Chapter 4 third chapter

"Hi, Ali! Long time no see!" When Kurita walked out of the kitchen and saw the uninvited guest, he couldn't help blinking. Yagami Yuka and a companion sat in the window seat of the Amami teahouse and waited for Kurita.Yuga leaned on the table with her elbows, holding a cup of roasted tea in both hands. "...What are you doing, the visitor is you?" After muttering that, Kurita spat.Yuga stuck out her lower lip with an awkward expression and said, "What do you mean! It's rare for Miss Ben to come to you, so you should be happy!" "Huh? Why should I be happy?"

"It's just...forget it, let's not talk about this, how are you recently?" "still alright." "Why are you still as indifferent as before? But maybe it's a good thing to be the same." Yuka, who said that other people's choice is the same, has not changed at all. At the age of nineteen, she is dressed in an elegant black suit today.Vibrant phoenix eyes paired with soft curls form an interesting combination. Kurita and Yuka are classmates in elementary school and junior high school. They are the kind of friends who can't get rid of the relationship even if they want to.

When Kurita was in elementary school, there was an incident of meal expenses being stolen in the class. At that time, everyone suspected that it was Jia who stole it. In fact, it was indeed stolen by Ka, but Kurita protected her without knowing it.Since then, Kurita has been entangled by Yuka until now. After graduating from high school, Yujia went to work in a publishing house. Because she is naturally a person who can grasp the essentials of doing things, I heard that she has recently transformed into a writer for a food magazine. The projects and articles written by Yuka are very well received. Occasionally, when I come to the store to look for Kurita, I always forget to take away the magazine that published her report. It is self-evident to show off.

Kurita guessed that Yuka should have the same intention today.At her feet was a large camera bag suspected to be used for interviews. Kurita put his face close to Yuka and asked, "So, are you here to discuss work today?" Sitting across from Yuka was a man in a suit with a steady appearance. The man looked to be in his fifties, his tanned skin looked energetic and dignified. Yuga smiled and said, "No, it's not work. This gentleman is my distant relative, and he came to discuss things with you today." "...to discuss things?" A puzzled expression appeared on Kurita's face, and the man in front of him handed out his business card and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, this is my business card."

The man handed over a business card written in a foreign language.Kurita couldn't tell which country's language it was, but it was definitely not English. Perhaps seeing Kurita's surprised expression, the man hastily took out another business card.This time it is a business card in Japanese. "Tanabe... the director of St. Paul Foods Co., Ltd." Kurita looked away from the business card, stared at the other party intently and asked, "Although I don't understand the situation very well, what do you want to discuss with me?" "It's like this—"

Kurita thought: "No matter what you want to discuss, it seems that it is not suitable to talk about things here." Although the store is currently empty, there is still the possibility that a whole group of tourists will flock in. Therefore, Kuritagai took the two of them to the innermost living room. The small Japanese living room is covered with tatami mats and is a living space completely isolated from the storefront.Nakanojo and Shiho wouldn't come in unless necessary. Kurita, Yuka, and Tanabe sat down on cushions around the low table. "Wow! The persimmons are dry. It's the season of persimmons this year..."

Yuka looked out of the window, muttering with a look of nostalgia. The dried persimmons hanging from the eaves contrasted with the blue sky, and looked like small bright orange balls floating in midair. "Since the past, every time this season, your family will have such a scene. Ah Li, did you do that?" "Who else but me?" "Exactly." "Anyway, we rarely have persimmon trees in our family, and after all, it is a tradition handed down from generation to generation. These parts should be inherited in a real way." "Hehe, you are quite affectionate."

"Don't laugh so thoughtfully! Let's not talk about this—" Kurita turned his attention to Tanabe, and after Tanabe coughed lightly, he began to talk. "I've always been in Brazil." Hearing this, Kurita muttered, "Brazil?" "This is the first time I have returned to Japan in twenty years, so please ask Miss Yuga to be my tour guide. I heard that she is very familiar with Tokyo because of her work." "Mr. Tanabe is my aunt's father." After looking at each other, Yuka and Tanabe nodded. Kurita thought: "Things seem to be complicated."

"That was the winter of twenty years ago, when the bubble economy was bursting." Tanabe's gaze suddenly turned to the distance. "My parents were cheated by someone they trusted and forced to go into debt. I tried to find a job, but in the recession, I couldn't find any good jobs, so I decided to go to a friend who lives in São Paulo. .” "That's why I have been staying in Brazil." Kurita finally understood the reason. "I thought it was impossible to come back in the future, so I visited a lot of scenic spots that day, and planned to take a good look at Tokyo for the last time. At that time, because I was betrayed by people close to me, I became less daring to trust people. On the one hand, I also wanted to let My wounded heart needs to be healed, I just want to be alone. But maybe because of the so-called 'misfortunes never come singly', I was targeted by villains in Asakusa," Tanabe said.

"The villain?" "Yes, at that time I was walking in the alley near Hanayashiki, and a group of people with bad attitudes suddenly surrounded me and beat me severely... By the time I recovered, I had already fallen to the ground. I hastily reached into my pocket to feel it, but the wallet was gone and stolen. It should be a villain who specializes in targeting tourists." Tanabe said with a sigh. "This kind of thing often happens overseas. After all, passengers have relatively full purses and are less familiar with the surrounding conditions." "That was... a disaster."

Although Kurita is well aware of the current situation of the gangsters in this area, it was twenty years ago after all, so he has no grasp of the situation at all. Tanabe shook his head with a mournful expression, and continued: "Because it happened so suddenly, my mind went blank, and I dragged my painful body around looking for those people. Of course, those people were not so Easy to find. Having said that, I didn't have the money to buy a ticket to go home, so I walked aimlessly until it was dark, and even my heart became dark. When I was so hungry that I was about to collapse, It was this store that I happened to pass by.” Tanabe looked out the window with eyes as if seeing something dazzling. "By the way, it seemed to be the same scene at that time... I remember that there were a lot of dried persimmons hanging under the eaves." "Yeah." Kurita responded unconsciously.The so-called feeling is extremely emotional, it should be this kind of mood. "That's dried persimmon made by my father." "I think so. I was so hungry that my whole body went out of order. When I realized it, I had already climbed over the low wall and ate a dried persimmon." Tanabe looked down, scratched the back of his neck and said. "That was really embarrassing. Still, it's so nostalgic... The dried persimmon itself has a bland taste, so I don't have much of an impression—I think it must be because what happened after that was so intriguing. I'm stealing it When the persimmons were drying, your father suddenly stood next to me. Then, after staring at me for a while, he said to me: 'You seem to be seriously injured, is it okay?'" Kurita's father did not speak harshly to Tanabe who stole dried persimmons, but listened carefully to Tanabe's description of the whole story. After hearing the whole story, Kurita's father was very angry, and he helped to call the police for the theft of Tanabe's wallet. "At that time, your father invited me to eat the Dou Da Fu from this store. It was delicious...even after twenty years, I still remember the deliciousness of the sweet bean paste that melted the whole person." Since Kurimarudo's establishment, Dome Daifuku has been the famous product of this store, and it is also the best-selling signature product.From the past to the present, the taste and production method of Kurimarudo Dome Daifuku have not changed. Tanabe closed his eyes and thought about it. "Because I met your father, I am what I am now - I am not exaggerating. I felt the warmth of my cold heart and body, and I felt more deeply the thoughtfulness of the people in the old street, and felt the world from the bottom of my heart. It’s still full of warmth... I want to eat the soybean meal I ate at that time again! This is the purpose of my coming to Asakusa.” "So that's what happened." Kurita solved the doubt in his heart. After that, Tanabe immersed himself in his work in Brazil, working his way up to the position of director.After twenty years, he returned to Japan, wanting to taste the taste full of memories again. Logically speaking, it should be entertained by himself, that is, by Kurita's father—however, Yuka seems to have explained this in advance. Since the old man is no longer alive, his son has to do it for him. "Then, I'll go get Dou Dafu." "Please, Ali." Kurita ignored Yuka's flattering and coquettish voice, and walked into the shop. There are still many soybeans made on the day. In terms of classification, Dou Dafu belongs to "Morning Fruit", and it is generally recommended to make it in the morning and eat it on the same day. The same is true of Dou Daifuku at Kurimarudo. The freshly made mochi skin is so soft that people will feel relaxed after eating it, and the red bean paste inside is refreshing and sweet. Dou Dafu of moderate size can be eaten in just two or three bites; the cute appearance of small dots of red peas floating on the surface makes people feel softer after seeing it. Kurita chose the three most beautifully shaped bean daifuku, put them on a rectangular wagashi plate, and sent them to the living room together with hot tea. After serving the low table, Tanabe's dark face burst into a happy smile. "Wow! That's it! Thank you, Mr. Kurita." "You're welcome, please enjoy it slowly." Kurita also prepared chopsticks, but Tanabe didn't use chopsticks. Instead, he picked up Mame Daifuku with his hands and put it into his mouth, chewing with great gulp. However, Tanabe's face gradually lost expression, and then he even stopped chewing. "This smell..." "What's the matter, Mr. Tanabe?" Yuka on the side asked with a surprised expression, and Tanabe said in a low voice, "No." "what?" "This is not the Dou Da Fu I ate at that time, the taste is different." "how is this possible!" Yugala called out in a high voice. "Wait a minute, Mr. Tanabe, how could you do this! I brought you here specially, you shouldn't have this attitude!" Hearing this, Tanabe turned around and covered his mouth. "Ah...sorry, Yuka. Because I really look forward to eating the bean daifuku from this restaurant, I can't help but tell the truth. I can't control myself." "What the hell is going on! I'm so pissed off!" Yuga puffed her cheeks, clenched her fists in front of her chest, shaking up and down excitedly. "There is no way to do this, after all, the taste of red bean paste is different..." Yuka's face turned red due to anger, while Kurita's face gradually lost its color on the contrary. ——Those who know the taste really know the difference. In fact, Kurita himself had already discovered it. Kurita knew that the taste of Dou Daifuku had deteriorated compared to before, and he could not 100% reproduce the taste of his parents. Dou Dafu's method itself is not difficult, it can even be said to be extremely simple. However, the method is obviously the same, but there is an indescribable difference in taste. Although Kurita tried repeatedly every day, he still couldn't find the reason, and Nakanojo was also very puzzled about this. Although this is a small problem, Kurita has always been concerned about it. He did not expect that it would be spread out alive on the table because of the visitor. "I'll never have the chance to taste that taste again... Kurita-san, I'm sorry for my rude words. Thank you for your hospitality today." "...No, where." Kurita managed to force out his voice and replied. "Mr. Tanabe! What's your attitude!" Tanabe dropped his shoulders in frustration, and Yuka picked up the camera and talked angrily, but the words didn't seem to reach Tanabe's ears, which shows how much Tanabe has great expectations for today's Dou Daifuku. Kurita bit her lip tightly and watched the two leave.