Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

The wind with Ami's fragrance gently brushed her cheeks, and Ah Ling could feel the warmth of that wind. But that's all, everything seemed to be still, Ah Ling felt that she was also still, and could only stare blankly at Pengfa. Gennosuke-sama—chopped off his hair?He just said that?Really?Other expressions flashed across Gennosuke's bewildered face like lightning.Because the speed was too fast, Ah Ling couldn't tell whether it was surprise or anger. "You, cut it off, me." Pengfa seemed ashamed, and continued with a slight smile on his face, "That is correct. Yes, correct."

He turned his head slowly, and approached Ayu lightly, looking down at her.The right hand is still holding the long knife, the tip of the knife is straight down, and the back of the knife is facing Ayu. "You go back." Ayu, who was as stunned as Aling, opened his mouth and made a sound like "ah?". "You, go back." Pengfa repeated, "This is not where you stay. You should, earlier, go to other places." "Where?" Ayu said vaguely and casually like talking in a dream.It was the first time Ah Ling heard A Yu speak like this. "To, your own place." Puffy said with a smile, showing dirty teeth between cracked thin lips, "You, like a ghost, stay, because of hatred, stay. You, go to other, places .Here, there is no, your share. A long time ago, there was no, your share.”

At this time Ah Ling finally understood the true meaning of Pengfa's clumsy words.The "here" that Peng Fa said did not refer to the houseboat.It's Shirakoya, the place where Ayu's father, Changbei, was abandoned.The place that made her suffer in the past.He meant it. "Now, if there is still time." Pengfa continued, "Your father and sister are not your things. Father and sister are not yours. They are outsiders. It is useless to fight. When you, want to When fighting, when fighting with others, what you want, what you want, those things, have disappeared. All, gone, all, gone. So, you should go to other places earlier. "

At this time, the voices of people in Baiziwu and Asadawu who were arguing for some reason came from downstairs.Maybe they were yelling loudly just now, but the people in the room had no time to pay attention to each other, and it was only heard now. "Enough! I will never step into this shop again!" "Mom, I'm afraid." "Speaking of which, it's you, the boss of Baiziwu, who proposed some boring exorcism competition..." "Hey, Boss Asada, why do you say that? Wasn't it you who suggested it first!" "What's the point of arguing about it? It's important to run for your life first. I can't stand it!"

"But the bosses..." "Leave them alone, it has nothing to do with us. Oh, what a disrespect, the girl who was arrested is the daughter of the owner of Shirakoya. But to us, she is just an outsider. Fortunately, Asadaya didn't lose his mind when he saw a woman A sex maniac who wants to get involved, and an unfilial daughter who conspires with a man to threaten her biological father." "What did you say? Say it again!" "Hey, didn't you hear what my husband just said? You can say it as many times as you want. A dirty daughter and a dirty father are a perfect match!"

"That kind of woman is not Bai Ziwu's daughter!" "Yeah, that kind of woman is not my sister!" The two families were busy entertaining each other, making a lot of noise, and there were occasional cries of A Jing or A Lu.I don't know if the gate has collapsed, and the noise is so lively. Ayu, who was kneeling with her eyes wide open, suddenly couldn't stop crying. No one made a sound, and no one moved.The hands and feet were stretched to the silver times attached to the lattice door, and the eyes rolled up at some point, and the lips twitched slightly, like the fins of a dying fish.In addition, the only thing that was still moving in the room was Ayu's teardrops that kept falling down.

Tick, tick. "I, I," words fell out of Ayu's mouth like tears, "I...why...why...obviously...never...missed Papa." "If that's the case," Gennosuke said slowly, "you were blinded by feelings that didn't come from your heart, and you became a murderer because of it. It's really unfortunate." Ayu whimpered. "I am a murderer..." "Yes. But you still have time to stop before becoming something more shameful than a murderer." Gennosuke smiled, gestured with his chin to Ginji stuck to the lattice window panel like a cross.

"Before becoming a ghost." Ginji suddenly yelled, revealing slender teeth from the gaping mouth, Ah Ling instantly saw them as fangs.Ginji's hair was disheveled, and the hanging hair swayed with the wind controlled by Ami.His white eyes rolled around, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.Ginji yelled, "How, how can we let her escape—" Ami screamed, as if being pushed away by an invisible hand.Ginji used his anger to overcome the restraint of the wind, stretched his arms and legs like a terrible big spider, and rushed towards him in the air. Gennosuke stretched out his hand to the saber on his waist. Before he could grasp the handle of the saber, Pengfa had already raised his right hand. The movement seemed random, but without hesitation, the blade went from bottom to top, as if to pick up fallen things Like drawing an arc, he slashed at Ginji, who was rushing towards the sky, from his flank to his shoulder.

Ginji let out a howl like a beast, his hair didn't stop, and the knife he picked up didn't hesitate. He swung his arm wildly, drew a circle in the air, and then swung from top to bottom, the trajectory drawn by the blade cut across Ginji. second neck. Ginji opened his arms and froze in the air.Ah Mi's wind had stopped, she brushed her long hair up, and quietly retreated behind Ah Ling to protect her.Gennosuke still rested his hand on the hilt of the knife, staring at Ginji intently.Peng played the tip of the knife to his feet, staring at his feet. Ginji's white eyes were like egg whites, twitching slightly, closing——

In an instant, Ginji's headless body slid to the ground weakly, like a wet bathrobe slipping off a bamboo pole. Only the head remained in midair. Then, the head widened its eyes. Ah Ling saw it.Those are not the eyes of human beings, but the eyes of the monster in the story. It looks like it has been sprinkled with gold powder, and the pupil is like a black needle.In the blink of an eye, Ginji's bun came loose, and his hair squirmed like countless snakes. He opened his mouth wide, revealing his teeth again, this time really fangs.From between the two rows of fangs, protruded a thick blood-red snake letter.

It's the tongue.That tongue seemed to have life, meandering and snaking, lifting the head of a snake in mid-air, looking around, and finally stopped in front of Ayu. As if bewildered by a nightmare, Ayu stared straight at Ginji's tongue. "This is the true face of the ghost." Gennosuke said, "It is the final fate of Ginji's soul. Ayu, you hated people, hated people, envied people, and were driven by these feelings to commit crimes again and again. If you Just die like this, and you will become like this, and you will be reduced to this miserable end. If you think it’s okay to become like this, I won’t stop you. You can do whatever you want. You can put your hands on that kid’s head and talk to him Make out cheek to cheek." The tip of Ginji's tongue danced up and down as if to flatter him, and he nodded at Ayu.This scene was so terrifying and weird that Ah Ling's hair stood on end and her legs went limp.It was the first time she encountered such a horrible thing in the houseboat. "What are you going to do? Ayu." Gennosuke asked firmly. Ah Ling.Someone called out to her in a low voice and held her hand tightly, Ah Ling came back to her senses.The unconscious Ah Gao put her head on Duo Hui's lap, and Duo Hui was looking at her. It turned out that she stretched out her hand to hold Ah Ling. Duo Hui was also very scared.Ah Ling didn't know how much Ah Mu saw, and how much of what Ah Ling saw.But A-Ling knew very well that Grandma was huddled in fear, but she did not admit defeat, she firmly wanted to drive away the fear. Ah Ling also shook Duo Hui's hand. "I……" Ayu said tremblingly.With tears on her cheeks, she raised her head resolutely and continued, "I... don't want to!" Fluffy, who had been standing still all this time, finally raised his head at this moment, and he quickly circled behind Ayu who was sitting slumped on the ground, and swung the blade to cut off the rope binding her hands.He squatted down, and put his hand on the back of Ayu's hand as if he wanted to hug Ayu from behind, letting Ayu hold the knife. The tip of the knife is aligned with the silver times. The blade of the knife reflected Ayu's face.Ayu looked at his own face reflected on the knife, looked into his eyes, finally raised his head, and shouted at the ghost's head: "I don't want to be a ghost! Who can bear it like this!" Before Ayu finished shouting, Ginji's head had already begun to swell, like a rice cake baked on an iron net, swelled and deformed, and bulged very much.The corners of his mouth are split, the corners of his eyes are drooping, and two horns protrude from the upside-down swirling hair.Yinhun opened his mouth wide to reveal his fangs, aimed at Ayu's neck and bit him. Ayu didn't flinch, nor did she close her eyes, she shrunk her shoulders, but her hand that clenched the long knife didn't waver.The shaggy-haired hand and Ayu's hand merged into one, and chopped off the head of the pounced ghost. The long knife swung into the air and flashed, and cut itself into two halves from the center of Yinzi's forehead that had turned into a demon! a whoop. There was no bleeding from the head, neither flesh nor bones.The knives swung by Pengfa and Ayu sliced ​​through Ginji's forehead as easily as cutting through clouds.At that moment, Yin Hun's head seemed to be turned into fly ash and a cloud of hot air when the water was splashed on the brazier, and there was no feeling when it was chopped off.However, in the next moment, he saw an expression on the head, which was full of anger, roar, and hatred. After that, the shape gradually disappeared, as if a face drawn with a wooden stick on the snow gradually melted under the sunlight, Ginji's grimace gradually disappeared, and it was not so much melted in the air as it was swallowed.Just like a drop of ink dripping into a large water tank, it loses its original shape instantly after being dissolved in the water, and even the smear disappears. Ah Ling stared, watching all this intently.Therefore, she could clearly see that during this process, Yin Hun's expression seemed to be crying, no, not just crying, he was crying and laughing at the same time.It was an expression of tears of joy, as if to say—ah, I was finally saved. That was the last shred of sanity left in Ginji's body before becoming a ghost. Ah Ling was convinced that she saw the real Ginji at the last moment. Ah Ling heard panting.It was Ayu, her body was still supported by her shaggy hair, holding a long knife in both hands, sweating profusely, and out of breath. "It's beautifully done." After Xuanzhisuke finished speaking, he finally let go of his hand resting on the handle of the knife. Pengfa left Ayu, the long knife was still in Ayu's hand.Ayu held the handle of the knife like a lifeline, but he didn't know what to do with the knife.She looked back at Shampoo. A gentle smile appeared on the face with shaggy hair and scars, as if looking at his young little sister. "same here." He calmly said to Ayu: "I was born in a family with a family background, but I am a concubine's child, and I am a burden." Pengfa slurred his lisp like the first time he talked to A-Ling. I don't know if it was because he talked too much, or when he talked about his own affairs and conveyed his feelings. Shaggy and emaciated like a sick person—A-Ling suddenly noticed this.Pengfa said that Gennosuke cut him and died; but, was he already sick because of drinking or illness before that? "I was born, and since then, I have no place to live. So, I am very envious, brother." "You have an older brother..." Ayu asked. "It's the same as you." Pengfa said with a smile, "It's not, it's my fault, but it's always a burden. I, hate, everyone, hate, dislike me, father. Hate my brother, own, all of me, no s things." Ayu also hated Shirakoya Changhei and his sister Ajing. "I fell in love with my brother's fiancée." Pengfa lowered his eyes in shame, "In order to humiliate him and embarrass him, I wanted to take away his fiancée. I did it... very bad, very bad thing." "What happened to that woman after that?" Ayu asked.Her face was almost close to that of the shaggy hair, and the long knife in her hand was facing the ceiling. "...dead." Peng Fa replied, "suicide, dead." Duo Hui let out a breath.Ah Ling looked at her mother, who seemed to be in tears.Grandmother, grandma, can you see the shaggy hair too?Can you see ghosts? "Brother, you know, I did it. Draw your knife to me. So, I chopped off my brother. After chopping, I ran away." Fluffy blinked slowly. "After that, always, fall. Always, down, down, down. For money, cut people. Cut down, many people. Also, drink. With the blood of the person who was hacked to death, serve the food and drink." Ami stroked her hair and stepped back, sitting in front of the window, she didn't look at Pengfa, not because of disdain, but because she couldn't bear to look at it out of pity. "And then, finally..." Fluffy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Meet, like me, a cruel, murderer. Meet that, a murderous monk." Pengfa raised his eyes, looked over Ayu's shoulder to Gennosuke, and Gennosuke also met his gaze. "I helped the monk, killed people. Killed, a lot of people. Because of blood, splashes, blind eyes, drinking, piercing in the stomach, wobbling when wielding a knife, brain, not normal, talking, not normal, I, Still, keep killing." Kill the monk.It was the abbot of Xingyuan Temple, and it was the incident thirty years ago. "Afterwards, you kill me." Pengfa said to Xuan Zhisuke, "Come and kill the monk, kill me. I, want to kill you. In the end, I am still, with the monk... planning to cut you." Gennosuke closed his eyes, frowned, his drooping chin almost reached his chest.He seemed to be trying desperately to remember the distant past that he couldn't touch. "You killed me. At that time, the temple was already on fire...but you, still, rushed into the fire. You, in order to find the monk, rushed into the fire. I, until I die, have been watching you." So, did Gennosuke die in the temple? "I, become a ghost." Pengfa looked at Ayu again, his gentle eyes were mixed with an extremely sad and help-seeking expression. "Until, finally, I, always, didn't know, myself, did something wrong, and died. So, became, a ghost." Fluffy shook his head slowly. "Now, I get it. Looking at you, I, get it," Pengfa put his hand on Ayu's hand again, and made the tip of the knife in her hand point at him.Then, in order for Ayu to swing the knife, he took a step back to increase the distance. "You won't be like me." Pengfa seemed to be encouraging Ayu, and said to her firmly, "You can save me. You, as long as you cut me, you won't become like me .” Ayu looked at Pengfa, then at the long knife of the towel, and then at Pengfa. Pengfa laughed, and even the disheveled hair seemed to laugh along with it, shaking. Ayu held the long knife again.Her eyes are shining, her neck is straight, but her whole body is limp as if being manipulated. "It's Xingyuan Temple." Pengfa said, and he said to Xuan Zhisuke, as if he was pleading, "You are all bound by that temple. Go find it. Go...to remember. Same as me. " Then he looked at Ah Ling and said happily, "I'm leaving." Ayu's hand moved, and the long knife swung down. The houseboat was as quiet as after a storm. The messy cups and plates are also like the scene after a storm.Broken containers and food tables, torn paper doors, spoiled food... and more serious than these are the "traumatized people". Surprisingly, after so many things, when everyone was still in a trance and unable to act, Duo Hui was the first to recover and take action.Encouraged by Duo Hui, Ah Ling and Ah Xian cheered up, and the three of them spread a quilt in the adjacent room together, so that the unconscious A Gao and the cold and limp Shimaji lay side by side. Ah Ling thought that Shimaji really died this time, but Ah first probed his bony wrist and neck, and found that there was still a pulse. "This man is still alive and will wake up soon." The men finally took action at this time, but they just didn't seem to know what to do, and stood by blankly.The head of Chentaro was like a puppy that just climbed out of the water, shaking his body, looking around the room, pulling up Ayu who looked exhausted and bent over and weeping softly. "Anyway, I'll take you back to the office first." When he went downstairs, he found Ateng fainted on the stairs, and he helped her up before leaving the houseboat.Ayu was crying all the time, her side face and her drooping shoulders had lost the provocative posture she had when she was looking for someone to quarrel with. Gennosuke and Ami also disappeared at some point.Ah Ling kept staring at Takadaya Shichibei who was looking around tremblingly, as if he was looking for something scary. He looked at Ah Ling slowly, as if visiting someone whose background was unknown, his expression became more and more gloomy.Although Ah Ling is used to being scolded by Grandpa Qibingwei and also likes to be teased by him, but this is the first time he has looked at him with deep suspicion like this. "Grandpa..." These words were not only addressed to Qibingwei, but also to everyone present, "I have something to tell you." So Ah Ling began to tell about the ghosts she met after she moved to the houseboat, Xingyuan Temple and the horrors that happened before the temple, telling everything in detail. "So to say……" Shichibei held his head in his hands.It was the first time Ah Ling saw grandpa like this. Everyone moved to the small room of Taiichiro and Duohui downstairs, Ateng sat alone by the paper door a little far away, and the others sat around Ah Ling.Duohui sat behind A-Ling, as if protecting the thin A-Ling. "It's true that ghosts have been living in the houseboat and caused a lot of trouble. Did Ah Ling know the inside story from the beginning?" Ah Ling nodded.Seeing Shichibei's dejected appearance, she felt very guilty and sad, and didn't know what to do. "But, Grandpa, didn't I say that? Master Gennosuke, Ami, and Monk Xiao didn't mean to embarrass us. Amei was just making faces at me. That child is an orphan, I think She must be lonely." Taiichiro suddenly repeated the word "orphan" in his murmur.Everyone looked at him at the same time when they heard this sentence. He touched his face in a panic, and added in a low voice: "I mean, there are orphans here too... ghosts? Ah Ling is very close to that child? " "It's not good. But I should take the initiative to make friends with her." That's right, I should have gotten close to Ah Mui earlier. "Anyway, none of these ghosts did anything bad. The accident during the first tube house banquet was also a spur of the moment..." "That shaggy-haired samurai just ascended to heaven, didn't he?" Ah Xian said calmly, her tone could even be called gentle, "That man is because of a fruitless love affair, jealousy of his brother, and remorse for killing countless people during his lifetime. , Condensed into a chaotic mass of emotions. As long as you feel the agitation of young girls nearby, or the feelings of disputes and hatred between siblings, you can’t help but come out to make trouble.” "In the end, he summoned Mr. Ginji, who hates Mr. Shimaji, and Ayu." Duohui continued, "However, because of this, Pengfa was able to ascend to heaven. Isn't that great?" Taiichiro bowed his head and said to himself: "Is this a good thing?" He drooped his shoulders weakly, and said, "This time the houseboat is really over." "Why is it over? Pengfa won't make trouble anymore." "Think about it, how will the people from Asada House and Shirako House publicize this matter? Bad rumors will..." Duohui leaned out, put one hand on the tatami, looked up at her husband and encouraged him, "Isn't it the same so far? We can make use of the bad news again." "And then attract customers who want to hold a spirit exorcism competition?" Taiichiro shook his head, "The kind of customers don't care about the quality of the dishes. You see, all the dishes I cooked today were in vain. I want to cook and want me His culinary skills are appreciated by the world. However, if ghosts are always used as a signboard, whether the dishes are good or not is simply second and second." "Yes, Boss Duohui." Ateng pouted beside the paper door, "You should also think about Boss Taiichiro." Probably because he passed out on the stairs for a while during the turmoil just now. Ateng's eyes were a little swollen and his face was pale. "But, big sister..." Duohui wanted to continue, but Ateng interrupted with an unhappy face. "Needless to say, proprietress. Regarding this matter, I don't agree with you. I support Boss Taiichiro. If you want to do business in the houseboat anyway, do it yourself, and I will go with the boss." Duo Hui opened his mouth wide in a daze, and Taiichiro also looked back at Ateng in surprise. "A Teng, don't get me wrong, I haven't decided to leave here yet." "However, how can we go on if we don't go? The houseboat is not a place for a cook, what is needed here is a mage or a monk." Aunt Ateng seemed to be in a hurry.She had never spoken so unceremoniously before, it was like a different person.No, is this the real Aunt Ateng?Ah Ling felt a chill down her spine. "Aunt A Teng, have you seen Ami just now?" Ah Ling couldn't help blurting out, "Have you seen Ami? Have you talked to her? That person is also a ghost." Ateng moved his hips back in a panic: "Aling, what are you talking about?" "Ami told you that she is the same as Auntie Ateng, right? Ami said that Auntie Ateng made the same mistake as her. She also said that it was not love at all, right? That's why Auntie Ateng saw Ami .” "Love..." Duohui murmured, with her fingers on her mouth, she looked at A Teng and then at her husband.Taiichiro stared at Ah Ling dumbfounded. Ateng's mouth opened and closed, and he hurriedly complained to Qibei and Taiichiro: "This is simply a slander! So many things have happened, is Ah Ling out of her mind? She said I saw ghosts, how is this possible?" "Do you dare to say it's impossible?" Ah Xian asked calmly with authority, "Do you think Ah Ling is just talking casually?" "But the boss lady..." "I believe in Ah Ling." Ah Xian said resolutely, and then looked around at everyone present, "I believe what Ah Ling said, ghosts just reflect the hearts of the viewers." Qibingwei suddenly murmured, "I didn't see anything." Everyone looked at Shichibei anxiously.He looked terribly confused, curled up with his hands on his lap. "husband……" "Just now, I only saw living people, and I didn't see any ghosts, let alone that shaggy-haired warrior." Qibingwei squinted his eyes and looked at Ah Xian suspiciously, and asked, "A Xian, did you really see the samurai with disheveled hair?" "Yes, I saw it." Ah Xian gently put her hand on her husband's lap, "I did see a ghost like that. But, you heard what Ah Ling said, I can see ghosts because I have the same dark knot in my heart as that poor shaggy warrior. The warrior became a ghost and couldn't ascend to heaven. Fortunately, I am still alive so I don't become a ghost, but I know very well that my heart Have bad intentions." "Ayou can also see shaggy hair." A-Ling said, "Because she also has the same knot in her heart. This kind of person can see ghosts." Ah Xian lowered his voice as if speaking to a child, and said to Qibingwei: "Your life has gone through hardships since you were a child. Of course it is not an easy road to get to where you are today. But on the road of life, you have never I have never complained about anyone and never framed others, let alone betrayed the people who took care of you. You have always lived upright and frankly, almost clumsily. People like you, of course, cannot see ghosts. " "So of course I can't see ghosts!" Ateng suddenly shouted, "I haven't done anything bad! I'm just like the big boss, working hard with all my heart, and doing my best for Boss Taiichiro." In Ah Ling's ear came her mother's slightly trembling voice: "I'm sorry, big sister. I haven't noticed your intentions—" Duohui lowered her head after saying this.Atten hugged his head and burst into tears. "Don't be like this in front of the child... in front of Ah Ling, it's too ugly." Taichiro said in a low voice.Ateng suddenly raised his face, and said sharply, "Too ugly? Boss Taiichiro, do you think I'm too ugly?" Taiichiro turned his face away, not looking at Atten whose face was stained by tears. "I...but I..." "A Teng, don't talk about it." Ah Xian also stopped her, "I'll talk about that matter later." Ateng's expression became grim.Perhaps the pillar that had been supporting Ateng suddenly broke, and she didn't even care about her posture, and she collapsed. "What is in front of the child!" Ateng said through gritted teeth, "It's not your own child, you just raised the picked child!" Taichiro roared, "Shut up!" Ateng shrank into a ball in fright, and in an instant, she stared at Taiichiro and Duohui with hatred eyes that wished to kill them, and turned to leave the room. It's not her own child - these words buzzed in A Ling's mind.But, strangely, Ah Ling didn't feel flustered.Sure enough, it turned out to be like this, so it turned out that I was a picked child. "No wonder I can see Amei." After actually making a sound and saying it, A-Ling felt her eyesight widen. No one said "no".The color of the parents' faces lost their color. Don't worry, I won't cry——A Ling was about to say that when Duo Hui fell silently aside. Ah first comforted the two panicked men, and then let Duohui lie down on the quilt, and then said to Ah Ling: "Your mother is fine. Ah Ling, can you help your aunt with something? The upstairs room can't be cleaned." , Ako and Shimaji don’t know what’s going on.” Of course, the aunt's "request" was not limited to this, she wanted to have a private conversation with Ah Ling.Ah Ling immediately agreed.Ah Xian dismissed Shichibei and Taiichiro who looked worried, and went up the stairs with Ah Ling holding hands. Ah Xian gave the order neatly, Ah Ling followed the instructions, and the tatami room was quickly cleaned. "The paper door and lattice paper window have to be replaced... the tatami mat has to be turned over..." Ah Xian tied up his sleeves with a drawstring, covered his head with a turban, tilted his head slightly, and said, "It will cost about two or two dollars. .Not bad loss. Get a new scroll and vase, too. I know a thrift store well, and they have good stuff." Ah Ling gently opened the paper door of the cubicle to check out the neighboring room.Shimaji still maintained the posture when he was lying down. Ako might have heard the sound, groaned, and moved his head on the pillow. "Is she waking up soon?" Ah Xian asked in a low voice, "It's better to wake up Gao first. If she wakes up and opens her eyes and finds Mr. Shimaji lying on the side, she might really go crazy." yes.A Ling quickly approached A Gao's pillow and shook her awake.A Gao frowned and woke up, his eyes widened suddenly, and he jumped up in fright. "I, I... What about Shima, Shimaji? What about others?" The two comforted A Gao and asked her to look at Shimaji lying aside.A Gao shrunk into a ball, and A Xian pressed her shoulders hard, looked her in the eyes and said, "Madam Boss, now is the critical moment in your life, listen to me carefully. The ex-husband who caused you so much pain, Ginji's resentment The spirit is gone. He ascended to heaven and disappeared, so here is Shimaji-san." Even so, A Gao still wanted to escape. "Ah, it's really worthless. That's why you killed your husband with your own hands. If you are a mature woman, take a good look at what you have done, and use your brain to think about what to do to atone for it. There is no need for such a thing I'll teach you, you should have understood." "But, I did something irreparable." Gao cried again. "The 'irreparable' thing refers to killing your husband, or confessing that you killed your husband in front of Chief Tatsutaro?" Ah first deliberately made things difficult for her, Ah Ling understood this, so she didn't say much, and silently handed the towel to Gao to wipe her tears. "Don't worry, Chen Taro won't arrest you." Ah Xian said, "What happened in this room today is not something that would happen in this world. At that time, no matter what you say when you are in a daze, No one will take it seriously. What's more, how can a brainless person like Chief Tatsutaro arrest you based on those words alone." Axian smiled and said: "You have suffered for so many years. Although this is not enough to atone for your sins, Mr. Yinji has also ascended to heaven. You can tell the truth honestly, and he is finally free. In the future, you have to seriously consider About the forest house and the children." A Gao looked at the sleeping Shimaji uneasily, and asked, "But, what about this person?" "Although Mr. Ginji has occupied his body, he doesn't seem to be dead. Although it is very weak, he still has a pulse." A Gao took a deep breath and folded his hands. "What are you going to do?" Ah Xian asked, "Escape to a distant place before Mr. Shimaji wakes up, and never see him again? Escape with the child, or do you escape alone?" Ah Ling moved her knees silently, and reached out to touch Shimaji's cheek.Ah, it's warm. "It's better to tell Mr. Shimaji everything, and discuss with him what to do in the future, and what to do to get his forgiveness. After that, we will look at Mr. Shimaji's decision and decide on the next step for Hayashi House and the children." Ah Gao suddenly remembered something and shed a tear. In Ah Ling's view, the color of that tear was different from what she had seen so far. "I think... He probably won't forgive me... But, I don't want to escape anymore." "Yes." Ah Xian nodded vigorously, "Boss A Gao, have you been living in fear? Compared with that kind of hard life, what is there to be afraid of in the future? No matter how hard life is, it may not be half of what it used to be. Bar." One drop, another drop.A Gao burst into tears. "Go and wake up Mr. Shimaji." Ah finished speaking first, and then said to Ah Ling: "A Ling, leave Mrs. Shimaji's matter to Mrs. Lin's house, we still have important matters to discuss." Ah Ling and Ah Xian walked along the river. As soon as Ah Xian walked out of the boat house, he stopped and looked at the vast open space across the road that used to be Xingyuan Temple with deep emotion, then turned around and extended his hand to Ah Ling, and the two walked out holding hands. The water surface of the river silently reflected the blue sky, and the fragrance of flowers wafted from nowhere.On the right is the boat house, and on the left is Nagasaka-sama's mansion.Coming here, A-Ling told about seeing A-Mei here on the day of the Tsutsuya Banquet. "She was right next to us who were throwing stones." "Really? She probably wants to play with you very much." Ah Xian said. Thinking about it carefully, among the ghosts of the boat house, only Ah Mui has ever left the house to go outside, once by the river, and the other time in the eccentric courtyard. "The one called Wei Sheng Sheng, the nickname is really ugly. Is that kid really awkward?" "Very eccentric, very eccentric." Hearing what Ah Ling said, Ah Xian laughed out loud.Master Nagasaka's mansion seems to be responding to the laughter passing along the water, and the barking of dogs can be heard.It's Xiaobai. "Auntie Dazayuan said that he is an orphan, and that's why he has such a weird personality." "This statement is wrong." Ah Xian suppressed his smile and resolutely denied it.She turned to Ah Ling, squatted down and looked directly into Ah Ling's eyes.Ah Xian's scent was stronger and warmer than the scent of flowers, surrounding Ah Ling. "You are a clever boy, and you must have been troubled by this matter. You must forgive us." The moment Ah Xian apologized to herself, Ah Ling understood everything.The possibility that I have denied several times——Abba’s cold sweat just now——Aunt who looked away—— After understanding, Ah Ling instantly felt relieved, and it turned out that "sudden enlightenment" was just like this.However, after that moment passed, her chest suddenly thumped, and she was almost out of breath. "Mother Ah Xian." Ah Ling felt that her voice sounded far away, "So, am I really an orphan? Did my father and mother adopt me and raise me up?" Ah Xian put his arms around Ah Ling's shoulders, looked directly into Ah Ling's eyes, and said: "Your father and mother are not your biological parents. But, Ah Ling, you are not an orphan. For Taiichiro and Duohui , you are a child bestowed by God." Ah Ling didn't want to cry, but the tears kept pouring out, and her eyes were blurred. "I'm really an orphan." As soon as he finished speaking, tears fell down. "No, no, you are a child bestowed by God." Ah Xian emphasized again, "You may think that aunt is coaxing you after hearing it. However, aunt is definitely not trying to fool you with superficial words. Ah Ling, just listen to me carefully , I will definitely understand why aunt said that." It was a long time ago—Ah started first—but it seems like it happened yesterday, and I remember it well. "You probably also know that Taiichiro and Tae Hui had two children who died in infancy before. After that, Taiichiro gave up on himself and lived a ridiculous life for a while. Grandpa Shichibei was so angry that he planned to drive him out of Takadaya. "At that time, Taiichiro and Duohui didn't get along very well. Of course, the reason was not only the loss of two children in a row, but also other reasons. If this continues, the two will separate sooner or later. The aunt is mentally prepared. So when Duohui Kei was pregnant with her third child again. When Taiichiro found out, it was as if a bucket of water had been poured over his head. He cheered up, and the aunt was so happy that she almost danced. The aunt thought, ah, that's great, so that The two should be fine. "Since the death of the last child, Duohui has lost her energy and has been sick all day long. Therefore, she must pay special attention to her body during this pregnancy. Ordinary pregnant women have to continue to work until one month before delivery, no matter how big their belly is. It was the same with Duohui’s first two births. But this time it was different. Duohui hid in Oshigami’s dormitory until the delivery and did some tailoring and lived a peaceful life. Because Takadaya’s work was very busy, Taiichiro lived between Takadaya and the dormitory. Running, keeping an eye on Duo Hui's body, counting the day of the child's birth with his fingers. "But, things are so unsatisfactory. Duohui gave birth 20 days earlier than the midwife expected. As a result, the child... died after birth. It was a girl. “多惠生产时我也在，知道婴儿没了气息，我一心想着这下完了，多惠八成也活不下去了，吓得简直掉了魂。我冲进寝室，多惠的眼睛像两个黑洞，呆呆地望着天花板，不管我说什么她都不应。我不停地唤她，她才流下眼泪，那晚她就这样一直无声无息哭着，后来哑着嗓子说，太一郎一定不会原谅我的。 “不知是幸或不幸，因为多惠突然阵痛，所以还没来得及向高田屋报告这件事。宿舍里只有我、多惠和阿藤。于是我跟多惠说，太一郎还不知情，就算知道了，太一郎也不会像你想的那样，说什么不原谅你，绝对不会。我跟她说，太一郎可能会哭会感叹会悲伤，但是绝不会生气。我现在最担心的，是比任何人都痛心的你，在你冷静下来之前，我不会遣人到高田屋通知这件事，过一阵子再说。五天、十天都好，直到你恢复精神，觉得可以跟太一郎见面之前，我不会对任何人说这件事，也不会让任何人到这儿来，你尽管放心。 “至于这么做是好是坏，我一直觉得自己没做错，多亏了当时那么处置，才得到了你这个宝贝。 “事情发生在多惠分娩后第三天的夜里。那时，死婴承蒙地主好意帮忙，厚葬在附近寺院的童子冢。尽管我还是一想到死去的婴儿就掉眼泪，总算稍微松一口气，结果陪在多惠枕边照料她时，不小心打起盹儿来。 “那时已经是半夜，正值九月寒气增强的时节，四周一片虫鸣。我醒过来时，发现多惠的被褥是空的。那时我简直快发疯了，心想得去找多惠才行，撑着榻榻米好不容易才站起来，心里一直在想，多惠一定不想活了，不是跳河就是上吊，反正一定是想寻死。膝盖哆嗦得不听使唤。 “结果后门却传来多惠的呼唤。她叫着，老板娘，老板娘。 “我几乎是爬着来到后门，看到穿着睡衣的多惠手里抱着一个裹着襁褓的婴儿。她紧紧抱着婴儿，可是没有力气起身，就坐在泥地上。 “我问她怎么了？还以为自己在做梦，或是多惠在我打盹那时死了，变成幽灵坐在那儿。她那时瘦得可怜，一脸苍白，气息奄奄，实在不像活人。 “不过多惠没有变成幽灵，她好好活着。活着，而且在笑。 “老板娘，真不可思议。我听到婴儿的哭声，以为是死去的婴儿在叫我，半梦半醒地来到这里，这孩子竟然就在门外，她被搁在外面。你看，睡脸好可爱，是女孩子，老板娘。” 多惠说完，让我看了那婴儿。我接过襁褓，感觉到刚出生的婴儿体温，闻到婴儿的奶香，也一屁股坐在泥地上。“阿铃，那婴儿就是你。” “那晚铃虫在叫，像是有成千上万的摇铃在摇，声音清脆，从脚底涌上来包围我们。 “是的。想必是你的亲生母亲生下你后，认为没办法养活你，才决定送给别人。但是她没有把你丢在路边或桥下，也没有把你丢在寺院前，而是把你留在高田屋宿舍的后门外。她把你裹得紧紧的，让你不觉得冷，你那时睡得很香甜。我想，你的亲生母亲可能是希望高田屋收养你，才把你托付给我们。多惠也这么想。 “通常捡到孩子时必须到办事处报案，但是多惠不愿意这么做，因为那样很可能会失去你。也许办事处会送给别人，上头会怎么做谁也不知道。所以多惠不愿意报案。 “老板娘，她是我的孩子，是神送给我来代替死去的孩子。这孩子是我生的，是不是？多惠哀求地对我这么说，我实在不忍心拒绝。那时我也担心，要是硬去报案，多惠不知道会变成什么样。不过不只是这样，其实我也一样，为你凑巧来到高田屋，来到多惠身边这不可思议的奇迹而深受感动。 “好，这孩子就当做是你生的。万一上头发现这件事要惩罚，我一个人承担。等到回过神来时，我已经这样答应了多惠。 “第二天我遣人去通知太一郎。多惠起初打算瞒着太一郎，跟他说孩子平安生下来了。但是我反对。我认为还是坦白对太一郎说比较好，夫妻之间不能有事隐瞒。再说，就算死去的婴儿已经在童子冢安息，已经升天了，也许很快就会转世投胎，但她或许也想见阿爸一面吧。太一郎也会想去墓前合掌祝祷吧。我对多惠说，隐瞒不好。多惠也觉得有道理，于是我们全跟太一郎说了。 “太一郎和多惠一样，觉得和你之间的缘分很不可思议，很感谢上苍。他说，这孩子是我们的孩子，哭着摩挲着你的脸，当场给你取名叫铃。说你是在铃虫鸣声守护下出生的，这名字不是正好？ “我们三人商量过后，决定瞒着七兵卫爷爷，告诉他婴儿平安生下来了。阿铃，我想你也清楚，爷爷很顽固……做事中规中矩，当然，他绝对不会反对收养你。可是他经营高田屋这么大的铺子，在町内也颇有声望……站在他的立场，也许会说，违反上头规定，把捡来的孩子当成自家孩子毕竟不好，不，他一定会这么说。因为有这层顾虑，我们决定瞒着爷爷。 “另外，那时阿藤也在场，她知道来龙去脉，而且她也赞成我们的做法。所以这件事可说是我、多惠、太一郎和阿藤四人之间的秘密，我们一直隐瞒到现在。 “好了，阿铃，我说完了，没隐瞒任何事。并不是秘密被揭穿了，我才说出来，我本来就打算等你长大以后，告诉你这件事。我虽然没对太一郎和多惠说，但我一直都这么打算。 “你没看过亲生父母，就这点来说，也许你的确是孤儿，所以你才看得到那个叫阿梅的幽灵，跟乖僻胜看得到阿梅是一样的道理。阿梅会接近你，或许也是因为这点。再怎么说，留在活人内心的疑问、心结和悲哀，正是跟幽灵相通的关键，这道理，我今天比看戏更近距离地看得清清楚楚。 “不过，阿铃，你绝对不孤单。对太一郎和多惠来说，你是他们无可替代的心爱女儿。对七兵卫爷爷和我来说，也是这世上唯一的孙女。事到如今才对他坦白这件事，七兵卫爷爷也许会生气。不过，他是气我们瞒了他这么久，不是气你。毕竟爷爷有多疼你，多么满心希望你能幸福，没人会比我这个大妈更清楚。我可以向你保证。 “如果你想见你的亲生父母，我们会设法帮你找。如果你想跟真正的父母一起住，我们也会认为那是当然的。虽然伤心，但是我们不能拦阻你的心。不过，阿铃，要是你固执地认为自己是个孤儿，这对太一郎和多惠来说，再也没有比这件事更残酷的惩罚了。对我来说，也是无可挽救的悔恨。他们从来没当你是孤儿，一刻都没有。他们认为，就算你不是他们亲生的，却是上天赐予的心爱孩儿。这是个摆在眼前的事实，用不着时时停下脚步、闭上嘴巴、在心里一一确认的。 “太一郎和多惠，是你的阿爸和阿母啊！” 在阿先的这一席话之间，阿铃不知何时停下了眼泪，脸颊什么时候干了。只是，待她察觉到时，眼前那片朦胧已经消失，在一阵轻风中，她再次清楚看见了彼方的船屋。 “阿先大妈。”阿铃清楚地说，她心里很高兴，“我懂了，我真的明白了。” 阿铃微笑着。结果，这次换阿先哭了，用袖子遮着脸。 又传来小白的叫声，这次的吠声很接近，汪汪叫着好像在呼唤阿铃跟阿先似的。阿铃回头望向长坂大人宅邸的方向。 随意穿着便衣的长坂主水助正站在被风雨打坏的板墙外，一手握着小白的牵绳，另一只手罩在眉眼上。远远望去，他好像很吃惊的模样。 他正在看向船屋，睁着那双酷似鮟鱇鱼、眼距稍远的眼睛，入迷地看着什么。 “哎，”阿先从怀里掏出手纸擦眼泪，小声地问，“那是邻家的……” “嗯，是长坂大人。” 阿先自言自语说：“可不能失礼。”急忙擦了擦脸，整了整下摆。可是长坂主水助依旧纹风不动。小白在叫。明明要去散步，主人却一直不往前走，小白等得不耐烦地汪汪叫着。 主水助张大着嘴巴。 小白蹦蹦跳跳，把牵绳自主水助的手中扯离，兴奋地跑向阿铃。它是一只不认生的狗。阿铃也跑向小白和主水助。 “长坂大人！” 阿铃大声呼唤。对方这时才回过神来，放下举起的手，全身震了一下。 “哦，阿铃，”他直眨着眼，“这真是……又碰面了，你在做什么？” “长坂大人出来散步吗？” 阿铃安抚着在脚边撒欢的小白，走到主水助身旁。主水助又张大了嘴，像在脑中搜索话语嘴巴一开一合地，说道：“我看到不可思议的景象。” "what?" “船屋……在你家二楼的窗口那边，”他瘦削的手指指着窗口说，“站着一个我认识的人。那人正望向这里，我看得很清楚，吓了一大跳。” 他擦着脸，抹去汗珠。 “他正是我三十年前过世的叔父大人啊！就跟他过世那时完全一个模样。” 啊呀，是玄之介大人。阿铃也远远望着船屋的窗口。 “好怀念啊，他的长相就跟从前一模一样，跟我小时候看到的一样……” 主水助喃喃自语，似乎忘了身边的阿铃和阿先，沉浸在自己的回忆中。 “长坂大人，您一定很喜欢您的叔父大人吧？”阿铃小声问道。 “嗯？”长坂大人眨着眼，又用手背擦拭额上的汗。酷似鮟鱇鱼的脸略带羞怯。 “我上次跟你提过我叔父大人的事了啊。” "Yes, I heard." 这时阿先用眼神暗示阿铃，她便向长坂大人介绍了阿先。两人忽然一本正经地打起招呼来，阿铃觉得很好玩，心情轻松起来。 “长坂大人的叔父叫玄之介大人吧。虽然个性放荡，剑术却很厉害，也教过长坂大人对吧？” 主水助大吃一惊地说：“是的，可是，我对阿铃说过这件事吗？” 阿铃笑着望向阿先，阿先也微微笑着。主水助一脸困惑，像要找借口似的又说：“我上次也说了，叔父大人当年被牵扯进怪事而丧命。对长坂家而言，他是个麻烦人物，因此从来没人对年幼的我说明叔父大人临终前的事，我一直惦记着这件事。现在脑海里还是时常浮现叔父大人那晚干劲十足的表情，还曾梦到过叔父大人。” 叔父大人那晚到底做了什么事？又是怀着什么样的心情离开人世的？主水助透过内心的执念和对叔父的思念，才看得见玄之介。 阿铃内心满溢着光亮。以这种方式看到鬼魂还不坏嘛，一点也不坏。 “我也很喜欢长坂大人的叔父大人哟。”阿铃情不自禁大声说道。 "what?" 现在可以告诉他事实了吧。他一定会相信的。阿铃卸下了心防。 “长坂大人的叔父大人，现在就在船屋哟。” 长坂主水助那双眼距稍远的眼睛，各自朝不同方向转动着。 “什么、什么？阿铃到底在说什么？” 迎着吹过河道的风，阿铃对主水助述说玄之介的事，告诉他船屋众幽灵的事。听着阿铃的话，长坂主水助那对转动的眼睛也逐渐稳定下来，回归原位。 “原来有……这种事？” 他歪着下巴感慨地说。再度仰望船屋的窗口。 “可是，这么一来，只要问叔父大人……啊，不行，既然连叔父大人自己都忘了三十年前那晚的事……到底该问谁呢？有谁能知道兴愿寺事件的来龙去脉呢？” 听他这么一说，阿铃想起了一件事。对了，还有孙兵卫大杂院的房东啊，这回更应该去见他了。 “既然如此，我也一起去。事不宜迟。明天我们就去怎么样？” 听到主水助的提议，阿铃和阿先紧握着彼此的手，点了点头。