CHAPTER 468: 219. NEW YEAR IN IWATE PREFECTURE: NEW YEAR’S SURPRISE (END)_2

Dubian Hengxiong snapped back to his senses and hurriedly said, "How can this be, how can I accept your gift, this isn’t..."

"You’ll also need to affix your seal, please go and fetch it quickly," Jiutiao Meijie said very politely, using honorifics, but her tone was unmistakably command-like.

In his entire life, Dubian Hengxiong had never encountered such a forceful person, nor been offered a car; he stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

"Dad, you’ve already bought it, so hurry up and get the seal," Dubian Che said.

He, too, was caught by surprise.

"But..." Dubian Hengxiong said with a hesitant expression on his face.

"To Meiji, a car isn’t worth much," Dubian Che continued to persuade, "A barely acquainted acquaintance of mine, meeting me for the first time and knowing I was her boyfriend, wanted to give me a Lamborghini."

"Don’t just accept gifts from others!" Dubian Zhi hadn’t quite recovered from her shock, but the reprimand came out instinctively.

"I know, I didn’t go to fetch it," Dubian Che replied, then urged again: "Dad, hurry up, don’t keep people waiting."

"Oh, okay."

As Dubian Hengxiong left the living room, his footsteps seemed somewhat cheerful.

Perhaps amidst his anxiety, unease, and astonishment, he was praying that it would be a BMW — the dream of Mr. Dubian.

’Dad, how are you going to withstand the encroachment of capitalists like this!’ Dubian Che mocked in his mind.

"I’ll go take a look," Dubian Zhi said, uneasy.

"I’m going to see, too!" Little Lian ran out after her, the floor thudding with her steps.

Dubian Che turned his gaze away and picked up a piece of persimmon cake.

Biting into the first piece, he noticed Kiyono Lin touching her chin with her hand, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Should I also give Aunt Zhi a gift, like a kimono?" Kiyono Lin pondered.

"You don’t need to do that just yet, do you? Plus, the kimono you give will definitely be too expensive."

Having spent a lot of time with Jiutiao Meijie, Dubian Che had seen various kimonos.

Some, like those with Zen themes, were not only hand-painted but also handcrafted, and their prices could buy an apartment in Tokyo.

"It’s just a gesture of respect for an elder, what are you thinking about," Kiyono Lin said with an annoyed glare at Dubian Che.

’The word "respect," is that really okay?’ Dubian Che didn’t verbalize the question.

The persimmon cake in his hand was so sweet it made it impossible for him to speak; he was gulping down tea at the time.

After a while, a group of people came back.

Dubian’s father returned with several forms and newly acquired car keys, a smile he couldn’t hide on his face.

"Che, Che, we have gifts too!" Little Lian ran over, shouting towards Dubian Che.

"Really? What kind of gifts?" Dubian Che asked.

"Just some drawing tools, nothing much of a gift," Jiutiao Meijie said.

After this incident, there was nothing else noteworthy; the New Year in the countryside, on the whole, was quite dull.

The father drove the new car to visit friends at work, while everyone else stayed home to play the Fukuwarai game.

Little Lian drew facial features for five people.

Although there were no eyes or mouths, she captured the shape of the face and hairstyles so well that it was easy to tell who was who.

When the game began, the person whose turn it was would be blindfolded, and they’d arrange facial features like eyes, nose, and mouth.

Dubian Che put the nostrils on the forehead; Kiyono Lin swapped the left and right eyes; Jiutiao Meijie placed the mouth upside down...

The faces of the five people, which scored the lowest at 7 points, were so comical after being assembled that everyone burst into laughter.

Mrs. Dubian even affixed these five facial feature prints onto the living room pillar.

There, alongside the marks from measuring Dubian Che’s height in the past.

Jiutiao Meijie gave Mr. Dubian a car worth 20 million yen, which Dubian Che saw later on.

He didn’t understand what a Lexus was, or what a flagship luxury MPV meant, only that the backseat was big enough for a young lady to stretch her legs with no problem.

After spending a calm New Year’s, on January 2nd, it was time for them to return to Tokyo.

Jiutiao Meijie, not wanting to waste time, had a helicopter fly the three of them back to Tokyo.

The helicopter, with a length of 19.75 meters, main rotor length of 16.62 meters, and height of 5.54 meters, was a shock to the villagers.

But perhaps with Mr. Dubian’s new car ahead, they would accept this... right?

Inside the cabin, which was very spacious and could accommodate up to 18 people, was arranged like a conference room.

After boarding, Queen Jiutiao immediately fell asleep, while Lady Kiyono was engrossed in reading a book.

Only Dubian Che, who had never seen such things, kept looking around, studying the pilot’s operational commands.

Then, he took out his phone to take pictures and posted them in the family group.

Every time he did this, Lady Kiyono’s phone would vibrate, and she would shoot an impatient glance at Dubian Che.

Then, Dubian Che would take photos of them both.

Upon accidentally capturing Tokyo Tower, they knew, Tokyo had been reached.

◇

On January 2nd, I visited the Jiutiao family.

On January 3rd, Dubian Che went out to look for a house.

The weather was clear and sunny, the streets sparkling with light, almost as if it were summer.

On the sidewalks, a smattering of office workers had started work on the second day of the New Year; at lunchtime, those in suits were out hunting for food.

There were also friends out shopping and families taking walks.

The couple approaching Dubian Che were young and married.

"Shall we take a walk to Chidorigafuchi and the Imperial Palace?" the wife suggested excitedly.

"Eh—, that’s a bit too far," the husband was not as keen.

"What does it matter? East Yan, you stay at home all day. We rarely go out, let’s enjoy the sun," said the wife, her tone gentle but with a slight insistence.

"Alright, if that’s what you want, Yuuki."

"I love you the most," the wife said affectionately, linking arms with her husband.

They seemed very much in love, as the young wife didn’t even glance at Dubian Che, her eyes fixed on her husband the entire time.

After they passed by, Dubian Che thought to himself:

Would Meiji ever walk arm-in-arm with me, leaning her weight on me, coquettishly like that?

Mayi... I really hope there comes a day when everything is legitimate and above board.

Dubian Che admitted to himself that he was a scumbag, playing two sides.

What he could do now was to avoid hurting either of them, and at the same time, not accept any other woman’s kindness.

As for his god—Kiyono Lin...

He decided not to think about that problem and to leave all that worry and decision-making to his future self.

He might regret it, he might be sad, he might be happy, but all that was for the future.

Now, he was on his way to Mayi’s invitation.

They were going to live very close to each other.

It was a thought that lightened his step.

Dubian Che put his hands in his pockets and strolled slowly, enjoying the sunshine alone.

The spotty sunlight filtering through the trees and his every move were as graceful as the ukiyo-e paintings on display at the Nezu Art Museum.

◇

Following the address Mayi Asuka had given him, it was an apartment building five minutes from Shinano Town station.

A staff member, who had been booked in advance, took Dubian Che to view the apartment.

"The apartment was completed in February 2014, with 10 floors in total and 195 units. It’s RC-structured, with excellent earthquake resistance, meeting the new seismic standards..."

In the elevator, the staff member repeated the oft-heard spiel.

They reached the fifth floor.

The staff member took out the keys and opened room 502.

"Sir, this apartment has an interior area of 105.86㎡, with 3 bedrooms and 2 living rooms; the balcony area is 21.3㎡."

As the introduction went on, Dubian Che looked around and indeed, it was quite nice.

There was a crescent-shaped bathtub in the bathroom, and from the balcony, one could see the Meiji Shrine.

"Sir, there are 3 stations and 2 lines nearby... The shopping and electronics districts are close by... If you enjoy sports, the Shengong Outer Garden is frequented by professional athletes for their morning jogs."

"Let’s take this one."

Viewing the apartment was just a formality. Mayi lived on the sixth floor, so Dubian Che had intended to live here from the start.

After discussing the details, they left the room.

While Dubian Che was dealing with the chatter of the staff member, he pondered whether to move the appliances from his old rental or to simply buy new ones.

"Ah! This is so heavy!"

"I told you we didn’t need it; you can buy anything in Tokyo, but you insisted on bringing it!"

"Well, if you have the nerve, then don’t eat it later!"

"I helped carry it, why shouldn’t I eat it?"

"Alright, alright, you two have been bickering the whole way; we’re home now!"

Three young women, laden with bags and practically collapsing under their weight, appeared in front of Dubian Che.

"Dubian?" Xiaoquan Aonai’s beautiful oval face was full of surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Young man, your motives seem quite transparent," joked Miyazaki Mieko, her bosom amply endowed.

"Hehehe," chuckled Akiko with a hint of mischief.

"I..." Dubian Che didn’t know how to explain.

So he resorted to a festive greeting:

"Happy New Year, teacher."