novelraw Chapter 279: The Reason for Working Hard Now!
Chapter 279: The Reason for Working Hard Now!
The night in Ginza had not yet completely faded. By the time Nohara Hiroshi drove back to the apartment, it was already past ten in the evening.
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The voice-activated lights in the corridor lit up one by one following his footsteps. The moment he pushed the door open, a rich aroma of chicken soup assailed his face, instantly dispelling his exhaustion.
"Hiroshi-kun, you're back!" Koyama Misae walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron, a gentle smile on her face, and a soup ladle still in her hand. "I figured you went to an appointment today and definitely didn't eat much, so I specially stewed chicken soup for you. Quickly wash your hands, sit down, and have a bowl."
Nohara Hiroshi put down his briefcase, took off his suit jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Looking at Misae's busy figure, a burst of warmth welled up in his heart.
He went into the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out, a bowl of steaming chicken soup had already been placed on the dining table, along with a small saucer of pickled radish and freshly steamed white rice.
A faint layer of oil floated on the surface of the chicken soup, inside of which simmered tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken, sweet corn, and carrots. The aroma overflowed all around.
"Hurry and taste it. I stewed it for over three hours. I used free-range chicken from Hokkaido, so the meat is exceptionally tender." Misae sat across from him, her eyes full of expectation.
Nohara Hiroshi picked up the spoon and took a sip of the soup. The warm broth slid down his throat, carrying the umami of the chicken and the sweetness of the vegetables, instantly warming him to his heart.
He closed his eyes, savored it carefully for a moment, then opened his eyes and gave Misae a thumbs up: "It's so delicious! Misae, your cooking is getting better and better;
it's even better than the chefs at the Ginza ryotei!"Being praised made Misae's cheeks slightly red, and she said with a smile: "As long as you like it. I see you've been busy filming documentaries every day recently;
you must be very tired. Drink more chicken soup to nourish your body."
Nohara Hiroshi drank the chicken soup while eating the rice, occasionally taking a bite of pickled radish to cut the richness.
The warm light above the dining table shone on the two of them, creating a cozy and peaceful atmosphere.
Halfway through, Nohara Hiroshi remembered the economic issues discussed at Honmaru Pavilion during the day, couldn't help but sigh, and said with a trace of helplessness in his tone: "Misae, do you feel like the economy hasn't been very good recently? I heard from Bureau Chief Sakata that many small and medium-sized enterprises are facing financing difficulties, and even some time-honored shops are laying off workers."
Misae was stunned for a moment and shook her head: "I usually do housework at home and don't pay much attention to these things. But when I went to the supermarket to buy things a few days ago, I found that the prices of vegetables and meat had gone up quite a bit. What used to be a hundred yen for a bunch of greens now costs a hundred and fifty yen."
"This is all tricks being played behind the scenes by the US." Nohara Hiroshi put down his spoon, a trace of ridicule in his tone. "For their own benefit, they randomly adjust exchange rates and also force us to open our markets. No matter how hard our Japanese higher-ups try, they cannot escape their control. Before, Tanaka Mikami relied on real estate to drive the economy;
it looked glamorous, but it was actually all a bubble. Now the bubble is about to burst, and it's the ordinary commoners who will suffer."
Misae was completely confused. She didn't really understand exchange rates or economic bubbles;
she just looked at Nohara Hiroshi's furrowed brow, reached out, and gently patted the back of his hand: "These things are too complex. Don't think too much about it;
just do your own job well. Oh, by the way, it's almost the end of the month. Older sister Masae called to say she's engaged and wants us to go back to our hometown in Saitama Prefecture together to celebrate. Do you have time?"
Hearing the word "engaged," Nohara Hiroshi instantly pulled away from his economic worries, and a smile appeared on his face: "Sister Masae is engaged? That's great! Of course I have time. When the time comes, we'll go back a day early and prepare a gift for her."
"I was thinking that too." Misae said happily, "I've already agreed with my sister. We'll set off on Saturday morning at the end of the month and return on Sunday afternoon. If you don't have time to film the documentary, we can discuss changing the time with my sister."
"No need to change the time." Nohara Hiroshi shook his head. "The filming progress of the documentaries is very smooth. I've already arranged things with the team;
those few days at the end of the month will mainly be for post-production editing, so it can normally advance even if I'm not there. Besides, Sister Masae getting engaged is a big deal;
we must go back."
The two chatted for a while about things back in their hometown, recalling times they played with Masae when they were little. The atmosphere at the dining table became even cozier.
Nohara Hiroshi finished the last sip of chicken soup, feeling his whole body filled with strength. The irritability previously caused by economic issues also vanished into thin air.
The next morning, Nohara Hiroshi got up early.
Misae had already prepared breakfast, consisting of natto rice, fried eggs, and miso soup.
He quickly finished breakfast, changed into a suit, picked up his briefcase, and prepared to go out.
"Hiroshi-kun, be careful on the road. Remember to eat lunch on time." Misae sent him to the door and exhorted.
"I know. You also pay attention to your health at home and don't get too tired." Nohara Hiroshi kissed Misae on the forehead, then turned and went downstairs.
He drove to TV Tokyo first. It was only eight in the morning, but there were already quite a few employees busy in the office building.
He walked straight to Sakata Nobuhiko's office and knocked on the door.
"Please come in." Sakata Nobuhiko's voice came from inside.
Nohara Hiroshi pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Sakata Nobuhiko flipping through documents.
He stepped forward and handed over a document from his briefcase: "Bureau Chief Sakata, this is the planning proposal for the 'Livelihood Policy Documentary' short films that I wrote last night. It details the filming direction, content framework, and expected effects. Please see if there are any areas that need modification."
Sakata Nobuhiko put down the documents in his hands, took the planning proposal, and flipped through it earnestly.
He nodded as he read, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "Hiroshi-kun, you did very well! This planning proposal is very detailed, and the line of thought is very clear. Especially the point of 'using ordinary people's stories to showcase policy effects' fits our needs very well. I don't have anything to modify;
you can hand it directly to the Takada in the Production Bureau and let him arrange a team to advance it."
"Okay, Bureau Chief Sakata." Nohara Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll go to Kanto TV first. There's still documentary post-production over there that I need to check over."
"Go ahead. Contact me at any time if you have any questions." Sakata Nobuhiko waved his hand and continued flipping through the planning proposal.
Nohara Hiroshi walked out of Sakata Nobuhiko's office, didn't stop, and drove straight to Kanto TV.
Along the way, he watched the street scenes outside the window, thinking about the filming progress of the documentaries in his heart.
The subsequent episodes of "A Bite of Neon" had already completed most of their filming and were undergoing post-production editing;
"Artisan's Heart: Passing the Torch" had also filmed half, and Master Matsumoto Kiyotaka's story was very moving;
he believed it would definitely resonate with the audience after broadcasting.
By the time he arrived at Kanto TV, it was already nine in the morning.
The office building was a busy scene. Some employees were discussing filming plans, some were editing videos, and some were contacting filming locations. Everyone was full of drive.
Nohara Hiroshi walked into his office. Just as he sat down, Matsui Yuichi walked in holding an editing outline: "Hiroshi-san, this is the editing outline for Episode 9 of 'A Bite of Neon: Yanesen Old Street Visit'. Please see if there are any problems."
Nohara Hiroshi took the outline and read it carefully.
The outline detailed the content, duration, and background music of each segment, and also marked the shots that needed to be highlighted.
He read for a while, pointed at one segment, and said: "Matsui-san, for this segment interviewing the old street residents, you can add some more details, like the interactions between the old shop owners and the customers, and also the stories of young people starting businesses in the old street. This will give the film more vitality of life and also better reflect the old street's life force."
"Okay, Hiroshi-san, I'll go revise it right now." Matsui Yuichi nodded and walked out with the outline.
Immediately after, Yamada Takashi also walked in. He held a video camera in his hands, an excited expression on his face: "Hiroshi-san, look, this is the material for 'Saitama Prefecture Traditional Dyeing' that we filmed yesterday. The effect is very good, especially the shots of the dyeing master dyeing;
the colors are exceptionally vivid."
Nohara Hiroshi took the video camera and earnestly watched the material.
In the footage, the dyeing master put the white cloth into the dye vat and gently stirred it. The white cloth gradually turned into a vivid blue. The whole process was very healing.
He said with satisfaction: "Excellent! Yamada-san, this material was filmed wonderfully. During post-production, you must highlight the color changes of the dyed cloth and the master's movement details, and then pair it with traditional shamisen music;
the effect will be even better."
"Understood!" Yamada Takashi said happily, "We've already contacted a shamisen player and will go record the background music next week."
Nohara Hiroshi nodded and exhorted a few more precautions for post-production before Yamada Takashi left.
For the next few hours, he successively received several team members, reviewed their work results, and put forward revision suggestions.
Although very busy, he felt very fulfilled, because every job was preparing for the successful broadcast of the documentaries.
At noon, Misae called to ask if he had eaten on time.
Nohara Hiroshi then remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet. He smiled and said: "I just finished being busy and am preparing to go to the convenience store downstairs to buy a bento. Rest assured."
After hanging up, he got up, went downstairs, bought a tuna bento at the convenience store, casually took a few bites, and then went back to the office to continue working.
In the afternoon, he went to the editing room and reviewed the sample cut of Episode 7 of "A Bite of Neon," "Changes of Chiba Fishing Port," with the editor.
In the sample cut, the scene of the fishermen going out to sea to fish was very spectacular, and the interactions between the grandfather and grandson were also very touching, but some details still needed adjusting, like the volume of the background music and the placement of the subtitles.
Nohara Hiroshi sat next to the editor, putting forward modification suggestions while watching the sample cut: "The background music here is too loud and covers the fishermen's dialogue;
it needs to be turned down a bit. And these subtitles, the position is too high and affects the audience seeing the image;
move them down a little."
The editor made modifications one by one according to his requests. After a few hours of hard work, the sample cut was finally modified. Looking at the modified sample cut, Nohara Hiroshi smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, this is perfect! Send the sample cut to TV Tokyo tomorrow and let them arrange the broadcast time."
At dusk, the setting sun shone into the editing room through the window, plating the room with a golden halo.
Nohara Hiroshi stretched, stood up, and looked at the gradually setting sun outside the window, his heart full of expectation.
He believed that with the broadcast of "A Bite of Neon" and "Artisan's Heart: Passing the Torch," definitely more people would pay attention to traditional culture and understand livelihood policies, and Kanto TV would also get better and better under his leadership.
He packed up his things and prepared to get off work and go home.
When walking out of the office building, he ran into Matsui Yuichi and Yamada Takashi, who had also just finished their work.
"Hiroshi-san, getting off work?" Matsui Yuichi said with a smile.
"Yeah. You guys also go home and rest early;
don't get too tired." Nohara Hiroshi said.
"Got it. Goodbye, Hiroshi-san!" The two waved their hands, turned, and left.
Nohara Hiroshi drove home. Along the way, he thought about discussing what engagement gift to buy for Sister Masae with Misae tonight, and also continuing to perfect the filming plan for the "Livelihood Policy Documentary" short films.
Although life and work were both very busy, he felt very happy, because he had a wife who loved him, a job he loved, and a group of like-minded partners.
When he returned home, Misae had already made dinner, consisting of grilled fish, stir-fried greens, and miso soup.
The two discussed the engagement gift for Sister Masae while eating.
Misae wanted to give a necklace, while Nohara Hiroshi felt giving an exquisite tea set would be better, because Sister Masae usually liked drinking tea.
In the end, they decided to go to the mall together to pick one out, to choose a gift that was both practical and meaningful.
After eating, Nohara Hiroshi sat on the sofa, opened his computer, and continued to perfect the filming plan for the "Livelihood Policy Documentary" short films.
Misae sat next to him, peeling oranges for him while watching TV. The lights in the living room were warm and soft, and the clear fragrance of oranges permeated the air, forming a cozy family picture.
Nohara Hiroshi looked at the computer screen, secretly swearing in his heart that he must definitely film the "Livelihood Policy Documentary" short films well, so more people understand the benefits of livelihood policies. He also definitely had to build Kanto TV into a top-tier TV station in the industry, so traditional culture receives better preservation and development.
At the same time, he also looked forward to going back to his hometown at the end of the month, attending Sister Masae's engagement banquet, and sharing this joy with his family.
On this ordinary night, amidst the warmth of family and the persistence of work, Nohara Hiroshi found his own happiness and direction.
He knew the road ahead was still very long, and he would encounter many difficulties and challenges, but he had the confidence and the courage to face everything and realize his dreams.
"At the very least, I must also protect everything I have now." Nohara Hiroshi smiled faintly.
He indeed didn't have much ambition, nor any consideration for Japan's future;
everything was so that he and his loved ones could live better.
That was enough.
Anyway, no matter what, he had already laid out a lot. As long as he could survive when that tsunami came, he could rebuild a more powerful homeland.
This was the reason why he was working hard now.