Bheela’s Blog -077
07 May 2022
Episode 76 Recap
Oshin is hospitalized, and Ryuzo takes good care of her. She is sick with a disease called beriberi. As Ryuzo is in the hospital and doesn’t return home, Ms. Kiyo asks Genzi to find him. She visits the hospital and tells both Ryuzo and Oshin that she will disown Ryuzo if they marry.
Ryuzo takes a stand and tells his mom that he will cut off ties with the family and leave the business, but he will not change his mind. Oshin is in a fix.
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Episode 77
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Oshin was released after 10 days in the hospital. Ryuzo had come each day to be with her. He is coming today to take her home. Oshin starts packing her stuff in the hospital.
‘Are you ready?’ Ryuzo enters the room and asks Oshin.
‘Yes, I will go and pay the hospital bill,’ says Oshin. She looks cheerful and pleased to be able to go home.
‘Don’t worry, I have already paid it!’ Ryuzo informs her.
‘I can’t let you do that,’ Oshin doesn’t want any favors from him.
‘It is my ‘get well’ present to you,’ says Ryuzo cheerfully. He sits next to Oshin and continues, ‘I have thanked the doctors and nurses.’
‘Thank you for all you have done for me, but I can’t let you pay for my hospital bills.’
‘You need your money to send back home. That is how you wore yourself out! Besides, you are not well enough to go back to work yet. We should all help each other in times of need!’ Ryuzo says with all sincerity.
‘If I accept such favors from you, our relationship can never be equal. I want to remain friends with you!’ Oshin is always righteous in her approach.
‘I see! But I am not trying to obligate you.’ Says Ryuzo; he takes out a bill from his pocket and places it in front of Oshin, saying, ‘This is the bill. You can pay me whenever you can.’ Ryuzo accepts Oshin’s requests in all fairness.
Oshin checks the bill amount and says, ‘I think I have enough!’
‘Don’t you have to send that money back home? You can pay me back later at any time! Send that money to your parents in the village.’
Oshin counts the note and stacks them. She says, ‘I don’t have an envelope to put in. Please take it! I will work again, and I will earn more! They can wait until then!’ She cheerfully hands the money to Ryuzo, who accepts it with a sigh!
(This was another similarity in Japanese and Indian culture! When we pay money to anyone formally, we use envelopes! I was amazed to see the same gesture!)
***
Ryuzo returns home after getting Oshin discharged from the hospital.
‘Did all the orders go out? Are there any new orders today?’ he asks Genzi, sitting with the account book. Genzi’s face is grim. He hands over the accounting book to Ryuzo.
‘We don’t have the shipment in from England yet. Check to see if the ship has come into Yokohama. The orders are down; it must be due to the bad economy!’ exclaims Ryuzo; it appears the economic situation has started impacting Ryuzo’s business too. Ryuzo says, ‘I will go out and get some new orders.’
‘You took money out of the cash box this morning,’ says Genzi; he keeps the daily accounts meticulously.
‘Yes, I took it to cover Oshin’s hospital expenses. I meant to tell you about this later,’ Ryuzo informs Genzi.
‘You paid her bill?’ Genzi is shocked.
‘She is not well, and she can’t work yet,’ Ryuzo tells Genzi.
‘You can’t bring yourself to forget Oshin?’ Genzi isn’t happy, and he tries to change Ryuzo’s mind constantly. Ryuzo doesn’t want to discuss it, and he goes inside, ignoring Genzi.
Genzi goes after Ryuzo. Both of them sit in the dining area. Genzi takes out a letter from his pocket.
‘Your father has written a letter to me. He says you can take Oshin as your concubine. He sure knows about this; your mother doesn’t!’ Genzi laughs as he speaks.
‘What do you mean by concubine?’ Ryuzo is stunned by such approach of his family.
‘You can take a suitable bride befitting our position, and Oshin can be your unofficial wife.’
‘That is nonsense!’ shouts Ryuzo; he is furious.
‘A man should have a concubine or two!’ Genzi finds this funny; he is old-fashioned and has feudal ideas.
‘The Meiji period is over! Such immorality isn’t acceptable today. Oshin is not one to be made a concubine!’ Ryuzo’s temper rises.
He tries his best to control and explain to Genzi.
‘But if you insist on having Oshin by your side,’ Genzi starts again. Ryuzo remembers something, and he stops Genzi.
Ryuzo takes money from his coat’s inner pocket and hands it to Genzi. He says, ‘Here is the money I took; I haven’t touched it. Oshin wouldn’t let me pay her hospital bill. I love her, but I am just a friend to her. She has jilted me again.’ Ryuzo sighs as he speaks. He is sad but never loses hope!
***
‘You can come to do our hair tomorrow?’ Oshigeko asks Oshin; all the café girls are delighted to see Oshin back from the hospital.
‘She just got out of the hospital! The doctor told her not to work for a month,’ says Someko.
‘I can’t just sit and do nothing, so I will do hair just for you girls,’ Oshin says; she is glad to have recovered.
‘At times like these, a woman needs support. One never knows when one might get sick. You would better rethink Ryuzo’s proposal, Oshin!’ says Someko. She is the wisest of all the café girls and has a genuine concern for Oshin.
‘I am sorry for all the trouble! I will start coming from tomorrow again,’ Oshin quickly changes the topic. She bows to all the girls and leaves.
***
Work on the renovation is going on in full swing at Yamagata. A team of carpenters is building a new room next to the old shed. Sakuzo supervises the work as Fuji washes the vegetables in the streamlet nearby.
‘Once the house is finished, Shoji will have a bride,’ says one of the workers.
‘A sharecropper son works day and night. The least I can do for him is find him a wife,’ says Sakuzo. His only focus is on his son. He turns to Fuji and says, ‘Any word from Oshin? It is time she sent us more money. She didn’t answer my last letter. We need money to pay these carpenters. What is she doing?’
‘You are wrong to expect money from your daughter to build your house,’ says Fuji.
‘Oshin agreed to it! This house is Oshin’s house, too. She can come back home anytime she wants. That is why she is paying for it; she can’t stop now.’ Says Sakuzo; he is shameless and cruel to connect Oshin’s generosity with any selfish motive. Oshin had agreed to pay because she wanted him and Shoji to be kind to the mother. He forgets that conveniently.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Even if Oshin pays for it, the house is still Shoji’s. After his bride comes, Oshin wouldn’t be welcome,’ Fuji has the vision, and she warns her husband.
‘Did you tell Oshin that?’ Sakuzo gets suspicious.
‘I feel so bad that she has to work hard for us!’ Fuji worries for Oshin.
‘Maybe I will go to see her in Tokyo. Maybe something has happened to her,’ Sakuzo gets an idea.
‘She could be ill,’ a mother has no end to her worries for her daughter.
‘She might have gotten hooked up with the wrong man. I can’t have the money stop coming in now. I will see her myself!’ the father has a nasty opinion of Oshin just because he seeks money from her. Disgusting!
***
Oshin has taken up sewing work again. She is busy stitching a Kimono for a client. There is a knock on the door. She gets up to open it.
‘I am just on my way home. I got you some nice, fresh fish. And I also got you some eggs from the farm. These are fresh and full of vitamins.’ Ryuzo is there grinning from ear to ear.
He is happy to help Oshin recover fast. He hands over the packets of fish and eggs to Oshin.
‘Thank you, but please don’t feel you have to!’ says Oshin.
‘I am doing it because I want to! I am not doing it to gain any special favors! Please don’t worry and just get well,’ says Ryuzo; he is pleased to see Oshin.
‘Thank you, please come in for tea,’ she invites Ryuzo.
‘It is late; a man shouldn’t enter a lady’s room at this hour,’ Ryuzo says with complete seriousness. Oshin agrees and follows him to see off.
As Ryuzo walks to the lane, Sakuzo enters. He looks at Ryuzo coming out of Oshin’s place and Oshin behind him. He gets suspicious.
‘Father! Did you just get here?’ Oshin is shocked to see her father.
‘Who is he?’ asks Sakuzo in a stern voice.
‘He is Mr. Tanokura; he has always been good to me,’ says Oshin. Looking at Ryuzo, she introduces, ‘This is my father.’
‘My name is Ryuzo Tanokura. I am pleased to meet you,’ says Ryuzo and bows with respect.
Sakuzo doesn’t return his greeting; he remains silent, making Oshin and Ryuzo awkward.
‘I would better be leaving,’ says Ryuzo, walking off.
***
‘So that is the man you have been seeing? What does he do?’ Sakuzo asks Oshin in an accusing tone.
‘He is the president of his own company. He is very nice!’ says Oshin.
‘Oh sure!’ Sakuzo is sarcastic. ‘What is he doing visiting a lady so late in the evening?’ he says, complaining.
Oshin ignores his words; she is delighted to see her father. With a smile, she asks, ‘what brings you here in Tokyo?’
‘We can’t build the new house if you stop sending the money!’ father comes straight to the point.
‘You came all the way to collect?’ she jokes.
‘I was worried; a letter would have taken too long,’ says Sakuzo. He keeps his cloth bag on the floor and sits down. He looks around, scrutinizing the place.
‘How is mom?’ asks Oshin; she goes to the kitchen to make tea.
‘She is fine; here is some mochi for you,’ he opens the cloth bag and shows the sweet to Oshin. She runs out of the kitchen, hearing that her mom sent her mochi.
‘It is still so soft!’ she is thrilled!! For a child, the dish cooked by the mother is always the best in the world! She giggles, holding the mochi in her hands.
‘I am sure Tokyo has all kinds of fancy foods!’ says Sakuzo.
‘I can’t afford to eat them,’ says Oshin. She takes a bite and says, ‘this is so good!’
She then looks at her father and says, ‘you must be hungry.’
‘No, I stopped to eat at Asakusa. I didn’t want to get here and not find you home.’
‘How did you manage to find my house? I could have come to get you at the station.’
‘I asked a lot of people for directions. It is my first time in Tokyo, you know!’
‘Mr. Tanokura brought me some fish, I can make sashimi, and I will get you some sake,’ says Oshin; she wants to make her father feel comfortable in a new place.
‘I didn’t come here to drink,’ Sakuzo replies rudely.
‘But it is not often that you come,’ Oshin protests mildly.
‘Don’t spend your money like that, send it to us! I hate to talk like this, but I have to,’ Sakuzo continues to ask for money, thinking that Oshin has some luxurious life and must part her money with them. He doesn’t have any idea of Oshin’s sickness.
Oshin remains cheerful; she brings a cup of tea for her father and places it in front of him.
‘Do you have any money with you?’ Sakuzo asks directly. He continues, ‘you agreed to help us build the house, but you stopped sending money.’
‘I am sorry, I was ill; I was in the hospital. I haven’t been able to work much,’ says Oshin, and she picks up the Kimono she was stitching and resumes her sewing work.
‘You can afford to buy new kimono?’ Sakuzo remains suspicious, and he says rudely to Oshin, looking at the Kimono she is stitching.
‘No, I am sewing this for a client! I am now doing work that I can do at home; the doctor advised me not to go out to work. I thought about writing to you, but I didn’t want you to worry. I will get you the money in due time,’ says Oshin politely.
‘You are too sick to work but not sick enough to stop hanging out with men?’ says Sakuzo with an intent to insult Oshin.
Oshin is shocked, although she knows her father’s behavior! He has no respect for women; she remembers how he treated her mom and late grandma.
‘I was afraid of this! Sure, you are of age, so it is only natural that you have a man or two, but I am sure that the man I just met is after your money! I told you about such people! You can’t forsake your family for a man,’ says Sakuzo
He doesn’t hold any bar and continues, ‘The new house is your house. You can come home any time you please. So, stop giving your money to your men-friends. They will dump you once you are out of money. Take better care of your brother. Blood relatives are with you for life! Your brother is grateful to you for building the house. I want all my kids to get along. That is why I am here asking for your help. Stop seeing men and start working. Three hundred yen can get us a nice, big house!’
Sakuzo doesn’t stop insulting Oshin; he assumes a low opinion of Oshin’s character.
Oshin fumes, but she remains tight-lipped. She begins to feel a sense of disappointment. She gets up and moves to the kitchen. All her father wants from her is money. She has enough. Something snaps again. She takes a deep breath and takes one of the most vital decisions.
‘Father, I might marry Mr. Tanokura; he is a good man,’ Oshin declares to her father firmly and clearly.
Father is stunned! He looks at Oshin in disbelief.
What will happen now? Will Oshin inform her decision to Ryuzo? When?
We will know more in the next episode, number 78, soon.