Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 235 - 198: The Scent of Oranges in the Sea Breeze_2

Chapter 235: Chapter 198: The Scent of Oranges in the Sea Breeze_2

The oranges, among the best, are incredibly sweet, with some having skins so thin that even babies can eat them.

This is the pride of the Uesugi family’s elder, who has toiled for a lifetime.

Katsuraoka Town, Hayami gun, Matsuyama City, a coastal village in rural Japan.

Characterized by its tranquility, cleanliness, and abundance of oranges.

Orange juice, orange wine, orange snacks, orange rice.

Everything seems to have something to do with oranges.

Uesugi Sakura heard from her grandma that many young people left for Tokyo because they didn’t want to eat oranges anymore.

It’s probably a joke.

Leaving the city, the scenery broadens like a canvas meeting the blue sky.

Uesugi Sakura squeezed the little hand of the sleeping girl in her lap and looked out the window.

The entire mountain named Sakura Hill was covered with lush green orange trees.

Utility poles, mountains, forests, and terraced orchards halfway up the mountain came into view.

That is the Uesugi elder’s orange garden, where the high-priced 625 yen oranges grow.

Looking from above towards the Inner Sea, the bright blue horizon was embedded with layers of thick clouds.

The sky and sea sandwiched the clouds, creating a horizon of sea and sky merging.

We got off at a seaside station with a vending machine.

"Sakura, come and help."

"I’ll take care of it, Aunt." Uesugi Shio voluntarily stepped forward to take the suitcase from the carriage.

Mrs. Hanamaru, wearing flat shoes, got off the car, glanced at the vast and boundless sky.

This pleasant scenery made her close her eyes to take in the fresh air and exclaim with a youthful sentiment:

"Ah, the air in Ehime is still so refreshing."

After taking out the luggage, Mrs. Uesugi also glanced back at the unchanging scenery of many years, thinking of her first visit to this place, tidying her hair that the sea breeze had tousled:

"Well, it’s because it’s close to the Inner Sea."

Uesugi Shio gazed silently at the sea horizon she had seen since childhood.

Uesugi Sakura was the last to get off, with Hanamaru Hanabi still peacefully asleep in his arms.

"Aren’t you going to wake her, Sakura?" Mrs. Hanamaru, with her hair blown by the sea breeze, turned back with a smile.

"I want her to sleep a little longer."

The peacefully sleeping Hanamaru Hanabi breathed steadily in his arms.

Her hand still clung to his clothes, occasionally murmuring in her sleep, "Don’t bully Hanabi..."

Mrs. Hanamaru walked over, gently pinching little Hanabi’s rosy cheek as if teasing a child, then smiled and teased:

"Weren’t you tired last night? Sakura, when will you let me hold a grandchild?"

"Hmm, maybe next June."

"Really!? Is she already pregnant? You didn’t even tell us such big news." Her mother-in-law feigned surprise.

Uesugi Sakura knew that his mother-in-law realized he was joking.

"Actually—"

"I know."

Mrs. Hanamaru interrupted him with her long hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes peering at Hanamaru Hanabi in his arms, her face still maintaining a youthful smile.

"I know that Hanabi has been in a bad mood lately, and I’ve also heard from your father."

"It’s good for young people to be lively, but you must also take care of her feelings. Hanabi is such a delicate girl and can be easily hurt."

"I understand," Uesugi Sakura said, listening patiently to his mother-in-law.

"After all these years, I’m sure Sakura, you know how much she likes you. Since you started dating and got engaged, her dependency has shifted from me and her dad entirely onto you.

"Her heart is no longer focused on us but revolves around you. She will, therefore, develop a great dependence on you, considering everything about you."

Mrs. Hanamaru gently stroked her hair and turned around, the shimmering blue sea horizon glistening under the sun.

"Don’t bully her weakness too much because of her willingness to endure, Sakura."

Mrs. Hanamaru, with a motherly voice, slowly said to Uesugi Sakura, who stood hugging Hanamaru Hanabi from behind, as she gazed at Mrs. Uesugi and Uesugi Shio standing on the coast:

"If you do, someday you will lose her."

—————————

"Toot toot..."

A truck sped along the coastal road, with the breeze bringing the scent of the sea and oranges.

Hanamaru Hanabi furrowed her pretty crescent eyes, gradually opening her sleepy ones, trying to adjust to the afternoon sun.

The vast sea horizon filled her sight.

"Where... are we?"

"In uncle’s truck," Uesugi Sakura told the girl resting her head on his lap.

"Then we must be almost there..." Hanamaru Hanabi said as she sat up with support from his arm.

"Hanabi, do you still recognize me?" A middle-aged woman’s lively voice came from across the truck.

"Aunt Tomoko..."

"Haha, Hanabi has become so beautiful, still clinging to Sakura,"

Mrs. Hanamaru sitting beside Uesugi Tomoko smiled and agreed, "They were like siblings before and now a couple."

"They’ve been together since they were little, never separated," remarked Uesugi Tomoko in a Shikoku-accented Japanese with a light scent of oranges.

It’s quite similar to the Kansai dialect, but not exactly the same.

They were all seated in the truck bed.

Uesugi Shio: "Aunt, how’s Grandpa doing?"

"He’s fine, he’s fine, it’s just that dad didn’t really approve of you all coming over, but since you’re here, there’s not much he can say," Uesugi Tomoko always laughed heartily.

"I was asking... about the orchard..." Uesugi Shio cautiously asked, not showing her usual laziness.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry, look, your dad and I are doing well, right?"

"Yes." Uesugi Shio couldn’t get much out of her aunt, so she nodded.

Uesugi Tomoko is also Uesugi Sakura’s aunt, the younger sister of his father, Uesugi Kenichi.

The Uesugi family has three siblings.

Uesugi Sakura’s father is the eldest.

Uesugi Shio’s father is the second.

Uesugi Tomoko is the youngest sister in the Uesugi family.

However, her mannerisms are completely unlike what you’d expect from a younger sister.

————————

Katsuraoka Town feels more like a small town than a village.

It’s quite a journey coming from Tokyo, with several vehicle changes to get here.

The Uesugi house is a typical traditional Japanese building, a large wooden bungalow, elevated off the ground.

There’s a front yard, but the old man turned it into an orange storage warehouse.

Fortunately, the pond and pine garden have been preserved.

In all four seasons, you can sit on the overhanging eaves veranda, peacefully sipping tea, watching the fish and flowers.

Minimalist, unadorned, quiet, elegant, and serenely cheerful.

The Uesugi grandmother, over seventy, welcomed the group back from Tokyo.

The welcome, naturally, involved oranges.

Hanamaru Hanabi loved the Uesugi family’s oranges, tender and juicy, with a fresh aroma and refreshing taste.

One bite had no fibrous feel at all, just the sweet taste of orange pulp in her mouth.

For the little foodie, the orange slices the grandmother had cut soon disappeared from her plate.

After exchanging gifts, the white-haired grandmother chatted idly with the elders about things in Tokyo.

Hanamaru Hanabi, still craving the sweet oranges, tugged at Uesugi Sakura’s sleeve beside her.

"I don’t remember you being this fond of them?" Uesugi Sakura laughed, passing his plate to her.

The oranges for family members had skins so thin you could almost overlook them.

"It’s been a while since I had them..." Hanamaru Hanabi said softly, eating another slice of orange.

Maybe it was the sweetness of the oranges, but her voice sounded softer and sweeter than it did at noon.

The Uesugi elder had not appeared yet, with the grandmother saying he went to Matsuyama City Center to meet with sellers, having just left.

"Sakura," the Uesugi grandmother called cheerfully, waving him over.

The tatami mats in the living room had soft cushions, and Uesugi Sakura sat down in front of his grandmother.

Like any grandmother looking at a little grandson, she adored him immensely.

As the first grandson born to her eldest son, Uesugi Sakura had received lots of pocket money from his grandmother.

Now, she seemed about to give him something else.

The Uesugi grandmother in her plain kimono took out an omamori-style pouch from her breast, placed it in Uesugi Sakura’s hand.

"Grandma, what is this?" Uesugi Sakura didn’t rush to open the pouch, but judging by the feel, there was a stone inside.

"Open it and take a look first."

The Uesugi grandmother liked drinking tea as much as his father does.

It’s more accurate to say that Uesugi Kenichi inherited the grandmother’s tradition of enjoying tea.

The Uesugi grandmother, in her sixties, steadily lifted her teacup, savoring a sip of the bitter tea, watching as her grandson opened the omamori pouch.