Chapter 29: Is this considered a return home in glory?
Standing at the entrance of Xiaolu Village, Kotaro put down his luggage, put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Xiaolu! I, Kotaro, am back!"
"Kotaro is back...back...back..." The loud voice echoed in the mountains and forests, causing the snow on the branches to fall down with a rustling sound.
“Woof! Woof woof woof~!”
The first person to respond to them was not their family, but their brother Nekotaro.
I saw a red and yellow figure rushing out from the snow-covered village like an arrow.
Seeing Baichuan Feng and his group from afar, Dahuang ran even faster.
"Woof woof woof" When it got close, Dahuang ran straight towards Kotaro, barking while standing up and putting its front paws on Kotaro's body.
"Haha, Nekotaro, you really are my brother. You were the first one to pick me up!"
It should be a dog. Shirakawa Feng looked at Dahuang sticking out his tongue and licking Kotaro's face affectionately, feeling disgusted.
Kotaro was enjoying it. He hugged Dahuang before putting down his two dog paws.
The tail of the fallen big yellow was wagging high up, and Baichuan Feng was even worried that it would take off if it went any faster.
Da Huang, who had been jumping around in the original place, turned around and stood up and turned towards Baichuan Feng.
"Go, go, go." Baichuan Feng touched its head perfunctorily and pushed this enthusiastic dog face away. He didn't want to experience its sticky tongue.
Dahuang whimpered in grievance, but after sniffing, it excitedly circled around the two people again.
Hey! This dog has a pretty good nose. Kotaro laughed and took out an unwrapped hot dog from his bag and threw it to the dog.
With a snap, the hot dog disappeared before Baichuan Feng could even see Dahuang chew it.
At this moment, voices were heard in front of them. Shirakawa Kaede and Kotaro looked over and saw that it was their family members who were leading the group, followed by a few idle people from the village who were just watching the fun.
Since the afternoon, Hezi has been standing at the entrance of the village looking around from time to time. Even when he returned home and was busy with things at hand, he would look up at the door from time to time.
Kashiwagi, who returned to the village early, has told them that Shirakawa Kaede and Kotaro should be back today.
So when Kazuko heard Torataro's voice faintly coming from the village entrance, she immediately threw away the wool in her hand and trotted out in her wooden clogs.
When Shirakawa Hayato heard the noise, he was no slower than his wife, but when he was about to get close to Shirakawa Kaede, he slowly slowed down.
But Kazuko ignored her and quickly walked up to Shirakawa Kaede. She first looked at him with red eyes, and then hugged him in her arms.
"Mother," Baichuan Feng patted her back gently. He Zi reluctantly separated from him and held Baichuan Feng's face with both hands to look at it carefully. "It's a little darker."
Shirakawa Kaede smiled at his mother, then turned to look at Shirakawa Hayato who had been watching him silently.
"Father," Baichuan Feng walked over and saluted respectfully.
Shirakawa Hayato's lips moved, his eyes were full of pride and excitement, but in the end it turned into a plain greeting, "It's darker and stronger, well done."
Shirakawa Kaede nodded, and then began to greet Kotaro's mother Miki and the villagers who came to watch the fun.
"Xiao Feng, you're amazing. Your family has a color TV now. I heard you sent it back from Tokyo? It's unbelievable."
"As expected of a college student, this is not a problem for Xiao Feng at all."
"I heard that Xiaofeng and Kotaro made a lot of money in Tokyo. It really is Tokyo."
"I said Xiao Feng would become a great writer. Look, he even has a TV. It's better than the one the village chief has."
"Idiot, what does television have to do with great writers?"
"If I can get a TV, how far can a great writer be?"
“…”
The noisy crowd walked towards the village, chattering non-stop.
Before entering the village, Shirakawa Feng stopped and opened his backpack. "Dear uncles and aunts, these are some small gifts I brought back from Tokyo. Please don't hesitate to show your respect. I also want to thank you for taking care of us this year."
The gifts that Shirakawa Kaede prepared for everyone were basically Western-style snacks, small ornaments, gadgets for children, and other new things that everyone had never seen before.
Apart from Baichuan Feng's first year's tuition, they all contributed a little more or less. Just based on these, they deserved Baichuan Feng's courtesy.
"Xiao Feng, you're so polite."
"We are all from the same hometown, so it's only natural for us to take care of each other."
Everyone was talking politely, but Baichuan Feng still handed the things to everyone with a smile on his face.
"For those who didn't come, Kotaro and I will visit them one by one later." After Shirakawa Feng distributed the things in his hands, he gave another instruction.
"Xiao Feng is such a filial child."
"That's right. When we were little, I said Xiao Feng would be someone who would do great things in the future."
Everyone took the things with smiles on their faces. These were things they had never seen in the mountain village and were very rare.
Just then, a sloppy middle-aged man came up to Kotaro, rubbing his hands and grinning. When he saw Kotaro's bulging backpack, his eyes lit up and he reached out to take it.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Kotaro turned around, held the backpack behind him and looked at the man opposite him fiercely.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the man's face turned red, and then he raised his hand to slap someone, feeling embarrassed and angry.
"Uncle Maruyama!" Shirakawa Kaede walked over quickly and stood between him and Kotaro.
The man named Maruyama saw that it was Shirakawa Kaede. He put down his hand awkwardly, but still complained first, "This guy is not filial at all!"
Kotaro took a step forward to argue, but was stopped by Shirakawa Kaede's eyes.
"Uncle Maruyama, if you have anything to say, go home and tell us. Kotaro has been tired all day and may not be in a good mood."
Everyone in the village was watching the fun, and Shirakawa Feng signaled him not to make a scene with Kotaro here.
Maruyama still had some dignity left. He glared at Kotaro angrily before throwing his sleeves and walking home.
Smelling the faint smell of alcohol coming from him, Shirakawa Feng frowned. It seemed that Kotaro would have an uneasy New Year again.
"Koutarou, if you have anything to say, please talk to me. Don't be impulsive. If you really have to, come to me."
Kotaro nodded sadly, and the spirit he had when he just returned to the village had long disappeared.
Shirakawa Hayato walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Kotaro. If things don't work out, I'll talk to that guy Maruyama."
"Thank you, Uncle Shirakawa, I understand." After saying goodbye to the Shirakawa family, Torataro picked up his luggage and slowly walked home.
The people around shook their heads when they saw this scene. Everyone knew very well what kind of person Maruyama was.
Believe it or not, if Kotaro is not careful, the things in his bag will be taken away by Maruyama and exchanged for money for drinks the next day.
In their eyes, Shirakawa Kaede and Kotaro are the same age and grew up together. However, their family atmospheres and their respective futures are very different. It is strange that they are still very good friends now.
"Let's go back too." After everyone dispersed, Shirakawa Hayato also called his family back home.
Kazuko took Shirakawa Kaede's wrist and said with a smile, "I heard from Kashiwagi that you did something big in Tokyo. You must tell us about it when you get home."
"Okay," Baichuan Feng nodded with a smile.
