Tokyo: I took in a homeless girl

I never imagined you two would be so destined for each other.

"Actually, we first met when we were in private school in high school," Shiori Mine explained, her head lowered and her face flushed.

At that time, it was unrequited love on her part. Sawayama Haruno didn't even know her. Of course, there was no need to mention this in front of the elders!

"A private school?"

Sawayama Ayako was even more surprised. If she remembered correctly, Sawayama Haruno was still dating Miyazawa Mana at that time, right?

Honestly, did this child's flirtatious nature show up from a young age?

No, it must be that after studying in Tokyo for so many years after Osaka, he has been influenced by other bad influences.

However, as long as he is living a relatively happy life now, nothing else matters.

As Ayako Sawayama gradually let go of her resentment, she turned to chat with Shiori Mine about other things. Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Haruno Sawayama's father was talking to Yui Ayano about her family.

Although Ayano Yui stayed at Haruno's house for two weeks when she returned to Osaka last time, they still spent little time together. This is why Ayano Yui's parents asked Haruno's parents to bring her back to Osaka this New Year's Eve.

As a relative of Ayano Yui, Haruno's father naturally couldn't stand idly by, so he took this opportunity to emphasize the matter of returning home to her again.

“Wei, your parents called me again. You can have your New Year’s Eve dinner here, but you have to go home right afterward.”

Haruno's father emphasized, "Why don't we go back with you then? It'll be like visiting relatives. It seems your parents are planning to cook later to accommodate your schedule."

If we eat at Sawayama Haruno's house and then go home, it will definitely be around 7 or 8 pm. The only solution is to extend the New Year's Eve dinner at Ayano Yui's house. However, the point of New Year's Eve dinner is to eat when the family is reunited, so delaying it a little is not a big deal.

As for Haruno's father saying he wanted to go with them, that was perfectly normal. The two families had celebrated the New Year together in previous years. However, Haruno's father had apparently forgotten that there were more than one more girl in the Zeshan family this year, and dealing with the number of people seemed to be a bit troublesome.

It's impossible to bring Miyazawa Maki, Miyazawa Mana, and others to Ayano Yui's house for New Year's Eve in a big group. Even if they are friends, it would be a bit of a stretch.

Moreover, Haruno's father had other ideas. He wanted to use this New Year's Eve dinner to confide in his longtime relatives and friends about Ayano Yui and Sawayama Haruno.

Although the two families had joked since childhood that they would get married when they grew up, they are now together but cannot get married, so they have to find a way to give each other an explanation.

Because the other party was a familiar elder, he knew his son couldn't bring himself to ask, so he had no choice but to swallow his pride and speak up himself.

Fortunately, Ayano Yui's parents both like Haruno, so it's not entirely impossible. I just hope things go smoothly.

"I understand, Uncle."

Upon hearing what Haruno's father said, Ayano Yui puffed out her cheeks with a hint of resentment.

Having to go back home after a full meal seems like such a hassle, and I probably won't be able to eat anything there anyway, plus I might get a beating from some of my close relatives.

Fortunately, Sawayama Haruno will go with her, otherwise she would have quit long ago. Well, it's not that she really quit, but she would go home for a while and then run out again. She has to go back home eventually, right?

"Then it's settled."

Noticing what her father was saying to Ayano Yui, Sawayama Haruno put down her chopsticks, thought for a moment, and then said, "Why don't we tidy up the house and see if we can squeeze in so many people? Anyway, the weather has been getting warmer these past few days."

"Let's all have a New Year's Eve dinner together. We can deal with relatives later. We can just eat early. After dinner, I'll take the other girls and Ayano Yui and head out first. While dropping the others off at their hotels, I'll go to Ayano Yui's house."

This was a plan that Sawayama Haruno had thought of long ago. After all, on such an important day as New Year's Eve, how could he possibly leave out any of the girls in his family? The whole family should naturally be together.

Even if some relatives look at him strangely, it doesn't matter. Anyway, they will leave after finishing their meal. Let the neighbors gossip if they want. After the New Year, once the wedding photos are taken here, he will have already left for Kyoto.

"Since you've put it that way, then fine."

After hearing what Haruno Sawayama said, Ayako Sawayama and her husband exchanged a glance and finally agreed with what her son had said.

Deep down, she also wanted all the girls to come and have New Year's Eve dinner with her.

After all, they are all daughters-in-law of the Zeshan family. It feels like if one of them doesn't come, it's like losing a future big, fat grandson or granddaughter. It might even be a pair of twins, which would be absolutely unacceptable!

When Sawayama Haruno spoke up, and the only two elders present supported her, the other girls naturally had no objections. Although their feelings were somewhat complicated, they were secretly pleased and excited, after all, they had gained the approval of their families.

After they finished their meal, the warm sunshine outside still hadn't faded. Zeshan Chunye contacted the wedding company and asked them to bring over all the luxury vans they had rented that morning.

In order to accommodate the number of people present, he even paid to rent three cars at once. There were more than enough seats for eight people, and there were even spacious seats where people could lie down and rest. The refrigerators in the cars were always stocked with drinks that Maki Miyazawa liked the most.

After the driver dropped them all off back in Quannan City, Sawayama Haruno confirmed the filming schedule with the person in charge again, setting it for after New Year's Eve. Only then did he go inside and help the others tidy up the room.

Chapter 393 New Year's Eve, or the Great New Year's Eve

Island nations used to celebrate two New Years, with timings not too different from those in China. It was only in modern times that they gradually switched to using the Gregorian calendar as the primary calendar year.

Perhaps it is because the two countries are neighbors, and their cultural customs are inevitably similar, or perhaps it is because with the development of the times, the preparations for New Year's Eve in Asian countries are more or less the same.

The Zeshan family was no exception. Before New Year's Eve, they printed out a large number of New Year's greeting cards, which are similar to greeting cards and are used to send holiday greetings to relatives and friends who are far away and cannot be met. It is a very old-fashioned way of doing so.

Even in this island nation, the custom of sending letters has been preserved, probably because their postal industry has not been completely abandoned. In any case, under the relentless orders of Ayako Sawayama, Haruno Sawayama was forced to finish writing all the New Year's greetings.

Keep in mind that there were nearly forty letters, and they were only sent to relatives in the Osaka area. After he finished writing them, his hands were cramping so badly that he couldn't handle it anymore. Fortunately, Mana Miyazawa felt sorry for him and secretly imitated his handwriting to help share some of the workload.

It's not that other girls can't help, but their handwriting is too delicate and would easily reveal their secrets. Sawayama Haruno was worried that after they left in a few days, curious relatives would come to visit only to find no one there, so it was better not to say anything for now.

Besides New Year's greeting cards, island nations also have popular decorations like mirror rice cakes—pairs of round rice cakes that symbolize a bountiful harvest and prosperity. During the New Year, islanders place these in the most prominent position in their homes.

Besides preparing things like mirror cakes, you also need to prepare straw ropes and pine branches to hang on the lintel, meaning to keep filth and misfortune out of the door. For some reason, when he was little, whenever Sawayama Haruno saw his mother weaving large pieces of straw with straw ropes and pine branches, he would always think of the mugwort that he hung in his previous life.

It's likely that they were influenced by Chinese culture; you can see the influence of Chinese culture in many places.

Of course, when it comes to these things, the most exciting thing about the Chinese New Year cannot be overlooked.

Ah, here it comes!

Sawayama Haruno noticed that Esaki Suguha was the first to finish showering and come downstairs. It seemed that she wanted to come to the kitchen to help as soon as possible. She shouldn't come back after showering, since she would be going in later herself!

"Sugonoha!"

Sawayama Ayako sat on the sofa, seemingly checking her son's New Year's greeting card, but her attention was actually entirely focused upstairs.

When she finally saw a girl coming down, her eyes lit up and she quickly called her over.

"Hmm? Auntie, what's wrong?"

Just as Suguha Ezaki was about to go to the kitchen to continue helping with the cooking, she stopped abruptly after hearing what Ayako Sawayama said.

She looked at Zeshan Chunye with some confusion, as if she didn't understand why he was still sitting there. Was it really okay for her uncle to be the only one in the kitchen now?

"I've gone to help."

Sawayama Haruno shrugged. He already guessed what his mother was up to. After all, with such bulging pockets, anyone could guess.

However, when I was a child, I did receive "New Year's Jade" as a gift, but how many did I receive? I think it was only two or three thousand. Ah, my mother would definitely have been biased.

Sawayama Haruno found it both funny and helpless, but he didn't think much of it. He stretched his stiff body and then prepared to go into the kitchen to help his elderly father.

He also possesses several skills that can enhance his culinary abilities, so it would be a waste to just watch from the sidelines. It seems he hasn't made the seasonal dishes for this year yet, has he? In that case, he might as well give it a try himself.

In island nations, presentation is often more important than taste when it comes to Osechi cuisine, but Haruno Sawayama is confident that he can achieve both.

In the living room, after watching Haruno Sawayama's departing figure, Suguha Ezaki hesitated for a moment before choosing to sit on the sofa.

Sawayama Ako immediately seized the opportunity to move closer and said with a kind expression, "Suguha, I actually wanted to talk to you alone before, but as you know, Haruno has been running around all the time, so I haven't had a chance."

"That's true."

Suguha Ezaki blinked; she hadn't really talked to Ayako Sawayama much in private.

The two had only met a few times, and most of the time, due to other matters or arrangements, their meetings would be brief and then come to nothing. But what did Auntie mean by bringing this up now?

"You and Haruno have been living together for quite a while now, haven't you?"

"It was a long time ago, probably around October of last year?"

October?

Sawayama Ayako was startled. It turned out that this had taken much longer than she had imagined. Back then, Maki had only been dating Haruno for a short time, right?

No, no, the relationships between my daughters-in-law are too complicated. It's better not to worry about these things and get to the point!

"Since you've lived here for so long, hasn't Suguha thought about taking things further?" Ayako Sawayama paused, then added, "I'm not talking about whether you're dating Haruno or not, I'm talking about something like Maki."

"Like Maki?"

Suguha Ezaki's face slowly turned red.

It was no easy feat to make this usually calm and outspoken person blush, and the reason she was acting this way now was because she understood the unspoken meaning behind Ayako's words: twin granddaughters weren't enough to satisfy the old lady, so she needed to have them too.

"I... I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

Suguha Ezaki's eyes darted around somewhat, and she said in a low voice, "Because when I go to university next year, I'll probably have to participate in a lot of kendo competitions, and this is a condition for getting into university, so..."

She had actually discussed this with Haruno Sawayama a long time ago, and he even took the initiative to suggest taking more safety measures to prevent Suguha Ezaki from unfortunately "getting infected".

Other girls might be fine, but Suguha Ezaki often participates in very intense sports competitions, so it's impossible for her to be dragged down for this reason.

Even if there are enough gaps during the competition, it won't work, because recovery takes a long time, and the training time missed during that time will cause her level to decline again.

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, Suguha Ezaki is the least suitable person among them to have children. Rather, apart from the currently carefree Maki Miyazawa, everyone else would have various significant problems.

Is that so?

After hearing what Suguha Ezaki said, Aya Sawayama showed a somewhat regretful expression.

However, she was not a person who did not understand human relationships. After learning the reason, she naturally chose to understand and support the other party, so she took out the New Year's red envelope that she had prepared earlier.

"Here, take this."

She put the New Year's money, also known as "New Year's Jade," into an envelope.

However, its bulging weight is quite astonishing; even without handling it, one can roughly sense that it must be worth over 100,000 yen.

The Sawayama family, including Sawayama Haruno's girlfriends, are not short of money. However, whether they are short of money or not is completely different from how much money they receive in red envelopes from their elders during the Lunar New Year. Even Ezaki Naoyo, who grew up in a wealthy family, was seeing such a "huge" red envelope for the first time.

Normally, a few thousand yen would be the maximum; almost no one would give that much, since it's just a formality to show appreciation.

Seemingly sensing Esaki Suguha's hesitation, Sawayama Ayako shoved the envelope into Esaki Suguha's hand without further ado, comforting her, "Take it, I already gave one to Mana."

"OK then."

Upon hearing this, Suguha Ezaki had no choice but to accept the red envelope.

When dealing with her daughter-in-law, Ayako Sawayama naturally adhered to the principle of fairness. As early as when Mana Miyazawa was helping Haruno Sawayama write her New Year's greeting, she had already secretly slipped a red envelope to her.

Of course, the amounts are all the same.

After chatting with Suguha Ezaki for a few more minutes, Ayako Sawayama reluctantly let her go into the kitchen to help, while she prepared to take out the buckwheat and make noodles on the spot.

Today is not only New Year's Eve, but also called the Great New Year's Eve, which is simply the last day of the year. The custom on this day is for the whole family to gather together to eat buckwheat noodles.

Of course, buckwheat noodles are a staple food for most people in Japan, and they are often seen at various festivals, so Ayako Sawayama is quite skilled at making them.

As for the three people busy in the kitchen, to be precise, after Suguha Ezaki went in, Haruno's father was very politely asked to come out and rest.

Esaki Suguha was in charge of preparing tonight's dishes, while Sawayama Haruno was preparing the Osechi Ryori (festival dish) in preparation for tomorrow. It was fine to start a little earlier; he didn't need to finish it all, just enough to be partially processed for tomorrow.

The so-called Osechi Ryori consists of celebratory dishes, kuchi-ri (rice cakes), yaki (grilled dishes), simmered dishes, and vinegared dishes.

The celebratory dishes consist of black beans and herring roe, a savory snack that can be enjoyed with drinks. These steps are the easiest to handle, as you only need to arrange the purchased ingredients on a plate in an orderly manner.

"Kuchi" means appetizer. Usually, appetizers are fish cakes or spring rolls, but considering that Ayano Yui had been clamoring for beef tongue sashimi and other things, Sawayama Haruno softened and decided to satisfy her here.

Using cold dishes like sashimi as appetizers is perfectly acceptable. After all, appetizers are meant to be small in portion and not filling. Sashimi is a dish that perfectly fits this requirement. Doesn't this explanation sound very down-to-earth?

Sawayama Haruno was amused by his own thoughts.

He shook his head and casually asked Ezaki Suguha, who was standing next to him, "How's it going upstairs? Why haven't they come down yet?"

"It looks like they're playing Monopoly. I saw them still playing it together after I came out of the shower," Suguha Ezaki said without looking up.

"Playing games again??"

Sawayama Haruno paused for a moment, and a bad premonition immediately arose in his heart.

It's unlikely that it's Maki Miyazawa or Yui Ayano who started this game again. I always feel like nothing good ever happens when they encourage others to play games.

What left the deepest impression was probably having Suguha Ezaki run downstairs to the convenience store and buy a whole bunch of "balloons".

The other few times were even more embarrassing memories to recount.

I wonder how Shiori will be bullied by them. I hope Mana can help look after her after she takes a bath.

"Do not worry."

Suguha Ezaki paused in her chopping motion, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Master should be fine. Although she was unwilling to be trapped inside and wanted me to take the opportunity to pull her out, it seems that she hasn't suffered any too embarrassing punishment yet, so I ignored her request."

"Are you really okay? Maki and Yui are both here."

Sawayama Haruno stroked her chin, suddenly becoming somewhat suspicious. It seemed that Suguha had experienced a similar incident, which was why her mentality changed so quickly. Could it be that this was the reason why she deliberately ignored Mine Shiori?

Thinking of this, he looked at Suguha Ezaki beside him and said, half-reminding and half-teasing, "Be careful, she might retaliate next time."