novelraw Chapter 133: Eating and Chatting Freely~ The Happy Nohara Family, and a Relieved Nohara Tsuru!
Chapter 133: Eating and Chatting Freely~ The Happy Nohara Family, and a Relieved Nohara Tsuru!
The Izakaya's Bento Delivery service was very efficient. In less than half an hour, exquisitely packaged food boxes were delivered to the door.
Nohara Semashi paid generously. That posture had long lost the distressed awkwardness he showed when facing the menu earlier, replaced by the confidence of being the master of the house.
After all, he was now President Nohara Semashi!
However, just as Nohara Semashi was about to place those seemingly expensive skewers and sashimi on the table, Nohara Tsuru walked out of the kitchen with a smile, carrying a few plain blue-and-white porcelain plates.
"No matter how good the food outside is, it can't compare to home-cooked meals." She placed a dish of perfectly pickled sweet and sour radishes, a cold dish of blanched edamame grown in their own garden, and a dish of alluring golden Tamagoyaki, one by one in the center of the table.
The dishes weren't exquisite, but they carried an irreplaceable warmth unique exclusively to "Mom's taste".
"Exactly! Exactly!" Nohara Ginnosuke nodded in deep agreement. He pinched a piece of Tamagoyaki and stuffed it into his mouth, squinting his eyes in happiness. He mumbled indistinctly: "Food made by Tsuru is still the most delicious! Those restaurants outside are flashy but lack substance!"
Despite his words, his eyes uncontrollably swept back and forth over those plates of oily, glistening tuna belly sashimi and skewers emitting an alluring burnt aroma, his Adam's apple uncontrollably bobbing up and down.
That duplicitous, greedy look once again brought roaring laughter to everyone in the room.
"Alright, alright, how is it enough to just eat this?" Seeing this joyous scene, the smile on Nohara Hiroshi's lips grew gentler. Like a magician performing a trick, he started pulling things out from the seemingly ordinary cooler box at the door.
"This is Iberian Ham brought back from Spain. It tastes best paired with honeydew melon."
Slices of ham as thin as cicada wings, with a crimson color and beautiful marble-like fat, were elegantly laid out on a pristine white porcelain plate by him.
"This is Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Italy. You can pair it with red wine or eat it directly."
A golden block of cheese exuding a rich and mellow aroma was cut into small pieces using a professional tool by him.
"And this, Foie Gras from France, and Caviar from Russia. I had the best Western restaurant in Ginza help process it. Just spread it directly on the bread."
Two crystal-clear glass jars were opened, and that luxurious and tempting aroma instantly transformed this rustic farmhouse into a top-tier Michelin restaurant.
"Wow—!"
Misae and Ikuna, the two young girls, almost simultaneously let out exclamations of amazement.
Especially Ikuna, who came from a poorer background. Looking at those exotic, top-tier ingredients she had only seen in fashion magazines, her beautiful big eyes were long filled with little stars.
As for Nohara Semashi, he had already been rendered somewhat speechless by the string of "zeros" on the price tags.
It was a good thing this world didn't have China, not even the terrain.
Otherwise, it would have to be compared with Chengdu.
As Nohara Semashi looked at his brother's calm and indifferent appearance, he felt as if an insurmountable dimensional wall separated them.
Only Nohara Ginnosuke, after his initial shock, had his small eyes erupt with a burning light comparable to a searchlight!
"Oh ho ho ho—!" He let out an almost demonic laughter, snatching the jar of shining black caviar. He generously scooped a large spoonful with his chopsticks and shoved it directly into his mouth without even looking.
"Mhm! Mhm-mhm-mhm!" He squinted his eyes happily, his cheeks bulging like a hamster. That salty, fresh, and mellow taste exploded in his mouth, making him feel as if he was about to ascend to heaven.
He swallowed that mouthful of expensive "black gold" with some effort, then glared at his dazed eldest son with a look of expecting better.
"Look at your lack of ambition! This is all your brother's filial piety to us! Hurry up and eat! Eat to your heart's content! If we don't finish all these foreign goods today, it will be considered unfilial to us old folks!"
After saying that, as if to set an example, he repeatedly extended his chopsticks with both hands, stuffing those cicada-wing-thin slices of ham into his mouth like they were free. His posture didn't look like he was tasting fine food, but rather fighting a battle concerning the family's honor.
Watching this scene full of delightful contrast, everyone could hold it back no longer and burst into a hearty fit of laughter.
For a time, the old house, filled with traces of the years, resonated with laughter, chattering, and the clinking of glasses in complete joyous harmony.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes,
As everyone happily ate and chatted, the topic naturally shifted to the core business of the Nohara family currently.
"...Right now, there are already twenty acres of land under the name of our 'Nohara Agricultural Corporation'."
Nohara Semashi put down his wine glass. On his tanned face, which looked somewhat ruddy from the alcohol, appeared a pragmatist's pride and seriousness: "Last week, I already negotiated with uncle Yamada's second son next door. Their five acres of land will also be transferred to us after the autumn harvest. In addition, Uncle Suzuki from the neighboring village, whose son is working in Osaka and doesn't plan to return, has also agreed to sell us his ten acres of premium paddy fields. All the procedures were green-lit by the JA side and went very smoothly."
He paused and glanced at Ikuna, who was looking at him with adoration. That simple, honest heart of his was filled with immense satisfaction, and his voice grew a bit louder:
"Following your instructions, Hiroshi, I have already informed the leaders of the surrounding villages. As long as there is idle land, we want it! I estimate that by the end of the year, our company's land can at least double, reaching fifty acres! Next year, I will strive... I will strive to push it to two hundred acres!"
"Excellent!"
Nohara Ginnosuke slapped his thigh hard. His old face overflowed with a pride sufficient to make all of Akita Prefecture turn their heads: "As expected of the son of Nohara Ginnosuke! You have drive! Two hundred acres! When that time comes, our Nohara family will be one of the top landlords in Omagari City! Hahahaha!"
"That's truly wonderful." Nohara Hiroshi merely listened calmly, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
His old man was right.
Although Omagari City was called a city, compared to the China of his past life, it was merely a small town-level city.
It was formed by the amalgamation of only eight or nine towns and villages.
Then it became Omagari City.
The population was only over eighty thousand people.
Therefore, once they possessed two to three hundred acres of land, they could indeed be considered major landlords.
However, Nohara Hiroshi naturally also knew that two hundred acres of land, in this era, was merely a drop in the bucket for those agricultural giants who easily possessed hundreds of hectares of land.
But in his strategic foresight that transcended this era, this was a crucial chess piece sufficient to leverage the power structure of the entirety of Japan in the future.
'After the economic crisis, the Japanese government will inevitably introduce a series of agricultural protection policies to stabilize society. The purchase price of food, especially a staple like rice, will be elevated to an unprecedented height. When that time comes, the national agricultural subsidies alone will be enough to make these large agricultural corporations mint money.'
Nohara Hiroshi picked up his wine glass. The clear liquid within reflected his bottomless eyes.
He analyzed inwardly.
'More importantly, the JA. This organization, seemingly serving the farmers, is actually a massive political monster controlling millions of votes. Whoever controls the land, whoever hires more farmers, will have a greater voice within the JA. And that voice can ultimately be transformed into the most direct political influence.'
'When that time comes, our Nohara family's foundation will no longer be limited to that cultural empire in Tokyo—seemingly prosperous but actually fragile. Instead, it will be this, the most solid and reliable black soil.'
Thinking of this, Nohara Hiroshi still felt the current pace was too slow.
"Big brother."
Nohara Hiroshi set down his wine glass and said: "The acquisition of land needs to be sped up. If you are short on money, let me know anytime. While everyone's attention is still focused on the cities, and while the land in the countryside is still as cheap as dirt, we must complete our most primitive capital accumulation at the fastest speed possible. This opportunity is fleeting."
"Mhm! I understand!" Nohara Semashi nodded heavily, his tanned face writing absolute trust in his younger brother.
Although he still didn't quite understand why.
It was enough just to do as he was told.
"Um... Hiroshi." However, Nohara Semashi scratched the back of his head. His honest face finally revealed an irrepressible confusion: "I still have something I can't figure out. Right now, house prices in Tokyo are changing by the day. The newspapers are saying that our country of Japan is about to buy up the whole of America! Everyone is cramming their heads trying to get into the city to buy houses and buy stocks. Why... why must we throw all our money onto these unwanted wastelands? Isn't this... throwing money into the water?"
This question, filled with simple values, made everyone present subconsciously quiet down.
Misae wasn't interested in these things. She merely blinked her big, curious eyes, looking from this one to that one, feeling that as long as it was Hiroshi-kun who said it, it must be right.
But in Ikuna's clear eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, a trace of deep shock flashed.
She was also from the countryside. She knew better than anyone what twenty acres of land meant to an ordinary farming household.
That was almost an estate that a family could only save up over several generations of painstaking effort.
And now, the Nohara family, or rather, the "brother-in-law" before her who looked a few years younger than herself, had actually completed this seemingly impossible task in just a few short months, and was even expanding his territory at an even more terrifying speed.
This drive, this vision, had long exceeded the scope that a country girl like her could understand.
She looked at that young man who was calmly sipping sake.
She suddenly felt that being able to be with Semashi-san was perhaps the most correct and luckiest decision she had ever made in her life.
"Humpf, what the hell do you know!"
Right at this moment, Nohara Ginnosuke's voice, full of "domineering aura", broke the silence like thunder.
He cast a sidelong glance at his blockhead eldest son who was still agonizing over whether "land" or "houses" were more valuable. His bushy eyebrows, identical to his son's, danced smugly up and down like two caterpillars preparing to dance.
"Let me tell you, Semashi! When the men of our Nohara family do things, we focus on the 'big picture'! Who is your brother Hiroshi? He's a big shot who can stir up the winds and clouds even in a place like Tokyo! Can his vision be the same as old country hicks like you and me who only know how to stare at our own little plots of land?!"
He paused, raised his wine glass, and drank that expensive "Juyondai" in one gulp. His weather-beaten old face overflowed with a pride sufficient to make all of Akita Prefecture turn their heads.
"Listen to your brother, that's right! If he says buy land, we buy land! If he says this land can turn into lumps of gold in the future, then it will definitely turn into lumps of gold! Our Nohara family is about to become one of the top landlords in this Omagari City! When that time comes, as the President, you will have people swarming around you. You'll be more majestic than the town mayor! This, is how the men of our Nohara family should be! Hahahaha!"
Nohara Ginnosuke didn't understand any economic crisis, government subsidies, or the upcoming expansion and strengthening of the JA.
He didn't even understand any long-term thinking like planning before acting or setting up layouts in advance.
Nohara Ginnosuke only knew one thing.
Now.
Their Nohara family had their own Kabushiki Gaisha, had lots of land, and could become landlords!
It was that simple.
It was that direct.
It felt almost like robber logic!
However, this speech full of robber logic acted as the most potent stimulant, instantly dispelling all the confusion in Nohara Semashi's heart.
He looked at the smug appearance of his old man, then at Ikuna beside him who was covering her mouth and chuckling softly. That honest heart of his had long been thoroughly filled with immense happiness and pride.
Yes, perhaps he didn't understand those complex economics or those so-called grand principles.
But he knew he had an omnipotent younger brother.
That was enough.
"Alright! I'll listen to Hiroshi! I'll go find Uncle Suzuki tomorrow and sign the contract!" He stood up abruptly, drinking the beer in his glass in one gulp. The raging fire of a pragmatist was reignited on his tanned face!
Watching this scene full of delightful contrast, Misae and Ikuna couldn't hold back anymore. They looked at each other, both seeing sincere, happy smiles in each other's eyes.
The entire Nohara family was immersed in a warm atmosphere full of hope and longing.
Meanwhile, the young man who had single-handedly directed all of this merely watched quietly, the corners of his mouth curving into the calm, indifferent smile of a chess player.
He knew that this grand layout, personally set up by him, which was sufficient to change the destiny of the entire family, had only just placed its first insignificant piece.
The truly grand feast was still to come.
...
"Oh my! Look at my memory!"
Amidst this joyous atmosphere, as if suddenly recalling some immensely important matter, Nohara Tsuru slapped her forehead hard. An anxious look of "almost missing a major event" actually appeared on her face that was always carrying a gentle smile.
"What time is it! Quick, quick, quick, turn on the TV! We almost missed it!" she said while nimbly picking up the remote control.
That solemn appearance made it seem as if the upcoming broadcast was not some TV program, but an Olympic final concerning family honor.
"Hmm?" Nohara Hiroshi and Misae exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of confusion in each other's eyes.
Was there a must-watch program at this time?
However, Nohara Ginnosuke, Nohara Semashi, and even Ikuna beside them seemed to have received some mysterious command. They instantly sat formally straight, their burning gazes fixed on that old CRT TV. That anticipation and nervousness were actually a bit stronger than when they were discussing the ownership of two hundred acres of land just now.
Nohara Tsuru skillfully switched the channel to TV Tokyo.
A burst of electronic music full of childlike fun and magic—simple enough to brainwash someone within three seconds—cheerfully popped out from the speakers of that old TV without any warning.
"So it's this."
The corners of Nohara Hiroshi's lips uncontrollably curved up into a smile.
On the screen, surrounded by massive, brightly lit stage lights, the two hosts who were already regarded by the Japanese citizens as "spokespersons of happiness" were using their signature, infectious smiles to open the program.
It was exactly the third episode of Kasou Taishou Season Two.
"Of course! Currently, this Kasou Taishou is a famous program not only for our family, but for the entirety of Omagari City! It's a must-watch program every Saturday at 2:30 PM!" Nohara Ginnosuke patted his chest proudly: "This is a program produced by my son!"
Everyone in the room laughed.
The couple Nohara Ginnosuke and Nohara Tsuru had faces full of pride.
Nohara Semashi and Ikuna also looked like they shared the glory.
Including Misae.
Looking at Nohara Hiroshi at this moment, she had a face full of adoration.
"Mhm, let's keep watching the show." The corners of Nohara Hiroshi's mouth curled up. He was feeling incredibly great as well.
This was exactly the feeling he wanted!
As soon as the show started, it went straight into the most exciting segment—announcing the final winner of last week's second episode competition.
"...Through the professional scoring of our one hundred on-site judges, as well as the joint decision of our nationwide viewers who cast a total of 1,736,421 popularity votes via phone and pager!"
Female host Erika's voice was loud and clear, full of unquestionable authority. She raised the envelope in her hands high and, under countless expectant gazes, announced that final answer word by word.
"The team that won the weekly championship of Kasou Taishou Season Two Episode Two, and successfully advanced to the national finals is—from our capital Tokyo, the 'Human Washing Machine' team! Congratulations to them!"
"Yeah!"
Accompanied by the energetic victory gesture of male host Hachisato Goshin, golden confetti instantly burst into the air above the stage. Those few Tokyo representative team members wearing comical tight suits embraced each other and wept in excitement amidst deafening cheers!
"Sigh..."
A sigh full of "just as expected" inappropriately echoed in the living room of the Nohara family.
Nohara Ginnosuke picked up his already empty glass of "Juyondai", smacking his lips weakly. On his old face that had been full of pride just a moment ago, now helpless unwillingness belonging to a local commoner was written all over it.
"I knew it." He curled his lips. His two thick eyebrows drooped down like two defeated caterpillars: "It's the Tokyo team again. Those guys just take advantage of having more people."
He pointed at the data bar scrolling with the vote counts from various regions at the bottom of the screen, his voice so sour it could choke someone: "Look, the popularity votes from the Tokyo region alone almost rival the sum of our entire Tohoku region's six prefectures! How can we compete? They're purely bullying us country folks!"
Once he said this, Nohara Semashi and Ikuna also subconsciously nodded. On their simple faces also appeared a resignation of "unwilling but having no alternatives".
Akita Prefecture, along with the entire Tohoku region, was as minute as an insignificant speck of dust when facing Tokyo—a behemoth that devoured the nation's resources like a giant beast.
This natural disadvantage stemming from population base was something no amount of creativity or effort could make up for.
"Dad, you can't say that."
Watching his family members sharing bitter hatred toward a common enemy, the calm and indifferent smile remained on Nohara Hiroshi's face.
He refilled sake into his old man's empty glass, unhurriedly explaining: "Popularity votes are certainly important, but the professional scores of the judges also account for 50 percent of the weight. Didn't Hokkaido's 'Snow Maiden Team' last week rely on creative scores to surpass the Nagoya team with higher popularity? In the final analysis, this is still a stage that speaks with creativity."
These words were watertight. They both soothed his family members' "highly discriminated" local pride and aptly maintained the fairness of the show.
Of course, this was only polite talk meant for their ears.
In Nohara Hiroshi's strategic eyes that transcended this era, hiding behind this seemingly fair rule set was an ice-cold reality filled with capitalist logic.
After all, the country of Japan, to put it bluntly, was a deformed spindle.
Nohara Hiroshi lifted his glass, the clear liquid reflecting his bottomless eyes.
The Kanto region with Tokyo as its core occupied nearly forty percent of the nation's total economy and population.
The Kansai region with Osaka and Kyoto as its core occupied twenty percent of the economy.
The remaining six large regions and dozens of prefectures were merely splitting the leftover scraps of the final forty percent.
And this so-called 'national carnival' was essentially just a capitalist game where the top players set the rules, middle-tier players tagged along, and bottom-tier players contributed traffic.
What Nohara Hiroshi needed, or rather what TV Tokyo needed, basically were viewership ratings, advertising fees, and conversational topic value.
And eighty percent of these things were concentrated in the two super metropolitan areas of Kanto and Kansai.
Naturally, the rules had to be set in a way that was more advantageous to them.
'As for fairness?'
An ice-cold arc curved up on the corners of Nohara Hiroshi's mouth.
In this world, there has never been absolute fairness.
Only absolute strength.
These innermost thoughts full of dark stratagems naturally wouldn't be spoken out loud by him.
He merely smiled, watching the faces of his family members turn into relief under his seemingly fair explanation, sighing inwardly as well.
This was reality.
As long as his own family lived well, that was enough.
The program on TV continued.
Innovative ideas full of whimsy yet rooted in everyday life hit the senses of all audience members like an unending, imaginative blizzard, overwhelming them entirely!
The living room of the Nohara family was soon once again submerged by waves of roaring laughter filled with pure joy.
"Hahahaha! This 'Whack-a-Mole' is too talented! It's exactly the same as when I was a youth in the arcade!" Nohara Ginnosuke laughed so hard he leaned forward and backward, and the roasted chicken skewer in his hand almost fell onto the tatami mat.
"Yes, yes, the actor playing the mole has such rich expressions." Ikuna also covered her mouth, letting out silver bell-like charming laughs. Her clear eyes were filled with pure amusement.
Misae, on the other hand, had long been laughing till she swayed. Her entire person was almost hanging onto Nohara Hiroshi. That uninhibited, naive charming look made Nohara Hiroshi beside her feel a bit restless.
It was a good thing his family was present, otherwise he would have executed this little lass on the spot for real!
Right at this moment, on the screen, a representative team from Okinawa used the simplest blue sheets and white foam to vividly mimic an elephant spraying water and playing in the sea.
That visual full of childlike fun and creativity elicited a round of enthusiastic applause from the on-site audience.
"Hmph, an elephant again."
However, Nohara Ginnosuke suddenly snorted a puff of murky air mixing alcohol and disdain from his nose. He downed the expensive "Juyondai" in his glass in one gulp, and his old face revealed an indignation of "my idea was plagiarized".
"Let me tell you guys, if Tsuru hadn't forbidden me from going, my idea would definitely be a hundred times more spectacular than this crappy elephant!"
"Oh?" Hearing this, Nohara Hiroshi paused for a moment: "Dad, do you still have some secret trick up your sleeve that we don't know about?"
"Of course!"
This sentence was like an ignited fuse, instantly detonating the powder keg full of a desire to perform in Nohara Ginnosuke's heart!
He stood up abruptly, and on his weather-beaten face emerged the anger of having his artistic accomplishments look down upon.
"That idea of mine is a genuine artistic treasure passed down through generations in our Nohara family! Think back to the past, it was entirely by relying on this unique skill that your grandfather's grandfather stood out among the dozens of suitors for your grandmother's grandmother!"
As he spoke, those two thick eyebrows actually uncontrollably twitched up and down a few more times. That look in his eyes was filled with boundless pride for his family pass-down secret skill.
However, when Nohara Tsuru and Nohara Semashi beside him heard the four words "ancestral secret skill", their faces darkened rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"You... you dirty old man! Are you trying to perform... that... in front of the children?!" Nohara Tsuru's voice even stammered a bit, and her face, always wearing a gentle smile, darkened gloomily.
"Dad! You... you definitely shouldn't mess around!" Nohara Semashi was also anxious. He even subconsciously glanced at Ikuna beside him who still had a confused look on her face, and his tanned face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.
"Hehehe..."
Nohara Ginnosuke, however, let out a burst of demonic laughter. Completely ignoring his family's warning gazes, after a flurry of rustling sounds, he abruptly spun around!
He lifted his white undershirt, revealing a belly that, despite being over half a century old, was still fairly well maintained.
"Elephant~ Elephant~ Why is your trunk so..."
"Shut your mouth right now——!"
A roar full of shame and despair, accompanied by a soft cushion plummeting from the sky, accurately and ruthlessly slammed onto Nohara Ginnosuke's old face that was immersed in the world of art!
Nohara Tsuru couldn't hold back anymore!
Like a completely enraged lioness, she clutched onto her old man's mouth that was still chattering away. In those eyes that were always gentle as water, a karmic fire capable of burning everything down was currently blazing!
"I... I was wrong! Tsuru! I was really wrong! Let go quickly! Leave... leave me some dignity in front of the kids and daughter-in-law!!"
Nohara Ginnosuke's whimpering sounds, filled with the desire to survive, transmitted intermittently from under Nohara Tsuru's small hand, which looked soft but was actually incredibly strong.
Watching this scene full of delightful contrast, Nohara Hiroshi, Misae, and Ikuna couldn't hold it back anymore. They looked at each other, both seeing a heartfelt, joyous smile in each other's eyes.
The entire Nohara family was immersed in a warm atmosphere full of coziness and joy.
Meanwhile, Nohara Tsuru let out a long sigh in her heart. That sigh carried the relief of someone surviving a disaster.
'Thank goodness... thank goodness neither Hiroshi nor Semashi inherited this dirty old man's shameful art.'
She looked at her two fully grown sons—one steady as a mountain, the other as wise as the sea—and her motherly heart finally settled down.
'This "ancestral secret skill" that's sufficient to make our Nohara family unable to raise our heads in all of Omagari City, it seems it's time for it to become a lost art.'
While forcefully pressing down hard on Nohara Ginnosuke's temples, Nohara Tsuru heaved a thorough sigh of relief over the imminent extinction of the 'ancestral family secret skill'.
How could something like this continue to be passed down!
It was way too embarrassing!