Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Original Title	鴻ノ巣女房
Author	矢田 津世子
Genre	Modern Short Fiction
Author Type	Female Author
Summary	Gin, a housemaid with a perpetually smiling face, dedicates her life to meticulous thrift and unwavering devotion, finding solace in old folktales and a recurring dream of an exquisite, lace-draped room. Despite the ceaseless demands of her employers and the relentless grind of her days, Gin harbors a deep, secret longing—a yearning for the child she once called her own, lost to a charismatic peddler years ago. Now, caught in a cycle of monthly remittances, Gin pours her meager earnings into supporting this distant "family," clinging to the echoes of a love that may only exist in her memory. Her employers warn her, friends caution her, but Gin, like the crane who plucked her own feathers, continues to sacrifice. Can her boundless loyalty truly build a home for her heart, or is she destined to weave a life of sorrow from the threads of a beautiful, yet ultimately fabricated, dream?