Chapter 10 9. Memories of the Bay

1 The autumn sun shone in strips of reflection on the bay.Although it is a bay here, but because it is deep and narrow, looking at the other side from here, the bay looks like a vast river.Also like a narrow channel. On the opposite bank are several featureless mountains of the same height, lined up in horizontal rows.There are forests and terraced gardens.There are many terraced gardens on this side of Qiulu.Such a landscape is not uncommon in the Seto Inland Sea. However, this kind of terraced garden has become the object of sightseeing recently.There is also a large hotel built in the depths of the bay, that is, on the right side of the opposite bank, and it is almost disproportionately large.There are seven hotels, and two more are under construction.There are also three small ones here.

This was originally an ancient port.From the Nara Dynasty era (710︱784.) It has been famous as a port where ships come and go.In the Muromachi period (1338︱1573, also known as the Ashikaga period.) It became a port for prostitutes, and it was also sung in the song of the prisoner. Since it lost its function as a port very early on, the streets and roads were also half abandoned, but since five or six years ago, it has also been affected by the aftermath of the tourist whirlwind.Just because it is a port with a history and a seaport in ancient poetry, it has become a must-visit place for a trip to the Seto Inland Sea.You need to transfer from the Sanyo main line to the branch line to get here. The traffic is a bit inconvenient, but since it is for fun, it is not a pain to take a detour.There are large and small islands in the sea, scattered all over the sea, and the scenery is not bad.There are also boats from the county seat about 20 kilometers away.On the streets, there are still remnants of brothels with a rich flavor of the Edo period (1603︱1867, that is, the Tokugawa period.).

This side of the bay, by the sea, is the pine forest in which I am standing.At one end, the land is slightly raised, and there is a stone statue of Ksitigarbha.According to legend, in the past, the overnight guests who could not forget to leave by boat, the wandering girls sent here to wave their long sleeves.Even such a thing has become one of the tourism problems. Akiko and I have been standing here for thirty minutes.On the other side of the coast, like across a strait, there is not a single house in sight.Only the whitened road lay at the foot of the mountain like a cotton thread.On the road, occasionally cars and trucks can be seen passing by.

There is a cluster of houses on the left, which is a village called Amitabha Temple.The roof of that temple is also visible in the distance.On the right, in the direction of the ancient port deep in the bay, there are also twelve or three small houses.It was a small settlement called Ma Tian.About three kilometers away from Matian is the port.From here, the end of the town can only be vaguely seen. There are no houses between Amitabha Temple and Matian.This section is directly opposite Akiko and I standing side by side.Although there are no houses, the terraced gardens and forests on the hills can be seen clearly.

It's called Tiannopu.The reason for the place name is that there used to be small tribes there. I didn't say that while looking at a map.Even a detailed map would not have the names of these small tribes.My map is the memory drawn in my mind forty-three or four years ago.To put it another way: the Tianyepu Tribe, which is directly opposite and has no houses, is the place where I was born. Haven't been here for ten years.The last time I was just passing by during my trip, I stayed for less than two hours before leaving again.This time, he and Akiko are planning to stay here for one night.

It is Akiko's wish to see the place where I was born.I have no hometown.Not only the hometown where I was born, but also all the neighbors in the vicinity disappeared.All that remains are ruins.Such ruins were also buried under the later widened road. My wife Haruko never asked me to bring her here.I told her that there was nothing to see when I went there, and she lost interest.After twenty years of marriage, she has never cared about this place.However, my sister-in-law Akiko is different.Ever since he got in touch with me, he enthusiastically expressed his wish to see my abandoned hometown.Although they are siblings, they seem to have very different personalities.Chunzi has no emotions at all, but Akiko is romantic.

Brother-in-law was born in such a place? Akiko stood by my side, looking at me endlessly and said. Such a place is really boring, isn't it? I said. No way.great.What a treat. Akiko was still staring straight ahead.The mountain shadow is reflected on the bay, and the white stone revetment forms a line, dividing the upper and lower parts into two.A car painted red drove slowly. Thinking of my brother-in-law who was born here and lived there until he was six years old, I really wish I could imprint this scenery into my eyes. I don't miss it much.Thinking of being born in such a place, I feel so disgusted.

However, it left a deeper impression on me than any other place. Chunzi was not interested at all. That's because you said this is a boring place.My sister has such a temper. When Chunzi was mentioned, Akiko's voice became softer.It seems to want to say: I am different from my sister.My sister is more realistic.The two sisters have had different personalities since they were young, and that's what people say about them.Akiko is clearly saying: My sister is not interested in her husband's birthplace, but I feel endless love for my lover's birthplace.But at this moment, she thought that she was the one who betrayed her sister, and she lowered her head slightly.

Her eyes are similar to Chunzi's, but the eyelids are much younger.Eight years ago, Haruko must have been as shiny as this.Others look quite different. Yo, there is something like a small temple over there. As if wanting to change the mood, Akiko stretched out her finger to the right vigorously.A little lower in the middle of the mountain, there are small roofs and small gates looming in the woods.Stone steps are also seen. That's Inari Shrine (Inari is the god of grain.).The stone steps are very long, I remember there are fifty steps.When I was a child, I was often held by my mother and climbed up level by level.

Nothing has changed.The branches of the bushes next to the narrow stone steps were as before.There are moss growing on the ancient stone slabs, and the slabs are cracked everywhere, and some are inclined, so it is a bit dangerous to come down.His mother protected him step by step.Auntie too. I wish I could see my mother. Akiko said breathlessly.The sun shines on those red lips.That skin doesn't look like thirty-six years old, it's so young. My mother passed away when I was twenty-two.Father lived five years longer.After leaving Tanoura, I traveled to many places, and finally I ended up in Tokyo, so neither Haruko nor Akiko knew my parents.

I really hope that seeing my mother, Akiko, will say it so earnestly, and it is also because of this relationship with me.Akiko often said that as long as it was about me, she wanted to know. Look, there are three pine trees over there.On the side of the road not far from Inari Shrine.Brother-in-law, did you also have it when you were a child? Akiko raised her finger again.The sun was shining brightly on the coast, making her narrow her eyes. Um.I still remember it.Mother seems to call it Sangensong. It turned out to be so old. It was so old back then.After the pine tree has grown up, it seems that forty years have passed, and it seems that it has not changed at all. I have a vague memory about Sangensong.It's dark, like a faint memory in a dream.In order to wait for my father to come back, I ran to the vicinity of Sangensong without telling my mother.I think it was my father who went to the port.And it was very much like the evening hours. At first glance, the three pines seem to be forked at the root, extending their branches to the side of the road.I saw just below it, my father and aunt walked in together.When my father saw me at the age of five, he was taken aback and scolded me, "What are you doing here?" !My aunt hurried over and hugged me.I am an only child. Although my mother loves me, my aunt seems to love me even more.But this aunt didn't live in my house for long. Not only your house, but even other people's houses have not been rebuilt, so why?Akiko asked. There are only seven or eight households.And they are small houses.Thinking about it now, it seems that it was because there was a plan to open a new road at that time.Coincidentally, there was a fire alarm, so I took this opportunity to move. I looked at the previous explanation.There is a bare cliff in the middle of the mountain on the front.That is the sign of Tianoura, just in front of my house. I heard Huoshou is next door, right? Well, it's Katayama's family.They were all small houses, and everyone was crowded together, so they all burned down in one fell swoop.Mother said it was a windy night. You must be freaking out.Remember, brother-in-law? I remember being carried away by my mother.The back is red. very scary. Akiko stared at a place on the opposite bank with horror.A small figure was walking. 2 Forty-two, the fire alarm three years ago happened at the end of autumn. The Katayama House in Huoshou is a small restaurant opened for passers-by, maybe it should be called a noodle stall.There is a saying that the candle is not careful.It was burned in the middle of the night. After we burned out, my parents took me to a friend's house in the harbor.At that time, the aunt was no longer together. I vaguely remember asking my mother where my aunt went?My mother seemed to say that she had gone to North Korea, but I don't know how long before the fire alarm.The memory of when I was five or six years old is very vague and fragmented. Speaking of fragments, Auntie seems to have lived at our Tannoura house for a while.It was only later that I heard that my uncle was a policeman and was transferred to North Korea.Because I went to work alone, I let my wife live with her sister's house, which is my mother's house.This aunt also went to North Korea later, but died soon after.This is what my mother told me. I can't remember what my aunt looks like at all.It is said that she is prettier and taller than my mother.Speaking of this, it seems that the appearance of the aunt is still in the eyes.However, maybe after hearing this, the shadow appeared in the fundus of the eyes. Auntie loves me so much.That might have been due to being a sojourner with me, but I do remember her playing with me a lot.In my memory, she carried me to see the coast, and she also led me to walk nearby.The strange thing is that the memories of mother and aunt can still be clearly distinguished up to now. Uncle still has a slight impression.A big man with a tuft of beard.Later I heard that he was promoted to the chief of the bureau in North Korea. I think I saw him when he sent my aunt to my house.My father moved slowly, but my uncle was lively and rhythmic, just like a police officer.This is also the impression formed by the words I heard from my parents, but it is not completely memoryless. Even so, in my memory, my aunt still has a vivid impression preserved without relying on the words of my parents.Rather than saying that this is the impression of my aunt, it seems to be more of a scene. At the back of the house, the room facing the bay has about six seats, where my father and aunt are.Looking from my side, my father turned his back to me, and my aunt was sideways.The two are talking.I remember I was playing around by myself.So the mother was not there. Then suddenly, my father raised his fist and hit Auntie.At first, I didn't know it was playing.I haven't seen the meaning of that action yet.No matter what, my father just turned his back to me, knelt and dragged my aunt.Auntie was lying on the tatami, her hair was messed up.That long hair.It stays vividly in my eyes. At that time, women all wore their hair in a bun, and those who didn't had a comb rolled up on the back of their heads.My aunt wears a Japanese bun, and my mother seems to have it too.Although I can't remember the face, I can remember the hair and figure. Now that I think about it, I know that when my aunt was beaten by her father, her long hair immediately became messy, probably because she didn't wear her hair in a bun at that time.The blurry image in my memory is my aunt crouching to bear his father's fist, letting the big black hair flow from her shoulders on the tatami.In this way, maybe the auntie happened to be combing her hair.This point is very vague.Before this, the two seemed to be talking, and it seemed that the aunt turned her back to her father, combing her hair while talking to her father. At that time, what my aunt said, of course I can't remember.It seems that the father stood up suddenly and looked at the aunt from above.Or, the father rushes to nurse the aunt.That's because Auntie's head is bleeding. I was thinking that the reason for the impression of blood is that when I was a child, I slipped and slipped down when I was climbing the back mountain, and my foot was injured and bled. The fear at that time is always unforgettable.At this moment, Akiko and I stood looking at the bare place in the front of the mountain, and that was where I was injured.To this day, the scar from that time still remains on the knee.Only that piece of skin is smooth. Because of this, I remember so clearly that the aunt with disheveled hair was bleeding.What happened after that, I have no idea.As long as the mother is not present, it cannot be wrong.It happened while the surroundings were unusually quiet. Not long after that.Auntie sleeps on the second floor. Not only my aunt was sleeping, but my mother was going up and down the narrow stairs, so I thought it was not an ordinary situation.There is an alloy basin next to my aunt's pillow.Because the basin is shiny, I feel so rare.It was placed on the old newspaper next to my aunt's pillow on the second floor, and there were heavy towels in it. I thought it was my aunt who was sick.I must have asked my mother.I can't remember how my mother answered.But remember the following words: Don't tell people that Auntie is sick.If you say so, the police will come and arrest your father. I looked down from the second floor window.I think it's because I want to see if there are any policemen among the people passing by.I do not quite understand.All of this is a memory without light or color, in a blurred twilight. In addition, there are also fragments about the aunt. There is a place famous for cherry blossoms in the port about one mile away from Tanohura.It is the grounds of the shrine.This shrine is also very old, and there are worships in the spring flower season. I was taken by my father to watch the excitement.I remember my father putting me in a railroad carriage, so it must have been about five or six years old.That time, my mother didn't go with me.When saying goodbye, there is a lively market.Pancakes baked with idols are a specialty here.At that time, for some unknown reason, my father asked me to go home first on the way.It was someone who happened to meet Noo and entrusted me. Dad has something to do, so go back obediently. My father seemed to be saying such things, coaxing me who was about to cry. I was taken by neighbors, rode in a railroad carriage, and went home.When my mother saw me coming back, she said: Hey, this kid, why did you come back by yourself first? Then he asked his father what happened. Dad said something happened and asked me to come back first. I think I am extremely wronged to say such things.Of course I can't remember what my mother was like at that time.But, thinking about it at this moment, maybe my mother's eyes are piercing.Auntie is not at home. I don't know if my father met my aunt somewhere in the street after he sent me back.When I got home, my aunt was indeed not at home.This is because my aunt loves me so much, knowing that I will come back from my trip, she will definitely come to me. Whether this incident happened before or after my aunt got sick, I don't understand either.It seems that it was a long time ago when the father got angry and beat the aunt, and it also seemed a long time later.I can't make sense of the chronological order of these things at all.The fragments I can remember are fragmented. One more thing is this. It was after a fire alarm and moved to a friend's house on the street.There, even young children can feel that it is a narrow and untidy home.In the house, various people often come and go to see my parents.It was because of the fire, everyone came to express their condolences.I remember that it was also after that period of time. Once, my parents were not at home for two consecutive days. This is because I remember my mother begging the landlady's children to play with me, and I also spent two sad days with the children I didn't know well.I am an only child, and I have never lived without my parents. The feeling of loneliness left a deep impression on me. That incident made me feel strange until a long, long time later.Where have father and mother been for two days?But I never asked about them.Not only that, the scene where my aunt was beaten by my father always gave me a sense of mystery, so that I never asked them about the memory of my aunt. When I grew up, I did ask my parents about some vague memories of my childhood, but this was the only point I was too shy to mention. 3 A boat came into the bay.The monotonous sound of the engine rippling on the water.There was a faint echo on the opposite mountain and the hills by the sea.On the boat, the woman is at the helm, and the man is busy back and forth on the side of the ship. There is such a life too. Mingzi watched the boat sail slowly past, and said as if talking to himself.The reddish sun shone on the waves the boat had thrown up.I don't know when, the shadow of the sun gradually slanted. Akiko is envious of the boatman and his wife.That was in comparison with herself.I am silent.I'd better not say more.Having said that, I don't know what trouble it will cause.Akiko's feelings are too rich, if she starts to cry in such a place, it will be difficult to handle.I would rather see her and I as a quiet couple in the eyes of others. Almost ready to go back to the hostel. Um Akiko followed obediently.Maybe I'm tired after standing for so long.Because I thought a lot about it, I didn't know what to do.But I didn't reveal anything to Akiko. The hotel is in the pine forest.Surrounded by a wooden fence.It blocks the view from the outside and also acts as a windbreak.But it seems like you can go anywhere.After nightfall, there was no one around. I'm home. The maid greets you at the entrance. We are back. It was Akiko who responded.I turned my face away.The maid took us to a room in another building next to the house.There were two small rooms there, and one was empty.The maid unlocked the lattice door.The ground below is sandy, and your shoes will sink if you walk on it.Those shoe marks worry me. The maid said the bathroom was ready.Ming Zi spoke one-to-one.It's a clear voice.I picked up the newspaper I read before going out and spread it out in front of my eyes. After the maid left, Akiko came over. Brother-in-law, why do you keep silent? Um. The maid seems to think you are angry, so be careful. That's not quite right, he thought.You can't give the maid that impression.He should be an ordinary, featureless man. I embraced Akiko's face.Because he stood outside for a long time, his hair was slightly messed up.Hair smells like sea tide. There is a brown valuables bag on the table, plus a piece of paper for the lodger registration book. What name should I write? Akiko glanced at it and asked in confusion. yes It's not that I didn't think of a pseudonym, but I changed my mind. It doesn't matter if you don't write it. If you write, you will leave your handwriting.I also don't want Akiko to write. Why?Shouldn't it be written according to the regulations?The police will make trouble. Akiko said with rounded eyes. It's just a form.The police won't be too strict I really didn't want to mention the word police, so I quickly added: Just say forget it.The hotel also avoids being charged an extra tax.I don't think they will come to urge us to write. Forget it. Akiko seemed to be relieved now. I don't know if my statement is correct, but if the hotel comes and asks to write it, then I will presume to write it tomorrow.It's just that if something happens and the passengers don't register, they will inevitably suffer an official blow. When the two came back from the shower, dinner was already set in the room.It was already dark outside. I raised my glass to Akiko.Akiko didn't seem to care. The maid cleared the table and made the bedding.During this time, Akiko and I were sitting in a chair on the porch.The maid said good night and left without mentioning the registration. I almost got up to follow, but resigned.I wanted to pay the accommodation fee first, but felt that it would be unnatural.Maybe the people in the hotel will be suspicious. what's the matter with you nothing. so tired.Feeling quite nervous, or fell into a deep sleep.I woke up suddenly, because there seemed to be a bright red flower in my eyelids. The room was dark.The lamp next to the pillow gave off a faint light.Akiko beside her was sleeping deeply.The lips are slightly parted, probably because of fatigue. He raised his left hand and looked at the watch by the light of the desk lamp, it was just past one o'clock.It's still early, I thought. If you want to smoke, you are free.I don't want the sound of striking matches to wake up Akiko.I looked up at the dark ceiling.What happened to the big red flower just now?Is it an illusion?It's not like a dream. Standing side by side with Akiko and looking at the scenery of Tanohura, appeared in my mind for no reason.That is the hometown of my birth that has left no trace today.I remembered the flames when I was run away on my mother's back.Is the red light reflected on the eyelids just because the past events told to Akiko during the day still remain on the meninges? Akiko next to her was snoring slightly.It's a real snore.I almost have to get moving. At this moment, the past events in my memory suddenly established order.A ray of light illuminates the vast world, like a childhood memory in the evening scene. The father beat the aunt when the mother was away, maybe because of a quarrel.That quarrel, this moment seems to understand its meaning.Could it be that my aunt wanted to break off her relationship with her father and go to North Korea, where her uncle lived?It may also be that her uncle urged her to return to North Korea as soon as possible.In any case, the father became angry because of this, so he beat the aunt.The father beat me so hard that my aunt's head was bleeding. It was before that when I saw my father's aunt at Sangensong.During the Cherry Blossom Festival on the street, my father asked me to go home alone, before beating my aunt. I don't know how long my aunt has been lying upstairs.Thinking about it now, it may be quite a long time.In my dreamlike memories, there are only the woman's long hair flowing on the pillow, and the towel sinking in the alloy basin. Don't tell people that your aunt is sick.If you say so, the police will arrest Dad. My mother told me so.Seeing that the aunt's head was broken, the mother must have noticed the relationship between the father and the aunt.Of course, my mother had suspected it for a long time.However, because the aunt was injured, the mother fell to the father's side.Not only worried about the police, but maybe the mother also felt triumphant because the father injured his lover.No mistake, before that, my mother hated my aunt. It just so happened that my uncle in North Korea came to urge my aunt to go to North Korea.Her injury has not healed and she cannot get out of bed.If she is forced to go to North Korea, things will be revealed.Her husband was a police officer, and the father didn't know what kind of revenge he would receive from his brother-in-law.Maybe he divorced his wife and put his father in prison for adultery. Father is a cautious man.This point, I grew up very clear.But he is vulnerable to authority. The fire that started at the neighboring Katayama restaurant might not have been caused by a careless fire in the store.Could it be that someone set the fire? After that, I never saw my aunt again.I have no memory of when I went to North Korea.When my aunt passed away in North Korea, I have no way of knowing. Did Auntie lie on the second floor of my old house in Tianyepu and burnt to death in that fire?I always feel like it must be.However, she was not lying down and unable to move, so how could such a person be burned to death.Is there an artificial reason for the inability to escape?Lying in bed sick, just by saying that, people would agree that she was one step ahead of her. So after the fire alarm, I moved to a friend's house on the street, and my parents left me to go out for two days, so what happened?There are two possibilities for this, one is to accept police interrogation.The other is which temple I did the funeral for my aunt, probably the nearby Amitabha Temple, so I couldn't come back.Then, both things were dismissed. I started to make moves on Akiko.Dad, I said in my heart: what you have done, my son will do it too.My wife is also preparing an alibi for me, in order to protect me from the passionate Akiko just as my mother helped my father.