Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 239 - 202 Orange and Daily Life

Chapter 239: Chapter 202 Orange and Daily Life

The seawall is filled with the scent of the ocean, the azure sky still drifting with snow-white clouds.

As their eyes met, the girl’s soft body was embraced, slowly emitting a fragrance and warmth.

Uesugi Sakura truly didn’t know how to respond to the feelings of the timid girl in his arms.

He merely met her a little earlier and helped her out a bit.

Perhaps, as Grandma said, this feeling is simple enough, yet precious due to its serendipity.

"Little Hanabi, Sakura will always like you."

Quietly listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, Hanamaru Hanabi, leaning her neck on his shoulder and being held tightly, couldn’t help hugging him back.

In her adorable rosy cheeks, a warming smile began to appear.

"Hanabi... feels the same..."

...

The dog days, from mid-July to mid or late August.

These are the hottest days of the year.

The sea breeze lifted the strands of hair, causing the dark green leaves in the orchard to rustle.

Looking at the Seto Inland Sea in the distance, rolling out waves, Uesugi Shio shouldered a basket of bright yellow honey oranges, walking toward the truck below.

Seeing someone still dazed and watching ants, she couldn’t help but tap his shoulder with a leafy branch.

"Ah Sakura, stop slacking off and come carry oranges; even Hanabi-chan is working harder than you."

On the other side, Hanamaru Hanabi was panting, holding a large basket of oranges.

But the delicate girl often worked clumsily and hard.

Her strength was apparently not enough for a basket of oranges.

As her whole body was about to fall backward, Uesugi Tomoko, cutting oranges nearby, rushed to help her hold the basket.

The clumsy little girl with her tiny feet stabilized, repeatedly thanked her.

"I’m not slacking." Sitting on the blazing stones, Uesugi Sakura stared at the ground, "I don’t like slacking off either."

With the color of the sky, Uesugi Shio’s ear cuffs matched well with her tied black long hair, looking striking.

She understood that sometimes what Sakura said was just to be listened to.

"And what’s the deep meaning of watching ants eat orange peels?"

Uesugi Sakura closed his eyes, sitting still.

"?" Uesugi Shio looked at him quizzically, holding a basket of oranges with one hand.

Uesugi Sakura, with a focused expression, slightly opened his eyes and slowly spoke words of wisdom:

"It’s not me looking at the ants, but the ants looking at me."

"..."

"Did you go to Taishan Temple to practice?" Uesugi Shio, surprised, scrutinized him, exuding the aura of an old monk.

The Taishan Temple is on the hill behind Sakura Hill, relatively close.

Uesugi Sakura clapped his hands and stood up, returning to his usual tone :

"I was just pretending. If I were to become a monk, what would happen to little Hanabi’s happiness?"

"Aren’t there many monks getting married now?"

"Professional monks, selling reputations, not worth mentioning."

With that, Uesugi Sakura headed towards the truck below the terraced orchard.

Uesugi Shio looked at his back, then at the basket of oranges he had picked but left behind, understanding.

All that talk was just an excuse to slack off.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t completely slack off; later, he earnestly helped Hanamaru Hanabi.

Hanamaru Hanabi, seeing him stand above, pushing oranges into the truck, quietly said:

"Sakura... want to go out today?"

After finishing up, Uesugi Sakura took an orange, turning around and said, "Going mountain climbing today."

"Is it to find that Hachiman Shrine...?" Hanamaru Hanabi tiptoed to see him, quickly lowering when he approached.

"Does little Hanabi want to come too?" Uesugi Sakura squatted on the truck, eating a jelly-like orange slice.

"Hanabi would love to go with Sakura..." Hanamaru Hanabi looked up at him.

Uesugi Sakura handed her a peeled orange: "Eat an orange, freshly picked, super fresh."

With the honey oranges he particularly loved these days, Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated and didn’t bite.

"Don’t like oranges anymore?" Uesugi Sakura pointed the soft orange flesh at her tiny nose.

"No..."

Hanamaru Hanabi gently sniffed the overwhelming sweetness of the honey orange, instinctively swallowing.

Uesugi Sakura saw she really wanted to eat, so he mischievously waved the orange in front of her.

Smiling slightly, he teased, "Really... don’t want to eat?"

"Um..."

Boys never understand the dilemma of girls craving sweets but fearing getting fat.

They only tease when girls are about to give in.

And when the girl gains weight, they say: "I told you not to eat so many sweets."

"Have one piece; as many as you want." Uesugi Sakura continued to tempt, shaking the tempting food.

Hanamaru Hanabi had the most impatient food-desiring heart.

Her beautiful violet eyes followed the orange slice in Uesugi’s hand intently.

Then she tiptoed and swallowed it whole.

"Good girl." Uesugi Sakura patted her head with another hand, "Want more?"

"I do..." With an upturned face, Hanamaru Hanabi obediently said.

With a thud, Aunt Uesugi Tomoko lifted another basket of oranges onto the truck and teased Uesugi Sakura, who kept feeding the girl :

"Ah Sakura, Hanabi-chan isn’t your cat. Feeding her so many oranges will make her gain weight."

Ehime oranges are seedless, with jelly-like flesh and a particularly high sugar content.

If the sugar content of ordinary sweet oranges is 8, then Ehime oranges would be over 15.

Oranges and cats?

Orange cats?

Uesugi Sakura suddenly remembered himself being chubby, recalling how Hanamaru Hanabi often wondered why Uesugi the cat hadn’t visited her house.

Being a bit chubby, what’s wrong with that?

It’s cute, and a soft belly is also comfortable to touch.

Uesugi Sakura turned and grabbed another orange from the fruits his aunt had just lifted onto the truck, peeling it.

Continuing to feed Hanabi-chan oranges, he tried to avoid treating her as a cat:

"Aunt, isn’t it supposed to be golden autumn in October? Why are Grandfather’s oranges ripening in August?"

"There are varieties that ripen in August, but your grandfather’s oranges..."

Uesugi Tomoko displayed a hearty smile typical of country folk, "If they were ordinary, those guys wouldn’t secretly come and cut down a bunch of orange trees to threaten your grandfather."

After speaking, she lifted another basket of oranges from the trolley.

Uesugi Sakura handed the peeled orange to Hanamaru Hanabi, helped his aunt push this basket into the truck.

"So, is there a special technique?"

"It’s experience." Uesugi Tomoko wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Your grandfather has been cultivating Ehime oranges for so many years; progress is unavoidable, especially since he’s such a stubborn old man."

Uesugi Sakura remembered when Grandpa instilled in him from an early age the importance of upholding the tradition of the Uesugi Family growing oranges.

But unfortunately, neither he nor his father fulfilled Grandpa’s wish.

Thinking about it, his dad might just be one of those young people who "ran to Tokyo to avoid eating oranges anymore."

As Uesugi Shio pushed down the last cart of oranges, a truck full of Ehime honey oranges was ready to go.

Closing the truck doors, Uesugi Tomoko tightened the valve and dusted off her hands, saying:

"Alright, little Shio, go tell your dad to stop playing cards; it’s time to work!"

Uesugi Shio nodded to her aunt and walked down the not-so-high concrete road.

"Where are these oranges being sent?" Uesugi Sakura asked, remembering that the Farmers’ Association should have cut off Grandpa’s buyers and distributors.

Logically, the oranges should not be sellable now.

"High-end restaurants," Uesugi Tomoko took off her sun hat, "they’re used as some sort of dessert fruit after meals, and some special dishes will use our oranges."

"The demand from high-end restaurants shouldn’t be too high, right?"

"It’s alright, the Uesugi family’s oranges have a good reputation, many restaurants are willing to order."

Uesugi Tomoko didn’t dwell on the topic much but smiled as she switched topics for the two:

"Thank you for your hard work today; once these oranges are sold, you’ll receive your wages tomorrow."

"Actually, Hanabi..."

"There’s even a wage?" Uesugi Sakura interrupted the just about to speak Hanamaru Hanabi, "How much?"

"Haha, no wonder the old man said you could earn big money, Sakura!"

Uesugi Tomoko didn’t mind his love for money, patting his shoulder with a hearty laugh, "In the past, you could easily be paid 100,000 yen, but now there’s only 10,000 as payment."

Which means they previously could casually offer 100,000 yen.

One can’t help but marvel at how wealthy Japan’s country farmers are.

If not for disliking the tiring process of orange farming, Uesugi would have long joined his grandpa.

"Such a lot... " Hanamaru Hanabi couldn’t help but compare it to a week’s worth of illustration work.

"A small matter!" Uesugi Tomoko laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, you two go back and rest now. Tonight, Jiro, Grandpa, and I won’t be back, but tomorrow we’ll bring you something tasty from the city."

"Yes, well, Aunt, take care on the way."

"Goodbye, Aunt Tomoko."

Uesugi Tomoko stood at the truck door, smiling and waving to the two on the road:

"Take a rest now."

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