Chapter 4
The next day, Kaizou-san walked into the village teahouse after dropping off a customer in Ono.
This was the place where the village rickshaw pullers went to relax and wait for the next customer after they had finished their work.
On that day, three rickshaw pullers were resting in the teahouse before Kaizou-san.
As usual, when Kaizou-san entered the teahouse, he lay down on his back behind a stand of candy boxes and inadvertently picked up a piece of fried sweets.
Since the rickshaw pullers had nothing to do while waiting for customers, they had a habit of opening the lid of the candy box and picking up fried sweets, candies, dried squid, bean‐paste ball, and so on.
It was the same with Kaizou-san.
However, Kaizou-san put the piece of fried sweets he had just picked up back into the box.
His friend, Gen-san, who was watching him, said.
"What's the matter, Kaizou-san? Is that fried sweets pissed by rat?"
The face of Kaizou-san turned red and replied..
"No, that's not it, but I don't want to eat too much today."
"Hmm, you don't look any worse for wear, so what's wrong with you?" Gen-san said.
After a while, Gen-san took a handful of candy from the glass jar, threw one of them upwards and caught it with his mouth. Then he said.
"How about it, Kaizou-san? Why don't you do this?"
Until yesterday, Kaizou-san had often played this game with Gen-san.
The two of them would compete with each other, and the one who failed to receive the least number of candies would make his opponent buy another sweets.
Kaizou-san was as good as any other rickshaw puller at this trick.
But today, Kaizou-san said.
"I can't eat anything sweet because my back teeth hurt since this morning."
"Well, then, let's do it, Yoshi-san."
So, Gen-san and Yoshi-san started to do it.
They threw the colorful candies up toward the ceiling and tried to catch it with their mouths.
But sometimes they succeeded in getting it in their mouths, sometimes it hit their noses, and sometimes it got stuck in the ashes of their cigarette box.
Kaizou-san watched, thinking that if he had done it himself, he would not have failed any of them.
When Gen-san and Yoshi-san kept dropping them, Kaizou-san felt like saying, "OK, I'll do one and show you."
He had to be patient. This was very painful for him.
He wished the customers would come soon. Kaizou-san narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the bright street.
However, before the customers could arrive, the madam of the teahouse showed up with freshly baked red bean paste rolls.
The rickshaw pullers were overjoyed and took one by one.
Kaizou-san couldn't stand it any longer and his hand started to twitch a little, but he finally managed to control it.
"What's the matter, Kaizou-san? Are you planning to build a big warehouse without spending a dime?" Gen-san said.
Kaizou-san laughed bitterly and went outside.
Then, at the edge of the ditch, he broke off a piece of grass and picked up a frog.
Kaizou-san had a determination as firm as a fist in his heart.
He was going to save the money he had spent on sweets and dig a well under Shintanomune for the people.
Kaizou-san didn't feel sick to his stomach or teeth.
He wanted to eat sweets as much as he could.
However, in order to build the well, he changed his habit.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered
This was the place where the village rickshaw pullers went to relax and wait for the next customer after they had finished their work.
On that day, three rickshaw pullers were resting in the teahouse before Kaizou-san.
As usual, when Kaizou-san entered the teahouse, he lay down on his back behind a stand of candy boxes and inadvertently picked up a piece of fried sweets.
Since the rickshaw pullers had nothing to do while waiting for customers, they had a habit of opening the lid of the candy box and picking up fried sweets, candies, dried squid, bean‐paste ball, and so on.
It was the same with Kaizou-san.
However, Kaizou-san put the piece of fried sweets he had just picked up back into the box.
His friend, Gen-san, who was watching him, said.
"What's the matter, Kaizou-san? Is that fried sweets pissed by rat?"
The face of Kaizou-san turned red and replied..
"No, that's not it, but I don't want to eat too much today."
"Hmm, you don't look any worse for wear, so what's wrong with you?" Gen-san said.
After a while, Gen-san took a handful of candy from the glass jar, threw one of them upwards and caught it with his mouth. Then he said.
"How about it, Kaizou-san? Why don't you do this?"
Until yesterday, Kaizou-san had often played this game with Gen-san.
The two of them would compete with each other, and the one who failed to receive the least number of candies would make his opponent buy another sweets.
Kaizou-san was as good as any other rickshaw puller at this trick.
But today, Kaizou-san said.
"I can't eat anything sweet because my back teeth hurt since this morning."
"Well, then, let's do it, Yoshi-san."
So, Gen-san and Yoshi-san started to do it.
They threw the colorful candies up toward the ceiling and tried to catch it with their mouths.
But sometimes they succeeded in getting it in their mouths, sometimes it hit their noses, and sometimes it got stuck in the ashes of their cigarette box.
Kaizou-san watched, thinking that if he had done it himself, he would not have failed any of them.
When Gen-san and Yoshi-san kept dropping them, Kaizou-san felt like saying, "OK, I'll do one and show you."
He had to be patient. This was very painful for him.
He wished the customers would come soon. Kaizou-san narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the bright street.
However, before the customers could arrive, the madam of the teahouse showed up with freshly baked red bean paste rolls.
The rickshaw pullers were overjoyed and took one by one.
Kaizou-san couldn't stand it any longer and his hand started to twitch a little, but he finally managed to control it.
"What's the matter, Kaizou-san? Are you planning to build a big warehouse without spending a dime?" Gen-san said.
Kaizou-san laughed bitterly and went outside.
Then, at the edge of the ditch, he broke off a piece of grass and picked up a frog.
Kaizou-san had a determination as firm as a fist in his heart.
He was going to save the money he had spent on sweets and dig a well under Shintanomune for the people.
Kaizou-san didn't feel sick to his stomach or teeth.
He wanted to eat sweets as much as he could.
However, in order to build the well, he changed his habit.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered