Chapter 9 9. Go to Sado

one Ginkgo leaves have turned yellow, as can be seen from the window of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Search Division.These ginkgo trees are neatly arranged in the narrow courtyard of the District Prosecutor's Office, just like the shade trees on both sides of the road. The trees are so tall that the top branches cannot be seen even from the third floor.Due to the change of light during the day, one side of the ginkgo tree faces the sun in the morning, and the shade side shines in the evening.Most of the tree is still green, but the leaves have fallen a lot.The edges of the leaves turned brown before they fell.

Takao Onogi, who was transferred to the Special Investigation Department, stared at the ginkgo trees and thought about the mountains of Shinshu.In order to visit ancient ruins, Onogi traveled to many places in Shinshu.Seeing the yellow leaves of ginkgo, he remembered many autumn colors in the mountains.These mountains include Suwa and Ina. The mountains of Lower Suwa are distributed around Lake Suwa, and the slope on the side facing the lake is very gentle.Onogi was thinking that the field where pear blossoms had bloomed had probably turned yellow. When I slept in the ancient hut, it was still the season when the wheat seedlings were green.And now, no matter the Shiojiri Pass directly opposite, or the woods of the lower shrine of Suwa Shrine on the left, it should be the season when the tea-brown color of the cedar trees is the most eye-catching.

Onogi once crossed the Shiojiri Pass to Matsumotodaira.He thought about the scene at that time, and when he crossed the mountain pass, there was an endless apple orchard, and the snow-capped Japanese Alps opposite the orchard; and the back mountain of Shimo-Suwa, which passed under the fog peak and stretched to the Tateshina Plateau.Onogi has been to Polygonaceae from the sharp stone remains of Chino.There are mostly white birch and larch on the plateau. When Onogi went there, it was still spring when everything turned green; but now the mountain is probably covered with red leaves! A ginkgo tree can be seen from the window, and Onogi stared at it, thinking about these things every day.

The reason why Onogi considered traveling was because he was very restless.In the past, when interrogating suspects in order to obtain criminal records, my heart was filled with the complexity and troubles of human relations every day.In order to escape this environment, he often went to the countryside.Recently, when he wants to travel, it is often to save his emotions. The leaves of ginkgo, due to the effect of sunlight, are either dazzling yellow or dark black. Onoki, who has not traveled alone for a long time, resolutely decided to go to other places alone during the next consecutive holiday.Onogi has been to the area from Shinshu to Hida and Hokuriku many times, but Sado has never set foot in it.Onogi really wanted to stand on the cliff facing the Sea of ​​Japan on Sado Island and look at the dark sea.The reason why he thought of Sado was because when he first visited Himi’s cave, he saw the scenery of the Sea of ​​Japan by the way. At that time, he had the idea of ​​standing on the northern end of the island to see the Sea of ​​Japan.

The work of the special search department is not too busy.However, from Onogi's point of view, there seems to be a subtle movement recently, which can be inferred from the fact that Prosecutor Ishii is repeatedly called by the deputy minister.Every time Prosecutor Ishii came back from the deputy minister's room, his red face was quite nervous. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office has two deputy ministers below the minister.One of them is in charge of economics, finance, etc., which are targeted at tax evasion or violation of the foreign exchange law, and Deputy Director Kuroda, who summoned Prosecutor Ishii, is in charge of cases transferred from the Second Section of the Metropolitan Police Department, or the District Public Prosecutor's Office alone Cases where the search was conducted directly.

Therefore, the case that Prosecutor Ishii was called by Vice Minister Kuroda several times to discuss certain matters should be considered as a case of the latter case. Prosecutor Ishii went not only to the deputy minister's office, but also to the minister's office.Later, in the Office of the Attorney-General, there were also prolonged meetings involving the Deputy Attorney-General, Ministers and Deputy Ministers.This meeting lasted for three or four days. Whenever this happens, the tension on Prosecutor Ishii's face keeps increasing.Along with this process, the people around also understood that something quite important happened.

However, it is inconvenient for Onogi to ask the senior prosecutor about this kind of matter. It seems that something quite unusual has happened!The prosecutor Kimoto, who is assigned to Takao Onogi, said this on the way back from get off work at the agency. Prosecutors are accompanied by one or two prosecutors.These prosecutors, if you want to use the position of the Metropolitan Police Department as an example, they are investigators, and they are all capable veterans.Therefore, their judgments on the dynamics of the Headquarters are all accurate. What is the case?Onogi is also considering this issue.

Maybe it's a corruption case.Woody affairs officer said, I always have such a feeling.Moreover, since it was the Chief Prosecutor who carefully called the cadres to discuss the meeting, it seems that the scale is quite large. Onogi considered the large-scale corruption cases that occurred frequently in the past, and thought to himself that similar incidents would never disappear. Maybe, this time, prosecutor Onogi might be in charge!Officer Kimoto expressed his guess. Not necessarily.I am still young, not yet in charge of such a big case.Onoki said this, but he had already thought in his heart that if his senior prosecutor Ishii was in charge of a certain case, maybe he would be assigned to his subordinates.

Onogi was summoned by prosecutor Ishii four or five days after that. Arriving at Prosecutor Ishii's one-person office, Onogi saw his gray head leaning over the desk, reading documents.Prosecutor Ishii raised his head when he noticed Onogi coming in, his eyes behind the glasses seemed a little tired. Please sit down!Prosecutor Ishii pointed to the chair in front of him. He closed a stack of thickly bound papers, propped his elbows on it, took off his glasses, and wiped them leisurely. Onogi-kun. The prosecutor put the glasses against the window where the leaves of the ginkgo tree could be seen, wiped off the blurred areas on them, put them back on the eyes, and looked at Onogi.

There's a new case, maybe I'll ask for your help then. Onoki was nervous.Judging from recent trends, he had a premonition that this was an important case. Now that Prosecutor Ishii said it directly, it immediately became a reality before him.From the tone of Prosecutor Ishii, one can guess that this is a major case, although the extent to which it is still unclear. What kind of event is it?Onogi asked. No, it's not yet the stage where it's clearly stated.Prosecutor Ishii calmly refused to explain the specific content. The only thing I can tell you is that both the Chief Prosecutor and the Deputy Chief Prosecutor are very cautious about this matter.It is not completely clear until the official order is issued, but it seems that I will be in charge of this case. It seems that it has generally been decided, so I would like to ask you to prepare for this mentality.

yes.Onoki lowered his head slightly. From the days of the training institute, Onogi has been favored by the prosecutor Ishii.After entering the prosecutor's office, it seemed that this senior prosecutor also paid great attention to promoting Onogi.When a major case occurred and Ishii himself served as the search director, he wanted to arrange Onogi as his subordinate, which in itself was a manifestation of his consistent kindness. The main point is a corruption case involving a certain department of the government.At this stage, that is all that can be said. Prosecutor Ishii whispered again: Actually, someone wrote a whistleblowing letter to the Chief Prosecutor.Therefore, after discussing with the Deputy Prosecutor, the Chief Prosecutor began to study whether to file a case a few days ago.It was finally included in the secret investigation plan, but it will take some time before the case can be established. Prosecutor Ishii continued in a serene tone: There is only one point that is a little tricky, because this case is not just a simple corruption incident, it seems to be mixed with other incidents.Well, I'm afraid I still feel a little vague when I say this, but I've said it a few times already, and I can't say any more now. Once the search for the incident had begun, it was clear that it would be busy.Prosecutor Ishii's premonitional statement probably wanted Onogi to be mentally prepared for that situation. Understood.Onogi replied, meeting Prosecutor Ishii's gaze. If the order comes down, I will do my best to do it.Please give me more guidance then! After Onogi finished his thank you speech, Prosecutor Ishii immediately said: Ah, I don't know what will happen, anyway, please! A gentle smile appeared on the face of the senior prosecutor. Onogi returned to the room and finished the work, and then the Kimoto affairs officer came in. Prosecutor Onogi, you will be taking on that job soon, right? What Kimoto asked, Onogi also understood.Knowing that Onogi was called by prosecutor Ishii, he probably made a judgment long ago. No, I don't know yet!Onogi Teru said directly that there is only one thing to be called by prosecutor Ishii, that is, if he takes the position, he must do his best!About the content of the incident, I have not been told at all. Yeah?The affairs officer looked at the profile of Onogi's face. If it was Prosecutor Ishii, it would probably be worth seeing, because Vice Minister Kuroda valued Mr. Ishii very much.Well this time, Prosecutor Onogi, it will definitely be your turn to take charge! Yeah!Onogi also had this premonition, and felt a little excited in his heart.However, in front of the clerk, he still made an ambiguous look. Behind the yellowed ginkgo trees outside the window, above the roof, is the endless blue sky. For some reason, I always feel that this is a big case!The voice of the clerk was excited, and my guess would probably be correct.By the way, the atmosphere before the xx case and the xx case that was later called unprecedented after the war was very similar to this time.In the recent period, because there is no case that can be called a case, I have been a little impatient.If Onogi-san is in charge, I will work hard too!Want to do it anyway! Clerk Kimoto spit out the last few words as if taking a long breath, and crossed his arms across his chest. If it is the province of R, this opponent is still strong enough. When Onogi heard the words of the officer Kimoto, he asked, "You mean Province R?" Yes, this time it must be an embezzlement case in province R.The official's voice was full of confidence. How do you know this? Sixth sense chant!The clerk laughed softly, besides, looking around now, the only ones that could have such a case happen are Province R's family.After years of doing this kind of work, my sixth sense is uncannily accurate. Onogi took a slow train from Ueno Station on Saturday night. Because Sunday and Monday were off for two consecutive days, the car was full of young people.Most of them are dressed for mountaineering and carry heavy luggage.All luggage is bulging.No wonder, because they were going to climb the mountains in winter. Mountaineering equipment was placed on the luggage rack, rucksacks were exposed on both sides of the aisle inside the car, and even near the seat of Onogi, they were talking about the things in the mountains in one voice. After driving, Onogi had just slept for a while when he was woken up by loud noises.Some of the young people carried their canvas bags on their backs, and some of them took off their climbing equipment, and they were hurriedly getting off the train.This scenario was repeated several times before the train passed through the mountains.No matter in Numata, or on the water, or in Yuhino, or in Yuzawa, whenever Onogi opens his eyes, on the lonely platform with lights, there are young people with canvas bags walking in groups, Behind the station are the mountains looming in front of us. After passing near Yuzawa, Onogi's eyes cleared up.Outside the car window, the dim mountain canyon quickly passed by.Onogi took the letter out of his pocket. This was sent by Lai Zi by express letter this morning.Onogi has read this letter for countless times. I wanted to go with you, but I restrained myself this time.In me, there was a battle between the desire to destroy everything and the desire to move forward and the desire to suppress it.When we met last time, you had a timid look in your eyes at my request to go with you.I remembered the night of the typhoon.You had the same look in your eyes when you wanted to push me back to your husband.I have learned that you are staying at the hotel you have reserved in Sado, so if I get too lonely waiting, I might send you a telegram. Lai Zi Onoki raised his eyes and looked out the window.The dark mountains ran back in the gloom.The sides of the windows turned white, as if frost had formed. Knowing that he would never fall asleep again, Onogi smoked his cigarette. All kinds of ideas popped up in Onogi's mind.Onogi then smoked about two more cigarettes.The windows flashed past mountainous terrain, and in the gloom vast fields began to appear.Because the sparse farm lights can be seen in the distance, it is known that the train has entered the plains. Perhaps because dawn was approaching, dark shadows of clouds appeared in the sky.Onogi dozed off again at this time. It was already past seven o'clock when he arrived at Xinhong. Onogi was dressed lightly and only wore a windbreaker over his jacket, so the hotel staff in front of the station who were soliciting customers did not talk to him.He went into what looked like a restaurant and ordered a bowl of soba noodles. The ferry to Sado will take about two hours to set sail.So, he took a taxi to watch the Shinano River.There is a very long bridge in the city center, where Onogi got off and turned around for a while.A corner of the sea can be seen towards the mouth of the river.There is water and sky, showing a heavy leaden gray. At ten o'clock, Onogi arrived at the ferry terminal bound for Sado.Here, crews are distributing the roster of boat passengers.Onogi wrote his name on it with a pencil, and couldn't help feeling in his heart that writing his name in this accident prevention list was just like a hint to the future of life. Boarding the ferry, looking down before setting sail, the cargo box full of fruit is being carried into the cargo hold, just like the ocean voyage, here also hangs colorful paper strips for tourists.Sado folk songs sounded, and the boat moved. The sky was gloomy, with thick and heavy dark clouds covering the sea, creating a chilly scene.Onoki sat in the cabin, looking at the sea and sky from the window.He brought two or three books on archeology in his suitcase, but he didn't have the heart to read them at all.Sitting diagonally across from each other seemed to be a young newlyweds, who were talking with each other while spreading out travel guidebooks.Next to them, an island-like girl was reading a magazine; she looked as if she had been away from work and was returning home, and was dressed inappropriately.The cold wind came in through the cracks in the windows.The sound of the engine made the floor tremble. Every time Onogi came out for a short trip, he always felt a sense of alienation from his work in Tokyo.Although some of my colleagues said that the location of my travels gave me a feeling of closeness to my work in Tokyo, this was not the case for Onogi, as if the distance in space separated his heart. Looking at the undulating sea under the low-hanging clouds, Onogi suddenly thought of the incident that happened just before the departure of this short trip.Although Prosecutor Ishii did not make any explanations, Officer Kimoto expressed his conjecture that it was a corruption case in Province R.Hearing that it was Province R, his ears were shocked.Not long ago, a friend who just got married belonged to this province; and the matchmaker I met at the wedding ceremony was the director of this friend's boss.Moreover, the relationship with this director does not stop there, he is also the father of the girl who met at the ruins of the Suwa vertical pit However, for Onogi now, this personnel relationship is just a confused and indifferent existence, just like a floating cloud in the sky.If I were to use an analogy, the thought that crossed my mind would be nothing more than the shadow of a seabird flying across the window of a ship for an instant.Not only that, but in this way, even Lai Zi's problem feels further away from reality. Losing interest in the sea, Onogi took out Lai Zi's letter from his pocket and read it.Because it has been taken out many times, the envelope is rubbed like an old one. When we met last time, you had a timid look in your eyes at my request to go with you. Onogi thought, maybe he had that look in his eyes at that time.Onogi also recalled Lai Zi's gaze at that time.That is the look in the eyes that want to destroy everything, the psychology that is going forward bravely and the psychology that suppresses it are fighting.Onogi's timidity may have been caused by seeing Laizi's eyes. When they met for the first time after returning from the typhoon trip, Lai Zi kept silent about Onogi's inquiries. My husband, Lai Zi, had a hard time opening his mouth at that time. After I went back, it took three days to come back home. This sentence gave Onogi a great stimulus.Onogi did have the sense of security that she had escaped a tragedy; but in the end, Lai Zi's misfortune made him feel as if the waves of the sea were rising in his mind and drowned that sense of security. Since then, Onogi has met Laizi three times, and each time she is almost defeated by her action of destroying everything and moving forward bravely.However, on the other hand, Lai Zi immediately gave Onogi his reason.That is, in her fiery eyes, there is an immature expression of struggling. When Onogi put the letter in his pocket, the gently sloping mountain shadow on Sado Island was getting bigger and clearer. Got off the ferry and took the bus.There is a lake on the left.There are several small towns between the mountain roads.As soon as the slope disappeared, a wilderness appeared in front of my eyes.This is an unexpectedly wide and flat field that cannot be imagined from the map.The mountains all recede far away. Aikawa Town is the destination of Onogi. On the way there, the bus stops several times in some small towns, and passengers get on and off.In front of the post office, the female conductor on the bus even unloaded the mail bags. The mountains approached again, and the road came near the coast.On a street lined with rows of old houses with stone roofs, the bus stopped.This is Aikawa Town. Half of the town is spread out on the hillside.Onogi walked on the street and saw mostly huge houses. From this end alone, one can know the age of the town.The houses on the street have deep eaves without exception, and they are all prepared for snow protection. There are also houses whose walls are clad with flat tiles, but most of them are all houses with lattice windows.However, if you look carefully, the house is also very dark; the whole town is also deserted in broad daylight, as if it is still sleeping. Immediately behind the town is the vast and rough sea. two The place of accommodation is an old hotel. Onogi was introduced to a set of two rooms, one of which was the size of eight mats, and the other was as large as four and a half mats.Just because it is old, there is a feeling of desolation. Just like the impression of this town, there is an indescribable decadent atmosphere here. The waiter in charge of the reception was a young girl with a round face and red cheeks. She said that the only guest tonight was Onogi herself.It is said that once the peak tourist season in summer is over, there will be no tourists coming to the town of Sado. Looking outside, the sun has not yet set.Ono Kimoto wanted to go to see the sea, so he asked the waitress for directions and went outside. In front of you is the bus stop, and the last batch of passengers are sitting on the bus, waiting for the departure.Seeing the bus in a strange land often makes Onogi feel an indescribable melancholy during the journey.There were five or six passengers in the car, almost all of whom were locals, sitting there bored. Onogi walked down the road he had inquired about.There are two or three specialty grocery stores, but all of them are decorated with red ceramic tea sets. After walking for a long time, they came to a river.The water of the river is bright red because the soil on the mines has been washed down by the water.The red tea set that Onoki saw in the store earlier is also made of the same soil. Onogi walked along the river towards the coast, but there was still a considerable distance to get there.Old cottages are scattered deep in the narrow alleys.It was silent and deserted. Suddenly, I saw the eaves of a family, and the sound of a lathe turning was coming from the dim room.Onogi looked up and saw that an old man was making tea bowls while pinching red clay.A young woman who looked like his daughter was placing tea bowls on long slats.Needless to say, the color of the teacup is all red. Onogi stood there, and the old man who made the tea bowl also glanced at him quickly, but he didn't mean to talk to him, and he was still turning the screw silently. This town once prospered for a period of time because of the name of Aikawa Gold Mountain, which lasted until the Meiji Restoration period in 1867. In recent years, gold has not been mined, and it has gradually declined.Onogi had heard of this situation a long time ago. Looking at it from this perspective, the whole town does give people a sense of decline.Although the white warehouses and tiled walls still exist, they are as dark and desolate as seeing old-fashioned furniture in an old house. The ordinary houses in the town soon came to an end, replaced by fishermen's houses. Looking back from there, you can see a row of houses lined with hills, with steep mountains behind them. This town called Aikawa, because of its old age, the houses that rise one after another along the terrain of the hill, even if you look at the past from here, you can see that they are built solidly and straight.The sun is setting and the clouds are covering the fog; so looking at those white walls from a distance, they are all dim.The mountains also appear vast and vast due to dusk. No matter the distant mountains or near mountains, or new houses and old houses, everything is shrouded in ancient and decadent scenes. After a while, Onogi came to the beach.On the left side there is a cape protruding into the ocean, and on the right side is the water port for mooring ships. There is no sign of a ship in the port.Once upon a time, during the heyday of gold mining, ore might have been shipped from this pier; now, that is all but a thing of the past. The sea was rough.Although there is no strong wind, there are white waves in the distance.Above the sea, black clouds are densely covered, layer upon layer, vertically vertical to the sky.The sun was sinking through the thick clouds, and the color of the sea was very dark.On the sea in the distance, there was no shadow of a ship. The place where Onogi stood was also completely deserted.Standing on the beach and looking at the sea in front of me, this creates an immersive feeling of coming to the ends of the earth in the north. Onogi stood on the rock with the small crab crawling on it, thinking of Lai Zi. Facing the desolate shimmering water with no boats or island shadows, he seemed to see his own life. Lai Zi's letter was in his pocket.Onogi took it out and looked at it again.The other end of the letter paper was blown over by the wind. I have learned that you are staying at the hotel you have reserved in Sado, so if I get too lonely waiting, I might send you a telegram. Onogi has told Lai Zi the name of the hotel where he is staying.That book was picked at random from a travel guide, and I informed Lai Zi.Although standing on the coast of a small island in the north at this moment, Onogi felt that there was an invisible straight line connecting himself with her.However, this line seems to be indistinguishable from the scenery in front of me, appearing dark and misty. Onogi returned to the hotel, and the waitress brought the food immediately.After all, as expected of an island, there are a lot of fish, and they are very fresh.It was still the round-faced waitress with red cheeks who was in charge of taking care of Onogi's meals. Mr. Guest is from Tokyo, right?asked the waitress.After receiving an affirmative answer, she told Onogi that many tourists came from Tokyo during the summer. Where do those tourists visit?Onogi asked. Usually go to the mine.I heard that there is the Golden Mountain of Sado, and it became a topic of discussion for a while.However, no matter who is disappointed.It's no wonder that gold is no longer produced at all, and even the machines have stopped. How many people work there? There are at most fifty to one hundred people!At one stage, it was said that the town of Aikawa was full of miners and mine owners.But now it is like that, this town is not worth mentioning. The waitress started talking about this incident, and then told Onogi about various local conditions.For example, there are still ancient hand-dug tunnels in the mine, one is the former site of the Sado Jinzan Service Office, and a local museum has been built, etc. Onogi plans to go to the local museum tomorrow.It stands to reason that pottery excavated from nearby ancient ruins should be displayed there. On Sado Island, there are quite a lot of ancient ruins.There have been reports of excavations near this town of Aikawa, as well as near Xiaomu.What is displayed in the Xiangchuan Town Museum should be the unearthed cultural relics from the nearby lowland ruins. It was already night outside. When it comes to summer, the waitress said that there are often various cultural and recreational activities for tourists, but now the season has passed, there is nothing, you have no place to visit, what a pity! However, Onogi was not in the mood to watch those entertainment programs.After dark, it's not bad to walk around this old, night town. After taking a shower, Onogi took out the books on archaeology that he brought with him from his suitcase, and skipped a few parts. One of them is the "Thousands of Lowland Remains" part of the "Sinhong County Cultural Assets Report".After reading this report, we know that the types excavated from these relics include: rice, melon, gourd, peach, cypress and other plant seeds.The unearthed cultural relics listed in the report also include the bones of fish such as sea bream and squid, the bones of the now extinct sea donkey, and shellfish.These are almost the same as those excavated at the Toro Site in Shizuoka Prefecture. Onogi had just read two or three pages when the waitress came again. Mr. Guest, there are some local people who are enthusiastic about public welfare, and they will perform Sado folk dance soon.If you're bored staying here, why don't you go and see it? The waitress said so.Onogi inquired about it, and it turned out that there is a local organization that preserves the "Folk Song" according to the tradition, and came to dance this kind of dance at the request of tourists.Autumn, which has just entered the off-season of tourism, is not the time to hold this kind of event, but occasionally group tourists from other hotels put forward their wishes, so it is rare to decide to perform such a performance.So the waitress advised Onogi to stop by and watch. The waitresses were mobilizing with uncommon enthusiasm.Onogi was moved by her words, so he wanted to go and see. Walking out of the hotel, it is about 200 meters to the venue.Walking along the uphill road not far away, there is a building similar to a Buddhist temple.As soon as you walk into the venue, there are people in charge of taking care of the shoes. Onogi sat in the temporary auditorium.At this time, there were already more than 20 guests in hotel cotton robes sitting there in black, and some locals sat behind.In short, it feels a bit like a small theater in the countryside. On the small stage in the front, there are scenes painted with seaside scenery.There are four singers who take turns singing Sado folk songs.The dancers are also all men, wearing straw hats and white single clothes. Listening to its folk songs in the birthplace, it really has a special flavor.And sitting in a dimly lit country theater sounds like it adds to the desolation of the journey.Different from the familiar Sado folk songs, the tune heard here is much more mournful.Just because there is no ingenious portamento and brilliant cadence in the tune, it has a nostalgic and sad feeling.This is exactly in harmony with the decline and decadence of Xiangchuan Town today. Onoki left the venue midway.The way back was even darker.As I walked, I felt a little cold on my shoulders.Although it was early autumn, the nights in this area were already chilling. On the way back to the hotel, almost all the doors and windows of the houses on both sides were closed.Occasionally, there was a house with its door open and a dim light inside.There are also two tea set shops on this road. Under the dim lights, there are swaying figures.The teacups on display look lonely and lonely. Beside Onogi, a man and a woman in hotel clothes passed by.After all, that figure is completely different from the local one.Although the town is a tourist area, it still feels like it is run entirely by locals. Onogi didn't want to go straight back to the hotel, so he walked towards the road leading to the beach.All I could hear was the sound of the river and the roar of the distant tide.Where there are houses, no human voice can be heard.Walking on the dark road, the sky appeared surprisingly clear.There is not a single star in the sky, but looking carefully, it seems that the dark shadows of the clouds can be discerned. Lai Zi's face appeared in front of Onogi's eyes. On the next morning, Onogi set off from Aikawa Town to Chikusa's ruins.It takes about 20 minutes to run by bus, and the location is in a wide wilderness. The north and south ends of Sado Island are mountainous areas, and the middle is lowland.It is a small island on the map, but this time when I came to the field, I saw that there was a rather vast plain. At the place where the bus got off, there was a sign of Kawahara Tamura Office.When I went there, I asked about it, and said that it was about two kilometers to the south for the ruins. There are almost no decent villages and towns in this area.Looking around, there are farmlands with undulating rice waves in early autumn. It is also a cloudy day.The dim sunlight shone weakly on the world.Onogi walked along a river.This river is called Kofugawa, and it is quite wide.After walking for about 30 minutes from a field path, I saw a pillar with a thousand kinds of relics written on it. There are endless rice fields here, and there are no so-called relics at all.Onogi opened the "Xinhong County Cultural Assets Report" in one hand, compared the illustrations in the book, and looked around. Then, between the paths in the paddy fields, two figures were found moving.Onogi thought he was a farmer at first, but he was not.Among the two people, one is a young man in urban attire, wearing a shirt and trousers of a suit.The other was a young woman in baggy pantaloons. The young man holds a short pick in his hand, while the woman holds a cloth bag.At a glance, Onogi knew that the young man and woman were excavating in this area. Onoki crossed the ditch and approached along the path in the field.The young man bent over, and his figure was hidden behind the rice.Sensing Onogi approaching, the young man raised his face. ah!The other party spoke first.It seems that he guessed that Onogi was not a local, but an archaeological enthusiast with the same interests as himself, with a young and cheerful smile on his face.Onoki nodded his respects.At this time, the young woman behind the young man also smiled and bowed her head to Onogi. Is there any gain?Onogi also spoke up. No.The young man said with a smile that there were only fragments of pottery. At the young man's signal, the young woman stretched out the cloth bag, and Onogi looked inside.The young woman specially picked a piece out of it and put it on the palm of her hand.That was the Yayoi culture era [Note: Around 300 BC around 300 AD. ]'s pottery fragments, with loess still stained on them, giving the impression that they are fragments of pottery. It hasn't been fully dug up yet.The young man said that there are many such fragments.Rice is everywhere like in front of you, so you can't dig it at will.Even digging here is frightening, for fear of being scolded by the peasants! According to the "Report", the area of ​​the lowland remains is about 60 meters wide and 300 meters long; even if you dig like this, you will immediately dig out fragments of pottery and woodwork. Sorry, the young man said to Onogi, you don't seem to be a local. I'm from Tokyo.Onogi replied. Do you also work in this field? No, it is not. After Onogi denied it, he asked the young man, are you a fan of this too?Ah, me, speaking of it, this is my profession. The young man introduced himself as a teaching assistant in a certain university.No wonder there was still a student spirit on his face.After this perception emerged, it seemed that the young woman next to him also had a girlish face. We transferred from Xiaomu's side to this area.The young man said that there is a place called the Land of the Elders, which was mainly unearthed from the Jomon period [Note: before 300 BC. 】The pottery of Hokkaido is mostly the Moroiso style unique to the Hokkaido area.We left it at the hotel, what a pity.Otherwise, I would like to invite you to take a look. When the young man spoke, he showed an expression of genuine enthusiasm for learning. It was difficult for Onogi to judge whether the two were husband and wife or lovers. While they were asking and answering, the young woman listened quietly.A bright smile is always on her face.Looking at it from the side, it is indeed a contented look. When Onogi turned around and turned back, the two stood on the ridge of the field and waved goodbye to him.They also seem to have developed a special affection for Onoki whom they met in a foreign land. After Onogi walked onto the main road, they were still seeing each other off. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon when Onogi returned to the hotel. Mr. Guest, your telegram has arrived. The waitress said so as soon as she saw him.Hearing that it was a telegram, Onogi knew intuitively that it was from Lai Zi.Open it up and it's really good. We will wait for you at Ueno Station.Lai Zi. Onogi was surprised. According to his predetermined plan, he left Xinhong by night train and arrived at Ueno Station at 5:10 in the morning. To pick up the train at Ueno Station, Lai Zi had to get up at four o'clock in the morning and then rush to the train station.時間這麼早，她將以什麼理由告訴丈夫，從而走出家門呢？小野木心裡感到有點不安。 小野木意識到自己近來漸漸為賴子所左右了。自那次颱風之夜起，賴子方面的情緒已經變得主動起來。 電報上有什麼不好的消息嗎？因為小野木盯著電報一動不動地在思考，所以女服務員很擔心地看著他的臉問。 小野木乘坐下一班公共汽車，出發到兩津去。一路上腦子裡想的全是賴子，接到電報，突然感到賴子彷彿已經來到眼前了。 漫遊古代遺跡本是小野木素來的愛好，但這次卻毫無心思了。這是從來沒有過的現象。心靈裡為賴子所占據的部分逐漸擴大，並且分量越來越重。 小野木登上了開往新鴻的渡輪。 在渡輪起航之前，他站在甲板上，看到了一個奇妙的現象。 站在碼頭上送行的人，一個個面帶笑容，仰頭望著船上。這裡的碼頭也掛上了彩色的紙條。小野木的目光，突然在那些送行人的背後停住了。 進碼頭之前，有一處剪票所；一個年輕女子佇立在剛出剪票口的角落裡。小野木發現，那個女子根本不朝輪船這邊看。她把臉扭過去，注視著另外一面的大海。 從她站立的位置來看，肯定是為船上的乘客送行的。然而，奇怪的是，她根本不往船上看一眼。 不一會兒，開船的汽笛響了。下面送行的人群再次揮舞起紙條，講著告別的話。 這個時候，那個女子才把視線飛快地移到船上。目光十分銳利，表情異常嚴肅。她是在注視著船上的某一個人。 然而，她那目光在船上也只不過停了五、六秒的時間。隨後，便迅速扭轉身，穿過剪票口，跑遠了。 她的身影很快又在海濱公路上出現了，正把袖子捂到臉上，一路飛也似地跑著。輪船緩慢地移動起來。可是那女子卻再沒有朝輪船看上一眼，邊哭邊一溜煙跑開了。 小野木深深吸了一口氣。他覺得自己目睹了現實生活中一位女性面對生離死別的悲切情態。 那位女子，便是於悲傷痛楚之餘，不忍心凝望等待離別的親人乘船出港。 小野木不禁想起今天中午在低地遺跡上見到的那位年輕女性，微微含笑的臉上充滿了幸福的表情，面前的小夥子正俯身拾起挖掘出來的陶器碎片。這時，邊哭邊跑的那位送行女子的身影，從小野木的視野裡消失了。 站在輪船甲板上，沐浴著拂面的海風，小野木心中又想起了賴子。 three 小野木喬夫整好行裝凝視著車窗外面。 在一片暗灰色的朦朧之中，廣闊而平坦的田野不停地移動著。民房裡還透著澄黃色的燈光。現在才五點半鐘，對一般人來說，這時間肯定還早，只能看到極少的行人在晨霧靄靄之中起大早去工作。 上野車站漸漸臨近了，鐵路邊上差不多的人家都還睡在夢裡，也有的住戶廚房裡已經升起了炊火。 火車滑進月臺以後，小野木兩眼緊緊地盯著窗外。儘管時間這麼早，來迎接的人還是相當多。這些人的隊伍不斷地向後移去。 小野木的眼睛轉瞬之間便在人群裡捉到了身著和服的賴子的身影，然而她也很快地朝後移去了。小野木覺得一塊石頭落了地。 火車停穩以後，小野木走下月臺。從車窗裡已經看清賴子身影所在的位置，他便朝那裡走了過去。賴子仍舊很拘謹地站在原來的地方。 小野木仍不免有些激動。 Good morning!小野木從一旁說道。正在朝其他方向尋找他的賴子抬起眼吃驚地望著小野木。 oops.她發出很輕的驚叫聲，您回來啦！說著，臉上露出了笑容。 從接到電報的那一刻起，小野木就盼望著見到賴子，然而，對於早晨五點半這個時間，還是感到有些不安。他覺得賴子還是來迎接好，但同時也感到，她不來似乎更為穩妥。不過，一見到賴子的身姿，心中又確實激動不已。 這麼早，您出來方便嗎？Onogi said. 可是，不是已經拍電報說好了嗎！賴子眼裡含笑答道。 周圍都是下火車的旅客，正朝出口方向走去，他倆也隨即加入了這一人流。賴子這會兒緊挨在小野木身邊，以至她的身子都觸到了小野木的臂肘。 很累吧？賴子仰起頭，看著小野木充滿倦意的側臉。 不，還算痛快。他快活地答道。在相川鎮旅館接到您的電報那晚上，我剛好去看了當地的佐渡民謠舞。 oh!賴子低聲笑了，在發源地大概還是滿有興致的吧！真想看看呢！ 她的聲音裡洋溢著想一道去佐渡的願望。 兩人走出剪票口，上野車站果然名不虛傳，即使在這樣早的清晨，擁擠程度也不亞於大白天。似乎有其他線路的火車同時進了站，那方面的旅客也都朝剪票口湧了過來。 where to go出剪票口後，賴子邊走邊問小野木。 嗯小野木把旅行皮箱換到另一隻手上，心裡考慮著。 去吃點什麼熱東西吧。 OK 小野木今天早晨老早就睜開了眼睛。當時的感覺是，心裡有說不出的興奮，因而再也無法入睡。火車穿出山嶽地帶疾駛在寬闊平野的時候，小野木一面注視著晨光熹微中靄霧蕩漾的原野，一面在心裡不停地盤算著，再過幾十分鐘就能見到賴子了。 上野火車站附近的商店都是面向旅客的，早晨很早就開始營業。站前的商店街裡，有好些家吃茶店。兩個人並排穿過電車路。清晨還著實令人感到節氣的寒意。 就在這個時候，有一個中年男子，瞥見了走在車站正面的賴子的側影。 他好像很吃驚，口裡自言自語地嘟嚷著什麼。隨後，又越過人群的縫隙，緊緊地盯住了兩個人的背影。 從電車路走進一條狹窄的胡同，裡面並排有好幾家小吃店和吃茶店。 就這兒吧？小野木眼睛盯著那些店鋪說。 Um. 小野木走在前面，賴子跟在後頭。小野木看了一下，好像哪家都不太潔淨。考慮到賴子奢華的生活，他有點猶豫不決，可是，賴子彷彿察覺到了小野木的心思，主動地指著一家仿造西式餐廳的小飯店說：那家怎麼樣？ 小野木推開入口的門。店內照例部是乘火車的旅客，幾乎座無虛席。 Please sit here.店裡年輕的女招待把他倆領到一個角落。在餐桌前對面坐下來以後，小野木雖然已經夠疲勞的了，但還是看著賴子問道：您大概也沒有吃飯吧？ 嗯，還沒有。我要和您一塊兒吃呢。賴子口中答道，自己動手取過桌上的菜單。 能合您的口味嗎？小野木對目光落在菜單上的賴子說。實際上，以賴子所處的環境來說，她是輕易不會到這種飯店來的。 瞧您說的！賴子睜大了眼睛：沒問題的。這上面列的菜，不是只看上一眼就覺得很香麼？ 接著，她把菜單轉向小野木一邊，說：我要咖啡吧。 小野木也決定要同樣的飲料。賴子到底還是沒有訂飯菜。 這時，入口處的門開了。從小野木的位置望過去，店門在正對面。 進來的客人是個中年男子，也提著旅行皮箱。他沒有朝小野木這桌瞥一眼，在剛空出來的一張桌前就了座。自然，這是個小野木素不相識的男人。 那個男人取出一份似乎剛買到手的晨報，在眼前打開讀了起來。 不過，看上去他好像在聚精會神地讀報，其實並非如此。他的眼睛正從報紙的一端觀察著賴子的後影和小野木的表情。 要的咖啡送來了。對於有些疲勞的小野木來說，這咖啡如同甘露一般。他周遊各地，經常有一個感覺，就是喝不到可口的咖啡。這家小吃店的咖啡也絕不見得味道有多甘美，但總比到偏僻地區喝的那種類似糖開水的東西要強許多。 也是由於大清早剛下火車的緣故，只喝了一口熱咖啡，就感到精神振作了。 請給我講講佐渡的情況吧！賴子對小野木說，您是按什麼路線遊覽的？ 我住在相川，去了一個叫國仲的地方。小野木說，提起佐渡，在地圖上可能以為那是個小島，其實不然，那裡相當開闊呢！南北兩邊是山嶽地帶，中間是平原。大約正因為這個緣故，古代的人才給它起了個國仲的名字吧！ 這名字很富有詩意呢。賴子今天早晨好像異乎尋常地興奮。 Yes.古代人差不多都是詩人。看那些出土文物就知道，很多都是寓詩意於稚拙的作品。 小野木說完，又想起一件事，道： 我到國仲的一個叫千種的低地遺址去了一次，有一對據說是從事考古學的年輕學者夫婦，當時正巧也在那裡。 Yeah? 看見那樣年輕的夫婦正在一起挖掘著什麼，心想他們真幸福呀！實際上，那兩個人確實都很開朗。 聽到這些話以後，賴子突然沉默不語了。剛才還一直很爽朗的表情也驟然顯得陰鬱了。小野木的眼睛敏感地發現了賴子的這一變化。 賴子。小野木的樣子稍微有點緊張，您在想什麼？ 小野木緊緊盯著賴子的臉。然而，賴子那垂下去的長睫毛沉重地合在一起，半天沒有抬起來。 我們不是約好了什麼也不考慮的嗎？ 賴子兩眼低舊保持著原來的狀態。 yes. 她突然低聲說了這麼一句，令人感到她連眼睛都是故意睜得很有精神的。 怎麼樣，下一步去哪兒？ 給人的感覺是，這句話和她的表情一樣，都是在心裡丟開某種羈絆之後做出的表示。 小野木也沒有立即想出下一步該到哪裡去。一看錶，剛過六點，什麼地方也去不成。 您不回家，不會有什麼麻煩吧？小野木問賴子。 唔，沒關係的。賴子搖搖頭，然後說，若沒有別處可去的話，我想到您住的公寓去呢。 這可叫我為難啦！小野木自言自語地說。 哎呀，為什麼？ 髒，太髒了。那不是賴子這樣的人所能去的地方。 Do not worry about it.賴子說，是我主動提出來的嘛。還是帶我去吧！ 小野木明白賴子冷不防提出這項要求的用意，他覺得與自己剛才講到的佐渡那一對年輕夫婦的問題不無關係，他目不轉睛地觀察著賴子的表情。 離開餐桌以後，賴子的身體改變了方向。因此，正從報紙一端注視他倆的中年男子慌忙用那張報紙把臉遮起來了。 小野木叫住一輛路過的計程車，帶著賴子直奔自己居住的公寓。地點在中央線的繁華街道附近，周圍是遠離喧囂場所的住宅區。 公寓在住宅區內，緊背後有一條兩岸很陡的小河。小野木在公寓前下了車，這剛好是上班早的公司職員們正要出門的時刻。 你早！人們對他這樣寒暄著。由於賴子站在小野木身邊，他們的眼裡都顯出驚訝的神色。 在走進自己的房間之前，無論在大樓門口，還是在走廊裡，小野木都必定要碰到同樣的目光。賴子在他背後簡直抬不起頭來。走廊裡的主婦們全都驚異地看著賴子。從她們身邊走過的時候，有的主婦竟毫無顧忌地仔細打量著她。 真羞死啦！進入房間以後，賴子把手掌捂到臉上說。小野木也滿臉通紅。 where!無所謂嘛！小野木儘管嘴上這麼說，其實他自己心頭也跳得很厲害。 不過，賴子把整個房間掃視一遭以後，馬上抬高了聲音說：呀，您的房間真乾淨呀！ 小野木的房間是兩間連在一起的，一間有六張席鋪大，另一間是四張半席鋪大。作為男人的居室來說，算是整理得蠻不錯的。由於他的精心安排，床、書櫃、衣櫥、椅子、桌子等，都佈置得很有新意。賴子很稀罕地端詳著這一切。 Please sit down!小野木說，因為賴子一直僵立在那裡。 Okay, thank you.賴子好像已經忘掉在公寓眾目睽睽之下的害羞勁頭，仍在四下打量著這個房間。那眼神裡的稀奇感早已消失，變作了親昵的表情。 Are you tired?賴子把視線折回小野木身上說，今天還到機關去嗎？ go.小野木想換上衣，賴子當即繞到背後，幫他脫了下來。 Thanks.小野木道著謝。 襯衫呢？Lai Zi asked. 啊，在那個西服衣櫥下面的抽屜裡。 賴子蹲在衣櫥前，拉開抽屜。從漿洗房送回來的襯衫都疊放在裡面。 小野木在櫥房裡忙著什麼。賴子起身走過去，站到小野木身後。 doing what? 想給您燒點兒熱點心。 小野木正把紙袋裡的麵粉倒在器皿裡。 哎，還是我來吧。賴子笑吟吟地打算接替小野木。 No, no need.我的技術也蠻不錯。 這可不成。賴子說，您很疲乏，還是請坐到那邊椅子上去休息吧！ But 我想試試這裡的廚房嘛！請您瞧瞧我的手藝。過三十分鐘，連咖啡一塊給您送去。賴子一面打量放有電熱器和咖啡煮具的地方，一面說。 快點吧，您快到那邊去吧。賴子擁著小野木的身子。 小野木坐到椅子上。旭日冉冉升起，陽光從玻璃窗射進室內。從他坐的地方，能夠看到賴子正在忙碌的部分身影。廚房裡不斷發出器皿碰撞的聲音，這響動在早晨的空氣裡顯得特別清脆。 小野木感到這是一個幸福的早晨。 賴子的身體一閃一閃地動著。白色的霧氣暖融融地蒸騰前起。賴子的動作，在他那習以為常的眼裡引起了感情上的衝動。 小野木突然從椅子上站起身來。 oops!賴子抬頭看著出其不意來到身後的小野木，含笑的眼裡充滿了幸福的神情。 Is there a problem?小野木突然把手伸過去，用力把賴子抱到自己懷裡。 賴子輕輕吁了一口氣，很自然地把自己的臉仰在小野木的臉下。 九點了，結城庸雄走上自家門前披著晨曦的石頭臺階，他吩咐司機把所乘的汽車停在原地等候。 The door opens.兩個女佣人走出來，看到是男主人，滿臉現出吃驚的神色。 You are back. 結城庸雄默默地解著鞋帶。他身材很高。略顯稀疏的頭髮散著香氣，梳理得整齊熨貼。女佣人還在以吃驚的目光看著主人，早晨這麼早就回到家裡來，這是不常見的。 結城由正門直接向裡面走去。臉上沒有一絲笑意。他容貌很端正，所以更顯得冷若冰霜。 他身上仍舊穿著大衣。女佣人以為要脫掉的，就一直跟進內客廳，結果卻成了無事可做的發窘的局面。 結城將一把椅子挪到有陽光的窗邊，穿著大衣坐在上面，手仍然插在衣袋裡。 那個您用餐嗎？女佣人看到主人默默地搖了搖頭，正準備退出去斟茶。 Where is the wife?緘口不語的主人第一次開了腔。 啊今天早晨外出了。說是說是到太野車站去送一位朋友。 結城稍微考慮了一下，沒有就這件事再多說什麼。 把郵件給我拿來。他只講了這麼幾個字，就把眼睛轉向窗戶那邊去了。由於光線炫目，他眯起了雙眼。 女佣人拿來一捆郵件，大約積壓有五天的量。結城把郵件擺到桌面上，用一隻手翻過背面，看看發件人的姓名，接著又翻閱下一件。另外一隻手依然懶洋洋地插在大衣口袋裡。他是在挑選需要拆封過目的函件。 郵件多是腰封的報紙。這些報紙全是有關股票業界的。正在翻揀郵件的結城，手指又細又長，面部的側影也端端正正，輪廓鮮明。 因為主人沒有吩咐什麼事情，女佣人正要退下去。這時，結城好似輕聲自語般地問道：太太什麼時間離開家的呢？目光毫無變化，依舊落在郵件上。 是五點以前，叫來計程車就出去了。 五點以前？ 結城的目光稍微停了一下，眼神中似若有所思，神態上卻不動聲色；並且開始動手拆閱挑選出來的信件。 女佣人離去之後，他顧不得抽出已經拆封的信件，把身子轉向了陽光刺眼的窗戶。 日蔭地方的草坪，還掛有露珠。結城一動不動地凝視著那片草坪。