Inuzake Sosuke still remembers the first time he took his son to the cemetery.
The tombstones, which are new or old, have been cleaned, or have been neglected and covered with moss, are crookedly crowded in the small cemetery.
Ksitigarbha statues of different heights, but all looking very round, stand scattered everywhere.
The air is humid. It may have rained that day, so you can still smell the smell of earth and some indescribable stale smell.
Inuzake Sosuke was deeply impressed by the mixed and unpleasant smell in the cemetery.
As a perfumer, he has a keen sense of smell.
That time I went to the cemetery because my father died of illness. His son, Mizuiro, was only six years old at the time. He was so small that he was held in Inuzake Sosuke's arms.
"Dad, grandpa is dead."
Shui Se quietly huddled in his father's arms, staring into those innocent eyes, pure and innocent.
"Um."
"I will never see grandpa again, right? Grandpa will never take me to the wagashi shop to buy kuri yokan and eat it."
Death is a difficult concept, especially for children of Shuise's age.
He probably doesn't really understand what this means yet.
But for Shui Se, grandpa's death is real, and this cemetery with a damp smell is also real.
Among the criss-crossing tombstones and Jizo statues, even children will be aware of the fact of death.
Maybe he also realized something from it, thinking that one day, his father, his mother, and even himself would die like his grandfather.
For a child who is always curious about the world and always full of energy, realizing this too early is a bit cruel.
And Inuzhu Sosuke has always attached great importance to the education of children's concept of life and death.
When Shuise was five years old, she already knew where she came from: the result of the love between her father and mother. Part of the father's genetic genes, and part of the mother's genetic genes, were gestated in the mother's womb for ten months, and then she gave birth to Shui Se.
Sosuke told his son this.
Sosuke still remembers asking his mother the same question as Mizuiro when he was a child.
The mother's answer was: The children were picked up by mothers from the trash cans on the street corners. Whenever mothers want a baby, they look for it in the dumpster.
There was no malice in this deceptive reply, but Inuzake Sosuke was still upset about it. He could not forgive his mother for lying to him, nor could he forgive himself for actually believing such a statement.
For a long time to come, young Sosuke would worry about whether there would be a crying baby inside every time he passed a trash can.
But, the education of students is not difficult.
This is a good thing, there is no need to be coy or hide. But death is different. The education of death is too heavy.
Many adults can't face it, let alone children.
Inuzake Sosuke still remembers how he responded to his son in the cemetery that day. He said: "Grandpa, under the guidance of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, went to Naraku to reincarnate. Grandpa has been a good person all his life, so he will be reincarnated in the next life." You’re going to have a good life.”
"Shui Se will be a good child all my life. When I die, will Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva let me live a good life?"
"Will do."
"Then in the next life, can Shui Se still be the child of his parents?"
Shui's pure, unadulterated eyes were unbearable to look into.
"Yes, Aqua."
Inuzake Sosuke rubbed his son's head.
Does he believe in reincarnation?
Maybe I believe it.
…
It stands to reason that his son Inuzake Miziro would die for Aosuke.
Then maybe many, many years later, Mizuiro will hold her grandson or granddaughter in her arms, stand in front of Aosuke's tombstone, and like Aosuke, say some words of reincarnation to her next generation to comfort her.
But the development of fate is always not as expected.
Shui Se's life ended prematurely.
This year, he is only eight years old.
Although he is like other children of the same age, he will occasionally make unnecessary and irritating cries.
But Shui Se is actually very well-behaved, always so innocent, lively, and cute.
Everyone likes him very much, Shuise has always been a good boy.
Always.
Also...always.
"Will Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva guide Shuise and let him be reincarnated into a good family?"
Inuzake Sosuke stood in front of the mourning hall, thinking about things in the past for no reason, and it was messy.
"Cang Jie, I apologize and accept the change."
"Shui Se is still so young and he is always so good. His fate is unfair..."
The sound of people talking around him brought Inuzhu's thoughts back to reality.
He was stunned for a few seconds and saw Anzhai and his wife in dark clothes standing in front of him.
Anzhai and his wife are good friends with themselves and even their wives, and they have close contact with each other.
Inuzhu calmed himself down, and his somewhat distracted eyes fell on his friend's face.
He saw An Zhai's expression of sadness and sympathy, and when he saw the always kind-hearted Mrs. An Zhai holding a handkerchief, she couldn't stop crying and her eyes were red.
There is no doubt that their sorrow and tears are genuine and their feelings are real.
They also love the color of water.
But at this time, Inuzhu only felt unreasonably irritable.
"Sorrows and resignation", "unfair fate"...
He had heard too many words like this recently. I originally felt that I should be a little numb to this, but every time I hear it, it feels like a cat's claw scratching my heart, opening up the scars that cannot be healed and bloody.
It's useless. It's useless to say these things.
But what can guests do?
Can anyone find a way to bring Suise back?
"Thank you, Anzhai."
Inuzhu did not lose his composure and received the Anzai couple just like other guests who came to mourn.
In the corner of the room, his wife, the seventh generation, was resting her head on her mother-in-law's shoulder. Both mother and daughter's shoulders were shaking.
Probably crying again.
In the memorial hall, beside his son's coffin, there were bouquets of yellow and white flowers, and incense was burning.
The incense is made by Inu Bamboo himself, and is a combination of agarwood, agarwood, sandalwood, clove, agarwood, musk and cyperus rotundus.
Shuise is still young and has just become interested in the incense at home.
Aosuke still remembered that Mizuiro liked this set of fragrance notes that were as ethereal as fallen leaves.
If Suise can grow up smoothly, may she inherit the family tradition of fragrance in the future?
Or maybe not.
Maybe he will have something to do that interests him. His son is very active and lively. He likes to watch baseball games at Anzhai's house with Anzhai's son, who is a few years older than him.
Maybe he will become an athlete in the future, a baseball player, the kind who plays all the way to Koshien.
Inuzuke felt that Mizuiro could do whatever she wanted to do in the future, and she didn't necessarily have to inherit the family business.
But ah.
There is no future.
"The water color is still so small, so small..."
Inuzhu once again felt tightness in his chest, feeling depressed for no reason.
But he still had to stay calm to receive the guests, and then comfort his wife.
But why, why do you need him to do this?
Inuzake actually wanted to cry.
He felt like he couldn't bear it anymore and was about to be crushed. Why was he the one who experienced the pain of losing a child?
…
Guests came and went, the crowd was silent yet seemed bustling.
Inuzake Sosuke seemed to take a breath, so he walked to the courtyard alone.
The air outside didn't seem to be much more comfortable than inside, just as oppressive.
Inuzhu took two hard breaths, and his chest was finally not so heavy anymore.
At this time, he heard a calm and deep voice next to him: "Mr. Inuzhu, please forgive me."
Inuzhu turned his head and discovered that there was a man in a black suit sitting in the small pavilion in the courtyard.
Very young, elegant and clean, with meticulous hair and gold-rimmed glasses.
Inuzhu didn't know him. He didn't seem to be from the town, but he just thought he was a friend or relative whom his wife didn't know.
So Inuzhu nodded to the other party and responded: "Thank you."
"The pain of losing a child must be difficult to accept, right?" The gentle man pursed his thin lips, "The child is still so young. Acute necrotizing enteritis... shouldn't have happened."
Acute hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis was the cause of Shuise's death.
The disease started explosively, and Shuise fell into toxic shock within a short period of time, resulting in intestinal necrosis and perforation.
This disease is fatal.
But obviously he got medical treatment very quickly...
Inuzhu didn't respond to the other party, and said nothing with a sullen face.
"But let me tell you, there is actually no room for redemption now." The man spoke to himself again.
"what are you saying?"
Inuzake felt irritated again, even a little angry. What he said was inappropriate and seemed to be teasing. In such an atmosphere, it was too rude.
It makes people wonder whether this man is a sincere guest who came to mourn.
"What are you talking about? You should know it, right? There are so many things in this world, and Mr. Inuzhu, you know them all." The man smiled, "Have you not come into contact with it? The incense path passed down in your family, Isn’t it mixed with folk magic? As far as I know, it’s pretty amazing.”
"who are you?"
Inuzake became wary.
This man is right. The incense taught by the Inuzake family is indeed not an ordinary incense taught school. Strictly speaking, it should be a branch of some kind of folk Shinto technique.
But not many people should be aware of this kind of thing.
Where did this man come from?
"Don't be nervous, I'm here with good intentions." The man still smiled, "You can call me Haishi, or call me lawyer."
"Don't be so mysterious!" Inuzhu lowered his voice while trying to suppress his anger.
He was very dissatisfied with this man's frivolous attitude.
"Such an attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away is really sad." Lawyer Haishi spoke in a relaxed tone, sitting upright and rubbing his fingers on the stone table in the pavilion, "Before you drive me away, I will keep my story short. Mr. Inuzhu, Have you ever heard of the soul-returning incense?”
Rejuvenating fragrance.
Inuzake Sosuke had really seen this kind of ethereal thing in the books at home——
[This is a spiritual creature. Its fragrance can be smelled for hundreds of miles. A dead body is on the ground. It smells like it is alive. ]
[The sick will get up if they smell it, and the dead will come to life if they smell it. ]
But this kind of thing is just a legend.
The lawyer watched the changes in Inuzhu's expression with great interest, and continued: "The incense in your home, traced back to the origin of Shuo Shuo, should come from the Taishan Prefecture Junji Festival. Originating in China, it is a sincere prayer to the great god of Dongyue Taishan. The yin and yang secret technique of equivalent exchange of one's life for the life of the deceased. Therefore, the soul-returning incense should have been made by you, the Inuzake family."
"That kind of forbidden technique has long been..."
Inuzhu said, then suddenly paused.
He realized that he should not question the existence of the "Taishan Mansion Lord Sacrifice" at this time, but should completely deny what Lawyer Haishi said.
Simply questioning the Taishan Prefecture Jun Sacrifice is equivalent to endorsing part of what the lawyer said before, right?
"Yes, that's right. I can't find Fujunji for you, but I have another set of secret techniques adapted from Taishan Fujunji. It is essentially the same origin as your family's incense. Aren't you interested in the 'Yellow Springs Naraku Curse'? Maybe by combining the two, you can find a way to make the soul-returning incense."
The lawyer said this, taking out a stack of yellowed rubbings from somewhere and placing them on the stone table.
"Where did you come from with this kind of thing..."
Inuzhu took a step forward by mistake.
I don't know why, but that rubbing seems to have an inexplicable attraction to him. Inuzhu can smell it. There is an indescribable smell on the rubbing, which is heavy and ethereal, leading directly to Naraku.
It was as if there was some inseparable connection with his family's incense.
"Haha, a friend of mine left it to me. If you can study this thing thoroughly, you might be able to meet him."
"That……"
Inuzake took a few steps closer, and when he reacted, he was already standing in front of Lawyer Haishi, with only the yellowed rubbings in his eyes.
"Mr. Inuzake, I can give this to you. This is my original purpose."
"what do you want?"
"Well, everything has a price. However, what I want you to do is not too much. Just sign a contract with me and do something for me when I need it." The lawyer added Take out a thin stack of paper.
This time the paper was white and the black writing on it was clear.
Inuzhu could smell the fresh ink on it, and at the same time, the so-called contract seemed to be far from simple, with a mysterious smell that was difficult to explain.
cost……
It's definitely not as frivolous as the lawyer said.
"I hesitated. Mr. Inuzake, don't you miss your water color? He is such a well-behaved child."
The lawyer's voice seemed to have some kind of magical power that corroded people's hearts.
"Water color..."
In Inuzhu's mind, the sympathetic and sad voices of the guests sounded again.
I am sorry for your loss.
Fate is unfair.
He also thought of his wife's eyes which were red from crying, and how she cried uncontrollably because she saw her son's toys scattered under the sofa yesterday.
Aqua color comes to mind.
He is such a good child, his eyes are always kind and pure.
Thinking of Shui Se nestling in his arms, he asked himself softly: "In the next life, can Shui Se still be the child of his parents?"
Those pure eyes are hard to look into, and the scars in your heart will be revealed as soon as you think about them...
"..."
"Mr. Inuzake, the pen is here and the signature is here. According to your birthday, you are the most suitable candidate for the time of the year."
"..."
"No, you don't need to sign with your real name. You also need a code name."
"..."
When Inuzhu reacted again, the so-called "contract" in black and white paper had appeared in his hand.
He saw his own handwriting on the last page of the paper——
Xu Shi, perfumer.
