"Ah! It's Granny Guasheng!"
"Grandma Guasheng!"
"Grandma Guasheng! Good evening!"
…
After walking side by side with Gua Shengxiu, shouts similar to this surrounded Qingdeng with an overwhelming sense of presence.
In Yoshiwara, there is a professional term called "Zhang Mise", which means that the wandering girls appear collectively in the "window" on the first floor of the wandering girl's house.
As is customary, every tourist house has a large display window surrounded by a wooden fence on the first floor. Every night during business hours, the traveling ladies would sit collectively behind the display window, posing and posing across the wooden fence for the passing customers to watch, appreciate, and choose from.
】
There are four types of Yoshiwara's yōjoya: large, middle, small, and cut.
The specifications of Omise are the highest, and the price of Yumei is also the most expensive.
There are more than 200 Yoshihara houses throughout Yoshiwara, but the number of Omise houses has always remained at around six or seven.
Because of the large scale and high prices of Omise, most Edo people could not afford to come here. Only senior samurai with generous salaries like Ayoto or wealthy businessmen with wealthy families could afford to go to Omise. Seri having fun.
The next highest levels are Zhong Jian Shi and Xiao Jian Shi. The Thousand Flower House where Baiju is located is Nakamise.
The lowest-end Kirimise is the cheapest and the most remote. It is basically concentrated in the "Nishi River Bank" in the far west of Yoshiwara and the "Rashomon River Bank" in the east.
The styles of the first-floor windows of Wandering Girl's Houses of different sizes are also different.
The fence in Omise is entirely made of red lattice and completely surrounds the display window.
The window bars of Nakamise and Komise are both incomplete. The former has a quarter of the upper right corner empty, while the latter has the entire upper half empty and only surrounds the lower half. Customers with longer legs can step into the display window of Xiaojianshi by stretching their legs and make love with the wandering girls inside.
Whether it's a big one, a medium one, or a small one, in short - every time Qingdeng and Gua Shengxiu pass by a wandering girl's house, the wandering girls in the shop window will definitely say hello to Gua Shengxiu warmly.
Every greeting is full of sincere friendship, and there is no hint of falsehood.
Although he had known for a long time that "Yoshiwara Doshin" enjoyed a high prestige among the Yoshiwara girls, Qingto couldn't help but be amazed after seeing this scene with his own eyes.
No matter who the person is, as long as they greet her, Gua Shengxiu will respond positively, either with a smile or a wave.
sough--!
Suddenly, a cold wind came.
The temperature has been very low recently.
Although it hasn't snowed yet, there is always a cold air in the air.
The translucent cold fog was blown away by the north wind and floated in the air in varying thicknesses.
Pedestrians shrank forward.
The wandering girls in the display window were shivering with cold while quietly hiding their naked feet under their clothes.
The girls in Yoshiwara don't wear socks - I don't know if the person who advocates this "barefoot culture" is a senior foot connoisseur.
As long as the wandering girls wear socks, they will be labeled as "bumpkin" and "unfamiliar".
Although they complain about being cold and want to use socks to warm their feet, they still insist on going barefoot all year round, even on cold days with heavy snowfall.
As a result, there are two lines of Sawa Ryanagi poems circulated among the people in Edo: "The beautiful lady in the city, at the age of twenty-eight, can finally walk in the foot bag" and "I have never known the size of my foot bag for more than twenty-seven years."
According to Yoshiwara rules, a wandering girl can retire at the age of 28.
Because the wandering girls in Yoshiwara do not wear socks, they can only wear socks when they are 28 years old...that is, when they finally regain their freedom. However, because they have never worn them, they cannot know the soles of their feet. Dimensions size. These two lines of Sichuan Liuzheng embody the complex mood of the wandering girls, which is mixed with sadness and joy.
"Miss Guasheng."
While Qingdeng tightened the black scarf around his neck that was being blown up and down by the cold wind, he cast a concerned look at Gua Shengxiu beside him.
"You're wearing so little, is that okay?"
When he first saw Gua Shengxiu, Qingto noticed that the old woman's clothes were very thin. She only wore an ordinary women's kimono.
Although the fabric of the kimono is stuffed with cotton, compared with the current temperature, such a thin layer of cotton is really a drop in the bucket.
Faced with Qingdeng's kind reminder, Gua Shengxiu smiled.
"Thank you for your concern. But there is no need to worry about my 'temperature condition'."
While Guasheng said this in a half-joking tone, he stretched out his hand to gently tuck the skirt of his jacket.
"I'm the kind of person who is naturally not afraid of the cold. For me, this outfit is enough to keep me warm."
Speaking of this, she suddenly changed the subject.
"Hanada-kun, you don't need to be so respectful to me, it makes me uncomfortable."
"My mother calls me 'Miss Guasheng'. You can just call me 'Grandma Guasheng' like other people do. I like this title better, it is both pleasant and kind."
Qingdeng has always held the attitude of "anything is fine" when it comes to things like "title".
Since Gua Shengxiu asked so, he was also happy to comply.
…
After a lot of hurrying, the two finally arrived at their destination: a shrine located in the southwest corner of Yoshiwara.
Ever since he became a member of the New Imperial Palace and frequently visited Tsukinomiya Shrine, the shrine has become one of the architectural facilities that Aonto is most familiar with.
"Grandma Guasheng, where is this?"
Qingdeng cast doubtful glances around him.
"This is Enomoto Shrine."
Gua Shengxiu explained unhurriedly.
"There are four shrines in Yoshiwara, namely the 'Kurosuke Inari Shrine' in the northeast, the 'Akaashi Inari Shrine' in the southeast, the 'Kaiyun Inari Shrine' in the northwest, and the one we are standing on right now. 'Enomoto Inari Shrine'."
"Because the unransomed wandering girls are not allowed to step outside Yoshiwara, the wandering girls visit these four shrines to pray for blessings on weekdays."
"These four shrines are not only entertainment places for them to comfort themselves... but also their cemeteries."
"All wandering girls who unfortunately passed away but no one came to claim their bodies will be buried in the open spaces near these four shrines."
What a coincidence - when talking about this place, Kuao Xiu happened to take Aoden to the back of Enomoto Shrine.
Qingdeng looked around and saw hundreds of Zutaba standing in front of him.
Zutaba: Chinese transliteration of Sanskrit, directly borrowed by Japan. Originally meaning a spiritual temple or pagoda, it evolved into a long straight wooden tablet in Japan. It is used as a tablet similar to the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. On it are written the names of Buddhist scriptures or Dharma meetings, the names of those who want to be saved, and donors and other information.
Looking at this group of contiguous "Zutapo Jungles", Qingdeng couldn't help but be startled.
"Grandma Guasheng, is this... the place where Baiju often comes?"
Gua Shengxiu nodded slightly.
"Bai Ju's good friend... a young girl who doesn't even have a real name and only has a nickname of 'Hongmei', is buried here due to an accident more than half a month ago."
"After the incident, Bai Ju would come here every time she had free time to remember her best friend."
There is no real name, only a flower name - obviously, this is a wandering girl.
Many wandering girls were formerly homeless orphans, or girls who were sold because their parents were too poor to support more children.
In order to ensure the quality of the girls in their own stores, Omise and some Nakamise will take in orphans with good qualifications and girls who have been sold by their families, and then teach them from an early age and train them to specialize in "pleasing men." "Professional travel girl.
Some house owners are too lazy to name their children, so they simply give them a fancy name instead of their real name.
Gua Shengxiu led Qingdeng to a corner of the cemetery.
"This is Hongmei's tomb."
Qingdeng followed Gua Sheng's gaze and looked over.
On the half-human-tall Zutappo, there is no name of the Buddhist scriptures or the name of the Dharma assembly, only the name of the deceased: Hongmei, and the name of the donor: Baiju.
"Baiju doesn't have a real name either."
Gua Shengxiu added.
"Accident……"
Qingden murmured, and then asked subconsciously.
"What accident caused her death? Was she sick?"
The most common cause of death among wandering girls is illness.
At present, Japan has not yet established advanced hygiene concepts, and there are no convenient tools such as condoms. Both prostitutes and prostitutes are extremely susceptible to diseases.
Nowadays, penicillin and other antibiotics have not yet been invented. Once you get syphilis, gonorrhea and other diseases, you basically have to wait for death.
"Not really."
Gua Shengxiu shook his head.
"She is in love with her lover."
"Ah, in my heart..."
Qingden was speechless.
In the heart - this word can have two meanings in Japanese. One is a couple committing suicide together; the other is a mass suicide of two or more people.
Because of the low social status of wandering girls, they were influenced by the world's customs and married wandering girls... Especially the behavior of good men marrying wandering girls was an unbearable taboo in the eyes of the general public.
At most, you can take a wandering girl as a concubine, but you must never marry her as a wife, otherwise you will definitely suffer ridicule and contempt from the people around you.
Worldly prejudice and the pain of not being able to love have caused endless incidents in the hearts of wandering girls and lovers.
The cemetery is so large that no matter which direction you look, you can never see the end of it.
In order to find Baiju, Qingdeng, led by Gua Shengxiu, visited every location in the cemetery.
On the way, Gua Shengxiu sighed heavily, and then slowly said to Qingdeng:
"Alas... this matter has to start with what happened to another girl half a year ago..."
"Half a year ago, Kazuka, the popular figure in Suzuya, fell in love with a ronin from the Sendai clan."
"Although they love each other, they cannot be together because of the huge identity gap."
"They couldn't bear the pain of separation... and finally met together in their hearts under the constant light of Mount Akiba."
Akiba Mountain is always illuminated - a famous landmark of Yoshiwara. Follow the road that runs through the center of Yoshiwara... that is, follow Nakano-machi to the end, and you will see this huge lantern dedicated to Akiha Gongen.
"In the hearts of wandering girls and lovers - this is not a rare thing."
"However... Misuzuya is one of the top restaurants in Yoshiwara. Fenghua is the most popular restaurant in this store and has a very high reputation."
"She and her lover attracted the attention of many families."
"The families gathered together like cats smelling fishy smell, selectively deleted and exaggerated the facts, and adapted the hearts of Fenghua and the ronin into an extremely sad love story."
"That ronin is a handsome guy with a tall figure and a handsome face..."
"That ronin is the holder of Beichen's Itto-ryu and Xu Jieden. He once helped Fenghua fight off unscrupulous prostitutes..."
"Why is Fenghua a beauty whose appearance is not inferior to that of 'the most beautiful woman in Edo', Chiba Sauna..."
"They're all just farts, and none of them are right."
"Although there are many mistakes and omissions, people in the market can't help but like this kind of tragedy where a handsome guy with extraordinary talents falls in love with a beautiful woman, but they can't be together due to various reasons."
"After hearing this story that was seriously inconsistent with reality, many traveling girls began to imitate it."
"In the six months since Fenghua's death, there have been frequent incidents of people imitating Fenghua's death under the constant light of Mount Akiba - Hongmei is one of the imitators."
Speaking of this, Gua Shengxiu sighed again.
Qingdeng listened quietly to the end.
This is the so-called "Werther effect"... Qingdeng thought to himself.
The Werther effect, the phenomenon of suicide imitation.
In 1774, the great German writer Goethe published a novel called The Sorrows of Young Werther, which was supposed to be about a young man who committed suicide after falling out of love. After being published, it caused a great sensation, which not only made Goethe famous in Europe, but also triggered a trend of imitating Werther's suicide throughout Europe, hence the name "Werther effect".
From the perspective of human ethics, this kind of behavior of two people dying for love together is naturally undesirable.
But when talking about the pros and cons of something, you can't divorce yourself from the broader context.
Ayoto is not a scholar who specializes in Yoshiwara culture. His knowledge of the miserable lives of the Yoshihara girls was limited to hearsay.
However, in less than an hour from the first time he stepped into Yoshiwara tonight, Qingto has realized the difficulties of wandering girls in every detail.
For those wandering girls who are tortured by the pain of reality and are on the verge of collapse, committing suicide with the man they like may be a way to redeem themselves.
Qingdeng knew that he did not have the ability to judge the rights and wrongs of poor girls such as Fenghua and Hongmei, so he did not say a word.
…
About three minutes later, Qingdeng and Gua Shengxiu visited every corner of the cemetery.
Qingdeng didn't know Bai Ju's appearance, so he could only rely on Gua Shengxiu to identify him.
Although I occasionally saw several men and women who came to offer sacrifices, according to Gua Shengxiu, none of them were Baiju.
"Bai Ju is very short, probably about the same height as me" - Gua Shengxiu said.
She is about the same height as Grandma Guasheng... so her appearance is quite obvious. Qingdeng thought to himself.
I don’t know whether it’s because her bones and muscles have atrophied due to old age, or because she is so short to begin with. Gua Shengxiu’s height is only just over 1.4 meters...
The combination of the height of just over 1.4 meters and the slender figure with no flesh from head to toe made Gua Shengxiu feel like "Look! They are giants and dwarves" when he stood on the tall Qingdeng. !” The beauty.
"It seems that Bai Ju is not here."
Qingdeng said.
Gua Shengxiu nodded seriously.
"Well, yeah... let's go to the next place."
…
…
The two returned to the bustling street.
At this time, Qingdeng suddenly heard an angry shout from behind:
"That's enough! Bai Ling! How many times do you have to tell me before you understand? Don't do such stupid things again!"
Because the shout was very loud and resonant, Qingdeng couldn't help but turn his head and look back.
A middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, holding his flushed face, gritted his teeth and scolded a beautiful girl dressed as a wanderer in the street.
The girl who was so scolded was about 18 years old. She lowered her head, her beautiful big eyes staring straight at the ground in front of her toes, her face expressionless and silent.
"Ah, it turns out to be Bai Ling..."
Gua Shengxiu also turned her head when she heard the noise. After seeing who the person being trained was, she smiled bitterly.
"She must have stolen something again."
"Stealing again?" Qingden raised his eyebrows, "Is that girl a habitual criminal who likes to steal?"
"no."
Gua Shengxiu shook his head and showed a dumbfounded expression.
"How should I say it..."
"To put it simply: 10 days ago, there was a theft at Akane's house...that is, the Younu house where Bai Ling belongs."
"In order to catch the thief, the boss of Akane's house called the 'Sanchai' samurai from the training camp."
"Among the officials who came to investigate, there was a young man who was particularly handsome - Bai Ling fell in love with him at first sight."
"Because unransomed wandering girls are not allowed to leave Yoshihara, so in order to see the young man again, Bai Ling frequently steals things deliberately in the hope that his sweetheart will return to Yoshihara for the purpose of investigating the case."
"However, Bai Ling really has no talent for stealing. She will be caught every time she tries to steal something."
"Thanks to Bai Ling's boss, he is a kind person with a good heart and did not pursue Bai Ling's incorrigibility."
"If it were someone else, I'm afraid they would have beaten this silly girl to death just because she stole the store's property over and over again just to meet someone."
After hearing this, Qingdeng shrank his neck:
"Is she trying to imitate 'Ah Qi from the Eight Hundred Houses'..."
Shichi of the Eight Hundred Houses - a famous allusion from the Edo period.
In the second year of Tenwa (1682), a fire broke out in Edo that reduced more than half of the urban area to scorched earth.
Aqi, the daughter of a vegetable shop owner, and her family fled to Kichijoji Temple to escape the fire, and fell in love at first sight with the abbot's waiter. Ah Qi, who returned to his place of residence after the fire, set fires everywhere in order to be able to meet his sweetheart, hoping to escape to Kichijoji again. Although it did not cause a major disaster, Ah Qi was still sentenced to death because arson was a serious crime.
Later, because Ah Qi's story spread widely, the "Tianhe Fire" that allowed Ah Qi to meet the later servant was also commonly known as the "Ah Qi Fire".
Gua Shengxiu heard Qingdeng's murmur and said bitterly:
"Sigh... If it's just stealing, that's all. Just don't do anything stupid like Ah Qi..."
…
…
Aoto and Hide Kuwano were speeding through the streets of Yoshiwara.
A moment——
Yoshiwara, Akane's house, Bai Ling's room——
The boss of Akane's house
Bai Ling walked back to the bedroom with heavy steps.
"well……"
As soon as the door with all kinds of exquisite paintings was closed, Bai Ling let out a long sigh, and then fell down on the tatami like a puddle of mud.
Although she had just been scolded by her boss in public... she still didn't know what "repentance" meant.
Lying on her side, she stared blankly at the lines of the tatami while muttering:
"Shimano-kun... I really want to see you again..."
Shimano - the surname of the official who Bai Ling fell in love with at first sight.
The depressed Bai Ling "melted" into one with the tatami, and she did not get up for a long time.
At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a wanted poster on the wall next to him.
Yoshiwara is the place with the largest flow of people in Edo. The only place that can surpass it is Nihonbashi, which is the starting point of the "Five Streets".
Therefore, the execution office often orders the bosses of the prostitutes' houses to post wanted notices for fugitives in the prostitutes' rooms.
The wanted notice that Bai Ling noticed at this time... the person pictured on it was none other than Qingdeng.
As one of the major suspects in the "Akaban Extermination", Aoto's wanted posters have long been plastered all over the streets of Edo.
Bai Ling stared at Qingdeng's wanted notice with a dull expression.
After a moment, she seemed to have remembered something happy, and bursts of ecstasy appeared in her cheeks.
Wow!
She opened the door violently and rushed out of the room with a bang.
When she turned a corner of a corridor, she almost bumped into an old woman who was hugging a clothes basket.
"Ouch! Bai Ling! Be careful! Why are you walking in such a hurry!"
"Ah! Miss Ze! You came just in time!"
This old woman, whom Bai Ling calls "Miss Ze", is their Akane's helper.
Handsome hand can be understood as the maid in the wandering girl's house. The main job content is to supervise the wandering girl, teach the wandering girl, and take care of the daily life of the wandering girl.
Most of the people who engage in this kind of work are elderly retired wandering girls. Since they have no skills other than "pleasing men", they choose to stay and work in the wandering girls' houses.
"Miss Ze! Please! Please do me a favor!"
"Ah? Help? Help for what?"
"Please report to the government: There is a person suspected of being Tachibana Aoden in Yoshiwara!"
*******
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There are nearly 6,000 words today! Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
In order to avoid being criticized, the author will be careful: there is a reason why Fenghua and Hongmei’s suicides are detailed in this chapter. Please see the following plot for details~
