Zuo Cun stood by Lu Silan's bed, looking at this old friend who had been in Japan for almost twenty years.
"Zuocun... don't be sad for me... we will see you again in the next life..."
After saying this, Lu Silan breathed his last.
Zuo Cun didn't feel anything, he just sighed.
He looked at the ceiling to prevent tears from flowing out.
"I have seen too many partings..."
"It turns out you can be numb too..."
They paid some money to hire some people and buried Lu Silan by the river, next to Gensaburo Inoue.
There was not much sadness, the tears had long since flowed away.
It's just that there is one more person to worship every year.
...
Life was very peaceful, and Zuo Cun occasionally bumped into the police chief of Kyoto City when he was sweeping graves.
From Saitoichi's mouth, Zuo Cun learned a lot about the outside world.
For example, a group of people visited Europe and formally established diplomatic relations with foreigners.
For example, in the education reform, the new government established small and junior high schools throughout Japan.
Etc., etc.
Zuo Cun listened to the news with a smile.
"Ryoma...our efforts have finally paid off..."
He came to the beach and looked at the sea and sighed.
One day Saito came to the door.
"So...you still want me to serve in the new government?" Zuomura looked at Saito like he was a fool.
Saito took a puff of cigarette: "I think too much, I'm too lazy to be their lobbyist."
"It's just that Kyoto University has been opened in Kyoto recently and is now recruiting teachers." Saito was wearing a police uniform and looked quite energetic. "I was wondering if you don't know several foreign languages, so I came to see you.
Would you like to be a university professor or something?"
"I..." Zuo Cun seemed a little hesitant.
"Why are you hesitating?" Saito rolled his eyes and pointed to the courtyard of Zuocun, "Look at you now. Although you said you are not bad, you are still poor. Now you are
It’s a new era, you have to find a way to make a living.”
Zuo Cun was silent.
He turned and glanced at his knife rest.
"How is it?" Saito took another puff of cigarette, "If you refuse, I won't come a second time. After all, I know what kind of person you are."
Zuocun thought for a while and sighed.
"I only know English and Dutch, and I can only speak Russian and French."
Saito was stunned for a moment.
Then he smiled and said, "That's okay."
Samura took Souna and moved to Kyoto.
Zuocun entrusted the familiar tavern owner to help take care of the original old house. After all, Zuocun might want to come back to live there one day.
After more than a year of deliberations, with Saito also helping, in the summer of 1875, Samura and several partners established Kyoto University more than ten years in advance and single-handedly established the Department of Foreign Languages of Kyoto University.
Soina also started studying, and later became a Chinese language teacher at Kyoto National Elementary School.
Zuo Cun just gave up the sword, picked up the teaching ruler, and became a teacher.
This time, the classroom is Zuocun's battlefield.
The students also liked the one-armed professor, but they had never seen the one-armed professor smile.
In his spare time, Samura and Saito would drink at izakayas in Kyoto and talk about their recent lives. Occasionally, Katsura Kogoro, who changed his name to Kido Takayoshi, would come to Kyoto to have a drink with Samura.
The crane feather fabric and the eagle feather fabric were treasured by Zuo Cun, and would only be taken out and worn during festivals.
In 1877, Saigo No. 1 launched a rebellion and war resumed.
Zuo Cun chose to turn a blind eye and did not choose to participate in the war.
After the war ended, Zuo Cun felt a big stone falling from his heart.
In 1979, after sending his first batch of students out of campus, Zuo Cun chose to resign and return to Rensheng Village.
Although it was pleasant to get along with the students, Zuo Cun didn't like this feeling too much.
He lives alone in his old house in Rensheng Village, and Sumina occasionally comes back to visit Zuocun.
Zuo Cun lived alone in Rensheng Village for several years.
1882.
A coup occurred in the 14th year of Meiji.
Under the handling of Emperor Meiji, the radicals were purged from the top management, and Samura shed tears for the first time after Lu Silan's death.
He took his three swords with him, came to Kyoto, and found Saito.
Two middle-aged men came to the izakaya.
"Why are you dragging me to the izakaya in such a hurry? I have to go to work tomorrow." Saito took a sip of beer and looked at Zuomura strangely.
Zuo Cun has a beard, and he no longer looks like the handsome young man he once was. He is just an ordinary middle-aged uncle.
"You must have heard about the things in Tokyo Prefecture, right?" Zuomura smiled.
"I heard that Okuma Shigenobu's group of radical guys were removed from the top management. What happened?" Saito took a bite of meat and looked at the eagle that could no longer fly.
"Well, so Saito...I don't have any nostalgia anymore..." Zuomura lowered his eyes slightly, with a smile on his lips.
Saito was stunned.
"Send me a ride, okay?" Zuo Cun looked at Saito with a smile.
Saito wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth for a long time and finally nodded slowly.
"Thank you." Zuo Cun breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you wouldn't agree."
"...Does Soina know?"
"...I didn't tell Souna about this." Zuomura shook his head, "So please inform her afterwards."
"......Fine."
...
Saito took a few days off and accompanied Samura to a beach in Iwate Prefecture.
This is a high cliff.
Below the high cliff, there are turbulent waves.
Zuo Cun shaved off his beard and regained his freshness.
"You know Saito." Zuo Cun sat on the cliff looking at the sea and said to Saito behind him, "After Okita died, I was already dead."
Saito stood behind Zuo Cun without speaking.
"Ryoma...Okita...and Kondo and Hijikata...the fact that I have survived for so many years is a gift from fate."
He took off the crane feather and inserted the scabbard directly into a stone.
Pheasant feathers and rhinoceros feathers are inserted beside it.
"I have many regrets, but I can no longer achieve them. I...I no longer want to stay in this world for a moment longer."
Saito looked at Zuomura with respect in his eyes.
Zuo Cun unscrewed the wine bottle and poured himself a bowl of wine.
He raised the wine bowl high.
"Respectfully!"
“Everyone who struggled in that era!”
Zuo Cun drank the wine in one gulp and threw the wine bowl on the ground.
"Hahahahahahaha - this is the last flight of the eagle!!!"
Zuo Cun jumped up.
Jumped high.
Just like a real eagle.
The warm era has come, and the sun is rising. Executioners like me will be buried under the sea with that wanton era!