Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 334 Which room should I sleep in tonight?

"Today's salad seems to taste a little off."

The windowsill was shining with light, and when the three of them sat at the same table to eat for the first time, Takeda Shinki's brows tightened.

She prefers vegetarian food, and the salads her sister used to make were particularly to her liking.

"The tomatoes were cut into different sizes, the lettuce was not completely torn, and even this sauce was not fully torn."

Takeda Shinki picked up another piece of green leaf and put it into her mouth.

The sauce had a little olive oil for flavor, but the ratio of tarragon vinegar to salt seemed wrong.

"It's like a dish that was made in a hurry."

Takeda Maki frowned in dissatisfaction. She ordered the salad and she suspected that her sister deliberately made the dish unpalatable.

"Takako prepared all the dinner by herself. If salad doesn't work, why don't you eat something else?"

Longchuan Che held the bowl and chewed the smoked ham.

My wife cut the ham slices very thin and fine, and the rich fat spread on the tip of my tongue when I chewed it.

"That's it."

In the past, my elder sister would often teach me a lesson, but now my wife is not afraid of her at all.

“Don’t ask so many questions when you open your mouth to eat.”

The lady was still wearing the same mature-style long skirt, and her figure was graceful and curvy as she sat in front of the small table.

She skillfully picked up a piece of beef for Longchuan Che who was speaking for her, then raised her eyebrows at her sister.

'Look how deliciously he is eating.'

The lady showed this expression to her sister, and Takeda Shinki took a deep breath and put another piece of salad into her mouth.

The purple chrysanthemum has a refreshing taste. Takeda Maki enjoyed it and also picked up a piece for Ryukawa Toru.

"Eat quickly, and then come to my room. I have something to tell you."

My wife likes to eat meat, but my husband likes to eat light food.

Longchuan Che chewed the purple chrysanthemum which had a light taste.

"What's up, the Booker Prize?"

The wife said that Takeda Shinki would contact the British Writers Association in the afternoon. Ryukawa Toru looked at her tassel earrings and blinked, with some curiosity in his eyes.

The Booker Prize is of great significance to the Western market. After "Norwegian Wood" was rejected by Patrick, Ryukawa Toru has been thinking about other novels.

"The Booker Prize is not that urgent. The shortlist will be announced at the end of August."

Takeda Maki was very satisfied that Ryukawa Tetsu ate her purple chrysanthemum, nodded and said:
"It's about the short story prize."

The Frank Short Story Award will begin recommending the long list in the next two days, and the short list will be announced a week later. The winning works will be selected at the end of July.

“What exactly is the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award for?”

Ryukawa Toru has some knowledge of literature, but there are too many literary awards abroad. The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award was entered for him by Takeda Maki, so she doesn't know many things about him.

“The Frank O’Connor Fiction Prize was established only two years ago, and this year is the third year of its creation, to raise the profile of short fiction in the literary world and to reward the person who is considered to have written the best collection of stories that year.”

"A collection of stories?"

Longchuan Che felt that he had discovered a blind spot.

"Yes."

Takeda Maki took half a sweet and sour tomato and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Although there are no clear requirements, a short story like "The Blind Girl and the Sleeping Girl" may not be enough."

The entry for the Frank O'Connor Fiction Prize was rather hasty, and Takeda Maki was only shortlisted for the long list.

Although the purpose of this novel award is to increase the popularity of short stories in the literary world, Ryukawa Toru will have to write a few more if he wants to win the award.

"Why do you have to hide in the room to talk about this kind of thing?"

Longchuan Toru smacked his lips. Takeda Shinki had just been acting so mysterious that he thought there was something that his wife couldn't know.

After shoveling the food on the plate into his mouth in a few bites, Long Chuan Che got up and went back to his room to get the snow-white manuscript paper.

The summer nights in Provence were slightly cool, and the leaves and distant mountains looked desolate and green under the night sky. The wife cut some fruit and placed it in the courtyard, and helped Longchuan Che get a small stool.

"You guys can go do your own thing."

Ryuukawa Toru is preparing to write a book, but the two women don't seem to want to leave.

His wife was looking at him with a smile on her face, while Takeda Maki was sitting in a rocking chair in the courtyard reading "Norwegian Wood".

“There’s nothing to do.”

Summer nights seem to lack a palm-leaf fan and a watermelon chilled with well water.

The wife leaned against Ryukawa Tetsu, ignoring the disdainful look from her sister.

"We're here with you."

The lady's words were gentle, and Takeda Shinki turned a page in the book.

The night casts a shadow on the faces of two women who look similar but have very different styles.

The wife wore a long dress with a light and mature style, and Takeda Shinki was dressed elegantly.

"Thanks?"

The two women behaved a little strangely, but Longchuan Che didn't think much about it.

He spread the snow-white manuscript paper on the table.

"The Ghost of Lexington?"

When writing the book, my wife was close to me, while Takeda Maki was a little far away.

The woman watched Longchuan Che write these words and read them out without hesitation.

"where is this?"

Lexington is obviously a place name, the lady asked curiously.

"A small town northwest of Boston where the American Revolutionary War began."

Takeda Maki was reading a book, but she seemed to be paying attention to this place as well.

She explained a few words casually and then looked at her sister with a frown.

"I remember sending you a postcard from Lexington? You don't know this place?"

My sister's words caused my wife to roll her eyes. Many foreign names seemed the same to her, and she had no idea which was which.

“Yes, this is where the American Revolutionary War began.”

Ryukawa Toru casually explained to his wife and continued writing.
-
I met a gray-haired architect in Cambridge, Massachusetts, whose name is Casey.

The story unfolds from a first-person perspective, but the word "ghost" in the title makes my wife feel a little uneasy.

"You don't write horror novels, do you?"

The lady was a little hesitant. She was timid and she would not stay here if Ryukawa Toru wrote a novel with horror elements.

"well enough."

Lexington is a fantasy novel, mainly telling the story of my friend "Kathy" who was housekeeping and suddenly heard music and dancing downstairs in the middle of the night. It turns out that there were ghosts haunting Kathy's house in Lexington.

"You're still afraid of ghosts at this age?"

The two were chatting there, and Takeda Maki was sitting on a rattan chair, sneering disdainfully.

She moved her chair closer to Longchuan Tetsu.

"Let me see."

The short story was written very quickly, and Longchuan Che had written hundreds of words in a short while.
-
After knowing each other for half a year, Kathy asked me to look after his house. In the past, Jeremy always looked after him when he went out, but this time it was not possible.
One of the basic skills of a writer is to make the reader feel involved. Watching Ryukawa Tetsu write, "I tiptoed to the door, holding my breath, and heard the dry heartbeat in my ears."

Takeda Shinki swallowed up and down her throat.

Distant mountains, dark night, and the whistling wind coming from afar.

Takeda Shinki didn't know why this guy wanted to write a ghost story at this time.

(End of this chapter)