Chapter 18 tongue-cut sparrow

I dedicate this book called "Oka-Paper" to those Japanese people who fought bravely in the national calamity, as a novelty toy for comfort in their spare time.These days, I often have a fever. Occasionally, I am assigned to work and have to go out because of illness. My home has been hit by a war and needs to be tidied up.In short, as long as I have free time, I will write the story bit by bit.I have completed <Grandpa Picking Tumors>, <Urashima Taro>, and <Ka Chi Ka Chi Shan>, and then I will write <Momotaro> and <Tongue-cut Sparrow>. I think this "Oka Papyrus" is basically done.

However, Momotaro is already a well-known story and a symbol of Japanese men. Because the plot is too simple, instead of presenting it in the form of a story, I think poetry can express its interest more.Of course, I originally planned to remake the story of Momotaro into my story, that is to say, I will re-endow the evil spirits on the ghost island with all kinds of despicable characters that make people hate from the bottom of their hearts, and I plan to treat them as It is the description of those warlike and extremely ugly human beings who have to fight no matter what.As a result, the plot of Momotaro's crusade against evil spirits will arouse great sympathy among readers. When reading that battle, even readers' palms will sweat, and they feel as if they are in the moment of danger. (Whenever I talk about my unfinished writing project, the author will always boast like this. In fact, because the work cannot be completed smoothly, he can only complain.)

Anyway, listen to me first.Anyway, I have spoken so vigorously, please bear with me and listen to me finish the story.In Greek mythology, Medusa, the most evil and ugly monster, is the first to recommend Medusa.She was always suspicious, with deep wrinkles carved between her brows, her small gray pupils burning with blatant murderous intent, her pale cheeks trembling with threatening anger, and her thin black lips constantly spit out words of disgust and contempt.And her long hair is full of terrifying red-bellied poisonous snakes.When facing the enemy, countless poisonous snakes will quickly raise their heads like a sickle, and make a terrible sound. Anyone who sees Medusa's appearance will feel inexplicable fear, and then the heart freezes, and the body suddenly freezes. Turned into icy rock.Rather than being scary, it is more accurate to say that it makes people feel uncomfortable.The object of her harm is not the body, but the soul. This is the most abominable part of such a monster, so she must be defeated, so as not to harm Yi Qian.

In comparison, Japanese monsters are much simpler and cute.Monsters like the bald demon monk in the ancient temple, or the one-legged umbrella demon, are probably dancing innocently for the heroes who are drinking, purely to accompany them to spend boring nights together.In addition, all the evil ghosts in Onishima in the picture book are very large in size. As long as the monkey scratches their noses, it will immediately chirp!He sneezed a lot, and then surrendered inexplicably, without any fear at all.I think the evil spirits have a very kind personality, but they still have to spend a lot of time to defeat them. Such a story seems unconvincing, and it makes people unable to read on.No matter what, a stronger and more uncomfortable monster character than Medusa must appear.Otherwise, readers will not be able to clench their fists and sweat their palms.

If Momotaro as the conqueror is written to be infinitely powerful, readers will instead sympathize with the evil spirits of Onishima, so that they will not be able to feel the closeness of the story.For a great hero like the immortal Siegfried in the story of "The Ring of the Nibelung"①, his only weakness lies in his shoulders, and the hero Benkei② in the late Heian Dynasty also cried sometimes.In short, the absolutely perfect strong man is not suitable to appear in the story.Maybe it's because my physical strength is weaker than others, so I can better grasp the mentality of the weak, but I always find it difficult to understand the mentality of the strong.However, so far, I haven't encountered a perfect strong man who has never lost to anyone, and I have never heard of similar rumors.I'm the kind of author who can't write a single word, let alone a line, if I don't experience it personally. Speaking of it, I'm really a story writer with poor imagination.Therefore, even if I were to write the Momotaro story, it would be impossible to create a hero who has never seen an absolute invincibility.The Momotaro I wrote was a crybaby since he was a child, a frail, sick, timid and shy child, and a completely worthless man, but he broke the impression of ordinary people, and stepped into the endless hell of eternal despair, trembling, and resentment. They are regarded as ugly monsters and ghosts with fierce spirits.Even though he was weak, he couldn't turn a blind eye, so he stepped forward, put the millet dumpling on his waist, and bravely set off towards the ghosts' lair.If I were to write it, the story would develop into this situation.The dogs, monkeys, and pheasants who joined later are by no means the assistants of Kuaiguai. They each have quirks that bother their partners, and sometimes they quarrel. Maybe they will be written like Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, and Sand Wu in Journey to the West. Maybe a role like Jing.However, when I was finally able to start writing my Momotaro after I finished writing <Ka Chi Ka Chi Shan>, suddenly, it was like a dark cloud covering the fog, and I felt extremely melancholy.I hope that through such a simple form, at least Momotaro's story will be preserved, even if there is only one.Because this is no longer a story, it is a Japanese epic that all Japanese have been telling since ancient times.It doesn't matter how many contradictions exist in the thread of the story.The clear and open atmosphere of this epic is still reverberating in every corner of the country of Japan and has never subsided.Besides, Momotaro is in people's minds the man holding the banner of Japan's number one.Let alone Japan's No. 1, an author who has never even experienced Japan's No. 2 or No. 3, how can he describe the heroic man who is No. 1 in Japan out of thin air?When Momotaro's No. 1 banner in Japan came to my mind, I had no choice but to give up the writing plan of Momotaro's story. (①The Ring of the Nibelung was composed and written by Wagner, and it consists of four operas. ②Musashibo Benkei was a monk at the end of the Heian period in Japan. He followed Yoshitsune to defeat the Heike family and successfully won many battles for Yoshitsune.)

Closer to home, I will write the following story of "Tongue-cut Sparrow" immediately. I reconsidered and planned to finish writing "Tongue-cut Sparrow" and include it in "Yujia Papyrus", and this book will end here.No matter whether it is "Tongue Cutting Sparrow" or the previously written "Grandpa Zhai Tuo", "Urashima Taro" and "Ka Chi Ka Chi Shan", there is no character who claims to be the number one in Japan, and I am much more relaxed. Whatever responsibility you take, you can write freely.But as long as Japan is number one, such a trivial matter can also be number one in this great country, no matter what kind of fairy tale title it puts on, random writing is not allowed.If foreigners saw this, what would they say? This is Japan's No. 1?If you are looked down upon, what should you do?So, I'm here to refrain from making a tirade about it.Whether it's the two old men in the story of "Grandpa Picking Tumors", or "Taro Urashima", and Mr. Tanuki in "Ka Chi Ka Chi Shan", these are by no means the number one characters in Japan.So I can be forgiven for not writing Momotaro's story.So, if there is a Japanese number one character appearing in front of you in this "Yuga Papyrus", it is very likely that you are blinded and misread it. Do you understand?The characters appearing in my book "Origami Grass Paper" are neither the first nor the second or third in Japan, nor are there so-called representative characters.Because this is just an extremely mediocre character created by a writer named Osamu Dazai with his own stupid experience and poor fantasy.To speculate on the importance of the Japanese based solely on these inconspicuous little people is undoubtedly seeking a sword in a boat, almost looking for a fish in a tree.I value Japan very much.Although it is a trivial matter, I still avoid describing Momotaro, who is number one in Japan. As for other characters, because they are not number one in Japan, I can tell their stories as much as possible.I believe that some readers will also raise their hands in favor of my inexplicable persistence.Even Taiko ③ did not once said: I am not number one in Japan. (③This refers to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.)

In other words, the protagonist of this tongue-cutting sparrow is not the number one in Japan, on the contrary, it can be said that he is the number one man in Japan, and it is not necessarily the most unpromising man.In the first place, he was weak and sickly, and a weak man was worth less in the world than a poor horse.I often cough weakly, and my complexion is very bad. When I wake up in the morning, I take a spatula to wipe off the dust on the paper door of the room, and use a broom to sweep the dust off the floor. Sleeping or busy at the table, after dinner, immediately cover the quilt and go to sleep.This man has been living such a meaningless life for more than ten years. Although he is under forty years old, he signed himself as Weng long ago, and ordered his family to call him Grandpa.Well, he may barely be called an independent person, but if he really wants to be independent, he must at least have some money to live an independent life. If you are independent from the world, you will only be pursued by the reality of the world, and you will not be able to truly transcend the troubles of the world.The same is true for this old man, although he now lives in such a dilapidated and shabby thatched cottage, he used to be the third son of a rich man's family.Because I violated my parents' expectations, I didn't have a fixed job, and lived a leisurely life of farming and studying, and sometimes fell ill.For a while now, his parents and relatives have completely given up on him. They no longer call him a sick and stupid wimp, and give him a small amount of pocket money on a fixed monthly basis so that he can maintain the most basic expenses.It is precisely because of the support of his family that he was able to live an independent and secluded life.Although it is a simple grass hut, it can be seen that he is also a person of considerable status.However, even with status, he is still a useless guy.It is true that the body is weak, but it is not the kind of patient who is bedridden all day long. At least he should do something positive.However, the old man did nothing.I only know how to read every day. Although I have read a lot of books, I forget them once I read them. I never intend to share my reading experience with others.It's just a waste of time.Just like this, his value in the world is close to zero, and the grandfather doesn't even have a child, and he has no heirs in the past ten years of marriage.From this point of view, he has completely failed to fulfill his obligation to live in the world as a person.What kind of wife is willing to stay with such a husband who has no fighting spirit for more than ten years?What kind of woman is she?How much will make people feel curious.However, those busybodies who crossed the fence of this grass hut and peeped inside would always sigh like what the hell.In fact, she is not a woman with outstanding appearance. She is born with dark skin, protruding goldfish eyes, and thick wrinkled palms are weakly inserted around her waist. She is busy walking around in the yard. Even older.But she is only thirty-three years old this year, just entering the so-called bad year.Originally, she was a maid in the grandfather's hometown, responsible for taking care of the frail and sick grandfather, but she did not expect to take care of the grandfather's life unknowingly.She could not read a word, and was a vulgar woman.

Come on, please quickly change your underwear and bring it to me, I will wash it later.As a wife, she said in a strong command tone. Next time.The old man answered in a low voice with one hand on his chin on the low table.Grandpa always used to speak in a very low voice.Moreover, the ending sound of the words will still be muffled in the mouth, only to hear something like ah, ah, in short, some vague words.Even the old lady who has been with him for decades sometimes can't understand what the old man is saying, let alone other people.Anyway, he is no different from a reclusive hermit, it doesn't matter whether others can understand what he said, he has no fixed job, and he doesn't seem to be willing to write the knowledge he gained from reading into a book, and he has been married for more than ten years and still has no children. son.It is because of this personality that the husband and wife do not even have to speak clearly in their daily conversations. It is like talking with an egg in their mouths, and the ending sound is always muttering.I don't know whether it should be said that this is his inertia. In short, this negative personality is not only reflected in speech.

Please take it out quickly.You see, the skirt of the undergarment ④ was stained by you again, it's covered with oil, isn't it? (④A garment worn next to the body under a kimono.) Next time.The old man still kept the words in his mouth and murmured. Eh?What did you say, please make it clearer. Next time.The old man rested his chin on one hand and looked seriously at the old woman's face without a smile, finally speaking a little more clearly this time.Today it's cold. It's already winter.Not only today, but tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will definitely be very cold.The old woman said in a tone like scolding a child: Do you know who is colder than someone like you who sits by the stove all day long and someone who goes to the well to wash clothes?

I have no idea.The old man smiled faintly and replied: Because you are used to washing clothes by the well. Don't make fun of me.The old lady said with a straight face: I didn't live until now to do things like laundry. Yeah?The old man replied indifferently. Quickly take off the dirty clothes and wash them for me, and put all the changed underwear in the drawer over there. What if I have a cold? So, it's up to you.The old woman was very angry and left after leaving such a sentence. This is located on the outskirts of Sendai in northeastern Japan, at the foot of Mount Atago, facing a large bamboo forest facing the rapids of the Hirose River.Since ancient times, Sendai has been the habitat of many birds. The family crest called Sendai Sasa has two birds painted on it.In addition, in the first generation Hagi ⑤ in the play, the birds are all performed by big-name actors with more than a thousand taels. I think everyone should know this.In addition, when I traveled to Sendai last year, a local friend told me an old nursery rhyme. Let me introduce it as follows:

Bambusa little sparrow in bamboo cage when will it appear This nursery rhyme is not only popular in the Sendai area, but has since become a nursery rhyme sung by children all over Japan. (⑤In Japanese Kabuki, the abbreviation of Jing Liuli <Kara Xiandai Hagi>.) little sparrow in bamboo cage In this sentence, the bird in the bamboo cage is specially limited to be a sparrow, and the Northeast dialect such as Lie is inserted, but it does not make people feel unnatural. Just based on this, I think it is worthy of the name Sendai Regional folk songs. In the vast bamboo forest around the thatched hut where the old man lived, there were also countless sparrows, making noise day and night, so loud that it almost deafened the ears.Just as the autumn of this year was coming to an end, one morning when the snow fell on the large bamboo forest and made rustling noises, the old man found a lame sparrow lying on his back on the dirt in the yard. Feed by the stove.After the sparrow's foot injury recovered, it still stayed in the grandfather's room to play, and occasionally flew down to the ground to play in the courtyard, but soon flew back to the edge porch, pecked at the feed fed by the grandfather, and then dripped feces . The old lady saw it and immediately said, "That's so dirty."So the old man took out the pocket paper without saying a word and carefully wiped off the bird droppings dripping on the edge of the porch.As time goes by, the sparrow gradually recognizes who treats it well and who treats it badly.When the old lady is alone in the house, the sparrows will hide in the courtyard or under the eaves, and when the old man appears, they will fly over immediately, stop on the old man's head, or jump around on the old man's low table, all at once. He ran to steal the water in the inkstone, hid behind the pen holder where the brush was hung, and tried all kinds of tricks to hinder the grandfather from reading.Even so, the old man mostly pretended not to see, and continued to immerse himself in the world of books.He is not like those bird-loving owners in the world, who would give their favorite bird some strange name, and then say to it: Lumei, you are lonely too.Where did the sparrow do something, he looked completely indifferent.Moreover, I often silently grab a handful of feed and sprinkle it on the edge of the porch for the sparrows to peck. Taking advantage of the old lady leaving the room, the sparrow flapped its wings and flew in from under the eaves, and stopped on the edge of the low table where the old man rested his chin.The old man's expression didn't change, he watched the sparrow quietly.From this moment on, the tragedy that happened to the little sparrow will begin. After a while, the old man said: Well.Then he sighed deeply, spread out the book on the table, only flipped through a page or two, and looked at the front blankly with his chin resting again, and said, "You don't live for washing clothes, even if that's the case." That said, it's just coquettish.The old man muttered to himself and smiled wryly. At this moment, the little sparrow on the table suddenly spoke human words. What about you?And why live? The old man was not particularly surprised, he replied to the little sparrow: Did you say me?I was born to tell the truth. But you didn't say anything, did you? Because everyone in the world is lying, I hate talking to them.Everyone just lies.What's more frightening is that they don't even realize that they are lying. That's an excuse for lazy people.Anyone with a little scholasticism can pass on this kind of arrogance to judge others.But you did nothing.The ancients had a saying that what they can do and what they can't do, they ask themselves instead.You don't have the right to talk about others. That's right, the old man said without changing his face: "However, it would be great if there were men like me."I look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm not, and there are things no one else can do except me.In my lifetime, I don't know if there will be an opportunity to show my true value, but when the time does come, I will definitely show my talents.Before that, forget it, I still read in silence. Is that so?The little sparrow tilted his head and said: The more powerful and seemingly weak and incompetent people are at home, the more arrogant this arrogance of never admitting defeat will be.You can be said to be living a semi-disabled hermit life now. With an old body like yours, you still masturbate your unfulfilled dreams in the past as hopes for the future. What a poor fellow.Even the arrogance of being brave can't be called, in fact, it's just old-fashioned.Besides, you haven't done anything good. All right!It makes sense for you to say that.Grandpa calm down, but, I am doing something very extraordinary right now.What is it?It means wanting nothing.Easier said than done.For example, my wife has been with me for more than ten years, and I thought I had given up the desires of the world to some extent, but this is not the case. Like what she said today, she is not just showing off over there.It was so hilarious that I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I was alone. Suddenly at this time, the old woman poked her head out unexpectedly. I'm not coquettish.Huh?Who were you talking to just now?It sounded like a young girl's voice.Where did that guest go, and why is he nowhere to be seen? Are there any guests?The old man was the same again, slurring his speech. No, you were indeed talking to someone just now, and you were talking bad about me.Forget it, whatever you want, anyway, you always lisp like this when you talk to me, you look impatient and don't seem to understand what I'm saying.That girl's voice, it's almost like someone deliberately changed her voice, making that young and cute voice, you sound like you're happily talking to the other party, don't you?You are the one who is obsessed with lust, and you are simply overwhelmed and full of worldly thoughts that you can't let go of. Yeah?The grandfather still replied vaguely: However, I am indeed the only one in the room. If you want to play tricks on me, there is no door.It seems that the old woman is really angry, she just sat down on the porch, what do you think of me?I have endured all kinds of patience to get to where I am today, but you play me like a monkey through and through.I'm uneducated and uneducated, so I can't sit on an equal footing with you, and I can't talk to you fluently, but you are too much. When I was young, I worked as a cow and a horse in your hometown, and later took care of your daily life, so I became The current yellow-faced woman, your parents also said at the time, since you are so hardworking, why not let us be together It's all lies. Hey, where did I lie.What did I lie about?That's the truth.At that time, the person who knew you best was me.Can't do without me.That's why I decided to take care of you for the rest of my life, didn't I?Where did I lie?And how did you lie?You should talk about it!The old woman was furious and aggressive. It's all lies.I just thought you were not pretty at that time, that's all. So what the hell do you mean?I don't understand at all.Don't take me for a fool.I'm here with you because of you.I'm not pretty, but your words are too tasteless.Do you know how lonely and unbearable it is for me to be with someone like you day and night under the same roof?You never said a kind word to me.Look at other couples, no matter how poor they are, they will happily gossip about family affairs and have a good time with each other during dinner, don't they?I am by no means a greedy woman.For you, I can endure anything.All I want is a kind word spoken to me once in a while, and that's enough for me. Always say silly things.Really hypocritical.I thought you had given up on chasing and fighting, but in the end you just repeated the same old tune and complained over there.You want to turn the situation around, right? It won't work, because what you say is all deceiving yourself.You are always emotional, and the one who makes me so silent is you.Aren't the topics we talk about every time we have dinner just criticizing our neighbors and gossiping behind their backs?At this time, your so-called gossip is commonplace, isn't it just that you want me to listen to you speak ill of others.So far, I have never heard you praise others.After all, I am a person with a weak personality. What if I am influenced by you and start to criticize others.To me, this is where it gets really scary.So, I simply don't speak to anyone.You are the ones who stare at other people's flaws without realizing your own horrors.In short, I am afraid of people. I see.I've had enough of you, anyway you don't care about me, an old woman, I know that very well.Where was that guest just now?Where did you hide?I clearly heard the voice of a young girl.You can talk so well with young girls, and there's nothing wrong with you hating talking to an old woman like me.Don't pretend to be high-minded over there, don't think I don't know, what are you talking about without desires, pretending to be Zen enlightenment, calm and calm, when you meet young girls, don't you immediately get excited, and keep talking Everything has changed, and a lot of things have been said to others. Say what you want. Really heartless, you want to dismiss me with such a sentence?Where is that guest?It would be very rude of me not to say hello to my guests.After all, in the eyes of outsiders, I am also the hostess of this family, so let me say hello to the guests.My ugly words are up front, don't look down on people. that's it.The old man pointed to the little sparrow playing on the table with his chin. Huh?Do not make jokes.How can a sparrow talk. Yes.Moreover, it can hit the point. You've been kidding me the whole time, haven't you?That's up to you.It was too late to say it, but the old woman grabbed the little sparrow on the table. Since she spoke so sharply, I must pull out its tongue to see if it dares to talk nonsense.You, you just love this sparrow too much, I hate it when I see it, but there is nothing I can do about it.That's good.Since the young female guest escaped, why don't I take this little sparrow and pull out its tongue, so as to eliminate the hatred in my heart! The old woman forcibly opened the mouth of the sparrow in her palm, pulled out the small tongue like a rape petal, and pulled it out with a snap. The little sparrow flapped its wings in pain and flew towards the sky. The old man looked at the direction where the sparrow was flying in silence. So, from the next day, the grandfather began to look for the little sparrow in the large bamboo forest. little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? Every day, the snow keeps falling.The old man seemed to be bewitched, looking for the little sparrow everywhere in the deep bamboo forest.In the bamboo forest, there are thousands of sparrows inhabiting. It is extremely difficult to find the little sparrow whose tongue has been pulled out. search in. little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? For the old man, turning such unhesitating enthusiasm into action is an experience he has never had in his life.Something that had been dormant in the old man's heart finally poked its head out at this moment, but what exactly was it?The author (Dazai) doesn't quite understand either.He stays at his own home, but sometimes he feels as if he is in someone else’s home. He always feels uneasy, and suddenly meets someone who makes him relax and pursues him. This feeling may be the so-called feeling of being in love.Compared with the psychological state expressed by the word love, the grandfather's mood may be said to be more lonely.The old man selflessly searched for the whereabouts of the little sparrow. This was the first time in his life that he was so active and persistent. little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? The old man didn't mean to look for little sparrows along the road while singing, but the wind in the bamboo forest whispered in his ears.Ever since, these sentences emerged unconsciously in his mind, repeating them like chanting sutras.When he stepped on the snow in the bamboo forest step by step, these sentences emerged at the same time, accompanied by the wind whispering in his ears, and subtly formed a resonance. One night, a rare heavy snowfall fell in the Sendai area. The next day, the sky was clear and a dazzling silver world appeared.This morning, the old man put on straw snowshoes early in the morning, and walked aimlessly in the bamboo forest as usual. little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? little sparrow with tongue out Where are you going? A large pile of snow piled on the bamboo suddenly fell down with a bang, and landed on the top of the old man's head impartially, hitting the vital point, causing him to lose consciousness immediately, and the whole person fell on the snow. .As if in a dreamland, many small voices entered his ears. It's so pitiful, probably dead. How come, he didn't die.Just temporarily lost consciousness. However, if he continued to lie in the snow like this, he would still freeze to death. You are right.You have to figure it out.Now it's troublesome.If she had come here earlier, maybe this kind of thing would not have happened. Strange, what is going on with her? Ah Zhao? That's right, I don't know who hurt my mouth in a prank, and since then, I haven't seen her around here again, have I? It should be resting.Her tongue was pulled out, so she can't speak now, and she can only wash her face with tears every day. It turned out that the tongue was pulled out.Who is the one who has the heart to do this? Well, it's this man's wife.In fact, she is not a bad person, it may be because she was in a bad mood that day, she lost her temper suddenly because of some trivial matters, and forcibly tore off Ah Zhao's tongue. Did you see it all? Yes, it's scary.Humans are capable of such cruel and inhuman things. Probably out of jealousy.I also know a lot about the family of this man.He was really too much, treating his wife like a fool.Although he is not the kind of person who will love his wife, it is not good to be so cold.Ah Zhao took this opportunity to narrow the distance between him and the male host.In short, everyone is wrong.Leave them alone. Hey, you are also jealous, right?Could it be that you like Ah Zhao?Don't lie to me.Because she is the one with the best singing voice in this bamboo forest.That's why you're involuntarily moaning, right? I'm not going to do something nasty like being jealous.However, compared with yours, Ah Zhao's voice is really nice, and he is also beautiful. Saying this is too much. If you want to quarrel, you can avoid it, it's so boring.Let alone that, what should this person do?If you ignore it, you will die.so poor.You can see how much he wanted to see Ah Zhao. He searched back and forth in this bamboo forest every day, but now he fell to the ground and couldn't afford it. It's really a pity.He must be an honest man. What, just an idiot.At this age, he still runs around chasing a little sparrow. He has never met such an idiot. You can't say that, hey, let them meet again.Ah Zhao also seems to want to see this person, but because her tongue has been pulled out, she is unable to speak. Even if we tell her that this person is looking for her, Ah Zhao can only rest in the depths of the bamboo forest. Nothing can be done.Although this person is also very pitiful, Ah Zhao is even more pitiful than him.How about it?Let's do our part and figure out a way. I do not want.There is no sympathy for this kind of petty love between men and women. It's not a petty love.You don't understand this.If you want, everyone can help and find a way to let them meet.This kind of thing needs no reason. Alright alright.I am willing to help.For no particular reason.Then let's pray to the gods.When you want to do your best for others, you don't need any great reason. Praying to the gods is the best way.This is what my grandfather told me when I was a child.At times like this, the gods will help make it happen no matter what.So, everyone, wait for me here.I immediately went to pray to the God guarding the forest for help. The old man woke up suddenly, opened his eyes, and found himself lying in an exquisite house made of bamboo.He got up and looked around, at this moment, the paper door opened with a bang, and a doll about two feet tall appeared. Ah, are you awake? Uh-huh.The old man smiled kindly, where is this place? This is the sparrow's hotel.The lovely woman who looked like a doll saluted respectfully, then sat upright in front of the grandfather, and answered with blinking big round eyes. That's it.The old man relaxed slightly and nodded. Could it be that you are the tongue-cutter sparrow? No, Ah Zhao is still resting in the room inside.My name is Xiaoling, and I am Ah Zhao's best friend. That's it.So, the little sparrow whose tongue was pulled out is called Ah Zhao? Yes, she is a very gentle, kind person.You go and visit her.She was so pitiful that she couldn't even speak, and she shed tears every day. I want to see her.The old man stood up and asked, "Where does she rest?" I will lead the way for you.Xiaoling waved her long sleeves briskly, stood up, and walked to the edge corridor. In order to prevent slipping, the old man carefully followed Xiaoling's footsteps and walked on the narrow corridor paved with green bamboo. This is it, please come in. Led by Xiaoling, the old man walked into the innermost room.It's a bright room.The courtyard is full of lush young bamboos, and there is shallow clear water flowing between the bamboos. Ah Zhao was resting under a red silk quilt.Compared to Xiaoling, she was a fairy-like doll, her face was a little pale, she opened her big eyes, looked at the old grandpa's face, and then shed tears. The old man sat cross-legged beside her pillow, without saying a word, looking at the clear water flowing in the courtyard.Xiaoling quietly exited the door. The silence speaks.The old man sighed softly.Not a melancholy sigh.For the first time in his life, the old man felt so peaceful inside.The indescribable joy in his heart turned into a faint sigh. Xiaoling quietly brought in the wine and dishes. Please enjoy.After speaking, she got up and left the room. The old man poured himself a glass of wine, drinking lightly while looking at the clear water in the courtyard.The drunkard's intention is not in the wine, just one cup will make him intoxicated.The grandfather then raised his chopsticks and picked up a piece of bamboo shoot from the dish to eat. The taste was really delicious.But the grandfather did not feast on it.After taking a bite, I put down my chopsticks. The paper door opened again, Xiaoling came in with a second jug of wine and other dishes, and then sat down in front of the old man. How does it feel?Xiaoling poured wine for the grandfather. Don't bother, I've had enough.However, this is indeed a good wine.These are not polite words, but unconsciously blurted out, sincere compliments. Is it to your taste?This is bamboo dew. It's so delicious. Huh? It's so delicious. Lying on the bed and hearing the conversation between the old man and Xiaoling, Ah Zhao smiled. Oh, you see Ah Zhao is smiling.Do you want to say something? Ah Zhao shook his head. You mean it's okay not to talk, right?This is the first time the grandfather speaks to Ah Zhao. Ah Zhao blinked and nodded his head two or three times, looking very happy. Well, I'll excuse you first, and I'll come again. Facing this hurried visitor, Xiaoling's expression was a little dull. Uh, are you ready to go back?You searched everywhere in the bamboo forest, and you almost froze to death in it as you walked, and finally met again, why didn't you even have a gentle word of condolence I'm just not good at speaking softly, sorry.The old man smiled wryly and stood up. Ah Zhao, is this okay?Let him go back like this?Xiaoling asked Ah Zhao's wishes in a panic. Ah Zhao agreed with a smile. You two really agree with each other.Xiaoling also laughed, so you are welcome to come again. I will.老爺爺認真地答覆，然後走出了房間，忽然停下腳步，問道： 這兒究竟是哪裡？ 竹林裡。 Yeah?想不到竹林裡竟有如此奇妙的房舍。 some.小鈴和阿照兩人彼此對看，心照不宣地露出微笑。 不過，普通人是看不見的，以後要是您想來，只要像今天早上一樣，趴在竹林入口處的雪地上，我們隨時都可以為您帶路。 那就先謝謝了。老爺爺也沒多想，省去了客套話，便走出了房間，來到青竹鋪成的緣廊上。 在小鈴的帶領下，老爺爺又回到原本的小巧茶室，這回茶室裡頭擺滿了大大小小各式各樣竹編的葛籠⑥。（⑥竹編的長形大箱子，通常用來收納衣物。） 難得您來一趟，招待不周，實在羞愧得無地自容。小鈴語氣稍變對老爺爺說：這是我們雀之鄉特別的名產葛籠，若您有中意的，請別客氣挑一個帶回去吧。 我不需要這東西。老爺爺似乎有點不高興地碎念，對於眼前眾多的葛籠他看也不看，開口便問：我的鞋子在哪？ 這樣我很為難呢。請您務必帶一個回去吧。小鈴用快哭出來的聲音，哀求老爺爺說：不然等會兒阿照會罵我的。 她不會罵妳的。那孩子絕不會亂發脾氣。我清楚得很。話說，我的鞋子到底在哪？我明明穿著一雙草編的破雪鞋走來的。 我已經替您扔掉了。您不妨就赤著腳走回去吧。 這未免也太過分了。 不然，這樣好了，您就隨便挑一件紀念品帶回家嘛，小女子拜託您了。 小鈴對著老爺爺小手合十哀求著。 老爺爺苦笑著，瞄了一眼房間裡並排的那堆葛籠。 每個都好大，實在太大了。我討厭拿著東西走路。有沒有能夠放進懷中的小小紀念品可以讓我帶回去？ 這個要求嘛，有點強人所難 那我這就回去了。光著腳也無妨。東西我就不拿了。 老爺爺說完，真的光著腳丫，做出一副好像要跳出緣廊外的樣子。 請等一下，別急著走，等等我，我去問一下阿照馬上回來。 於是小鈴振翅飛向裡面的房間，不一會兒工夫，她嘴裡啣著一根稻穗飛了回來。 來，這是阿照的髮簪，請您不要忘了她。那麼，再會了。 忽地回過神來。老爺爺仍舊維持著匍匐的姿勢趴在竹林的入口處。What?原來是場夢啊。可是，他的右手握著稻穗。在寒冷的嚴冬中，稻穗確實是相當罕見，而且，還散發著猶如玫瑰般美妙的香氣。老爺爺小心翼翼地把這株稻穗帶回家，並插在矮桌的筆架上。 Huh?那個是什麼？老婆婆在家中做針線活的時候，看見了筆架上插著的東西，便好奇地問起老爺爺。 是稻穗。老爺爺一如往常語調含糊地回答。 稻穗？這種時候怎麼會有稻穗？您是從哪兒撿來的？ 不是撿來的。老爺爺低聲答道，他正要打開書本默讀。 I just find it strange.最近這陣子，你老是每天跑到竹林裡徘徊，又茫然若失地回到家裡，今天卻一副興高采烈地拿著這東西回來，還煞有其事地插在筆架上，我想你一定有什麼事瞞著我。又說這稻穗不是你撿來的，這到底是怎麼回事？可以請你老實地告訴我嗎？ 是我從雀之鄉得到的。老爺爺的答覆簡明扼要，似乎很不耐煩的樣子。 然而，這樣的答案，無法滿足實事求是的老婆婆。於是老婆婆又連番追問，執意要把事情問個水落石出才肯罷休。不善於說謊的老爺爺，被逼到沒有辦法，只好把自己的奇妙經歷一五一十地據實以告。 竟有這等奇事，你說的可是真的？老婆婆聽得目瞪口呆，一副不可置信的神情，最後忍不住嗤嗤地傻笑起來。 老爺爺不再回應了。他單手托著腮，一臉呆滯將目光再度移回書本上。 你以為我會相信你那些荒唐的鬼話嗎？一定是騙人的。I am certain.自從上次，沒錯，是上次，你看，就是那個年輕女孩到家裡來作客，你好像就完全變了一個人，似乎心事重重，焦躁不安，時不時哀聲嘆氣，簡直就像是害了相思病。都年紀一大把了，還想老牛吃嫩草，也不照照鏡子，這要是傳出去，多丟人啊！你瞞不過我的。因為我都清清楚楚地看在眼裡。那個女孩住哪兒啊？該不會是竹林裡吧。別想騙我喲。在竹林裡，你說有一間小小的房舍，裡面有著像人偶一樣可愛的女孩，別以為可以拿這種騙三歲小孩的謊話來搪塞我，那是行不通的。如果你說的是真的，下次去那裡，記得挑一個所謂名產的葛籠帶回來讓我瞧一瞧。你辦不到吧。這些故事一定是你捏造出來的。如果你能從那個奇妙的旅社把巨大的葛籠給我揹回來，就能證明你所言不虛，我也不至於會錯怪你。可是你拿這根稻穗回家，說是那個宛如人偶的女孩頭上的髮簪，真是睜眼說瞎話！好歹像個男人，老實地跟我坦白吧。我也不是那種不明事理的女人。若是你真的想要，納一兩個小妾，也不是不能商量 我沒有那個意思，只是討厭提重物罷了。 Yeah?既然這樣，何不讓我來代替你去。how?只要在竹林的入口處趴著等就行了對吧？就讓我去吧。May I?你會覺得困擾嗎？ 妳想去就去吧。 哼，真是厚顏無恥。口口聲聲說要讓我去，也是騙人的吧。那我就真的出發去試試手氣。It's okay, right?老婆婆不懷好意地微笑說道。 總覺得，妳是想得到那個葛籠吧。 嗯，沒錯，正有此意。我怎麼說都是個貪心的女人。我就是想要那個葛籠。而且我馬上就要出發，從一堆名產裡挑一個又重又大的葛籠帶回來。哈哈哈，好愚蠢啊，我要出門了。我真的很討厭你老是裝作一副道貌岸然的表情。現在巴不得把你那張假聖人的臉皮給扒下來。說什麼只要趴在雪地上就可以前往麻雀旅社，啊哈哈哈，真的好愚蠢。不過，我姑且遵照你的指示，去那邊瞧一瞧，試試手氣。待會兒，就算你說那全是編造出來的謊言，我也不會相信的。 話已至此，老婆婆騎虎難下，於是放下了手邊工作，收拾針線工具之後，便走下庭院，一步步踩著路面上的積雪，終於來到了竹林裡。 後來，究竟發生了什麼事？筆者也不知道。 黃昏時，老婆婆背負著沉重巨大的葛籠，趴在雪地上，外頭冷得要命。因為葛籠實在太沉重了，以至於她根本站不起來，就這樣活活凍死在雪地裡。而葛籠之中滿滿裝著的全是金光閃耀的金幣。 託這些金幣的福，老爺爺很快地在地方上當了官，並且一路高昇到了一國宰相的地位。世人都稱呼他為雀大臣，還說他之所以仕途如此順遂，全是因為當年對那隻小麻雀的愛所結下的果實，如今獲得了回報。但老爺爺每次聽到這些奉承話，都只能淡然地苦笑，並接著說：不，都是託我老婆的福。我讓她受苦了。