I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 136 The Nohara Family Affairs! Father Nohara Ginnosuke was extremely solemn! The division of the family property between the two brothers was to be clearly defined!
When the Toyota Land Cruiser returned to the Nohara family's yard, the old house was filled with warm and joyful laughter, just like boiling water, bubbling with happiness.

The car door opened, and the two brothers stepped out one after the other.

"You two... you've been drinking and you still dare to drive?!"

However, what greeted them was not a warm embrace, but rather Nohara Tsuru's roar, filled with lingering fear and reproach.

This usually gentle mother was now like a lioness whose scales had been touched. She stood with her hands on her hips, and her eyes, which were always full of loving smiles, were burning with a fury that could burn both of her sons to ashes.

"Especially you! You idiot!" Her venom was aimed precisely at her eldest son, who was still grinning foolishly: "You're a 'president' now, how can you still be so insensible?! What if... what if something happens?! What will your father and I do?! What will Yuka do?!"

This reprimand, filled with "motherly" concern, was like a bucket of just the right amount of cold water, instantly extinguishing the slight euphoria that Nohara Saji had developed due to alcohol.

His dark face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and he quickly lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes and mumbling an apology: "Mom...I...I was wrong..."

"Alright, alright, Ah He, you should say less."

Ginnosuke Nohara, standing to the side, was like the most dutiful "pig teammate." He swayed over, holding a wine glass, and his old face showed no worry whatsoever, but rather a proud expression of "my son is really something."

He patted his eldest son's shoulder heavily, his eyebrows twitching proudly: "What's this? Back in the day, even when I was completely drunk, I could still ride my bicycle all the way back to the village from town in the dark! The men of the Nohara family, our drinking capacity is just as top-notch as our courage!"

"Shut up!" Nohara Tsuru glared at him fiercely, the warning in her eyes enough to evaporate any alcohol instantly.

"Mom, don't blame my brother, I asked him to drive." Hiroshi Nohara smiled and stepped forward, gently pulling down his mother's hand that was still raised in mid-air. His voice was gentle, but it had a calming power: "Don't worry, my brother drives very steadily. Besides, this is a rural area, you can't even see a ghost at night, it's very safe."

"You! You!" Nohara Tsuru looked at his youngest son, who could always come up with a seemingly logical and reasonable argument, and his anger eventually turned into a helpless sigh.

She gently straightened his slightly wrinkled collar, her eyes still softening with reproach: "Alright, alright, come in and sit down. Everything... is it all taken care of?"

"of course!"

Before Hiroshi Nohara could even speak, Saji Nohara, like a child eager to show off his perfect test score to the teacher, puffed out his chest and his dark face was filled with excitement!

"Mom! You have no idea! Today... today felt like a dream!"

He was so excited that he waved his large, calloused hands wildly in the air, trying to use the most exaggerated body language to describe the fantastic journey he had experienced that day, which was enough to overturn all his understanding.

"The chairman of the agricultural cooperative, Suzuki, and the president of Akita Bank, Oshima, are usually big shots in our city who have the final say! But today, in front of Hiroshi, they're all like... like mice seeing a cat! They're so polite! So respectful!"

He paused, glanced at his younger brother beside him who was calmly sipping sake, and his simple eyes were filled with barely suppressed admiration and awe. His voice rose eight octaves:
"You guys didn't see it! When Hiroshi pulled out his payslip, that bank manager Oshima's eyes practically popped out of their sockets! He immediately approved a loan of 300 million yen for us! 300 million yen! And the interest... the interest rate is even lower than the interest rate we get on our savings accounts!"

"boom--!"

Three hundred million!
This number, like a real atomic bomb, exploded in the simple little hearts of Nohara Tsuru, Misae, and Ikuna!

"Three...three hundred million?!" Nohara Tsuru's teacup fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling scalding tea all over the floor, but she was completely oblivious, her face now showing only undisguised shock and blankness.

"Hiroshi-kun...you...how much money do you actually earn in a month?" Misae's big eyes, which had long since turned into "sex symbols," shone with undisguised fervor. She clung to Hiroshi Nohara's arm like a little koala clinging to a golden thigh, her voice so sweet it was sickening.

“I know that!” Nohara Saji interrupted again, as if he wasn’t talking about his brother’s income, but announcing that he had won the lottery jackpot.

He held up one finger, and under the increasingly intense gazes of the group, he spoke with an almost solemn tone, enunciating each word clearly:

"Ten million yen! Every month!"

"..."

The entire room instantly fell into an eerie, deathly silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Nohara Tsuru felt as if his brain had been completely turned into a paste by a high-speed blender!
She stared blankly at her youngest son, who was calmly sipping his tea. At that moment, his heart, which had long been worn down by reality, almost stopped beating!

"Hiro... Hiroshi... You... You wouldn't... have robbed a bank, would you?" Her voice was hoarse from extreme shock, and her eyes even carried a hint of a mother's instinctive fear of her child going astray.

"Mom, what are you thinking?"

In this deathly silence filled with shock and absurdity, Hiroshi Nohara's voice was as calm as a bottomless lake.

He put down his teacup, looked at his family members' completely stunned expressions, and a helpless, wry smile appeared on his face.

"This ten million is the sum of my salary at the TV station, bonuses from three projects, plus royalties and manuscript fees from two comic books. Every penny is clean."

He paused, and slowly, amidst the faces that still bore the mark of disbelief, he unleashed the final trump card—a card that would finally put their minds at ease.

"And this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"What?!" Everyone was even more shocked. This was just the small head?!

"The real highlight is the year-end advertising revenue sharing and the extra performance bonus from the TV station." Hiroshi Nohara's lips curled into a nonchalant smile, as if what he was about to talk about wasn't money, but a trivial matter.

"If nothing unexpected happens, by the end of this year, this dividend alone will probably be... two or three hundred million."

"..."

The entire room fell completely silent.

This time, even Nohara Ginnosuke, who was usually fearless and boasted that he had "seen the world," was struck on the spot as if by a bolt of lightning that swept across the heavens and earth!
He sat there blankly, all expression gone from his old face, which was always full of cunning and lewdness, leaving only a numbness and emptiness, as if utterly crushed by the absolute astronomical figures.

Two...three hundred million?!

He felt that all the alcohol he had ever drunk in his life, combined, was not as intoxicating as these four words at this moment!

“Hiroshi-kun…” Misae’s big eyes had already lost focus.

She felt as if she was holding not a man's arm.

It's not a machine, it's a walking, breathing, money-printing machine!

"This...how is this possible?!" Nohara Tsuru, this traditional housewife, finally regained some composure from the shock that had made her heart stop beating. Her voice trembled with disbelief: "How could the TV station...how could they possibly give you so much money?!"

"Mom, you don't understand."

Hiroshi Nohara patiently explained, his tone like that of a top financial analyst explaining the most basic business logic to his client: "Our TV Tokyo is different from other companies. To incentivize us frontline producers, the station has a clear rule that a portion of the advertising revenue and peripheral profits generated by any successful project will be allocated as bonuses to the core creative team."

"And me?" He spread his hands, his posture nonchalant yet carrying a hint of Versailles: "Yamishibai, Tales of the Unusual, and Super Transformation—I happen to be the chief producer, chief director, and chief planner for all three projects."

"So when it comes to year-end bonuses, while others get one share, I get three."

This explanation was like a key, instantly unlocking the mental shackles that had long been limited by poverty, restricting the imagination of everyone present!

They finally got it.

It turns out that there really are people in this world who can earn wealth through their talent that ordinary people like them can never achieve in several lifetimes!
"As expected of my son! As expected of Nohara Ginnosuke's son!"

In the midst of this deathly silence filled with awe and reverence, Ginnosuke Nohara's demonic laughter erupted without warning, like a thunderclap!

He suddenly jumped up from the tatami mat, and his old face, which had just been filled with numbness, was now filled with an almost manic ecstasy!
Like a lion that had been suppressed for half its life, he paced back and forth excitedly in the small Japanese-style room. His two thick eyebrows, which were exactly like his son's, moved up and down triumphantly, like two caterpillars on drugs!

"I knew it! I knew it! My son, Nohara Ginnosuke's son, is definitely no ordinary person! Hahahaha! Two or three hundred million! At that time, our Nohara family will be one of the richest families in the entire Omagari City, no! In the entire Akita Prefecture!"

He laughed as he pounded his chest, his voice so loud it seemed to lift the roof off: "Then, let's see who dares to call us country bumpkins! Let's see who dares to look down on the Nohara family!"

His arrogant, smug look made Nohara Tsuru shake his head, both amused and annoyed.

But her eyes, though etched with fine lines by time, remained clear and bright, and were also filled with immense pride.

The entire Nohara family was immersed in a warm atmosphere filled with hope and anticipation.

However, amidst this joyful atmosphere, Nohara Ginnosuke seemed to suddenly remember something of paramount importance.

The ecstasy on his face vanished instantly.

Instead, he frowned and looked at his two sons, Nohara Saji and Nohara Hiroshi, with a serious expression.

And as he pondered, he became increasingly serious.

It made everyone realize something.

"Ginnosuke?" Nohara Tsuru asked, wanting to inquire.

But Nohara Ginnosuke cleared his throat and waved to Nohara Tsuru and Misae, saying, "Alright, alright, it's getting late. Tsuru, you take your daughter-in-law and go to the inner room to rest. I... I have some important business to discuss with the two men in my family."

"Serious business?" Upon hearing this, Nohara Tsuru's usually gentle eyes revealed an undisguised suspicion.

She looked at her husband, an old man who did nothing but drink and look at beautiful women, and the distrust in his eyes was almost overflowing.

But when her gaze fell upon the rare, solemn look in her husband's small eyes, she paused for a moment, then seemed to understand something.

She nodded, pulled the still somewhat confused Misae into the inner room: "Let's go, let the men talk to themselves."

As the paper sliding door slowly closed, the entire living room instantly fell silent.

The only sounds in the air were the clearly audible breathing of the three people and the tireless chirping of autumn insects outside the window.

Nohara Ginnosuke did not speak immediately.

He simply walked to the shrine, respectfully lit three incense sticks, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply three times to the ancestral tablets that were already covered with a thin layer of incense ash.

That posture was one of unprecedented devotion.

After doing all this, he slowly turned around and sat down cross-legged again in front of the low table.

He looked at his two sons, one as steady as a mountain and the other as wise as the sea. All the frivolity on his old face, which was always full of cunning and lewdness, had faded away, leaving only a deep solemnity that belonged to a father.

"All right."

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a breath that seemed to carry away all the unruliness and frivolity of his life.

"Now, it's time to talk about the real, serious business of the Nohara family."

The warm and joyful atmosphere in the living room was instantly replaced by an unprecedented, almost frozen solemnity.

Hiroshi Nohara's slightly languid eyes, which had been dulled by a bit of intoxication, instantly became a little more alert.

He looked at his father, who usually did nothing but drink and look at beautiful women, and never did anything serious. At this moment, a deep and solemn expression, almost like that of a head of the family, appeared on his weathered old face.

He knew that what followed would probably not be easy.

Nohara Sashi instinctively straightened his back, and all the憨笑 (simple and honest smile) on his dark face had faded.

Looking into his father's small eyes, which seemed unusually bright under the dim light, his honest and simple heart began to pound uncontrollably.

“Dad, please speak.” His voice was steady, like the most solid ground in autumn.

Nohara Ginnosuke did not speak immediately.

He simply and slowly pulled a crumpled pack of Seven Stars cigarettes from the pocket of his already faded undershirt.

He pulled one out and put it in his mouth.

He struck a match with his large, rough hand, which was calloused from years of hard work.

"Thorn-"

A tiny flame flickered in his unfathomable eyes, reflecting the deep lines on his face and the profound anxiety of a father, hardened by life like a stubborn rock.

Nohara Ginnosuke took a deep breath.

The acrid smoke swirled in his weathered lungs, and as he exhaled, the swirling smoke blurred his already stern face, making it appear even more imposing. "Money."

Nohara Ginnosuke slowly uttered those heavy words, words that could corrupt any familial bond.

“Our Nohara family is rich now.”

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves in the hearts of his two sons.

“Sashi, you just said that our company will have 200 acres of land by the end of the year. Hiroshi, you also said that your year-end bonus will be 200 to 300 million.”

He paused, his small eyes, sharp as a hawk's, sweeping over his two sons who were far beyond his comprehension.

“I’ve lived for over fifty years and all the money I’ve ever seen combined doesn’t even amount to a fraction of what you two earn in a year. I’m so happy, really, I’m so proud of you.”

His voice was filled with pride.

But soon, that pride was replaced by a deeper, more fatherly worry about the future.

"But I was happier, and I was also more afraid."

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with a fierce stub, his eyes filled with the wisdom of an old man who had witnessed countless rises and falls throughout history.

"Throughout history, how many times have brothers turned against each other and fathers and sons become enemies because of money? Take the Yamamoto family in the next village, for example. Their two sons fought tooth and nail over a few acres of meager land and have never spoken to each other since."

“Our Nohara family no longer has just a few acres of meager land. We have hundreds of acres, and in the future, we will definitely have assets worth hundreds of millions.”

"You are brothers now, and your relationship is good, which is better than anything else. But what about ten years from now? What about twenty years from now? When you both have your own families and children, people's hearts will change."

These heartfelt words, like the sharpest knife, precisely pierced through the veil of warmth and affection, revealing the most cruel and realistic problem in its raw form to everyone.

Nohara Hiroshi fell silent.

He knew that what his father said was the truth.

It is also a human tragedy that has been playing out in this world for thousands of years, an eternal and unchanging tragedy of human nature.

Nohara Sashi's dark face instantly turned a deep liver color!
He stood up abruptly, his burly body trembling slightly with extreme excitement, and his simple eyes blazing with fury at being misunderstood by his loved ones!

"dad!"

His voice was loud and clear, filled with an undeniable resolve: "What are you saying?! Do you think I, Nohara Hajime, am the kind of person who would turn against my own brother for money?!"

He pointed to his chest, and the sound was like a war drum beating to prove his innocence!
“This company, from beginning to end, was built up by Hiroshi alone! He provided the initial start-up capital! He paid for the cars! Even the 300 million yen loan was guaranteed by him using his own reputation and income! And me? What have I, Nohara Hajime, done besides putting in all my physical labor?!”

"I'm just a figurehead! I'm just a lucky guy who benefited from my brother's fame!"

He paused, and all the anger on his resolute face faded, leaving only a deep unease from the bottom of his heart regarding this immense favor.

“Back then, when Guangzhi offered me 50% of the shares, I… I already felt unworthy of it. Now, as the company grows bigger and bigger, I feel increasingly uneasy. I… I can’t take such a big advantage of my younger brother!”

As he spoke, he turned around and looked at his younger brother, who had remained calm throughout, his eyes filled with the unwavering resolve of an elder brother.

“Hiroshi, listen to me. Starting tomorrow, no, starting now! I want to change the shares of this company! I… I only want ten percent at most! The rest is all yours! It’s what you deserve!”

These words are very powerful.

Like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, it instantly shattered the heavy atmosphere caused by suspicion!
Nohara Ginnosuke looked at his eldest son, who, though seemingly dull, was more clear-headed than anyone else when it came to matters of principle. Finally, an undisguised look of relief appeared in his small eyes.

“Very good, Xiazhi!” He nodded in satisfaction.

However, amidst this warm atmosphere filled with brotherly affection, Hiroshi Nohara's voice appeared, albeit reluctantly.

He was really helpless.

"No need, brother."

Hiroshi Nohara put down his glass, looking at his two family members, one excited and the other relieved, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Fifty percent, that's fifty percent. That's what we agreed on back then, no need to change it."

"No way!" Nohara Sashi retorted without hesitation, his neck stiff with arrogance. "That's not fair! I..."

"Big brother."

Hiroshi Nohara interrupted him, stood up, and walked to his older brother.

"you listen to me."

His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable power.

"This company is not a money-making tool for me. Money is just a number to me. I can make more money from any project I do in Tokyo than this farm makes in a year."

These words, imbued with the spirit of Versailles, struck Nohara Saji and Nohara Ginnosuke like an invisible hammer blow.

They knew the kid was telling the truth.

"The reason I set up this company and why I acquired land regardless of cost is because of this."

Hiroshi Nohara paused, a profound insight into the future flashing in his calm eyes.

"It's because I need roots. A solid rear that allows our Nohara family to truly take root in this land."

"No matter how prosperous Tokyo is, it is still a castle built on the beach. Before long, an unprecedented storm will come. At that time, all the prosperity will vanish like a bubble. Only the land beneath our feet will be the eternal reality."

"So, big brother."

He looked at his elder brother, who was already deeply shocked by his words, and his eyes were filled with an unquestionable sense of entrustment.

"I'm handing this company over to you, not so you can work for me. I'm making you the guardian of this land for the Nohara family. I need you to protect our family's last resort."

These heartfelt words, like a lightning bolt piercing through the chaos, instantly illuminated Nohara Sashi's simple and pure heart!

"I..." He opened his mouth, his honest and simple heart already completely filled with immense emotion and a sense of responsibility.

However, at that moment, Ginnosuke Nohara's sigh, filled with vicissitudes, rang out once again, untimely.

"Ugh……"

He lit another cigarette, and his old face, which had just been filled with satisfaction, was once again shrouded in a deep, solemn expression befitting a father.

"Hiroshi, I understand what you're saying. But you can't see into someone's heart."

His voice carried a desolate air of having seen through the impermanence of life: "Right now, you brothers are deeply in love, which is better than anything else. But in the future, when you have children, and your children have children... people's hearts will always change. I don't want our Nohara family's descendants to become enemies over this little bit of inheritance after I die."

These words were like a bucket of the coldest water, instantly extinguishing the raging fire that had just ignited in Nohara Sashi's heart.

He looked into his father's cloudy eyes, at the unspeakable worry there, and then at his younger brother beside him, who, though calm, also had a hint of helplessness flickering deep in his eyes.

At this moment, his simple and honest heart was completely crushed by an unprecedented and immense force called "responsibility".

He knew he had to do something.

I must do something that will put my father and my brother at ease.

And so, under the astonished gazes of Hiroshi Nohara and Ginnosuke Nohara, Nohara Sashi, this simple farmer, did something astonishing that would move anyone.

He stood up abruptly and straightened his sharp Armani suit at the low table.

Then, with a "thump," he knelt heavily on the cold tatami mat!

A standard, respectful and resolute dogeza (prostration)!

"dad!"

His voice was no longer simple and honest, no longer clumsy, but filled with an unquestionable, absolute sense of responsibility that belonged to a man!
"You don't need to say anything more, I... understand everything."

He raised his head, and in his simple eyes burned two raging flames that could start a prairie fire!
"From today onwards, I, Nohara Hajime, voluntarily relinquish all shares of 'Nohara Agriculture Co., Ltd.'! I don't want a single penny of these fifty percent of shares! I request that you temporarily transfer them to your name!"

"From now on, whether this company makes a profit or a loss, whether it splits up or stays together, it will all depend on you and my brother Guangzhi's word!"

"I, Nohara Hashi, have no other choice!"

These words were like the loudest oath tolled for his own innocence and for the future of the family!

"Big brother..."

Hiroshi Nohara was completely stunned.

He looked at his older brother, who, though seemingly dull, was more responsible than anyone else in crucial moments. His heart, weathered by the memories of two lifetimes, was completely overwhelmed by an unprecedented, immense warmth called "family affection."

He shook his head with a wry smile, stepped forward, and tried to help his older brother up.

"Brother, what are you doing? Get up. I believe you, I've always believed you. Dad... he's just overthinking things."

However, Nohara Sashi remained as still as a stone statue rooted in the earth.

He simply looked at his father, his eyes filled with an unwavering resolve.

"Dad, if you don't agree, I... I won't get up."

Seeing this scene before him, Nohara Ginnosuke's heart, that of an old father, was completely filled with immense emotion and relief.

He exhaled a long breath, a breath that seemed to carry away all the worries of his life.

He stepped forward and personally helped his eldest son, who was kneeling on the ground and was a head taller than him, to his feet.

"Good...good boy."

He patted his eldest son's shoulder heavily, and his small eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

He turned his head and looked at his youngest son, who still looked helpless. Finally, a sly, gratified smile, like that of an old fox, bloomed on his weathered old face.

"Hiroshi, don't blame me."

His voice carried a wisdom that had seen through the impermanence of life: "Some things are better said upfront than later, when things have already turned ugly. Our Nohara family can be poor, can be unsuccessful, but we absolutely cannot lose our money."

"Dad, I know." Hiroshi Nohara nodded, his clear eyes filled with deep respect for his father, who seemed unreliable but loved his family more than anyone else.

"Alright, alright! We've finished discussing the important matters!"

Nohara Ginnosuke slapped his thigh suddenly, and his once dignified old face instantly transformed into his signature lewd and irreverent smile.

He put his arms around his two sons' shoulders, his thick eyebrows twitching smugly like two drugged caterpillars.

"Come on! Let's drink! Let's drink! Today is a joyous day for the Nohara family! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

That infectious laughter echoed once again in this warm old house, a house steeped in the marks of time.

Hiroshi Nohara smiled softly.

From this night forward, there will be no more barriers or suspicions in this family; all that will remain is absolute unity and a shared sense of solidarity against external threats.

This is what he truly wanted—the strongest support to withstand any future storm!
(End of this chapter)