Bheela’s Blog -106
27 November 2022
Episode 105 Recap
Ryuzo gets more orders and hires three more machines to meet the growth. Four new workers join too.
Six machines working for 8 hours can now meet the demand.
Oshin shares with Kei that the business grew at a frightening speed.
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https://medium.com/@bheela-wadehra/bheelas-blog-105-95cd35252788
Episode 106
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
In the autumn of 1922, Ryuzo builds a factory behind the house. He installs five more sewing machines. They have more orders now than they could fill.
‘I am stepping out,’ Ryuzo enters the kitchen and informs Oshin as she prepares the meals for the day. ‘I will be eating out. I have to entertain a client over lunch. We owe those Ono-ya people a lot of favors,’ says Ryuzo. Oshin nods, smiling.
‘Let me help you,’ says Genzi, and he enters the kitchen.
‘Look after the place,’ Ryuzo tells Genzi and leaves.
‘Where is he going?’ asks Genzi to Oshin.
‘He is having lunch with people from Ono-ya,’ replies Oshin, taking a chunk of cheese from the cupboard.
‘He has been going out a lot. He hardly eats at home.’ Genzi complains.
Oshin cuts the cheese into cube-shaped pieces using a sharp knife.
‘It can’t be helped. That is how Ryuzo has been able to get orders,’ explains Oshin.
‘We have grown to a factory with 11 sewing machines!’ Genzi comments.
‘The profit margin is low, so we have to sell a lot,’ says Oshin and checks the cheese cubes she puts in the steamer. She is happy to see the dish and says, ‘it is ready!’ She enjoys preparing meals.
‘We sure have come a long way. We even talked about having to go back to Saga,’ says Oshin. She wipes her hands using her apron and sits on a chair to take some rest. She is in an advanced stage of her pregnancy. She continues talking to Genzi, ‘my husband has got determination now. He doesn’t want to go back home. He would have to take me with him after his mother opposed our marriage. But all is well now!’ Oshin remains hopeful.
‘Once the baby is born, and if it is a boy, you can visit Saga with your head held high.’ Says Genzi with all his wisdom. He knows traditional families welcome the new mother more if the firstborn is a boy.
Oshin has a hearty laugh.
‘Hello, madam,’ a tailor worker comes to the door and calls out. ‘Hisayo is ill, so she wants to go home,’ says the girl. As Genzi and Oshin look up, she continues, ‘but if she leaves, we won’t be able to fill our orders for tomorrow!’
Oshin thinks quickly; she replies, ‘I will sew in her place.’
‘Not in your condition,’ Genzi protests.
‘I will be all right; tell her she can go home,’ says Oshin firmly.
Once the girl goes back, Genzi continues his protest, ‘we will just have the other girls work overtime.’ Genzi provides a solution.
‘No, as a rule, we don’t let them work overtime. We don’t want people getting sick from overwork. We must stick to our rule!’ declares Oshin.
Genzi smiles; he is again impressed by Oshin’s way of thinking. He chokes with pride for his young mistress.
***
Ryuzo has taken too much drink. Two Geisha girls support him to be able to walk home. There is another man who helps.
‘Come to see us again soon,’ says one of the Geisha girls.
‘All right, I will,’ says Ryuzo and rests his hands on the girl’s shoulders. The other man protests, shouting. He has a pair of chopsticks in his hands.
Genzi, standing in front of the door, watches in disgust. Ryuzo leaves them and hobbles to enter the house. The other man walks behind him, saying, ‘we will come with you!’ He is drunk too.
Genzi looks at the man sternly. The man gets scared as a child making mischief and is caught by his headmaster!
‘Let’s go!’ he tells the girls, and they rush back.
‘Welcome home!’ says Oshin, looking at Ryuzo.
‘What are you doing up so late?’ Ryuzo holds Oshin’s hands.
Genzi enters, closing the door behind him. He is upset with his young master’s behavior.
‘Why are you so late?’ Genzi asks Ryuzo.
‘I was out working! I got us more orders! We will be making middle school uniforms. We can sell 200 uniforms annually!’ says Ryuzo; he cannot stand properly under the influence of alcohol.
‘We already have our hands full!’ Oshin says with an alarm in her voice.
‘The sewing machines must work at night, too. They can do twice our work now!’ says Ryuzo, tapping the machine’s table.
‘That is silly! We need people to work on them!’
‘Of course, we will just hire a night shift.’ Ryuzo has a ready answer.
‘No way!’ Oshin protests; she gets ups and comes close to Ryuzo. Facing him directly into his eyes, she says, ‘People work during the day and sleep at night!’
‘Who says? Textile mills all work night shifts, too.’ Ryuzo remains defiant.
‘You want to run a sweatshop?’
‘We have to! To be successful!’
‘What more do you want? We have enough money to live comfortably. You have enough money for entertainment, too.’ Oshin pleads to make him understand her point.
‘Women can’t understand a man’s dream. Stop meddling in this!’ Ryuzo starts playing the gender card again. For years, many men have been taught that women are inferior and that dreaming big is only men’s forte; Ryuzo is no exception.
‘Sweetheart! My sister died from overworking in the textile mills. I don’t want people working at night. What are you going to do with the money?’ Oshin tries to reason with Ryuzo. Many people in business in Japan want to build empires by making the workers stretch to their limits and increase production. But Oshin is against this.
‘Oshin, you told me to do as I please. Businesses need momentum. One has to sell while one can, and we have finally developed a name for ourselves. This is the only way we can grow.’ Ryuzo insists.
‘Then get more people and more sewing machines. You can’t make people work nights, too,’ Oshin remains firm to her point.
‘We will pay people more to work at night. There are plenty of people who would jump at the chance. We can double our output without buying more sewing machines. That is how business is!’ Ryuzo laughs; the effect of his evening drink remains with him.
‘You are wrong! We have a rule, no overtime! Sure, people want more money, and they will work. But I have seen so many people ruin their health!’ Oshin now gets emotional.
‘That is enough!’ Ryuzo shouts in rage. He says, ‘A woman can’t possibly understand. A woman doesn’t understand a man’s dream. Just think about having a healthy baby. That is your job!’
Oshin, stunned, is speechless. She immediately turns and goes inside. She has heard this before. Ryuzo shows her place! Her job! She must deliver a baby! Not to be part of business dreams!!
Genzi listens to this conversation sitting there. Ryuzo turns to Genzi and says, ‘She sure is a problem. She is so stubborn. That is why women can’t make it in business.’ Ryuzo sits next to Genzi as he shares his opinion about women.
Genzi doesn’t approve of any of this. He is upset with his master, but he also knows his place in the house. He stops himself from crossing the line to express his own thoughts.
‘Don’t worry, this is my business. I will do as I please,’ Ryuzo tells Genzi and takes out an envelope from his coat pocket. He places the packet on the table and says, ‘This is what I collected today. Please buy my mother in Saga a present. A kimono or an Obi Sash. I want to impress her.’ Ryuzo gets up to go to bed.
Genzi’s limit of patients is broken. He cannot stop himself. He shouts, ‘Young master! You have it all wrong.’ Genzi is sad, and his emotional voice stops Ryuzo. Genzi continues, ‘What can come of making people work all night? You don’t understand and are letting your ego get in the way! You should have learned your lesson by now! We make good money now, so we can expand later. Just concentrate on making our foundation solid! This isn’t the time to expand needlessly. It takes courage to turn down orders. It takes a brave man to set limits! That is what being a man is all about!’
Now that he has spoken, Genzi decides to say it all; he hesitates but continues, ‘stop going to bars and playing with hostesses.’
‘I am not having Oshin support me anymore. I am doing what I want with the money that I made,’ Ryuzo now behaves like a child who wants to rebel to overcome his insecurities.
‘Oshin works all day; she is not having fun. She is responsible for making this business successful! Have you forgotten that?’ says Genzi, sobbing.
‘No, I haven’t forgotten,’ Ryuzo roars.
‘Then why are you drinking and playing around? Before you buy your mother presents, buy your wife something!’ Genzi shows mirror to Ryuzo. He speaks from his life experiences.
‘Let Oshin go out and buy what she wants,’ says Ryuzo.
‘That is not the point! She never spends money on herself! You say you want to buy something for your mother. What about buying something for Oshin’s mother back in Yamagata, too? You are being selfish. A marriage will never work like that. You and Oshin mean so much to me. So, I am asking you to reconsider.’ Genzi cannot hold back his tears anymore; he now starts crying.
Ryuzo’s intoxication evaporates after hearing Genzi’s words. He takes a deep breath.
***
Oshin spreads the bed and tucks the sheets under the mattress. She is getting ready to sleep.
‘Forget about that night shift,’ says Ryuzo as he enters the bedroom. He sits next to Oshin and says, ‘you are right. I will work to make our business firm stable first. Then we will think about building a bigger factory. We will build a healthy and happy workplace. Oshin, you win!’
Oshin turns to him and says, ‘I am sorry, I was being pushy again.’
‘No, I understand. A man like me needs a wife like you to keep me in line. Please keep telling me when I am wrong. That is what being married is all about. That is how we become true husband and wife.’ Ryuzo understands and opens his heart in front of Oshin.
Oshin lowers her eyes; she is about to get up when Ryuzo holds her hand and stops her. He places money into Oshin’s hands and says, ‘buy something for yourself. I don’t know what you want.’
‘I don’t want anything,’ says Oshin, turning toward Ryuzo.
‘Then send your mother something,’ Ryuzo smiles as he looks at Oshin lovingly; he says, ‘we can afford to do that now.’
Oshin is surprised and puzzled.
‘Go ahead! I owe my success to you,’ says Ryuzo with all sincerity.
Oshin is happy and grateful. She says, ‘I appreciate the thought. Maybe we should send something to your parents in Saga. I want to make them happy.’
Ryuzo is amazed at Oshin’s thoughtfulness. He pulls Oshin into his arms with tears in his eyes.
‘Oshin,’ Ryuzo wants to say something, but words fail him.
What will happen now? We eagerly await the baby to come; will it be a boy or a girl?
We will know more in the coming Episode, number 107, soon!