The name "Widow Moneylender" was well-known in the region. She was a muscular woman in her fifties, with a pockmarked face so dark that it was almost grotesque, and she was stronger than most men, greedy, skilled at playing the shamisen, and had a beautiful voice. She lived in a large house with her only daughter, Okayo, who had a gentle personality that was the complete opposite of her mother's. Okayo's skin was as pale as a ghost, and she was renowned for her sewing skills.

Yusaku, the second son of a tatami maker from the neighboring village, who had recently graduated from middle school, had been visiting Okayo almost every night. This angered the local young men who had admired Okayo for some time, and they gathered to discuss the situation. As a result, on a rainy evening, 14-15 young men armed with sticks surrounded the "Widow Moneylender's" house, with three bold youths entering as representatives. They confronted the widow directly, saying, "We confirmed that Yusaku from the neighboring village entered this house tonight. If you hand him over to us, we'll forgive you, but if you give us a vague answer, we'll force our way in and search the house."

The widow emerged from the back of the house, her yukata sleeves rolled up over her shoulders, holding a lamp in her black-glistening right hand, and a fan in her left. She stood sternly and powerfully on the step near the front door, looking down at the three young men as if she was unperturbed. "Yes, he is here," she said. "But what will happen if I hand him over to you?"

"We'll half-kill him. The rule has always been that no man from another village can lay a finger on the girls of this village. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that much. Hehehehe. But that's really unfortunate. If that's what you came for, you can go back now!"

"What!? What did you say...?"

"It's not like that. Yusaku isn't coming to see my daughter."

"Don't lie. If that isn't the case, why does he come here every night...?"

"Hehehehe. I called out him."

"You... you called out him...?"

"Yes. Hehehehe. I have important 'business' with him."

"And what is that business?"

"I can't say. But you'll find out eventually. Hehehe."

The young men exchanged glances. Looking at the pockmarked widow smiling with her white teeth showing, they began to feel creepy. Finally, one of them cleared his throat theatrically.

"Alright, we get it. We'll let you off for tonight. But if you break your promise, we won't forgive you." After delivering their strange parting words, the three young men left, pretending to be tough. Following this, Yusaku began to stay at the house openly.

However, five to six months later, during the autumn harvest season, as the widow had previously promised the young men, she began to show signs of pregnancy, causing a huge scandal in the village. This rumor spread to every threshing site in the village. Just when the rumor peaked, the widow herself submitted an official notification to the village office stating that Yusaku was to become her daughter's husband. This only fueled the gossip further.

Such biased rumors emerged. The village school principal protested, claiming it was inappropriate for the village's morals, causing the village chief to suppress the notification. There were also rumors that the young men of the village were planning to riot at her house soon, or that the town police were secretly investigating about her. Because of this, the widow's family of three completely shut their front and back doors and stopped going out to buy soy sauce or oil. In a typical year, the widow would be busy collecting debts after the rice harvest, but this year she showed no signs of doing so, much to the joy of those who owed her money.

However, once the harvest was over and the village was in high spirits preparing for the festival, people began to notice that the widow's house remained closed and there was no smoke from the kitchen. Initially, villagers casually remarked that the widow had probably gone somewhere to give birth. Still then, the unusual situation led the local policeman to break the padlock on the back door with the district chief. Inside, they found the house empty. The furniture and belongings appeared to be left behind, but the safe lid was open, and cash and bankbooks seemed to be missing. A letter, in a man's handwriting, was found in front of the safe, and it roughly read as follows:

Dear, my mother

"Mother, I have not forgotten your kindness for helping Yusaku back then. However, I can no longer endure your overbearing, vengeful behavior towards him. I will leave with Yusaku to create our sweet home somewhere far away. We will take a portion of the property that rightfully belongs to us. Goodbye. Please live happily."

Yusaku & Kayo

So, where had the widow gone? The policeman searched the house and discovered her half-decomposed body hanging from the beam in the storage room. At her feet was an old pot, wrapped in rags, that had been thrown down.