Chapter 108: Mobile Phone Shipped To Kumamoto Prefecture! The Shocked Oyama Family!
Kumamoto Prefecture, Aso City.
There is no suffocating steel jungle like Tokyo’s, no endless prosperity like Ginza’s.
What there is here are rolling emerald-green mountains, vast expanses of fields, and Mount Aso standing quietly like a sleeping giant between heaven and earth, covered in heavy snow.
Time here seems to slow down, carrying a pastoral tranquility and serenity.
In the Oyama Family Home, the air was filled with the fresh fragrance of tatami mixed with soil, mingled with the enticing smoky aroma of yakitori.
“Ha—! That’s the taste!”
Yoshiharu Oyama, the head of the Oyama family, was now leaning contentedly by the low table, downing a glass of chilled Asahi Beer in one go, letting out a sigh of satisfaction from the depths of his soul.
His face, which often looked stern from years as dean of students, was now filled with the purest joy belonging to a middle-aged man.
“I’m telling you, child’s mom, your grilled chicken skewers are getting better and better. Paired with this ice-cold beer, it’s simply… simply the ultimate enjoyment in life!” As he spoke, he picked up another skewer of perfectly grilled chicken with crispy skin and tender meat inside, eating until his mouth was slick with oil.
“You and your sweet talk.”
From the kitchen came the voice of his wife Takao Oyama, laced with a hint of reproach but unable to hide her smile.
She came out carrying a plate of freshly made, still steaming red bean paste rice cakes. The plump white cakes were dotted with full red beans, making one’s mouth water just looking at them.
“Freshly made rice cakes, you try some too. Misae loves these the most, I wonder when she’ll be back.” Takao Oyama set down the plate and sat beside her husband. A trace of a mother’s worry appeared on her face, which always carried a gentle smile.
“Speaking of which, Misae lately… seems to have stopped seeing that kid from the Fujiwara family for a while.”
This topic was like a drop of ink falling into a calm lake, instantly adding a touch of solemnity to the leisurely atmosphere in the living room.
The smile on Yoshiharu Oyama’s face also faded a bit. He furrowed his brows, a flicker of confusion in his eyes that always carried a scrutinizing gaze.
“Oh? What’s going on? I’ve met that kid from the Fujiwara family a few times; he’s a good person. Good family conditions too—his father is a county assemblyman, polite, decent job. Why stop seeing him?”
“How would I know.” Takao Oyama sighed, her gentle eyes full of helplessness. “Our Misae, you know her. She seems steady and mild-tempered, but deep down, she’s more stubborn than anyone. I asked her a few times, and she said it’s nothing, just busy lately. But I feel like it’s not that simple.”
“This won’t do!” Yoshiharu Oyama’s tone grew serious, his dean of students authority unconsciously showing. “This marriage arrangement took a lot of effort to set up. Our Oyama family is just an ordinary civil servant household; marrying into the Fujiwara family is Misae marrying up! Thanks to her own merits—good personality, good job, pretty too—that’s why they took a liking. If… if something goes wrong, then…”
He didn’t finish, but his anxiety as head of the family was plain to see.
In this society where class is long solidified, a good marriage alliance can change a family’s destiny for decades.
“I know, I know.” Takao Oyama nodded, her face full of agreement. “When she gets back, I’ll have a good talk with her. Can’t let her follow her own whims and overthink things.”
“Sigh.” Yoshiharu Oyama sighed, saying no more.
After all, for a child’s marriage.
It is often the parents who have experienced life’s ups and downs who have the most say.
They no longer had their youthful ideals.
Nor those unrealistic fantasies.
They even carried the scheming natural to their age, seeking long-term happiness for their children…
Sometimes, on marriage matters, following parents’ arrangements is indeed not a bad thing.
At that moment, a crisp doorbell rang at the entryway.
“Ding-dong—”
“Hm? Who is it? At this hour.” Yoshiharu Oyama stood up puzzled.
“Hello! Delivery! There’s an express package from Tokyo for the Oyama family to sign for!” From outside came the deliveryman’s respectful and loud voice.
A package from Tokyo?
Yoshiharu Oyama and Takao Oyama exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.
“We… haven’t bought anything from Tokyo lately.”
Yoshiharu Oyama muttered as he went to open the door.
The deliveryman respectfully handed over a neatly square-packaged box. When Yoshiharu Oyama saw the sender’s name boldly written as “Nohara,” he instantly understood.
His face unconsciously softened.
“Oh, it’s from Hiroshi that kid.”
He signed, took the package inside, handling it more gently than usual, as if holding a rare treasure.
Yoshiharu Oyama didn’t need to guess.
It must be a gift from his soon-to-be son-in-law, the reassuring Misae Nohara, mailed to him.
After all, back in Tokyo, Hiroshi Nohara had been very polite.
Saying he’d send gifts from time to time.
Thinking of this, Yoshiharu Oyama smiled too, feeling some curiosity and anticipation: “So, what’s inside?”
He carefully unwrapped the outer packaging, revealing a sleek silver box emblazoned with the Panasonic logo.
Opening the box, a small, exquisite silver creation gleaming with metallic sheen lay quietly on velvet padding.
“This… what is it?” Yoshiharu Oyama took it out, turning it over and over, his expression like an archaeologist examining a newly unearthed mysterious artifact of unknown age.
“Looks… like a remote control? No, remote controls aren’t this complex.” He fiddled with the buttons, his brain completely unable to grasp its purpose.
He couldn’t even figure out the old refrigerator at home, let alone this “expensive-looking” new gadget.
“I’m home.”
At that moment, the entryway door opened, and a clear, pleasant voice sounded.
Mogae Oyama, the youngest daughter of the Oyama family and a student at the local high school, walked in dragging her fatigue.
But when her gaze fell on the silver box in her father’s hand, her usually lively and mischievous eyes burst with incredulous brilliance!
“A mobile phone?! Panasonic P100?!”
She rushed over, snatching the silver creation from her father’s hand. Her white, slender fingers, used to playing piano, operated it skillfully, her face full of amazement and delight.
“Oh my god! Dad! Mom! Where did you get this? It’s the latest portable mobile phone! I’ve only seen it in TV ads! They say… it costs four hundred thousand yen!”
“What?! F… four hundred thousand?!”
The number struck like a thunderbolt on Yoshiharu Oyama and Takao Oyama’s heads!
The beer mug in Yoshiharu Oyama’s hand clattered onto the tatami, spilling quite a bit of the cold liquid, nearly soaking the floor, but he was oblivious.
“Oh dear! Oh dear! Such an expensive thing?” Takao Oyama turned pale with fright, clutching her chest, feeling her heart skip a beat.
Four hundred thousand yen!
That was almost half a year’s pension for her and her husband combined!
“This… this is too valuable!” Takao Oyama reacted first, her voice urgent and pitched higher. “How can Hiroshi send something so expensive?! No! We absolutely can’t accept it! Yoshiharu, quick! We have to figure out how to return it!”
“Yes, yes!” Yoshiharu Oyama snapped out of it, nodding repeatedly. “This… this is outrageous! We’re not officially in-laws yet; how can we accept such a heavy gift?!”
Watching her parents’ panicked state, Mogae Nohara laughed.
She cradled the phone like a treasure, a cunning glint in her bright eyes.
“Dad, Mom, don’t worry about it.” She persuaded. “Since it’s from Brother-in-law Nohara, just accept it happily. You don’t know, Brother-in-law is amazing now!”
She paused, then in a storytelling tone, embellished the legendary tales about Hiroshi Nohara she’d heard from her sister Misae Nohara.
From the ratings miracle of World of the Strange to the phenomenal hit of An Shizhi, to becoming the hottest famous director at Tokyo Television Station at a young age…
“So, a mere four hundred thousand yen is nothing to Brother-in-law.” Mogae Nohara concluded, her tone full of worship and admiration for her future brother-in-law.
As she spoke, she happily fiddled with her new toy, unable to put down its novel feel and futuristic design.
“Wow, so cool! None of my friends’ families have one yet! I’m the first to use it!”
As she played, she noticed the phone’s contacts already had two numbers pre-stored.
【Hiroshi Nohara】
【Misae Nohara】
Seeing these two names, Mogae Nohara pressed the call button without hesitation.
A novel, tech-filled “beep—beep—” rang in the quiet living room.
The sound, like an invisible thread, instantly bridged the distance of space and time, connecting this tranquil corner town on Kyushu Island tightly to the noisy, prosperous heart of the empire at Honshu Island’s center.
The call connected almost immediately.
“Hello? Is that Mom?” Misae Nohara’s voice, full of surprise and energy, came through.
“Misae! It’s really you! It’s me! Mogae!” Mogae Nohara was thrilled too, holding the phone like a child with a beloved toy, pacing the living room. “Oh my god! This mobile phone is so amazing! The sound is so clear! It’s like… like you’re right beside me!”
The sisters chattered away, sharing their joy across hundreds of kilometers.
Beside them, Takao Oyama finally couldn’t hold back and took the “hot potato” from her youngest daughter.
“Hello? Misae? It’s Mom.” Her voice was full of curiosity and a touch of caution.
“Mom!” Misae Nohara’s voice grew even happier.
“Oh, Misae, tell Hiroshi this… this phone is too expensive; we can’t accept it. We have a desk phone at home; it’s convenient enough. No need to spend this wasted money.” Takao Oyama couldn’t help complaining.
“Oh, Mom, just let it be!” Misae Nohara coquettishly replied from the other end. “It’s Hiroshi’s heartfelt gift! He said it’ll make it easier for our two families to keep in touch. Besides, he’s a big producer now; he can afford it!”
Listening to his daughters’ affectionate phone chat, the silent Yoshiharu Oyama’s habitually furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.
He picked up his unfinished beer and drained it, a proud smile he couldn’t suppress creeping onto his stern face.
“Hmph, really, young people love wasting money like this.” He said aloud, but his mind was already scheming.
Tomorrow at the gathering with his old buddies, he’d “casually” show off this precious item to those education office guys who always competed with him.
Especially that vice principal who loved bragging about his son working at Sony!
He could already picture the man’s face twisted in jealousy, the colleagues’ gazes full of envy and shock.
Yoshiharu Oyama felt his weary heart, worn from years of toil, filled to the brim with an unprecedented power called vanity.
“Having money is great.” Yoshiharu Oyama sighed deeply.
He decided.
Tomorrow at the meeting, he’d place this phone in the most prominent spot on the beer table!
This would be his, Yoshiharu Oyama’s, most radiant moment in life!
Thinking of his soon-to-be son-in-law, Yoshiharu Oyama’s smile grew even harder to contain. Lately in the newspaper, he’d seen many articles saying his future son-in-law was advancing toward variety show production!
Though Yoshiharu Oyama didn’t understand the differences between television drama production, animation production, and variety show production.
But he knew being trusted by leaders.
Meant taking on more responsibilities.
Being relied upon!
Wasn’t the current Hiroshi Nohara being entrusted with heavy duties, relied upon by his leaders and Tokyo Television Station?
