novelraw Chapter 106: Renegotiating Nohara Semashi! Promoting Big Brother to Farm Owner!
Chapter 106: Renegotiating Nohara Semashi! Promoting Big Brother to Farm Owner!
"Ahem, ahem!" Nohara Tsuru finally couldn't listen anymore. She coughed heavily twice and glared fiercely at her old man. The warning meaning in that look was enough to freeze even the Siberian cold current.
Nohara Ginnosuke instantly shuddered. That smug expression froze on his face. He hurriedly picked up his teacup, pretending he hadn't said anything just now and was merely a quiet, handsome man addicted to the tea ceremony.
The awkwardness of the atmosphere was instantly resolved by Nohara Tsuru, using a gentleness and enthusiasm that bordered on natural talent.
"Misae-chan, hurry, taste this. This sea urchin sushi is the signature dish here. That child Hiroshi always said he wanted to bring us here to eat when he called in the past." She picked up a golden, alluring, full-grained sea urchin gunkan maki and placed it on the plate in front of Misae.
"And this one, Wagyu beef, see if you like it."
"This is sweet shrimp, girls all like to eat sweet things."
Nohara Hiroshi watched from the side, a bit dumbfounded.
He watched helplessly as his own mother—who back in Omagari City, Akita Prefecture, could fight a three-hundred-round verbal battle in the vegetable market with the auntie next door over the price of a single scallion—transformed at this moment into the most elegant and considerate noble lady.
And that Misae, who was always vibrant like a little sun at home, turned into a well-behaved and quiet young lady from a good family, only blushing and saying "Thank you, Auntie", "Auntie, please eat too".
The two women hit it off instantly, as if they had endless things to talk about.From Tokyo's recent weather to this year's rice harvest in Akita Prefecture;
from Misae's interesting stories at university to Nohara Tsuru's unique secret pickling recipe from her youth.
The atmosphere was so harmonious that Nohara Hiroshi even had an illusion—that he, his old dad, and his big brother were actually the three superfluous outsiders in this private room.
Looking at his mother's heartfelt affectionate gaze, and Misae's increasingly bright and moving smile after relaxing, a warm current suddenly surged in his heart.
In the memories of his past life, the relationship between Misae and her mother-in-law Nohara Tsuru in the plot was famously good.
Every time they returned to their hometown in Akita, the two were as close as biological mother and daughter, leaving him, the biological son and husband, hanging on the side.
This destined mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bond was apparently fated from their very first meeting.
This made Nohara Hiroshi quite satisfied.
...
After a dinner where both host and guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves, the night was already deep.
The Toyota Crown Majesta parked steadily in front of a hotel that looked quite expensive.
Nohara Hiroshi led his family and cleanly booked two adjoining luxury suites at the front desk.
He handed one of the exquisitely crafted room cards to his big brother, Nohara Semashi: "Big Brother, one room for yourself, Dad and Mom get the other. Rest well tonight."
"Oh... oh..." Nohara Semashi held the finely made room card, his palms sweating, feeling like he wasn't holding a card, but a thick stack of walking Fukuzawa Yukichis (10,000 yen bills).
Nohara Ginnosuke, under the dazzling crystal chandelier in the hotel lobby, was flushed with drink, his eyes sparkling with a restless light.
He slung an arm over his eldest son's shoulders, lowered his voice, and spoke with the tone of someone highly experienced: "Semashi ah, later... you go to sleep first. Your old dad, me, plans to go out and inspect Tokyo's nightlife, to see just how big... this great Tokyo really is!"
As he spoke, those lecherous small eyes had already begun to sparkle with excited light.
"You old shameless thing! Where do you still want to go?!"
A low growl filled with suppressed anger rang in his ear.
Nohara Ginnosuke stiffly turned his head, only to see his wife, Nohara Tsuru, standing behind him with a darkened face. Those eyes, which were usually gentle like water, were now burning with karmic fire enough to incinerate everything.
"I... I'm not going anywhere! I'll just... I'll just go back to my room to sleep!" Nohara Ginnosuke sobered up by half instantly.
"Too late!"
Nohara Tsuru grabbed him by the ear and, like dragging a sack of disobedient potatoes, forcefully dragged him in the direction of their room.
"Aiyo! Aiyo! Tsuru! It hurts, hurts, hurts! I was wrong! I was truly wrong! Hurry and let go! Leave me some face in front of the kids!!"
Miserable screams echoed through the resplendent hotel corridor, scaring a passing waiter so much that he almost dropped his tray. He looked at this scene in horror, as if witnessing the filming set of some family melodrama.
Nohara Hiroshi helplessly held his forehead and shrugged at his eldest brother: "Take care of Mom and Dad."
Then, he pulled Koyama Misae—who had long been blushing, suppressing her laughter so hard her whole body trembled, covering her mouth while her shoulders convulsed—and fled from this 'crime scene'.
Getting into the car, Misae finally couldn't hold it back anymore, bursting into a string of silvery, delicate laughter.
"Hehehe... Hiroshi, Uncle... he's really too interesting!" She laughed until tears came out, leaning back in the passenger seat, out of breath: "You... you really don't look like Uncle at all!"
Nohara Hiroshi started the car. Hearing this, he shot her a displeased glance: "Wouldn't it be terrible if I were like him? Wouldn't the house be in absolute chaos every day?"
"That's true too." Misae nodded in agreement, then blinked playfully, drawing out her tone: "However... in some aspects, I think you still have a lot of potential, oh~"
"Oh?" Nohara Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, a dangerous curve hooking the corner of his mouth. "For example?"
While driving, he reached out with his right hand, accurately caught the soft hand that was restlessly poking his arm, and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Misae's face instantly went "swish" red. She tried to pull her hand back, but it was firmly grasped by him.
"It seems I need to punish you properly." Nohara Hiroshi's voice lowered several degrees, carrying a trace of magnetic hoarseness: "I feel it's necessary to prove to you that the 'demeanor' of our Nohara family men is etched into our DNA."
The car drove into the apartment's underground garage. The moment the front door closed with a "click", the whole world fell silent.
Nohara Hiroshi pinned Misae against the door panel, lowering his head to kiss her.
"Mmph... Hiroshi..." Misae struggled and cried out: "The floor is too hard, my knees can't take it."
"Don't speak." Hiroshi's voice trembled.
"...You... you are just a bad guy!" Misae's words sounded muffled.
Only Hiroshi's trembling voice responded: "Then let you see exactly how bad guys teach disobedient little girls a lesson."
...
The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight cast mottled shadows on the floor through the gaps of the blinds, Nohara Hiroshi finally supported his waist, which felt like it had been plowed by a hundred oxen, and struggled to sit up from the bed.
He let out a long breath, feeling as if every part of his body was emitting groans completely overwhelmed by the burden.
The field is a good field.
It's just that the ox is almost dead from exhaustion.
He turned his head to look at the messy battlefield beside him, as well as the person who should have been lying on it, only to find it entirely empty.
A rich, milky aroma drifted leisurely from the direction of the kitchen.
Nohara Hiroshi put on his pajamas, followed the scent, and saw Koyama Misae humming an out-of-tune little song while busy in the kitchen, wearing her oversized apron.
Her smooth, long hair was casually tied into a bun, exposing a section of her fair, beautiful neck.
The morning light coated her with a soft golden hue. That peaceful and tranquil appearance instantly filled Nohara Hiroshi's heart.
"You're awake?" Hearing the noise, Misae turned her head, a smile brighter than the sun blooming on her face: "I heated some milk for you, hurry and drink it while it's hot."
"No need for so much trouble, we're not planning to eat breakfast at home today." Nohara Hiroshi stepped forward, hugging her slender waist from behind, resting his chin in the crook of her neck, and taking a deep breath of the fresh scent of her hair. "I plan to take the whole family around Tokyo for a bit, and we'll just eat out."
"I know." Misae turned around, stood on her tiptoes, and lightly pecked his lips. Those large obsidian eyes sparkled with a sly light: "But this glass of milk isn't breakfast. It's... specially for you to nourish your body, oh~"
"..."
Several clearly visible black lines instantly popped out on Nohara Hiroshi's forehead.
He looked at the girl before him laughing like a little fox that had just stolen some fish, feeling that his dignity as a man had been challenged like never before.
"Very good." He gritted his teeth, sweeping her up into a princess carry and placing her on the cold kitchen counter: "It seems the lesson last night wasn't profound enough. Today, right here in the kitchen, I'll let you see properly whether I truly need 'nourishment'!"
"Ah! Hiroshi! What are you doing! Put me down! Mom and Dad are still waiting at the hotel!" Misae screamed.
"Wait a bit, it's fine. Let them know, the men of our Nohara family are all brimming with energy!" Nohara Hiroshi said angrily.
...
At 9 a.m., the black Toyota Crown Majesta hit the road again.
This time, the atmosphere in the car was filled with a tourist-like excitement and novelty.
Nohara Hiroshi focused wholeheartedly on driving, while Nohara Ginnosuke in the passenger seat acted like a kid coming to the city for the first time, his whole face almost glued to the car window.
"Wow—! Tsuru! Semashi! Look! That building is so tall! The top is almost poking into the sky!"
"And that one! That big screen! Bigger than our village's open-air movie screen!"
"My goodness! Why do the women in Tokyo wear so little?! This... this is too unruly! Hehehe..."
In the back row, Nohara Tsuru, squeezed in the middle, looked helplessly at the rapidly retreating bustling street scenes outside the window, while occasionally reaching out to smack her equally dumbstruck eldest son next to her.
"Semashi, close your mouth, you're drooling."
And Misae, sitting on the other side, acted like the most competent tour guide, smiling and introducing the passing sights to these relatives from Akita.
"Uncle, that red and white iron tower ahead is Tokyo Tower."
"Mom, we'll soon be passing by Kokyo Gaien. The pine trees there are pruned incredibly beautifully."
"Big Brother, see that street? That's Akihabara, selling a lot of novel electronics."
When the car finally drove into the extremely expensive commercial district of Ginza and parked at the entrance of Mitsukoshi Department Store, the Nohara family—except for the already accustomed Hiroshi and Misae—the other three were as if struck by a paralyzing spell. They were thoroughly awed by the gorgeous world constructed of luxury goods, neon lights, and surging crowds before them.
"Let's go, first stop today: shopping."
Nohara Hiroshi stylishly tossed the car keys to the valet. Holding Misae with one hand and waving at his still-dazed family with the other, he strode into that palace symbolizing wealth and taste.
The next few hours were, for Nohara Ginnosuke, Nohara Tsuru, and Nohara Semashi, simply like a bizarre dream.
They watched helplessly as Nohara Hiroshi, like a king inspecting his territory, strolled leisurely through rows of brand-name stores bearing astronomical price tags.
"This trench coat is nice. Dad, try it on."
"Mom, the material of this kimono matches your temperament perfectly."
"Big Brother, you have a good figure, this suit will definitely fit you."
The way he swiped his card, he didn't even blink, as if those expensive clothes—which in his big brother's eyes were enough to buy a cow—were no more than t-shirts from a street stall costing a few hundred yen.
From casual Burberry trench coats, to formal Armani suits, to top-tier custom-tailored kimonos.
Three outfits per person, from inside out, a completely new look.
When the family walked out of the fitting rooms, the eyes of the salesgirls at the entire counter were completely fixed.
Nohara Ginnosuke stuck out his small belly, wearing a well-tailored dark grey suit. That aura of a wretched countryside landlord was actually forcibly suppressed a few degrees, adding a bit of the style of a successful entrepreneur.
Nohara Tsuru changed into a pale purple homongi kimono. Her gentle and quiet temperament was accentuated to be increasingly elegant and noble, looking exactly like those noble ladies appearing at high-society banquets.
The biggest change was Nohara Semashi.
Years of manual labor had given him a natural figure built to be a clothes hanger. When he changed into that crisp black suit, paired with the tie and leather shoes Hiroshi picked for him, that simple, honest farmer instantly vanished.
Replaced by a burly, resolutely-featured urban stylish man, full of mature masculine charm.
"I... I still think... it's too much of a waste." Looking at that unfamiliar figure in the mirror, Nohara Semashi was still putting up his final struggle. He said, feeling the sting in his flesh: "Hiroshi, these clothes... are way too expensive. I do farm work at home, I can't wear such nice clothes. How about... how about we return them? It would be so much better converted into cash."
"Who told you to wear this to do farm work?" Nohara Hiroshi laughed.
He didn't bicker with his big brother over being frugal or wasteful like when they were kids.
He just walked over to his big brother, helped him adjust his tie, and then asked in a calm but unquestionable tone:
"Big Brother, let me ask you, how much land does our family still have now?"
"Land?" Nohara Semashi was momentarily stunned, subconsciously replying: "Still the same as before, about five acres, roughly half a hectare. In our Omagari City, we can be considered a small rural landlord."
"En." Nohara Tsuru at the side also interjected, "A while ago, the people from the Agricultural Cooperative specially came to the house looking for Semashi. They said there's a new national policy now, encouraging farmers like us to centralize land, buy more fields, and establish an Agricultural Corporation for large-scale operations. That way, not only can we get more subsidies, but bank loans are also easier."
Nohara Hiroshi's eyes instantly lit up.
Corporation! Agricultural operations!
These few words, like a bolt of lightning, instantly struck a switch deep in his mind.
He knew better than anyone that the seemingly blooming economy of the Neon nation was nothing but a final revelry before the bubble burst. In just a few years, that economic crisis sweeping the entire country would arrive.
At that time, stocks would become waste paper, real estate would become worthless, and countless white-collar workers who were infinitely glorious in office buildings would lose their jobs overnight and end up on the streets.
And the only things capable of resisting this storm, or even advancing against the current, were only the most fundamental, indispensable physical industries.
For example... agriculture!
A bold, even arguably crazy idea quickly took shape in his mind.
He turned around and looked at his big brother, his eyes carrying an unprecedented seriousness.
"Big Brother, let's... partner up and do it."
"Ah?" Nohara Semashi looked completely bewildered.
"Establish an Agricultural Corporation!" Nohara Hiroshi's voice wasn't loud, but it landed with a resounding thud: "We'll consolidate all our family's land, and any surrounding land we can buy! Build a large, modernized farm!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over his parents who were already dumbfounded by these words, and continued: "I'll provide the money, the operational ideas, handle supervision, and open up sales channels. Big Brother, you provide the technique, handle daily management and production. We brothers together, doing something big!"
The entire counter fell into a dead silence.
Everyone looked at Nohara Hiroshi as if looking at a madman.
"Hi... Hiroshi... you... you don't have a fever, do you?" Nohara Ginnosuke was the first to react. He reached out to feel his youngest son's forehead: "Do you know how much money is needed to establish a corporation? That... that takes tens of millions of yen as a baseline! You..."
"Money is not a problem."
Nohara Hiroshi interrupted his father's words. He took out his wallet from the inner pocket of his suit, pulled out a payslip, and handed it over.
"This is my bonus slip from last month."
Nohara Ginnosuke suspiciously took that thin piece of paper. When he clearly saw the number on it, those small eyes that always sparkled with shrewdness instantly widened like two brass bells!
"Ones... tens... hundreds... thousands... tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands... millions..."
He shakily counted the string of zeros, feeling as if his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
"Three... three million yen?! This... this is just your bonus for one month?!"
This number exploded like a blockbuster bomb in the hearts of the Nohara family!
They knew Hiroshi was doing well in Tokyo, but they absolutely never expected it to be this good!
Three million yen!
This amount of money, in Akita Prefecture, was enough for an ordinary family to save for over half a year without eating or drinking!
And this, was merely his bonus, for a single month!
Nohara Hiroshi looked at his family's thoroughly shocked expressions, a confident smile curling up at the corner of his mouth.
He knew, starting today, his status in this family would no longer be just that 'promising youngest son'.
He would be the true pillar of the entire Nohara family!
The first step of the "Big Brother's Happiness Renovation Project" starts with "Nohara Agricultural Corporation"!
PS: Seeking recommendation tickets~ Seeking monthly tickets~