Tokyo Tycoon, Start as a Writer

Chapter 16 I Like This Mom

The young sprouts of prickly ash wrapped in fried flour roll in the oil pan, gradually turning into golden yellow, and a fragrant smell wafts over.

Take out the fried ones and place them on the rack.

After the oil has drained, sprinkle some pepper on top.

"This thorny bud is collected from Arashiyama in Kyoto. It is the bud of a wild tree. I don't know where your home is, so I can only let you taste the taste of my hometown. I hope it can comfort you."

As he spoke, Arun tilted his head and smiled, making Matsueda Kiyoaki feel the warmth and sincerity like the sun.

Under the quiet and bright lights in the kitchen, the gentle and classical beauty tied a red apron and cooked for him with great concentration.

"It's done, come and taste it."

Arun picked up a piece of prickly ash tempura, caught it with his hand, and brought it to his mouth.

There was a gleam in her eyes and a gentleness in her mouth.

I can’t stand it anymore, this woman’s maternal instinct is so strong…

Kiyoaki Matsueda opened his mouth obediently and accepted the food.

The freshly fried tempura is crispy and the sprouts inside have a light fragrance, which neutralizes the greasiness of fried food very well.

The taste is first-rate.

"How does it taste?" Arun asked with a smile.

"It tastes bitter first, then sweet." Songzhi Qingxian tasted it, "Especially the young thorn buds, which are a bit bitter when you first eat them, but after you swallow them, there is a light sweet aftertaste, and the fragrance melts on the tip of your tongue."

"It's bitter before it's sweet..."

Arun's expression became somewhat nostalgic, and he said softly, "It's like when you remember your ancestors, the bitterness of longing and the sweetness of memories."

When she was a child, her family was poor. Whenever she was hungry, her mother would run several kilometers along the mountain roads to pick young thorn shoots and fry them for her to eat.

Later, when she grew up and was able to run around the mountains by herself, her family moved to Tokyo.

Later on, I had money and no longer lacked food.

My mother is gone too.

For some reason, looking at her lost in memories, Kiyoaki Matsueda felt a kind of excitement like a low-grade fever, and he had a kind of calm and gentle resonance with her.

"Haha, let's not talk about anything else." Arun suddenly shook his head, and a gentle smile returned to his face. "Try the tofu meatballs. It's also a dish passed down from my mother's family."

Kiyoaki Matsueda picked up a spoon and scooped up a meatball from another pot.

The tofu is made into balls with some meat filling in the middle and the skin is baked until crispy and delicious.

When you take a bite, the sweetness of soybeans and the fatty aroma of minced meat blend perfectly in your mouth, with a simple and noble taste.

"This is the most delicious thing I've eaten all week..." said Kiyoaki Matsueda, scooping up the second tofu ball.

Looking at the confused young writer who was revived by the delicious food, a satisfied smile appeared on Arun's face.

When she smiled, it was as if holy light was spreading out.

I like this mother... Kiyoaki Matsueda ate while looking at her and dissed a certain Masako who wished not to reveal her name in his heart.

We are all middle-aged women, look at what they do.

■

"Ahh~"

Shinsako Matsueda, who was far away at home, suddenly sneezed.

■

After tasting Kyoto's specialties, it's time to leave.

Arun escorted the young man to the door and waved his hand cordially: "Welcome to come often in the future. There are many writers gathering here every day. It would be great if you could come and exchange your creative experience with them."

The faint smile on her face gave people a perfect feeling.

It was like a smile of perfect completion, as if “ending” would be typed in the next second.

"Today's dish..." Songeda Qingxian's expression was a little hesitant.

"You can't treat special care as normal." Arun seemed to see through his thoughts and waved his hand lightly, "Go back."

Songeda Qingxian had no choice but to give up.

"Unless you can make my eyes light up..." Arun said behind him. What does it mean to make her eyes light up?
How about I learn welding now and then perform for her tomorrow?
Kiyoaki Matsueda couldn't help but laugh.

Walking on the streets of Ginza where the lights were just coming on, he felt the most relaxed and happy since he had traveled through time.

Then, he received a message from Midori Kobayashi on his mobile phone, indicating that he had received 10 yen, which made him even happier.

We squeezed onto the train and headed back to Yotsuya.

In the night, the lights in the Matsueda family were turned on.

The old mansion was silent and empty, with only the faint shadows of trees.

The lights were on in the living room, and when Kiyoaki Matsueda walked into the yard, he could see two people sitting on the sofa.

One of them is Masako, and the other one has her back to the door, so her appearance cannot be seen clearly. Judging from her back in a kimono, she should be an aunt from a relatively well-off family.

In front of the living room door, Songeda Qingxian stopped and prepared to go around to the back before entering the house.

Suddenly, there seemed to be light.

The light, as light as a feather, dimly illuminates the courtyard.

A girl's voice sounded.

"Where have you been? No one's cooking today!"

What a delicate and clear voice - Kiyoaki Matsueda couldn't help but admire it.

The girl walked over from the side, and the light from the mobile phone screen illuminated her delicate and cold face.

The facial features are delicate and small.

Straight black hair and skin as white as porcelain.

The dark eyes reflected the soft light.

This beautiful girl who seemed to have walked out of a comic book was Matsueda Luming, who had nothing special except her beauty.

The name of Pine Branches and Deer Calling comes from "Xiaoya Deer Calling" in "The Book of Songs" - Deer call, eating apples in the wild.

Facing Matsueda Luming who was very unhappy because of hunger, Matsueda Kiyoaki said unhappily: "Your mother said she wanted to entertain your sister and kicked me out. If you want to scold her, go scold her."

"Oh, no wonder..." The girl looked understanding.

"Is that your aunt in there? Why does your mother look so unhappy with her?" Kiyoaki Matsueda asked curiously.

From his perspective, he could only see Masako's face, which looked very ugly.

"My mother and my aunt have never gotten along since they were young."

Matsueda Luming also looked inside the house and explained the reason in her clear and pleasant voice like an annoying young writer: "My mother was born in the Shimizu Tokugawa family, one of the three nobles of the Tokugawa clan. In fact, her status was higher than that of the Matsueda family. When my mother was young, her parents were still alive and she lived a good life. But after her biological mother passed away, her father found her a stepmother. After her stepmother gave birth to a little daughter, her life became difficult."

Tsk, this plot...

Songzhi Qingxian thought about it briefly and asked, "Is it because your step-grandmother kept whispering in your grandpa's ear that he favored your aunt and gradually neglected your mother?"

"If it were just that, it would be fine. But my aunt appears to be a quiet and virtuous woman on the surface, but secretly she is a vicious and cruel little bitch..." Songzhi Luming said with some disgust.

This "sister" can make the cold-mannered Matsueda Luming swear, it seems that she is really annoying. Matsueda Kiyoaki moved closer to listen to the gossip.

In the living room, Matsueda Shinsako looked cold and impatient.

Her younger sister, Tachibana Mihoko, sat opposite her, with her long hair falling down beside her cheeks, looking gloomy, sad and literary.

Matsueda Masako looked on coldly.

She knew better than anyone that this woman liked to package herself as weak and unfortunate in order to earn the sympathy of others.

When my younger sister was very young, she would sob while holding back her tears, and complain to my father in a tea-smelling voice, falsely accusing her!
Because the younger sister acted very realistically, and the older sister was too proud to be wrongly accused, every time the two sisters made a scene in front of their father, it was a bloody drama of "the arrogant older daughter bullying the sickly younger sister". The older sister had no idea how much she had suffered since she was a child.

In the empty living room, the sisters' eyes met.

My sister looked at me with disgust and disdain, as if she was looking at an enemy.

The younger sister stared with bright eyes and spoke weakly: "A few days ago, my sister got a good husband. I should have been there to congratulate her, but I couldn't be there due to unavoidable reasons. I think it hurt my sister's heart, so when she saw me today, she showed such a hostile look. My heart is broken. To express my apology, I bow to my sister first."

After she finished speaking, my sister folded her hands on her belly and bowed gracefully to apologize.

Full of tea flavor!

(End of this chapter)