Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

What is annoying is that the landlord, Sun Bingwei, is not there, and Wei Shengsheng is nowhere to be seen.There were children playing everywhere in the alley, and Queer Sheng didn't seem to be with them. Ah Song, who took care of Ah Ling last time, was with two aunts of similar age. The well was full of clothes, and she was scrubbing the clothes vigorously on the washing board with her thick arms.One of the aunts was washing an indigo-dyed coat with her feet. A-Ling asked her where Sun Bingwei was. I went to Asakusa to visit Guanyin Bodhisattva. "Have you found a private school yet?" Ah Song still remembered Ah Ling and asked her kindly.

"Yes, I haven't found it yet. Auntie, do you know where the weirdness is?" "The kid went fishing, probably on a nearby bridge." The rivers in this area are criss-crossed, there are narrow rivers that a grown man can jump over by running, and there are small rivers that flow through twenty feet and end, and so on.As for the bridges, if you count the unnamed bridge with a plank resting on it, there are at least ten of them.What bridge is he on?Ah Ling ran around anxiously. As a result, half a town (about 55 meters) to the east of Sun Bingwei's courtyard, there is a small ditch that is not so much a river as a stagnant water, and it is strangely under the small bridge at the end of the river.The water there is very shallow, and there are dense reeds growing under the bridge. Weird Sheng tucked the hem of his clothes around his waist, hiding in the reeds and hanging a long fishing rod. The muddy river water does not look like there are fish inhabiting it.

Ah Ling was out of breath from running, so she stood on the bridge to breathe evenly.The bridge is just a few uneven planks lined up side by side, and the bridge can be seen through the gaps in the bridge deck.Ah Ling grabbed the rickety railing that was about to rot, and leaned out her upper body, her perverted head was just in front of Ah Ling's toes. "Hey you!" Ah Ling yelled, but Sheng Sheng ignored her.The fishing rod curved softly and remained motionless.After a closer look, the fishing rod is just a willow branch with the leaves carefully peeled off. "You, eccentric win! I have something to tell you, listen!"

Ah Ling also knew that the way she yelled seemed to want to quarrel with the other party, but it was just because she had an old hatred of cleaning the toilet, and there was nothing she could do about it.In fact, Ah Ling was really angry, so angry that she almost forgot what she wanted to ask him when she ran around.There are indeed people in this world who can make you lose your temper the moment you meet them. Being eccentric is better than looking away.No, he should just be looking at the front end of the fishing rod, but in Ah Ling's eyes, his attitude is "turn your face away".

"Hey, do you remember me? You just lied to me to clean the toilet in the courtyard a few days ago, didn't you? I'm Ah Ling from the boat house. I went to ask landlord Sun Bingwei about the Ah Ling from the private school, do you remember?" There was a buzzing sound in my ears, something flew over the side of Ah Ling's face, the sun was too strong to see what it was, but I also knew that there were a lot of mosquitoes in this kind of place. Wei Weisheng still looked at the front of the fishing rod and said, "I don't know what you want from me, but don't shout loudly, okay? The fish will scare away."

"What can you catch in this place? Isn't there no fish?" "You're so annoying, you don't understand anything at all." "Eccentric, I came to you because I wanted to ask you something." "If you want to ask someone something, don't yell at them." "Then what do you want me to do? I can't go down. Come up." Wei Weisheng suddenly turned his head to look up at Ah Ling.From his direction, the sun is behind Ah Ling, and he looks very dazzling. "What are you looking for? Who are you?" "Didn't I just say that!"

"I have a bad memory, I forgot." A Ling stomped her foot, and the whole bridge shook. "I want to ask Amei about it!" Wei Weisheng was about to turn his face back to the direction of the fishing rod, when he heard Amei's name, he raised his head and asked again: "What's wrong with Amy?" "A few days ago when I came to Sun Bingwei's courtyard, Amei followed me. Didn't you stop her and ask Amei what she was doing here? I remember it clearly." Wei Weisheng turned his face forward, moved his feet among the reeds, and there was a sound of splashing water.Ah Ling almost folded her body in half and leaned out of the railing, shouting at him:

"You know May is a ghost, right? I don't know why, but the kid lives in the houseboat. Maybe she was there before the houseboat was built. Why can you see May? You knew May before? Why? ?” "I do not know anything." "You know it. I..." "Miss, you have brain problems." "what?" "Who is Amei? The Funaya is the restaurant next to Nagasaka-sama's mansion, right? Although I don't know for sure, I heard that it is famous for making exorcism competition dishes for guests. Is that kind of food really edible?" It seems that rumors of the exorcism competition spread far and wide, even to the residents of Sun Bingwei's courtyard who had no relationship with the food shop.

"I'm so sorry, the food in our shop is delicious, and it won't even lose to Pingqing in this area." Wei Weisheng raised his chin, laughed loudly and said: "The shop that cooks ghosts for customers is really good at showing off." Ah Ling was furious, she couldn't help waving her fists, and leaned out again. "Who said we cook ghosts, don't talk nonsense!" Wei Weisheng took a quick glance at Ah Ling, and jumped aside with a "Wow".A-Ling thought she had refuted him, and instantly became proud, but she didn't feel proud for long. The railing supporting Ah Ling's body creaked ominously.

"It's really dangerous." Weird Sheng grinned. "What danger?" Before she finished speaking, Ah Ling fell into the water together with the broken railing. "Miss, your luck is too bad." Ah Song handed Ah Ling a teacup full of hot water and said with a smile.The teacup has a pattern of red plums, it is very old, and there are two gaps on the rim. Ah Ling took off her soaked clothes, borrowed Yu Nong from Ah Song to wear them, and put on a vest full of patches.I thought it was not winter, and it would be fine to fall into a small puddle of river, but the wet clothes were sticking to my body, which was completely different from taking off my clothes and jumping into the river or taking a shower in the tub, it was still very cold.The cup of hot water in front of me is very helpful to Ah Ling.

Ah Song scrubbed Ah Ling's clothes with her thick arms, and the clothes were now hanging on the bamboo pole behind Sun Bingwei's house, blowing in the wind.Ah Song flipped through Ah Ling's clothes and said with a happy smile: "This pattern is very beautiful. Is it made from your mother's clothes? This kind of fish scale pattern is meant to ward off evil spirits for women. But miss you also You really have the ability to wear clothes with patterns to ward off evil spirits, but you still fell into the river." Wei Weisheng washed the fishing tackle, put it away, and took out the small fish from the fishing basket—that kind of ditch can really catch fish—and started making fish paste after processing.Standing in the kitchen, he has a decent figure from his back, and his fish-cutting movements are far more decent than Ah Ling's. "Will the landlord come back for dinner?" Ah Song went to the backyard to check if Ah Ling's clothes were dry, and then asked Bibisheng loudly in the backyard. Katsuki replied while cutting the fish: "I agreed to come back for dinner, but I'm not sure. He said that after the visit, he would take the guests back to the boat rental hotel in Hanagawado." "Oh, is that so? I'll probably drink there. If I drink, I won't come back. Maybe I'll spend the night there." A Song squinted at the eccentric back, and said: "You have to take good care of the house, and don't think that the landlord's absence is a bad thing. Even if you didn't do bad things, you still made this lady suffer. Really, you always do something unseemly." thing." Wei Weisheng just responded with "um" or "ah", without looking back once.Ah Ling remembered that when she came back last time, Ah Song also scolded Sheng Sheng so unceremoniously. Although Ah Ling suffered from being perverted, he was the one who pulled Ah Ling up from the water, and carried Ah Ling back here who was unable to walk because of her wet clothes.When he saw Ah Ling falling into the water, he laughed happily; but when Ah Ling, who was drenched all over, was so frightened that she hit the bottom of the river with her knees and elbows and cried out in pain, he immediately stopped laughing and pulled Pick up Ah Ling.At that time, his expression was very serious, and he anxiously asked Ah Ling where the pain hit her.When Ah Ling was crying non-stop, he cursed, "Don't cry, idiot, don't cry!" walking back and forth in the water at a loss. From then until now, he has not spoken to Ah Ling. Ah Song put his palms on Ah Ling's red belt and patted vigorously, saying "it will take about an hour to do it", and walked back to the room. "Miss, your house is a houseboat, right? It's better to inform your family, do you want them to pick you up?" Ah Ling shook her head in a panic and said, "No, no, there is no need to ask someone to pick me up. I can go back alone when the clothes are dry." "Really? Is it all right?" "It's okay, it's not hurt anyway." "Then, let me comb your hair for you." Asong was so strong that it was a bit painful for her to straighten her bun. "Miss is very pretty." Ah Song looked at Ah Ling's face carefully and said cheerfully, "Although you have something to ask the landlord, it's dangerous to run around outside alone, so be careful." "Yes, but... Aunt Asong, I'm not a lady." "Why? Aren't you the lady from the grocery store? Life is different from ours. Okay, tie it up." Ah Song showed Ah Ling the small mirror. The mirror probably hadn't been polished for a long time, so it looked blurry, but it could be seen that the crooked and loose bun had been tied up again.Maybe it was because the mirror couldn't see clearly, Ah Ling felt that her facial features in the mirror looked like an adult, and she was taken aback. "Miss, I have other things that I can't stay here. Do you want to go back to my house with me? Although my house is smaller and messy than here, there are still children making noise..." A Song cast a stern glance at Geegesheng, and continued, "It's not interesting to watch the house with Geegesheng here, is it?" "Thank you, Auntie." A-Ling saluted respectfully and thanked, "But before the clothes are dried, if you are eccentric... no, Mr. Katsujiro doesn't mind, I want to stay here." Ah Song shrunk his chin, squinted at Ah Ling, and said suspiciously: "Is this okay? I think you will be bored. Forget it, if you have something, don't hesitate to call me." When Ah Song left, Ge Geweisheng had already cut up the fish and was using a kitchen knife to finely chop the fish meat and throw the fish meat into the bowl.He held the mallet that had become shorter after using it for a long time, and pounded the fish meat with the front end, and began to grind it. A Ling remained silent and watched for a while.Although Weiweisheng was proficient in grinding the fish meat, every time he turned the hammer, the bowl resting on the wet rag would also shake from side to side.When doing this kind of thing, it is best to have someone help hold down the bowl. Ah Ling quietly stood up and went to the kitchen, stretched out her hand and asked, "Can I hold it down for you?" Wei Weisheng just rolled his eyes to glance at Ah Ling, and remained silent.Ah Ling stretched out her hands to press the bowl tightly, and asked, "What kind of fish is this?" Weird Sheng did not answer.His movements were swift, and the firm fresh fish was ground into pieces in an instant.Ah Ling watched with great interest. "Do you cook like this every time?" Wei Weisheng remained silent. "My family is a cooking shop. Dad is very good at kitchen knives. Of course, he is a chef. But you are also very good at it." Quirky won't make a sound, pouted like an octopus. Ah Ling smiled and said, "Thank you just now." Quiet Sheng drew a circle and twirled the hammer, and asked in a low voice, "Thank you for what?" "Thank you? Didn't you pull me out of the river?" "I made you fall, didn't I?" "No, I wasn't killed by you, but..." Ah Ling suddenly found it very funny, put her hands on her mouth and laughed. "You are really weird. I don't know whether you are kind or evil." "Anyway, I'm out of my mind." "I did not mean that." Is it possible that eccentricity is better than ignorance? The meanings of the words kind and bad-hearted are different?He seemed to have heard all of Ah Ling's words as accusations against him.What kind of life do he and Sun Bingwei, the landlord, usually lead?Aunt A Song is very fierce when she speaks to Bibisheng every time. Is it the same for other people in the courtyard? Is it because - being eccentric is better than being an orphan?Or is it because of his twisted personality? As soon as Ah Ling let go, the bowl started to shake again.Geeky Sheng finally stopped turning the hammer, raised his head, curled his lips down into two "へ" characters side by side, looked at Ah Ling and asked, "What are you doing here? What exactly do you want?" Although it was a long story, Ah Ling not only told about Ah Mei, but also about the process of moving into the stern till now, including the feast of the exorcism competition.Ah Ling felt that it was not bad to be eccentric, but his personality was difficult to get close to. If she wanted to find out something from him, she had to confess the reason first, otherwise he would not take it seriously. Sure enough, as A-Ling expected, Wei Sheng listened carefully to A-Ling's words without interrupting or distracting. "Since we moved, I've been the only one who can see the ghost of the houseboat." After A-Ling finished speaking, she nodded to Wei Weisheng and said, "But when I came here last time, I found that you can also see A-Mei. You know how I am. Why are you so startled?" Quirky Sheng twisted his mouth again, and his expression looked weird when he tilted his mouth.Obviously it's better not to twist your mouth, is this his habit? "I saw Ah Mei when I was fishing in the river." Wei Wei Sheng said so suddenly. "The canal around the houseboat?" "Well, you can catch carp and eels over there." I see.She remembered that she had discussed with Gennosuke about this, secretly using the fish from the river to make unique dishes as the signature dish of the houseboat.But then the houseboat was turned upside down because of the exorcism competition, Ah Ling completely forgot about it. "Won't people be scolded if they find out?" Quirky Sheng raised the corners of his mouth and turned into an upside-down "へ" character, looking very proud. "I'm not stupid enough to be found out." It is said that it was in the early spring two years ago. "But the house was still empty then?" "Yeah, it's obviously an empty house, but there is a girl looking at me from the window on the second floor, which shocked me." Wei Weisheng said that he thought someone had lived in it at the time. "But when I asked the landlord, the landlord said it was impossible, and found it very strange. The landlord said that it was either a monster or a ghost, and said that not only the house, but the whole area was haunted by the murderous abbot of Xingyuan Temple..." Wei Weisheng shut up quickly when he said this, with an expression of "talking too much" clearly on his face.Ah Ling quickly shook her head and said, "It's okay, let's continue. I've also heard about that terrible abbot." Quirky Sheng widened his eyes and asked, "Who did you listen to?" "One of the ghosts told me. I heard it was thirty years ago, and there was a lot of trouble at that time." "You are so brave." "why?" "Because you look like you don't care, and you're not afraid at all." Wei Weisheng seems to admire Ah Ling from the bottom of his heart, Ah Ling is a little proud.It's also interesting that Katsujiro, who behaves as if he has nothing to do with himself, will respond honestly only when he is surprised. "The last time I came here, to be honest, it wasn't for the private school. I wanted to ask Landlord Sun Bingwei to tell me the details of the incident thirty years ago." "What do you want to do with that kind of thing?" "I want to help ghosts ascend to heaven." Wei Weisheng wrinkled his eyelids this time.His expression is so flexible. "What's the meaning?" "I think the ghosts of the houseboat stayed there because of their own knots in their hearts, and the knots in their hearts have not been untied. Therefore, the most important thing for them to ascend to heaven is to untie their knots in their hearts? This must Find out what happened before." "You are so stupid, don't you know this kind of thing?" "It's not that simple. There are some things that I don't even understand, and not every ghost can speak clearly. The same is true for Amei. She only makes funny faces at me and never talks to me." Wei Weisheng stroked the person vigorously and said, "That kid...so..." "Will Amei talk to you? What did she say?" Wei Weisheng squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then said in a low voice: "She rarely talks to me. But she often says it's boring to stay there." In the early spring two years ago, Wei Weisheng saw the girl standing at the window on the second floor of the empty house several times, and felt scared in his heart.Coupled with what Sun Bingwei said, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying he became.On the other hand, he also provoked his awkward temper, wanting to confirm the girl's true face.So one day he sneaked into the empty house. "Sneaked in during the day?" "Of course it's daytime, but isn't that kind of empty house also dark and dark during the daytime?" Wei Weisheng first deduced the location of the room with the window, walked up the dusty stairs, and found a girl in red, about eight years old, sitting neatly by the sunny window. "I can see it clearly. At first I was thinking about what the hell, it's not a ghost at all, it's just that someone sneaked in like me." However, when the perverted Sheng who was relieved was about to speak, the girl disappeared without a trace. "I was taken aback and looked around and saw she was sitting behind me. At that time, I was so scared that I thought guts would pop out of my mouth." As soon as Ah Ling imagined that scene, she felt both sympathetic and funny, she pressed her sleeve to her lips and smiled.Wei Weisheng was not angry, just moved his lips, and continued with a smile: "I asked her, who are you...she said her name is Amei. I asked again, what are you doing here, she didn't say anything, But there's no way out of here." There's no way to get out of here-- "I asked her, are you a ghost? The kid actually asked what is a ghost? I said that a ghost is a ghost. People who cannot ascend to heaven after death will become such terrible things. The boy Amei said, I am not scary. He also said that he was very lonely by himself.” Didn't Gennosuke, Monk Xiao, and Ami appear in front of Katsuki? "Did you see any other ghosts?" "En." Wei Gesheng nodded quickly, then seemed to want to say something but hesitated, his eyes rolled around. "What's wrong?" "nothing." Anyway, that's how he and Ah Mui became friends. "Amei won't make faces at you?" "No, she's very cute." "It's completely different from how you treat me." Ah Ling was a little angry, and she turned her mouth into a "へ" character. "Didn't Amei come here after me last time? Has that happened before? Wouldn't it be weird if she really couldn't leave that house?" For some reason, Wei Sheng hesitated to vomit again.So suddenly, what happened to him? "Twice before...." "come here?" "Ok." "She came out alone?" "No, it's the same as last time, following behind others. That...following the person she is compatible with." "Amei and I don't get along at all." "That kid...she thinks she'll be compatible with you." "Then she can tell me." Quirky Sheng pulled his earlobes anxiously, looking at the door, as if hoping for a rescuer to appear. "What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic all of a sudden?" "Ah? No." Ah Ling looked straight into his eyes and asked, "Why can you see Ah Mei, have you ever thought about this?" Katsuki is going to pull the earlobe on the other side this time.Ah Ling smiled and pushed his hand away and said, "Don't do that, the ears will become bigger and become like an elephant from Tianzhu." Quiet Sheng put down his hands, lowered his eyebrows as if being scolded, and pouted, saying, "I... don't know anything." "It's strange." Ah Ling always felt something was wrong.What sentence did he say that made Wei Weisheng suddenly nervous? "Amei... Did she explain why she appeared in front of you?" There must be something in common for both of them to see the ghost, and that commonality may be the clue. "Have you asked her why?" Ah Ling continued to ask. Wei Weisheng was uncharacteristically sad, and said falteringly: "Amei said... I can only see her because I am an orphan. Because we are all the same, that kid is also an orphan. When she came here with others twice before, Those two were also orphans, so I believed what she said." Ah Ling didn't immediately understand the deep meaning behind what he said, but nodded in agreement: "Well, it makes sense." Then, she widened her eyes and said: "Then...according to this, I am also an orphan?" The eccentric wins and crooked his mouth again.He probably guessed that A-Ling would think of this a long time ago, so he was so restless just now. Ah Ling was amazed by the thoughts that burst out of her mind. "Tell you, I'm not an orphan." Ah Ling couldn't help continuing, "My father and mother are both healthy, they have always been my father and mother. I have a family, I am not an orphan, absolutely not. Don't mess around Say." Ah Ling pouted, and the more she spoke, the more angry she became.The eccentricity pulls the earlobe. "I didn't say anything." He whispered, "Don't be angry." "Maybe Ah Mei showed up in front of me because we are all girls." Ah Ling said, "But I have a father and a mother, but the child doesn't have one, so maybe she was very angry and made faces at me. " um, yes.It must be so.Isn't it very reasonable to say that? Wei Wusheng looked down at the fish paste in the bowl, and muttered to himself as if suddenly remembering: "Miso must be added, and ginger must be added." A-Ling was displeased by the eccentric Sheng's attitude of wanting to change the subject.She was eager to draw convincing conclusions about Ah Mui's connection with herself.But Ah Ling didn't like the answer just now, she wanted a more definite answer. Of course, this is just a childish waywardness. Ah Ling just wants to get a satisfactory answer, but she doesn't realize it. "By the way, I had a strange dream before, do you want to hear it?" Quirky Sheng took down the small miso jar from the kitchen cabinet, and Ah Ling followed him while continuing to say: "I fell asleep in the closet, and I had a dream. I fell into a place that looked like the bottom of a well, Looking up, the moon suddenly became round and then lost. I think it means that after so many days, I slowly became a bone." Katsuki threw a piece of miso the size of a thumb into the bowl, it was a pungent red miso. "I thought it meant that I was a corpse in the dream, slowly turning into a skeleton over time. I wondered, did this dream happen to Ah Mui? Did the child fall into the well and die?" ? As for why I have this dream, it is because we are all girls." Wei Weisheng put the miso jar back to its original place, picked up the straw bag that was casually placed next to the cabinet, and took out a Wuhe cotton bag with the name of Tongwu printed on it. "Hey, do you also go to the tube house to buy weeds or millet?" Ah Ling asked.Although it seemed that she had changed the topic, Ah Ling couldn't help being happy when she saw the familiar tube house bag. Wei Weisheng didn't respond, he put the tube house bag aside, reached out and took out a shriveled piece of ginger from the straw bag.Ah Ling picked up the tube house bag and pulled the drawstring open, and there was half a bag of beautiful light green weeds inside. "This is used to make barnyard rice cakes." Wei Gesheng took the bag from Ah Ling's hand and said, "The landlord likes to eat it." "What are you going to do?" "Otherwise who will do it?" Wei Weisheng began to peel the ginger, and Ah Ling stood beside him and continued, "I know the Tsutsuya family very well. The little boss, Uncle Kaksuke, is friends with my father, and Ah Yuan is also friends with me." Wei Weisheng deftly peeled off the ginger skin with a large kitchen knife, and his movements were still proficient. "The first group of guests in the boat house was the tube house, and they came to celebrate the big boss's rare occasion. Because the kapok bags in the tube house are famous, my father racked his brains to come up with dishes related to the bag, and the other party was very happy. " Of course, Ah Ling did not forget that it was at that banquet that the first ghost haunting happened, but she didn't want to tell Wei Gesheng at this time. "My father made the fish board you are making. It is white fish, wrapped in tofu skin, and then cooked in soup. The big boss said it was delicious..." Quirky Sheng chopped ginger, interjected in a cold tone, "If it were me, I wouldn't do that." "Ah? What did you say?" Ah Ling, who was proudly boasting about her father's cooking skills, was taken aback for a moment. "I said, if it were me, I wouldn't serve that kind of dish at the wedding feast in the Tsutsuya." Wei Gesheng scooped up the chopped ginger with both hands and threw it into the pounding bowl, then picked up the pounding mallet. "Tongwu is a grain shop, right? They sold grains, and business was good until the boss was seventy years old, right? Then it makes sense that their wedding banquet should present grain dishes that represent the products of the shop, because they are blessed by the grains." to make money." Ah Ling was furious, and said, "That kind of food is not something that a food shop would serve!" "Does it have to be delicious?" Wei Sheng said loudly, staring at Ah Ling.His imposing manner was so strong that Ah Ling retreated half a step back in awe. "You probably think that everyone in Edo can eat white rice, and only those who are particularly fond of five grains will eat five grains, right? Of course, our landlord also likes to eat barnyard millet and millet. But some people are too poor to afford white rice There are also people who deliberately do not allow others to eat plain rice, so that some people have to eat barnyard millet and millet even though the rice is right in front of them. These are the guests of the Wugu shop. Since it is a wedding banquet at the Wugu shop, let them eat the five grains first, Put your palms together in front of Wugu and say TOEFL TOEFL, you should not suffer retribution." Ah Ling's face was hot, and her heart was churning with anger.This kid is really eccentric.This degree of eccentricity is really unusual. "If it were you, what kind of dishes are you going to cook? Can you make dishes that are not inferior to my father's?" Quirky Sheng raised his nose slightly and said, "Of course, I'll show you. Only a restaurant can buy fresh fish, vegetables, and eggs if a customer is willing to spend a lot of money. With good ingredients, no matter how bad a cook can make it." Good food. I'm not that picky, even if it's just five grains, I can still make formal wedding dishes." The anger in A-Ling's stomach was like a raging fire, and the blazing heat made her lips, voice, and words scorched black like barbed wire on a charcoal stove. Ah Ling, who has a strong personality, didn't cry.She didn't want to leave yet. She raised her little right hand and slapped Bibisheng hard. There was a snap, crisp and loud. "I hate you!" Ah Ling made a hoarse voice scorched by anger, and she clenched her left hand into a fist and punched Wei Sheng's shoulder.Wei Wei was able to let Ah Ling hit him, but he kept staring at the shoulder that was hit, as if something was glued to it. "I hate you too," he whispered quickly. "You go home right now and get out of here." "If you don't tell me, I'll go home too!" Ah Ling finished speaking loudly and ran out.She ran all the way from the kitchen out of Sun Bingwei's courtyard, only to realize that the hem of the clothes was too long and entangled her feet, and she almost tripped.Too bad, my clothes are still hanging on the bamboo pole in Sun Bingwei's house, and what Ah Song is wearing now is borrowed from someone in Sun Bingwei's courtyard. --what to do? The corners of Ah Ling's mouth drooped into the word "へ". In the end, Ah Ling returned to the boathouse in that attire. The door of the houseboat was closed, and it was as quiet as a funeral.Ateng was alone watching the house in the small room next to the door. "Oh, Ah Ling, what's the matter with you? What's the matter with this dress?" Seeing A Teng, Ah Ling suddenly felt relieved, and cried coquettishly.A-Teng took out A-Ling's clothes and put them on carefully for her, and re-tied her hair into a bun. Of course, Ah Ling couldn't tell Ah Teng the reason for her expedition to the Sun Bingwei Dazayuan, and Ah Teng was not someone who would delve into the children's words, so Ah Ling only said that she couldn't bear to see her father and mother troubled, and she couldn't help her, and she was in a bad mood. Well, went out for a walk, and slipped on the crumbling wooden bridge and fell into the river.It just so happened that the aunt of Sun Bingwei's courtyard passed by and rescued her——A-Ling was going to lie to her by saying so. "Auntie helped me wash the clothes, but I really wanted to go home and couldn't wait for the clothes to dry." Ah Ling sobbed and said so.Ah Teng said "Really? Really?" frequently, hugging Ah Ling to comfort her. "Aren't you frightened? It doesn't seem to be injured. Does it hurt?" "Well, it doesn't hurt." "Then you go and lie down for a while, and my aunt will help you get your clothes back. Who is it from Sun Bingwei's courtyard? What's the name of the aunt who rescued you?" Because it was a temporary lie, Ah Ling didn't think too much about it, and was immediately overwhelmed by the question.It's easy to say Ah Song's name, but once Ah Teng and Ah Song meet, it may be revealed that Ah Ling went to Sun Bingwei's courtyard to look for Wei Bisheng and fell into the river just talking to him. . "Aunt... she didn't say her name." Ah Ling insisted on lying again. "She only said she lives in the nearby Sun Bingwei Courtyard." "Really?" Ateng asked with wide eyes on his chubby face, "Then where did you change your clothes?" "At Sun Bingwei's landlord's house, the clothes are also hanging there." Atten believed it easily. "If it's the landlord's house, it's easy to find. My aunt will help you get your clothes back, and thank you very much by the way." "Going right now?" "Yeah, it's better to go now?" "Sun Bingwei's landlord should not be at home now." If Ateng went, he would meet Bizarre Sheng, that kid might talk a lot.However, Sun Bingwei didn't know about it. He heard that he was still deaf, so he should immediately believe Ateng's words and return the clothes to Ateng. "Not at home? But Ah Ling, aren't you being taken care of at the landlord's house?" Teng asked himself and answered, "Ah, I understand, the landlady is taking care of you, right?" "Yes... No, anyway, the landlord is not at home right now. Auntie, let's go tomorrow. Besides, the borrowed clothes should be cleaned before returning them, right?" A Teng looked at the dress that A Ling borrowed with obvious contempt.The maple red pattern has been washed white, and large patches are sewn with other fabrics in many places, and one of the patches can be seen to be patched with a quilt. "You don't need to return the clothes." "Then what should we do?" "Find a passable old dress and give it back to someone else. It's not rude to do so in this situation." "yes?" "A-Ling, remember. If you borrow a hand towel from others, and you can't just wash it and send it back, it's too disgraceful. We are different from those who use a hand towel to borrow money from pawnshops to live on." "Then if I borrow an oil umbrella, do I have to buy a new umbrella and return it?" "The oil umbrella is more troublesome. Unless it is a very broken umbrella, you can just return the borrowed one to the other party, but at least you have to bring a box of snacks in return." "You don't need to return the broken umbrella, should you throw it away?" Ateng shook his head exaggeratedly and said, "How come, I borrowed a broken umbrella, and I have to buy a new one to return it." "Isn't that going to cost money instead?" "This is what it should be, and a shop with a reputation must do this." "But don't people who borrow umbrellas like this feel ashamed? Because the things lent to others are considered too old and thrown away as garbage." "It is only rude to lend a broken umbrella to others. For those who are rude, we have to buy a new umbrella and send it back, so that the other party understands what to do in accordance with etiquette." Ateng was full of majesty, and he spoke decisively. Although A-Ling felt doubtful, she still nodded in agreement.The fact that A Song called her "Miss" vaguely flashed through his mind. "Is Ah Ling hungry? You haven't eaten since morning?" "No, not hungry. Where are Dad and Mom?" "The big boss of Takadaya is here. They are going out together, and they will probably come back very late today. A-Ling, be good, and accompany Auntie to watch the house." Ateng finished speaking like a cannonball, took a breath, and continued with a sigh, "Speaking of which, the houseboat is full of disasters. Mr. Taiichiro... the boss is really hard." "Where are they going?" "This... I don't know." Ateng thought he was prevaricating, but A-Ling immediately understood that Aunt Ateng knew the whereabouts of the three of them, but she just didn't want to tell her. I'll ask Gennosuke-sama later. Later, I would sit in the middle of the stairs and call out to see if it was Ami who showed up, just listen to Ami singing a short piece of music, and that smooth singing voice could soothe my uncomfortable mood after quarreling with Wei Weisheng. Ateng got up and went to the kitchen. When he came back, he was carrying a tray with arrowroot cakes on a small plate. "The dessert brought by the big boss is the arrowroot cake from Funabashiya, which is Ah Ling's favorite." Ah Ling was very happy, and ate it all in one go, even licking off the sweet and greasy brown sugar juice on the plate. Ah Teng drank barley tea and watched Ah Ling eat arrowroot cake, it was rare for her to sit idle like this.Ateng was probably tired too, and looked very depressed, probably because he was uneasy about the future of the houseboat, and was very sad. "Grandpa Shichihei is worried about the future of the houseboat." Ateng pretended to be confused again and said: "The big boss is worried about Mr. Shimaji's health. He suddenly went crazy at that time, maybe he was possessed by a fox. It was all because of some triggers such as evocation and exorcism competitions." Bad things." The exorcism competition is indeed not a serious matter. "Aunt Ateng, are you familiar with Mr. Shimaji?" "I don't know him at all. That person was specially recommended by the big boss, so there's no need for my aunt to ask questions." Her tone was contrary to the content, showing dissatisfaction, "But that kind of gloomy person is not suitable for a restaurant at all." Ah Ling even licked off the soy flour on the plate, and her stomach and mood finally stabilized.She planned to take this opportunity to inquire about news from Ateng. "Aunt Ateng, have you found out about Miss Ajing in Baiziwu?" Ah Ling told everyone about this yesterday.Ah Jing, who took off her white turban after the banquet yesterday, is not the same young girl who visited the houseboat earlier and claimed to be "A Jing in Baiziwu". Ateng's face darkened suddenly, and he said, "The boss said he only found out about it after you reminded him. After all, everyone couldn't care so much at that time. Ah Ling is really smart." "The one wearing the turban is the real Miss A Jing. The person who came last time is a counterfeit, right? But who is that person?" "The big boss is very concerned about this matter." Ateng continued, "The big boss has a lot of friends and knowledge. I heard that Bai Ziwu has other daughters besides Miss A Jing. Of course, this daughter was not born to the boss. It was the illegitimate daughter of the boss and his servant, and the mother and son were kicked out very early... That girl became an orphan not long ago, and she has always held a grudge against Bai Ziwu." Ateng said this in one breath, only to realize that this is not a suitable thing to tell children.She may want to chat with people, or she may be too boring to watch the house by herself. Ah Ling was thinking about other things.It turns out that this kind of thing happened in Baiziwu, and why do I keep hearing the word "orphan" today. 阿铃像是自言自语地说：“当孤儿有那么难受吗？被父母抛弃是很痛苦的事情吗？会憎恨父母吗？如果我也是孤儿，也会像那样憎恨父母吗？” 一旁的阿藤宛如背部插进一根顶门棍，惊讶地挺直背脊。阿铃察觉阿藤不寻常的举动，问阿藤：“大姨，你怎么了？” “阿铃，”阿藤平板地说，“你怎么说出这么奇怪的话？” “奇怪？为什么？” “你刚才说如果自己也是孤儿。” “我只是忽然想到而已。” “只是突然想到而已，真的吗？” 阿藤试探的眼神吓了阿铃一跳，她看着阿藤的眼睛，心里发毛，想说些什么又不知从何说起。 阿藤益发一本正经，朝阿铃探出身子问：“有人……该不会有人对你胡说些什么吧？有人对阿铃的身世说了什么挑毛病的话吗？” 阿铃说不出话来。这种状况大概就是所谓的“舌头打结”吧。 阿藤那认真的表情步步进逼，这可不是在开玩笑。 “阿铃，为什么不说话？” 阿藤双手搭在阿铃肩上用力摇晃，阿铃觉得自己好像在挨骂。 “大姨……我，”阿铃总算找到话说，“我从没想过大姨说的那些事，因为从来没有人对我……对我的身世说什么我不知道的事。” 阿藤很快收回双手，身子微微后仰，低头凝望阿铃，两道眉毛上扬像是在生气，“是吗？”她很快说了一句。像滚烫的热水加进了大量冷水，温度直线下降。“那就好，那就好。” 但是阿藤依旧目不转睛地望着阿铃。阿铃在一种无法言喻的直觉引导下，敏感地察觉要是这时把视线从大姨脸庞移开，这话题可能会继续下去。她睁大双眼，装出天真的表情仰望大姨。 “反正阿铃人回来了，肚子也吃饱了。” 阿藤对阿铃笑笑，将袖子塞进腰带两旁站起来。 “那大姨就开始来打扫吧。榻榻米房已经打扫过了，可是厨房还是昨天那样子。” 直到阿藤消失踪影前，阿铃一直保持像面具般的天真表情：啊，葛粉糕很好吃，接下来要玩什么呢？ 房里剩下阿铃独自一人时，她关上房间的纸门，背靠在纸门上，深深吐出一口气。到刚才为止一直配合阿铃演戏的心脏也光明正大怦怦地跳起来。 ——有人对阿铃的身世说些挑毛病的话吗？ 至今为止从来没有人对阿铃说过那样的话。阿藤一定误会了。 ——可是如果我其实不是这个家的孩子呢？ 阿铃举起手来擦嘴，留在唇上的黑糖汁隐隐带着甜味。 ——其实我是个孤儿，是阿爸和阿母收养的孩子？ 假如事情真是这样，阿梅为什么接近阿铃的疑问便能解开，也就是说这样才合乎逻辑。 ——事情变得很严重。 这种场合必须跟大人一样沉住气思考问题，不能像小孩子一样不是哭就是发抖。阿铃自我鼓励，当场做出脑中浮现的所有大人举动中，最像大人的动作，她端正跪坐、揣着双手。 不过没过多久她的努力全泡汤了。万一自己真的是孤儿，是抱来养的孩子——光想到这点就想哭。浮出的眼泪让眼前榻榻米的网眼变得模糊不清。 我一个人办不到。 阿铃将嘴巴撇成了“へ”字，不管三七二十一刷地站起身，蹑手蹑脚打开纸门，迅速跑向通往二楼的楼梯。 玄之介双手支颐，百无聊赖地坐在老位子。不用呼唤，玄之介已经早一步在等阿铃。 “玄之介大人！” 阿铃冲上楼梯。 “昨天才见过面，却感觉好久没看到你了，阿铃。” 玄之介说得没错。大概是因为短短一天中出了很多事吧。 阿铃起初情不自禁地冲向玄之介，想搂住他的膝盖痛哭一场。可是玄之介是幽灵，摸不到。阿铃忘了这件事，直冲上前，额头差点撞出个肿包。 “对不起啊，我也很想搂着阿铃，拍拍阿铃的背安慰一番，但是幽灵也有很多地方不方便。” 玄之介缩着脖子，一副真心对阿铃感到抱歉的样子。阿铃用手拭泪，觉得舒坦多了，稍稍恢复精神，她挤出害羞的笑容摇头说：“没关系，光看到玄之介大人我就松了口气。” “听你这么说我很高兴。” 玄之介说他听到了阿藤和阿铃刚才的对话，阿铃便跟他说先前和乖僻胜讨论阿梅的事，玄之介不时摸着下巴，始终面带悲伤地侧耳倾听。 “问题好像不少呢。” 阿铃说完，学着玄之介刚才双手支颐的动作。玄之介叹了口气，继续低声说：“不过眼下的问题虽然像是互不相关，其实各有牵连。” “是吗？”阿铃打从心底觉得困惑，只能软弱地回应，“我怎么觉得好像全都搅和存一起。” “因为阿铃的脑袋还小啊，这也是没办法的事，就让我这个俊俏阿哥为你效劳解释给你听。”玄之介笑着在阿铃眼前竖起一根指头，“首先，从阿铃最重要的问题开始。先前我们也讨论过，包括我在内，为什么阿铃看得到屋子里所有的幽灵？” 阿铃全身僵直地点头。 “你听好，阿铃，暂且先把阿梅跟乖僻胜的事搁在一旁，先忘掉刚才阿藤说的话，懂吗？” "But……" “阿梅是孤儿，所以喜欢在孤儿面前出现，这话听起来好像有点道理。可是这个理由除了乖僻胜以外，到底适不适合阿铃，眼下还不知道，懂吗？” Ah Ling nodded. “那之后我也想了很多。”玄之介一本正经地说，“为什么阿铃看得到我们全部，可以跟我们说话？对喜欢小孩的阿蜜、喜欢女孩的我还有看到病人就想治疗的笑和尚老头子来说，说得通。因为我们觉得阿铃很可爱，都想和阿铃接触。可是蓬发和阿梅呢？他们两个都是很不好惹的幽灵，就连同是幽灵的我们也无法跟他们好好相处。但这两人一开始就出现在阿铃面前，而且以自己的方式想传达什么给你……” “阿梅只会对我扮鬼脸。”阿铃插嘴道，“她想表示她讨厌我吧？” “是吗？我不这么认为，”玄之介揣着双手、眼神含笑斜睨着阿铃，“阿铃，乖僻胜其实人不坏吧？” “啊？”阿铃吓一跳，“怎、怎么突然问这个？” “其实阿铃挺喜欢乖僻胜的吧？” 阿铃紧握双拳胡乱挥舞，站起身说：“怎么可能！玄之介大人为什么这么说？我讨厌那小子！我可是这么告诉他，甩了他一个耳光才回来的！” 玄之介脸上调侃的笑容更深了。 “你现在是不是后悔那么做了？跟乖僻胜吵架不难过吗？” “完全不会！一点都不会！” 阿铃对着天花板大吼。厨房里传来脚步声，阿藤很快出现在楼梯下。 “阿铃吗？什么事？你叫我吗？” 阿铃慌忙用手按住嘴巴说：“没事，大姨，我没有叫你。” “你刚才没有大声说什么吗？” “我在唱歌，唱阿先大妈教我的小布球歌。” “是吗？”阿藤用围巾搓搓手，微微歪着头问，“那我去拿小布球给你吧？要到外面玩吗？” “不用了，我不玩。” 阿藤怀疑地看着坐在楼梯中央的阿铃，迟迟不肯离开。明知阿藤看不见玄之介，但她或许察觉出什么动静。 最后阿藤总算回到厨房里去。 “呼。”阿铃坐回原位，说，“好累。” “不过要是那个阿藤看得见我们，我们会更累。”玄之介说。 阿铃心想玄之介一定又在说笑，本想瞪他一眼，没想到玄之介的表情意外地认真，甚至接近“严厉”的程度。 阿铃内心闪过疑问：难道玄之介大人不喜欢阿藤大姨？至今为止她从没想过这个可能。 阿铃觉得直接开口问不好，万一玄之介真的回说“嗯，讨厌”，她还真不知道该怎么办。 “刚刚说到哪里？连自己都搞糊涂了，实在不行。”玄之介捏着下巴温柔地望着阿铃，“对了，是乖僻胜的事。” “我讨厌那小子。” “是吗？那就当做是这样好了。不过啊，阿铃，依我看乖僻胜至今为止的举动和话语，他似乎一开始就喜欢上阿铃了。” "how is this possible!" “你先听我说嘛，别那么生气。” 玄之介笑着摇晃双手，安抚阿铃。 “乖僻胜一开始就骗你上当，对你很不客气、很冷淡吧？那是因为他害羞。因为喜欢阿铃，反而故意表现出坏心眼的态度，这个年纪的男孩通常都这样。所以当你掉到河里，他才会慌慌张张救你上岸，又带你回家，温柔地照顾你。” 阿铃觉得脸颊发热，故意撅着嘴说：“可是回家前我们大吵了一架，那小子批评阿爸的菜，我绝不原谅他！” “是啊，也难怪阿铃生气。不过乖僻胜的说法相当有趣。”玄之介愉快地说，“那家伙确有可取之处。虽然还是个孩子，却着实尝过生活的辛酸，阿铃听了可能不高兴，但我认为乖僻胜对筒屋宴席提出的意见，值得洗耳恭听。” 因为玄之介说出“洗耳恭听”这种难懂的成语，阿铃一时回不出话。但她也明白玄之介是故意选用这么难的字，所以仍是一肚子火气。 “总之，阿铃，”玄之介快活地说着，“人啊，很麻烦。在喜欢的人或想吸引对方注意的人面前，有时候反而无法坦诚相对。阿梅对你扮鬼脸，可能也是基于同样的道理。” 阿铃还在气头上，脸颊鼓得高高的。玄之介逗乐般装出探看阿铃的模样说：“哎呀，阿铃，别气成那样嘛，会糟蹋好好一个小美人。” “哼——”阿铃别过脸。 “哎呀哎呀，好像真的闹起别扭了，那就不再开玩笑。阿铃，我要认真说了。” 玄之介重新端坐，故意咳了一声，继续说：“我想，阿铃看得见幽灵，很可能跟你先前发高烧，濒临生死关头那场大病有密切关系。” 阿铃大吃一惊，转身面对玄之介。他缓缓点头说：“刚搬来这里时，阿铃不是生了一场重病，还差点丧命吗？笑和尚那时不是现身为你按摩治疗吗？老头子事后说：那女孩子的身体糟透了，真是千钧一发才捡回一条命。笑和尚人虽然怪，但治疗手法很高明，他说的话很可信。” 阿铃情不自禁用双手抱住身子。 “你小小年纪就经历生死攸关的恐怖经验，在鬼门关前走了一遭，听到冥河的水声，才又返回阳世。因为这件事，你变成一个与众不同的女孩子。你去到没人去过……不，应该说一旦去了就没人回得来的地方。或许是这件事在你体内产生作用，让你萌生看得见幽灵的力量。这是我的看法。” 阿铃眨着眼想了一会儿说：“可是，玄之介大人……” "Huh? What's the matter?" “我明白玄之介大人说的话。可是如果玄之介大人说得没错，那么看过银次幽灵的阿先大妈和可以跟阿梅说话的乖僻胜，他们两人不也得经验差点死去的事吗？先不说乖僻胜，阿先大妈从来不曾生重病啊，她老是自夸身体很好呢。” 玄之介拍了一下膝盖说：“是的，正是如此，阿铃说得没错。这又跟第二个问题有关。” 玄之介又说：“就算没有阿铃那种特殊能力，普通人有时也看得到幽灵。” “当幽灵和某人之间有共通点时……这样说好了，双方都怀有类似的感情纠葛时。” “感情纠葛？” “嗯，是的。所以乖僻胜看得见阿梅，他们两人都是孤儿，因此尝尽艰辛也过得很寂寞。” “可是阿先大妈呢？” 玄之介沉稳地继续说：“银次和岛次之间，很不幸的，也许的确有过复杂的感情纠葛吧。或许岛次真的杀死了银次也说不定。” 这件事阿铃也知道，不过这跟阿先大妈扯不上关系。 玄之介谨慎选择用词，想了一下，望着阿铃说：“我不清楚阿先大妈是怎么样的人，大概很体贴吧。” “嗯，非常体贴。” “阿铃听过阿先大妈的双亲或兄弟的事吗？” 阿铃认真想，好像没有。 “阿先大妈不常说这些事。” “也许她有失和的兄弟或早逝的姐妹，有没有这种可能呢？而阿先大妈因为这件事一直耿耿于怀，伤心不已。因此没有兄弟的七兵卫老爹看不到因兄弟失和而丧命的银次幽灵，但阿先大妈却看得到。你觉得这看法怎么样？” 阿铃抿着嘴想：“姑且先不管乖僻胜和阿梅的关系，不调查的话，实在不知道阿先大妈是不是遭遇过这种事。” “也难怪你不能信服，这只是我的推测而已。”玄之介说。 “我打听看看好了……”阿铃喃喃自语，“要是阿先大妈也有和兄弟姐妹有关的伤心回忆，玄之介大人就说中了。” “你听了不觉得沮丧，还能这样想，我很高兴。”玄之介点头说道，“大人都有许多回忆，人生在世，不管愿不愿意，总是会累积各式各样的感情。” 他将手贴在额头，微微低头接着说：“接下来，我们来整理第三个问题吧。是蓬发。” 阿铃抬起脸问：“这是第三个问题？” “嗯，是的。蓬发最初在筒屋宴席上现身时，是不是只有你看得见他？” 是的，其他人眼里似乎只看得到蓬发手中握着的刀在空中飞舞而已。 “昨天的驱灵比赛宴席上，也只有你看到他吧？” "yes." “那么，我们照顺序来想。蓬发出现在两场宴席上，两次行动却完全不同。筒屋那次他举刀乱砍，在驱灵比赛那次却一直号啕大哭。要是他只是一个凶暴的恶灵，应该两场宴席上都会闹事才对，这不是很奇怪吗？差别在哪里呢？” 阿铃手指摩挲人中说：“嗯……”至今为止她还没这样有条理地想过蓬发的事，玄之介大人毕竟是武士，脑筋也比别人聪明。 “当然两场宴席参加的人不一样，”玄之介伸出援手，继续解释给阿铃听，“目的也不一样：一次是老人的古稀喜宴，另一次则是打算召唤船屋的幽灵。尽管最后唤来的是外来的幽灵。” 阿铃说：“筒屋喜宴时，我的好朋友阿园和小丸也在场，就是说那次有小孩子在场，不过驱灵比赛时都是大人。” “好线索，阿铃。”玄之介笑道，“你说得没错，从这条线去想，还有一个线索。” 阿铃聚精会神地思考，脑中浮现两场宴席的参加者，扳着手指计算。玄之介则默默注视着阿铃。 “嗯……”阿铃慎重地开口，“驱灵比赛时有年轻女孩在场，有白子屋的阿静小姐，筒屋那时都是大姨大妈。” 玄之介手掌用力拍了一下膝盖，大声地说：“没错，没错。” “啊？是这样吗？阿静小姐在场就是答案吗？” “嗯，我想是这样。” “那……表示蓬发看到年轻女孩会伤心？” “好像是这样，这可能是原因之一。不，确实是原因之一吧。”玄之介说完又揣着双手，学刚才阿铃那样“嗯”了一声。 “阿铃，白子屋阿静的事也很奇怪吧？” 玄之介是说，驱灵比赛前自称“阿静”来到船屋的那个女孩，和当天来的阿静本人不是同一人。 “七兵卫老爹不是说白子屋在外面还有个私生女，他认为先来的女孩很可能是那个私生女吗？我也觉得可能性很大。如果真是她，就多符合一个条件。” “符合条件？” “这里头不是也有兄弟姐妹的纠葛吗？”玄之介表情爽朗地说完，又连忙补充，“所谓纠葛，是说本来应该好好相处，却因为某种原因而无法好好相处，把事情弄得很复杂的意思，你懂吗？” 阿铃双手贴在脸颊，低下头。 “蓬发不是跟阿铃说过，他杀了自己的亲兄弟吗？虽然这件事是真是假还不能确定，但是手足争执加上对年轻女孩的心结……他无法升天的理由很可能就在这里。” “嗯，”阿铃不禁伤心起来，一阵鼻酸，“其实阿蜜也说过，蓬发徘徊人世的原因跟年轻女孩有关。” “搞了半天，”玄之介夸张地垂下肩膀说，“原来我不是第一个发现的？阿蜜那家伙完全没向我提过。原来女人的秘密只会跟女人讲？” “阿玄，你也真是个傻瓜。” 突然响起一阵娇艳笑声，阿蜜出现在两人面前。她斜倚在最底下一阶楼梯，扭着纤细的脖颈仰望两人