Bheela’s Blog -075
23 April 2022
Episode 74 Recap
Ryuzo finally confesses his love for Oshin and wants to marry her. Oshin refuses. She would instead remain independent to support her family. Ryuzo also tells his mother that he will not attend any marriage meetings. His mother is upset.
Oshin gets a letter from her father asking her to send more money for her brother’s wedding. Oshin feels sad about this.
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Episode 75
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
After she refuses Ryuzo’s marriage proposal, Oshin thinks that it is all over between them. She is more concerned about the request for more money made by her father in Yamagata. She starts doing more work to earn additional money. She stays up late at nights sewing kimonos for her customers. She also cuts down on her eating and sends money home. Oshin has no time to think of Ryuzo. In the process, she gets weak and feels tired all the time.
***
The winter has set in at Oshin’s village. It is severe, the same as most years at this time. Oshin’s father, mother, and brother, after dinner, make straw sandals.
‘You have money order,’ says a postman who enters from the main door and hands over the cash to Sakuzo. He thanks the postman.
‘Who is this money from?’ asks Fuji.
‘Oshin, of course! She is such a responsible daughter,’ says the postman. In the village, everyone knows family details about all the households! The postman continues, ‘I hear she does hair in Tokyo. She sure earns a lot of money!’
After the postman leaves, Oshin’s mom gets thoughtful. She asks, ‘Oshin just sent some money last week. Why did she send the money again?’ Neither the father nor the brother Shoji replies to her; instead, they go to the other room and start drinking sake.
Mother follows them, and she asks Sakuzo, ‘What did you tell Oshin? Did you ask her for more money? We have been paying off the debts to the landlord with the money Oshin sends regularly. What else do you need money for? The economy is bad, yet she sends 20 yens a month! I feel sorry for her; she must be trying so hard to earn this extra money!’
Father makes a disgusting face at Fuji; both the men are least concerned about Oshin’s hard work.
‘You are making the sake taste bad,’ says Sakuzo, ‘I am not wasting any money. We need money to renovate the house.’
‘You want to renovate the house?’ Fuji is shocked to hear this.
‘The debts are close to being paid off, and Shoji is taking a wife; we need a bigger house.’ Says Sakuzo.
‘You are renovating for Shoji’s bride?’ mom cannot comprehend this idea of luxury! She continues, ‘Oshin is working herself to death for that?’
‘Stay out of this, Oshin understands,’ Sakuzo takes Oshin for granted.
‘If the bride doesn’t like this house, she doesn’t have to marry Shoji!’ says Fuji with anger. Shoji gives a stern look to his mom; he keeps playing the victim card all his life. Mother ignores him and says, ‘I came here as a bride, and I have stayed. She can’t expect luxury either!’
‘You mean to ruin Shoji’s chances for marriage? The bride’s parents want us to renovate. Nobody wants to live in a shack like this.’ The father raises his voice; he takes his son’s side.
‘Then let Shoji do it himself. You can’t sponge money off Oshin!’ mother retorts.
‘I am not loafing. We are all working towards lowering our land rents. But the farmers here are scared of the landlords! There is not much use staying on here. But I have stayed for you two!’ Shoji speaks up and shows that he is doing a favor to his parents.
‘Leave if you want to go. You are not staying on for us; you are just afraid to go off to the city to work.’ Fuji repeats what she has been saying to Shoji.
Shoji gets angry, and he throws the plate and gets up.
‘Shoji, don’t be angry, I understand,’ says Sakuzo. He pacifies Shoji and asks Fuji, ‘Don’t you love your own son?
‘And you have no feelings for Oshin?’ replies Fuji, full of rage.
‘I am not trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Oshin is working and doing well. She should be helping her brother! Shoji is the only one to have stayed on with us.’ Sakuzo says without any concern for Oshin’s hard work. He has been taking Oshin for granted indeed.
‘I have talked to the carpenter,’ Sakuzo turns to Shoji and says, ‘300 yen should get us a good house. Let us have some more drinks.’
Fuji lowers her head and cries silently for Oshin, frustrated to be in the company of heartless men.
***
Oshin receives a letter from her mother. She reads, ‘I am having Oriki write this letter because I wanted to tell you about your father’s plan to renovate our house. I don’t know how much you earn, but there is no need to send us all your money. Save some money up for yourself. You are already 20; you should be married already. Please find a good man to marry. We can’t put on a wedding for you. So, save some money for your own wedding.’
Oshin smiles as she reads the letter. Fuji’s letter made Oshin feel much better. She thought her father’s request to send more money was being so selfish, but her mother’s kind words made it all bearable. She wanted to ensure that her mother and her brother’s new bride could get along. Oshin felt it was the daughter’s job to help them out.
She is still weak as she is not having proper meals, just to save money. She walks on the road, and a vehicle from the opposite side almost hits her. In the nick of time, she moves to the side pavement. She walks with difficulty and reaches the Café door.
Ryuzo stops her. She bows in greeting.
‘I have been waiting for you here. You come here at the same time every day. I would go home after having a glimpse of you. I didn’t mean to stop and talk like this. It has been nice just seeing you.’ Says Ryuzo; he hasn’t given up hope.
‘I am in a hurry,’ says Oshin politely to avoid and turns to enter the café door.
‘Oshin, are you ill? I am worried; maybe you are working too hard?’ Ryuzo can make out that Oshin looks weak.
‘I have been busy,’ says Oshin, with an artificial smile.
‘You don’t look well,’ Ryuzo is genuinely concerned for her, and he gives a close look at Oshin.
Just then, the café girls Someko, Oshigeko, and Oyae arrive. They are excited to see Ryuzo.
‘Ryuzo, you hardly ever come by!’ says Oyae, ‘What are you doing here?’
Oshin takes the opportunity to leave Ryuzo with the girls, and she goes inside the room, closing the door behind her. Ryuzo looks at her.
‘You and Oshin? What a shock!’ Someko asks Ryuzo; she guesses that there is something between them.
‘No wonder he never comes to see us!’ says Oyae with a sigh!
‘You can’t fool us! I can see it on your face!’ Someko complains with mock anger.
‘Oshin should have told us!’ Oyae is surprised at Oshin’s secretiveness.
‘It is not her fault; leave her alone!’ Ryuzo tries to defend.
‘You are trying to stick up to her? You can’t get away from us tonight!’ Oyae is happy to find the secret. They are both actually happy for Ryuzo and Oshin.
‘And you will tell us all about Oshin and you!’ Someko catches his coat and teases him.
‘There is nothing between us,’ Ryuzo protests.
‘Oh sure!’ Someko says, not believing him.
Ryuzo cannot escape; he tells them the truth, ‘I am in love with her, and I have proposed.’
‘Are you serious?’ Someko is taken aback.
‘Of course, but she turned me down. That is all it is.’ He starts to leave, but Someko stops him. Ryuzo says, ‘I will come by to see you sometime, but I don’t feel like it tonight. I am worried about Oshin; she doesn’t seem well. Please watch out for her; she won’t listen to me,’ says Ryuzo on a serious note and leaves.
***
Oshin is doing hair for Oshigeko. Someko enters the room with Oyae, and Someko immediately asks Oshin, ‘You turned down Ryuzo’s proposal; why?’
‘So many women are in love with him,’ says Oyae.
‘Don’t make him sound like a playboy,’ Someko chides Oyae mildly. All of them like Ryuzo. She continues, ‘we had Oshin write him love letters, but that was just for business. Ryuzo is rich; that is why we wanted him.’
‘That is not his only good point,’ Oyae sighs again!
‘He is good-looking, but he is still only a customer!’ says Someko.
‘We tried to seduce him, but he wouldn’t go for it. He knows what we are up to!’ Oshigeko speaks up also.
‘He saw right through us. He is nice; he is not into using us. I don’t care; I just wanted to be with him,’ Oyae says.
‘Don’t talk like that in front of Oshin,’ warns Someko.
‘Why not? It fell through anyway!’ Oyae is disappointed.
‘All of you felt like that?’ asks Oshigeko.
‘You are so lucky to have him love you,’ Oyae wants Oshin to rethink her decision.
‘He is a great businessman for a young man, and you won’t have to live with his mother. It is perfect for you,’ Someko joins in praise of Ryuzo.
‘Thanks for worrying about me,’ says Oshin with some difficulty; she was quietly completing the hair of Oshigeko. She says further, ‘I prefer to marry a man I love. Maybe I will never meet someone like that. Then I am prepared to live alone.’ She hides her love for Kota from the girls.
‘Thank you,’ Oshigeko is happy with her hairstyle, and she thanks Oshin.
‘Sorry, I didn’t do a good job today,’ says Oshin; she is not well today, and she feels it.
‘I think you are tired, take care of yourself,’ says Oshigeko and leaves.
It is now Someko’s turn; she sits in front of the mirror. Oshin starts working on Someko’s hair, wrapping a cloth around her neck. Someko looks at the mirror and spots that Oshin isn’t feeling well. Before Someko can react, Oshin drops to the floor. All the girls are shocked, and they shake Oshin. They panic.
***
‘I had Oshin investigated thoroughly,’ says Ms. Kiyo. She sits next to Ryuzo and announces, ‘she is a sharecropper’s daughter from Yamagata. She didn’t even complete grade school.’
‘She can read and write better than a graduate from a girls’ school! Her computation skills are good, too.’ Ryuzo doesn’t want his mother to form an opinion on half the information.
‘She was arrested twice by the police,’ mother won’t give up. She has made some inquiries and gathered all about Oshin.
‘Is that true?’ Genzi is taken aback; he is part of the family conversation always.
‘You didn’t even know about it!’ mother accuses Genzi.
‘I knew about it! She was wrongly taken in both times,’ Ryuzo retorts.
‘They say she is a Red!’ mother continues her acquisitions. Being ‘Red (communist)’ is not considered good in affluent families.
‘She is not!’ Ryuzo raises his voice in anger.
‘Even if she is not, people think she is. A woman should never be thought of like that,’ says mom. (Even now, for some families, a woman isn’t considered a ‘suitable’ bride if she has her own opinion!)
‘What is wrong with being a Red?’ Ryuzo tries to reason with his mother, being a progressive modern man.
‘Ryuzo has lost his head. It is hopeless,’ mother says, looking at Genzi. Then she turns to Ryuzo and asks him, ‘You refuse to listen to me? Fine then! You better be prepared to be disowned! We will no longer be mother-and-son. You will have to leave this business. That is how it is. We gave you the money to run this shop. If you are not a Tanokura, you will have to leave. Think it over!’ she uses her last weapon to threaten Ryuzo. She gets up and leaves the room.
Genzi is worried and scared. He pleads to Ryuzo, ‘please tell her that you will give Oshin up. Then she will go back home to Saga. Tell her a white lie! Time will take care of everything. Come on, let’s go!’ Genzi pulls Ryuzo by his arm. Ryuzo gets up, and both of them enter the room where Ms. Kiyo sits and frets with anger.
Genzi and Ryuzo sit formally. Genzi bows and says, ‘Your son agrees to forget about that girl. Please feel reassured and return home to Saga without worrying.’
Ms. Kiyo looks at Ryuzo; she isn’t sure. She wants to believe what Genzi said just now but wants to hear it from her son.
There is loud thumping on the door. Ryuzo, his mom, and Genzi get startled by the noise.
‘Tanokura, sir! Mr. Ryuzo!!’ Someko is on the door, and she is knocking with full force. ‘It is Oshin! It is an emergency!!’ She shouts at the top of her voice. ‘Mr. Tanokura! Mr. Tanokura!!’
Ryuzo looks towards the door; he instantly gets up and rushes to the door. Genzi tries to stop him.
‘Ryuzo!’ mother shouts and tries to stop him! She gives him a stern, threatening look as he turns to look at her! It means, if you go, we are done!
What will happen now? Will Ryuzo help Oshin?
We will know more in the next episode, number 76, arriving soon.