Chapter 2
When Kaizou-san came to the rickshaw puller's hangout, he found Shingoro-san, a well digger.
The hangout of the rickshaw pullers was a candy shop along the street in the village.
There, the well digger, Shingoro-san, eating fried sweets, talked loudly about trivial things.
The voice of Idoshin-san got louder because he often spoke from the bottom of the well to the people outside.
"How much does it cost to dig a well, Idoshin-san?"
Kaizou-san asked while picking up a piece of fried sweets from the box.
Idoshin-san explained in detail how much it would cost.
For the manpower, for the earthen pipe that surrounded the well, and for the cement that filled the joints of the earthen pipe.
"First of all, a normal well can be built for 30 yen." He said.
"Oh, 30 yen." The eyes of Kaizou-san widened, and then he continued to eat fried sweets for a while.
"If we dig a hole down Shintanomune, will we be able to get water?" He asked.
It was the area around the camellia tree where Risuke-san had tethered his cow.
"Yes, water will come out there, because the water springs up in the mountain in front of that.
But what would be the use of digging a well there?" Idoshin-san asked.
"Yeah, there's a little reason."
But Kaizou-san didn't tell him the reason.
As he pulled the rickshaw back to his house, Kaizou-san said.
"30 yen...... 30 yen."
He mumbled to himself again and again.
Kaizou-san lived alone with his old mother in a small straw house behind a bush.
They worked as farmers, and in their spare time, Kaizou-san would pull the rickshaw.
It was a pleasure for them to talk about what had happened that day at dinner.
His old mother talked.
The neighbor's chicken had laid eggs for the first time today, but they were strangely small.
The bees had come to check on the holly tree in the back door yesterday, and today they came to see if they would make a hive there.
If a bee hive were to form in such a place, it would be dangerous when she went to pick up the miso.
Kaizou-san told her that the cow of Risuke-san had eaten the camellia leaves while he was out drinking water.
"Wouldn't it be nice if there was a well on the side of the road there?"
"It would be good if there was a well on the road."
His mother then counted up the number of people who passed by that road on a hot day in summer.
An oil peddler who pulled his cart from Ono, an express messenger who ran from Handa to Ono, Tomi-san who is a smoking pipe seller who went from the village to Handa.
And many others, including wagon pullers, oxcart pullers, rickshaw pullers, pilgrims, beggars, and school children.
These people's throats would dry up just around Shintanomune.
"If only there was a well on the side of the road, everyone would be saved."
His mother concluded her story.
Kaizou-san told her that the well could be dug for about 30 yen.
"For poor people like us, 30 yen is a lot of money. But for rich people like Risuke-san, 30 yen is nothing."
His mother said. Kaizou-san remembered.
He had heard that Risuke-san had made a lot of money from the forest.
After taking a bath, Kaizou-san went to the house of Risuke-san.
An owl was hooting in the mountains behind him.
At the house of Nizaemon-san on the cliff, the shoji screens were lit up and the sound of wooden fish spilled out to the street below.
It was already night. When he arrived at the house of Risuke-san, he found Risuke-san, a hard worker, still in the darkness of the cow shed, doing something.
"You're working energetically." Kaizou-san said.
"Yeah, since then, I went to Handa two times, so I was a little late."
Risuke-san came out, passing under the belly of the cow.
As they sat down on the edge, Kaizou-san said.
"Well, I want to talk about Shintanomune." Kaizou-san began to talk.
"I think everyone would be saved if we dug a well on that roadside." Kaizou-san suggested.
"That would be a great help." Risuke-san accepted.
"I didn't notice until the cow had eaten all the camellia leaves, because the spring water was too far from the road."
"That's right."
"For 30 yen. We can dig a well there."
"Hmm, 30 yen."
"Yeah, 30 yen is enough."
"30 yen. Hmm."
Even though he was talking like this, Risuke-san didn't seem to understand what Kaizou-san was saying.
So Kaizou-san said clearly.
"That's all I'm asking, Risuke-san. I heard that you made a lot of money from the forest."
Risuke-san, who had been talking so well, suddenly fell silent. He pinched his own cheek.
"What do you think, Risuke-san?" After a while, Kaizou-san urged him to answer.
But Risuke-san remained silent as a rock. It seemed that this kind of talk was not interesting to him.
"For 30 yen, you can do it." Kaizou-san said again.
"Why do I have to come up with that 30 yen?
If I was the only one who drank the water, I could understand, but why would I pay for a well that all the other people drank from?
That's what I can't understand."
After a while, Risuke-san said.
Kaizou-san tried to persuade him that it was for the good of the people, but Risuke-san just couldn't be convinced.
Eventually, as if he didn't want to talk about this anymore, Risuke-san said.
"Hey, I'm hungry. I'm starving." He yelled into the house.
Kaizou-san sat up.
He knew now that the reason why Risuke-san was working so hard until late at night was for his own personal benefit.
As he walked alone through the streets at night, Kaizou-san thought to himself.
――I can't depend on others, I have to do it on my own.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered
The hangout of the rickshaw pullers was a candy shop along the street in the village.
There, the well digger, Shingoro-san, eating fried sweets, talked loudly about trivial things.
The voice of Idoshin-san got louder because he often spoke from the bottom of the well to the people outside.
"How much does it cost to dig a well, Idoshin-san?"
Kaizou-san asked while picking up a piece of fried sweets from the box.
Idoshin-san explained in detail how much it would cost.
For the manpower, for the earthen pipe that surrounded the well, and for the cement that filled the joints of the earthen pipe.
"First of all, a normal well can be built for 30 yen." He said.
"Oh, 30 yen." The eyes of Kaizou-san widened, and then he continued to eat fried sweets for a while.
"If we dig a hole down Shintanomune, will we be able to get water?" He asked.
It was the area around the camellia tree where Risuke-san had tethered his cow.
"Yes, water will come out there, because the water springs up in the mountain in front of that.
But what would be the use of digging a well there?" Idoshin-san asked.
"Yeah, there's a little reason."
But Kaizou-san didn't tell him the reason.
As he pulled the rickshaw back to his house, Kaizou-san said.
"30 yen...... 30 yen."
He mumbled to himself again and again.
Kaizou-san lived alone with his old mother in a small straw house behind a bush.
They worked as farmers, and in their spare time, Kaizou-san would pull the rickshaw.
It was a pleasure for them to talk about what had happened that day at dinner.
His old mother talked.
The neighbor's chicken had laid eggs for the first time today, but they were strangely small.
The bees had come to check on the holly tree in the back door yesterday, and today they came to see if they would make a hive there.
If a bee hive were to form in such a place, it would be dangerous when she went to pick up the miso.
Kaizou-san told her that the cow of Risuke-san had eaten the camellia leaves while he was out drinking water.
"Wouldn't it be nice if there was a well on the side of the road there?"
"It would be good if there was a well on the road."
His mother then counted up the number of people who passed by that road on a hot day in summer.
An oil peddler who pulled his cart from Ono, an express messenger who ran from Handa to Ono, Tomi-san who is a smoking pipe seller who went from the village to Handa.
And many others, including wagon pullers, oxcart pullers, rickshaw pullers, pilgrims, beggars, and school children.
These people's throats would dry up just around Shintanomune.
"If only there was a well on the side of the road, everyone would be saved."
His mother concluded her story.
Kaizou-san told her that the well could be dug for about 30 yen.
"For poor people like us, 30 yen is a lot of money. But for rich people like Risuke-san, 30 yen is nothing."
His mother said. Kaizou-san remembered.
He had heard that Risuke-san had made a lot of money from the forest.
After taking a bath, Kaizou-san went to the house of Risuke-san.
An owl was hooting in the mountains behind him.
At the house of Nizaemon-san on the cliff, the shoji screens were lit up and the sound of wooden fish spilled out to the street below.
It was already night. When he arrived at the house of Risuke-san, he found Risuke-san, a hard worker, still in the darkness of the cow shed, doing something.
"You're working energetically." Kaizou-san said.
"Yeah, since then, I went to Handa two times, so I was a little late."
Risuke-san came out, passing under the belly of the cow.
As they sat down on the edge, Kaizou-san said.
"Well, I want to talk about Shintanomune." Kaizou-san began to talk.
"I think everyone would be saved if we dug a well on that roadside." Kaizou-san suggested.
"That would be a great help." Risuke-san accepted.
"I didn't notice until the cow had eaten all the camellia leaves, because the spring water was too far from the road."
"That's right."
"For 30 yen. We can dig a well there."
"Hmm, 30 yen."
"Yeah, 30 yen is enough."
"30 yen. Hmm."
Even though he was talking like this, Risuke-san didn't seem to understand what Kaizou-san was saying.
So Kaizou-san said clearly.
"That's all I'm asking, Risuke-san. I heard that you made a lot of money from the forest."
Risuke-san, who had been talking so well, suddenly fell silent. He pinched his own cheek.
"What do you think, Risuke-san?" After a while, Kaizou-san urged him to answer.
But Risuke-san remained silent as a rock. It seemed that this kind of talk was not interesting to him.
"For 30 yen, you can do it." Kaizou-san said again.
"Why do I have to come up with that 30 yen?
If I was the only one who drank the water, I could understand, but why would I pay for a well that all the other people drank from?
That's what I can't understand."
After a while, Risuke-san said.
Kaizou-san tried to persuade him that it was for the good of the people, but Risuke-san just couldn't be convinced.
Eventually, as if he didn't want to talk about this anymore, Risuke-san said.
"Hey, I'm hungry. I'm starving." He yelled into the house.
Kaizou-san sat up.
He knew now that the reason why Risuke-san was working so hard until late at night was for his own personal benefit.
As he walked alone through the streets at night, Kaizou-san thought to himself.
――I can't depend on others, I have to do it on my own.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered