Chapter 21: A guest is coming to the house
Toru Ryukawa has been waiting for news since he sent out the manuscript of "Snow Country".
This year the snow has come in waves, and the winter solstice is coming soon.
Early in the morning, thick white smoke rose from Ryukawa's house, and Mrs. Takeda was preparing today's dishes in the kitchen.
"Toru Ryukawa, go get the pumpkin I bought last time."
Across a long corridor, Mrs. Takeda called to the living room.
Today is the winter solstice. In Japan, it is customary to eat pumpkin and take a yuzu bath.
The winter solstice is known as the day closest to death. Eating pumpkins can pray for blessings, and taking a grapefruit bath can ward off disasters.
In previous years, these tasks were all done by Tatsukawa Toru, but this year a young man became the owner, and these tasks fell on the temporary tenant, Mrs. Takeda, as it should.
"Pumpkin? Where did you put it?"
Ryukawa Tetsu opened the kitchen door, and the fragrance of steamed pumpkin hit his nostrils.
Smoke-white mist hit the boy, and Mrs. Takeda followed the sound.
The boy was wearing a loose black sweater and casual straight pants.
He used the few thousand yen from last time to buy clothes. A man relies on clothes and a horse relies on a saddle, and this man has become more and more handsome.
Mrs. Takeda muttered in her mind and said casually.
"In the empty water tank in the courtyard."
It's not that Tatsukawa Tetsu's family doesn't have a refrigerator, but in winter, the outside of the house is a natural fresh-keeping warehouse. Mrs. Takeda bought a lot of ingredients some time ago and placed them outside the house.
The boy rubbed his messy hair and walked lazily outside the house.
When I opened the door, I saw that the outside was covered with snow. Mount Fuji in the distance was obscured by clouds and mist, and a few rays of skylight pierced the white snow.
For more than a week, Ryukawa Tetsu has been living a lazy life.
After submitting the first draft, I wrote during the day and watched TV by the fire at night.
Except for staying up all night the day I decided to become a writer, the rest of the time was a bit idle.
"Does this count as three minutes of heat?"
Ryukawa Che touched his chin, and then felt that it definitely didn't count.
He was just taking it easy while waiting for the editor's reply. He would definitely start writing after he received a contract reply.
I wrote 20,000 words on the first day, and 10,000 words in the following week.
When Ryukawa Toru was thinking about how long 30,000 words could be serialized, there was a knock on the door of the wall.
"Good morning, Archer."
Opening the door outside the courtyard, Ryukawa Che first looked around and then lowered his head.
"Good morning, Xiaokui."
The cold wind swirled outside the house, and a seven or eight-year-old girl stood at the door of Longchuan's house.
Her face was flushed by the cold wind, and she was holding a box of things in her hand.
Ryukawa Tetsu bent down and squatted in front of her.
"School is on holiday?"
"It was released a long time ago."
"Come to play with me?"
"Yeah."
The girl is the daughter of Mrs. Watanabe's family next door. She is in elementary school. She has always followed Ryukawa Tetsu since she was a child.
"Come in."
Ryukawa Che opened the door and let the little girl in.
Watanabe Aoi looked at Ryukawa Toru with doubtful eyes.
She knew Tatsukawa Toru's family status. He usually worked at home. Sometimes he would get scolded by his younger sister when he slipped out to play, let alone bring him to the house to play, which Takeda Akane didn't like.
"It doesn't matter, I have the final say here."
Ryukawa Toru patted the little girl's head, turned to the water tank and took out a pumpkin and a snapper.
"Archer, I'll give this to you too."
Seeing Ryukawa Tetsu taking something, Watanabe Aoi also handed it out.
"What is this?"
"Fresh bamboo shoots."
"Already have this?"
"My father and I went to dig in the mountains two days ago."
The little girl never walked around empty-handed. Ryukawa Toru thought about it and took out an extra snapper from the water tank, intending to let her take it back later.
"Let's go." Longchuan Che led the other party through the door.
Open the door and feel the warm air. Watanabe Aoi politely rubbed her feet at the door, put her shoes outside, and hung her scarf on the clothes rack at the door.
"The Archers are great."
The little girl shivered comfortably, looked at Ryukawa Toru and said.
The other party's awesomeness probably refers to the decoration and layout.
Although Ryukawa Tetsu's family is in a rural area, the furniture is fashionable and the layout is warm.
Takeda Takako is a bit lazy, but his vision is nothing to say.
"You can come often in the future."
Ryukawa Toru led Watanabe Aoi to sit on the sofa in the living room, and then went to the kitchen with the ingredients.
"Who is coming?"
"Xiao Kui."
"The one next door."
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"Yeah."
After entering the door, he chatted with Mrs. Takeda for a few words. After thinking for a while, Ryukawa Toru handed the fresh bamboo shoots in his hand to her.
"Make me some tempura."
"You treat me as a servant? Toru Ryukawa."
When a guest came to the house, this man slapped his butt and left all the work to himself. Mrs. Takeda's face turned dark.
"You are so angry." Toru Ryukawa picked up a piece of nigiri sushi and put it in his mouth.
In addition to being the winter solstice today, teachers from Yamanashi Academy will also come to my home.
Japan normally has tripartite talks. Akane Takeda's path to higher education has been discussed a long time ago, but because her goal is National University of Tokyo, she is also an outstanding representative of the school.
Today, people from school will come to visit your home, and even the troubles you will encounter later in your studies will be solved.
"Help me entertain Xiaokui. When the school teacher comes in the afternoon, I will be obedient and not make any trouble."
Ryukawa Toru smiled at Mrs. Takeda, and Takeda Takako blushed inexplicably when he saw this smile.
Although Toru Ryukawa has not taken advantage of her again this week, Mrs. Takeda was fooled every time he showed this smile the past few times.
There was an inexplicable feeling of heat in the area touched by the other party. Takeda Takako bit her lip and stopped talking. She turned around and took out the young bamboo shoots to clean.
The wife was wearing a slim-fitting sweater, sky blue jeans, and a black apron tied around her small waist. Ryukawa Tetsu's inexplicable smile made her beautiful swan neck rise with a red glow.
Is this woman really the mother of a high school student?
Ryukawa Che tilted his head strangely.
It is said that women are like wolves at thirty and tigers at forty. Mrs. Takeda is indeed like a wolf and a tiger in some aspects.
But every time I tease her a little, my face and neck turn red like a girl. Is there something wrong?
The eldest maid was very good today, and Ryukawa Tetsu didn't continue to tease her. He turned around and went to the room to get a small box, a few oranges and a small plate of biscuits and returned to the living room.
At this time, Watanabe Aoi was sitting next to the kotatsu table. "Bandage Club" starring Ishihara Satomi was playing on the TV. When the little girl was happy watching it, her two braids were swaying, which was very cute.
"Archer, what are you doing?"
Watanabe Aoi was eating biscuits baked by Mrs. Takeda herself, and saw Toru Ryukawa taking out a thin piece of bamboo and a ball of hair, picking at it.
"Make a brush."
Ryukawa Toru put rabbit fur of the same size together, picked up a knife and scratched it.
"Written brush?"
“Isn’t there a calligraphy class in school?”
"I hate calligraphy classes."
There are few people Tatsukawa Tetsu knows who can write well. Akane Takeda's handwriting is chicken feet, and the children next to her cannot read it.
Ryukawa Tetsu chuckled and continued to do his own thing.
Most of the time children play together is to stay together.
There is no purpose and nothing that must be done.
Watanabe Aoi wasn't interested in writing brushes or anything like that, so she turned her head and looked at the table.
There is a beautiful silk scarf there.
The square scarf is thin and colorful.
Watanabe Aoi has never seen such beautiful fabrics.
When she was about to reach out and touch it.
"What are you doing? Who let you in?"
On the stairs next to the living room, Takeda Akane, who had just gotten up, looked at the two people at the table and frowned in disgust.
(End of chapter)