Volume 3 Summer Rain Chapter 0298 Narayama
Nan Yi sat in Sayuri Hagiwara's bar until eleven o'clock and then went back to his apartment in Shibuya to rest. He set off for Gunma Prefecture early the next morning.
Due to its proximity to the huge consumer market in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Gunma Prefecture's agriculture continues to prosper, and the agriculture that was mainly based on sericulture, flour and rice has shifted to the development of livestock and flowers.
Gunma Prefecture is one of the top producers of konjac, cucumbers, silkworm cocoons, and mushrooms in Japan.
Because the climate in the mountainous area is relatively cool, it is suitable for the production of cabbage, onions, spinach, soybeans, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, maitake mushrooms, corn and cabbage, and the output is also among the highest in Japan.
In addition, the livestock industry, such as raising dairy cows, beef cattle, and pigs, also occupies an important position.
Before setting off, Nan Yi added more than 100 mu of arable land in Gunma County, and now has a total of 2,137 mu. More than 900 mu are in the vegetable planting area planned by Gunma. Nan Yi's initial plan is to mainly plant cabbage and cucumber on these 900 mu of land, and also plant konjac and konjac, and leave some space for raising silkworm cocoons.
Nowadays, more and more people in Japan eat silkworm cocoons, so they generally don't have to worry about selling them. What's more, if they can't sell them, they can just let them spin silk, which can be eaten or worn, so there is no waste at all.
The remaining more than 1,000 acres of land are scattered across 11 cities and 15 counties. Nanyi will plan them according to local conditions and local agricultural characteristics.
Nan Yi stayed in Gunma for four days and in Chiba for three days. A week later, he arrived in Kanagawa.
At the first stop in Kanagawa, Nan Yi did not rush to check on his farmland. Instead, he came to Kamakura High School Mae Station on the Tokaido Main Line, walked along the slope at the intersection for ten minutes, and arrived at the traffic light intersection of the railway.
Coincidentally, when Nan Yi arrived at the intersection, a train was passing by. When the train left, three high school girls in school uniforms were standing on the opposite side of the railway.
Unfortunately, by chance, the three girls...
Well, not judging their looks is the greatest respect for them.
That’s right, Nan Yi is not Sakuragi Hanamichi, so how could he possibly meet his Akagi Haruko here.
After spending some time at the railway crossing, Nan Yi went to visit Kamakura High School and Shoyo High School. These two schools are the prototypes of Ryonan High School and Shoyo High School respectively. It must be said that the comics have done a deep restoration of these two schools.
After staying in Kamakura for half a day, reminiscing about his lost youth in his previous life, Nan Yi quickened his pace and shuttled between various cities in Kanagawa.
After walking through the other scattered farmland, on the third day, Nan Yi arrived in Hiratsuka City again.
The land of Minami-Yi in Hiratsuka City is located in the Kikuchi area, which is a developed plain in the lower reaches of the Sagami River and the Kaname River and the hilly area surrounding the plain. With the urbanization of Kanagawa, the entire Hiratsuka's arable land is now concentrated in this area.
The cities under Kanagawa are not very large in area. Most of them are not as big as a township in China, and some are even smaller than an administrative village in China. Hiratsuka, Hadano, and Isehara, three cities adjacent to each other, are relatively large in area. The Kikuchi area is located at the junction of the three cities.
I first went to the Agriculture and Fisheries Section in Sengen Town and got a general overview of Hiratsuka's agriculture.
This form is placed in the service hall, similar to the trifold leaflets of later generations. Anyone who wants one can get one.
"President, according to this table, there are only 1,671 farmer households in Hiratsuka City, 411 professional farmers, 670 part-time farmers, 590 self-sufficient farmers, and only 1,891 people employed in agriculture, with 75 more men than women.
The total cultivated land area is 1,034 hectares, of which 622 hectares are fields, 385 hectares are dry land, and 27 hectares are tree gardens. In 1945, the rice production was 2,780 tons. Most of the dry land was planted with cucumbers, with a production of 3,030 tons, and tomatoes...”
"Just tell me the Gregorian calendar next time so I don't have to calculate it." Nan Yi frowned.
"Hayi."
"On average, each person has to take care of 8.2 mu of land. How much of it is flat land?"
"Less than 30%, the rest are on hilly land, a bit like the terraced fields in Yunnan Province, high and low, with few large areas of land distributed at the same altitude. Of the 1,427 acres of land held by Baoguo Migu, 500 acres are at the same altitude, and the rest are distributed at different altitudes."
“Are the 200 acres harvested in the back far from the front?”
Masami Ueto has already visited Hiratsuka City to inspect the situation and acquired 227 acres of land.
"Not too far, both are in the Kikuchi area. The original one is in Kume Village, and the newly bought land is in Aozhu Ancient Village. The two villages are not far apart."
"Well, which side is closer?"
"There is a mountain called Narayama between Aozu Ancient Village and Kume Village." Ueto Masami suddenly asked, "President, do you know Narayama?"
"Narayama..." Nan Yi thought about it and thought of a possibility, "Yami, you don't mean the Narayama in "The Ballad of Narayama", do you?"
“Yes, the prototype of that story happened here, but it’s not as exaggerated as in the movie, and it happened a long time ago, dating back to Yamato before the Taika Reform.
Chairman, look, that's Narayama." Ueto Masami suddenly pointed to a mountain outside the car window and said.
Nan Yi turned his head and looked over. About three kilometers away, there was a mountain with an altitude of about 120 meters. The mountain was not big, nor was it continuous. It stood there alone like a triangle.
Nan Yi was a little disappointed. The Narayama he imagined should not be such a small hill. Moreover, his first impression after watching the movie was that Narayama should be in Hokkaido, which would be more appropriate.
“Learn and apply now?”
"Yes, the last time I came here, I heard it from an old lady in the village."
"Oh, have you seen the new movie The Ballad of Narayama that was released this year?"
"No, I've seen the 1958 version. I don't know how the new version is. When I have time, I'll go to the video store and buy a video tape to watch."
"No, I want to see it too. I'll go back to Tokyo and look for it in any theaters that are still showing it. If not, I'll book a theater for a preview."
"We don't have to go back to Tokyo. We can watch it in Kanagawa, President. My father works in a movie theater. When I was a kid, my sister and I would often go to see him after school just to watch a movie."
"You had a happy childhood. I'm really sorry to have let you pass by my house twice without entering."
"Haha, no, I didn't. I took some time to go back home last time I came here, and I often come back to live here. President, I invite you to my home. My parents have been wanting to meet you for a long time." Ueto Masami smiled and said, "My mother's Mitarashi dango is delicious, and the tamagoyaki is also delicious."
"I'm not your boyfriend. Is it appropriate for me to go to your house?" Nan Yi asked in surprise.
"That's right. They want to thank you for taking care of me."
"Ha, if they knew that I don't allow you to date before you are three, four or five years old, they would chop me into pieces."
"Not really. My mother doesn't approve of me falling in love and getting married too early. She and my father got married very late. She was already 34 years old when I was born."
"Yeah." Nan Yi nodded without comment.
Nan Yi was naturally very familiar with Ueto Masami's information. How could he not know when her parents got married and who were in her family?
Masami Ueto's father, Hidefumi Ueto, worked at the Ebina Cinema, her mother, Sakura Yamazaki, was a teacher at Ishida High School, and she also has a younger sister, Masami Ueto, who is 21 years old and also a top student. She was sent to study in Cambridge by Masami Ueto using public funds from the Minami family.
Needless to say, Ueto Masaaki has become a "trainee" of Minami-sensei and will work for Minami-sensei after graduation. However, it will be difficult for her to reach the level of Ueto Masami.
Nan Group has entered a stable period and is no longer in its start-up phase. Future promotions will be carried out step by step. New graduates who join Nan Group will definitely have to work their way up from the grassroots level. There will no longer be an opportunity like Ueto Masami to get to know Nan Yi in his humble beginnings.
"President, there seems to be a case ahead. There are two police cars." The school beauty suddenly turned around and said.
Nan Yi looked forward through the front windshield and saw several police cars parked on the side of the road with a group of people gathered there. He could also vaguely see a yellow cordon stretched across the road.
"Yami, is there any other way to get into the village?"
"No, this is the only road that cars can drive on." Ueto Masami looked ahead and answered Nan Yi mechanically.
"Just walk over there."
When Nan Yi and his group walked to the edge of the crowd, they heard a man in the crowd acting as a megaphone.
After listening to a few sentences, I basically understood what happened. It turned out that a "dismemberment case" had occurred here. An old woman found a black plastic bag at the foot of Narayama Mountain in the morning. She opened it out of curiosity and found a hand without a palm and broken at the elbow.
After the police arrived, they launched a carpet search. They had found several black plastic bags, which contained various body parts. However, it was still incomplete, with two hands, a head, and some gender-specific parts missing.
After hearing this, Nan Yi guessed that the dismemberment case should be true, and the other details were just made up by this man. No matter which country the police are from, they would not be so unreliable. Such details would be known to onlookers.
After standing there and listening for a few more words, Nan Yi quietly said to Ueto Masami: "Let's go. It's not suitable to go into the village today."
As Nan Yi and his companions were turning to leave, a very aggressive female voice came from behind, "The people in front, stop."
Nan Yi turned around and looked where the voice came from. A woman wearing a black jacket with the front open to reveal a white shirt underneath, and who looked very capable, was walking towards them quickly.
Her hair was combed back into a ponytail and there was a black leather wallet hanging around her neck. Although the pattern on it could not be seen clearly, one could tell with a little guess that it was definitely a police ID.
"Hello, I'm Inspector General Kudo of the Kanagawa Police Headquarters. Where are you from?" The woman walked over and asked without saluting.
"Senior Jiko." Ueto Masami called out as soon as she saw the woman.
The police officer named Zhizi also exclaimed: "Ah, Yamei, why are you here?"
"The company I work for bought some farmland here. We came here to inspect it today. When we saw the case, we decided to come back another day."
"I see." Zhizi nodded and pointed at Nan Yi and the others, "Are they all your colleagues?"
"Yes, they are all in the same club as me."
"Since he's your colleague, forget it. I was going to check his driver's license." Zhizi waved her hand and said, "Yami, you'd better come back a few days later. This case is more troublesome."
"What's the trouble?"
"I can't tell you. Go quickly. I'll come find you when I'm on vacation."
"Okay, bye, Jiko-senpai."
After getting back in the car, Nan Yi said to Ueto Masami: "It's a good thing you know me, otherwise you would have to show me your passport."
A group of people all showed their passports and ran to the countryside. If Nan Yi was in charge of the case, he would directly list them as suspects. Naturally, his information and background would have to be investigated clearly, so wouldn't it be easy for him to be exposed?
I really didn't check the almanac before going out, it was a wasted trip.
"President, why don't you come to my house today?" said Ueto Masami.
"No, it would be rude to go over there rashly. Please inform your parents first. I will visit your house at five o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"That's good. It will allow my mother to prepare some food first. Some food will take some time to prepare."
"Tell your mother not to prepare too much, just be casual."
"We should prepare it." Ueto Masami didn't want to continue discussing this issue with Nan Yi, so she changed the subject, "President, should we go back to the hotel to work, or go out for a walk?"
"Let's take a walk outside. Since God has given us a day off today, let's take a day off. If there are no emergencies, we won't be working today."
"So is there any place in particular that the president wants to go?"
"This is your territory, you are the boss, you can go anywhere you want."
"I'll decide, President. I'm actually not very familiar with Yokohama [the center of Kanagawa Prefecture, where the government office is located]. I went to Hadano City for elementary and junior high school, I went to Isehara City for high school, and went to Tokyo for college. I've only been to Yokohama a few times, but those were for exams, so I never had a chance to really walk around."
"You don't have to go to Yokohama, just go to any place you are familiar with. You don't have to go to tourist attractions. I want to see the local customs and culture more than the scenery."
"Then, President, I'll take you to my high school alma mater to experience the hard tennis culture. When I was in high school, I was a strong player in the Ishida High School Tennis Club and won the first place in the Kanagawa Hard Tennis Tournament. My trophy is still kept in the tennis club."
Ueto Masami said this with a hint of nostalgia.
"That's good too. It also gives me a chance to see how outstanding my right-hand man was when he was young." Nan Yi said teasingly.
"President, I am still young." Ueto Masami said coquettishly.
When she was with Nan Yi, Ueto Masami behaved very professionally and was serious. She rarely acted like a little woman, perhaps because she was homesick.
"Yes, you are still young. I am younger than you, haha!"
"President, you have an old mentality. When I face you, I will treat you like a sixty-year-old man."
"Ha, your intuition is quite accurate. I am indeed sixty this year."
In the rare relaxed atmosphere, Ueto Masami directed the car forward, and soon the car stopped in front of the gate of Ishida High School.
The school's frontage is very small and the road is very narrow. It is a one-way lane and parking is not allowed. Nan Yi only let the school beauty follow him, and the other bodyguards circled around the side waiting for them to come out.
It’s just a school, Nan Yi believed there wouldn’t be any danger.
"President, our school is also a shelter. If an earthquake occurs, nearby residents will come to our school for shelter."
There is no gatekeeper at the school and the main door is open, so you can walk in directly. Ueto Masami walked in front and introduced everything to Nan Yi along the way.
"The tennis club is on the right behind the teaching building. There are both indoor and outdoor courts. Today is Friday and there are fewer classes in the afternoon. The tennis club should be training at this time."
Nan Yi knew that the high school curriculum in Japan was not heavy and the content was not difficult. Those who wanted to go to university had to rely on various cram schools and study until late at night every day. The study pressure was comparable to that in South Korea.
But if you are a student who doesn't want to go to college, then life will be easier as you can immerse yourself in your favorite sports every day. This has been passed down generation after generation. Otherwise, the atmosphere in Japan's high school Koshien wouldn't be so good.
Led by Masami Ueto, they walked through the teaching building and soon arrived at the tennis court at the back. There they saw many students wearing black vests over white T-shirts on the tennis court. Under the guidance of an adult, they were swinging their rackets without a ball and performing various tennis movements.
"President, that's the tennis club's coach, Masami Kashiwagi. He's a retired national player."
No, Nan Yi, who plays tennis, only knows Michael Chang and Maria Sharapova. Apart from that, he only knows that Wimbledon is in Vancouver. He knows these two people, one because "Michael Chang trusts Rejoice" and the other because she can roar.
"President, I'll go say hello."
Ueto Masami said something and walked towards the adult. Then, Nan Yi saw the exaggerated smile of the man named Kashiwagi Masami, and he said something to the female students. Then the female students surrounded Ueto Masami, each of them as if they had seen an idol.
After a while, Ueto Masami walked back to Nan Yi and said excitedly, "President, the coach wants me to play against a schoolgirl he values. I'm going to change my clothes."
"Go ahead, don't lose to the younger generation."
"I'm a senior, how could I lose to a junior? President, cheer for me." Ueto Masami clenched her fist and waved it in the air, turned around, and walked towards a building.
After a while, the fully armed Ueto Masami came back and walked directly into the white lines of the tennis court. Opposite her, a female student was already there waiting for her.
Ueto Masami held a racket in one hand and a tennis ball in the other. She lowered her body and looked very sharp. "Kamichi Sachiko, let me, your senior, teach you how to play tennis."
"Hayi, senior, please give me your guidance!"
The girl opposite, whose name should be Kamachi Sachiko, bowed to Uedo Masami, and instantly took a stance, with a childish sharpness in her eyes.
"Kamichi Sachiko?"
When Nan Yi heard these four words, he glanced at the girl opposite him. He could actually see a bit of Izumi Sakai's shadow on the girl's face...
