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

Chapter 68 The Master is Talking to You!

12 month 31 day.

This day is New Year's Eve.

The Japanese clean up their house to welcome the New Year.

Toru Ryukawa received a call from his Tokyo editor early in the morning.

"Longchuan Jun, have you offended someone?"

A light blue fluorescence was sprinkled on the black flip phone, and the middle-aged man's voice came from the Sony receiver.

Longchuan Che had been staying up late to write a book for the past two days and was still asleep. They heard the man's voice over there, which was a little hurried but accompanied by a faint rustling sound.

That's pine branches sliding across the floor.

The other person is cleaning.

Even though she was busy with housework, she still called to show concern for the author.

Longchuan Che tucked the quilt tighter and said, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year's Eve. No, you sound listless." Taro Ono is a man in his forties, with a turban on his head and a duster in his hand, cleaning his house in Bunkyo Ward.

Behind him is his daughter weaving a knotted rope, and in the distance is his wife making rice cake soup.

It was a warm festive atmosphere, but he was obviously more concerned about Longchuan Che's condition at this time.

"I stayed up late last night, writing a novel."

Longchuan Che yawned lazily, he held the phone a little further away and checked the time.

It's already eight or nine in the morning. Because he has the leverage over Mrs. Takeda, he has been able to have everything he wants these days and no longer has to get up early in the morning to do housework.

"Longchuan-kun, I am so touched."

Taro Ono's eyes were filled with tears.

A good author is one who can think about completing his or her work without being urged by the editor. Longchuan Che is different from those authors under him who slack off all day long. He is worthy of being the person he has chosen to take up the important role in the literary world.

"What do you mean I offended people?"

Longchuan Che ignored the flattery of his editor, he had not forgotten what the other party said at the beginning.

Offend?
The person he had offended the most recently was probably Mr. Hirasawa at the entrance of the village.

He said that his firewood room was not big enough and he wanted to borrow some from Longchuan Che's house to store firewood for the winter.

Longchuan Che suggested that he wear two more layers of clothes so that he could save time going up the mountain to chop firewood.

Most of the things happening in rural areas are trivial matters like this, and it is common for people to occupy space and not return it.

If it were the old Longchuan Tetsu, he would probably happily help the other person carry in the firewood.

Just like when he first held Mrs. Takeda's hand and walked into his home.

Longchuan Tetsu was lost in his thoughts when the editor Ono on the other side continued:
"Professor Makoto Miya of the University of Tokyo and the author of Rokumeikan, Yufu Kaga, both criticized the interview I wrote last time in print media today."

Longchuan Che suspected that he had heard it wrong.

He patted his head.

He glanced at his phone.

On the screen was a selfie of Matsueda Muko, who was looking at herself with a smile.

"Slamming the interview?"

Ryukawa Toru was thinking about whether he should call the other party later, and at the same time he didn't quite understand why Ono Taro said that he had offended someone.

He wrote the article and he was the one who boasted about it.

When it comes to offending people, Taro Ono, who likes to roll up his sleeves at every turn, looks more likely to cause trouble.

"It is said that Shinchosha has started to operate commercially and is planning to promote an unknown writer without any background."

Ono Taro's face was serious. "They also said that you might be the illegitimate son of some big shot, and that you were planning to make a debut in literature and impact the Japanese political arena."

In Japan, culture and politics are inseparable. Ryukawa Toru yawned lazily. He was not interested in those high-ranking officials.

"I feel that the world has suffered from New Trend for a long time, and I am planning to rise up and break New Trend's leading position in one fell swoop."

After saying this, Ryuukawa Toru hung up the phone as the editor shouted, "Ah, ah, ah, you kid." At the same time, he lay in bed thinking about the impact of the so-called literary experts' attacks on him.

He knew that it was Makoto Ichirō Miya, the director of the Institute of Oriental Literature History at the University of Tokyo.

He wrote an article called "World History - Language and Politics" which is highly authoritative in the literary world. Ryukawa Tetsu thought about it for a long time and found that the interview in which the other party attacked Ono Taro was not only harmless but also beneficial to him.

The emergence of authoritative figures will bring greater social attention.

The serialized notice that was originally just slowly fermenting will be known to more and more people.

"Black and red are both red. As long as the quality of Snow Country is good enough, the criticism will turn into traffic. Which kind-hearted person found a large number of writers to support it?"

Longchuan Che lay on the bed and thought about it, and finally concluded that the reason was that Shinchosha had offended too many people.

Now Taro Ono has also come out and said he would change the literary atmosphere, which has attracted a large number of people to ridicule him.

"Will this editor implicate me?"

Longchuan Che got up and put on his clothes, still a little worried about being implicated by Shinchosha.

Although he enjoys making good use of the black traffic, he will still be labeled as a person with connections and a newcomer in commercial operations for a while.

Many people will have certain prejudices against Ryukawa Toru before they meet him because of the opinions of authoritative figures.

Golden sunlight came in through the window, and when Long Chuan Che got up, the teapot on the small stove was bubbling.

The boiling water burst out clusters of warm steam, and Mrs. Takeda was tying pine branches together with a focused look on her face.

"Making Kadomatsu?"

Ryukawa Toru took the bowl of noodles on the table and sat down next to the woman. In addition to the pine branches in Takeda Takako's hands, there were also bamboo and wintersweet.

“Hmm…” Takeda Takako looked serious as she arranged the pine branches into beautiful shapes.

Apart from being a little stupid, women are also very good at making little things very delicate.

Ryukawa Toru took two bites of the soba noodles cooked in the morning. He always gets up at this time recently, and Takeda Takako also has the habit of preparing breakfast before he gets up.

"I am just a woman who is forced to take care of the little scoundrel."

Mrs. Takeda sighed in her heart and said that if Longchuan Toru had not held her handle and snatched her fan, she would not have made breakfast for him.

Longchuan Che didn't know what the woman was thinking. After finishing his soba noodles, which he didn't know was for breakfast or lunch, he stood up and rolled up his sleeves.

"What do you want me to do?"

Today is Chuhui Day, a day for family cleaning.

Longchuan Che has been lying leisurely for several days and plans to find something to do to stretch his muscles today.

"You? Let me think."

Takeda Takako glanced at the other person, then pinched her chin in thought.

The woman had an extremely charming face, and there was a hint of sadness in the corners of her eyes these days.

She is charming and delicate, which makes people want to bully her.

Ryukawa Toru lifted up the other person's face, and Mrs. Takeda looked at him pitifully.

"Nothing for me to do. You've been busy all morning. How about I help you relax?"

Longchuan Toru looked at the other person with a smile, and Takeda Takako's face suddenly turned red.

"Xiao, Xiao Qian is still upstairs, you, go and beat the rice cakes in the yard."

After being teased repeatedly by Longchuan Che, the woman had lost her former spirited look. She pushed Longchuan Che, not knowing whether he was being serious or not.

She didn't dare to think about how to relax.

The wife's earlobes turned as red as blood grapes in the morning mist. Longchuan Che pinched them and then walked into the courtyard with the mortar.

In the warm winter sun, the sound of distant bells can be heard from the shrine on the other side of Mount Fuji.

That is the New Year's Eve bell, which will ring 108 times tonight.

Ryuukawa Tetsu walked into the courtyard, his body feeling warm and full of strength after eating soba noodles.

When he picked up the mortar and was about to hit the hot glutinous rice in the mortar.

The wind came from far away.

A faint scent of wintersweet flowers.

With a creak, the gate of the courtyard opened with the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Mrs. Takeda, who was supposed to be in the house, was standing at the door, looking around the small ochre-colored courtyard.

(End of this chapter)