Seeing two young girls in their prime getting off the ferry, people nearby cast curious glances at them and started talking about their origins.
In District 11, a society with a low birth rate, especially in remote rural areas like this one, most residents are local middle-aged and elderly people, while the young people have all moved to big cities.
Occasionally, some young tourists come to visit, but they are usually relatives or friends of the locals, not two young girls.
Chu Hua took off his sunglasses and straw hat, tidied his light golden hair, and took the initiative to greet a middle-aged woman on the dock.
"Hello, Aunt Shimamura."
The middle-aged woman looked at her with her eyes wide open for a while, then suddenly realized: "Oh! It's Xiao Chuhua. I haven't seen her for a while and she looks so beautiful."
"Yes, I brought my friends from Tokyo back to stay for a few days..."
As Chu Hua's identity was recognized, the people near the dock changed their previous cold attitude and became friendly and enthusiastic, and even invited Chu Hua to their homes to play.
But Chuhua just smiled and thanked him, then found an excuse to take Xiangzi away from the crowd and walked along the road towards his home.
"Chuhua, don't people here know that you're an idol?"
Xiangzi asked curiously.
"Well, the agency advised me to keep it a secret from anyone other than my family, so I told them I just found a part-time modeling job in Tokyo."
"That's it."
Xiangzi nodded in understanding, this was also a means of self-protection.
As the saying goes, fame brings trouble. If these villagers knew that Chuhua was a big idol in Tokyo, they would definitely not let him go as easily as they did just now.
After walking for a few minutes, Chu Hua stopped in front of a house and turned around to introduce: "Xiao Xiang, this is my home."
Xiangzi responded softly and looked up at the place where his friend grew up.
This is an extremely ordinary two-story wooden house with an L-shaped main structure, standing on a concrete slope. A rough estimate shows that its total area is only more than half of the Tennarin Chihaya-cho residence.
The exterior of the house looks quite old. Nowadays, it is considered a relatively rare traditional island-style building. There are some unknown plants placed in front of the door and the eaves, and there is also a TV antenna on the roof in the shape of a clothesline.
Chuhua walked up and opened the door directly, leading Xiangzi into the indoor entrance without using any key.
The first thing that caught Ling Xiangzi's eye was an antique wooden corridor. There was a wooden sliding door on each side of the corridor. At the end of the corridor was a staircase leading to the second floor. There was a small wooden door at the bottom of the stairs, making good use of the space.
Just as Xiangzi was wondering whether the small wooden door was behind the bathroom or Harry's former residence, he heard Chuhua shouting.
"Grandma, I'm back!"
Then, a woman in her fifties emerged from the wooden door on the left side of the corridor. Her slightly silvery hair was tied into a bun, secured with a simple wooden hairpin. Her skin and facial features had become deformed and sagging due to aging, and she looked rather thin overall.
The old woman was obviously very happy to see her granddaughter come home, but when she saw Xiangzi standing beside her, she was stunned.
Chu Hua introduced with a hint of pride: "Grandma, this is my good friend Toyokawa Shoko, the one I used to play with when I was little. She came back to stay with me for a few days."
"Gui'an, sorry to bother you."
Xiangzi bowed gracefully.
199
Chapter 199 Heavy Feelings.
"Greetings, Miss Fengchuan."
The elegant greeting brought back memories, and Grandma Chuhua's movements became noticeably awkward.
She took two pairs of slippers from the shoe cabinet, one pair was Chuhua's own, and the other pair was brand new and still unpacked. It was obvious that they were specially taken out for Xiangzi.
Xiangzi nodded politely in thanks, took the slippers and put them on naturally.
Then the two of them picked up their luggage and followed Grandma Chuhua into the room she had just come out of.
This is a relatively spacious living room. Although it cannot be compared with Tiannalin's home, the area is already luxurious for ordinary people living in Tokyo.
In the center of the room, there is a hearth with a pit. Its principle is the same as that of a kotatsu, but it is completely unused in this season, so there is only a table on it where you can put your feet directly without kneeling.
There is a slanted cabinet in the corner of the living room. On the cabinet is a TV that looks thin and high-end, but is actually very cheap. It is playing a local variety show with 1366×768 pixels.
"Please take a seat, Ms. Toyokawa. I'll peel some fruit for you."
Grandma Chuhua said as she stood at the door of the living room.
"I'll help, Grandma."
Sanjiao Chuhua, who had just put away his luggage, responded.
"No need, Xiaochu, you guys should rest first. You must be tired coming here from Tokyo."
Grandma Chuhua waved her hand kindly.
Xiangzi said politely, "Thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you."
"You are welcome."
Grandma Chuhua laughed happily twice, "Xiaochu, you should entertain Miss Fengchuan well."
"I know, grandma."
Seeing Grandma Chuhua go to the kitchen, Xiangzi sat down by the stove. He finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as the other party said, today she had to catch a plane, take a car and a boat, and travel such a long distance, so she was really tired.
Although she sits most of the time, being in a complex and unfamiliar environment and worrying about the unknown future all the time can make people mentally exhausted.
Chuhua did the same. The girl took out a new teacup, washed it, poured a cup of tea for Xiangzi, and sat down to rest.
A few minutes later, Grandma Chuhua came in with a plate of fruit and placed it in the middle of the table.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Toyokawa, we only have simple fruits at home."
Xiangzi looked at the fruit plate, on which were sliced cantaloupe and plump grapes.
The cantaloupe was prepared by Chuhua's grandmother when she learned her granddaughter was coming back. The grapes were a gift that Xiangzi bought in Sapporo. After all, there were no decent shops on Tianyin Island, only a grocery store run by the islanders themselves.
"It's okay, this is rich enough."
Xiangzi smiled.
"Yes, grandma, Xiaoxiang is my good friend and won't mind."
Chu Hua followed up.
"You kid, how can you talk?"
In Grandma Chuhua's inherent impression, Xiangzi is still the eldest daughter of the Fengchuan family. She should not be neglected easily and should be entertained with the best things in the family.
It was not until Xiangzi repeatedly expressed that he really didn't mind that Grandma Chuhua's expression gradually relaxed and she let go of her high standards of hospitality.
"It's getting late now. I'll go make you some food. Miss Toyokawa, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Grandma Chuhua stood up and said.
"You're very kind. Just be as usual."
Xiangzi bowed slightly.
"Okay, please wait a moment, Ms. Toyokawa."
After the living room door closed, Xiangzi looked at his friend and asked, "Chuhua, isn't your father home?"
On the way here, she had learned that Chuhua came from a divorced single-parent family. His mother ran away with another man and he was raised by his father.
Chu Hua swallowed the cantaloupe and replied, "Well, my father works in a factory in the next city, which is where we came by boat. He usually comes back once a weekend, and sometimes he just lives there when he's busy."
Xiangzi nodded in understanding. No wonder she rarely saw Chuhua’s family when she was a child. So that’s how it is.
After waiting for some time, Xiangzi was invited to share dinner in the dining room and kitchen opposite the living room.
Although the food on the table was some ordinary home-cooked dishes, it was obvious that it was the best that Grandma Chuhua could cook at the moment, such as fried fish fillets, shrimp and mussel soup, tamagoyaki, as well as some fresh seasonal vegetables and pickled side dishes.
For Xiangzi, who had lived in poverty for more than a year, this was considered a sumptuous meal. He ate two bowls of rice with a great appetite, which made Grandma Chuhua so happy that the wrinkles on her face relaxed.
After enjoying dinner, the two walked up the creaking wooden stairs and carried the suitcases to Chuhua's room on the second floor.
Since there are no extra guest rooms, Xiangzi will sleep in the same room with Chuhua tonight, which she already knew.
When you open the door, you will see a large space inside. Including the closet, the total area is nearly 20 square meters. It has tatami floors, which is more than enough for two people to sleep.
However, Xiangzi's attention was immediately attracted by the Ukulele (Hawaiian four-stringed instrument) hanging on the wall.
"Chuhua, so you still keep this."
A look of surprise appeared in Xiangzi's amber eyes.
"Well, Xiaoxiang, I have always kept the things you gave me well."
Chu Hua opened the closet as he spoke, and inside were some treasures that the two of them had kept from their childhood, such as insect nets and plastic boxes, diving goggles, paper airplanes that they had folded together, cheap wind-up toys from capsule toys, and so on.
Looking at these things, Xiangzi's mouth curled up beautifully, "It really makes me miss it..."
"Yeah, I was very happy at that time."
After reminiscing for a while, Xiangzi turned his gaze to the old-fashioned desk next to the window. On the desk was a handmade bookshelf filled with textbooks, exercise books, and music theory books that were flipped to the edge.
Xiangzi walked to the bookshelf and flipped through the other party's previous study materials. She saw that the pages were filled with lines of experience summaries written in childish handwriting. A lot of the content seemed so naive and simple in her eyes.
This made her start to imagine Chuhua as a child.
A cute and well-behaved little girl sat on the tatami, studying music theory diligently by herself, and then playing it through the ukulele.
In order to go to school in Tokyo, the girl studied hard at the table. When she was tired, she looked out the window at the scenery and rested.
Warm spring, hot summer, cool autumn, cold winter...
This goes on for one year, two years...
Chuhua grew up slowly in this simple room until he went to Tokyo and saw himself again.
When he thought of this, Xiangzi's eyes couldn't help but become moist.
At this moment, she finally understood why Tian Nalin selflessly helped Chuhua, because it was difficult to empathize with such a heavy emotion unless she saw it with her own eyes.
Chuhua looked at Xiangzi silently, excitement flashing in her violet eyes.
Is there anything more joyful than the understanding of the one you love?
200
Chapter 200 Ueno Zoo.
It was another sunny morning on the weekend.
Tian Nalin drove the girls to a parking lot near Ueno Zoo, got off the car and walked for a distance to the main gate of the East Park.
Ueno Zoo, officially known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Ueno Zoological Gardens, is the oldest and most famous zoo in the 11th ward. Its pandas, originally from China, are among the zoo's most famous animals, and there's even a panda statue at nearby Ueno Station, serving as a landmark.
"Wow, I didn't expect so many people would come to see the pandas."
Aiyin said in surprise as she looked at the crowd queuing at the door.
"Of course, pandas are so cute."
Li Xi no longer suppressed his emotions and expressed them without reservation.
Tian Nalin took the opportunity to ask, "Lixi, which do you think is cuter, the lamp or the panda?"
"what?"
The drum captain was immediately stunned by the question, and his stunned expression made the others laugh out loud.
Li Xi was so angry that he asked, "You, are you trying to make me look bad on purpose?"
"Hey, Lixi, if you can't answer, why not just say that the lamp in the panda costume is the cutest?"
"Humph!"
Li Xi crossed his arms and turned his face away, ignoring his suggestion.
Just at this moment, the crowd in front was empty, Tian Nalin stopped teasing and took everyone to buy tickets to enter the zoo.
The tickets are very cheap, only more than 30 yuan in RMB, and panda lovers like Li Xi bought annual tickets.
After passing through the ticket gate and officially entering the park, the signature attraction, the Panda House, is not far to the right.
Since it is summer, in order to prevent the animals from being exposed to the sun, the pandas are currently staying in a closed room, and the outdoor viewing area is also blocked by a shed. Everyone can only queue up again with umbrellas.
Looking at the crowded crowd ahead, Tian Nalin warned, "Everyone, hold hands and don't get lost. Especially Lenai, don't run around."
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