The news of Master Kong Yin’s passing soon spread throughout Japan.
The Japanese people had always held this long-lived Buddhist master in deep respect and affection. Upon learning of his death, countless individuals made their way to Kyoto’s Kinkaku-ji Temple to pay their respects, while television stations broadcast rolling reports on his life.
As Lin Wan’er boarded the plane, preparing for takeoff back to China, her mobile phone was still receiving push notifications about Master Kong Yin.
Lin Wan’er felt a profound sadness and flew back to Nanjing.
On the plane, Sun Zhidong came to the front cabin and saw Lin Wan’er leaning against the window, lost in a daze.
He approached cautiously and asked respectfully, “Miss, are you alright?”
Lin Wan’er snapped back to reality and managed a faint smile. “I’m fine. It’s you who’s had a hard time, coming all the way to Japan with me.”
Sun Zhidong bowed hastily and said, “It is my honour to serve at your side, Miss. During those years you were away from China, I often spoke with the brothers and sisters we grew up with back then. Though everyone has made their mark in different countries and fields, when we talk, the one we envy most is actually Old Zhang. Only he has been able to stay by your side all these years.”
Lin Wan’er sighed. “It’s just that he’s had it tough, accompanying me for so long without even having a child of his own.”
Sun Zhidong gave a soft sigh. “In truth, for those of us who cannot find our ancestral heritage, there is little need to worry about continuing the bloodline.”
With that, he suddenly recalled their brief trip to Japan and asked her, “Miss, was Master Kong Yin also one of the orphans you raised?”
“Yes.” Lin Wan’er nodded and sighed. “Back then in Japan, I took in quite a few orphans from Kyoto City. Over time, I gained a small reputation in Kyoto City, so many people started leaving newborns they did not want or could not afford at the gate of my residence. Masao was one of them.”
At this point, Lin Wan’er could not help but reflect. “That time feels so distant now. Most of those children from back then have long since passed away one by one. Masao was the last to go. With him gone, all the children I raised in Japan are no more.”
Sun Zhidong asked her, “Miss, was Master Kong Yin the one you loved most among those children?”
Lin Wan’er shook her head. “Not the most loved. Just the one with the hardest fate.”
With that, she recalled the past and began to speak. “Masao’s mother gave birth to him at the age of seventeen, during the coldest time in Kyoto. After giving birth, she left him at the gate of my residence and drowned herself in the Yodo River. Given the weather at the time, a newborn like Masao would not have lasted half an hour. Fortunately, he cried loudly from his swaddling clothes, and the other children heard him and told me. So I took him in.”
Sun Zhidong asked in surprise, “Then why did his mother take her own life?”
Lin Wan’er said, “Masao’s mother left a letter on him. According to the letter, his father was the son-in-law who had married into the Ito family in Kyoto at the time. Masao’s mother was a maid in the Ito household. His father was constantly suppressed by his wife, so he secretly got together with the mother. When she became pregnant, his father feared exposure and sent her out of the estate to another residence to live and give birth. But in the end, the matter was discovered by other servants. The Ito family wanted to eliminate the root of the problem and kill both him and his mother.”
Sun Zhidong was somewhat puzzled. “The son-in-law had an affair, so why did the Ito family not punish him but instead harbour murderous intent towards a mere maid?”
Lin Wan’er explained, “The Ito family had their own concerns. The reason they took in a son-in-law was that the head of the Ito family at the time had only one daughter. He needed a son-in-law to continue the Ito bloodline. Masao’s father and the Ito daughter already had a son named Ito Keiichi. When the head of the Ito family learned of the affair, he feared that after his death, Masao’s father would use his son Ito Keiichi to bring the child from outside into the Ito family. So he wanted to eliminate the root entirely.”
“Ito Keiichi…” Sun Zhidong murmured. “That name sounds somewhat familiar.”
