Chapter 27 chapter Five

Kurita has known Koharu's father, Fumiki Kira, since he was a child. Kira's father's generation in Kurita was one of Kurimarudo's regular customers.He used to visit Kurimaru Hall several times a week, and every time he came, he would buy all kinds of wagashi.According to Kira, eating sweet wagashi is the best way to relieve fatigue at work. After Kurita took over Kurimaru-do, Kira's visits have decreased, but he still visits every ten days, so he is very grateful. Kira has short, flat gray hair and an impressive tanned face with a strong expression.Although Kira's words and deeds are rude, he has a strong sense of humanity and is an authentic Asakusa person.

Kira's occupation is a coachman. He works for a well-known and long-established tourist rickshaw company in Asakusa, and he still pulls rickshaws. Now it is often seen that Kira is wearing a stylish dark blue short kimono, black rubber-soled split-toe shoes on the feet, and a one-string scarf on his head, pulling a rickshaw in high spirits on Shin Nakamise Road. Kurita also used Kirara's rickshaw as a child.Kira's rickshaw hardly shakes, but it does not lose speed. Sitting on it, you can feel the comfortable ride with the right speed and slowness. For Kira, Kurita actually secretly held longing in his heart.

"...But it's too inexplicable." Kurita tilted his head wondering about Haru. "Why would a father go to his daughter's house to peep? It's not necessary, is it?" "Needed." "Huh? Why?" "We are arguing." Xiaochun replied in a low voice. "What is the quarrel between parents and children?" "No, what I said just now was inappropriate. In fact, we haven't spoken for several years. We have quarreled too much, and now it has become like a severed relationship. We are completely insulated from each other."

Kurita's eyes widened in surprise. "……No way?" "it is true." "But, you never mentioned..." "How dare I bring up such a shameful thing in front of outsiders! Let alone in front of Xiao Lili. Besides, everyone in our family loves face." "It's a matter of face..." While enduring the dull pain in his head, Kurita recalled how fast the suspicious person escaped that day: the doubt in his heart was finally solved. Kurita thought: "So that's it. No wonder that person runs so fast. If the other party is Kira, who is an active driver, of course I can't easily catch up with him."

"But, Xiaochun, why are you arguing?" "Well... just wait a minute." Xiaochun stood up and walked out of the living room.After a while, she came back with a transparent bag in both hands, which was filled with pastries sold in the market. Xiaochun made a swishing sound and put a lot of pastries on the table. The size of those pastries, about the size of the top of a small jam jar. Moreover, all are the same kind of white dried fruit. "Ah! Sure enough, this is right:" Aoi poked the flower-shaped dried fruit that she took out just now and said.The dried fruit that Xiaochun took out was exactly the same as the one that Aoi took out.

"Around the Ghost Festival, supermarkets often sell this kind of dried fruit, but you can't buy it on ordinary days. I think it's because this kind of dried fruit has been regarded as a special food for worship. The price of this kind of dried fruit is very close to the people.” The package of dried fruit on the table is completely transparent, even the name is not printed.The flower-shaped design can be clearly seen from the outside of the package, which supports Kui Fangcai's statement. As long as you can clearly know the shape and purpose-that is to say, the purpose of this dried fruit is only to be used as an offering, not as a pastry for consumption.

"Your father probably bought a large number of them at once and stored them. The dried fruit I brought was given to me by a friend, but it really took a lot of effort to find this kind of dried fruit." "Buy a lot and store them..." Kurita fell into deep thought. Kira mainly buys sweet steamed buns or Daifuku at Kurimarudo, and has never bought pressed dried fruits.Now it looks like it was because he bought cheap dried fruit in bulk at the supermarket. But why?Kurita couldn't help feeling puzzled. "Uh... Speaking of this kind of pressed dried fruit among wagashi..."

"...I hate this kind of wasanbon the most!" Haru's expression suddenly became distorted, so Aoi stopped talking and withdrew her hand. All that remained on the table was a mass of dried fruit—hard white flowers. Kurita picked up one of the bagged wagashi Koharu brought to look at it.Looking from the back, it can be seen that these wagashi have exceeded the shelf life. "what is the problem?" "Wasanpen... My dad sometimes puts this thing in the entrance of our house. I hate wasanpen, even if I got it, I would never eat it." The more Kurita listened, the more he felt confused and frowned. Xiaochun asked Kurita in a low voice, "What do you think of my dad?"

"Huh?" Kurita didn't raise his head, but raised his gaze to the ceiling. "Let's think about it... I've known your father since before, and I don't dislike him. Although your father's personality is old-fashioned and stubborn, he gives people a very strong impression, and he won't feel that he is old. Moreover, at that age, he can still be a The driver pulls a rickshaw and runs around, if you look at it purely from a man's point of view, I think he is very powerful." But this incident somewhat changed my impression of him - Kurita swallowed this sentence without saying it.

Xiaochun smiled and said with a complicated expression: "That's right... But, don't you think that these places are all shortcomings when viewed in reverse? To me, my father is old-fashioned, stubborn, impatient, and has a bad temper. ;No matter how long it takes, you will never understand other people's feelings." "That's pretty straight forward." "I can't help it. What I said is the truth. My father and I have never been right before." "Really? Why didn't I find out?" "Because I deliberately didn't show it. In a negative way, my dad is too traditional, and I just listen to him when I talk to him. He doesn't want to listen to me at all... So, from adolescence , I can only discuss important things with my mother."

Kurita, who was aware of this fact for the first time, was silent, but inwardly he was quite surprised. Kurita always thought that Kira and his daughter got along very well. Until now, Kurita can still vividly recall Kira's previous appearance. Although Kira always has a serious expression and is scary like a ghost when he gets angry, Kurita used to eat Kira's fists, but only when walking side by side with his daughter, Kira will show a soft smile as if he has transformed into a person. That appearance is as kind as a Buddha. Kurita couldn't help thinking: "Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite." After Xiaochun glanced at the mountain of dried fruits on the table, he continued: "Speaking of this and Sanpen...that was something I was still in elementary school. It happened to be summer vacation that day, and my dad was rarely at home. Although I don't understand How to play with the children, but my dad still stayed with me all day in his clumsy way. At three o'clock in the afternoon, my dad started looking for a snack for me to eat, but-" Xiaochun showed a bitter expression, saying that it was He Sanpen who attracted the attention of the father and daughter at that time. The young Xiaochun asked his father when he was young: "Dad, what is this?" "Oh, this is He Sanpen." "Wasanpen?" "This thing is too sweet. Do you want to eat it?" "Yes!" Xiaochun's father's tough expression softened instantly.He narrowed his eyes and patted his daughter's head happily. "Those Hesanbons were supposed to be bought to be placed on the god's table to worship ancestors... But, because there was no other decent thing, my dad and I ate Hesanbons as a snack. In the end, it was so unpalatable! Biting It’s hard up, and it’s so fucking hard, I almost threw up, to be honest. But, since I haven’t played with my dad in a long time, and I’m having fun, I can’t help but exaggerate and say that wazanpen is delicious.” "Oh... no wonder." "Yeah. From that time on, my dad thought I loved wasanbon, and he would tell me to eat wasanpen if there was anything to do. Even if I said I didn't want to eat it, that stubborn dad with a head as hard as a rock wouldn't listen at all. No. Forget it, he will tell me to be polite and eat more." In such a situation where he was reluctantly forced to eat Hesanbon, Xiaochun became completely disgusted with Hesanbon. "This... anyone will hate it." "Really... really stubborn. Once you decide, you will never change your personality. There are good and bad..." Kurita and Aoi expressed sympathy with bitter expressions, while Haru pursed her lips tightly. "...it symbolizes everything. Everything my dad does is coercion." Xiaochun lowered her voice as if holding back her voice and continued: "It was the same when I got married. Straight people——for my husband, my dad also didn't want to face him at all from the very beginning. He only knew how to object, and said: 'Whether it is The candidate is a car, and it must have depth. I, a rickshaw puller in the name of Asakusa, cannot marry my daughter to some car dealer!'” "It's all about finding fault." "That's right? The point is that my dad doesn't want to accept my husband at all." Koharu and her mother tried their best to appease Kira, who was stubborn and refused to give in, and Kira reluctantly agreed to let Naoto visit. On the day of the visit, Naoto who came to Kira's house was so nervous that he was sweating profusely. "Today, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule for letting me visit today." "...Hmph!" Kira didn't hide his bad mood at all. During the conversation, Ji Liang kept his lips tightly shut. Even if Xiaochun or his wife threw out topics, Ji Liang refused to answer. With Xiaochun and her mother trying their best to smooth things over, the situation was not too embarrassing.Xiaochun originally thought that as long as his father was willing to talk to Naoto, he would naturally accept Naoto, but it seemed that things backfired. Xiaochun's disappointment with his father slowly turned into anger. The time of sitting on pins and needles finally passed, and Naoto finally cut to the point and said: "Although I am not mature enough, I will do my best to make your daughter happy. Please promise our marriage!" At this time, Kira finally opened his mouth.He said firmly: "No, I will not marry my daughter to you." "—At the moment, even straight people who rarely get angry can't help but lose their temper. After that, I couldn't stand my dad anymore, and got married like this almost in a state of half-running away from home... From then on, I There was a cold war with my dad, and neither side had spoken to each other for several years." "I see." Kurita sighed and thought, "Xiaoharu has every reason to be awkward." The three of them couldn't find the appropriate words to answer the conversation, and an uncomfortable silence swept across the living room. Not long after, Xiaochun muttered "but...". "I didn't expect my dad to hide behind the wall like a voyeur. It's not like him. Even if it's just me and the kids at home, it's not like him at all." "Xiaochun..." "Could it be that he wants to see his grandson? He objected so strongly at the beginning, what's so interesting now." Xiaochun frowned, and bit her lip as if enduring some pain.Kurita and Aoi glanced at each other with worried expressions.