Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven

Kurita and Aoi walked outside the store to see Tanabe off. When Tanabe left, he turned his head and nodded several times in greeting, and then his figure gradually became smaller and smaller. Kurita and Aoi looked side by side at Tanabe's broad back that exudes a sense of time. Soon, Aoi said in a deeply emotional tone: "This incident feels very similar to wagashi..." Kurita blinked a few times, thinking about the meaning of Aoi's words. "...Miss Aoi, what did you mean by that sentence just now?" "Oh... sorry, I seem to have said something very abrupt again. I don't mean anything in particular."

"No way!" "I just think that this time things seem simple, but unexpectedly complicated. Think about it, wagashi also seems to be very simple at first glance, but in fact it is an extremely profound knowledge, isn't it?" "Well, that's what you meant." Indeed, Aoi had said before about the contradictory nature of her behavior and the complexity of the case.As early as when she said these words, Aoi had already seen what Kurita didn't see. It turned out that although Yuka tried to deceive Kurita, she did so because she was focused on making Kurimarado's business prosper.

Also, there is another layer of thinking behind Tanabe's lies. In fact, he still really wants to eat Dou Dafu in his memory. "To sum up, neither Wagashi nor Renqing can be supported only by the good side, should that be the case?" "Huh? Is that so? Can you make a better summary if you want to make a summary?" "I think...you're actually quite a clean freak...so it's the same when you're making red bean paste." "Well... please don't mention this matter again!" The reason why Kurita's red bean paste tastes different from the previous generation's is precisely because of his cleanliness.

The bean paste made by Kurita is too clean. When cooking red beans, it is necessary to remove the white foam floating on the surface of the soup through the action of removing astringency, but Kurita has done it too many times. Kurita did the astringent removal about four times, and at that time Aoi told him to do half of it. "White crema is the astringent component of beans, but also the sweetness and flavor. Therefore, some people say that it is better to keep some crema in moderation, and some people don't think so." "Which one is right?" "Depending on the policy of the store, each has its own method of farro... Some stores will do it many times like Mr. Kurita; some stores will only do it once, and some stores will not do it at all. There is no distinction between good and bad about this part, after all, each store has its own intentions, and the flavor of red bean paste they want to pursue is also different."

"I see." As for Kurita's intention, it is to reproduce the taste of the previous generation in order to keep the tradition. Kurita tried to reduce the astringency removal from four times to two, and it was easy to make the same taste. Feeling disappointed, Kurita even leaned against the wall in the late-night kitchen for several minutes in a daze. In retrospect, Kurita also remembered that his father did not make so many astringent movements like him.It's just that Kurita didn't expect that the amount of astringent movements is meaningful. He simply believed that the white foam must be removed completely, but he did not expect that doing so would slightly reduce the flavor and sweetness of the red bean paste.

Of course, the difference in taste is so slight that only a small number of people can taste it. For example, people who have a keen sense of taste like Aoi, or regular customers who often buy and eat, or people who are extremely obsessed with the taste of soybeans like Tanabe. However, it is my duty as the fourth-generation owner of Kurimaru Hall to pay attention to such details that only a few people can eat—Kurita kept this matter in mind that night. "Then, Mr. Kurita, I will take my leave today..." "what?" Before finishing the previous topic, Aoi suddenly turned around and left.Kurita rarely looked flustered and said, "Wait a minute! Where are you going?"

"Go home." Aoi replied in a cheerful tone. "The incident has been successfully concluded, and if I go home too late, I will be scolded by my family." "That's right..." Indeed, the bean paste incident has been successfully resolved, and he has no need or excuse to meet Aoi again.However, Kurita had other ideas in mind.He hoped to at least know Aoi's contact information. When Kurita was thinking about how to cut into the topic, Aoi turned around and said straightforwardly: "By the way, Mr. Kurita, I'm a person who goes to drink coffee quite often."

"What do you mean? Coffee...?" Kurita was puzzled by the inexplicable words. Aoi sometimes throws some unexpected topics, and it is also a change ball. "If there is a chance, let's meet again at that store!" "Where is that store—" When Kurita realized that Aoi was referring to the owner of the coffee shop, Aoi had already turned the corner and disappeared. Kurita was obviously taken aback. However, Kurita was not offended by this.Feeling a little puzzled by himself like this, he scratched his hair meaninglessly.