【Gao Gui】The Glorious Years

1945.6 Shinsuke Takasugi

Finally turned to this page, which was already written on paper.The wounded died peacefully under the influence of the gun, and the officers also followed the commander to harakiri, but at this point I was determined to live on by whatever means.Whether it is hiding or surrendering, it is better than meaningless burial.All that can be done has already been done.From now on, neither me nor the wig can die.

Only after I was rescued from the gun by Yinshi that time did I understand the difference between life and death.To be alive, with eyes to see, ears to hear, mouth to speak and kiss.And to die is to lose the wig.It's that simple for me.

He agrees with me.Maybe he saw this earlier than I did.From the very beginning, we were not fighting for the emperor's face, but simply wanted to protect something.Now that the army has lost all its strength, Okinawa has become a purgatory on earth full of corpses. I only hope that the government will immediately admit defeat, so that further damage and casualties can be stopped early.Although honor cannot be kept, it is good to keep life.

Throughout late June, people continued to surrender, some in the name of individuals, and some military officers organized troops to take the initiative to find the Americans.The remnants of the army were scattered and scattered. Except for a few people who were still fighting stubbornly, the others were trying to hide.I traded civilian clothes with the wig, and we didn't want to be prisoners of war unless we had to.For the sake of safety, we separated from Yinshi and others—a group of young men walking on the road is always easy to attract suspicion.When we parted, we agreed that if we could get along safely until the U.S. military withdraws, we must get together to celebrate and get drunk to death.In fact, making this agreement was a bit of an act of ease. At that time, the Americans were very aggressive in their suppression, and even bribed the aborigines to help search for the surviving Japanese troops. It can be said that they were lucky to be free for one more day.

Gintoki Diaojilang asked me to protect the wig, and I was very annoyed by his attitude that he thought he was a maiden.In retaliation, I gave Hijikata one of the few remaining cigarettes as a parting gift, and I lit the fire for him myself.Hijikata was obviously happy, and Yinshi's dead fish eyes were obviously even happier for me.

The kid with the wig, Yamazaki, seemed to be about to cry all the time. It wasn't until Wan Qi invited him to act with him that he smiled, his face was flushed red, and he was so excited that he couldn't speak well.

Pretending to be a commoner was harder than I thought.Even with the uniform off, my left eye was still a hint of danger.It is also difficult to ask the aborigines for help at will. First, we can only speak very few dialects. Second, we have heard of soldiers being betrayed.But this is not going to work, our dry food is simply not enough.The wig always says he is not hungry, and he needs to force me to eat. I know he wants to save food for me, but this only makes me more annoyed at my incompetence.I had to find a way to get something to eat, and I couldn't just watch my tender and caring little love starve to death.

We hid for three days.Can't stay in a cave all the time, because crafty Americans will use smoke.The constant anxiety caused the headache of the wig to recur.He didn't tell me, but all the changes in his face fell on me.I couldn't think of any other way, so I had to tell him to be patient, and I will steal something for you to eat when it gets dark.He didn't even have the strength to refute, he just closed his eyes and meditated silently, with one hand tightly clutching the corner of my clothes, I don't know if it was because of the pain or because he was afraid that I would run away alone while he was not prepared.

That night I locked down a nearby family.I saw a mother-in-law going in and out of it during the day, so there must be food at home.The wig must come with me.He was very weak, and I was worried about leaving him alone, so I had to sneak in together with this little burden.When I was holding him over the wall, I felt sore, it was too light, he was thin before, but it was not so light.How badly this bitter battle had tortured him.

But I have no time to think about it, I just hope that I can get some food to feed him as soon as possible.There was an old-fashioned lock on the kitchen door. I found a twig and stuck it in and fiddled with it for a while, and it opened.The wig looked at me suspiciously, I swore to him with my mouth that this was the first time, and he pouted.

We carefully opened each cabinet door and found some rice noodles, vegetables and fruits.Although I feel a little sorry for the owner, I am more happy.I opened the backpack and put the food in one by one, trying not to make any noise.The wig said that you left a little for others, don't take it all away, food is hard to get anywhere now.I listened to what he said and took half of each.

After the backpack bulged, I said let's go quickly.But the wig suddenly fell to the ground, saying that he couldn't walk anymore and wanted to sleep.I dragged him up, and he held on desperately, saying that it's the same everywhere anyway, and the outside is no safer than here.This untimely child's temper is really ridiculous, but I know he hasn't slept peacefully for a long time, he must be extremely sleepy, so I compromised and promised him to sleep for a while, but I won't play tricks when I pull him up again up.He nodded with a smile, and closed his eyes as soon as he fell to the ground.

I looked at his tired sleeping face and felt a little sad all of a sudden.His breathing was heavy, and his delicately contoured face was unbelievably peaceful under the moonlight, not at all reminiscent of a thief.I brushed away the long hair scattered on his face for him, and he smiled in satisfaction, maybe not consciously.How could such a person have anything to do with stealing?What went wrong?

After half an hour I thought I should shake him awake, but I found I couldn't.He slept too peacefully, with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up, which made me unable to bear to interrupt his sweet sleep, and wanted to watch him like this until dawn, or longer, until I was old.

After that, I also lay down on my side facing him in a daze, thinking that I might as well just sleep and leave before leaving, what is there to be afraid of a mother-in-law.

i made a

peaceful dream.In the dream, the moon is full and the flowers are good, many people appear one by one, parents, Wig, Tatsuma, Mutsu, and Gintoki, even Shinpachi is smiling and walking towards me, leading A Miao.I asked Wig if there was a truce, and Wig said yes, you can accompany me to the street to eat Okinawa ramen.My mother said to go to the street, go home, and my mother will cook a table of delicious food for you.My dad also laughed, put my wig and me on the shoulders and said, that's right, let's go home.

Come back home.

The pronunciation of this word is so nice, soft, like the hair of a wig.

But at this moment, a cold voice broke in.

who are you?

who are we?Who are you?The wig snatched the man away in disappointment.

He didn't speak.After a long time, I asked again word by word, who are you?

I ignored him and was about to continue walking when something pressed against my forehead and I couldn't move forward.

The cold touch made me feel very uncomfortable, and it forced me to wake up from the dream.I opened my eyes suddenly, and in front of me was a fierce-looking mother-in-law.I have seen her.

And what was pressed against my forehead was a gun.

I was startled, subconsciously shrank back, knocked over the unfastened bag, and three or four green lights rolled out immediately, it couldn't be more embarrassing.When I pushed the wig, he moaned and said that he was still very sleepy, and that he would be fine with another half an hour of sleep.The mother-in-law sneered, and said, "It's really rare for a thief to do so leisurely." The wig woke up a little, rubbing his sleepy eyes and erecting his upper body.After being dazed for a few seconds, he seemed to understand our embarrassing situation, and quickly changed his kneeling position and kept apologizing.

"It's our fault, but there is really no way... Please don't shoot, mother-in-law, please!" He looked anxiously at the muzzle of the gun that was pressed against my forehead, and begged hurriedly.

The mother-in-law didn't look at all talkative, she still had a cold face.

"You haven't answered me, kid. Tell me, who are you? If you fool the old woman, I'll have your fruit." She stared at me relentlessly.

I dare not tell the truth, such a fierce woman, there is no guarantee that I and the wig will not be handed over to the Americans as punishment for burglary, and by the way, they can make a fortune.The wig obviously had the same consideration, and did not speak hastily.

"Humph, the mouth is still quite stiff." She looked at me haughtily with her chin up. "If you don't have a local accent, then you are from the inland. Is this eye blind? How did you hurt it? On the battlefield?"

"A fight." I tried my best to calmly meet the eyes of this mother-in-law. Although she was old, her eyes were as bright as a young man's, and she was not an easy character to deal with.

The mother-in-law snorted and said, "You little devil is not a kind person, I don't believe you." Then she shifted her gaze to the wig kneeling beside her, "You look more honest, tell me, are you a soldier?"

The wig shook his head again and again.

"That's it." The mother-in-law gave him a white look, and said, "Hey, I thought that if you were soldiers, it would be fine to give you some food. For ordinary brats, I would hate to waste my own food."

The wig immediately lit up: "Really? Mother-in-law, can these foods really be given to us?"

This idiot!

"Of course I lied to you." The mother-in-law sneered, "Put the things back for me, and then get out. Let me bump into you again, and see if I don't kill you two."

The wig darkened and shot me an apologetic look.I looked at his sunken cheeks, and told myself in my heart that I couldn't be cruel to him anymore.But it's good, at least the old lady didn't intend to betray us, she was already tolerant.

The mother-in-law moved the muzzle of the gun away from my forehead, pointed in the direction of the door and stopped talking.I lifted up the wig that had been kneeling for a long time. He had a lot of effort when he got up, maybe his legs were numb from kneeling, and he just stood up and his feet were weak and he almost fell.Seeing him like this, I suddenly and obediently left, he was in such a bad condition, I don't know how long he can last if he doesn't eat.I had no choice but to bite the bullet and beg my mother-in-law to give me some food, not too much, just a few green awns.

"Don't hate bargaining with me. I hate being a soldier the most. Hurry up, hurry up." The mother-in-law was so impatient that she almost didn't want to look at me.

"Forget it, Jinzhu. We shouldn't have done it. It's good that mother-in-law didn't punish us." The wig actually smiled at the mother-in-law and said, "Thank you mother-in-law, I was really sorry before."

After the wig finished speaking, he pulled me out, but within two steps, he fell down. I hurriedly reached out to support him, only to find that his eyes were closed and his head was drooping heavily.

"Wig! Hey!" He didn't answer when he slapped him in the face.My spine felt cold all of a sudden, and my scalp was numb.Should I see a doctor?Where is the doctor?I always thought I was calm, but when I saw this situation, I suddenly became confused. There was only one sentence in my mind, you [fucking is not allowed to die, you are not allowed.

"Tsk tsk, it's terrible." The cold voice sounded again, and I realized that I had forgotten that this mother-in-law existed.She frowned reluctantly and came over to look at the wig's face, then pinched the wig's wrist and concentrated for a moment, "Come with me." She still didn't look at me, but walked out of the kitchen.I followed her into the main room. There were two rooms in the east and west. She opened the door on the east side and went in, directing me to put the wig on a small bed.

"He hasn't been in good health since he was a child?" My mother-in-law asked me.

"I had a serious illness when I was 13 years old, and I often had headaches afterwards." The headache of the wig has always been a heart problem for me, and I always worry that this little patient will turn into a serious disease one day and take him away from me. "Does mother-in-law see something wrong with him?" I asked this question, expecting a negative answer.

"It's not a serious problem. You can't die from a headache. I'm afraid it was because you were sick and hurt your soul when you were young, and your body is weak." The mother-in-law squinted at me, "It just so happens that I may be tired and hungry these days, drink some soup It will be fine after a while."

Medication... Now that it's difficult to eat and sleep in the open, how can I still be qualified to seek medical treatment?But there is no other way. I am very relieved that the wig is not a serious problem. As long as he can survive smoothly, no matter whether he is begging for help, stealing or robbing, even if he kills and steals, I have nothing to dare.

"Grandma is a person proficient in medicine, right?"

She was noncommittal.

I knelt down in front of her, looked straight into her eyes, and begged her word by word: "Please take him in for a while, mother-in-law. As long as mother-in-law can cure him, I will be the person I, Shinsuke Takasugi, will be grateful to for the rest of my life. I will get rid of him now." There is nothing else, but as long as the mother-in-law asks, even if it takes my life, I will give it immediately."

The mother-in-law did not speak for a long time.The floor tiles made my knees hurt, and I felt a little uncomfortable after kneeling for a short while. Just now, the wig has been kneeling for such a long time to beg my mother-in-law not to hurt me, so it must be extremely uncomfortable.

After a while, the mother-in-law took out a cigarette pouch from the drawer and lit it, took a puff and then exhaled heavily, the sound sounded like a deep sigh.

"Get up," she said to me, "go to the kitchen and cook some rice soup for him."

It was the first time in my life that I had such a strong gratitude to someone, but I suddenly lost my language function, and I choked on my throat with the words "thank you".He also forgot about his numb legs, and just knelt in a daze.

"I'll make a prescription. Kneel as long as you like, I don't care." After she finished speaking, she turned around and left, smoke drifting all the way.

"Really. The brat is annoying. It's annoying."

When the wig woke up, he had a satisfied expression on his full sleep. Seeing me standing by the bed, he tugged on my sleeve and said that he was hungry and wanted to eat soba noodles.I guess he was so sleepy that he couldn't remember where he was.

"It's not bad if I don't get eaten by that mother-in-law, and I still eat noodles." I remembered the low profile of kneeling before, and I was honestly a little depressed, but I must never let him know about this—he would blame himself crazily.I had to roll his eyes.

He seemed to have just remembered the previous incident, his face changed, he pulled me to check it out, and then said happily: "That's great, I knew she wouldn't hurt you." After thinking for a while, he said, "It's a plane What about someone who is cold-hearted and warm-hearted, this mother-in-law."

"Well, a good one. Thanks to her, you won't have to hide around like guerrilla warfare for at least a few days."

Wig was taken aback, "Really? She promised to take us in?"

"She promised to take you in. You have to be obedient." I deliberately didn't look at him when I said this.

He was really excited and asked me what I meant.

"I won't stay if you go. You said it yourself, I have to follow you wherever I go."

He still seemed weak, and he was short of breath after speaking a few words out loud in a hurry.Damn it, his serious look made me want to kiss him suddenly, so I might as well just let him pass out one more time.

"Just come and find me when you're well." After all, I couldn't help biting his lips lightly.

"I'm fine now!" He hurriedly jumped out of bed to prove his physical strength, but unfortunately he swayed twice and sat back down again, with an unattractive posture.I glared at him, and he glared back even more fiercely.

"What a fart!" The mother-in-law who stood by the door of the room at some point choked at him in a rough voice, "Just lie down, or both of you will get out of here immediately."

"Give him a drink." My mother-in-law urged me impatiently as she handed me a small bowl of brown soup.

The wig pretends to be pitiful when he sees his mother-in-law. He has always been good at this, and he is handsome, always able to please the elders. "Good mother-in-law, please take Jin Zhu in too. His eye injury is so obvious...it's too easy for Americans to find out. My mother-in-law has such a good temperament. She must have been a beauty when she was young, and she was kind-hearted. She treats people really well. It’s okay. Jinzhu and I have been away from home for so long, and we feel kind when we meet elders like my mother-in-law. I don’t even remember the last time I saw my mother..."

When it comes to wigs, I get goosebumps when it comes to beauty. This guy is really good. Naturally, I can't match his flattering skills in my life.It's just that he doesn't know if his beautiful mother-in-law will eat this set.

"You really talk a lot of nonsense, don't talk about it to me, I'm glad I don't have such an unlucky son like you, who ran so far and put his head under the gun of the Yankee, I don't know how many lifetimes your mother made Evil." The mother-in-law kept her sharp mouth as usual, but the expression on her face softened slightly, it seems that it is always right to praise a woman's beauty, even if the other party is not so...

"Besides, you not only talk a lot, but also your brain is not good. When did I say that I want to drive this little devil away? Huh?" The mother-in-law turned her nostrils to the sky.

"Mother-in-law, you... you are so kind!" The wig was so pleasantly surprised that he didn't know what to do. It seemed that he wished he could fly over and hug the old man from head to tail before he was reconciled.But did she mean at the time that she was willing to take us both in at the same time?This really surprised me.I didn't expect much from others since I was a child. I didn't expect to meet people who didn't receive the slightest benefit from me but were still generous, such as wigs, such as this mother-in-law.From this point of view, God treats me fairly generously.

"You're so happy, I didn't help for nothing." The mother-in-law said coldly, crossing her arms, "Some people gave me very valuable things, and I don't do business at a loss."

The wig looked at me suspiciously, frowned and asked in a low voice, "What tricks are you playing behind my back? We don't have any valuables."

"I just borrowed a usury loan." I casually sneered at him.

Before he could react, he was hit hard on the head by something.

"Whispering!" The grumpy old face of the mother-in-law moved closer to our eyes in an instant, and the murder weapon, the pipe, was tightly clenched in her hand.The real murderer.The wig always complained that I was fierce. Compared with this old man with sharp teeth and strong hands, I obviously felt that I was quite polite.

"Dirty and smelly." The mother-in-law looked disgusted, "Wash it up for me, you two stinky brats!"

I don't need her to tell me how messed up the wig and I are now. The wig has always been very clean. He couldn't clean himself up in time these days.But June is hot and stuffy, so he often doesn't want me to touch him, for fear that I won't like the smell of sweat.In fact, I don't care about this-he didn't dislike me because I couldn't change clothes every day.

When he heard that he was able to take a bath, he was very happy immediately, but his face was flushed with shame and anger because of her mother-in-law's next order.

"You are almost a useless person now, and this brat needs to help you." That's what the mother-in-law said.

"No." He retorted without hesitation.

However, the refutation was ineffective, and the mother-in-law used her trump card again, "If you don't obey, get out immediately. The patient can't take a bath easily. If it weren't for the old lady, I really couldn't stand you dangling in front of me so dirty..."

"I don't want his help." The wig resisted stubbornly.

"Do you want me, an old woman, to do it myself?" The mother-in-law stared at each other, and the wig immediately softened.

"Forget it..." He finally lost his momentum.

"Why are you ashamed? It's not like I haven't read it." I laughed at him while rubbing his back.

"I'm not ashamed." He said while deliberately straightening his back, trying to make himself look stronger.

I used my fingertips to trace the shape of his shoulders and neck, and then slowly slid along the spine to the waist.His ears turned red, and he said, "Don't be in heat here, it's embarrassing to be heard by my mother-in-law, she will definitely drive us away again."

I'm not trying to do something to his naked body.He is in such a bad situation now, how can he bear a little love.I also know that he is not ashamed to be naked in front of me, but afraid that this skinny appearance will make me care.We have been together for so many years, it is long enough to see through each other.

"You're much thinner than you used to be," I told him.

He lowered his head and said sullenly, "You too."

"Don't worry. Jinsuke, you'll be fine. Actually, it's already fine, isn't it?"

"That's it."

I know what he's talking about, not just physically.

My mother-in-law gave us some men's household clothes for a change of clothes. Curiously, she asked her where she got the wig, and she said it was left by her deceased husband.We didn't ask any more.When my mother-in-law handed those clothes to my hands, there was a clear sense of loneliness in her eyes.This loneliness added a bit of tenderness to her old face, or maybe it was the effect of sunlight, and I suddenly felt that the wig's statement about "the mother-in-law must have been beautiful when she was young" may not be nonsense.