Chapter 10 chapter Ten

"What is the 'Exorcism Competition'?" That night, Ah Ling thought it was the right time, and when she was about to call Gennosuke, Gennosuke appeared automatically.Everyone was already fast asleep, Ah Ling lowered her voice and told about the new guest that Takadaya Shichibei had found.Gennosuke was deeply interested, tilted his head to listen, and frequently expressed his disbelief. "So far I have never heard or seen the 'exorcism contest'." So did A Ling, and probably so did her parents and A Teng.The two groups of guests who come here at one time should be grateful, but whether they can successfully take over the business is a bit worrying.

The two groups of guests are shops in Minami-Shinbori-cho beyond Hatchobori: Asada House and Shirako House.Asada House is a wholesaler of tobacco, and Shirako House is a wholesaler of tatami mats. I don’t know if it’s because the two businesses are both taboo against humidity.The scale of the two shops is not large, and when one of them is short of manpower, the other will go to help, and even the friendship between the helpers is very good.The owner of Asada House is named Jiro, and the proprietress is called Ah Chu. They have been married for thirty years.Changbei, the owner of Baiziwu, and his wife Axiu are childhood sweethearts, both of whom are just forty years old.In terms of age, Asada is the elder brother, and Shirako is the younger brother.

But Asada and his wife had no children, so they adopted Jiro's sister's son as an adopted son, intending to let him inherit the family business in the future.The twenty-three-year-old heir is called Matsuzaburo, and he just married Alu, who turned twenty, last spring.And Alu is the cousin of Axiu, the proprietress of Baiziwu, who is quite different in age.In other words, the two families who were originally close friends became real relatives because of Alu's marriage. There is a pair of adolescent sons and daughters in Shirakoya. The eldest son, Dotaro, is eighteen years old and learns business under his father as an heir.The eldest daughter, Ah Jing, is fifteen years old. She is as lovely as a plum blossom, and is a well-known Komachi girl in Lingan Island and Hatchobori.

The young couple Asada and Shirakoya's brother and sister are also on good terms with each other just like their parents.In particular, the friendship between Ah Lu and Ah Jing is even better than that of sisters. Whether it is visiting shrines and temples, watching theaters or shopping, they always go out together. When they got together so affectionately, one day the two discovered each other's secret—something they hadn't been able to tell until now. It turns out that A Lu and A Jing often see ghosts. It is said that what was seen was not a terrifying ghost.They sometimes see hazy figures, and when they look closely, the figures have disappeared into the darkness.It's just that if the ghost makes a sound, they can hear it; if they touch them, they can feel it.If the ghost wants to tell the world through Ah Lu and Ah Jing, he (she) will also appear in their dreams to talk.

These ghosts will not appear in the shop, usually when the two go out, they will appear on the buildings or bridges they visit, or on the side of the road. People are aware of this. In addition, the guests of Asada House and Shirako House occasionally come with ghosts on their backs.In particular, Ah Lu was learning to be a proprietress with her mother-in-law Ah Chu, and she often greeted customers in the shop. It is said that she once saw a woman's face vaguely appearing on the shoulder of the shopkeeper who was a regular customer. Baiziwu Ajing once saw the ghost of a boy on the back of the doctor Machi who came for treatment when her mother Axiu fell ill.She wanted to tell the doctor, but she didn't say it because she was afraid of scaring the doctor.

When the two confide their secrets to each other, they feel relieved and feel that they have found a companion.It was only after that that I mustered up the courage to tell my parents, husband, and brother about my unique abilities. The parents of both parties were shocked when they heard this, but they also knew that the daughter-in-law and daughter were honest and straightforward, and they soon let go of it. —Besides, this ability may be beneficial to the world. Honest Asada Yuijiro thinks so. ——Perhaps the daughter has this kind of spiritual power because she is protected by the gods.If so, shouldn't it be concealed or turned a blind eye?

The quick-witted Shirakoya Changhei thought so. After some discussion, the two families plan to use the abilities of their daughter-in-law and daughter to help others.The specific method is: both of them put up small signboards in front of the shops, which read: "People who are haunted by ghosts, people who want to see relatives and friends who have passed away, everything can be discussed." This happened half a year ago. The response was overwhelming and it was a great success. In fact, the spiritual powers of A Lu and A Jing seem to be genuine.A manager of a banner mansion came to beg them to solve the grievances that had harmed the family for many years; there was also a lady who was a big business owner who came to ask, saying that it was because the boss appointed the dull eldest son or the wise second son to inherit the family business. , then passed away suddenly, and the soul of the deceased had to be recalled no matter what, and asked him to whom he should pass on the family fortune; there was also a young daughter-in-law who cried and begged to see the soul of the child who died young, and asked him if he was lonely in the underworld, and if he had lost his way. , If you don't ask clearly, you really don't think about food and drink.Everyone came to seek help from A Lu and A Jing, and they all got satisfactory results.At this point, even if there is no publicity, the rumors are still spreading, and the more they spread, the more they will add fuel to the jealousy.For this "work", Asada House and Shirako House even hired a special person to take care of their daily life, and even set up a room for the exclusive use of guests in this regard.

Ironically, however, no, perhaps an evolution for granted. The more praise Alu and Ajing's "ability" received, the greater the applause they won, and the two people who had a good friendship became increasingly estranged.Now, half a year later, it is really troublesome to hate each other like a bandit, and even ignore each other when they meet. No matter how clear-headed a person is, as long as he is a parent, he will always have the selfishness to favor his own children.When the daughter-in-law and daughter became angry, both parents also hated each other because they loved their own daughter-in-law and daughter.So far, the outcome is self-evident.The good friendship that lasted for three generations was completely destroyed. According to the neighbors, recently even the signboards of the shop seem to be back to back.

In fact, as long as you think about it calmly, you will know that it was a mistake for A Lu and A Jing to do this kind of thing at the same time.Two people who are close at hand do the same thing at the same time and attract everyone's attention. It is absolutely impossible for them not to compete and care about each other.Moreover, the people who come to ask for help always irresponsibly compare the pros and cons of the two, saying that Ah Jing is better than A Lu, no no, A Lu is more reliable than A Jing, etc., which is nothing more than adding fuel to the fire. The neighbors are well aware of the past of the deep friendship between the two families, and they also negotiated peace from it, trying to solve the helpless situation at present.Unfortunately, all efforts were in vain.The more earnestly others warned and persuaded, the more angry the two families became.Simply helpless - this is the voice of the people around.

A cadre of the Tatami Mat Noodle Wholesalers Association has always acted decisively. He suggested that since the two rivalries have turned into an angry situation, it is better to have a competition in front of everyone. Or the matter of summoning the soul, and the winner cannot be complacent because of it. He must be more honest and serious than before, and solve problems for others with his heart. Asada House and Shirako House, who have always been actively competing, greatly agreed with this proposal. Neither of them wanted to lose, and planned to take the opportunity to defeat each other in one fell swoop.Because of the adult's intervention, what was originally a dispute between two children turned into a farce.But until now, no one has come forward to persuade the two families not to do such stupid things. The "Exorcism Competition" is a foregone conclusion.Both families were full of fighting spirit and ready to fight, and it is said that the impassioned scene was like the eve of the Sekigahara battle, which was a matter of life and death.

Unfortunately, things are not that simple.First of all, who should be invited to be the match referee?People related to the two companies or those who know the inside information are not allowed.It is said that the two parties consulted with their peers about this, and finally decided to ask a respected shop owner to be the referee.Before that, there were endless fights and quarrels between the two families, and there were not enough fingers on both hands. Then there is the "ghost" to decide the match object, which is not easy.If it is an entrustment to know how her husband who passed away ten years ago is doing in the underworld, it is difficult to compare the pros and cons of Alu and Ajing's spiritual power, so it is still difficult to decide on the method of competition.Is there a ghost on a larger scale and more incomprehensible, enough to make it obvious to everyone who has better eyesight and spiritual power than the other? In the end, everyone chose the houseboat. "But," Gennosuke put his hands in his arms, looked up at the ceiling and said, "The Funaya is a food shop, and it's not possible to do business just by dancing with the gods. What's going on?" Gennosuke's puzzled expression was amusing, and Ah Ling couldn't help laughing. "What are you laughing at? This question should worry you more than me, right?" "That's right, but it's really funny." Ah Ling couldn't stop laughing, "I heard that Miss A Jing and Miss A Lu are both beauties, if they call out Mr. Xuanzhisuke, would you Will you happily obey the orders of the two?" "Don't say stupid things." Xuanzhisuke said solemnly, "Not every beauty can command me." A-Ling smiled and explained that the houseboat would still provide food, so there is no need to worry about business, and she said: "But the 'exorcism competition' is not auspicious after all. Since it is to supersede ghosts or drive away ghosts, it is similar to monks doing things. So it’s not easy to use meat. They specify vegetarian dishes, and the color should not be too fancy. Asada’s designation is black, and Shirako’s said that it should be the same as their name, and try to find a way to use more white ingredients.” "It's either black or white... what joke are the two families playing?" Gennosuke snorted. "My dad is having a hard time right now, it's really difficult." "Take it for granted, it's really sympathetic." Xuanzhisuke tilted his head slightly to look at Ah Ling, and said, "Well, the issue of food like this is considered to be a conclusion, but your parents, that... are they also looking forward to it? Can Ah Lu or Ah Jing really drive away ghosts?" Ah Ling shook her head and said, "Abba and Amu didn't say anything." It is said that even Shichibei, who brought in the business, did not have any expectations. "For Shichibei, who wants to use ghosts to make the boat house famous, it's not good to drive away the ghosts too early." "Really? But, if Miss Alu and Miss Ajing really drive away the ghost, isn't it also a kind of propaganda? The ghost is driven away, but the reputation spreads. This is the best result. Maybe Grandpa Qibingwei That's the plan too, if things really work out, it's considered a windfall. Grandpa has a shrewd personality." "Really? You really are a big kid." Gennosuke felt amused, "But, Ah Ling, what do you think?" "What do you think?" "You can see me," Gennosuke said, pointing to the tip of his nose, "you can also see Ami, you can see Laughing Monk, Pengfa and Amei. And you also plan to find out the reason why we are wandering in the world, okay? Let's get out of here. That way, you don't have to invite those people, you just go to your parents and say: I can do the same thing, okay?" Ah Ling laughed loudly, and said, "Won't you just watch a business go away?" There was a pressing problem hanging over the houseboat: if the guests didn't show up, there would be no food. "You kid is really a ghost. So, don't you think about the spiritual power of Ah Lu and Ah Jing?" "I don't know. Maybe Ms. Alu and Ms. Ajing can see Mr. Gennosuke and others like me? If so, I will explain it to them, and then persuade them to reconcile and find you together The reason for getting lost. I think it's for the best." "That's right, that's right, what's more important is—" Ah Ling changed her sitting position and said, "I see very strange visions during the day." Ah Ling talked about the dreamlike scene she saw in the closet.After hearing this, Gennosuke's expression became very serious, the soft cheek lines tightened suddenly, and a few wrinkles appeared on his forehead. He whispered, "That's... Amei." "Does Gennosuke-sama think so too?" "Well, I heard that the child fell into the ancient well and died." "Water well? Where is it?" Ah Ling recalled what Gennosuke had told her about this land and Koganji Temple so far.Where is the well? "The well is on the other side of Xingyuan Temple. It was dug together when the temple was built. Isn't it stupid? The water in the nearby wells is not drinkable at all, only alkaline water with sea sand gushes out. Maybe the person who directed the project didn't know the vicinity at all. Soil quality." The unusable wells were covered immediately afterwards. "The ancient well is dangerous. It should be filled immediately, but it was left alone. As a result, Amei fell into the well. The child is really poor." Xuanzhisuke said with rare depression. Ah Ling felt a dull pain in her chest, it was not because she simply felt sorry for Ah Mei.Half of Ah Ling's heart insisted that she was pity Ah Mui, but the other half knew that was not the case. That is—jealous.Xuanzhisuke sympathized with Amei's situation with a sad expression, which made Aling feel a little bit uncomfortable. Ah Ling was taken aback by her appearance. "Master Gennosuke," she wanted to shake off her emotions, and asked hastily, "So, Amei is a child of Koganji Temple? If you just live nearby, it's impossible to enter the temple, right?" Gennosuke's thick eyebrows drooped like badly written characters, and he shook his head dejectedly and said, "I don't know." "have no idea……" "We don't know whose family Amei's child is and why he fell into the ancient well. We also don't know why the child left the ancient well where he died and wandered here." "Well……" The piece of land opposite Xingyuan Temple in the past has now become a fire prevention space.From the outside, there are no traces of ancient wells.Is it already filled?That's why Amei crossed the road and came here? "A-Ling should also be aware that the child just makes faces and doesn't speak. He's very eccentric and difficult to deal with." Gennosuke sighed quietly again, as if he was Amei's father. "But, Ah Ling, let's ignore Ah Mui's affairs. No matter how troublesome Ah Mei is, she will not do bad things that are eye-catching. But Pengfa is different. He always makes a lot of noise. To solve the problem, we must start with him." Let's do it." After Xuanzhisuke finished speaking, his voice became timid again, and he continued: "Ah Ling, Ah Mei... can you take care of her more? You are all girls, maybe you can get closer to that child than us. It's better... yes, it's better to make friends with her, what do you think? ?” Ah Ling nodded.Gennosuke has begged her like this, can you not agree?

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