a black cloth.The tatami room above the head still emits warm light, and the noise can also be heard. "Or is this the case?" The samurai maintained the posture of sitting on the stairs, floating about an inch in the air, just like the girl in red that Ah Ling saw in the dark room on the second floor. "I can do a lot of things," the samurai floated down to the spot, and smiled again showing his white teeth, "but it's not very useful for life. But ghosts don't need to worry about that kind of thing, of course." A bunch of questions floated up in Ah Ling's mind at the same time, but she didn't know which one to say first, and she didn't have the confidence to say it properly, so she just said in a low voice, "It seems to be doing a trick". "A-Ling likes to juggle?" "Yes. But only once." "Where did you read it? Dongliang?" Grandpa Qibingwei said that the play shed there was not decent, and he never took Ah Ling there. "It was performed for me by the grandpa that Shichihei grandpa knew when I was still living in Takadaya." "Really? I saw it at the temporary playhouse in Dongliang." The samurai boasted a bit, "there is a very beautiful woman named Lilan. This woman is really beautiful. In front of him, he took out a small box that was as beautiful as a dragon palace from the empty place, put it in his palm, and opened the box..." The samurai enthusiastically described it with gestures, then suddenly noticed Ah Ling's expression, and stopped with his mouth open.Ah Ling also silently looked up at him. "Aling," the samurai put down his hands, coughed intentionally, and asked, "You've been talking about 'Grandpa Qibingwei' since just now, who is he? Does he live here too?" Ah Ling shook her head and said, "No." "That's right. Can you tell me how you got here? It's not just me, everyone wants to know." "Everyone?" "Well, everyone. You should have met other people, right? Amei and Ami, and old man Laughing Monk." "Have you seen it?...So, those people are all ghosts like you?" "Yes, you don't have to be too surprised now." No, Ah Ling was still taken aback.She couldn't help standing up, pointing to the tatami room upstairs and said, "I saw a little girl in the dark room..." "She is Amei." "Wearing a red dress with a plum blossom pattern?" "That's right. When Ah Ling was sick, didn't the laughing monk do shiatsu for you?" It turned out to be the massager! "Is that person also a ghost?" "He's a good craftsman, but it's a pity that he's a ghost. Although the old man always has a sullen face, don't the horizontal lines on his forehead resemble the shape of a smiling mouth? That's why he's called the Laughing Monk." Ah Ling sat down on the stairs. "Everyone is a ghost?" "I'm sorry," the samurai scratched the back of his neck again, "Actually, there are others." "Others? How many are there in total?" "Five including me." "All five are haunting the house?" "Didn't I just say that it's not good to say that it's causing trouble? We haven't done anything bad." The samurai added pointingly, "At least not yet." Because these words were too scary, A-Ling was stunned for a while, but couldn't ask what the warrior's last sentence "not yet" meant.The samurai also knew it well, so he didn't continue talking. Ah Ling carefully recalled in her mind what happened when she saw the girl in red and the massager helping her massage, and thought about it back and forth.Ah Ling quickly accepted that the girl was a ghost.But how could the massager be a ghost—but, indeed, he appeared beside the pillow without hearing the door slamming, and then disappeared suddenly after the massage, obviously no one invited the massager—— The feeling of surprise, fear, and absurdity stuck in Ah Ling's heart seems to be dissipated, but it seems to be all mixed together.Ah Ling pressed her hands to her cheeks and let out a deep breath.She didn't mean to say it, but she said, "Oh, that's it," and said it very loudly. There was a door slamming upstairs, followed by footsteps.A candle is approaching. "Hey, Ah Ling." Aunt Ateng's call sounded from the stairs. Ah Ling stood up and looked up at her aunt, and the warrior sitting beside her also looked up at the upstairs. "What are you doing here?" Auntie asked Ah Ling with a smile. She held a food case with empty bowls and wine bottles in her hand.A Ling stared at Aunt Ateng intently, and then turned to look at the young warrior beside her.He winks at Ah Ling.Ah Ling looked at Aunt Ateng again. "Auntie." "What's the matter?" The aunt responded and walked downstairs step by step, asking, "A Ling, have you finished your meal?" Auntie is above Ah Ling. "Auntie." Auntie went down to the stairwell on the same level as Ah Ling. "The omelette is delicious, isn't it?" The aunt was standing where the samurai was sitting, and Ah Ling saw the figures of the samurai and Aunt Ateng overlapping. "Auntie." The sleeves of the samurai embroidered with the family crest can be seen under the striped clothes of the auntie. "It's really pitiful that you can't play with Ayuan and the others today, but you have to be patient. Besides, Xiaomaru seems to be very sleepy." "Auntie." Aunt Ateng held the food table in one hand, touched A Ling's forehead with the other hand and said: "A-Ling, what's wrong with you? You keep calling Auntie. Oh, why are you shaking all over? Do you have a fever again?" A Ling looked away from her aunt's face, and looked down at the warrior floating in midair.He propped his elbows on his knees and looked at Ah Ling while resting his chin. ——Can’t Auntie see it? Ah Ling asked with his eyes, he nodded and said, "It seems that only you can see us now." "A Ling?" Aunt Ateng knelt down to look at A-Ling's face.Ah Ling replied absent-mindedly: "It's okay, auntie, I'm fine. I'm not feeling sick." Aunt Ateng's eyes were full of doubts, but she probably thought it would be dangerous to stand on the stairs holding the food table, so she ran downstairs.She looked up at Ah Ling again at the stairs, and said in a more stern tone than before: "Be careful of catching a cold when you sit there, go back to your room, do you hear me?" Ah Ling waited for Aunt Ateng to walk to the kitchen before exhaling, and then said to the samurai at the side: "Master samurai, can't you stay in a place that is too bright?" "Well, not very comfortable." "Will you stay in my room if the lamp is turned off?" "Well, I don't think it needs to be turned off, just dimmed a bit." "Then let's go." Ah Ling started to go downstairs, "If I sit here and chat all the time, I will get dizzy." "That's not good," the young warrior said and disappeared.Ah Ling returned to the small tatami room in the back room, closed the oracle door, and shortened the wick of the seat lamp to the length just enough to be covered with oil. After the light dimmed, the samurai suddenly appeared again.This time he rested his elbows on the edge of the brazier. "That's good. Okay, let's continue the chat." The samurai said heartily, "Why did Ah Ling's family come here?" A-Ling is actually not very clear about the ins and outs of why her parents opened a restaurant here, but she still tries to explain everything she knows as much as possible.The young samurai ghost listened intently with great interest, nodding frequently or echoing "um, um" from time to time, sometimes poking ashes with fire chopsticks or stretching out his palms on the red-hot coals to keep warm, not a ghost at all. "So, it's not your parents' wish to open a restaurant, but Takadaya Shichibei's dream?" "Yes, but Dad and Mom also want to open a restaurant." "Your father seems to have been an accomplished cook." "You can see that?" "Today's banquet dishes seem to be well received by guests." "Abba racked his brains and put in a lot of work. He said that he wanted to make dishes related to the origin of the name of the tube house...Excuse me..." "What's up?" "Can you warm your hands with charcoal like that?" The samurai shrank his palms on the brazier, waved his hands repeatedly and said: "No, I don't feel it at all. It's just that I always feel bored when I don't do anything. Ah Ling feels cold?" Hearing what the samurai said, Ah Ling realized that the area around her back and knees was chilly, and she was clearly next to the brazier. "I'm sorry, but for some reason, as soon as we show up, the room seems to get colder." "That's why grown-ups say ghosts are a summer thing." The samurai laughed and said, "No, we will appear all year round, and there is no other place to live anyway." residence? "That...Master Samurai, why do you live here? The same goes for everyone else, why are you all here...that...that..." How does Grandpa Qibingwei describe the appearance of ghosts every time he talks about strange stories?To stay in this world, or to wander and get lost? "Are you trying to ask me why I got lost in a place like this?" "Ah, yes! Yes." "Troublesome." Wu Shi grabbed the torch again and tilted his head to poke the ashes, "A-Ling, we are not lost. It is true that we will die with regret, but it is not because we were lost that we came here. We all died near here. Besides. , this used to be a cemetery." "A cemetery? A place with graves?" "That's right. Ah Ling, this house used to be a cemetery. In the past, it was only thirty years ago. Everyone in the neighborhood should know about it." Ah Ling looked around the small tatami room, patted the tatami with her palm and asked: "Under here? Under this ground?" "Yes, this is a cemetery. There is a small monastery on the other side of the road." "But nobody mentioned it." "Of course. Since such a good house has been built, no one will mention the old things now." "What happened to the temple in the end?" "A fire broke out and burned it all down." "Can't you cover it again?" "Hey, hey, don't pout. If you make your face like this, be careful that you won't be able to get married when you grow up." Ah Ling hastily pressed her mouth with her hands and retracted her lips.The samurai looked amused and said, "Girls are so fun." "I don't know if it's fun or not, but I won't marry in the future." "Not married? Why?" "If I get married, I have to leave this family, right? To marry is to be someone else's family, right? I don't want it." Ah Ling really thought so. "Really?" Wu Shi stared at Ah Ling through the brazier, and said with a smile, "It seems that you like your parents and Takadaya Shichibei very much." "yes." "You want to be with them forever." "I want to help the shop as soon as possible. Although I can't do it now, in a few years, maybe I can help deliver food and wash dishes." "In this case, Ah Ling might as well become a chef." Ah Ling thought to herself, how could this person say such a thing?Sure enough, he is a samurai, and he doesn't understand the customs of the world. "I can't be a cook." "why?" "Women can't be cooks." "Then why?" The samurai answered seriously, Ah Ling was a little embarrassed. "This is the rule." "Who stipulated it?" "Who... made such a rule a long, long time ago." "Who told Ah Ling?" No one told Ah Ling in particular.只是女人不能当厨师，也不能进铺子厨房，是一直以来的规定，在高田屋也一直是这样，因此阿铃从来没想过“为什么”不可以。 “武士大人，比起这件事更重要的是，”阿铃这回故意撅起嘴巴问，“为什么没有重盖寺院呢？为什么在坟场上盖了这栋房子呢？” 年轻武士发出“唔……”一声，搔着下巴说：“要向阿铃说明这件事，就必须说些很难懂的事。” "why?" 幽灵搔着下巴，微微歪着头，眼神带着笑意俯视阿铃。 “原来女人到了你这个年纪就开始学会问为什么、为什么了。”武士说，“实在伤脑筋。” 阿铃听不懂对方的意思，只是望着幽灵。这时她才仔细看清武士身上衣服的家纹。 这是……什么？是藤花。顺着圆圈内侧画有两串藤花，模样虽漂亮，但不知道是不是藤花本来就给人无常的印象，这家纹看上去也给人孤寂的感觉。 幽灵似乎发现阿铃在仔细打量自己衣服上的家纹，故意抱起手臂将袖子甩到身后，藏起家纹。阿铃有一种被人揭穿自已的恶作剧的感觉。然后，她突然想到：真是的，我还没问对方的名字。 “武士大人……” "What's up?" “那个，您叫什么名字？” 年轻武士幽灵笑开了。他夸张地挥着右手敲鼓般拍了一下自己的额头，说： “哎，太失礼了，原来我还没有自报姓名啊。嗯？我知道你叫阿铃，你却只知道我是个幽灵。真是对不起。” 他愉快地笑着说：“就叫我玄之介吧。”接着又说，“也有人叫我玄大人或阿玄，不过阿铃还是叫我玄之介吧，嗯。等你到了非叫我玄大人不可的年纪时，这样叫也无所谓，不过现在稍嫌太早。” “好——”阿铃无精打采地回了一声。从刚才开始就只有这位大人一副开心的样子，阿铃却愈来愈觉得像被狐狸迷住了。 ——不，难道我真的被什么妖物迷住了？迷路的幽灵出现在人世，还快活地说了一大堆话，本来就很怪。幽灵应该更——该怎么说呢——看上去不是更若有所思，更悲哀，更沉默寡言吗？ ——这人，真的是幽灵吗？ 阿铃突然叫道：“南无阿弥陀佛！” 玄之介瞪大双眼僵在原地。阿铃用食指指着他的脸又大叫。 “南无妙法莲华经！” 大概在一两秒之内，两人都维持着抱着手腕和伸出食指的姿势。 “我没看过这种狐拳（一种划拳）。”玄之介先捧腹大笑，继而低头望着自己抱着手腕的姿势，说：“阿铃的手势是猎人，可是我的姿势呢？我如果是村长便是我赢，但村长的姿势应该是双手搁在膝上吧？还是现今的狐拳跟我那时代不一样了？” 阿铃依旧顽固地伸出食指。玄之介敛起笑容，突然往前探出脸说： “别担心，我真的是幽灵。你用手指戳我的脸看看。” 阿铃有点犹豫，指尖左右摇晃着。 “快呀，戳戳看，不用客气。” 玄之介边说又往前探出脸。结果阿铃指尖碰到他的鼻子——照理说应该碰到了。 但实际上阿铃的手指却落了个空，穿过他的脸。 “看吧，我说得没错吧？”阿铃的手指依然停在他的脸中央，玄之介说：“你大可放心。” 说自己是真的幽灵再叫人放心，这道理虽然很怪，但是阿铃还是收回手指，点点头说： “我以为是狐狸或狸猫化成幽灵出现呢。” “那太失礼了。”玄之介的表情看似真的在生气，“那些畜生蠢得很，不会在镇上出现的。它们只会在自己地盘内蒙骗那些闯入者。” “呃……是吗？” 七兵卫爷爷说过，狸猫虽然很笨，但狐狸很聪明。 “再说每个幽灵都怕佛经这道理也说不通。这样的话，和尚不就不能成为幽灵了？” 阿铃瞪大双眼说：“不能这么说，会遭报应的。” "why?" “和尚很伟大，他们积德，心干净得像清水一样，就算死了也不会成为幽灵。” 玄之介夸张地皱起眉头说：“你真是个正直的女孩，不过人不能总是按正理做事的。啊，真替你担心。” 玄之介用力搔着后颈，接着说： “阿铃长大后应该会成为大美人，可是对破戒和尚太无戒心。你啊，或许搬来这里对你比较好，因为这里有我这个通晓世故人情的男人在嘛。嗯，从今天起，我来当你的人生老师好了。就这么办。” 跟这人讲话，脑筋只会愈来愈混乱。阿铃双手按住脸颊，仿佛不这样做的话，混乱的头就会从肩膀掉下去。 “阿铃，如果和尚都如你说的那样，个个都值得敬重的话，对面的寺院也不会被关掉了。” 咦，话题又转回来了。没错，这就是阿铃的问题。对面那座寺院为什么在发生火灾后没有重建呢？ “那个和尚不值得尊敬吗？” “嗯，完全不值得尊敬，只是一直到发生火灾前都没人知道。寺院被烧得精光，众人整理废墟时才发现住持做过的坏事。” “住持做了什么事？” 玄之介再度像个孩子般将双肘搁在火盆上，望着阿铃说： “这个啊，就是不想说给你听，我才转移话题，你真要我说吗？” “可是……话听到一半，很不痛快啊！” “听完后吓得尿床，我可不负责哦。” “我才不会尿床！”阿铃鼓起双颊。 "Really?" “我没那么小，像小丸那种小孩子才会尿床！” 玄之介仰头哈哈大笑，露出整齐的牙齿。这个幽灵没有蛀牙呢。想到这，阿铃又觉得轻松起来。 “既然如此，那就当你不是小孩子吧。” 玄之介望着火盆内的火炭。火炭烧得温暖通红，火光映在他眼中。这样的玄之介不像个幽灵，似乎只要伸手就碰得到他，但是如果伸手了又扑空，只会令人感到悲哀吧。因此阿铃也学他把手肘搁在火盆上。 “对面那寺院叫兴愿寺，宗派是……总之他们就是念诵阿铃也会念的佛经。” 阿铃点头说“是”。 “寺院就在船屋正对面，现在那儿不是成了防火空地吗？长了很多杂草。” 玄之介说的没错，对面是空地。那地方不大，大概跟船屋差不多大。 “本来是座很正派的寺院，历史也很悠久。深川这一带开发后马上就盖了那座寺院，所以拥有很多当地的地主信徒，寺院虽小却很有钱，里面有尊华丽的金佛像。和尚呢，住持以下大概有五六个，这些和尚并没有跟住持狼狈为奸。” “狼狈为奸？” “啊，这个，就是帮忙的意思。不过，帮忙做好事时不能这样讲，只有帮忙做坏事时才能说'狼狈为奸'，你懂吗？” “嗯，要记住。” “只是和尚们大概很怕住持吧。那住持真的很可怕。另一个理由就是和尚们不愿意相信住持竟然会做出那种事。只要装作不知情，就等于什么事都没发生。阿铃应该也有这种经验吧？就算尿床了，只要把被褥藏起来，没看见湿痕的话就等于没尿床。” “我刚才不是说过我不会尿床吗？” “说过了。”玄之介笑了出来。 我也做过很多装作不知情的事——玄之介继续说：“赌债、骗女人，只要当做没去赌博或这女人不存在就没事了。有关这点，赌债比较容易蒙混，女人就不行。她们会追问到底，逼问为什么、为什么。为什么要抛弃我？为什么那小女孩比我好？为什么你这么无情？为什么骗了我……” 玄之介继续喃喃自语。阿铃渐渐知道这人说话有离题的毛病。 “那个兴愿寺住持做了什么事？”阿铃回到正题。 “嗯？对了，我们是在聊这件事啊。”玄之介搔着下巴说，“他杀了人。” 说到坏事，阿铃也认为大概是这种事，但听在耳里还是很不舒服。她紧闭双唇，望着玄之介。 “而且杀了很多人，杀了一座小山那么多的人。他像削芋头一样随便杀人，把尸体埋在居室后面。火灾烧掉寺院后，从废墟挖出很多骨头，事情就是这样。”玄之介望着阿铃，问：“很恶心吧？” “嗯。”阿铃老实点头。 “虽然这例子很罕见，但是人就是做得出这种事。” “住持为什么要杀那么多人呢？为了抢钱？” “不是，他只是想杀人。” "that is not……" 阿铃本来想说“很怪”，但是看玄之介表情严肃，只得闭嘴。 “这些都是事后拼凑兴愿寺和尚们说的话才得知实情，说起来火灾是遭人纵火，而纵火者就是住持。起火后的骚动中，有几个和尚看到住持逃离寺院。可是那时没人责问或阻止住持。据说其中一个和尚望着寺院逐渐烧毁时，暗自心想：啊，这下总算可以结束这段可怕的灾难了。他说，住持是一时鬼迷心窍才会误人歧途。” “他为什么……要放火逃离寺院呢？” “不知道。”玄之介摇头说，“我刚才也说过，直到发生火灾时，至少寺院外没有人发现住持做的坏事。他根本没有必要逃得这么匆忙。” 阿铃害怕起来，她保持面向火盆的跪坐姿势，挪着膝盖挨近玄之介，问： “那个，住持后来被捕了吗？抓到他了吧？” “没抓到。” 阿铃想哭。啊，搞不好今晚真的会尿床。 “阿铃，你别怕成那个样子。住持当时都六十多岁了。我刚才不是说过这是三十年前的事吗？他应该早就死了。” 那更恐怖了。要是死了，这回不是真的会变成鬼吗？鬼应该没有寿命吧？至少应该比人长寿。那不是有可能突然回到这里吗？ 阿铃再也忍不住，双手蒙住眼睛抽抽搭搭地哭起来。 玄之介狼狈不堪地呼唤着：“喂，喂，阿铃。” 看到阿铃放声大哭，他手足无措地尖声说： “别哭了。所以我刚才就说了嘛，这事听了很不愉快，是你缠着要我说出来的。拜托你不要哭了好不好？” 他的说辞有些孩子气，很好笑。阿铃心里这么想，可是眼泪却不停涌出，无法说停就停。 “这样好了，阿铃，万一那个住持……那个，怎么说呢，变成阴魂回来了，我会保护你，你尽管放心。所以你不要哭了好不好？” "real?" "of course it's true." “那我就不哭了。”阿铃泪眼汪汪，硬挤出笑容说，“眼泪马上就停了，您等一下。” 阿铃自小抽屉内取出草纸擤了一下鼻涕，吸了一口气后，眼泪似乎也止住了。尽管心里因为害怕而凉飕飕的，但擦把脸后的确觉得舒坦许多。 “好了，我不哭了。” 玄之介明显松了一口气，垂下肩来。 “哎呀呀，女孩子真难应付。”他语带感慨地说，“眼泪真是最强的武器啊，嗯。” 他像是在说服自己。 “总之，因为有这层内情就没有重盖寺院。也就是说，兴愿寺就像从来就没有存在过一样，消失得干干净净。而本来盖着寺院的土地也因为不干净而一直空着，成了防火空地。” 玄之介皱起眉头又说：“剩下的是坟场问题。”他接着说，“这也是当然的，既然兴愿寺没了，施主就必须移到其他寺院，祖坟也得迁走。” 一切手续都慎重地办理。住持手下的和尚们当然受到上头严厉的审问和处罚，全被判了死刑，但处刑日期延至坟场迁移结束后。毕竟有些坟墓年代久远，不是施主绝后就是倾家荡产逃出当地或家破人亡，事实上已成无主孤坟，改葬时需要深知内情的和尚协助才行。 “坟墓全都迁走后再整平土地，这里暂时变成了空地。” “果然，那件事之后，这里有段日子一直是空地吧？” 玄之介探看阿铃的脸，似乎担心阿铃又会哭出来。 “为什么必须一直空着？” "because……" “因为这儿曾是坟场吗？不过这道理说不通。坟场绝对不是不干净的地方，至少跟兴愿寺那块土地不一样吧？这里是祖先长眠的土地，不是最干净的吗？” 玄之介说，所以现在的地主收购了这块土地。And said: “最初盖了一栋十家毗连的大杂院。那时这一带发展得很快，人越来越多，大杂院很快就住进房客。只是兴愿寺的坏名声太响亮了，听说也有房客觉得可怕。这时，地主的忠诚房东一一上门拜访，向对方说了我刚才对阿铃说的那番话，说服对方。或许房东也擅自减了一些房租吧。对了，那房东正是介绍这里给你父母的那个人，我记得他的名字叫孙兵卫。” 阿铃目不转睛地望着玄之介，仔细打量，像在观察他。 “怎么了？”玄之介有点狼狈。 “那栋大杂院是不是发生过什么事？” "Why do you ask?" “要不然这里不会有现在这栋屋子。” 玄之介猛力摩挲着人中说：“唔，有关这点，以后再慢慢说明好了。凡事都要按顺序进行，阿铃。” 阿铃不肯作罢，她探出身子问： “不要骗人。玄之介大人果然……不，您或许什么事都没做，但您的同伴却一直在这儿，有时候也会做出什么坏事吧？是不是？所以那栋大杂院才会被拆掉。后来盖了这栋房子，成了料理铺，可是也因为您的同伴作怪而关门，这回又换了我们搬进来，是吧？” “不，根本没人做坏事。”玄之介慌张地舞动着双手否认，“你这样说等于找碴。没有人做坏事，我可以向你保证……” 话还没说完，楼上榻榻米房已传出尖叫声。 阿铃吓得跳了起来，头发几乎倒竖。榻榻米房传出的尖叫实在太骇人，叫喊的人听起来像是走投无路了，而且尖叫的还不止一两人。 "Help!" 男人的叫声中夹杂女人的尖叫，是筒屋老板娘。 “哎呀，糟了。”玄之介用手掌拍了一下额头，轻飘飘地起身，“阿铃你待在这儿，我去看一下。” "I also need to go!" 楼下传来杂沓的脚步声，脸色大变的太一郎、修太、多惠冲了过来。修太手中还握着擂槌，多惠睁大双眼，眼珠快要迸出来地抓着太一郎的袖子，吓呆了。 玄之介趁阿铃注意力转移到他们身上时，飘着上楼。阿铃正想追赶时，太一郎叫住阿铃。 “阿铃，你在那儿做什么？” “阿铃，不要动！” “阿铃小姐，快下来！” 三人同时说或问着不同的话，阿铃嘴巴一张一合，没回话，也没听任何命令，决定去追玄之介。太一郎跟着冲上楼，年轻的修太则两级并作一级地跑上来，差点撞上阿铃。阿铃钻过他袖子下，又穿过跑在前头的父亲身边，冲进灯火通明的榻榻米房。 阿铃情不自禁“啊”地叫出声。 客人用的漆器食案都打翻了，小盘子和小碗散了一地，酒瓶也倒了，太一郎精心制作的料理撒在榻榻米上成了污秽的垃圾。溢出的酒和料理混在一起，发出一股令人想捂住鼻子的味道。所有座灯都点着，房内很亮。 筒屋一家人与宴客约二十人吓得一屁股坐在地上，彼此搂在一起或抱住对方，挤在壁龛附近。小老板角助张开双手护着背后的妻子和两个小孩。今天的宴席主角大老板像是晕了过去，躺在墙边。大老板雪白的袜底清晰可见沾着酱油，这光景令阿铃印象深刻。 “阿铃，闪开！”太一郎冲进房内，问道，“角助，怎么回事？到底发生什么事？”他已经顾不得礼貌，追问朋友。 角助没有回答，不，应该说是回答不了。他望向上方，视线在比太一郎的头更高、座灯亮光照不到的天花板四方角落，像在寻找什么似的转来转去。 “角助，怎么了？”太一郎想奔向他，不料却往前摔倒。女人们又发出尖叫，缩着手脚。 阿铃以为父亲绊到打翻的食案，跑向俯卧的父亲，却发现父亲背部的衣服刷的裂成两半，露出肌肤。 眨眼间肌肤渗出鲜血。阿铃又惊又怕，脚步踉跄，跌在父亲身上，双手抵着他的背。太一郎疼得呻吟了一声。 “来了！”角助大喊。 阿铃感觉头上吹过一阵冷风，锐利得如刀刃的风。窗户和格子纸门都没打开，榻榻米房内却刮着强风，阿铃的头发散开，凌乱飞舞贴在脸上。