Human disqualification

Chapter 2 Villon's Wife

Chapter 2 Villon's Wife

There was a hurried sound of opening the door, the husband must have come back drunk.I woke up, but didn't want to say anything, and didn't get up.

The husband entered the next room, turned on the light, and breathlessly opened the drawers of the desk and bookcase, as if searching for something.After tossing and turning for a while, he sat down heavily again, only the sound of flustered and heavy breathing could be heard.What does he want to do?
I still didn't get up, but just asked, "You're back. There are rice balls in the cupboard, do you want some?"

"Understood, thank you." The husband said softly, he had never been so gentle before, "Is the child better? Does he still have a fever?"

It is rare for him to care about children.The child will be four years old next year, but looks smaller than the neighbor's two-year-old.I don't know if it's because I can't keep up with my nutrition, or because my husband's alcoholism is affecting me, or because I have some kind of illness. Anyway, I can't walk steadily, and I can't speak well. I can only speak some vague words, as if my brain is developing problem.I took him to the public bathhouse, and when he took off his clothes, he showed his scrawny body. I hugged him, and seeing his ugly appearance, I was so sad that I couldn't help crying in public.The child either had diarrhea, or had a cold and a fever, and was always sick.The husband is away all day and doesn't care about the children at all.If I tell him that the child is sick and has a fever.At most he would say: "Well, take him to the hospital and let the doctor see it." Then he put on his coat and left without looking back.Don't I know I should take him to a doctor?Seeing a doctor requires money, but I have no money in my hand. All I can do is hug him and pat his little head over and over again.

Tonight, my husband is very unusual, not only very gentle, but also concerned about the child's condition.However, I couldn't be happy at all. Not only that, but I even felt a chill rise up the back of my spine, which was very weird and terrifying.I didn't know how to answer, so I didn't say anything.In the room, only the sound of her husband panting, hurried and flustered, could be heard.

Suddenly, a thin female voice came from the door: "Excuse me."

It was as if a scoop of cold water had been poured on my head, and I couldn't help shivering.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Dagu there?" This time, the woman raised her voice, which sounded sharper.She opened the door.

"Is Mr. Dagu at home?" She could hear that she was angry.

Only then did the husband walk to the door: "Is there something wrong?" His voice was a little trembling, and what he asked was pure nonsense.

"Of course there is something. You are also a family member, why do you still do such things as stealing?" Call the police."

"Nonsense, impolite guy! What kind of place is this, you shouldn't be here! Go away! Otherwise, I'm the one who will call the police."

"Sir, you are really brave." Another voice came from outside the door, it was a man, "What are you talking about, we shouldn't be here? Don't play dumb anymore, this matter is different from the past, you actually stole. Stealing other people's money, if you are joking, it should be enough. In the past, you made our couple miserable, you know? Tonight, you actually did such a shameless thing. Sir, I really admire you .”

"You guys want to blackmail me, scare me, don't even think about it! Get out, talk about it tomorrow!" In order to create momentum, the husband raised his voice, but the trembling voice betrayed him.

"Sir, you can still say such things now, you are really bad! We have no other choice, so let's call the police."

"Whatever!" shrieked the husband, weak in his voice.

I got up and put on a coat, came to the door, saw two guests, and said hello: "Hello."

The man tensed his face and nodded to me: "Ah, are you his wife?" He has a round face, wears a knee-length coat, and looks about 50 years old.

The woman is thin, neatly dressed, about 40 years old.

"Sorry to bother you so late." Without a smile on her face, she took off her shawl and replied.

At this time, the husband suddenly came to the door, put on his clogs and rushed out.

"Hey, don't even try to run away." The man grabbed her husband's arm, and the two immediately tugged.

"Let go! Or I can use the knife!"

The husband showed the jumping knife in his right hand, and the light of the knife was cold.The knife was placed in the drawer of the study before, and it was his favorite thing.Tonight, after he got home, he went to look in the drawer, as if he was looking for something. It seemed that he knew that someone would come to the door, and he wanted to find the knife out in advance and put it in his pocket.

The man dodges quickly.The husband broke free when he saw the opportunity, and he fled like a big crow in his overcoat.

"You thief!"

The man shouted and rushed out of the door, trying to chase her husband.Regardless of my bare feet, I rushed out and hugged the man.

"Don't do this. It's going to hurt someone else, let me tell him."

"She's right. He's already under the knife, and it's useless to say anything. Who knows what else he can do."

"Asshole! I won't let him go. Call the police!" the man said to himself.In fact, he had no strength left, and while speaking, his eyes stared blankly at the darkness outside the house.

"I'm sorry. Please come in first, both of you. Tell me first what's going on." After I finished speaking, I walked up the steps and squatted down. "If I handle it, maybe I can finish it earlier. Hurry up Please come in, it's a little messy, please forgive me."

The two guests looked at each other and nodded.

"We have to talk to you. But no matter what you say, we won't let him go." The man's tone was not as stiff as before.

"Ah, go into the room and talk slowly, please come in!"

"Uh, we don't have much time." The man said, but began to take off his coat.

"You're welcome, you'd better not take it off. It's cold, and we don't have a fire in our house, so you'd better not take it off, really."

"Uh, then we'll interrupt."

"Come in. Come in too. You're welcome."

The couple entered the husband's six-tatami-sized room one after the other.The tatami mats were tattered, the paper windows leaked air, the walls collapsed, and the paper on the sliding door was so mottled that the skeleton could be seen. There were desks and bookcases in the corner—without a single book inside.Seeing this miserable appearance, the two men couldn't help holding their breath.

I invite them to sit on the cushions.The cushion had also been torn to reveal the cotton wool.

"Don't be disgusted, both of you, sit on the cushions. The tatami is too dirty."

"It's the first time I met you two, but I don't know that my husband has caused you a lot of trouble earlier. He did such a scary thing again tonight. I guess there is something wrong in his head. I really feel ashamed, I don't know how to apologize to you. He is usually a strange person." Speaking of this, tears flowed down unconsciously, and I sobbed.

The man sat down on the tattered cushion, put his elbows on his knees, and clenched his fists against his chin to support his forward-leaning upper body. He asked bluntly, "Excuse me, ma'am, how old are you?"

"You mean me?"

"Yes. If I remember correctly, your husband should be 30 years old."

"Yes. I'm... well, four years younger than him."

"That is to say, you are two... 26 years old? You are still so young, but I really can't tell. After all, your husband is 30 years old, and your age is about the same. However, I am still very surprised."

"Me too." The woman poked her head out, and she had been behind the man since she came in, "When I first saw you, I was amazed, Mr. Dagu has such a virtuous wife, but how could he become like that? !"

"It's a sickness, he's sick! It wasn't that serious before, but it got worse later."

The man said with a heavy sigh.Then, he said very seriously: "Madam, let's start from the beginning. My husband and I run a small restaurant near Nakano Station. Both of us are businessmen with our own duties, but we are a bit playful. We We are from Shangzhou and do some small business locally. 20 years ago, we didn’t want to deal with those people in the country anymore, so we came to Tokyo together and worked in a restaurant in Asakusa. Over the years, we have eaten like others It was a lot of hardship, with ups and downs, but I finally saved some money.

"In Showa 11, we rented a single room near Nakano Station and opened a tavern. The house is not big, about the size of six tatami mats, and one person can have a small drink for one or two yen. On weekdays, I Both were conscientious, very thrifty, and stocked a good deal of schnapps and gin. Later, when there was a shortage of liquor and a lot of pubs changed careers, we were able to keep going because of those stocks. In this way, we accumulated Some old customers, some customers will introduce other customers, and some military officers will also come to our small shop.

"Later, war broke out with Britain and the United States, and there were frequent air raids. We didn't have children, so we didn't have so many scruples. We didn't go back to the countryside to take refuge. We continued to run this small shop, thinking about when it would be bombed and when it would be over. .Fortunately, it didn't take long for the war to end, and we finally breathed a sigh of relief. The war didn't cause a devastating blow to us, and we can continue to buy some alcohol from the black market. This is the experience of our husband and wife. Listen to me Said, you may think that we have been smooth sailing and have not experienced any major tribulations. However, as the saying goes, life is hell, and it has always been a blessing and a curse. You just enjoyed an inch-long blessing, followed by It is a calamity of one foot long. In a year, even if a person can be happy for one day, no, half a day, he can call himself very happy.

"I remember that it was the spring of Showa 19, when your husband Otani-san came to our store for the first time. At that time, the outcome of our war with Britain and the United States was undecided, or we did not know the situation on the battlefield. In fact, the victory and defeat had already been decided." In short, we thought that Japan would be able to sit on an equal footing with Britain and the United States at the negotiating table after two or three years. It was at this time that Mr. Otani visited the shop. That day, he was wearing a cloak outside and a Kurume there The casual clothes with white dots and flowers that people often wear. At that time, although Tokyo suffered frequent air raids, the streets were full of people wearing casual clothes and walking leisurely. Few people wore anti-aircraft clothing, so it is not surprising that he was dressed like this However, he did not come to our store alone. Even in front of you, I am not going to cover up for Mr. Otani. At that time, your husband came to the store quietly from the back door, and there was a woman with him. A coquettish woman who is not young.

"Speaking of which, he can only go through the back door, because the front door of our store is usually closed at that time of day. At that time, it was called 'closed business'. People sneaked in through the back door, usually regular customers, And there are only a few of them. They usually don’t go to sit in the lobby, but sit in the back room without light, and drink alone without saying a word, until they are drunk. Speaking of the woman who came with your husband, We also know her well. Not long ago, she was still working as a bartender, working in a bar in Shinjuku. When she was a bartender, she would often bring some of her regular customers to our store for drinks, which was already very good for our store. Familiar. Her residence is not far from our store. After the bars in Shinjuku were closed, she brought her former regular customers to our store.

"At that time, we were running out of drinks, so even though we were regular customers, there were too many drinking guests. Not only were we not happy, but we were also a little troubled. However, we always smiled at the guests she brought. Welcome, treat us with good wine and good food. Because she took good care of our business four or five years before that, and the guests she brought were generous. She—we call her Sister Qiu—took your husband from We didn't think too much about coming in from the back door, and let them into the back room as usual, and served the food and wine. Mr. Dagu was very quiet that night. After drinking, sister Qiu paid the bill. Then the two went together again I went out through the back door. That night, Mr. Otani was so gentle and polite, which impressed me deeply. Perhaps, the 'devil' was always so quiet and polite when he came to someone's house for the first time?
"After that night, Mr. Dagu became a regular customer of our store. Ten days later, he entered the store through the back door—this time alone, and suddenly took out a banknote worth 30 yuan and insisted on me accepting it. The hundred-yen bill was a big bill back then, but now it is worth two or three thousand yen, or even more. He stuffed the money into my hand, said 'Excuse me,' and smiled shyly. Look He looked as if he had drunk too much, but we served him wine anyway. Your husband can drink like no one else, you know my wife. He looks drunk, you think he has too much, but turn He suddenly began to speak seriously. No matter how much he drank, he never swayed when he walked. It is normal for a man in his [-]s to drink a lot, but there are few people who can drink like him. That night, before coming to our store, he probably had a few drinks elsewhere. In our store, he drank another ten glasses in a row. After drinking, no matter what our couple said to him, he would just smile, Nodding. While drinking, he suddenly stood up and asked us what time it was. I wanted to give him change, but he said no. I insisted on looking for it, and he smiled and said, the rest will be stored here first, and he Will come again.

"But, ma'am, he didn't pay his bill again during the next three years. Every time he found an excuse to default, but he didn't drink less. He didn't pay a penny again, But he drank almost all the wine in our store alone. Madam, is it reasonable for you to judge?"

For some reason, I thought it was funny, and I couldn't help laughing out.I quickly lowered my head, covered my mouth, and looked at the tavern owner.The proprietress also lowered her head and smiled forcedly.The boss smiled helplessly, his face full of bitterness.

"Hey, there is nothing ridiculous about this matter, but it can make people laugh. It can be seen that it is too ridiculous. To be honest, his talent is really rare. If he takes the right path, he will probably become a high-ranking official or I have become a Ph.D. Apart from us, I am afraid that there are many people who have been impoverished by your husband and are called out every day. It is because of your husband that Sister Qiu was wiped out by the guests and poor. She doesn't even have a complete piece of clothing. Now, she lives in a dilapidated house in the old courtyard of the longhouse. She can only rely on begging to survive. When I first met your husband, she was very proud and told us that Mr. Otani came from a prominent family background. His ancestors were great landlords in the four countries. His father was Baron Otani. He was the second son of the family. The reason he is in trouble right now is that he was kicked out of the house because of his bad manners. But once his father died, he would Can get a share of the family property. She also said that he was very smart and published a book at the age of 21. She said that he was a genius, and his writing was better than the genius writer Ishikawa Woodpecker Ishikawa Woodpecker (1886-1912), formerly known as Ishikawa Ichi, is a song People, poets, critics. Even better. Later, he wrote more than a dozen books one after another, and became the leading poet in Japan at a young age. Sister Qiu simply praised him to the sky and said that he is a very accomplished poet. Scholars in Gakushuin, Gakushuin University, a famous private university in Japan, was originally the learning institute established by Emperor Renxiao in the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1847. When he got to the Imperial University, he was also fluent in German and French. These bragging words do not seem to be nonsense, because others say so, saying that he is the second son of the baron, and is a famous poet. Even my wife is very old. Now, I also started to be jealous of Sister Qiu, and even flattered him, saying that he is beautiful and expensive, and he is different from ordinary people. It is simply unreasonable to hope that he can come to the door all day long.

"Now there are no so-called aristocrats, but before the armistice, as long as you lie that you are a descendant of a down-and-out nobleman, you can coax women to favor you. Women will be tricked, in the final analysis, because they have not been able to get rid of the point in their bones Humble roots. But I am a person who has struggled in the world, so of course I know that those are all lies. With all due respect, ma'am, in my opinion, there is no difference between aristocrats and ordinary people like us. What's the difference, besides, he is only the second son of a branch family of a small landowner in the four countries. Therefore, I will not be complacent because I have met such a person.

"Having said that, I really have nothing to do with your lord. Countless times, I have made up my mind not to sell wine to him no matter how much he begs, but every time he is like I came to my store as if fleeing for my life. Seeing him like that, I couldn't help but soften my heart. I gave him wine and let him drink. He doesn't make trouble when he's drunk. He can be regarded as a very good guest. He never shows off his status, nor does he pretend to be a genius, but sister Qiu is bragging. When sister Qiu said these things, he changed the topic to talk about money, saying that he hoped to We were disappointed to settle the drink bills that we owed but have no money. However, Sister Qiu would settle the bills for him from time to time. Mr. Otani would occasionally bring another woman to the store. That woman seemed to belong to someone My wife, Sister Qiu doesn’t even know she exists. Sometimes, she also pays for Mr. Dagu’s drinks. Otherwise, how can we let him eat and drink for so long? After all, we are in business. If there is a little money No, not to mention Mr. Dagu, even Tianhuang nobles, we have long stopped entertaining. But on him, our store has indeed lost a lot of money, and the wine money he owes is no longer the occasional drink money It can be filled.

"Later, we found out that he had a wife and his family lived in Xiaojinjing, so we wanted to come to ask for money for drinks. During a casual chat, I casually asked 'Where does Mr. Ogu live', and he immediately became wary, saying that we were instigating Yeah, he just has no money, and he's talking nonsense about 'business needs to be peaceful to last'. But we can't be fooled like this, so we followed him behind his back two or three times, trying to find out where he lived, But every time he was thrown away.

"Not long after, the bombing of Tokyo began, and shells fell one after another. One time, Mr. Otani broke into our shop suddenly, found a bottle of brandy by himself, drank it vigorously, and ran away—he was still wearing a I don’t know where I got it from. The war was over soon, and we reopened with curtains, bringing in a lot of wine and food from the black market. We tried our best to keep the small shop open, and although funds were tight, we deliberately A young girl was hired in order to attract more guests. But the 'devil' came again. He also brought two or three people every time, but it was not a woman, but a reporter from a newspaper or magazine. These People are clamoring, now the soldiers have no future, and those who can make great achievements in the future are those suffering poets. Otani-san chatted with them, talking about foreign names and English, and talking about philosophy, anyway, just to let people listen If you don’t understand. After talking nonsense, he suddenly got up and went out, and then disappeared. He never came back, and the reporters were very disappointed. They asked each other where he had gone, and then said that they should go back, so they got up and asked Let's go. I quickly grabbed a few people and asked them to pay the money, and told them that Mr. Otani often used this trick to drink for nothing. Some people would get together with each other and pay the money honestly; Very angry, yelling that they only earn [-] yen a month, and they have no money to pay the bills, so I asked Mr. Otani to ask for money. I said to those angry people, I can’t find him, and I know how much he owes me for drinks I told them, if anyone can find Mr. Otani and return all the wine bills he owes, I am willing to give him half of it as a reward. Listen to me, the reporters are dumbfounded, saying that they did not expect Mr. Otani This kind of person is a bastard who eats and drinks, and will never drink with him again. They took off their coats as collateral, saying that they can't even get a hundred yen now, and they will definitely pay for it the next day.

"People always say that reporters are very shameless, but compared with Otani-kun, they are simply too straightforward. It is said that Otani-kun is the second son of the baron's family. If this is true, those reporters can be dukes The boss. After the war, not only did Otani-kun drink more, but his character also changed a lot. He used to speak very elegantly, but now he keeps making dirty jokes all day long, and often chats with the reporters he brought. stand up.

"Not only that, but he also harmed the girl we hired as a helper in our store. She is not yet 20 years old. We don't know when he did it. We were surprised and angry, but there was nothing we could do about him, so we had to Swallowing his anger, he persuaded the girl to return to her hometown.

"I begged Mr. Dagu not to come to our store again, and I don't want any previous wine money. Unexpectedly, he threatened me and told me to stop talking, saying that he knew how much money I had earned. So the next day In the evening, he came to our store unscrupulously again. Perhaps, this is our retribution. When the country was suffering from war, we were still operating secretly to make money, so God sent such a "magic star" to punish us. However, whether he is a poet or a gentleman, since he did such a shameless thing tonight, we can't just let him go like this. He is a thief at all, and stole five thousand yen from us-that's us I saved it through hard work. In fact, we usually only keep 1000 to 5000 yuan in cash at home, because most of the money is used to buy goods. Speaking of which, we have to buy goods immediately when we have money, so we have We can’t save much money. The [-] yuan was entrusted to our regular customers and we spent a lot of effort to get it together. Because the Chinese New Year is coming, we temporarily put it at home. Tonight we must hand over the money to the supplier. Otherwise, our small shop will not be able to open in the first month of next year. At that time, my wife took the money and went into the back room, and Dagu Jun sat on a chair and drank alone. Seeing her put the money in the drawer of the cabinet, he immediately rushed I went in, pushed my wife away, opened the drawer, picked up the money and stuffed it into my pocket. Before our husband and wife could react, he had already rushed out the door. My wife and I shouted and chased him out. I wanted to be big Shouting 'catch the thief', so that passers-by on the road would help catch him, but I felt that this was not appropriate, Mr. Otani is also our friend. So, our husband and wife chased desperately, thinking that if we catch up, we will keep up with him. He said, return the money to us. We are responsible people in small businesses, and we came to your house just thinking of a good word to tell him to return the money to us. Unexpectedly, he would actually use a knife. You Say, where do I go to reason?"

This is so funny, although I don't understand what is so funny, but I still can't hold back and laugh out loud.The proprietress's face was flushed, and she smiled awkwardly.However, I couldn't stop laughing at all.Although I know that I feel sorry for her husband, but I just think it's funny, and I laughed so hard that tears flowed out.Suddenly, I remembered a poem written by my husband entitled "Laughing at the End of Civilization".Perhaps this poem expresses the feeling I have now.

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However, I can't solve the problem by laughing like this.I thought for a while, and said to the two visitors: "Please wait a day before calling the police. I will find a way to solve this matter. I will visit the door later." The exact location of the tavern they opened, and then sent them out.Then, I sat in the middle of the room thinking about what to do, and after thinking about it for a long time, I still had no clue.The room was chilly, so I took off my cloak and shrank into the child's bed. I stroked his little head, wishing that time would stop at this night forever.

My mother died when I was very young, and I lived with my father in the longhouse.The two of us made a living by setting up a small stall by the gourd pond in Asakusa Park selling oden.Back then, my now husband would frequent.After coming and going, I fell in love with him without telling my father.We went out for a tryst and had a baby.After some twists and turns, I became his formal wife, but we were not registered.In other words, our children are actually illegitimate children.I don't know what he does outside, he disappears for three or four days, sometimes even a month.When he came home, he was always out of breath, his face was pale, and he looked drunk.Sometimes, he would cry at me.Sometimes, he would get under the quilt again, trembling and hugging me tightly, saying: "Ah, what should I do? I'm so scared, really scared! Help me!" After falling asleep, he was also restless, always talking in his sleep , moaning all the time.On the second day, he was groggy, as if he had lost his soul, and ran out at some point.This walk is another three or four days.My husband has two or three friends in the publishing business, and every now and then they send some money to help me and the kids, who would otherwise starve to death.

I was a little sleepy, so I closed my eyes, and when I opened them suddenly, I saw sunlight in the room, coming in from the gap in the awning.I really couldn't stay at home honestly, so I got up to wash up, dressed up briefly, and then went out with the child on my back.

Not knowing where else I could go, I just wandered the streets.As I walked, I went to the station. At the stall in front of the station, I bought a piece of candy and put it in the child's mouth.Suddenly, I had an idea and went to buy a tram ticket to Kichijoji.Pulling the lifting ring of the tram, I raised my head inadvertently, and saw the poster hanging on the ceiling of the tram with my husband's name printed on it.It was a promotional poster for a magazine in which my husband seemed to have published a long article entitled "François Villon."I was fascinated by the poster, at the words "François Villon" and the name of my husband. For some reason, my eyes were filled with tears and I couldn't see anything clearly.

When Kichijoji arrived, I got out of the car and walked straight to Inokashira Park.It's been years since I've been here, I can't remember myself.There used to be a lot of cedar trees by the pond, but now they have all been cut down. It seems that some kind of project is about to be carried out.The way it was back then no longer exists, and I couldn't help feeling a sense of desolation and coldness in my heart.

I put the baby down on the battered bench by the pond, sat next to him, and fed him the sweet potatoes I brought with me.

"Son, isn't this pond beautiful? In the past, there were koi and goldfish here. There were many, many, but now they are all gone. What a disappointment."

Chewing the sweet potato in his mouth, he smiled inexplicably and made a "giggle" sound.This is my child, how could he be so demented? !

Sitting like this will only make me more bored. I picked up the child on my back and walked slowly to Kichijoji Station.There were people coming and going on the stall street, so I strolled around and bought a ticket back to Nakano at the station.On the tram, I felt like I was about to be sucked into the devil's black hole, my mind was confused and I couldn't think of anything.After getting off the bus in Nakano, I found the tavern they opened according to the address the couple told me last night.

The front door of the tavern was closed, so I walked around the back door and entered the shop.The boss is not there, only the proprietress is in the store, and she is cleaning.The moment I saw the proprietress, I blurted out a lie, which surprised even myself.

"Miss Boss, my husband got the money to pay back your drink bill. I'm sure, tonight, tomorrow at the latest, I will pay you back. Please rest assured."

"Yeah? That's good."

The proprietress looked happy, but still couldn't hide her worried expression.

"Miss Boss, it's true, we will pay back the money we owe you. Before paying back the money, I will stay here and treat it as a collateral. In this way, you should feel relieved? I am not waiting in vain , before the money is sent, I will help you here."

I put the child in the back room, let him play by himself, and then I went to work in the shop.The child played on his own, without disturbing me at all.Maybe it was because he was a little stupid, seeing that the proprietress didn't recognize her identity at all, he kept smiling at her.The proprietress sent me to run errands and fetch things from her house, while the child stayed in the back room by himself.He used the tin can—the can was brought back by the proprietress from the United States—as a toy, knocking on the ground, and rolling on the ground, very obedient.

At noon, the boss came back, and he brought in some vegetables and fresh fish.Seeing the boss, I hurriedly told him what I had said to the boss's wife.The boss froze for a moment.

"I didn't say that, ma'am, money is something that can only be reassuring if you hold it in your own hands."

I didn't expect the boss to be so calm, and his tone of voice was a bit blunt.

"Boss, I'm very sure. Please trust me this time and wait another day. If no one comes to pay back the money, I will continue to work as a helper for you."

"The Chinese New Year will be in five or six days. I just hope to receive the money for the wine." The boss said self-consciously.

"Yeah, I know, so... Huh? There's a guest. Welcome."

Three guests dressed as craftsmen came in at the door, I smiled at them, and then I whispered to the proprietress: "Excuse me, proprietress, please give me an apron."

"Hey, not bad, and hired such a beautiful helper." A guest said.

The boss said jokingly: "Don't get her idea, I have to rely on her to make money."

Another guest joked: "Could it be that she's still a famous horse worth millions of dollars?"

Warming up the wine, I responded generously to the guest, saying, "No matter how good it is, it's just a mare, and it's only worth half of the price."

"You are being modest now. From now on, regardless of whether it is a horse or a dog, men and women must be equal in Japan." The guest with the youngest face shouted, "Sister, I really like you, it was love at first sight. But, do you already have children?"

The proprietress came out of the back room with the child in her arms: "No way, this child belongs to us and was adopted from a relative. In this way, our husband and wife will have a future."

A customer laughed and said, "You can still make money."

The boss had a sullen face and whispered to himself, "It's really a robbery of money and sex."

After a pause, he cleared his throat and asked the guests, "What would you like to eat? How about hot pot?"

I suddenly seemed to understand something, and nodded secretly, "Yes, indeed!" However, on the surface, I was still very calm, and I came to the guests with a wine bottle.

Probably because it was Christmas Eve and there were a lot of guests that night.I haven't eaten anything since I got up early, and I have been busy wearing thin clothes like this.The proprietress advised me to eat something, but maybe because I was thinking too much, I didn't feel hungry, so I told her not to eat.It might seem boastful to say that the store was so busy that day, but I did have customers ask my name, and more than two or three people wanted to shake my hand.

However, I was still very empty in my heart, and I knew that this would not solve the problem.I shuttled between the seats and poured wine for each guest.When the guests tell dirty jokes, I can only smile and say something more dirty to match.When I am busy, I really hope that I can turn into ice cream and just melt it.

Miracles do happen sometimes.

It was just after nine o'clock when a man walked into the store, and with him was a 34-year-old wife.The lady was very thin, and the man covered his face with a black mask and a Christmas three-cornered hat made of paper on his head, covering the upper half of his face like Robin.The man turned around and sat on a chair in the corner.I recognized him from the moment he stepped through the door.He is my husband, the one who stole the money.

It seemed that the two of them didn't see me, so I pretended I didn't know anything and continued to entertain other guests.After a while, the lady sitting across from my husband called out to me, "Waiter, come here."

"Here we come." I agreed and walked to the table of the two of them.

"Welcome. Would you like some wine?"

The masked husband saw me and was obviously surprised.I tapped his shoulder: "You two, I should say 'Merry Christmas'. It seems that you can drink another liter without any problem."

The lady didn't answer my words, and said with a serious face: "Waiter, I'm sorry, please go and invite the boss, I have something to talk to your boss in private."

The boss was busy frying things, I walked over and said: "Boss, Dagu is here and wants to see you. There is a woman who came with him, please don't mention me to her, lest Dagu will lose face in public .”

"It's coming."

The boss didn't fully believe my rhetoric, but when he saw my husband came, he trusted me again.He thought that her husband came under my arrangement.

I emphasized to him: "Don't talk about me."

"As long as it is beneficial to solve the problem, I will do as you say." The boss said happily.

He walked to the lobby of the tavern, looked around, walked towards the table where my husband was sitting, and after a few words with the lady, the three of them walked out of the store together.

No problem anymore.I couldn't help being very happy to see the three of them out.I don't know why, but I feel that this matter must be over.Next to me was a guest in a blue dress with white spots, who didn't look like he was 20 years old. I grabbed his wrist and said, "Have a drink, come. Today is Christmas."

three

The boss came back to the store very quickly, about 10 minutes later, no, less than 10 minutes, I was very surprised.He leaned over and said, "Thank you so much, ma'am. I got the money."

"Really? Great. Is it all the money?"

The boss smiled awkwardly: "Well, it was yesterday, and yesterday's has been returned."

"Counting the previous ones, how many are there in total? You can be more flexible and give me a discount."

"Twenty thousand yen."

"Is it only so little?"

"This is what I discounted."

"We will pay back the money. Boss, I will help in the store from tomorrow on. Do you think it's okay? Please promise me, I want to earn money and return it to you."

"Oh, ma'am, I'd love to."

Both my boss and I laughed.

That night, I left Nakano's tavern just after ten o'clock.When I returned to Koganei's house with the children, my husband was still nowhere to be found, which didn't surprise me at all.Now I don't care anymore.Tomorrow, maybe I can meet my husband in the tavern.I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of this method before?It seems that I have suffered so much before, and I am not without reason.Earlier, when I was setting up a stall with my father in Asakusa, I learned how to make customers happy, and I was very familiar with helping in the tavern in Nakano, and I will definitely be handy in the future.Just tonight, I earned [-] yen in tips.

I learned from my boss what my husband did after he left home last night.He spent the night at a friend's house first, and went to a bar in Kyobashi early this morning—the pretty lady opened it, where he drank whiskey and spent a lot of money, distributing money to the five girls who worked in the bar As a Christmas present.At noon, he took a taxi and left.After wandering around outside, he returned to the bar, wearing a santa hat and mask that he got from nowhere, and brought a big cake and turkey.He called and called everyone he knew, saying that he wanted to entertain everyone.The proprietress of the bar knew that he didn't have much money at all.Now that he is so generous, she is really uneasy.The proprietress asked him where he got so much money, and he told the truth and told her everything about last night.The proprietress should have known her husband for a long time, and advised him to return the money, saying that if the other party really called the police, he would get into trouble, and that was no joke.After that, she asked her husband to take her to Nakano's tavern, and helped her husband advance the money.

The owner of Nakano restaurant said: "I probably guessed that the woman would pay back the money for him. But, madam, you still have a way. You thought of asking Otani-kun's friend for help, right?"

It seemed that he thought I dared to go to Nakano's tavern to wait first because I was sure that my husband would come back and pay back the money.I smiled and replied casually, "Well, that's right."

The next day, I felt relaxed and indescribably happy.I went to the salon to get my hair done, bought makeup, and mended my clothes when I got home.I also have two pairs of brand new pure white cotton socks - given by the lady boss.Before, I was so preoccupied that I was almost out of breath, but now I seem to have nothing to worry about.

In the morning, after eating, I went out to work in Nakano with my child and bento.I also have a name in the store called "Azao of Tsubaki House".On New Year's Eve and the first lunar month, the store needs to take inventory, and "A Zao" is very busy all day long.About every two days, I can see my husband in the store.He disappeared after a drink or two, and of course I paid for the drink.Sometimes, at night, he would quietly come to the store and say to me: "Go home." I nodded, tidied up and walked back with him.

"It would be great if it was like this from the beginning, why didn't I think of it? During this time, I am very happy."

"For women, there is no such thing as happiness or happiness."

"Is that so? Thinking about it, it seems to be the same. Then, do men have it?"

"There are endless fears that men have to overcome, and there are only misfortunes."

"I don't understand. However, I hope that such days can be longer, and longer. Besides, the owner of the Tsubaki House Tavern is a good couple."

"These two hillbillies are stupid and greedy. In order to make more money, they deliberately let me let go of drinking every time."

"After all, they sell wine. Isn't that a matter of course? After all, they don't seem to be such cunning people, right? Didn't you seduce the proprietress?"

"That's all in the past. Did the boss find out? What did he say?"

"He knows it well, and he once said that you robbed money and sex."

"I'm a bore. I've always wanted to die, maybe from the moment I was born. Really, it's a good thing for everyone that I'm dead. But I can't. .It seems to be God's will. There is a strange god holding me and not letting me die. It is really terrible."

"Because you have to work."

"Work? What is that? It's not worth mentioning. There is no so-called great work in this world, and there is no useless failure. Good or bad are judged by others, just like breathing. When others say that you write well, it is Alright; if others say you are bad at writing, you are bad. And there is God’s will in the dark, which is the most terrifying thing in the world. There is God’s will, isn’t it?”

"Ok?"

"have it?"

"do not know."

"is it?"

I have been working in the store for more than 50 days, and I found that the guests who come here to drink are some dubious people.Compared with those people, my husband is mild and kind.It's not just the guests in the tavern, I think those passers-by on the road are also sinister and cunning people, secretly doing shady deeds.One day, a lady came in through the back door, about 300 years old, dressed in fashionable and beautiful clothes, and said that she wanted to sell wine for [-] yuan a liter.The proprietress calculated that the price was cheaper than the market price, so she bought it immediately, only to find that the wine had been mixed with water.A wife with such a glamorous appearance can do such a thing, how can a person like me pursue a clear conscience?The human nature in this world is not like playing poker. After all the bad cards are played out, the rest will be good cards.

Hey, are there really gods in the world?If there is, please manifest it.I was raped by a customer of the store.

It was a day at the end of the first lunar month, it was raining outside, and my husband did not come to the tavern.However, an old acquaintance came to the tavern - Mr. Yajima.He is the publisher who knows her husband very well and gives me and my children some living expenses from time to time.There was a colleague who came with him, probably in his forties.The two talked and laughed loudly while drinking, and jokingly talked about topics such as "Should Otani's wife come to such a place".

I joked, "Where is the lady you are talking about?"

Yajima said: "I don't know either, but I know that she is elegant and beautiful, and Ah Zao from Tsubaki House can't compare."

"I'm so jealous. Mr. Otani is so tricky, which is exactly what I like. I also want to spend a night with him."

"Look." Said Yajima, turning his head away, curling his lips at his companion.

During that time, my husband often went to taverns with reporters, and they knew that I was the wife of the poet Otani.The reporters told the story, and many people came to the tavern to tease me, so the business in the store became more and more popular, and the boss was naturally very happy.

That night, Yajima chatted with his companions about buying and selling paper in the black market. It was already ten o'clock when he left, but there was still one customer in the shop.Even so, because it was raining and my husband didn't come, I still packed up my things, carried the child out of the back room, and prepared to go home.

I whispered to the proprietress, "I have to borrow an umbrella from you again."

"I have an umbrella, I'll take you home." The customer in the store suddenly stood up and said solemnly.

He was about 25 years old, very thin, he looked like a clerk.I had never seen this guest before.

"That's too much trouble. I often go back alone, it's nothing."

"No, your family lives far away, I know. My house is also near Xiaojinjing, so I can drop you off on the way. Ma'am, check out."

He only drank three glasses of wine in the store, and he didn't look drunk yet.

I took the tram with him and got off at Koganei.The guest held an umbrella and walked side by side with me on the road, and it was very dark at this time.On the way back, he didn't say anything, and then he began to mutter: "I know Otani-kun, and I like his poems very much. I also want to ask Otani-kun for my poems. However, I am a little afraid to face him .”

We walked to my door.

"Thank you. Welcome to the store next time."

"OK, bye."

It was still raining, and the young man left.

Late in the night, I woke up to the door rattling.I thought it must be my husband who was very drunk and came back, so I lay still and said nothing.

"Mrs. Otani, excuse me. Is anyone at home?" It was a man's voice.

I got up and turned on the light, walked to the door, and found that it was the young man just now.He was drunk and leaned crookedly outside the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I passed by a liquor stand on my way home, and I went to have another drink. I actually live in Tachikawa, and I went to the station just now, and the last tram has already left. Ma'am, please let me stay for the night Right. You don’t need to prepare a quilt for me, I’ll just sleep at the door. I’ll just take a nap here and catch the first bus tomorrow morning. I could have spent the night under the eaves of someone else’s house, but now it’s raining heavily outside. I can't help it. Please."

"My husband hasn't come back yet. If you don't mind sleeping in the doorway, go ahead."

I took two broken cushions and sent them over to him.

"I'm so sorry, I'm a little drunk," he said softly, looking a bit uncomfortable.

When I got back to bed, there was already loud snoring coming from the door.

As a result, the next morning, he attacked me.Afterwards, I went to work in Nakano's tavern with my child on my back as usual, and nothing seemed unusual.

The husband was alone in the tavern.He was sitting in the lobby reading the newspaper, with glasses filled with wine on the table next to him.The morning sun looks beautiful on the glass.

"Is there no one else?"

My husband turned his head and said to me, "That's right. The boss has gone to stock up, but he hasn't come back yet. The lady boss was busy in the kitchen just now, and she probably went out now."

"You didn't come last night?"

"Here we come. During this period of time, I have to look at Ah Zao of Tsubaki House from time to time, otherwise I won't be able to sleep. It was past ten o'clock when I came, and the proprietress said that you just left."

"and then?"

"Then I slept here all night. It was raining heavily outside."

"Then I'll live here too."

"sure."

"Then I'll move here. It's not a long-term solution to rent that house all the time."

The husband didn't say anything, turned around and continued to read the newspaper, and said, "Really, the newspapers are scolding me again. They say that I am pretending to be a nobleman, and I can do nothing but eat, drink and have fun. It is wrong to say that, it should be said that I am a 'pursuit of happiness' A man full of reverence for the gods'. Ah Zao, look, the newspapers actually said that I was a shameless person. This is not right at all. It may be a bit late to say this now, but, Ah Zao, let me tell you, the year I stole the 5000 yuan from here because I wanted you and your child to have a good New Year. Do you think a shameless person would do such a thing?"

I couldn't be happy at all, and said: "Shameless people are shameless people. As long as they can survive."

(End of this chapter)

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