Chapter 5 3. The characters on stage gather together

"Happy New Year!" Mr. Tsutsuya Ryuichi, the secretary and driver of the grandfather, bowed deeply, and the afterimage of the friendly smile remained in the air. "Congratulations on the new year." "Congratulations! Thank you for taking care of me last year." Mom said the standard greeting to Mr. Tsutsuya, who is the same generation as her son, and bowed humbly again and again.For unknown reasons, my mother became uncharacteristically humble when she visited my grandfather's house during the New Year. "Please teach me a lot this year too!" "I also ask for your advice."

"I really need your advice. Hehe, ah! By the way, this..." Mom lowered her voice, and before waiting for the other party's answer, she stuffed the bulging gift bag into Mr. Zuiya's hand.It looks like it should be a red envelope! "Although only a little bit." "No need, ma'am." Mr. Tsutsuya showed a troubled expression, but I guessed that he was troubled because he didn't know where to put his hands because he was wearing a suit without pockets. "This is not good..." "A humble kindness that is not a respect." The mother said it was a small kindness, but compared with the red envelopes given to her son, it was much more. Even so, I was not surprised. "correct--"

"Are you asking about Mrs. Ye Liuming?" Tsutsuya-san sensed what she wanted to ask from the twinkling eyes of his mother, so he said the names of his mother and sister.Although the grade is young, he is worthy of being his grandfather's confidant, and his response is very quick. "She's here, and the ladies are here too." He secretly glanced at our three brothers standing behind our mother. "Didn't your husband come with you?" "Huh? Uh, ah, he has something to do, it's inconvenient..." The mother, who was in a panic, swung her wrist vigorously and hit Brother Fujitaka's wrist behind her.My brother frowned in pain, but my mother didn't care at all.

"How should I put it... His body is a little unwell. Hehe, I'm really sorry." "Then how is your husband's health?" "It's no big deal. It's a trivial matter, it's really nothing. Really, really. That... how should I put it, it's just getting old! Hehehehehehe." "This year is really rare!" Mom raised her voice in a low voice, which made Tsutsuya frowned. "Actually, Mrs. Ye Liuming's husband didn't come this year either." "You mean Mr. Zhong Zhijiang?" Mom's eyes floated into the air, and she began to evaluate whether this information was good or bad for her.

"What's going on? Is he not feeling well? Or..." "Ah, it must be because of that..." Fujitaka-san muttered to himself, interrupting Tsutsuya-san who was tilting his head in thought. "Well, Fujiko. What did you say?" Mom's eyes hung into triangles. Her appearance seemed to indicate that, as her property, it was unforgivable to hide something from her son, who should be fearful of her, and from her parents. "What do you know? Tell me what you know! Don't be silent." "Well, ma'am, anyway..." I wonder if he is worried about the follow-up development of the situation, Mr. Tsutsuya opened his mouth to make a rescue, "Please go inside first, the president and chairman are waiting for you."

"Okay, okay, but..." Mother glanced at Mr. Tsutsuya from head to toe unceremoniously.He was wearing a baggy black tracksuit over a navy blue sleeveless jacket.If this kind of dressing is considered a kind of humor, it would be too stupid to greet the family members of the boss with this kind of humor. "Do I have to dress like that to get in? I can't bear it. I really don't want to dress like this. Do I really have to wear it?" "I'm very sorry. The president has repeatedly told me that if you don't change your clothes, you are not allowed to go in."

"Father's whim is really troublesome." Although my mother complained again and again, she was wearing casual clothes that were easy to put on and take off beforehand. "never mind!" "Madam, please go this way." Mr. Tsutsuya pointed to the direction of the main house and said, "Miss Yuri is inside, please take care of me tonight." "Please take care of us." Turning his head to look at us, as if the reality was about to get back the humiliation he had made to Mr. Tsutsuya, his tone changed to that of a dictator and began to issue orders. "Hurry up and change clothes! Hurry up!"

From the tone of my mother's words, it seems that our slowness is the culprit of everything. After she scolded us, she walked quickly towards the main house.We brothers were also led into the annex by Mr. Tsutsuya.The annex is located opposite the main house, separated from the main house by the atrium.This is the men's locker room. "Ah!" Brother Shi Shifu sighed while changing into the yellow sportswear he had prepared: "Why does everyone have to dress up in such a vulgar look! They come here every year. It's already the New Year, Shouldn't you dress up a bit more decently? Are you right, Tsutsuya-san?"

"You're right to say that..." Mr. Tsutsuya seemed troubled by this matter, and nodded ambiguously: "Forget about men, if it's a woman..." "Right? I'm right! After all, New Year's Day comes only once a year. If so, why don't you see how everyone is dressed up? Right? Really...why do you have to dress up like you're hanging out in a convenience store? Come to the party in rustic, idiot-like clothes! Not an otaku. Ah, ah, I hate it! I really want to see how Luna sister looks in a kimono!" This sentence caused an abnormal sense of tension in the locker room.I thought to myself, "That's bad", Sister Luna is the second daughter of Aunt Ye Liuming, that is, our cousin. Brother Shi Shifu himself never shy away from saying that he likes her; and looking at this situation, Brother Fujitaka also has a crush on her Looking at her, but he didn't say it clearly.No!Not only Brother Fujitaka, but Mr. Tsutsuya is also her admirer.Both of them secretly stared at brother Shi Shifu with particularly frightening eyes.

"It's lucky that my brother got a yellow tracksuit." This unusually tense atmosphere made me feel unbearable.In order to ease the atmosphere, I bring up this topic. "Mine are red! A red tracksuit with a sleeveless jacket is the end of the world!" Our Oni family only started to visit Grandpa Fuchikami Reijiro during the New Year in recent years.In the past, for some reason, our family did not have close contact with my grandfather.In fact, I don’t know it’s the Da family’s family. The husband’s family of Auntie Ye Liuming, the third daughter, Zhong Zhijiang’s family also has no contact with grandpa. Like our family, Zhong Zhijiang’s family only pays respects to grandpa during the New Year in recent years.

Here, I would like to give a brief introduction to Reijiro Kamibuchi and the company he founded—the EDGE-UP restaurant chain group. My grandfather originally lived in a corner of the outskirts of Yasutsuki City, and he and his wife Fukae ran a small western restaurant.As a chef, my grandfather has excellent cooking skills.However, he is also the kind of bad man who drinks, gambles, and goes to restaurants.She even threw all the restaurant's income into the gambling game without mercy. For this reason, Grandma Fukae also lived a very hard life. My grandparents have three children, namely my mother—the eldest daughter Kashishou, the second daughter Hu Liunai, and the third daughter Ye Liuming.The three of them felt disgusted from the bottom of their hearts for this father who made their mother and themselves suffer and was forced to live a poor life.Not only did their fathers never buy clothes for them, they even gambled heavily on their living expenses.Even if I try my best to respect this kind of father, I'm afraid it will be difficult to do it!Moreover, Ling Zhirou always made repeated orders, at least one of the three daughters had to find a man to marry, so as to continue the incense of the Fusakami family.No one can accept this kind of empty shell that has nothing but a pile of debts!Families with such fathers, even if they only long to escape quickly and don't want to stay at home for a moment, who would want to criticize them? Mother Kashitoshi is only an excellent daughter in terms of academics.She has always endured the sarcasm and reprimands from her grandfather who said, "It's useless to go to high school. If you have that kind of spare time, you might as well help out in the store!" Later, she graduated from the public high school with the first place, and also won the National Ann Tsuki University scholarships. To put it simply, for mother, education is a necessary condition for leaving Fuchigami's house.However, if you run away from home arbitrarily, what awaits you in the future is just another difficult life.Whether you want to be self-reliant or find a man with financial ability, you must first go to college.Mothers who support this idea work tirelessly. I don't know if it echoed her mother's obsession. When she graduated from university, her grandmother died suddenly due to a cerebral hemorrhage.Immediately after my grandmother's funeral, my mother married a man of the same age I met in college, and never set foot in the house again.This man is our father—Michiya Oba.In this way, she almost severed ties with Yuanshang's family!Not only his father Reijiro, but even his two younger sisters and mother did not invite them to the wedding.Such a move is tantamount to declaring his determination to sever ties with the Yuanshang family.Immediately afterwards, Mom's two younger sisters began to get nervous.After the death of my mother, who was at least on my side, and the departure of my sister, the burden of the family was about to fall on me. "Are you kidding me!" Ye Liuming, the third daughter of Yuan Shang's family at that time, wondered if she had the same wishful thinking as her eldest sister, planning to study in university with a scholarship.She forced herself to study, and was admitted to a public high school with little deviation, but soon dropped out of school suddenly. It turned out that she and a young male teacher of the school, who is now her husband, lived together.Perhaps she was thinking that if she lived with a man of similar age, her future life would still make her uneasy because of his lack of financial ability.As a result of his calculations, he made the most favorable choice at the moment, that is, the choice that best suited her personal style.After giving birth to their eldest daughter, Mai, they officially held a wedding ceremony. Of course, she did not invite her father Reijiro to the wedding. In this way, only the second daughter, Hu Runo, was left beside Reijirou Fuchigami.After the two sisters fled the house, she was tied to death at Yuanshang's house.Hu Liunai was only 19 years old at the time. After graduating from junior high school, she did not continue her education, but instead worked as a helper in a western restaurant.She thought she was the second daughter, so she carelessly presupposed that she could not inherit the position of the Yuanshang family. Compared with the eldest daughter or third daughter of the Yuanshang family, she seemed to be a daughter who was not intelligent enough. Among the three daughters of the Yuanshang family, Hu Liunai's personality is considered the most gentle and honest.After discovering that she was betrayed by her sister and sister, she was forced to accept the fact that she had to live alone with her troublesome father. Soon, her emotions began to become irritable and irritable, and she even had eye-catching weird words and deeds. Go to a psychiatrist. Even the bad guy Reijiro is upset when his wife dies early.Although his long-winded wife is not around, he can spend more and more unscrupulously, but in fact it is not the case.Instead, he completely lost the energy to have fun.The so-called man turned out to be this kind of creature!Not only that, but the eldest daughter and the third daughter spurned him, as if they had run away from home and rushed to the man's arms, while the second daughter who stayed at home fell into a state of hysteria due to excessive despair.The ensuing changes made him struggle in life, and it was all due to his failure to fulfill his father's duties.Although he had some introspection, it was indeed too late. Reijiro sold all his property and took Hu Runo on a trip.Although it is a trip, it is indeed a trip that never returns home.Once the money was borrowed, they absconded with the money that night.Slowly, he was completely desperate for life, and thought of killing his daughter first, and then committing suicide.However, he wanted to make up for all the mistakes he made before, even if it was only a little bit.Therefore, he sold all the valuables on his body, used the money to make Hu Liunai eat delicious food and wear beautiful clothes, and planned to take her into the sea and commit suicide after spending all his extravagance. Reijiro, who decided to squander all his money before his death, suddenly had the idea of ​​buying betting tickets.As a result, his fate changed dramatically.Of course, his motivation for buying betting tickets this time is different from forgetting, it is not for excitement, it is purely to spend all the money, and has no desire to win money at all.Therefore, he did not evaluate which horse had a better chance of winning in advance, but just bet on some unpopular numbers at will. However, to Reijiro's surprise, all the betting numbers were hit!The money earned is even dozens of times more than what was squandered before.The sudden shock almost made Reijiro faint. "What's the matter? What's going on here? When I was desperately trying to buy betting tickets to make a lot of money, I never won it once!" "This must be the devil trying to tempt me." Grandpa thought, "I should enjoy my life again!" "," Then, just like now, completely self-destruct! "In his ear, there seemed to be a wicked devil whispering like this. Reijiro, who was so excited and lost his mind, decided to buy a lot of stocks this time.Needless to say, of course he also intends to throw the money in the water.He still adopts the method of contrarian operation, buying stocks that are unlikely to rise.Ironically, all the stocks he bought soared.Reijiro made a small fortune from this. Although he only received his father's love for a short time, Hu Liunai's mental state was stabilized by it.After discussing with Hu Yuno, Reijiro decides to return to Atsuki and use the money earned from the stock to pay off all debts.Then the father and daughter opened a western restaurant full of exotic flavors together.The chef's blood in Reijirou's body boiled again.With Hu Yuno's help, Reijiro no longer indulged in having fun, and started working hard without distraction.The two continue to develop various new menus, and study how to improve the taste of the dishes, so as to capture the hearts of female customers.As a matter of course, the restaurant is full every day.At first they just opened restaurants in mixed residential and commercial apartments.Not long after, they opened a brick-built store next to the national highway. Since then, the restaurant business has been booming, and chain stores have opened one after another in various places, and finally it has become a large enterprise with 37 branches across the country.This has been the case for nearly a decade. After learning about Dad's successful business and the current situation, Mom and Aunt Ye Liuming began to feel restless.Reijiro is already eighty-two years old, and he has long since ceased to intervene in front-line operations, but has retired behind the scenes to serve as the honorary chairman of the EDGE-UP restaurant chain group.Generally speaking, whether it is the restaurant itself or the real estate owned by the group, the total assets are quite considerable.However, according to the current situation, after Reijiro's death, these huge inheritances will be inherited by the current chairman of the group, that is, Hu Liunai. According to the relevant provisions of the civil law on inheritance rights, if Ling Zhilang did not leave a will, his mother and Aunt Ye Liuming could obtain the corresponding part of the inheritance.Grandpa, however, seemed to be making fun of their expectations by redrawing his will every year for nearly a decade.Although the content of the will cannot leave all the inheritance to Hu Liunai alone, no matter how you say it, mother and Aunt Ye Liuming are severing the father-daughter relationship with grandpa.Therefore, even if they don't get half of the inheritance, they can't say much. Therefore, mother and Aunt Ye Liuming started to plan how to regain the father-daughter relationship, even if they are humble.At the beginning, my grandfather was not friendly to them, and he always had the thought in his heart, "You guys abandoned Hu Liunai and me without hesitation, what are you doing now?"However, my grandfather changed his mind not long after, and his tough attitude gradually eased. The main reason is that Aunt Hu Liu Nai has no children. Aunt Hu Liunai, the current chairman of EDGE-UP Group, has always been very busy with work in order to help her father expand the business territory. She still lives alone with her sister-in-law and has never been married.As a result, the integration problem of the Yuanshang family has become a very difficult problem.If after the grandfather passed away, Aunt Hu Liu Nai also passed away immediately, and there would be problems with the succession of the group.Although the 48-year-old Aunt Hu Liunai is in good health, as long as there is no accident, she will not die soon.But for the elderly grandfather, who will inherit the group in the future is still a problem that must be resolved as soon as possible. This happened to be an excellent opportunity for mother and Aunt Ye Liuming.The mother has three sons, and Aunt Hu Liunai can choose one of them as her adopted son.Auntie Ye Liuming also has two daughters, either of which can be adopted by Hu Liunai as an adopted daughter, and then the inheritance problem can be solved by recruiting a son-in-law.Naked desires intensify the struggle between the two. Even though mother and Aunt Ye Liuming were his own daughters, grandpa felt very ashamed of their servility, so for a long time, grandpa forbade them to return home.As soon as he heard their humble and flattering voices approaching the entrance, grandpa immediately refused to meet with them in a sneer. Until a few years ago, my mother and Aunt Ye Liuming were not allowed to visit during the New Year.However, while agreeing, Grandpa set out a strange additional condition - anyone who wants to step into Yuanshang's house must change into the clothes designated by Grandpa, and as long as they stay in Yuanshang's house, they must stay in Yuanshang's house all the time. wear on the body.No entry is allowed unless this condition is complied with.The clothes my grandfather specified were those colorful tracksuits, plus a sleeveless jacket. "Brother Fujitaka's tracksuit is blue, and this color matches the sleeveless jacket best!" I said with a pitiful look, pulling at the hem of my red tracksuit.I took off the casual clothes, wallet, watch and other items I wore and put them in the prepared basket.It's not that you are not allowed to bring personal items in, but even if you have a wallet, you have little chance to use it, not to mention that the sportswear has no pockets to put it.In addition, when my body becomes lighter, I have the habit of taking off the watch unconsciously. "Only me in the bright red tracksuit!" That's right!We can't choose our favorite color. The color of all sportswear is determined according to the wishes of my grandfather.First of all, the grandfather himself is brown, and his secretary Mr. Tsutsuya is black.Except for Aunt Huruno, mother, Aunt Hayura and their spouses, all are green; Auntie Huruno's secretary, Ms. Yuri Emi, is the same as Mr. Tsutsuya, and is also black. "Hey, Q Taro, think about it from another angle, red is a fashionable color!" Shi Shifu's brother pretended to be reasonable and preached. "Besides, isn't red the color to congratulate your sixtieth year? It's very suitable for you who are old-fashioned. It really fits perfectly! I'm yellow. Look, yellow. It's okay for girls to wear it, but it's just for boys. It would be annoying!" "Isn't this great? It's the same color as sister Luna!" I slipped my lips carelessly.Originally, my purpose of changing the subject and deliberately discussing the color of the sportswear was to ease the tension between the three suitors of Luna's sister, but in the end, I may not have helped, but I was just asking for trouble.By the way, my two cousins ​​are called Mai and Luna. "No, no... um... In short, sportswear itself has nothing to do with fashion, and has nothing to do with color." "Grandpa..." Brother Fujitaka ignored me who was eager to cover up, and said to himself: "Could it be that he has already suffered from dementia?" "Huh?" Brother Shi Shifu seemed to be concerned about Mr. Tsutsuya's face, and said in a bit of embarrassment: "What do you mean by that?" "Maybe it's because of dementia that I can't distinguish the children's faces." Brother Fujitaka completely ignored the existence of everyone present, muttering with disgust on his face, his eyes were a little erratic. "When I met Grandpa on the street, he mistaken me and Shi Shifu." "Huh? Is there such a thing?" From all aspects, the straightforward brother Shi Shifu is similar to his father when he was young, but when he gets up occasionally, he will suddenly forget to take care of others' face.He openly showed his interest in this matter in front of Tsutsuya-san. "You mean to say that grandpa began to develop dementia and couldn't distinguish the children's faces, so he made everyone wear sportswear of different colors, so that they can be used to identify their identities?" "How is it possible!" Mr. Tsutsuya's expression was polite, but his tone was firm.He put the red envelope he got from his mother into the shirt pocket in his basket. "According to what you said, if there are more than two people wearing the same color sportswear, how can they be identified by color?" "However, no matter how you say it, you can still tell the difference between men and women! For example, the colors of sportswear are repeated now—the blue of my brother and Mai, and then the yellow of me and Luna. Then, people of the same gender, The colors are no longer repeated!" "But ladies..." The "lady" that Mr. Tsutsuya refers to here refers to his mother and the three sisters. If he talks to them face to face, he will call them "wife", which shows how delicate he is. "They're all green!" "That's why Brother Fujitaka said, grandpa can't tell the faces of our grandchildren! If the grandchildren are not allowed to wear sportswear of different colors, grandpa won't be able to tell who is who, then the fact that he is already dementia will make him It was exposed. Therefore, in order to conceal this matter, he asked everyone to change into the color of the tracksuit! Of course, Ms. Tsutsuya and Ms. Yuri are no exception. This is very reasonable." For affirmation Brother Shi Shifu clapped his hands for his own thoughts. "Look, Mrs. Juzi is dressed in ordinary clothes!" The servant of the Yuanshang family, Mrs. Juzi, is the niece of the deceased grandmother.About ten years ago, when he was living on the street because he had no relatives and no reason, he was taken back by his grandfather. "The idea of ​​using the color of the sportswear to identify the grandson's identity is too stupid!" The one who utterly frustrated Brother Shifu's spirit was actually Brother Fujitaka. "If you can't remember the color of everyone's tracksuit, isn't it pointless? If you can remember the color of everyone's clothes one by one, then you can't remember their looks?" "However, I think the color is much simpler than the appearance, and it is easier to remember." The stunned brother Shi Shifu shook his head and started to fight back. "Moreover, the most important thing is that the elder brother said this idea first..." "I didn't mention the color of the tracksuit, I just wondered if Grandpa had Alzheimer's." "What? The two things are not related! By the way..." Brother Shi Shifu immediately recovered from his shock, "Did you know something? About the fact that Uncle Zhong Zhijiang didn't come this year... Hey! You should You know! What is the reason? Tell us, tell us!" Under the leadership of Mr. Tsutsuya, we left the annex and arrived at the main building in no time, so we had to stop talking about it for now.The entrance is as wide as a hotel. After entering, there is a living room, and after entering, there is a reception room.The mother, wearing a green tracksuit and a sleeveless jacket, was already inside, looking like a housewife exhausted from making ends meet.Mom looked over Mr. Tsutsuya and looked in the direction of our brothers. The expression on her face seemed to say: "Why are you procrastinating, why are you moving so slowly?" Although it was just a reception room, it was quite spacious inside, about the size of thirty stacks of tatami mats.Aunt Ye Liuming and Mai sister were sitting on the sofa, while Luna sister was standing by the window. "Happy New Year!" Aunt Hu Runai's secretary, Ms. Yuri Emi, nodded and bowed to us, with an ambiguous smile on her face, making it difficult to tell whether it was amiable or indifferent. "Please!" She pushed the trolley and distributed drinks to everyone, obviously assisting Mrs. Juzi who was busy preparing for the banquet. Yuri-san is also wearing the same black tracksuit as Tsutsuya-san.It is difficult to dress up even a little in this tacky dress.Therefore, Ms. Youli didn't even put on makeup, which is true, but it highlighted her beauty without makeup.However, it was incredible that Yuri-san's appearance made it impossible to tell whether she was a beauty or an ugly woman. Of course, I don't know what kind of person Ms. Yuri is usually. I only saw her when I visited my grandfather at the beginning of the year. Therefore, I have never seen her in anything other than a black tracksuit and a sleeveless jacket.In other words, she may subconsciously change herself with different people she contacts, just like a chameleon changes its body color as the environment changes.Since receiving us is one of Ms. Yuli's jobs, she must deliberately keep a safe distance to prevent her personality from showing, making it difficult for people to figure out whether her personality is amiable or ruthless.Even on the outside, people can't tell whether she is a beauty or an ugly girl, so as to prevent the other party from taking advantage of her and knowing her true face in private.However, in front of her beloved lover, she should show a bright smile like a flower without reservation!Her temperament is what makes people make such associations. After getting the glass filled with wine from Yuri-san, Seisho-san approached Luna-san and greeted her in a relaxed manner.Brother Fujitaka didn't know what to do, so it was worth sitting on the sofa; Mr. Tsutsuya seemed to have something to do, and walked towards the large living room, presumably he also cared a lot about sister Luna. "Oh!" Aunt Ye Liuming squinted at her mother and pointed in the direction of the three of us.She always had a flippant and lifeless smile on her face. "What's going on this year? Where's Michiya-san? What happened?" "Isn't your husband also missing?" As expected of her mother, her eyes immediately hung into triangles, as if she was pretending to be calm and pointless resistance.Judging from the way my mother spoke, it seemed that something ulterior had happened. "What happened this year. Have you caught a cold?" "He's inconvenient." "What do you mean it's inconvenient? Is it really a cold? Or do you suddenly have something urgent to do?" "Just say it's inconvenient!" "What's inconvenient? What's the reason..." Mom's voice immediately became sharper, "Please explain clearly, we are not outsiders, we always care about it!" "Let's just say it's not a big deal!" Auntie Ye Liuming still had her signature smile without energy, as if secretly accusing "My face is smiling, but my heart is bleeding", However, it also shows that she has not lost her cool. "He's inconvenient." "Wh-what? You are so arrogant!" Mom was scruples about the gazes around her, so she just deliberately sneered.I guess she actually wanted to yell, but she gritted her teeth and endured it. "It's weird! It's really weird. In fact, something serious has happened! Eh? Is that right?" "He's inconvenient." Mom felt that she was completely regarded as a fool, and her face became very ugly.Perhaps she is also very clear that as long as she speaks, she will definitely yell at her sister, so she still forces herself to bear it and stop talking. In the drawing room, the same tension was building.Compared with the tense atmosphere caused by the jealousy of Luna's sister not long ago, the situation at that time was nothing at all.This is a feud of flesh and blood that makes no secret of their hatred for each other.In any case, as long as any child of the eldest daughter and the third daughter wins the throne of Aunt Hu Liunai's adopted son, there will be a huge change in the status of each other. When Aunt Ye Liuming fled from her grandfather, she lived directly in the apartment of her current husband and later became his wife.When my mother learned about this, she said sarcastically, "That woman is crazy!", "My dad knew she had an affair with a teacher at a third-rate girls' high school.", "Compared to her, I But I tried my best to pick the most ideal husband among the men around me!" Our father, Michiya Oba, was indeed a social elite that my mother was proud of.After graduating from university, he worked in a large local company. He made his fortune from the planning business department, and later transferred to the sales department. With his talent and talent, he successfully facilitated several big deals for the company, and continued to steadily accumulate actual results. Such a steady career, he was only forty years old and was qualified as the sales manager.My mother was ecstatic at the time, and she was even more convinced of her vision in choosing a man. She originally thought that her husband would definitely do something.After her husband succeeded in his career, she also felt honored, and she also took her happiness for granted.Mom believes that she has achieved far more than her sister in life and is entitled to this level of happiness.This deepened mother's sense of superiority over Aunt Ye Liuming. For the utilitarian mom, dad was the perfect man for her.Dad was originally an informal person with an innocent personality, who treated life as a game.The desire to be promoted is higher than that of ordinary people, but rather than desire, enjoying promotion as a game is the driving force behind Dad's rapid promotion. By the way, the one who completely inherited this personality is Shi Shifu brother. Shi Shifu brother is currently working in a computer software development company. At first, he was a little depressed because he only worked as a system operator. After he transferred to the sales department, he began to feel like a duck to water. However, life is not always smooth sailing. Dad’s dream is to become a director and supervisor of the company. Both he and his mother firmly believe that this dream will come true.To be honest, the reason why they are so determined is because of the company's internal personnel transfer, and Dad has also received relevant instructions from the company, and ordered a new suit for this purpose.However, in a certain sense, father and mother are too naive and underestimate the reality and cruelty of the so-called organization. Due to the economic downturn, layoffs prevailed.Just this fall, Dad was demoted without warning to the Item Management Investigation Unit, a job the company had never had before.Although it is barely considered a management in name, the position is useless, and the treatment is no different from that of ordinary company employees. Since then, Dad's condition has gone from bad to worse, even to the point of being miserable.In the past, my father didn't drink much unless it was necessary for entertainment, but now he drinks heavily every day.In addition, he would cry like a child regardless of his status in front of his sons. "Why am I, who has devoted myself to the company, treated so cruelly?" Dad cried. Completely dedicating himself, but only getting back the company's betrayal, made Dad unable to find the meaning of life.Not only in front of his family, even in front of strangers, as long as Huang Tang eats, he will cry and make a lot of noise without any scruples.Such an ugly situation made my mother feel that she could no longer bear it, so she dragged her father to see a psychiatrist.After Dad suffered a major blow at work, he could no longer control his emotions. The doctor declared him suffering from depression. Although Dad is currently suspended, it is only a matter of time before he resigns.Therefore, the company has actually achieved the effect of layoffs. In this way, Dad's "golden age" has officially come to an end.Dad's gloomy personality like a dark night is somewhat similar to Brother Fujitaka.No!To be precise, it is actually the dark character hidden in my father's heart, which is completely inherited from Brother Fujitaka.Incidentally, at present, brother Fujitaka is not yet employed, and is staying at the research institute for advanced studies, engaged in research in quantum physics. On the other hand, Shi Shifu, who inherited his father's explicit character, never showed any uneasiness even though he saw his father's failure with his own eyes. As a younger brother, I was a little concerned about this.He was like a person who watched from the other side, thinking that his father's fate could only be attributed to his own incompetence. In any case, my father's reputation and credibility are gone.For Mom, her proud husband no longer existed.Of course, the source of her superiority towards Aunt Ye Liuming has disappeared without a trace.Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that the mother would be very anxious.Judging from the current situation, no matter what, try to let her son be adopted by Hu Liunai as an adopted son to inherit the EDGE-UP restaurant chain group. This is the only way for her mother to save face. "If Ye Liuming's daughter is chosen as the heir by my father, her years of resentment will turn into a rebellion against me, and she will slowly torture me in a way of showing off. I can't bear this kind of shame. It would be better to die Some!" she thought. Before this year, in order to get some inheritance, my mother planned to regain the relationship between father and daughter with grandpa.In a sense, visiting Yuan Shang's house during the New Year is just her long-term strategy of tenderness.But this year's situation is completely different from the previous ones. In any case, the mother must try to get her son to be chosen by the grandfather as an adopted son.Therefore, before coming to Yuanshang's house, she first threw her husband, who made a fuss after drinking and was like a hot potato, to her mother-in-law. In this way, my mother came to Yuanshang's house full of enthusiasm.However, the younger sister, who is an opponent, is also the same as herself this year, and she did not bring her husband along. No wonder she wondered if something happened.妈妈忖度着，或许在她看不到的地方有某种阴谋正在进行，这是否对她不利？我想妈妈正绞尽脑汁地想着对策吧！尽管如此，叶流名阿姨对于妈妈的质问，却只是敷衍搪塞，顾左右而言他，妈妈心里的烦躁程度，自然也更加强烈。 “Q太郎”当我回过眼神的时候，友理小姐正推着推车，从我面前缓缓经过。我先郑重澄清，她是因为不知道我叫做久太郎，才会这样叫我的。加上大家开口闭口都叫我Q太郎，她才会毫不怀疑地认为这是正确叫法。 “你要喝什么饮料？” “请给我茶。” “乌龙茶好吗？” “可以的话，请给我一杯热的绿茶。” “小Q，你说话怎么这么像和尚啊！”瑠奈姊姊出其不意地插了话。她将仅剩冰块的玻璃杯递给友理小姐。又向她要了一杯威士忌。“既然是新年期间，就该大口地喝酒呀！痛快地喝！” “对，就是这样，我说你啊……”当着瑠奈姊姊跟屁虫的世史夫哥哥顿时亢奋起来，露出一副因瑠奈姊姊认同而雀跃不已的表情。“大口喝下去！大口一点！小绘美，再给我一杯掺水酒！” “等等，你怎么这么叫人？太没礼貌了吧！”瑠奈姊姊瞪视世史夫哥哥时，耳朵上的耳环剧烈摇晃着。它们是浅土黄色，有着细长印章般的形状，看上去像是芦笋的装饰品。通常女性在换上运动服之后，就会失去打扮的欲望，将饰品取下放在更衣室里。尽管如此，瑠奈姊姊却像是有策略似的，总是戴着耳环，当然也戴着戒指和手表。“怎么叫人家绘美啊！是友理小姐才对吧！真没礼貌。对吧？友理小姐？” “这样不是挺好的吗？别这么生气嘛！喂，小瑠奈！” “我揍你哦！为什么叫我名字害得加上'小'啊？真不想听你这样叫。我可是大你一岁的姊姊耶！” “真是的，小瑠奈。”就算被瑠奈姊姊细长的双眼瞪视着，世史夫哥哥也是满脸不在乎。“你生气时的脸，都让人觉得可爱极了！” 瑠奈姊姊平时担任展览会的解说员，是个有张瓜子脸的美人，生气起来的可怕表情与原本灿烂笑颜有极大落差。唯独世史夫哥哥，胆敢用手指朝她起得鼓起的双颊上戳。 瑠奈姊姊嫌恶地拨开他的手，但似乎没有离开的打算。这也难怪，在这个场合里，妈妈与叶流名阿姨互相瞪视的姿势，如雕像般凝固着；富士高哥哥像是进行宗教修行一样，独自盘腿坐在沙发上，双眼则是凝视着空中；舞姊姊对眼前的情形漠不关心，兀自听起随身听。每个人都像是沾上污泥的和纸般，充斥粘滞阴暗而抑郁。以瑠奈姊姊的立场来看，世史夫哥哥虽然个性轻浮，但比起在这里与友理小姐或我交谈来得有趣多了。 舞姊姊在大腿上打着拍子，视线偶尔朝这里投射过来。只是，她的眼神总在快于我或其他人交会时，便中途转向。整个人一副“哼，很好嘛，就这样把我晾在一边”的别扭模样。 老师说，舞姊姊的器量不大。她也绝非其貌不扬，只是没有妹妹那么明艳亮眼，于是她怎么也摆脱不了与瑠奈比较的自卑感。心里常有这样的念头：“好啊、好啊，你们每个人都去奉承瑠奈啊！反正我就是丑嘛！哼！” 舞姊姊周围的人，常在无意识中将两姐妹作比较后便将她晾在一旁，这种情况不断伤害她，成了一种恶性循环。 “对了，”世史夫哥哥突然压低嗓音，在瑠奈姊姊耳边悄悄说话。哥哥刚靠近她的秀发，才闻到扑鼻而来的发香，脚便被她重重地踩了下去。瑠奈姊姊的脾气果然不小。“姨丈今天发生了什么事情吗？为什么没来？” “道也伯伯才是怎么了？为什么没来啊？” “没什么，今天身体有点不适。” 世史夫哥哥以嘲讽的表情与语调，将爸爸受到裁员风暴侵袭后俨然成了废人的事情，一五一十地对瑠奈姊姊说明。当然，他是以妈妈与阿姨听不见的声音，悄悄地对着瑠奈姊姊说。 “事情就是这样，很麻烦吧！他老是像婴儿一样哇哇大哭耶！” “嗯，偶尔也会有这样的事情发生啊！” "What did you say?" “我爸今天也是有点歇斯底里，”瑠奈姊姊的嘲讽语调，完全不输给世史夫哥哥。她是毫无顾忌地说：“再怎么说，他也是自作自受，谁叫他竟然对高一女学生动手。” “咦？高一女学生！”我才在想，世史夫哥哥的语气好像略带羡慕的样子，结果他竟然这么说：“真好，高一女学生耶！也就是说，现在才十六岁啰？好棒！光听到十六岁，我的小弟弟就站起来了！” “哪里好啊！笨蛋！对我们家人来说，一点也不好！在事情传到校方高层之前，流言早就在学生之间传开来了，家长会知道后更是引起一阵骚动，还牵扯到教育委员会，最后才得知这件丑闻的校长觉得丢脸丢到姥姥家了，火冒三丈地骂道：'这家伙真是乱七八糟！'结果，爸爸就被校方免职了。” “也就是说——开除？” “对啊，被开除了，所以退休金也没了。” “这不是很糟糕吗？” “是啊，真的麻烦透顶。所以今天我妈才会这么神经质，事情发展到这种地步，她非得要让姊姊或者我过继给胡留乃阿姨当养女，成为EDGE-UP集团的继承人不可了。” 真没想到，大庭与钟之江家的经济支柱，居然双双丢了饭碗。虽然爸爸只是正朝着这条路走，但实际结果确实大同小异，正所谓哀莫大于心死。妈妈与叶流名阿姨原本就毫不掩饰对彼此的憎恶，只要明眼人都看得出来，她们之间的骨肉之争已经更加白热化。我出现了讨厌的预感，开始怀疑起今年的新年假期，是否真能平安无事地度过。 话说回来，钟之江姨丈确实是做了蠢事。高一学生约莫是十六岁，当初叶流名阿姨寄住到姨丈的公寓，也是相同年纪。这还真是历史重演。也就是说，叶流名阿姨在将近三十年前，就为姨丈开了先河，替未来播下了灾难的种子。 “各位……”在我沉浸于感慨之中时，槌矢先生来到了会客室。“已经准备就绪了，请各位往这边走。” 我们络绎不绝地往客厅的方向移动。客厅真是宽敞得不得了。它是EDGE－UP集团的理监事和分店长们用来进行各种会议的场所，现在却用来举办只有十多人参加的新年会，因此让人觉得格外宽敞。 “好了好了，大家恭喜，恭喜。” 一名戴著眼镜、外表敦厚朴实的中年女子，谦逊地对著每个人鞠躬。她就是现任董事长胡留乃阿姨。喜欢虚张声势的妈妈往上吊起眼睛；叶流名阿姨脸上则露出轻率的冷笑。胡留乃阿姨表现得泰然自若，让人完全感觉不出三人是亲姊妹。环境的不同，果然会塑造出不同的人格。 “董事长……”友理小姐双手捧著系有缎带、看似沉甸的铜制花瓶。蝴蝶兰饺子皮似的花瓣，如同行礼般整齐排列著。那是胡留乃阿姨最喜欢的花。“真是抱歉，我先前忘记带这个来……” “哎呀呀！友理小姐，你今天也买花给我，我真开心！” “我把它拿到您的房里吧！” “不用了，这样就好，这样就好，就放在那边。待会儿我再拿过去。友理小姐快点入座吧！啊，对了。Q太郎，过来一下。”胡留乃阿姨朝著正打算坐到世史夫哥哥旁边坐垫上的我招手。“来，这个给你。”她递给我一个袋子，我想应该是压岁钱吧！ “啊，Q太郎，好让人羡慕啊！”正要坐下的瑠奈姊姊，突然站起身来，咬起手指朝这边看。“阿姨，我也要红包。” “啊，我也要，我也要。”不用说，这当然是世史夫哥哥出声附和瑠奈姊姊。“我也要红包。” “你们在说什么啊！”仿佛她们说的话很有趣般，胡留乃阿姨咯咯地笑了起来，举止态度有如上流贵妇，这让妈妈与叶流名阿姨脸色苍白起来。 “你们已经有工作，也开始领薪水了吧，这样不能再要红包罗！” “可是富土高哥哥还是学生呀！要是Q太郎可以拿，哥哥应该也可以拿吧！哥哥如果可以拿，比哥哥还小的我也……好痛喔！” “Q太郎……”在世史夫哥哥慷慨激昂地说著歪理的时候，妈妈往他头上打了过去。她对我露出意味深远的笑容，说道：“好好地跟阿姨道谢喔！” 妈妈大概是将只有我拿到红包这件事，解读成我得到了胡留乃阿姨的正面评价。既然如此，身为妈妈的人，就不该再叫错儿子的名字了！应该叫我“久太郎”吧？这名字可是她取的。 “真是谢谢您了，胡留乃阿姨。” “Q太郎真有礼貌，给你红包很值得。” 在儿子得到胡留乃阿姨的赞美后，想必妈妈觉得自己取得了先机。“哼、哼，怎样？”妈妈轻蔑地望着叶流名阿姨。不服气的叶流名阿姨，也回了个讽刺而无力的笑容，像是说著：“再怎么说，养子的决定权还是在爸爸的手里。”要是一不留神，遭到两人充满敌意的视线夹击，那种感觉应该会像触电一样。她们真是累人的两姊妹。 突然，拉门打开了，原本嘈杂的气氛变成了一片静寂，原来是外公渊上零治郎走了进来。他脸上的皱纹，像是刀刃刻在黏土上的痕迹，让他独特的脸型看起来更加顽固，并且散发出他历风霜的学者气质。他的眼窝深陷，圆睁带有锐气的双眼，如老鹰般脾睨众人。在胡留乃阿姨说了声“恭喜新年”之后，众人像是缩起脖子似地，一齐朝著外公拜年。 外公坐上餐桌的主位后，以尖锐而嘶哑的声音说：“今年，在开动之前，我有些话想说。”接著又突然沉默不语。在众人寻思到底发生何事时，才发现他是在等由后方进人的居子太太坐到自己身边。在礼仪上，外公倒是格外地守规矩。和别人不一样的是，居子太太并未穿著运动服，而是兜著围裙做一般打扮。在座众人屏气凝神地凝视居子太太，在她就座之后，外公轻轻地吐了口痰，便直接切入主题。 “我要说的不是别的，正是关于胡留乃养子的事情。” -- 人物表 家长：渊上零治郎（咖啡色运动服）（亡妻：深江） ┣长女：加宝寿（夫：大庭道也）（绿色运动服） ┃ ┣长男：富士高（蓝色运动服） ┃ ┣次男：世史夫（黄色运动服） ┃ ┗三男：久太郎（红色运动服） ┣次女：胡留乃（绿色运动服） ┗三女：叶流名（夫：钟之江）（绿色运动服） ┣长女：舞（蓝色运动服） ┗次女：瑠奈（黄色运动服） 其它:槌矢龙一（零治郎的秘书）（黑色运动服） 友理绘美（胡留乃的秘书）（黑色运动服） 居子（渊上家女佣） 宗像（零治郎的律师） --