drunkensailor wrote: isn't the pay off to helping the old lady that she will lead you too xia-san about translating the chinese letter?
Correct, but the only time it's actually useful is if you manage to waste a day (or maybe two?) unsuccessfully looking for someone to translate the letter, and the old lady will eventually appear in Sakuragaoka. It's a neat little thing to pursue if you're looking to get all the secrets and side scenarios, but completely useless otherwise.