In a place called Okayama Prefecture in Fuso, there is an ordinary village. The village is not big, there are only a few dozen people, and everyone knows each other, but it is too remote to be known.

Even if they are poor, everyone works at sunrise and rests at sunset, and there are no special troubles, and life is comfortable.

Miyamoto, the protagonist of the story, was born here. When he was a child, he didn't want to make a name for himself outside, he just wanted to live a stable life like his father, and then marry a wife and have children, and continue to educate the next generation.

But when he was six years old, the trajectory of his life changed completely.

One day, from the place where the sun set, came a gorgeously dressed, pale-faced, limping and beautiful.

When the men and women of the village first saw her, they were stunned not to help. Because they really had never seen such a beautiful woman. The best-looking women in the village looked like toads compared to her. Also, her costumes are too good-looking, and the grade is too high. Compared to it, the sackcloth and linen clothes in the village are like the stones of the stinky ditch competing with the treasure jade.

Such a beautiful person, like a fairy in the sky, how nice it would be if they could kiss Fangze. It's a pity that they are like ugly ducklings, who happened to see a swan, and they didn't dare to approach for a while.

However, from this moment on, all the men in the village seemed to have changed.

The village was too small, and the elderly village chief soon came.

When the village chief was young, he worked for a time in the relatively prosperous city of Okayama. He wasn't as uninformed as the village horsemen in the village. All, when he saw the woman's clothes, he was immediately taken aback. Because even in Okayama City, you can't find a dress that is so gorgeous.

He hurriedly greeted him and asked, "I wonder why the adults came to us?" ”

The beautiful woman frowned, and suddenly cried, fluctuating the weakest chord in the hearts of all men: "I was originally the daughter of a daimyo, but I was forced to marry an old man. But one day the old man died suddenly, and someone blamed me for killing me. I had no choice but to panic and run away on horseback. But when I got here, the horse ran for too long, and I died of exhaustion, and I fell and was injured because of it. So, can I come to you for a few days, and then leave? ”

The village chief was afraid of trouble and wanted to refuse. But one of the men suddenly spoke: "Leave her alone." ”

It's like the embankment opening the valve, and it's out of control.

"Leave her alone."

"Leave her alone."

……

The village chief had no choice but to agree.

"Thank you. But where am I supposed to stay tonight? ”、

Men, married or unmarried, raised their hands in the air: "I! "My house is spacious! "I have a bed at home! "I have rice at home! ”……

The woman saluted again: "Then I'll stay here for the time being, the eldest brother who was the first to help me." ”

Miyamoto, who was nearly six years old, saw the loss in his father's eyes for the first time. He also didn't understand why all the men were suddenly so excited.

That night, the woman settled down. I didn't dislike the poverty here, and began to recuperate with peace of mind, and by the way, I did what I could for that family.

But the next morning, the villagers noticed that the man had changed a little, and he had been eating honey all day long, and he was happy. And his wife did not show up at the fixed river to wash clothes.

The villagers asked him strangely where his wife had gone, and he said he didn't know. So they thought about it, maybe they were sick, and they stopped asking.

But on the third and fourth days, the villagers never saw his wife. So terrible rumors spread in the village.

In order to appease everyone, the village chief went to his house with only a dozen strong men in the village.

However, like crazy, he took out a hatchet knife and stopped everyone, and several people were scratched by him.

Everyone thought he was crazy, and he was stoned and knocked unconscious.

Then, someone took the lead and opened the door of his house.

Then, everyone's faces changed dramatically, and they all went back to the courtyard and threw up.

For on the overhanging beam of that room hung a woman whose face was as white as paper, and who had long since died of a stinking voice, with a long tongue and no legs...... Below where she was hanging, the large pool of blood had long since clotted.

And the stunning woman he took home, dressed very little, was tied to the bed and unconscious.

After the village chief vomited, he quickly called two women, blindfolded, and took out the beautiful woman with a quilt.

And the man was stoned to death by the angry villagers.

The village chief hid his face and sighed: "What a poor woman. Now, who can take care of him for a while? ”

All the men raised their hands again: "Me! "My house is spacious! "I have rice at home! ”……

The village chief ordered a man who is usually steady to take over the task.

That night, the stunning woman woke up and went from house to house thanking everyone who had reached out to help her.

The next day the woman got better on her legs and feet, and she went up to the mountain, and picked some wild fruit.

But on the third day, something happened.

When the women of the village came to the river to wash their clothes, they saw a woman with a broken leg floating in the river from a distance. They immediately screamed and called the village chief.

After the village chief and several men fished up the woman, they found that she was the second daughter-in-law who took care of the stunning woman! And her neck was cut with a blunt knife, and the wounds were all rotten, which looked extremely terrifying.

Everyone rushed to the man's house again. only to find that he had locked himself in the house, and shouted frantically: "Tail, tail, nine ......" after shouting, suddenly there was a loud "bang" in the house, and then there was no movement.

All the men worked together, slammed the door open, and immediately vomited again.

Because the man's head had been smashed by himself. Like a watermelon. The red and white ones sprayed all over the house.

In another room, everyone found a stunning woman tied to the bed and dressed in sparse clothes.

As the saying goes, old man is elf. The elderly village chief faintly sensed that something was wrong. Say to everyone, "This woman seems ominous. When they came to our village, four people died! ”

When everyone heard this, they felt that it made sense, and asked the village chief what to do.

"She is the daughter of a daimyo. We had to send her away. ”

"But......" someone hesitated.

"I'm the village chief! Everyone will listen to me this time! ”

The village chief said this, and everyone had to agree.

The chief of the village called for two more ladies, who helped her to dress and wake her up.

The village chief had an idea and asked, "My lord, may I ask why one of the owners of this family died in the river?" One killed himself? ”

But the woman cried, "I...... I don't know. Last night, I slept well. Suddenly, a man came into the room and covered my mouth at once. I kept resisting, and he knocked me out. I don't know the rest of the story. But trust me! I really am innocent. And last time, I was obviously helping them with housework, but the man was ......"

When he said this, many men were shaken.

But the village chief insisted: "It's almost on your legs." Our village is too remote and too poor for you. Let's go. ”

The woman could only sobbed and agreed.

When she left, the whole village came to see her off. Looking at her slightly lame leg and lonely back, some people were a little reluctant.

Soon, her figure disappeared into the forest. And everybody went back.

However, after everyone left, Miyamoto's father secretly folded back! Miyamoto wanted to follow, but was severely stopped by his father for the first time.

In the evening, when my father came back, there was indeed that beautiful woman beside him.

When she saw Miyamoto, she suddenly smiled, which made Miyamoto feel excited.

In order not to be discovered, the father ordered Miyamoto and his mother to hide the woman in her family affairs and shake it out. And he locked the woman in a room, and every once in a while, he went in, and came out after a long time.

Miyamoto was extremely curious. So the next night, while his father was going in again, he peeked by the window, but saw his father dressed and wrapped in a fluffy tail. Then a few long hairs probed into his father's facial features. Instead of feeling the slightest pain, my father's face flushed, and he was happier than ever.