Dark Cave - part 4 - Chapter 18
” What does this mean? ” asked Sachiko Anzaki .
Guan Jian remained silent for a while, then sighed and said, ” I’m afraid this won’t be a happy story. ”
From day one, Yamashita knew that Tokyo would never be his home.
With outstanding academic performance , he had almost unlimited choices for higher education. But why did he choose Tokyo Imperial University? Both Tokyo and Kyoto, not far from Nara, have top medical schools in Japan. Perhaps he wanted to prove that this ” fragile ” boy could actually adapt to a wandering life.
After several months, he still felt out of place in Tokyo . When the first snow fell in Tokyo that year, his mood sunk to the bottom. Especially on snowy days before the winter solstice, the dark clouds in the sky were always so low and thick, blending with the smoke from factories and civilian use into a gray haze that seemed to engulf the entire city.
He was bored on the weekend, so he went to Yushima Tenmangu Shrine. The gods in this shrine bless the good men and women to achieve academic success. Perhaps it was his slow adaptation to Tokyo that hindered his studies. His grades in the grade barely remained in the middle, which was something he had never experienced since he was a child. His self-esteem and self-confidence were rapidly shrinking. He worshipped the gods and sighed, feeling that he was so pathetic that he had to rely on praying to the gods for help in studying. He wandered in front of the various plum trees in the shrine, thinking that if there were plum blossoms blooming in the snow, at least there would be some fresh embellishment .
” There are still two months before the plum blossoms bloom . You look so dazed. Can’t you wait? ” the girl said softly.
Yamashita Masahiro turned around, his eyes sparkling for the first time in months. He had a thousand words to say, but they stayed on his lips.
” Tell me , why is it snowing? It covers up the few good things about Tokyo. ” The girl asked and answered.
” I agree, I agree. Those already dull buildings seem even more boring under the white terror. ” Yamashita Masahiro’s legs were trembling slightly.
” The most pitiful are the travelers who mistake a foreign land for their homeland and can only shiver in the cold wind, their hearts feeling colder than their hands and feet. ”
” Fortunately, I met an old friend in a foreign land . Although my hands and feet are frozen, my heart is surging, warm enough to melt the snow and ice. Only at this moment did I realize that leaving my hometown was not reasonable. Now it seems that I came here to fulfill a fate that was probably destined in my previous life …”
” You are so excited and you are rushing to the front line . You don’t look like a medical student. You need to be calm, ” the girl suddenly smiled. ” I can help you! ”
Yamashita Masahiro was startled, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes , and his face felt painful and cold. A snowball had already landed between his eyes and nose. But this time, the smile was still in his eyes, and he could see that the smile was also on He Lingzi’s cheeks.
” Lingzi! I thought I would never see you again! ” Yamashita Masahiro hugged He Lingzi tightly.
He Lingzi leaned on his shoulder for a while, then lowered her head and said, ” I’m sorry, I left without saying goodbye that year . I really had my reasons. ”
Yamashita Masahiro also realized his recklessness due to forgetfulness and nodded: ” I understand your situation at that time . It is said that a large number of soldiers suddenly appeared in Nara during the days when you were away. ”
” I left without saying goodbye , and actually I was punished later. On the one hand I hoped you would forget me quickly, and on the other hand I hoped you would never forget me. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. ” He Lingzi raised her head and looked at Yamashita Masahiro, who had lost his childishness and became more handsome.
After hearing this, Yamashita Masahiro was even more convinced that the unexplained suffering in Tokyo was really all arranged by fate. The pure feelings three years ago turned out to be the seeds of true love.
He Lingzi said: ” So today when I met you by chance , I don’t plan to pass you by again. ”
Yamashita Masahiro looked at He Lingzi, who had become even more beautiful and elegant: ” This time, I will never let you leave me again. ”
He Lingzi also laughed and said, ” Oh? Is it really up to you ? ” Suddenly, a trace of melancholy floated across her eyes, and she said in a calm voice, ” I don’t know whether I should tell you. In fact, you shouldn’t be too close to me. You will get hurt. ”
Yamashita Masahiro was startled for a moment, then he said gently: ” Even if I get hurt by you … I still like your dagger. ”
He Lingzi smiled . Although it was early winter, spring had arrived in Yaguang at the foot of the mountain.
He Lingzi studied Western oil painting at Tokyo Bunka College. After studying in the medical school, Yamashita Masahiro finally had a place he was willing to stay. The two often strolled along the long street outside the school, talking about their childhood and the future. He Lingzi wandered in China and Japan in her childhood and had a wide range of knowledge. Yamashita Masahiro had always been fascinated by Chinese classical culture, and the two had endless topics to talk about.
When He Lingzi invited Yamashita Masahiro to meet with her mother Watanabe Reiko, Yamashita Masahiro could almost hear his own heartbeat. He knew what this step meant.
The image of Reiko Watanabe kneeling in front of the stage and playing the zither was unforgettable to Yamashita Masahiro. It was a work of art in itself: long hair like a waterfall, elegant face, and jade-like fingers that spoke to the strings in a gentle and slow manner, with her manners and music blending into one.
Although in Yamashita Masahiro’s mind, He Lingzi was the most beautiful woman in the world, he was still amazed by Watanabe Lingzi’s appearance. Although she was already middle-aged, Watanabe Lingzi still maintained a kind of beauty that people dared not look at closely. Especially her eyes, which were as pure as water and as bright as lacquer, and seemed to still have the innocence of a child. Although He Lingzi had told him that Watanabe Lingzi was injured after the assassination attempt in the Navy Minister’s Mansion, her eyes could no longer see.
the greetings , Watanabe Reiko listened quietly to Yamashita Masahiro’s praise of her piano, and said with a smile: ” I heard from Reiko that you have a strong interest in all kinds of art. If you like, you can ask Reiko to bring you here often and I will teach you to play the piano …”
Yamashita Masahiro looked at He Lingzi in surprise, but saw that she looked confused: ” Mrs. He , I would be grateful if you could give me some advice. ”
” Whether a boy is teachable or not, from the perspective of piano learning , the main thing to look at is a pair of hands. Can you … let me see your hands? ”
Yamashita Masahiro was stunned for a moment before he understood what Watanabe Reiko meant by ” look at your hands ” and stretched out his hands . Watanabe Reiko lifted up Yamashita Masahiro’s slender hands and gently stroked them until Yamashita Masahiro felt a little uncomfortable. She suddenly pinched them hard and Yamashita Masahiro cried out in pain .
He Lingzi called out, ” Mom! ” Watanabe Lingzi let go of her hand and nodded to him, ” Yamashita-kun, please go back. ”
Yamashita Masahiro suddenly felt as if he had lost his living space and almost fainted.
” Mom! ” He Lingzi screamed, obviously too shocked to know what to say.
” Mr. Yamashita, don’t you understand what I’m saying? ” Watanabe Reiko asked Yamashita Masahiro in a stern voice.
Yamashita Masahiro stood up, opened the door and walked out.
” Yamashita-kun! ” He Lingzi chased to the door, ” Wait a minute, please? ” The quarrel between the mother and daughter passed through the screen and the wooden door and reached Yamashita Masahiro’s ears.
” I’m doing this for your own good. He will make you suffer. ” Reiko Watanabe’s voice was like cold spring flowing over cold stone.
” Mother, can’t you see that he is the kindest man I could find among all the people …”
” He is kind, but weak. He is like his hands , not strong enough. He can’t save you when you get into trouble. ”
” I will take responsibility for myself. When you were in trouble, who could save you? ”
” How outrageous! ”
The sound of wooden clogs clattered on the ground, and He Lingzi appeared at the door with tears on her face.
” Reiko, seeing you and your mother arguing like this makes me feel very uneasy. ” Yamashita Masahiro didn’t know how to comfort you.
asked coldly : ” What do you want ? ”
” I will visit your mother often until she agrees that we can be together. ” Yamashita Masahiro said firmly.
” I knew I wasn’t wrong about you! ” After looking at each other for a long time, they kissed each other passionately.
The couple immersed in the baptism of love did not see that Watanabe Reiko had come to the door, and her blind eyes seemed to be able to see the passion of the two. She looked into the distance with a trace of sadness, as if she saw the misfortune in the future.
With passion boiling in his heart, Yamashita Masahiro was already a third-year medical student. He Lingzi was also about to graduate, and Tokyo Women’s Normal College had already offered her a job.
But one evening when the heat was fading, Yamashita Masahiro once again saw He Lingzi’s solemn expression. The last time she showed that solemn expression, she disappeared for three years. ” Lingzi, what’s wrong with you? “