Chapter 12 4

Grandmother Zhihui's wake was held in a small monastery halfway up the mountain.Yahiko was a little overwhelmed.I have only participated in three vigils before, but this time seems to be different from the previous ones. The first thing that makes people feel stunned is the reception staff. A table was placed at the entrance of the funeral home, and several middle-aged men and women sat there as reception staff.However, they all looked cheerful, and their manners were extremely undignified.Although most of the guests who come to express condolences are acquaintances, they should not greet everyone with a smile on their faces, sometimes chatting a little, and even laughing out loud.

Masahiko felt a little unhappy when he saw this.Smiling is strictly prohibited at wakes and funerals.It must be because they are too familiar with each other that they lost their sense of proportion. However, even when everyone lined up in front of the altar to prepare incense, the situation did not improve.Although the etiquette is simple, chatter and laughter with local accents are constantly coming from the place next door where the decontamination banquet is being prepared (a banquet for condolence guests after a funeral, which means to remove filth). (Is this good, so cheerful?) Yahiko was very confused.Here he hardly feels the sadness of someone passing away. Although it is called a wake, it is like a very simple banquet.

Of course, Masahiko does not dare to assert that there is no culture in the world that deliberately expresses cheerfulness at funerals.Maybe this town has this kind of culture.Yahiko really thinks so. It's my turn to be incensed.Masahiko stood in front of the altar, and saw that the coffin was covered with a piece of brocade, and there was also a dagger for body protection.When my grandmother passed away, I also placed these things, but here, there is another piece of paper spread out next to it.This caught Yahiko's attention.A pudding-like weight is pressed against the paper to keep it from flying away.

The paper is a very ordinary note with a few lines written on it.Masahiko looked intently across the incense platform, but the handwriting was very shallow, so he couldn't see clearly. I'm really sorry to ask the deputy director to make a special trip. After the incense was finished, Zhihui, who was originally sitting on the bereaved family's seat, came over and said to Masahiko.Everyone is still offering incense, so it's not good to leave the seats empty, right?Masahiko was a little worried for her, but it seemed that no one cared at all. Zhihui didn't wear glasses today, she was wearing a black dress, her long hair was combed into a beautiful bun, and she wore light natural makeup, which made her feel very elegant.

What grandma did is really embarrassing. No, that's what Grandma herself wanted to do.Zhihui replied without hesitation. Masahiko felt that things must not be that simple.The grief of the family members of the suicide is beyond words, which I have read in many books.What's more, with a little use of imagination, it's easy to see the sadness in their hearts. The two were silent for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.At this moment, exaggerated laughter came from the room next door to the decontamination feast.Yahiko was so angry that he almost wanted to curse.What are they thinking!

However, Zhihui, the person involved, didn't seem to care about it at all. He just pointed to the family members sitting in the bereaved family seat and introduced to Masahiko: This is my father, mother and sister. The father seems to be a short man with a good temper, the mother looks more domineering, and the younger sister in a high school uniform with short hair looks like a mischievous boy. Thank you, my daughter is often taken care of by you. Her father specially got up from the bereaved family seat and came over to greet Masahiko.His face was flushed and he smelled of alcohol all over his body. His steps seemed to be staggering, and he spoke with a bit of a tongue.

(Mother's wake night, still so drunk!) Zhihui's father bowed his head to Masahiko again and again, like a bird drinking water.Masahiko looked at him, feeling very puzzled. I heard that the deceased grandmother was my father's biological mother.When the mother dies, the son who should feel the most pain has this kind of virtue, and the other people's undignified attitude may be forgiven. Masahiko finished the greeting hastily, and was taken to a seat at the banquet.He saw Akiko in the corner of the room busy carrying glasses. Xiaojing, can I invite you to prepare sashimi after I finish working over there?

good! Akiko was among a group of women in aprons, busy all the time.Masahiko hadn't seen that angry expression for a long time.She seems to be very used to being called Xiaojing.When Masahiko and Akiko's eyes met, they quickly raised their hands, and Akiko nodded vigorously at him. Mr. Muto, Mr. Muto. Masahiko looked towards the source of the sound, and found that the president of the town council sitting at the table inside was waving at him.As expected, he was very popular and surrounded by many people. Do you know each other?This is Mr. Muto who just moved here this spring. The president's words made everyone around turn to Masahiko, all of them were smiling, and felt that they were out of tune with the atmosphere of the decontamination feast of the general vigil.

Mr. Muto was the first to find grandma's body this morning.His wife also helps in the kitchen. Everyone praised Masahiko unanimously and called him to sit next to the chairman. Mr. Muto, please give me your advice. Sit here.Come, have a drink first. The unimaginable warm welcome of the townspeople made Masahiko unable to resist.This is the first time I have encountered such a wonderful wake, Masahiko thought, while looking at the glass that was immediately filled with beer in confusion. May I ask if the banquet featuring the town council president is in full swing.Masahiko took advantage of the time when everyone started talking to the people nearby, and asked: Is the night of the wake in the small town so lively?

Mostly.Is there anything strange? No, I dare not say it is strange, but the wakes I have attended in the past have been sad. I see.But it all depends on the idea.The purpose of the funeral is indeed to commemorate the deceased, but Miss Mihashi's grandmother is really happy. happiness?She committed suicide! When the word suicide was mentioned, Masahiko looked around furtively, because according to the situation, this matter may not have been made public yet. No no no, grandma is very happy.She is already very satisfied with her life.The president of the town council made it clear. Ya Yan is very disgusted by this.How could a happy person hang himself on an iron pillar?

There are waka papers left in her house, you should have seen it too.It was the piece of paper that was placed on top of the coffin. Masahiko remembered the piece of paper that was pressed by the pudding-like paper, and it seemed that it was the Waka paper that Momoi mentioned. I also heard people from the company mention this thing.What is Waka Paper? Waka paper is just Waka paper.The head of the town council said in a daze.Mr. Muto knows about Master Saigyu, right? Hmm, I've heard the name. Once, when I was walking in the town with Akiko, I saw a waka written by this person in Jizoan.The paper with waka written on it was pasted on the wall, and the handwriting on the paper was completely incomprehensible, but Zhihui's grandmother happened to pass by at the time and told herself and Akiko that it was the work of Master Xixing. After listening to Masahiko's narration, the chairman of the town council nodded in satisfaction. Die under the flowers of spring, do you know the meaning of this waka at the time of the bright full moon? Yahiko tilted his head puzzled.I fell asleep during the classical literature class in high school, so I really didn't understand the meaning of this waka. If possible, I hope that I can die under the cherry tree, preferably when the full moon is in February, which probably means this.It is said that this is the work of Master Xixing's death, and he really died in the situation described in this waka. Does he know the date of his death? Well, of course, it can also be thought that he has predicted that his own death is not far away, so he composed this waka.However, wouldn't it be more reasonable if he wanted to die like that waka and decided the date of his own death? After the president of the Lockers Association finished speaking, he drank the beer in the glass with relish.Masahiko refilled his beer and asked at the same time: In other words, did the monk commit suicide? Well, I don't know either.However, I think he must have been quite satisfied with his life.I think his life will inevitably have many ups and downs, but this waka does not contain any sadness or sadness, but is full of love for death.This can only be written by those who are satisfied with the journey of life.Don't you think the whole work is full of free and easy? is that so?Yahiko was a little skeptical.But after he said this, it seemed that he also felt this way. You may seldom hear this, but the head of the town council said proudly: There is a custom in this district: the funeral of the deceased who left behind this waka is usually celebrated with great fanfare, even more grand than the wedding.Because he is satisfied with his life, he chooses to end his life at the pinnacle of happiness.Isn't that something to celebrate? It wasn't because I was drunk and misheard, nor was it because the president was talking nonsense after drinking. Is it worth celebrating? It may not be easy for outsiders to understand. Should Suicide Be Celebrated? Oh, Mr. Muto, calm down.The head of the town council smiled while reaching for the shredded squid on the plate.I just heard from Ms. Mihashi that yesterday was the grandma's birthday, and the whole family gathered together to celebrate her in the evening.The oldest grandson is the lady who works at your side. Although she is not very good at knitting, she knits a hat and a vest for grandma as birthday presents.I heard that my sister who was in high school also made a big cake. The cake was filled with candles, which looked like a hedgehog. Everyone laughed and blew out the candles together. The joyous scene appeared before Masahiko's eyes. The dining table was full of grandma's favorite things. Everyone sang together without turning on the TV. Everyone just quietly listened to grandma telling stories about her youth, and even thought of her deceased grandpa.Then the whole family took turns to express their wishes to grandma, and grandma listened with a smile from the beginning to the end. Such a scene seemed to appear in front of the head of the town council, with a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth.After finishing speaking, he suddenly turned to Masahiko and said: Mr. Muto, don't you think it would be great to have it all end on this day?On the day when you feel deeply satisfied with your life. Masahiko didn't know how to answer, but he also felt that the words of the chairman of the town council seemed reasonable. An end to a contented life.Our town doesn't feel sad when such a person dies, because sadness is disrespectful to the dead. When the grandmother's body was found, the town council president had used today's word, which meant that suicides by hanging were commonplace in the town. The appearance of that iron pillar suddenly appeared in Masahiko's mind.An iron pillar stands abruptly at a corner of the square.Rust iron pillars without decoration.Neither a street lamp nor a toy. Could it be that the iron pillar was specially set up for this purpose? That's right.Anyone who is a resident of this town can use it.The ropes and the benches for the feet are placed in the warehouse.The president of the town council said that the tone was very ordinary, as if explaining official duties. Yahiko suddenly felt dizzy.I used to do twenty pull-ups in front of the iron pillar every morning. Why set something like this? The iron pillar has been there for a long time. Ask the old people, and they also said that they have had it since childhood. However, one day you will understand that the iron pillar is an absolutely indispensable and important thing in this town. Masahiko obviously didn't drink much, but he began to feel dizzy, and at the same time, he felt a nausea and unpleasant thing gradually rushing up his throat. Don't take it to heart.Isn’t it common for people to commit suicide by jumping off buildings in some buildings in Tokyo?Just think of it as the same. Wait a moment!Masahiko couldn't help interrupting the president of the town council. These are two different things at all.The meaning of the building where someone jumped to commit suicide and the iron pillar specially prepared for suicide by hanging themselves are completely different.But Masahiko didn't know how to express this meaning.He didn't think he was drunk after just drinking such a small amount of wine, but he felt as if he had been forced to drink bad wine. This town is really weird. Masahiko came home with such feelings. What does it mean to die under the flowers of spring? The slightly drunk Masahiko took out the salt in a small bag from the gift bag at the wake, sprinkled it on his shoulders, and then opened the entrance door and entered the house. Akiko hasn't come back yet.When she was about to leave the decontamination feast, she was happily busy.It's been a long time since I saw such a cheerful expression on her face. Don't tell her about the iron pillar, Yayan thought.I, who never made a big fuss, felt shocked. That must have frightened the delicate Akiko, and maybe she would clamor and refuse to live in such a place. Hang up the mourning clothes, change into home clothes, and turn on the TV.A variety show that I usually watch in Tokyo is playing on TV.The show time is the same as in Tokyo, but this show airs on Tuesdays in Tokyo, and today is Friday.It was a bit out of place when I first moved here, but I seem to be used to it now.Perhaps like this, I can gradually get used to the strange customs of this small town. After a while, Akiko came back.Her radiant appearance really didn't look like she had just come back from a vigil, and she even forgot to sprinkle the decontamination salt. Moving here seems to be exactly the right thing to do, it's such a great town!Akiko went to the next room to change into mourning clothes, and said this through the paper door. The two have known each other for so many years, Akiko has never changed clothes in front of her, Masahiko appreciates her subtlety.Ryoko always dresses or dresses generously in front of her, and Masahiko also thinks it is cute to be so informal.Men are really hopeless. Did something happy happen? The lady next door introduced me to everyone.Everyone was very nice, so I just told everyone that I was translating. This is really strange. Translation is a special skill that not everyone can do.Although this job has become much easier thanks to the gift of computer software, it still has to rely on my own language ability.There are not many, but it is true that some people always ridicule translators because they are jealous (Masahiko's sister-in-law also has this tendency), so Akiko has always avoided mentioning her part-time translation to others.I didn't expect that she would take the initiative to mention it this time, which shows that the atmosphere at that time must be very harmonious. Unexpectedly, everyone asked me to teach English to the children nearby, and asked me if I should open a cram school. You mean, they want you to open an English cram school? It's not really a cram school, that's too exaggerated.I don't charge tutoring fees, I charge ten children at most, and I give them English lessons about twice a week, that's all.Anyway, our house has a lot of rooms, what do you think? There is little reason to object.There are indeed too many rooms. To be honest, Masahiko was unbelievable.Akiko, always socially awkward, had gotten worse since the onset of hyperventilation, and now she was consciously blending in. Since you mean it, it's not bad to try.But can you? Akiko has never been in contact with children. Although she has talked to Masahiko's eldest brother's children, Masahiko finds that her attitude is always very distant, and she is really not used to getting along with children. No problem.In fact, there are already three confirmed students, and the day after tomorrow will start. What, it turns out that everything has been settled, aren't you forcing me to ratify it afterwards? Because I think Xiao Yan will not object to it. Oh my god!Masahiko shrugged comically. Akiko couldn't help laughing out loud when she saw it, and Masahiko also laughed after being infected. Masahiko smiled, thinking, as long as Akiko is happy. It is definitely not decent for this town to openly set up an iron pillar for hanging.But even so, as long as you can live with a smile every day like this, then forget it. Although the chairman of the town council didn't say it clearly, he believed that every place has a place that leads people to death, so this is not surprising at all.Buildings where people jumped from buildings, intersections where tragic traffic accidents occurred, and buildings where murders occurred were commonplace. Deaths are commonplace, and they are everywhere. The iron pillar is just one of them. Just as Masahiko was trying to comfort himself in this way, the president's parting words kept reappearing. After hearing the real purpose of the iron pillar, Masahiko felt his mind was in a mess, and couldn't help but say to the chairman of the town council: Maybe the old lady didn't commit suicide. He suddenly blurted out a thought that had occurred to him on his way home from get off work one day. The top of the iron pillar was so high that the old lady couldn't tie the rope to it by herself, so there must be someone else to help. Masahiko said carefully, afraid of being heard by the people around him.The president looked at his serious expression and heard his reasoning, a smile appeared on his face, as if he was laughing at Masahiko. It's easy!It was the eldest sister who tied it up for her.That kid is so cute.