Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Guan Gufeng had a rare chance to sleep in without being disturbed by any living creature.

He had exhausted himself at Studio Ghibli yesterday afternoon, and when he opened his eyes, it was already bright outside.

He sat blankly on the bed, his eyes vacant, and after five minutes of this, his brain started working again.

My first thought upon waking was that I was glad I had fed the two little ones enough food before bed last night.

He subconsciously raised his right hand, wanting to scratch the hair sticking up on the back of his head.

A sharp, intense pain suddenly burst forth from my shoulder and forearm.

The tangy sensation instantly sobered Guan Gufeng up.

It's like someone who hasn't exercised in a long time suddenly going up a mountain. They're fine before going to bed at night, but when they wake up the next day, their legs are so sore that they can hardly walk.

Guan Gufeng got off the bed, endured the soreness to finish washing up, and collapsed on the sofa.

I can't carry anything on my shoulders, I can't lift anything with my hands, and I don't even want to use my brain.

Ok.

Guan Gufeng quickly reconciled with his laziness and made the decision to take a day off without any qualms.

He stretched out his left hand, reached for the phone on the coffee table, and dialed Kitamura.

"Uncle Kitamura, is Meiji Shrine open to the public today?"

I had been thinking of visiting the Dragon Clan's Holy Land, but I got so busy with a series of things that I forgot. So today I'll take a stroll there.

"It's open, shall we go now?"

"Okay, let's go."

After changing into casual clothes, Guan Gu Feng went downstairs, where his car was already waiting at the door.

The car smoothly drove away from Roppongi, passed through the bustling Shibuya intersection, and headed towards Yoyogi.

The closer we got to our destination, the more lush the scenery outside the window became.

The car stopped in the parking lot outside Meiji Shrine. Kitamura locked the car and followed silently.

The entrance to the shrine is ancient and rustic. Inside, there are three paths leading to the shrine: south, north, and west. Towering trees line both sides of the paths, and wild birds sing.

The air was noticeably fresher, making Guan Gu feel refreshed and relaxed.

The vast Yoyogi Shrine Forest at Meiji Shrine was created in 1925 by mobilizing 110,000 young volunteers to plant approximately 100,000 trees.

Decades later, this area has become the largest green space in downtown Tokyo, a veritable urban forest.

"Uncle Kitamura," Guan Gufeng asked casually, "have you been here before?"

"I've been here before."

"This is my first time here," Guan Gufeng said, gazing at the long path leading to the temple. "Which path should we take for a visit?"

"Hmm..." Kitamura thought for a moment, "The southern approach, I guess. You can see the large torii gate after walking for a while, and there are also sake bottle walls along the way, made of sake and Western sake bottles."

"it is good."

The two walked along the gravel path, admiring the cedar forest and the colorful wine bottle wall on both sides of the approach.

Along the way, there were several art students carrying drawing boards sketching.

Soon, we arrived at the front of the Great Torii Gate.

This torii gate, built in 9, was struck by lightning in 41. The timber merchant went to great lengths to find suitable timber to repair it, and it is now the largest wooden torii gate in Japan.

Kitamura stood beside Sekiya Kaze and looked up as well.

He had been here many times, but had never looked at it closely. Now, calming down, he found it quite interesting.

"Teacher Guan Gu, how are you feeling?"

"It's huge, much bigger than I imagined."

The shock of seeing something with your own eyes is completely different from what you can describe in words.

Passing through the large torii gates on both sides of the approach and through the South Gate, you arrive at the core area of ​​Meiji Shrine, the main hall.

In the open space in front of the main hall, several groups of tourists were worshipping according to the procedure of two bows, two claps, and one more bow.

Guan Gufeng stood aside and watched for a while with great interest, finding it quite amusing, but did not approach.

He was just a tourist taking a walk, so he decided not to disturb the gods' work.

He turned and walked to the company office next door, where all kinds of amulets were sold.

Guan Gufeng leaned over the glass counter and looked around, then pointed to a few items.

My sister's, Sachiko's, my own, and...

"Uncle Kitamura, this is for you."

He handed over an exquisite blue amulet.

Kitamura was taken aback, reached out and took it. He looked at it for a while, then put it into the inner pocket of his suit.

Thank you.

Having spent so much time together, he believed that Guan Gufeng was essentially an extremely easygoing person, even a little lazy.

Compared to a serious superior-subordinate relationship, their interactions are more like those of friends, or rather, a junior who needs his care and occasionally acts a bit silly.

After buying the amulet, Guan Gufeng was attracted by the ema (votive plaques) on the shelf next to him, and he remembered the story he had read in the book.

In ancient times, horses were the mounts of the gods. Nobles would make vows to offer live horses to shrines, representing their wish to be listened to by the gods on horseback.

Since ordinary people couldn't afford horses, they gradually evolved to paint horses on wooden boards and make small wooden plaques (e-ma) to offer as a substitute for live horses, with the same meaning: entrusting their wishes to the divine horse so that they could reach the gods.

He picked up an ema (votive plaque) and examined it. The front had camphor leaf patterns, and a red string hung from the top.

Seeing him looking at it, the shop assistant at the office smiled and stepped forward to introduce it: "This customer, you can write any wishes you have on this ema (votive plaque)."

"Hang it on the ema stand next to this hall, and the gods will protect you."

Guan Gu Feng smiled, took three blank ema (votive plaques), paid, and then took out two pens from his bag, handing one ema and one pen to Kitamura No.

The two then sat down at the long wooden table in front of the office and began to write.

The first one written by Guan Gufeng.

"No trouble, no disaster"

Home safety

Guan Gu Feng Hai

"The First Year of Heisei"

I hope my sister, I hope myself, and I hope the person who received the amulet is safe and sound.

After finishing the first one, he picked up the second ema, pausing for a moment with the tip of his brush suspended in the air.

Then, he wrote two lines of Chinese that only he could understand.

"On April 04.26th, I went to Meiji Shrine with Sakura. There was a wedding being held there."

"Sakura is the best."

But for the sake of the king, I have been pondering it so far.

After hanging the ema (votive plaques), the visit, which had no clear purpose, came to an end.

It was already noon when they came out of the shrine. Sekiya asked Kitamura no where there was a good ramen restaurant nearby.

Kitamura thought for a moment, started the car, and led him into a quiet alley nearby, where they found an old shop.

Nanguo Restaurant.

The shop is small, and the noren curtain at the entrance sways gently in the wind. Lifting the curtain and stepping inside, the shop is filled with the rich aroma of chicken soup.

On Kitamura's recommendation, Guan Gufeng tried the restaurant's signature dish, chicken broth soy sauce ramen.

delicious.

After finishing their noodles, since it was still early, Guan Gufeng spontaneously decided that the two of them should go to Tokyo Tower together.

From the observation deck, you can see the entire city of Tokyo.

The afternoon sun was lovely, its warmth gently caressing my skin.

However, the scenery during the day always felt like something was missing. Perhaps it would be even more beautiful at night when the city is lit up with thousands of lights.

After coming down from Tokyo Tower, Sekiya Kaze had Kitamura No drive him to Ginza, intending to buy some clothes.

After picking out a few soft-textured casual shirts and trousers for himself, he went to the women's clothing department to buy some clothes for Guan Guyu.

Guan Gufeng knew his sister's personality very well. Even if he put money in her hands, she would never spend a penny more than necessary on the bookstore's operation and essential household expenses.

She would smile and say that simple clothes are fine, and that the money should be saved for his wedding.

But what girl in the world doesn't love beauty?

He recalled that when Guan Guyu was a child, she would always wear various pretty wildflowers picked from the roadside behind her ear when she came home from school every day.

Her mother would always praise her in the gentlest tone, saying she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

Guan Gufeng picked out several new trench coats for the season and bought a few pieces of soft loungewear.

When he told the shop assistant his size, he thought for a moment and gave her a size larger than he remembered his sister's size.

Now that conditions are better, my sister is also fatter than before... and more proportionate.

I bought quite a lot of clothes, so I left my apartment address and asked the store to send someone to deliver them to my door. It was already getting dark.

Guan Gufeng had a light meal at a restaurant in the mall.

Once people are full, they tend to get lazy and head home.

As soon as I stepped out of the mall, an unusual wave of noise hit me.