Chapter 4 Three, family pattern

1 In some places, homicides rarely occur, but when they do occur, most of them become headless cases.This is because believers have a strong sense of common defense due to their beliefs, and it is not easy to inquire about news. The above words are said by a chief prosecutor in his memoirs about his experience. Here is exactly such a place. The incident happened on the last night of Baoen Lecture.It was on the sixteenth day of the first month. The Gratitude Lecture is held on the anniversary of the death of the founder Shinran (Kaizu Shinran (1173︱1262), the founder of the Jodo Shinzong of Japanese Buddhism.).In Higashi Honganji Temple, the lunar calendar is from November 1st to 8th, while in Nishi Honganji Temple, it is changed to the Gregorian calendar, and lectures are held from January 9th to 16th, so this place belongs to the Nishi Honganji Temple system.

Nearby is the very memorable Yoshizaki Gobo, where Shinran stayed on his tour of Hokuriku.About three miles northeast of Yoshizaki is the village of F.Not far away is Shibayama Lagoon, a slender lake that starts from Yoshizaki.The T River that flows into this lake, where the mountain stream flows out to the plain, is the village of F. On the 16th day of the first month, it was still severe winter here. Ikuta Ichinosuke, who is engaged in farming, returned home from Tokurenji Temple in the village at around 8:30 in the evening.On the last night of the Baoen lecture, the main characters in the village will gather together for a feast.When Ichinosuke came back, he was a little drunk.

Ichinosuke is forty-one years old.His wife, Minako, is only thirty years old, and he has a five-year-old only daughter, Yukiyo.At this time, Minako was lying on the quilt by the stove, sleeping with her daughter in her arms. you are back. Seeing her husband Ichinosuke come back, Minako opened her eyes and said. How is Yukiyo's cold? Ichinosuke looked at his daughter. After you went out, I asked Mr. Anxi to give an injection, but the fever seems to have not completely subsided. How many degrees? About thirty-seven degrees. Ichinosuke silently walked to the kitchen to drink water.

What about dinner?Have you eaten yet? Minako raised her upper body and asked. I ate in the temple, not hungry. Um. Minako put her upper body back again.A child's cold is worrying. Ichinosuke came back from the kitchen, sat down by the fire, and added dead branches to the fading fire.He sat cross-legged, watching the blazing fire.He began to smoke, as if thinking about something, and seemed to be in a daze. Take a rest early. Minako moved her face on the pillow and said. Um. Ichinosuke was still in a daze. The child suddenly began to cry.Minako coaxed her a bit, and immediately fell asleep again.

Do not you go to sleep? Minako spoke to Shinosuke who still refused to get up from the stove.The light from the fire made his face flush. Ichinosuke managed to get up, about twenty minutes later.He gathered the charcoal, put away the fire, and then took off his belt.Tonight, because there is a party in the temple, he is wearing out clothes.As he lay down in another quilt with the baby in between, the clock struck nine.Although there were fourteen or five families gathered together in this area, it felt like late at night after nightfall. Not long after Ichinosuke started snoring, Minako woke him up.

What are you doing? He opened his red eyes. Someone is knocking on the door outside. Ichinosuke wanted to hear it, but the knocking on the door stopped. What are you doing at this time? Looking up, the wall clock said nine forty-five.At this moment, the sound of fists hitting the door panel was heard. Good night, Mr. Ikuta. It was a man's voice. Who is it? Ichinosuke raised his upper body and asked. It's from my house.Please open the door. What, my family? Ichinosuke got up. My home is also my hometown, in T Town, about two miles northeast of the village.In this area, the Ikuta family can be regarded as an old family. The main family operates an agricultural machinery and fertilizer store in T Town. There are seven branches from the main family, and Ichinosuke is one of them.

The current owner of the main family is called Soemon, who shares the same ancestor with Ichinosuke four generations ago, and is considered a distant cousin.In terms of family separation, the affairs of the family are the most important. When Ichinosuke heard that he was sent by the main family, he immediately got up from the bed, because Sugiko, the wife of the head of the main family Soemon, had been ill for a long time due to lung disease.Recently, the condition has only increased.Hearing people coming late at night, the first thing Shinosuke thought of was Sugiko's illness. Ichinosuke pushed open the door. Because it was a farm house, there was neither a door light nor an exterior light. Only the dim light from inside the house illuminated the door.There stood a man in a hood and cloak, carrying a lantern.The first thing that caught Ichinosuke's eyes was the crest (pattern) on the round portable lantern.In the circle is a swallowtail butterfly, which is the family crest of their Ikuta family.

Shinosuke was thinking about the other person's face, but he seemed very polite.He wears a triangular turban deeply on his forehead, and seems to be deliberately avoiding the light of the lantern. I am Ichinosuke, are you from the same family? Ichinosuke asked. yes.Boss, please come over immediately, he sent me to pick you up.It's because my wife's condition is not very good. Sure enough, it was him, Ichinosuke thought. So, what's the situation? Just vomited a lot of blood.The doctor has been giving injections. Understood.And you, do you work in this family? yes.Just got hired about half a month ago.

Our family is engaged in the business of farm tools and fertilizers in T town. The scale is not small, and there are usually five or six employees.The old ones are okay, but the new ones have a lot of liquidity.Ichinosuke thought this person was one of them. It's cold outside, come in and wait, I'll get ready. No need, I'll just wait here. It was dark outside and snowflakes were flying.Ichinosuke felt that since this was the occasion, he stopped forcing it and hurriedly prepared.Minako also got up at this moment, listening to the conversation outside. You have heard it.It was my old sister-in-law who vomited blood.

Ichinosuke put on the clothes he had just taken off for going out again. How old is sister-in-law? I remember that this year is fifty-seven. She's so young, I really hope she gets better soon. Minako helped her husband change clothes and said. Maybe I won't be able to make it back tonight. When going out, Ichinosuke said so. knew.If the condition is not optimistic, I will rush over to have a look after dawn.But Yukiyo still had a fever, so it was not easy to handle. Just look at Yukiyo.The death of an elderly person is unavoidable.If it makes the child serious, it will be troublesome.Let's see how it goes tomorrow.

Ichinosuke took care of the gate and went outside.The man in the cloak and carrying the lantern was still standing where he had been. Minako went outside, and the man with the lantern with the Ikuta clan pattern on it, lowered his head slightly while wearing a turban.Two men walked through the narrow road in the dark.The orange light flickered and gradually became smaller.Snowflakes fell on Minako's face as she watched her off. It was a cold night, Minako shivered, closed the door and hung the bolt.After warming his hands on the stove, he undressed and hid in the quilt. The child has been sleeping soundly. Minako thinks about Sugiko of her family.If she really dies, will Soemon continue her life?Still only sixty years old, not that old.However, the eldest under the age of 40 has three sons, all of whom have married wives and have grandchildren.My family has a lot of property, so it shouldn't be difficult to marry a wife from the same family.However, this Mrs. Xuxian might not have a good time.Minako thought about it, and was soon infected by the child's peaceful breath, and her eyelids became heavy. 2 Minako was woken up by the second knock on the door, just as she was falling into a daze after Shinosuke left.The clock said half past eleven. Good night. There was a low voice among the knocking on the door.It seemed familiar, it was indeed the person who picked up her husband just now. Minako quickly put on her clothes, put on her clogs, and took off the latch.What she saw in the dark were the family crest on the round lantern, and a man in a hood and cloak who avoided the light. here we go again. The man, still deeply hooded, bowed his head and said. Um? My wife's condition has changed.So the gentleman in the house asked me to come and pick you up right away. The man's words were low. That's right. It wasn't a surprise, but there was still a commotion in Minako's chest. Is it that serious? yes.It seems very bad. Before leaving, the husband said that we should see the situation after dawn.Presumably it was after he got there that he realized that Shanzi's condition was more dangerous than expected.I want her to rush over immediately so that she can also see the old man for the last time.Minako wanted someone to come in and wait for her to prepare. No, I'm fine here. The man refused to move outside in the cold and dark, but immediately called out from behind Minako: Mrs.Your husband wants you to bring the child with you. Bring the kids too. The husband knew that the child had a fever.So of course I also knew that it was impossible to take the child to the main house two miles away on such a cold night, Minako thought.I want the child to see Shanzi for the last time, but what if the child's cold becomes more serious?There was a trace of resistance in her heart. When Minako got ready, she glanced at the child under the quilt.Five-year-old Yukiyo was flushed with fever. The child may not be able to take it because of a cold and fever. Minako said to the man in the cloak, in order to pass on her husband's words: Your husband means to wear a few more clothes, be sure to bring them. Minako didn't know what to do.Should I obey my husband?Or stay home in case your cold gets worse?If you want to keep the child, you have to entrust the neighbor Zhuang Zuo and his wife to take care of it.Minako then asked the other party to wait, and went to the neighbor to knock on the door.The cloaked man held a lantern and looked at her without saying a word. A Fang, the wife of the neighbor Zhuang Zuo, came out to answer the door.Yukishiro is usually loved by Ah Fang.Minako said: I'm so sorry, Ms. Fang.Someone from my family came here and said that my sister-in-law was in critical condition and asked me to rush over. Is it Shanzi's sister-in-law of our family? As Ah Fang spoke, he turned his eyes to the man in the cloak behind Minako. Earlier, this gentleman had already come and took my husband to my home.Now Yukiyo and I are asked to go too, so I guess my sister-in-law must be seriously ill.Originally, I also wanted to carry the child on my back, but Yukishiro was having a fever, so I really didn't know what to do. Bring little Axue there too?Ah Fang immediately opened his mouth and said: How can I do that.Tonight, it's so cold, two miles away, it's not close, how can a child with a fever bear it.I think it's better for you to go by yourself, and Xiao Axue will let me take care of it for you. this is really it does not matter.I will sleep with her.If you wake up, you won't cry with me by your side. At this time, the cloaked man interjected. The gentleman here ordered that the child should also be brought there. It was a low voice, like a soliloquy. After all, I think it is still inappropriate. Ah Fang's voice raised a lot.Then added another sentence: At such a night, do you want little Axue's life? The man seemed unconvinced, but he stopped ringing. There were cries from inside the house. Look, wake up. Kind-hearted Ah Fang went in with Minako. Ah Fang knelt down beside Yukishiro's pillow, patted her head and said: Little Ashe is good.Mom needs to go out for a while. Auntie will come and accompany you.Little Axue is so good. right.Mom will be back soon.Little Axue should sleep at home with her aunt obediently. Seeing that the mother had changed her clothes, the child didn't dare to act like a baby anymore, but he still looked a little bit reluctant. Little Axue is so good.Let's say goodbye to mom. A Fang touched Yukiyo's forehead, and said that the fever had subsided a lot, so he wrapped her in a cotton jacket and hugged her. It's so cold, let's not go out to see mom.Say goodbye right here. Ah Fang stopped at the door holding Yukiyo in his arms. Well, Yukiyo, mom will be back soon, you have to wait obediently.Mom will come back with candy.If she doesn't behave well and has a fever again, Mr. Anxi will come for another injection. Minako stroked the child's forehead and hair.The man with the lantern still stood there, motionless. Sister A Fang, then please. Minako lowered her head.The man in the cloak looked at Yukiyo from under his hood, a little reluctantly.It seemed that he didn't take the child with him, which made him a little unhappy.He turned his back without saying hello to Ah Fang. Minako followed the man along the dark road.It is the same direction as Ichinosuke.Yukiyo, who was held in Ah Fang's arms, kept staring at the lantern flames floating in the black paint ball.That was also the last time the child saw his mother. At about seven o'clock the next day, the bodies of Ichinosuke and Minako were found lying on the embankment path commonly known as the Benkei embankment.The couple were separated by a certain distance, and they were both covered in blood, in a miserable state. According to reports, the police station in T Town came to check, and both of them were stabbed deeply in the abdomen.The fatal wound was a circular stab wound to the throat, which appeared to have been inflicted by the same weapon. Benqing earth embankment is a shortcut from F village to T town. According to legend, the former Yoshitsune (Yoshitsune is the original Yoshitsune (11591189), an ancient Japanese warrior and historical celebrity, and Benqing was a fierce general under his command.) Cong Liang once walked across this embankment, so he was given such a name.Down the embankment is the T River, and on the opposite side of the pine forest there is Chaishanxie.The Anzhaiguan Ruins are not far from here. As for the murder weapon, the police at first thought it seemed to be the first type of thing in ancient times, but later judged it to be an iron rod for digging yams.This kind of iron rod has a pointed end and has been ground.The couple's wounds were both circular, and the tip of the iron rod was inserted, which just fit with the wounds on the stomach and throat. The police started a search, and needless to say, the Honke Ikuta Soemon of T Town stated that he never sent such a person to Ichinosuke's house.All six guys were at home that night.Although Shanzi is still bedridden, her condition has not changed.The person who picked up Ichinosuke was a trick by pretending to be his own guy. This method of murder is too cruel.First of all, I called out Ichinosuke who had just returned home from the Tokurenji lecture, and soon attracted his wife Minako.The man in the cloak is the murderer, there can be no mistake about that.He led Ichinosuke, who was the first to call out, to the bekei embankment heading to T Town and killed him.Then he called out Minako, and when he walked to the same place, he was injured. If the murder weapon was an iron rod for digging yams, then the man who falsely claimed to be his tricker must not have brought it with him when he came to the Ichinosuke's house. He probably hid it in an easy-to-find location near the murder scene.This kind of iron rod is about two meters long, and it is used to kill people, so that they can avoid spraying blood on their bodies. According to research and judgment, the murderer aimed at the victim's throat and gave him a strong stab after he fell to the ground.At this moment, the murderer may have set aside the lantern, aiming at the throat by its light. 3 The murderer was undoubtedly familiar with the situation of the Ikuta family. He knew that Soemon's wife was bedridden with lung disease, and that the Ichinosuke and his wife would give up everything and rush to the family when they heard the notification from the family.The servants of the family are often changed, which is also known to him. What convinced the Ichinosuke and his wife was that there was a swallowtail butterfly's family crest in the circle on the lantern.Now that it is known that this is the Ikuta family's family crest, it means that it is unlikely to be a foreigner.It can be said that when the couple saw the family's pattern, they believed it was sent by the family.The murderer must have seen this as well. It can also be seen that the murderer has a plan, such as calling out Shinosuke and Minako at different times.If the couple are together, they may be resisted by the two, or when attacking the city, Minako may call for help or run away.It is the murderer's brilliance to kill the couple one by one at a time interval. Since both of them died, the police could not correctly judge what words the visitor used to lure Ichinosuke out.However, we can get a rough idea from what Minako told Ah Fang. Those who saw the murderer were neighbor Afang and five-year-old Yukiyo.Yukiyo is still too young, and the only one who can describe the murderer is Fang. He wore a cloak and a deep hood.Standing still like that, it seems to be avoiding the sparks of the lantern in his hand.It's a dark night with snowflakes.Ah Fang didn't see the man's face. The man's voice was low, as if deliberately suppressed.It can also be seen as deliberately covering up the original voice.Talked very little.He looked like he was watching someone from a dark place. The murderer has been trying to trick Yukiyo out as well.Yukiyo was spared only because Ah Fang strongly argued that it would make the cold worse.Otherwise the child must have been murdered along with his parents. The murderer seems to have not spared his five-year-old daughter.His attempt seems to be to kill all of Ikuta Ichinosuke's family.Nothing was stolen.The police began their investigation in the direction of a vendetta. At first, it was thought that the case would be declared solved soon.No physical evidence was left and the murder weapon was never recovered.Three days of fishing in the icy T River were in vain.However, there are quite a few clues left by the murderer. For example: The murderer exposed the fact that he was very familiar with the inside information of the Ikuta family, including the main family and the branch family.Not a bum from outside.According to Ah Fang, he was always wearing a turban and his face was hidden from the flames of the lanterns, which meant that he was known to people nearby.About five feet six inches tall.This is 1.70 meters, which belongs to tall stature. There is also a small prop lantern.Not ordinary, but with the Ikuta family crest.In the circle is the swallowtail butterfly, which is only found in the Ikuta family here.If the murder weapon was an iron rod for digging yams, then that too was something special.Not every household has it. It's inconceivable that such a case would fall into a maze. The County Police Department also sent people over to help investigate the case.There are three ways: one is to find the source of the lantern, the other is to find the whereabouts of the iron rod, and the third is to inquire about people who know the inside story of the Ikuta family and hold hatred for the Ichinosuke couple. The family pattern of the swallowtail butterfly in the circle is only used by Ikuta's family in this area, and it is shared by the main family and the separate families.But only the main family and two branch families have lanterns with this kind of family crest.After investigation, there are five lanterns of this kind in the family, all of which are still there.And there is no trace of being used that night. All five were covered with a layer of dust. The two branches are in different villages, and their lanterns are also stored in warehouses, and there are no traces of recent use, with white dust on the lids and handles. So there is a speculation: did the murderer who is familiar with the situation order the lantern in advance?They investigated the lantern merchants in T Town and the county.It turned out to be nothing.There are very few merchants making lanterns in the whole county.I also went to neighboring counties to check, and there was no lantern merchant with a circle and swallowtail pattern.At this point, the clue of the lantern was interrupted. The second is the iron rod for digging yams. F Village is located where the mountains in the southern part of the county connect to the plains. People in the village often go to dig yams and sell them after autumn.This is true not only for this village, but also for several neighboring villages.In other words, in several nearby villages, digging yams is a common thing, so almost every three farms have a pair of such iron rods. There are about thirty households in F village, twenty in East village, and twenty-five in West village. However, this is just speculation by the police.I am speculating here because there may be other families with iron rods.This is because the matter sounds extremely difficult.It turned out that the villagers were reluctant to tell the investigators which family owned the iron rod. As long as they can find out, the police will go to investigate.When those farmers were questioned by the police, they reluctantly took out the iron rods from the hut behind the house.One end is tapered like a pencil, and the point is ground.According to the investigation by the criminal police, most of the pointed ends are covered with mud, and no bloodstains can be seen.After testing, no blood stain reaction was found. The victim's neighbor, A Fang, also testified that the man who came to pick up the Ichinosuke and his wife was a man wearing a headscarf and a cloak.And the unanimous opinion of the villagers is that no one in the village has such a cloak. The police investigation was extremely difficult.Since the search was focused on vendetta at the beginning, I tried my best to filter out the interaction between Ikuta Ichinosuke and Minako.There is completeness between the couple.Minako's natal family is in a neighboring county. Ten years ago, she got married through a blind date through a matchmaker.She had never dated any other men before marriage, and she was gentle and diligent.She has a fair complexion, which can be considered beautiful, and she has never heard of any cheating behavior in the village. Shinosuke is also a hardworking person.He faithfully guards the ancestral one-acre Xu Tian, ​​and gets along well with his neighbors.I like to drink a few glasses of wine, but I never drink too much, and my relationship with the opposite sex is also innocent.In addition to the farmland and housing, the farmer's association also has a deposit of 1.5 million yuan.no debt.He is very gentle, and he has never fought with anyone, so it is impossible to complain. In short, the police were unable to discover any cause that would have caused the couple to suffer a tragic fate together.It can be said that they are ordinary and ordinary farmers. The police focused most on the relationship between the Ikuta family and the Ichinosuke branch.In the countryside, the main family and the branch family are blood relatives, and there may be internal disputes that others cannot see.Such examples are very common in the world. However, the head of the family, Soemon, has three heirs, all of whom are married.The eldest son of the future Chengyou is already forty years old.Although Zongemon has a lot of capital, but since the heir has been determined, it is impossible for the separated family to rob the family's property.The branches also get along well with each other.Even if the main family was a problem in this case, at best it was used by the mysterious man as an excuse to call out the Ichinosuke couple, and had nothing to do with the case itself. However, how much truth is there in the circumstances of the Ichinosuke and his wife that the police searched?The villagers were tight-lipped about the investigators' inquiries.You should even be familiar with the police officers stationed in the village. The case-handling center said that the families in the village had limited knowledge.Things related to the villagers usually become rumors, but there is no unpleasant ups and downs in this village.The police stationed in this village also said that every time they investigate something, they will encounter this kind of wall from the villagers. The villagers are all ardent believers. It turns out that Kaga and Echizen (both are ancient place names.) Since the founding ancestor Shinluan visited the tin, they have become strong disciples of Yixiang (Shinzong is also called Yixiangzong). The lords go to war.This sense of solidarity from religious beliefs, or the sense of community of destiny, seems to dominate the villages in this area until now. On the day of the incident, Shinosuke was picking wheat in the garden until evening.His wife Minako has been staying at home because her child Yukiyo has a cold.At four o'clock in the afternoon, Ichinosuke went to Tokurenji Temple to attend the final meeting of the Bounty Lecture.Dinner is invited by the temple.The dinner party was a total of seven representatives of believers.The temple side was received by the abbot Nogami Huihai and the hospital representative Shinonen. Hui Hai is fifty years old this year.I have been the abbot of this temple for more than ten years.Yuandai Zhendian has only been here for about three years.There are also two young monks.The abbot is unmarried, so whenever there is such a thing, the women in the village go to the temple to help.There were also five or six women in the kitchen on this day, but Minako did not attend because her child had a cold. The monastery attaches great importance to the representatives of the believers, so a lot of dishes were cooked on this day, and the abbot and the representative of the hospital were even more hospitable.Both were drunk.It was eight o'clock after the banquet, and Ichinosuke went home immediately.All this, no matter how clear the investigation is, will not help the case. The police, who thought they could easily solve the case, finally failed to grasp any clues and fell into a maze.The search center established in the department had to be abolished after fifty days of desperate efforts. 4 Thirteen years have passed. Yukiyo is eighteen years old and lives in Fukuoka, Kyushu. Since the child lost both parents at once, the main family and several branch families expressed their willingness to adopt, but they also each have many children.Of course, having one more Yukiyo wouldn't affect their lives, but from the perspective of family harmony, they were somewhat hesitant. Fukuoka is a branch of the second daughter-in-law's natal family. They are in the pancake business and make pancakes for wholesale.The pancakes are made into the shape of Hakata (place name, in Fukuoka.) Opera mask, which is a famous product of this place.This natal family has no children except for the daughter married to the Ikuta family. Yukiyo was loved and raised.From elementary school to middle school, high school, and this year, she entered a women's university.It is a former women's college, and it is a well-known university in the local area.Yukiyo ranked first in the exam every year until he graduated from high school. During this period, she only went back to her hometown of Hokuriku twice, and once after going to Fukuoka for one year and four years later, both of which were still young.She lives in this house, and only stays for two nights at a time.She couldn't like her hometown. She had also heard the tragedy of her parents.She was five years old at the time and knew little about human affairs.How her parents died, if no one told her, she would still feel something in her innocent heart.After the parents disappeared, many uncles and uncles often came and went in and out of the house, including the police.When everyone who came saw her, they would say that the child was too pitiful, and she also heard the neighbor's Aunt Fang tell those guests what happened that night.Aunt E Fang's words were all the same, and she even boasted: If I hadn't kept her here, the child would have been killed too. The correct story of the incident was heard from her adoptive father when she was sixteen two years ago.It was Yukiyo who told her. It's strange that the murderer was not caught in the end.If that person is still there, he is somewhere in Japan right now, living his life as if nothing had happened. After the adoptive father explained in detail, he added this sentence. No matter where the murderer lived, Yukiyo didn't feel any hatred.It was something that happened when she was a child, and it didn't feel real to her at all.Maybe it's because there are only faint memories left of the days spent with my parents.Instead, the murderer was still alive somewhere in Japan, and that was what made her feel strange.The adoptive father said that the murderer was a tall man, wearing a cloak and a turban, and carrying a lantern with a family pattern on a snowy night, and took the father and mother out separately.After hearing these words, Yukiyo felt that the tall man who had been a guide for his parents on their journey to death appeared in his mind like a mysterious character in a Nordic fairy tale. That man is still alive somewhere in Japan.She didn't know where he was, and she didn't understand his face, which made her feel that he was simply an evil spirit. In the autumn of that year, Ikuta Soemon of the main family passed away at the age of seventy-three.Yukiyo didn't want to go, but because the adoptive parents thought it was related to the family, they should go to show their faces, so they had to go back to F village again.Nine years have passed since I returned home last time. Soemon's funeral has already been done.Yukiyo only has a vague memory of the old man, and cannot clearly figure out his appearance.His wife Sugiko has been dead for ten years.Yukiyo lived in the branch house where the daughter of her adoptive parents married.The old home where she lived until she was five years old has long changed hands and has been remodeled.Neighbor Ah Fang also passed away three years ago. It's been a long time since I came back, so the branch family said, and asked Tokurenji Temple to make an offering for Yukiyo's deceased parents.The spiritual seats of the parents are on the Buddhist altar of this branch family. At around two o'clock in the afternoon, a black-clothed monk in his fifties came from Tokurenji Temple, carrying a bag in his hand. Alas, it's all so big.Became a good girl.I just met on the road and didn't know each other.No wonder we are all so old. The monk looked at her steadily while drinking tea and said.This person is the abbot Zhendian of Delian Temple. While the abbot was changing into his cassock in another room, the elders of the family told Yukiyo. When your parents passed away, this monk Zhendian was still the representative of the hospital.Hui Hai, who was the abbot at that time, died eight years ago, and this person became the abbot later. After hearing this, Yukiyo remembered.Parents were killed, it was the eighth day of the repayment lecture.That night, my father had dinner with other people at Tokurenji Temple and returned home around eight o'clock.It is said that because he is a representative of the believers, the abbot and the hospital representative frequently persuaded him to drink and treated him very attentively.That is to say, Monk Zhendian, who was still the representative of the academy at that time, was the one who entertained his father in the temple.While thinking about what her adoptive father in Kyushu told her, Yukiyo stared at the back of the head of the abbot in a golden cassock who was chanting sutras.He is slightly shorter than Yukiyo.He recited the scriptures very carefully, and it took a full hour and a half. After the offering was over, the abbot interrupted him and drank some wine.It seems that he didn't want to make Yukiyo sad, so he never mentioned the matter of his parents.About forty minutes later, I left with the bag wrapped in cassock. After the abbot left, the old man had a drink with his 43-year-old son. When Zhendian was still in charge of the hospital, there were often rumors about women, but now that he is older, he has finally become a good old man. The son didn't want to say anything, but suddenly remembered that Yukiyo was by his side, so he kept silent again.The old man stopped ringing. The next day, Yukiyo and his daughter-in-law rode bicycles to Shibayamagashi to play.The road is a newly built county road, and the path on the embankment has been abandoned and covered with yellow grass.This is the Benkei embankment where Yukishiro's parents were brutally murdered, but the daughter-in-law didn't tell her. In autumn, the lake water in the Hokuriku region is quietly admiring the cold color.The pine forests on both sides of the river are occasionally dotted with the only remaining red leaves, and only the tops of the miscellaneous forests are left, and the gaps between the trees seem to be wider.There are withered reeds beside the water, but the water shadow does not move. Ah, it's the abbot of Tokurenji Temple, walking there. The thirty-eight-year-old daughter-in-law raised her finger. Although it is a lake, it is as narrow as a river, and the opposite bank is very close.There is a way there too.The monk in black walked there alone with his face slightly bowed.It is the scriptures that I chanted yesterday. The other party didn't notice anyone here.A short figure moved on the water.It was a dark and cloudy day, and in the yellowish-brown chilly landscape, the lonely black figure of the monk moved away so small. Seeing this scene, Yukiyo seemed to have seen the same scene in a dream in the distant past. 5 Another five years passed. Yukiyo fell in love and got married.Her husband is a bank clerk, and his home is in a Rinzai sect monastery in a rural town in Saga Prefecture.He is the third child in the temple, so he came to her to marry him. After marriage, he took him three times to his husband's house, which is a two-hour train ride away from Fukuoka.It is an old town, some distance away from the newly built national road, the old road is winding and the streets are long and narrow.On either side stood low houses with latticed doors.Under the eaves and in the atrium that can be seen from the outside, there are thin noodles hanging like a waterfall.This is a famous producing area of ​​noodles. At the sharp turn of the old road, a tall building towering like a giant ginkgo banner is the hometown of Shinyoji's husband. The father-in-law is the abbot, with a broad body and looks a little chunky.There are two young monks in the temple, plus a young monk.Nearby, it is an ancient Linji Buddhist temple. The eldest son, who disliked being a monk, ran a pastry maker in a nearby town.My father-in-law is sixty-five years old, and he is a cheerful and nice man. The main hall is quite large, and the cemetery behind the temple is also spacious.There is that big ginkgo tree in the temple garden, and there are small ones in the cemetery, all of which are parked with white birds like crows.People here call it the North Korean Crow, a kind of magpie.For Yukiyo, who was born in Hokuriku, the father-in-law talked about the local history and geography of this area. In the third year after their marriage, they returned to their husband's house where they had not seen for a long time, and it happened that the funeral was going on in the temple.Yukiyo had been back several times, but this was the first time he had encountered a funeral. The tutor of Linji sect is very solemnly dressed.Wearing a tall golden brocade hat on his head, wearing a purple robe and cassock also of golden silk brocade, holding a whisk in his hand, he sits on a black lacquered chair inlaid with shells.Yukiyo stood far away in the temple courtyard, watching the rituals going on in the main hall. After a while, the abbot got up and walked to the coffin. Hey, Dad looks so tall in the past. Yukiyo said to her husband beside her. Well, maybe it's because of the hat. The husband also looked at the hall from there and answered. Does Buddhism also call it a hat? Yes, in the early Meiji era, Xia Bo came from abroad, but there was no proper word to translate, so we had to borrow a Zen word called hat. (⑥French Chapeau error.) I know a lot. I heard it from my dad.That hat must be fifteen or six centimeters high.My short dad got taller and bigger when he put it on. The husband smiled silently. Old monks, why are they all short?Yukiyo thought.That's because she remembered the scriptures of the abbot of Tokurenji Temple who came to the branch family in the countryside of Hokuriku seven years ago to chant sutras.Although he was not old, he was short in stature.It's probably been like that since I was young.Her eyes reflected the true story of the short man walking on the other side of the Chaishan River in the bleak autumn day.The background is a gloomy sky, so it looks dwarfed even more. However, for some reason, Yukiyo always felt that Manenori's figure had been seen earlier, even when he was a child.When Shiba Shanxie saw it, he also felt it suddenly, but that time it was very vague.Maybe it's a dream? If the monk Shinden of Tokurenji also wore a hat like his father-in-law, he might look taller.But Delian Temple is the real sect.Shinzong doesn't wear that kind of hat. The next morning, Yukiyo came to her father-in-law's room.At this time, the father-in-law put the white wood spirit tablet on the table, next to it was an inkstone box, and was flipping the pages of Buddhist scriptures. In the morning, a new Buddha⑦ appeared in a nearby village, and a precept had to be given for him. (⑦The Japanese call the dead a Buddha.) The father-in-law explained so. Let me sharpen the ink for you. Excuse me please excuse me. As expected of an ancient temple, the inkstone is large and beautiful.While the abbot was thinking about his name, Yukiyo picked up the big ink stick and began to sharpen it.It must be a high-quality inkstone, it seems to be able to absorb ink sticks. all right. The father-in-law seemed to have made up his mind, picked up the pen, and dipped the nib in the freshly ground ink.On the Baimu Spirit Tablet, there were big black and beautiful handwriting, and in the lacquer-like ink color, there was a fragrance of ink gradually rising.It seems that the ink has not been polished for many years, Yukiyo finds it very strange. So is there another way? Um.Some patients died, and they always died one after another. The father-in-law seems to like being busy. It was a two-day vacation, so Yukiyo decided to stay with her husband for another night. In a small country town like this, there is simply nowhere to go.傍晚時分出去散步，沒多久就沒地方可走，只好回到寺裡。在進堂屋前，先到後面的墓地逛逛。過了矮牆上的門，馬上就是墓地了。天色陰暗處，在黑色墓碑邊有兩隻燈籠懸在半空中。她覺得陰森恐怖，可是丈夫在身邊，他的家又是佛寺，實在無法開口說心裡怕了，還是回去吧。而這時丈夫已經走過點上了火的燈籠前面了。 那兩隻燈籠吊在墓兩側的竹桿上，燈光淡淡地照出墓前的花和一些糖果等供物。是座新墳。 好像剛做好的呢，所以才有供養。 丈夫教雪代拜。雪代做了做合十的樣子，卻仍躲在他背後看，還是覺得不大舒服。 圓形的燈籠，是便宜貨，只糊著白紙。風雨來了，馬上就破了也無妨。白紙上沒有寫字，光是亮著燈火，令人聯想幽冥界。 白紙糊的，看了不大好受呢。 丈夫似乎也有同樣的感受，這麼說了以後又半開玩笑似地低語。 老爸該在上面寫點什麼才是。光一個字，也一定不一樣的。 寫了字，也還是叫人不好受吧。 雪代老實地說出自己的想法。 can you?Well, maybe.那就畫家紋吧。畫上家紋，一定不壞。 丈夫說著笑了笑。 後來，雪代忽然想到了什麼，幾乎叫出來。那是夜裡躺進床裡以後，因為久久不能入眠，便聽著丈夫輕輕的氣息想這想那。丈夫說的那句話，驀地裡在耳朵復甦過來。 燈籠上畫家紋 五歲的時候，來接雙親的兇手，提的是畫上圓圈裡有鳳蝶的生田家家紋的圓形燈籠。據養父說，警方把本家和分家全部搜索過，他們的燈籠都未動過，數目也足。 但是，今晚她已經看到墓地裡吊著白紙糊的燈籠。是為了供養的，所以隨時破了也無所謂的廉價品。德蓮寺的墓地不是也可能有供養的白紙燈籠嗎？警方大概不會發覺墓地還有這種東西。 和這所佛寺一樣，德蓮寺也有硯臺。和尚可以在燈上畫圓圈加鳳蝶。即令畫得不高明，要騙過因本家的病人病情突變而慌張的人的眼睛，該不會是難事。 兇手說不定也是個矮個子的人。他披了斗篷，戴上頭巾。那種斗篷的頭巾是三角形的。如果在頭上擱上某種東西，再從上面戴上頭巾，那尖頭便會豎起來，這在鄰居阿房嬸嬸看來，便成了一個高個子的人了。正如矮個子的公公戴上金絲錦帽後，昂藏高大，判若兩人。據說那帽子有十五、六公分高，斗篷的頭巾該也有那麼高吧。遮掩住額角的部分不算，至少也有十公分以上。 兇案發生的那個晚上，是德蓮寺裡的報恩講最後一晚，住持小僧都因接待信徒代表，累了一整天，熟睡了。在這樣的當兒，院代偷偷地開溜，該不會有人察覺。住持惠海還喝醉了酒。 雪代想起了鄉下分家的老人不小心說的一句話： 如今真典和尚也老了，年輕時還為了女人 這該是指他還是院代時的事吧。 就在這時，夢境裡的情景那麼突然地浮現出來，雪代被母親背著，走在一條不知是哪裡的路上。母親身邊，是一個不是父親的男子，微俯著胸前走著。那人和母親靠得緊緊的。也是晚上，有遠遠的人家燈光。是野地裡的路呢。 那是夢呢？還是現實裡的事？ 據說，那地方的人們對警方人員的詢問，都沉默寡言，而且守口如瓶。挖掘山芋的鐵棒，除了警方搜查過的以外，可能另外還有人吧。 雪代定定地凝望著黝暗的天花板上爬著一般的粗大樑，久久、久久的。