Here comes the busker.
Hum, these characters have no way to feed. It’s my turn. I’m already here. The paper merchant points to the chessboard and says he’s obsessed with winning or losing.
While I was in a trance, the artists seemed to be going back. I heard the man shouting good night from the courtyard.
I went to the corridor to ask him for a trade, and people whispered to each other for a while, then turned to the door of the hotel. Three girls followed the man in turn for a night, but in the corridor, they hung their hands and saluted like geisha. I saw from the chessboard that I was about to lose chess.
There’s nothing I can do. I give up
Where can I lose? It’s not good on my side. It’s still fine chess anyway.
The paper merchant didn’t look at the artist one eye at a time, counting the chessboard numbers one by one, and became more and more careful. The women put the drums and three strings in the corner of the room and played five chess on the chessboard. At this time, I won and lost the chess, but the paper merchant still insisted on saying
How about another plate and another plate for you?
But I didn’t mean anything. I just smiled. The paper merchant stopped reading and got up and left.
The girls moved closer to the chessboard.
Are you going to tour anywhere tonight?
I want to go for a spin, the man said, and look at the girls.
How about we call it a night and let everyone have fun?
That’s lovely, that’s lovely.
Won’t you be scolded
How can you run around without guests?
They didn’t leave until after twelve o’clock.
After the dancer went back, I couldn’t sleep, but I was still awake. I went to the corridor and shouted.
Paper boss paper boss
Oh, the nearly 60-year-old master jumped out of the room and agreed with great energy.
Tong Xiao will tell you the truth tonight.
I am very belligerent at this moment.
chapter four
four
I have made an appointment to send it from Tangye at 0 o’clock the next morning. I put it on the side of the public bath to buy a cap, stuffed the college student’s hat into my bag and walked to the small hotel along the street. On the second floor, the paper was fanned one by one and I didn’t care, but the artists were still sleeping in the bedding. I was flustered and froze in the corridor.
In front of my heel, the dancer blushed and suddenly covered her face with her palms. Her older girl slept on a spreading face, and it was still thick last night. Your lips and eyes were red. This is quite funny. She blinked and turned to her side to cover her face with her palms. She slipped from the bed and sat in the corridor.
Thank you last night, she said with a beautiful salute, leaving me there at a loss what to do.
The man and the older girl slept in a bunk. I had no idea that these two people were husband and wife before I saw this.
I’m very sorry to come and plan to leave today, but we’re going to receive guests tonight. We’re going to extend it by one day. If you have to leave today, you can still meet us. We decided to stay in Jiazhouwu Hotel. You will immediately find a 40-year-old woman standing on the ground and saying that I feel abandoned.
Can’t we go tomorrow? I didn’t know mom was going to extend her journey by one day. It’s always a good day for a date to go together, said the man
The 40-year-old woman went on to say, "That’s it. It’s rude to ask you to leave even if it rains first. The day after tomorrow is the forty-ninth day when my baby died on the road. I’m always thinking about it. It’s rude to rush all the way to the field to tell you about it before that day, but it’s unexpected that we want you to sacrifice it the day after tomorrow."
So I postponed my trip and went upstairs. When everyone got up, I chatted with the innkeeper in the dirty accounting room. The man invited me to take a walk. A beautiful small bridge went slightly south along the street. With the railing of the bridge, he talked about his life experience. He said that he had participated in a new troupe in Tokyo for a short time. I heard that he still often performed in Oshima Port. He said that the scabbard in their luggage was dragged outside like a leg because there was a big wicker party in the hall. The bag contained clothes, pots, cups and so on.
I have delayed my future and ended up in this position, but my brother has married beautifully in Jiafu. As an heir, I am unwanted.
I always thought you were from Nagaoka Hot Springs.
Really? That older girl is my wife. She is one year and seventeen years younger than you. On the trip, her second child was born prematurely and died within a week. My woman’s body has not recovered. That mother is her biological mother, and that dancer is my own sister.
Oh, you said you were a 14-year-old sister
That’s her. I hate to let my sister do this for a living, but there are still various reasons.
Then he told me that his name is Rong Ji, his wife is Chiyo’s sister is Xun, and another 17-year-old girl is Lily. She was hired by a stranger on the big island. Rong Ji elephant was very sad and looked at the beach in tears.
When we came back, we washed the powder. The dancer leaned over the roadside and patted the puppy’s head. I said I would add it back to my hotel.
You go to play
Okay, but I’m alone
You go with your brother.
I’ll go right away
It wasn’t long before Rongji came to my hotel
What about them?
Women are afraid of their mother’s nagging
But as soon as we played chess, several women had already crossed the bridge and hurried downstairs. As usual, they saluted politely and sat in the corridor hesitating. The first one was Chiyo.
This is my room. You’re welcome. Come on in.
The artists played for an hour and went to the bathroom of this hotel. They invited me to go with them again and again, but three young women had been pushed by me. Later, the dancer Ma came to tell the story of a thousand generations alone.