260.Mieko had been watching the pictures in the TV set.She knew that Kyuutarou had been too weak，and that he wanted to use up his last strength to deliver this speech.At the intermission for ads，Mieko closed her eyes to have a rest，but five minutes had hardly passed before she heard Kyuutarou's voice once again，"If we didn't violate the law and make troubles around，the law-enforcing departments would not punish us by law.I myself knew my sins very well，so don't take trouble to ask for any fairness or justice for a guilty man like me.What does bend or straightness mean for a piece of deadwood？I was born to be abnormal； a mixture of hatred and sins，my existence itself is a mock at social harmony and development； a distortion of justice and morals，kindness and love of mankind； and stigma of man's procreation，evolution and progress.I hate the war from the bottom of my heart，but the nuclear explosion in the war did awaken me，or make me a messenger of co-operation and peace.On the contrary，it disabled my spirit while it disabled my limb.It is the pernicious influence of that war that turned me into a devil endangering the society and its harmony.I'd thought of stopping those wrongdoings，but the hatred in my blood drove me to autonomously commit this and that bad thing.Kind people，please don't waste your time and feelings for whether I had received a heavier or lighter sentence，don't take any more trouble for my kind whose heart was filled with hatred against all social activities.Just leave me，for I know well what you've done for me，and I'm quite aware that I don't deserve any of those things.Kind people，in order not to poison you，especially our future generations，in order for you to forget what have happened today，and in order for our future generation to be free from the hatred caused by wars，I chose to fast after several days' consideration.My fast is not for a so-called fair trial，not for a shorter imprisonment，or for any victory.Instead，I did so to confess to the society what I'd done these years to the social harmony，peace and cooperation，and consult with the society whether there is any necessity for the existence of my kind as a carrier of sins.It would be painful，but..." Suddenly，the broadcasting site fell into a mess，the living program about Kyuutarou was closed，and there appeared on TV scenes of sit-down demonstrators leaving the site slowly.From the experience of her condition，Mieko assumed it must be that Kyuutarou's health condition had gone wrong.At the change of the situation，she moved the corner of her mouth slightly，as if she wanted to say something，but she did speak out anything at last.She shed tears，turning over her body to one side and closing her eyes exhaustedly.This time，she chose to follow her husband，without anything to say.
261.In his office at the court，the presiding judge was leaning against the back a sofa and watching TV silently，and there were thick files about Kyuutarou on an armrest of the sofa.Listening to the speech，tears rolled down the cheeks of the old man，who had punished numberless criminals severely with his gavel.Eventually，he rang an electric bell，and his secretary went in.The presiding judge told her to call all the personnel who had took part in the case together to his office in order to analyze the case before the night was out.
262.Four days later after the special interview，the judgment of the second trial was made.Kyuutarou Hibachi as a principal was sentenced a five-year imprisonment，and other members were sentenced respectively penal servitude ranging from one to four months.Among the 16 people，only one survived to receive the judgment（who had become vegetable because of serous anoxia）.Kyuutarou and the other 15 partners as well as his wife Mieko died on the 7th day after they began to fast.
263.On the 10th day，General Jiu arrived after a long journey，but he was too late to see his son and daughter-in-law alive.He and Irving took Mieko's will to go through remaining related procedures，and then went to the orphanage.The general took his grandson and that beautiful jade bracelet of Kiyoha.In tears，mom Aki murmured in trance，"Both Kyuutarou and Mieko entered the orphanage as soon as they were one year old.They were poor children.I brought them up，seeing them go to primary school，middle school and college.I had been happy of them.I'd never expected such an end.Poor children，such a miserable end you got！I'd rather it were me.It is too unfair.For these days，I've thought over such a question： is it the fault of children or the mistake of our education？Having thought it over and over，I realized that it was the social environment and unsuccessful education of this country that destroyed the children.Now Kyuutarou and Mieko's son is sent to me.To tell the truth，I daren't accept him and don't want him to grow up in the orphanage.Now I'm glad you're here，General.In addition，the child has not been named.I wonder what name he should be given." "He's been given a name，" the general replied，"Hehe，which suggests co-operation and concord，what do you think about it？" mom Aki remarked pleasantly，"Good，good.Take Hehe back to China.Take him away，far from this environment and earth that generate hatred." That day，mom Aki talked much.
264.The afternoon the same day，Irving saw Jiu Yueshuang and his grandson off at the airport，who returned to China.Seeing the plane taking off，Irving opened his briefcase and took out the letter which Nobuko left for her daughter Mieko，which read，"No meeting，no concord，no going".These six ordinary words had frustrated him for half his life.Again，Irving raised his eyes； looking at the plane which was far off，he wept，with tears rolling down his face.With excitement，he tore up the letter in his hand，murmuring one word in his mind—peace.He tore and murmured，until the letter turned into small pieces and was thrown into the sky.
Written in Lanzhou
On March 8，2009