In Tokyo, I just want salted fish

Chapter 223 Rain, Still Still
"Why has it been raining these days?"

In front of the warehouse, Mr. Uesugi, who was biting a cigarette at the corner of his mouth, picked up a basket of oranges, lifted them vigorously and put them on the truck.

"It's really not clear. There is hardly any rain at this time of year." Uesugi Yoko rolled up her sleeves and pushed the last basket full of oranges inside, then jumped out of the car, clapped her hands, and closed the door.

"Is this going?"

After helping Uesugi Oi and Uesugi Shio stood aside.

"Freshness is the first priority of fruit, which is also to ensure the quality and quality of oranges."

Mr. Uesugi, who was biting a cigarette, was a little slurred, but after finishing his work, he took out a very old wallet from his purse.

He took out a few large [-]-yuan bills and handed them to Kai Uesugi.

"grandfather."

"I've been helping all day, and I always need something to eat."

"Eating won't cost 6 yen."

"I said I want it, and I can buy anything."

The strong old man forced the six Fukuzawa Yukichi into Uesugi Kai's hands.

Aunt Uesugi Yoko said with a smile: "Akai, as I said before, this is wages."

"."

"A good boy is one who accepts it, come on, Xiao Xi."

The old man called Uesugi Shio over again and gave the same salary from his wallet.

Uesugi Shio understood his grandfather's character very well, so he didn't try to shirk like Uesugi Kai did.

"Grandpa, is there really no problem with you?" Uesugi Kai asked.

"You mean the Agricultural Association?" The white-haired old man laughed heartily and happily, "The little grandson wants to help grandpa?"

"."

Mr. Uesugi's happy smile quickly subsided again, and the faint smoke continued to float towards the sky full of dark clouds:
"This kind of thing is still too early for you two children. If you want to get everything back from them, it will not be enough to hurt your muscles and bones or even destroy your family."

Kaoru Uesugi knew that Grandpa rarely spoke in such a tone.

"See that cut orange tree?" Mr. Uesugi turned and pointed to the hill behind the house.

"Ah."

"That group of guys bribed people to do it, and Jiro was injured because of it. Their purpose is also simple and clear—"

Mr. Uesugi didn't finish his sentence, "At that time, we had assembled a lot of people to restore the rights together, but when my tree was cut down, Jiro was injured and hospitalized, and their family members were threatened, they began to shake their minds."

"Threats and lures are their common means, and I can understand the judgment they make under the two choices, haha, what is human!"

"What about now?" Kai Uesugi heard that his grandfather was reluctant to say more, and ignored many details. He probably didn't want to get in touch with these things that he couldn't solve by himself.

"Now?" Mr. Uesugi smiled. "It's a kind of mutual compromise. I will continue to supply them. In addition to the quantity they need, I can find some channels to sell."

"The reason. Naturally, they still like the oranges grown by my old man."

At the end, Mr. Uesugi returned his attention to the two grandchildren:

"Ah, Xiaoxi, I know that a large part of you are here because of me, but many things can't be solved with two more high school students. I was not at home before and there is a reason why I don't want you to get involved.

"It's enough for you to live your respective lives with peace of mind. Grandpa is also most pleased to see this."

------------

Grandpa's van disappeared at the end of the rain-stained coastline road.

Kai Uesugi held up the transparent umbrella and walked back home with his cousin.

"Ah Chi."

"Ah."

"Is there a feeling that I can't help you with anything?" Shio Uesugi said, "I came back here mainly for grandpa's affairs."

"Let's do what we can, our identities are just students."

Shio Uesugi remained silent, she just didn't like the feeling of wanting to help but being unable to do anything.

The streets of the small town in the rain, and some passers-by walked through them.

In the faint mist splashed by raindrops, a person walked towards him on the road ahead.

He was holding a black umbrella, shrugged his shoulders, his eyes looked dull, and his facial features could vaguely tell that he was somewhat similar to Shio Uesugi.

He stopped in front of the two of them, and held out his hand to Shang Shanxi.

"Are you going to play cards again?"

"Money." Uesugi Jiro with a haggard face just stretched out his hand.

The rain slammed the umbrella surface, splashing out movement.

"But you have caused a lot of trouble for everyone last time."

"It's just that they deceived me." Jiro Uesugi glanced at Kai Uesugi next to her from the corner of his eyes, and then continued to reach out his hand.

"Just give me the money."

Uesugi had long been used to the hand stretched out to her, but when she saw her father like this, she had no choice but to take out the [-] yen that her grandfather gave her just now.

Staring at his daughter's hand holding the money, Uesugi Jiro's outstretched hand was still hanging in mid-air motionless: "That's all? Did you hide the money again to buy lollipops?"

At the moment when Shio Uesugi was about to hand over the money, Jiro Uesugi, who was holding a black umbrella, criticized in a cold voice:
"childish."

Childish, who is more childish than a father who asks his daughter for money.

Hearing the end, Uesugi Kai grabbed the [-] yen that his cousin was about to hand over to his uncle.

Among other things, he knew that Sister Xi had never bought him any nice clothes, cosmetics and other things for girls.

The only thing I have for myself is that cheap lollipop.

I thought she was saving money, but now it seems that it is all in the hands of my uncle.

"Give me the money." Jiro Uesugi, who shrugged his shoulders, just turned his hands in one direction.

Kaoru Uesugi originally complained about his blind borrowing of money:
"For my father's sake, I still call you uncle, but you, uncle who has never done much for my cousin since she was a child, have no right to ask your underage daughter for money."

Shio Uesugi was raised by his grandparents from the third year after his birth.

"What she owes me will naturally take her whole life to repay."

"Give it to him, Ah Chi."

Uesugi Kai didn't understand what sister Xi owed this false father, "Are you sure?"

"Well," Shio Uesugi responded with a much lower voice than before, "give it to him."

On the rainy street, the lifeless Uesugi Jiro grabbed the neatly arranged [-] yen in his hand, supported the black umbrella and left to the other end.

"What can you owe him, sister Xi?"

Shio Uesugi just shook his head, then turned his face to the side, looked at him with royal blue eyes and said, "Do you still remember those complaints I said to you before?"

"."

"About your aunt?"

Shio Uesugi exhaled and closed his eyes, the sound of rain filled his ears immediately, and he recalled it for a long time.

"I have no pursuits, but every time I think of my mother's weak appearance in a wheelchair, I feel that my existence is unnecessary.

"Without my father and mother, I must be living happily now."

About half an hour after returning to Uesugi's house, Uesugi was thinking about his cousin.

Her mother is disabled and has always been in a wheelchair. Ever since he saw this aunt, her expression has deteriorated day by day.

Uesugi Kai didn't know what kind of disease his aunt was, but he knew that it was the root cause of his disease after his cousin was born.

Father Jiro ran around for money every day, but the health of the mother at home was getting worse and worse, and she accumulated debts for medical treatment.

In the end, a mother voluntarily left and threw herself into the sea.
What is Uesugi's deepest impression of sister Xi when he was a child?
That was when she stood on the coast and looked at the fishing boats trying to find her mother, with the townspeople talking behind her.

The father sat on the beach with his head down and let the tide wet his trousers.

Soon, the young Shio Uesugi was sent to his grandfather's house in the same town. When he got up to go to the toilet at night, he even heard his father and grandfather having a big fight.

From that day on, she already knew that she was probably not liked by her father.

About half an hour later, someone knocked on the door.

Kai Uesugi, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed, got up and opened the shoji, the sound of rain and fresh air flooded into the room together.

"Miss Xi."

"Well," she responded, "Mr. Sakakibara is here, are you going to practice kendo today?"

"Actually, just notify me on the phone." Said Uesugi Kai.

"I think it's better to come in person."

"Sister Xi has had a hard time these years, right?" Uesugi Kai asked suddenly.

Uesugi was silent for a moment, "Because of what happened to my father just now? Actually, it wasn't there, it's just that I felt a little less."

"What is Miss Xi's goal?"

"Why are you asking this again?"

"Ken Dao works so hard, at least there are some reasons."

"Ah," said Uesugi Uesugi by his nickname, "Sister cares more about you than sister. I've been absent-minded these days, and school is about to start. Don't you still have an entrance exam for Tokyo University?" Goal? What about winning the first place in the national kendo competition?"

This time it was Uesugi's turn to be silent.

"Originally... there were some goals and expectations, but now I don't think anything matters."

"So you're planning to give up?"

"Not at all."

These remarks are contradictory, and Shio Uesugi also understands where the reason for his state comes from.

"Why don't you call Huahuo back."

"That's... her dream. I always keep her by my side. It's too selfish."

"Ah Chi."

Behind Uesugi Shio was the rain that hadn't stopped in the courtyard for several days, "Don't you often ask me what my dream is?

"Actually, my dream does not come from myself, and I don't know if it is a dream, but once I think back to my mother's frail body and the beautiful eyes watching the kendo competition on TV, I have the desire to continue Motivation to go down.

"Despite my young age, I still remember my mother talking about the good times when my grandfather taught her how to fight himself as a child.

"Grandpa told my mother in the dojo that one day I will see her efforts on TV and see her sweat paving the way every day and night.

"Whenever the mother with disabled legs talks about it, there is always light in her eyes."

"At that time, I secretly started to pick up the wooden stick. I didn't know what hard work was, but I just wanted to let my mother show that beautiful smile and show that kind of look with light in her pupils.

"But it hasn't waited for me to start further training according to the legacy book left by my grandfather."

Uesugi paused when he said this.

"She left me and my father alone."

Uesugi Kai found that the cousin didn't have much expression change when she said these words, only her tone was a little turbulent.

"Ah, I tell you this because I want you to understand that sometimes a dream doesn't belong to one person, and sometimes it's just a word that gives others a direction to move forward.

"Although the time I spent with my mother was very short, the vague memory even made me almost forget her smile, but she is undoubtedly my most important expectation, so far."

Holding the umbrella in one hand, Uesugi Shio said to Uesugi Kai, "You should take a rest today."

Holding the umbrella, the cousin left on the verandah that was full of rain.

Kaoru Uesugi knew that she was going to the warehouse to train kendo skills again, and the uncle was right, sister Xi still worked harder than herself.

Back on the bedding that no one was tidying up, Kai Uesugi turned on the TV and game console, and started playing a game with the account he borrowed from Tsubokawa.

The picture slowly unfolded on the TV.

A full moon hangs in the night sky, surrounded by evening clouds that are dyed ethereal by the moonlight, and below are layers of valleys that are faintly visible.

Immediately following the slight shake of the camera, an eagle flew from below, flew towards the moon, but sank quickly.

A gray cliff and high mountain appeared in front of my eyes, and the eagle flew close to the cliff, flying over waterfalls, trees, and a narrow stone road dug out of the cliff.

Finally, it flew over the shoulder of a rider on horseback, and when he was so startled that he turned sideways to avoid it, the eagle spread its wings and flew high towards the moon.

The picture freezes in a scene of the moon, clouds, eagles, mountains, trees, and people.

Kai Uesugi was temporarily attracted by this very beautiful picture, so he continued playing for a while.

The story is very obscure, but when he played until the evening, he probably understood it.

This is a story of courage to embark on the road of killing gods in order to save the soul of a girl.

But the operation was too difficult for him, and he couldn't beat the first boss all afternoon.

But after closing the game, Kai Uesugi was in a daze.

Save, save.

For him and Hanamaru Hanabi, who saved who?

Xiao Huahuo has always said that she is very grateful to herself, has always liked herself, and always takes care of this relationship, for fear that she will hate her because of doing something wrong.

As for himself, did he respond to her expectations?

Kai Uesugi took out his mobile phone and dialed the number of his mother-in-law.

"What's the matter, Xiaokai? 』

Mrs. Hanamaru seemed to be outside, with the sound of rain hitting the umbrella shed.

"Auntie, I want to find Hanabi. 』

Mrs. Hanamaru on the other end of the phone didn't seem surprised by what she said.

"Why, miss her? 』

"Um. 』

"But how long is it? There are still three years to come. You can't possibly miss her and fly to England, right? 』

"I understand, but I just want to see her. 』

"Xiao Kai, in my opinion, you are just a child now. 』

"."

"You are self-willed, and you only think about what you want, what is your motive for finding Hanabi?" 』

(End of this chapter)