Bheela’s Blog -026
15 May 2021
Episode 25 Recap
Oshin’s Mom gives her a Kokeshi doll before she leaves Ginzan.
She reaches Sakata to join the babysitter’s job at Kaga-ya rice dealer’s family. She finds that they haven’t firmed up the need for a babysitter yet. She begs them for the job.
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Episode 26
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
After pleading several times saying ‘I beg you!’ Oshin shares the condition of her family. She tells the young Madam that their rice crop failed, so her mother had to go away to work. Both her elder sisters work for textile factories. But her sick grandma and younger siblings don’t even have enough daikon gruel to eat! She doesn’t want her grandma to go hungry.
If she earns five bales of rice as promised by the agent, it will help her family. Also, she doesn’t want to be yelled at for being a burden. She again requests to please let her work at their place; she can do anything!
As Oshin is speaking with genuine feelings, the young and the senior women are shocked and amazed at how a child can pursue a job. Oshin once again bends her head in front of the young Madam.
The daughter-in-law, her name is Mino, does not know that her mother-in-law is watching all these. She tells Oshin softly that she is not aware of what Oriki, the agent, told her, but there was no firm agreement of any kind. They cannot pay five bales of rice to a babysitter. She apologizes to Oshin from the bottom of her heart.
The senior Madam comes forward and addresses Mino and tells her that she did not say no because of the rice amount. She speaks in a firm way that even if she were to work for nothing, it wouldn’t do. It is just that they do not need a babysitter. Mino is startled to hear her mother-in-law’s voice. She agrees with the senior Madam that it is not about the rice amount. Mino further clarifies that it wasn’t expected of Oriki to send such a young child. Oriki mentioned that she had someone in her mind. Mino is doubtful if this little girl could do the work of a babysitter. Mino further assures the mother-in-law that she is sending the child back home. The mother-in-law is stern and says that no further discussion on the subject is permitted. She turns around and goes inside the house. Mino, too gets up and follows her. She stops and tells Oshin to take the money and go home. She also urges her to eat the food first.
As she too goes inside the house, Oshin shouts for her, ‘Madam! Madam! Please wait!’ Mino enters the house and closes the door behind her. Her Mother-in-law and husband are both sitting there. She bows down and apologizes for causing all this trouble. Her husband says that he will talk to his mother to hire a proper sitter for their daughter Sayo. He asks Mino to give up on the little Oshin. Mino thanks her husband and agrees that the girl is too young. The mother-in-law starts to say something, but Mino interrupts her saying that she will look after Sayo herself. She promises never to bring up the subject of babysitter again.
Mother-in-law calmly says that let the girl stay.
Both her son and Mino are taken aback by what she just said. The senior Madam says that let the child complete her two years term. Mino is surprised, and she hesitates. Mother-in-law knows about the life of sharecropper families. She tells both of them that their situation is really tough when the crops fail. The child came all this way by herself so that her sick grandma and siblings can have food to eat! She asks her son and Mino to think about how the child feels! Senior Madam continues saying that Oshin may not know how to do the work, but they should all let her try. She says that as rice dealers, they sell the rice all those sharecroppers grow with their hard work. The sharecroppers remain poor, but as dealers, they are the ones who prosper. She says giving the job to the child would be the same as helping them. She then instructs the son to make arrangements to deliver five bales of rice immediately to Oshin’s family. Mother-in-law is sure that Oshin will learn her job in two years before she completes her term.
Mino is relieved; she says that Oshin will be so happy that senior Madam gave her approval for her to stay. Mother-in-law is very wise; she advises Mino to tell the child that Mino decided to keep her. This way, Oshin will be grateful towards Mino, making Mino’s life easier.
(We observe that Mother-in-law is strict, but she has her wisdom acquired from years of experience. She also has a compassionate side hidden behind that stern appearance. This is all for the general good of the family and the people who work for them)
Mother-in-law then asks Mino to go and stop the child. She worries that the child must be too sad. Mino is thrilled; she jumps and goes out to the entrance area. Oshin is eating the meal slowly. She hears footsteps and gets up; she says that she will go once she finishes the noodles.
Mino sits in front of Oshin and lovingly asks Oshin her name. She tells Oshin that she may stay! She will be working at their place for two years, so Oshin shouldn’t worry at all. Oshin cannot believe it. Mino continues and asks her to do her best as much as she can. Oshin bends and bows, conveying her sincere thanks to her. Mino asks her to finish her meal, and then she will introduce her to the others. Oshin speeds up and eats noodles with her mouth full. Mino is happy, and she laughs, looking at the way Oshin is hurrying. She holds Oshin lovingly and tells her there is no need to rush anymore. Oshin affirms and slows down, smiling.
Oshin enters the living room where senior Madam, her son, Mino, with the baby Sayo are seated. Kayo, the elder daughter of Mino, also joins. Mino begins the introduction starting with her mother-in-law. She tells Oshin that her mother-in-law is the owner of the house and the business.
Oshin tells her name and conveys greetings with gratitude. Mino then introduces her husband. Oshin greets him, and he returns the greeting by nodding. She then shows Oshin Kayo, her elder daughter. Mino tells Kayo that Oshin is the same age as hers. Oshin bows, but Kayo looks at her mom without any response.
In the end, Mino introduces Sayo, the baby, whom Oshin will have to look after. Oshin promises to work hard.
Mino takes Oshin to another room of the house where we can see two teenage girls sitting. Mino tells Oshin that these girls are Okiku and Oume. They have been working with the family from their age of 10 years. These girls who work as housemaids will help Oshin learn her job. She tells both maids to teach Oshin little at a time and not to burden her suddenly. Oshin bows in front of the maids too. Mino informs the girls that Oshin had a long journey, and she is exhausted, so let her rest now. Mino gets up to go to her room. Oshin thanks her profusely. Oshin then tells the girls that she is glad to meet them and owes her job to young Madam. Oshin tells them that the young Madam is so kind that she looks like Buddha. Okiku instructs Oshin to address Mino as ‘young Madame’ always.
When Oshin says ‘Hai’ (yes), both girls laugh at her village accent and tell her that her accent is funny. Oshin tells them that her teacher at school had told her to when speaking formally, say ‘yes’ as ‘Hai.’ Okiku, the older maid of the two, is surprised to know that Oshin when to school. Oshin replies that it was only for a short while. Oshin then asks them what work she has to do tonight; she can help clean up after dinner. Okiku replies that all that work is already done, she will now show Oshin her room. She gets up and asks Oume to check the bath. Oshin enthusiastically tells her that she can make the fire for bathing, and then she can clean and scrub the bathroom. Oume lovingly tells her not tonight, and these are too much for a child of Oshin’s age. Oshin then shares with them her experience at the last workplace where she was expected to do all this work at night before going to bed. Both the maids are surprised to know that this is not Oshin’s first job. Oshin then replies that she went to work as her first job when she was seven for a year. Both maids are shocked to hear that Oshin turned eight; they thought Oshin to be much younger. They are stunned that Oshin did all those heavy laborious jobs. Oshin tells them that she is accustomed to hard work. She asks them what she can do to help them? Okiku replies that she will start tomorrow.
The girls take her to a clean room with an oil lamp hanging from the roof. Okiku tells her that this is their room. Oshin asks her if she would be staying there too? Okiku explains that this is the maid’s room. Oshin finds the space to be too nice, fit for rich people. She thinks that God will punish her for this luxury. As Okiku lights up the oil lamp and increases the intensity, Oshin is delighted to see so much brightness in the room. She asks if they are allowed to use this light as she had heard in her first job that oil for lamps costs a lot! She saw these oil lamps at the inn at Ginzan. Her old workplace at a lumber mill also had oil lamps. At home, she tells Okiku, they had light only from the fireplace. Okiku says that very soon, lamps will be outdated. They have electricity in Sakata.
Oshin hasn’t even heard the word electricity, so she is puzzled. Okiku explains that they just turn on a switch, and the light is on, much brighter than the oil lamp! They will soon have it in this place. Okiku tells Oshin that it is like magic; she will have to see it to believe. They will quickly throw these oil lamps.
(Although Japan had its first electrical connection in 1878, it took several years to reach Japanese homes in cities and towns. More on Japanese history on electricity is found in the link: https://www.fepc.or.jp/english/energy_electricity/history/)
Okiku then looks at the cloth bundle Oshin is holding with her things and asks Oshin if her rest of the belongings would arrive separately? Oshin replies that whatever she owns is with her inside the cloth packing. Okiku tells her that they will get bedding for Oshin the next day; she can share the mattress with them tonight. Oshin is taken aback to learn that maids get to sleep on mattresses! These luxuries are surprising to little Oshin. All this while all she has seen is deprivation.
Young Madam enters the room with clothes in her hands. She has brought some of Kayo’s old Kimonos. She wants Oshin to try them and see if they fit her. Mino thinks that Kayo is about the same size, so these dresses should fit Oshin well. Oshin is one more time shocked and asks Mino if she could have these beautiful dresses. Okiku is happy for Oshin; she was worried if Oshin had enough clothes in the tiny bundle. Oshin is amazed to see those Kimonos as she had never had such expensive and fancy Kimonos before. As Mino asks her to try one, Oshin hesitates that this is far too good for her. Mino comforts her and says that these now belong to her.
Mino makes Oshin stand, and she loving puts one of the dresses over Oshin’s shoulder. Mino is thrilled to see the garment fits Oshin well, and now Oshin looks excellent wearing the new dress. Mino exclaims, ‘Oshin, you are a pretty girl!’
Oshin sleeps comfortably flanked by the other two maids Okiku and Oume. She is an early riser and wakes up before the other two maids. She changes her dress and puts on the kimono given by Mino. She comes downstairs to the kitchen area. She observes all the kitchen items keenly. She watches a cooking furnace, some utensils, etc. are all neatly kept in the kitchen.
Suddenly a woman appears, asking Oshin in a shrill voice, what is she doing here so early in the morning? She answers that she came down to start the fire in the burner for cooking rice. The woman is Oume, the younger maid; she says how can Oshin cook rice when she is just a child. Oshin replies that she used to do it all the time at home. She narrates the procedure of cooking rice and says the fire to be started hot until the rice boils, then pull out the coals and let the rice steam. She tells Oume that she is good at it. Then she is a bit uncertain and says that she does not know which pots to start here. Oume, then tells her that the big one is for worker’s rice and barley mix, and the small one is for white rice for the owner’s family. Oshin is constantly comparing her first job with this one; she is surprised that the workers do not have to eat daikon gruel; instead, they get barley with rice! As Oume is lighting the furnace, Oshin asks to let her do this. Oume replies that Oshin is a babysitter! She is not supposed to do the kitchen work. Oshin tells Oume that she is good at it; she can start the furnace in the morning so that Oume can sleep some more. She innocently talks to Oume and shares that she is getting paid five sacks of rice and wants to do more to justify. (For Oshin, the deal of five bags of rice is enormous!)
The two maids are cutting vegetables and talking. Oume tells Okiku that Oshin made the rice; she is so good that they don’t have to worry about her. Okiku feels for Oshin that she must have had a pretty hard time all her life. They watch Oshin bring a wooden pale filled with water. Oshin says that she can wash before lunch. She wants to clean up the used utensils. The maids tell her that they do the cleaning after the owners go to work in the front area at the store. Oshin wants to work more; she asks the maids to show her, she tells them that she can do anything! She doesn’t want to just stand around. She asks them if she should go and sweep the corridor? Oume replies that it is a job for one of the boys who work with Kaga-ya. She says, in that case, she will go wash the diapers.
Mino enters the kitchen with the baby Sayo, and the two maids and Oshin greet her, saying good morning. Mino asks Oshin if she slept well. Oshin’s face lights up seeing Mino. She replies that yes, the mattress and the quilt were excellent and so warm. Mino asks Oshin to look after the baby now. Oshin tells Mino that she will wash the baby’s dirty diapers too. Mino smiles, looking at Oshin’s enthusiasm. She says that Oshin doesn’t have to clean now, but she needs to mind the baby. Oshin wants to ensure, so she asks her if washing diapers is part of a babysitter’s job, mainly from her past experience. Mino looks at her with amazement.
Oshin is washing diapers in a water body which looks like a canal. She brings the washed diapers in a basket into the house. Okiku asks her where Oshin had gone? Oshin replies that she went to the river bank to wash the diapers. ‘Wash them again,’ Okiku tells her that river water isn’t clean. She must use well water for washing the baby’s clothes. Baby Sayo is not like ordinary babies that we have at our homes.
Oshin has a lot to learn at Kaga-ya. It is definitely much different from her job at the lumber mill. The affluence of this place was hard for her to get accustomed to. Such vast difference was making Oshin feel uneasy.
She watches Okiku pull clean water from the well to wash Sayo’s soiled diapers. It is just the opposite of how they did at the lumber mill.
How will Oshin adjust to these new surroundings?
Episode 27 has some more pleasant surprises.