Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 132 Fireworks Illuminate Half the Sky

Speaking of Tokyo, there is a place for fun that is not found anywhere else.

That is houseboat tours.

This is a bit like the activities on the Qinhuai River in Jinling. Customers can take a houseboat to tour the river in Tokyo, drink, sing songs, and eat some unique food that is not usually available.

Sometimes, you can even see fireworks displays.

But this is impossible now, because it is already September, and various fireworks festivals in the Tokyo area have basically ended in July.

After the filming, Gu Ming fulfilled his promise and came out to relax a little.

It can also be regarded as a reward for my hard work in the past year.

At the Sumida River Pier, Gu Ming, dressed casually, leaned on the counter and approached the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand. Could you explain to me in more detail the differences between those options?"

"Of course." The receptionist did his job conscientiously and explained the tour options here.

"Generally speaking, there are large and small houseboats, depending on the model. Generally speaking, if you are just going for a party, it is recommended to choose a large houseboat, which will be more reasonably priced. However, if you are going for a private party, you can choose a small houseboat, which will be slightly more expensive."

"The number of tourists in the large houseboats varies, but in the small houseboats, there are usually three or four groups of tourists, so there won't be too many people, making it more suitable for private fun."

As for renting a houseboat, no one would do such a thing.

Seeing that Gu Ming was still pondering, the receptionist continued, "We also have a special catering delivery today, an extremely fresh seafood sashimi set..."

"Oh, no, let's cook it and eat it."

Gu Ming is a little uncomfortable with eating sashimi, just like Narita Hengkakaxuan's lantern, Gu Ming can never accept it.

After listening to the front desk's explanation, Gu Ming made his decision. He booked a spot on a small houseboat and, of course, chose the tempura set meal.

No matter what, the tempura is at least cooked. Gu Ming still wants to eat something hot. Otherwise, it would be too pitiful if he was the only one steaming among all the dishes on the table.

There was a boat that had not yet departed, so Gu Ming took Shaqin to sit down. After waiting for a while, the four groups of customers were all present, and the boat was finally dispatched, sailing along the Sumida River.

There are screens on both sides, and no waiters come to disturb you. Apart from the occasional low voices, it can be said to be a completely private and enclosed space.

Gu Ming was still not used to kneeling, so he sat there cross-legged without any image. Through the window, he could see the scenery on both sides of the Sumida River.

"Oh." Gu Ming sighed, "Thank you for the bitterness of my hometown."

It wasn't a very funny thing, but Shaqin still covered her face and chuckled.

"I always feel like Furuya-kun has a kind of casualness that's not very Japanese."

Gu Ming responded casually, "I see things like this every year, so there's nothing much to be sad about."

Mono no aware is impossible, and Gu Ming can only be Igo at most.

As he spoke, Gu Ming poured a glass of wine for each of them.

Gu Ming had come into contact with sake before. It was said that it had a strong aftertaste. It tasted ordinary at first, but would make you drunk if you drank more.

A small wine glass, you can scoop it in one gulp.

Gu Ming drank it all in one gulp, but felt it was not very satisfying and wanted to drink from the bottle.

Shaqin covered her mouth with her sleeve and took a small sip.

Seeing her frowning slightly, Gu Ming asked casually, "Are you not used to drinking?"

"Yes, not often. In the past, I would only drink a little with my father during festivals."

Gu Ming nodded.

This is quite common.

Seeing that she fell silent for some reason, Gu Ming did not ask any more questions and looked through the window towards the shore.

It was almost evening, and the lights on both sides of the river were brightly lit. Various shop signs could be seen, the most common of which were those fireworks houses named "XX House".

Occasionally, passers-by would look towards the houseboat, but their gazes would disappear immediately.

Gu Ming suddenly became interested: "You are looking at the scenery on the boat, and the people in the scenery are also looking at you."

Shaqin said, "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares into you."

Seeing Gu Ming's slightly surprised expression, she added, "Nietzsche said that."

Gu Ming let out an "oh".

It turns out that this was said by Nietzsche.

"But who is Nietzsche?" "A philosopher."

"Philosopher, I don't know him."

Shaqin laughed.

Of course it’s impossible to know him! Nietzsche has been dead for over seventy years.

Gu Ming picked up a pickled radish and bit into the diced radish, making a crunching sound.

"Actually, I..."

"I actually..."

Gu Ming paused, then smiled and said, "You go first."

"No, no, you should speak first."

"Okay then. What I want to say is, actually, I'm not used to this kind of leisurely environment. Even though I'm exhausted when working, I'm not used to it when I relax."

Gu Ming looked out the window and said, "It would be great if there were fireworks going off at this time. It would make me feel more lively."

"It seems that Furuya-kun is a person who likes lively atmosphere."

Shaqin silently poured a glass of wine for the two of them, and this time she didn't hide it and drank it all in one gulp.

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol that I finally had something to say.

"Actually, I used to be a student at the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo. But for some reason, I wasn't able to graduate."

Gu Ming exclaimed, "That's pretty impressive too."

"And my father was once a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo."

Gu Ming hummed but didn't respond.

Seeing that Gu Ming didn't react, Shaqin pinched her fingers and looked more and more hesitant.

"Um... doesn't Furuya-kun know?"

"Know what?" Gu Ming said: "I only came to Tokyo in the past few years. Before that, I just hung out in my hometown, wandering the streets, doing odd jobs, leaving early and returning late, and didn't care much about other things."

Shaqin was relieved a little and finally made up her mind.

"Actually, my father didn't die, he just went to jail."

Gu Ming raised his eyebrows.

No wonder she doesn't talk much about family matters.

"Do you feel ashamed because someone in your family is in jail? Not really. I don't think it's a big deal."

Gu Ming paused for a moment and continued, "So what crime did uncle commit that landed him in jail?"

Shaqin hesitated to speak.

What else can I do?

Organize students and take part in street activities!
Wearing a safety helmet, wire gloves, and holding a stick, they charged into the streets and fought with the Mobile Special Service Team.

Although it was not his original intention, he had no choice but to do so after being put in that position by newspapers and public opinion.

And when the colorful clouds finally dispersed and the fireworks dimmed, everyone chose to escape and instead sent him to bear all the blame.

"Actually, my father is..."

Shaqin was about to say something else when fireworks exploded outside the window.

Gu Ming quickly rushed to the window and looked over, only to see fireworks blooming on both sides of the river, lighting up half the sky red.

"That's weird. Didn't they say there would be no fireworks display? Why are they setting off fireworks at this time?"

Gu Ming called the waiter over to ask, and the waiter explained apologetically, "Normally, there aren't any. But this time, it might be a spontaneous act by merchants on both sides of the strait. It seems that because the fireworks sales are good this year, they set off an extra one as a farewell."

"Really? That's not bad."

Gu Ming returned to his seat and said with a smile, "This can be considered as making up for the regret from before. I can watch the fireworks now. By the way, what did you say just now?"

Shaqin smiled and shook her head.

Or, let's not talk about it for now. Since Gu Ming doesn't know, then she won't talk about it for now.

(End of this chapter)