Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Limnologists

The young man put all kinds of water bottles into the rucksack standing next to the tree roots, and there seemed to be many tools in it. "These are all tools for detecting lake water." The young man fastened the pockets of his rucksack and lifted it as if he estimated its weight. "I've been here two days. Today's work is done." He seems to have found his own talking partner, and he talks endlessly.Of course, it doesn't have to be Nobuko, the way he speaks is unselective.In other words, as long as someone listens, it doesn't matter who is caught, male, female, old or young.Doing such monotonous homework alone in such a desolate place, it is natural to treat others with enthusiasm.If the other party pays attention to their own professional research, it will be even more exciting.

"Even for such a small pond, it would take a week to get an accurate test. I was traveling along the way this time, so I only made a simple test." After putting away the equipment, the young man took out his cigarette with confidence. "Sit down for a while!" There was nowhere to sit.The young man sat on the root of the tree by himself, and Nobuko had no place to sit down.In the lush grass, there is a smoky air. "I rarely hear about limnology. What is this research for?" Xinzi was attracted by the young man's enthusiasm and concentration. "That's a lot!" he said excitedly. "The purpose is different, and the projects are also different. In other words, for the same limnology, some people investigate it for development, while others investigate its production process and water quality components from a purely academic point of view. I am the latter, and this subject The learning is quite interesting."

"Sampling plankton too?" "Of course. Not only the plankton, but also the organisms growing on the bottom of the lake and the water circulation. In addition, the geology of the bottom of the lake is also the research object, and the age and process of the formation of the lake can be ascertained." "Have you visited many lakes?" "Almost all over the country." The young man said happily. "As long as I have a little free time, I will go to various places to sample. This lake is very small, so I don't need to row a boat. If it is a bigger lake, I have to rent a boat! In winter, I have to dig holes in the frozen lake. Fetch water."

"Is it fun to do this kind of work?" "Yes, there are happy times and hard times. From the perspective of others, it is hard to understand what fun this kind of research can have. However, this kind of work does not deal with people, so the spirit is very relaxed. But, also in danger." "..." "For example, when you go to a lake as big as Lake Biwa, it's very serious to encounter a storm. I almost died five or six times." "oops!" "Speaking of being killed, my teacher died in this job. In early spring, he walked on the frozen Suwa Lake. I also walked on Suwa Lake with my teacher a few times. Stepping on thin ice is a veritable adventure. The teacher was not afraid at all, and walked slowly towards the center of the lake... It was the season when the ice melted, and the teacher finally sank into the lake when the lake ice broke."

"..." "What a good teacher. When I rowed alone to the middle of the lake to work, I could always hear the teacher asking me at the bottom of the lake, hello, are you all right? Is it going well?" White clouds floated in and covered the sun, and the water, which had been shining silver just now, turned leaden gray again. "What do you think of the lake?" the young man asked suddenly. Unexpected questions, difficult to answer immediately.Young academics seem to only care about their work. "For me, when it comes to lakes, there is a romantic feeling."

"Yes." The young man nodded. "It was the same with me at the beginning. In fact, I was engaged in this simple academic research, and my interest came from romantic feelings as you said... There is a poem by the British poet Wordsworth, which sings about mountains and lakes. I especially I like it. I still remember it clearly." The young man recited the original poem.He seems to have recited it hundreds or thousands of times, and the recitation is very natural and smooth.Moreover, there is nothing pretentious about the expression. "But!" said the young man. "When it comes to real academics, it's not a romantic thing, it's too unpleasant. However, maybe because other scholars don't get involved too much, so as long as you feel happy in it, it's enough. It looks plain on the surface like this. A lot of data can be learned from the investigation of the ordinary pond. From its formation to the present life. In fact, the lake is living just like people!" He looked at the slowly calming water surface.

"The surface looks calm, but the water is constantly moving. The heated water layer is constantly exchanging with the cold water at the bottom, releasing carbon gas and inhaling oxygen... just like human blood circulation. It is really fun to study!" The clouds part and the sun shines.The position of the sun is far to the west. "Okay, I'll take my leave." He picked up his rucksack and carried it behind his back. "I made you laugh by nagging on my own." The young man thought Xinzi was going to stay, so he walked away on his own. "Wait!" Xinzi was a little scared. "I'm going back too."

"Really? Then let's go together!" "Where are you going?" "Changgang." "Oh, me too." "Oh? Then you are staying in a hotel in Changgang, right? I thought your home was nearby!" "My home is in Changgang." "That's right on the same road!" The young man walked back together with Nobuko, the utensils in the rucksack rattling against each other. "No matter where I go, I have to carry these cumbersome things on my back, so I can't be idle. Now that the school is on summer vacation, I come to the hot spring. I have developed a habit and don't want to go out empty-handed, so I brought these seven big things with me. pieces."

"Which hotel are you staying at?" "House N." It was an ordinary small hotel on the edge of the town, far away from Nobuko's house.The two walked along the foot of the mountain on the trail leading to the main road.The smell of summer grass is blowing, the setting sun is about to set, and the heat that bakes the ground is transpiring.Walking down the hill, Nobuko called the car waiting behind the village. "You brought the car!" The young man said after seeing it. "This frees me, and I'm ready to go back!" "Please get in the car!"

"Thank you. It will save trouble now." The young man took off the rucksack on his shoulders, carefully carried it in his arms and got on the car.The car drove towards Changgang. "It's hard work for you to inspect such a small pond!" Nobuko said in the car.She thought that even the most insignificant puddles were objects of study for scholars. "No, I went there only after I heard about the lake by accident in the hotel. Yes, no matter where you go, you can't leave the swamp and the lake in your mind." "How much have you investigated?" "Are you talking about the quantity? As a formal research object, nearly 500 people have obtained the data."

"so many?" "In fact, there are more than that! If you look carefully, there are nearly 800. I first started from Lake Kizaki and Lake Aoki in Nagano. I inspected Lake Biwa, both when I was a resident and when I ran back and forth from Tokyo. Time. Hokkaido and the Tohoku region in the north, and the capes of Kyushu in the south. There are also various causes of lakes and swamps, which are divided into more than 30 types. The current research project is the Fuji Five Lakes in Yamanashi Prefecture..." "It's really interesting to hear you say that." "It's just that ordinary people haven't noticed it... Oh, there are not many people who say what I say is interesting. Most of them find it boring when I'm talking. Thank you for your compliment." Youth meets young The beautiful audience, with shining eyes, can't stop talking.Compared with the content of the conversation, Nobuko is more attracted by the young people who are passionate about their work.I'm so envious!It turns out that life can also be like this!A person with a clear goal has beautiful eyes!Looking at the young man's square face, which is not handsome in the ordinary sense, Nobuko smiled sweetly. The car drove into Changgang. Nobuko returns home in Tokyo.Of course, the husband is not there. Although it hasn't been long since I left, the family seems so strange.There is already a distance between the heart and home, and the wardrobe, furniture, dining table, desk, and books that are used to seeing are all alienated from her. She had no intention of going to see her husband's room, although it was already evening when she got home, but her husband would definitely be late.He didn't know she was back, so he might not be home at all tonight.If it was normal, she would ask the babysitter, "Does the husband come back very late every day?"But not that interested now. There is only one thing I want to ask, which is about borrowing money from my father. This is an unimaginable behavior under the current situation. Hongzhi still has a secret that Nobuko has not yet discovered in his heart.Of course, generally speaking, a man's career will not be confessed to his wife.However, what Hongzhi is always covering up does not seem to be the case, and it is very likely to be related to this loan.Xinzi was worried about this, and checked the letters sent after leaving home, none of which could attract her attention. "Ma'am, someone called." The little nanny poked her head in and said. "Where did you call from?" "It's called Asano." Nobuko's face darkened. "The day before yesterday and yesterday, each played twice." "..." "He just asked if Madam hasn't come back yet? Then he said, when Madam comes back, he must contact him." Nobuko wanted to completely forget Associate Professor Asano, but considering his state of mind, he felt bound by invisible ties.She thought of the young limnologist she had met before. He was also a scholar, but he was quite different from Tadao Asano.Of course, it's not about who is good and who is bad, but in Nobuko's tired heart now, the young man's dark and healthy square face has a pleasant heartiness. The husband came back around eleven o'clock in the evening, and there was a distinctive roar of cars in front of the door.Xinzi went to the hall to meet her. This is the duty of a wife.In fact, only this habit can be fulfilled by her as an obligation. "What?" the husband looked at Xinzi and said. "You're back?" The babysitter had already gone to bed, and it was just the two of them. "Please forgive my wayward." The husband took off his shoes silently, reeking of alcohol, and then rushed back to his room alone.This is not uncommon. After making tea, Nobuko knocked on her husband's door. "Come in!" said the husband. Nobuko put the tea in front of him, and uncharacteristically sat on the opposite chair. "Where have you been?" The husband didn't even look at the teacup. "It's all in the letter." "O Nagano! . . . If you're unhappy, you can always do it." "..." "That's a lot better than carping." "I'm really sorry." Nobuko nodded in apology. "I don't know what offended you." "It's my own willfulness." "I know this, it didn't start now." "..." "Thanks to your trip, I have a few days of relaxation." "I have something to ask you." "what's up?" "I went to Changgang." "Well, it's from Nagano!" "...I heard at home that you have been there." "...I went for a trip." The husband replied helplessly. "I roughly asked about the purpose of your visit." "Did the old man say that?" "My mother told me, but my father didn't go into details." "I'm going to borrow money." The husband suddenly became confident. "I don't have enough money to start a business, so I have to go this way." "How much do you want to borrow?" "Didn't mother tell me?" "She still has concerns about you." "Is that so?" The husband picked up the teacup as if he had just discovered it.However, this is not to drink tea, but to ease the atmosphere of the scene. Nobuko watched her husband drink tea. It had been many years since the husband and wife faced each other like this.The two seldom talked calmly, and when the husband returned home, he hardly spoke to his wife, and went straight into his room.The two of them had never eaten together in the morning, so he casually asked Xinzi to bring over slices of toast, and ate while reading the newspaper by himself.Immediately after eating, I was ready to go out, and then drove the car out of the garage. No matter what happened at home, I could not discuss it.Now we are talking about things related to my natal family, and it is extremely rare to have such an opportunity. "How much do you want to borrow from my natal family?" Hongzhi put down his teacup and smoked a cigarette instead.He lit the fire slowly, took a puff and exhaled the smoke, as if he was thinking about how to answer his wife. "How much? Your father hasn't called me yet?" "Is the amount large?" "Forget it!" "I hope you don't borrow money from my natal family." "Oh?" Hong Zhi looked up in surprise. "why?" you still need to ask?Now that the relationship between husband and wife is cold, the husband still has to borrow money from his wife's natal family, which is really unpredictable.Does he have an emotional basis?This can only be seen as a mercenary move. "I borrow money not for my own food, drink and entertainment, but for the needs of my career," said the husband. "I'm absolutely sure of the repayment, and the interest is higher than a normal loan." Can this transactional relationship replace everything?Hongzhi has no place for Nobuko in his heart. "Besides, after I told the situation, the old man is also eager to try. It seems that maybe the old man will take the initiative to find me!" Xinzi also heard from his mother that his father no longer had too much hope for the hotel industry. He was originally a person who wanted to start a big business.In fact, almost all the business of our hotel is handed over to my mother. "This kind of business is like a hairdressing shop. It's a female boss's job, and gentlemen shouldn't show their faces." My father often said this, and it was also a sarcastic term for people who dreamed of a manly career.It is not clear what the husband said to his father, but it is not difficult to understand his father's eagerness to try. "This is a matter for men, so you don't need to interrupt!" Hong Zhi's tone became tough.If it is between ordinary couples, this argument can still be said. For example, borrowing money from the natal family can make the relationship between husband and wife closer, and the relationship between husband and wife’s natal family can strengthen the relationship between husband and wife, etc. However, there is no such relationship between Nobuko and Hongzhi, and Hongzhi just regards it as a simple money transaction.On the other hand, the natal family does not think so. Needless to say, the loan from the son-in-law is out of the hope that the other party will treat the daughter well, and this can also be heard from the mother's tone.In particular, the mother has noticed that Nobuko and Hongzhi are not in harmony, and follows the common sense of the world, hoping to make her daughter happy by borrowing money from her son-in-law.In addition to his career ambitions, his father also had the same aspirations as his mother, but this can only be a naive expectation for Hongzhi. Nobuko did not tell her natal family about her situation with Hongzhi in detail, because it would be useless even if she did.However, in this way, the natal family did not know the truth about the daughter and son-in-law even more. "Well, you don't have to worry about it!" The husband somewhat compromised. "I won't trouble your family." "My natal family doesn't have that much money either," Xinzi replied. "Now the hotel industry is not very profitable. My mother also complained that she has invested endlessly in costs, but the performance has not improved." "I know all of this." The husband seemed to want to end this topic. "Besides, you should have told me about this in advance." "That's my fault." The husband said obediently. "...How is it? I've had a lot of fun traveling from Nagano to Izu, right?" "..." From then on, the conversation was cleverly diverted, and the husband actually extended his hand to Nobuko.Nobuko pushed his hand away and left the room.Hongzhi knelt on one leg and stared at the direction where his wife disappeared, with a smile in the corner of his eyes.Nobuko seems to have only now realized that her husband's motives are impure. Nobuko went back to her room.In the end, the husband did not say the amount of the loan from his father, which is huge according to imagination.Neither mother nor father told Nobuko that she felt suddenly taken a dark fork. The phone rang, and I looked at my watch, it was twelve o'clock.Who is calling so late?She picked up the phone and replied, "Hello!" The other party was silent.Nobuko continued: "Hello! This is Yanchuan's house!" The other party remained silent.Two or three seconds later, the sound of hanging up the phone rang in Xinzi's ear, obviously the other party hung up after hearing Xinzi's voice. The next day, after seeing off her husband, the little nanny came to ask Xinzi to answer the phone. "Who is calling?" "It's called Huajing." "Hanai?" No impression. Seeing Xinzi tilting his head in confusion, the little nanny added another sentence. "It's a man." This is even more unimpressive. Nobuko stood up and put the phone to her ear. "I'm Yanchuan." "Hey! It's me, Asano." Nobuko was startled, remembering the phone call last night, but it wasn't Asano.The other party hung up the phone silently after hearing his answer, probably a woman who called her husband on business. "I used a fake name, I'm so sorry!" Asano apologized. "If I say it's Asano, I'm afraid I'll cause you trouble... Hey! Can you hear me?" "can hear." "I must see you." The voice seemed a little trembling. "No. Teacher." Nobuko replied. "I already said we can't see each other again." "I know very well... Shiokawa, you know that I have been to Yumura Onsen in Kofu, right?" "……Know." "I've been traveling in Nagano since then, trying to find you." "..." "I was looking forward to seeing you by chance, and wandered around. When I got back to Tokyo, I called, and my family said that you hadn't come back. This is the first time I heard your voice again." "Teacher!" Xinzi wanted to stop him. "Please don't say that again, I'm just the teacher's student." "I understand. But my mind is in a mess." "..." "Excuse me, please let me see you again! Besides, I want to express my feelings." Asano's tone was aggressive. In front of Xinzi's eyes, the figure of Asano walking from Yucun to Nagano to find himself appeared, and his dead-end love was not untouched by her.However, she can no longer meet him. If she agrees to meet his emotions, it will cause him more pain. "I'm really sorry," she categorically declined. "Please don't look for me again." Asano fell silent.Nobuko seemed to see his expression during the few seconds of silence.In fact, his sad breathing can be faintly heard through the receiver. "That's right!" He was disappointed. "Then there's nothing I can do. This time I'll give up. I'm bothering you." Immediately, Asano said hastily: "However, I heard your voice again, so I'm very happy. Goodbye!" It was Asano who put down the phone first. Nobuko stood there for a moment.When Asano said "giving up this time", he declared that he had not completely given up.Nobuko once had respect for the young and serious scholar Asano Tadao, and Asano possessed a certain cultivation that her husband lacked... However, Nobuko only had respect, but it was not the case in Asano.Could it be his own fault?Could it be that he caused the serious associate professor to be distracted? Nobuko's fingers began to dial the phone number of K Man-made Fiber Company, and she was eagerly looking forward to hearing Miyo Kawada's calm voice. Tadao Asano hung up the phone, returned to his study and sat on a chair feeling lost.Outside the window, the sky is burning, as if it is foretelling the high temperature that will appear today.But in the blinding sunshine, the cool breeze that passes by from time to time also reveals the breath of autumn. Nobuko finally refused to meet, she never wanted to see him again, Asano fell into intense depression and regret.Regretfully, he confided his words of love prematurely, which caused Xinzi to feel afraid.However, he couldn't restrain his passion that had nowhere to vent.He also had the same passion in Yumura Onsen and during his travels in Nagano.Just now, with a feeling of loss, he heard Xinzi's voice on the phone.He felt extremely happy, and the sense of loss disappeared immediately. However, Nobuko is avoiding him and will continue to reject him in the future.Asano Tadao didn't want to stop there, and believed that he would see Nobuko again.No, he had to meet Nobuko... After Tadao came back from Nagano, he didn't even see Yasuko Kusama. No, Yasuko called and came to see her too.But now Asano, even seeing Yasuko is a pain.Thinking that he had hurt Yasuko's heart, he even felt disgusted with himself.Taizi came twice, but he refused to meet with him on the pretext of being unwell.