Chapter 28 Section 28

After a long time, Hirasuke stepped into the spray gun production workshop again.The air conditioner is turned on very high, but not for people, but for machines.The workshop is full of precision instruments. Seeing Hirasuke coming in, Tuo Lang didn't stop his busy hands on the conveyor belt, but just nodded to him.He's still the same: his hat is on one side, and instead of the safety glasses he's been issued, he's wearing sunglasses he's found somewhere. "What are you doing here? Inspection?" Tuolan joked at him. Heisuke replied with a smile: "That's right, let's see if Tuolang, who has just become the groom's officer, is not lazy."

"Don't keep yelling at the groom and groom, it's annoying me to death." Tuo Lang frowned and smacked his lips. It seems that he has been teased by others recently. At this moment, Nakao Tatsuo walked over from inside.Seeing Heisuke, he opened his eyes behind the glasses. "Hey, what wind brought the head of the department here?" "Ah, it's nothing. I haven't been here much recently, so I want to come and have a look." "That's right...then, would you like a cup of coffee too?" Nakao said as he raised the paper cup in his hand.

"OK." After buying a bag of instant coffee from the vending machine, the two went to the lounge and sat down.It was pitch black outside the window, and it was already overtime.Hirasuke has already signed his off-duty card. "Heisuke, have you ever thought about going back to the front line?" Nakao asked.The brim of his hat, which used to be red, has been replaced with dark blue.The hat of this color was worn by Heisuke before, and it is the symbol of the group leader. "That's not true." Heisuke took a sip of coffee.It's still the kind of instant coffee that doesn't taste good.However, drinking this coffee here with his co-workers during work breaks used to be his favorite.

"How is the work of the department head? Have you adapted?" "Ah, not too tired." Pingjie's department underwent a major adjustment in April, and the department was divided into several departments, and the reorganization was carried out on this basis.After the reorganization, Hirasuke was promoted to department head.The change came a little suddenly. Hirasuke's job content has changed a lot.What he has to do now is what Kosaka, the former section chief, did.Kosaka is currently in charge of the work of several departments as a whole. Before, he only had to think about how to produce the product according to the above instructions exactly, but now, just thinking about this is not enough.Mastering the production situation of several groups and managing several groups to improve the overall work efficiency - this is his current responsibility.When a failure occurs, he does not have to go directly to the scene to solve it.All he has to do now is to understand the situation, make repair expectations, adjust the construction schedule, and then report to the higher authorities.

Another main content of Hirasuke's work is to carry out various consultations at the production site when introducing a new production line.In the past few days, his desk was full of meeting minutes.Sometimes he writes the meeting minutes himself. Report the information obtained from below to the above, or consult with other departments and forward the results. A large number of documents pass by his eyes every day.These documents were nothing like the products and parts he had seen on the conveyor belt of the production line.Documents represent information, and information has no substance.Because of this, it is much more difficult to handle than products and parts.Despite this, he is increasingly unable to find the sense of fulfillment that he should have at work.

"After staying in the front line for a long time, I don't have any idea of ​​climbing up," Nakao said, "I just want to move up. I think moving to the position of team leader is enough. If I want to climb up again, I have to work overtime. The fee is gone, and the work content has changed all of a sudden, I don’t think that’s good.” "You're right." Hirasuke admitted frankly. "However, that's something that can't be helped." Nakao stared into the paper cup and said, "The company is also a part of the game of life. Climbing up in the company is the same as getting older. If you don't want to climb up, just It’s like not wanting to age.”

"Perhaps it is what you say." "Actually, everyone wants to be a child forever, even the stupidest people think so. But, people around you will not allow you to do that. They will keep reminding you-'You are going to be a father soon. , don’t hurry up and work hard!’, ‘You’ve become a grandfather, you should be careful!’. You want to say that you are just an ordinary man, but they don’t think so. When you have children, you are a father , if the child has a child, you are a grandfather. You cannot escape these realities. So, besides thinking about how to be a father and a grandfather, is there any other way?"

"Duff, do you often think about things like this?" "How is it possible? I just thought of it suddenly. As the eldest son, I just said a few words casually." "eldest son?" "That's right, the group leader is the eldest son, the department head is the father, and the section chief is the grandfather. I don't know what to call it anymore, maybe it's Buddha." After finishing speaking, Nakao threw the empty paper cup into the trash can . It was almost 7 o'clock when Hirasuke got home.The lights in the house are off.Heisuke frowned and opened the door.The air in the house is humid.After taking off his shoes and entering the house, he immediately went to the Japanese-style room and turned on the air conditioner.

After changing into sweatpants and a T-shirt, he began to watch live programs on TV.The game between the Giants and the YAKULT is underway.At this time, a player from the YAKULT team hit a home run, and Heisuke was so angry that he slapped the table. But after that his mind was not on the game.Compared with the TV show, he put more attention on the wall clock on the wall. It was past 7:30, and Naoko hadn't come back yet.What is she doing, Hirasuke couldn't help thinking. Successfully admitted to the ideal school, Naoko started high school life in the spring.However, there is one thing that Hirasuke didn't expect - Naoko joined the school's tennis club.Heisuke originally thought that after she made up her mind to take the medical major, she would naturally not participate in any extracurricular activities.

Due to the activities of the tennis club, Naoko has been coming home late every day, sometimes even after 8 o'clock.Heisuke went to the spray gun production workshop after getting off work on time today. One of the big reasons was that he didn't want to wait for Naoko's return in anxiety after returning home early. Heisuke looked at the wall clock again, it was already 7:50, and he began to kick his legs unconsciously. Naoko seldom mentioned about the tennis club to him, so Hirasuke basically didn't know who participated and how to practice.The only thing he knows is that there are many members in the club.Once she said that the list of all the members must be typed out with a computer, so she brought back a meeting minutes paper with dozens of people's names written on it.It was then that Hirasuke noticed that almost half of the names on the list belonged to boys.

He imagined Naoko in tennis clothes, swinging a racket.Thinking of showing her slender legs to so many boys, Hirasuke couldn't sit still.Her body—that is, Sami Nami's body—had recently become more like a grown-up woman. At eight o'clock sharp, the door in the hallway rang. "I'm back!" It was Naoko's voice. Heisuke stood up and came to the door of the room. Naoko unloaded the big backpack from her shoulders and carried it in her hand. She still held the racket in her arms and a supermarket shopping bag in the other hand, and walked over to Heisuke. "Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?" "Why did you come back so late?" Ping Jie asked, not hiding his unhappiness at all. "Huh? Is it late?" Naoko put away her backpack and racket in the corridor, and entered the Japanese-style room with only her supermarket shopping bags.She sat on the straw mat and stretched her legs, and began to massage her thighs and calves alternately. "Oh, I'm really exhausted. I have a lot of practice today. Sorry, wait for me for another 10 minutes, and I will start preparing dinner right away." Seemingly feeling that her sun-tanned and healthy thighs were a bit dazzling, Heisuke sat beside her while turning his gaze elsewhere. "It's already 8 o'clock, I really don't know what you think in your heart." "Ah, but didn't you always have dinner after 9 o'clock before? You always come back at that time." "I'm not talking about having dinner. I'm talking about, don't you think it's unusual for a high school kid to be home so late?" "That's because I have activities in the tennis club. In addition, I'm in the first grade, and I have to clean up the court after practice, and I have to go to the supermarket to buy vegetables after returning, so no matter how early I get this time." "But, it's abnormal to do this every day! What kind of club are you in?" "It's nothing special, just an ordinary club." Naoko stood up and walked towards the kitchen with the shopping bags from the supermarket.She washed her hands now before washing the sink, then added water to the pot and turned on the gas. "Then, what about taking the medical exam?" Heisuke asked his back. "What do you mean?" "Don't you want to take the exam? Isn't that why you entered this high school for this purpose?" "It's a test, of course it's a test." Naoko finished picking up fish on the chopping board. "But like now, how can you be admitted to the medical profession?" Heisuke asked bluntly. After hearing this, Naoko stopped what she was doing, turned around and stood with her back to the chopping board, holding the kitchen knife in her right hand. "Did you know that exams require not only intelligence but also physical strength. Especially when I have to compete with boys like me. Also, there is one thing Dad may not know. At our school, participating in club activities A higher percentage of people who don't participate in club activities are admitted to the college of their choice. Do you know why this is?" Because he didn't know, Hirasuke could only keep silent. Naoko continued, brandishing a kitchen knife, "It's because of the gap in efficiency. Although those who don't participate in club activities start preparing for the exam early, they always feel that they have more news than those who participate in the activities. The preparation process often relaxes. In contrast, those who participate in club activities are very consciously lagging behind, so they will not relax until the day before the exam, from the beginning to the end. Sprinting. Of course, through club activities, they also gained the physical strength to support their efforts. So, from the results, it is the group of students who participate in club activities that is more effective in learning.” "Is it really as good as you say?" "At least it's groundless to think that club activities will interfere with the entrance exam." Naoko finished speaking and turned to the chopping board, and continued to prepare dinner. Her back looks so much like Naoko herself when she was young.When she uses a kitchen knife, she bends slightly, with her right shoulder slightly higher than her left. "Based on what you're saying, are you still playing tennis to prepare for the exam?" "It can't be said that it's all for the exam, but it's true that I joined the club after taking the exam into consideration." "Actually, I'm afraid it's more for other purposes?" "Other purposes?" "There are a lot of male members in the club, right? Don't you just join in to keep them around you?" Naoko put down her work again, turned down the gas fire, and turned to Heisuke. "I can't stand you anymore! It turns out that you are thinking about these things, it's so boring!" "Why am I bored' Isn't it true that you are spoiled by a group of boys?" "Let me make it clear to you first. The seniors in our club are very strict, so they won't protect you just because you are a girl. I don't deny that some girls participate in the club with the idea that Dad said. Clubs, but girls like that quit long ago because they couldn’t bear the hardships of training. Don’t equate us with the Tennis Fans’ Association in the university. We are a pure sports organization!” "I don't care if you are a sports organization or what kind of organization, how can boys have no wrong thoughts about young women, as long as they have the opportunity, they will definitely do everything possible." "I can't believe that you have such despicable thoughts!" Naoko shook her head, then grabbed a handful of dried bonito fish from the grocery bag and threw them into the boiling water pot.There was palpable anger in her movements. "You know that's the only thing young men think about when they see pretty girls?" Naoko didn't answer.Her back told him she didn't want to answer! He opened a nearby newspaper with the headline "House Prices Continue to Rise."In fact, he didn't look into it at all. He began to hate himself in his heart, and this emotion continued to spread.Actually, he wasn't as angry with Naoko as he said.No, it should be said that he had basically no angry feelings towards Naoko, and her explanation was very reasonable. He also knew that the main reason Naoko came home late was not the club activities, but the shopping after the event.In order to stick to club activities, she needs to pay more.She can't let her tired body lie down for a rest after arriving home like ordinary high school students.No one cooks her dinner, and even though she's exhausted like a puddle of mud, she still can't escape her role as a housewife.The reason why she has not quit the club is because she thinks she should be like this now, and she has her own beliefs. Knowing these details, but still accusing her, what is going on? I'm probably jealous——Heisuke thought.He was jealous of Naoko who had regained her youth, and he was jealous of a young man who could enjoy youth with her like that.At the same time, he cursed his situation for not being able to have love and sexual desire for her. This dinner was the most awkward dinner he had had with Naoko since they got married. Neither of them said a word, they just moved the chopsticks in their hands silently.The most fundamental difference between this conflict and the previous ones is that what settles at the bottom of the barrier is not anger, but sadness.Heisuke is not angry, realizing that the gap that will never be bridged between him and Naoko makes him feel unbearable sadness.She felt the same, and it could be felt in the air around her body.Ironically, the kind of bond that characterizes couples that hasn't been felt for so long reappears in moments like these.