That night--
Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Test Guard Hall——
"Here comes the soba noodles!"
Genzaburo Inoue walked into the living room with a big smile on his face, holding a large bowl of freshly baked soba noodles that were still emitting translucent heat.
The living room was filled with joyful air.
Qingdeng and others, who had just taken a shower and put on fresh and clean clothes, were already sitting in their respective seats.
After Gensaburo Inoue entered the living room, they all cast expectant glances at the pot of freshly cooked buckwheat noodles in his arms.
"Oh! Nian Yue Buckwheat! It's finally here!"
Harada sucked hard.
"Uncle Yuan! Please serve me more noodles!"
Harada pushed his bowl in front of Inoue.
"No need to worry, no need to worry."
Inoue said cheerfully.
"There are plenty of buckwheat noodles, so you can feel free to eat them! Ah, but don't eat them secretly. Before the master finishes his New Year's speech, be patient."
Inoue took everyone's bowls and filled everyone's bowls with skillful techniques.
Eating soba noodles on New Year’s Eve is one of Japan’s special folk customs.
Soba noodles served on New Year's Eve are commonly called "New Year's Soba".
There are many reasons why we eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve.
First, the soba noodles are long and thin, symbolizing longevity.
Secondly, in the traditional Japanese concept, soba noodles are a very healthy food that can remove the five poisons.
Third, soba noodles are relatively soft and easy to cut. Therefore, eating soba noodles during the New Year has the meaning of "cutting off all the worries of the past."
Qingdeng and the others, who had been busy all day, were already hungry and anxious.
Everyone opened their eyes, eagerly looking at the soba noodles in their respective bowls, always ready to launch a "large-scale offensive" against the noodles in front of them.
However, although everyone was very hungry now, everyone showed considerable restraint at this time.
They all turned their heads in the same direction uniformly, focusing all their attention on Shusuke who was sitting on the main seat.
Although no one spoke a word, their piercing eyes had already conveyed a precise and oppressive message to Zhousuke:
Master/Mr. Kondo, hurry up and give your New Year’s speech! If you have something to say, just say it quickly!
Zhousuke, who sensed everyone's "enthusiasm", laughed a few times.
Then, he cleared his throat as expected and stood up with the Tusu wine.
Influenced by Chinese civilization, Japanese people also drink Tusu wine during the New Year, which symbolizes avoiding the plague.
"Everyone!"
Zhousuke's eyes scanned the faces of everyone present.
"I don't say anything too complicated or too gross."
"In the past year, this sword hall and I are really grateful for your care!"
After saying that, Zhou Zhu bent down hard and quickly, and made a standard 90-degree deep bow to Qingdeng and others in front of him.
"In the past year, many things have happened... When I think back now, I think it is incredible and dreamy!"
】
"Looking back at today one year ago, the people who gathered in the Imperial Guard Hall to celebrate the New Year were only me, Neiko, Yong, Souji, Yuan, and Suisan, a total of only 6 people."
"And now, there are so many new faces in front of me!"
"Think back a year ago, my sword training hall was still a small swordsmanship hall with an obscure reputation in Edo, and was called the 'Taro Dojo' by countless people."
"Nowadays, my trial defense hall is no longer as lonely as before! The population is getting more and more prosperous!"
"To be honest, compared to the past days, my current life is really like a dream to me."
"I can be where I am today, and the Imperial Guard Hall can be where it is today, all thanks to your support and help!"
"In the new year, I hope you can give me your advice!"
"At the same time, I also wish you all peace and joy in the new year!"
After the last syllable fell, Zhousuke made another standard deep bow at a 90-degree right angle to Qingto and others in front.
Qingdeng and others immediately bowed and returned the favor.
"Okay! Everyone move quickly!"
Zhouzhu smiled happily and sat back down in his original position.
"To be honest, I've been hungry for a long time! I'll start first!"
Before he could say anything, Shusuke picked up the soba noodles on his dining table and slurped the noodles "Ahhhhhh".
With Zhou Zhu, the head of the family, taking the lead, the next thing would be a matter of course.
"I'm starting!"*n
The words "I'm starting" shouted in unison converged into a joyful and lively atmosphere that permeated the air of the trial hall, pushing to the climax.
Immediately afterwards, the sounds of "suck, suck, suck" and "swish, swish, swish" sounded one after another.
As soon as the first bite of noodles entered his mouth, Qingden's eyes immediately shone.
The moment the pale yellow noodles are put into your mouth, the rich umami flavor spreads from the tip of your tongue to the entire mouth.
The noodles are soft and slightly sticky, with just the right amount of saltiness. It has a great texture and is very chewy.
With every bite, the unique sweet flavor of flour spreads in your mouth. The unique flavor is wrapped in the rich noodle soup. The aroma of the noodles and the deliciousness of the noodle soup blend together and complement each other.
Before the noodles were gone, Qingdeng grabbed the Tusu wine by his legs and took a swig.
The spicy taste, as if firecrackers were exploding in his mouth, lifted Qingdeng's spirits.
The strong taste of food mixed with the excitement of the cum flowed through Qingdeng's throat, and Qingden felt a sense of pleasure running through his body.
Qingden is not the only person who has similar feelings.
Looking at the expressions of everyone present, you will find that everyone is now devouring food with gleaming eyes.
Even Saito, who was slow and unhurried no matter what he did, couldn't even raise his eyes at the moment, wishing he had an extra hand to help with the noodles.
"Delicious! Delicious! So delicious!"
Harada finished a large bowl of noodles in less than half a minute, and went to serve the noodles again while stumbling. One side said happily.
"This soba noodles is so delicious! Uncle Yuan, where did you buy this noodles? After eating this noodles, I feel like I can dream about Mount Fuji, eggplants and flying eagles tonight!"
Mount Fuji, eggplant, flying eagle - this is a popular allusion from the Edo period.
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. It is homophonic to "nothing" and carries the meaning of immortality and peace.
The word "flying eagle" has the same pronunciation as "high", which means flying high, the king of birds.
Eggplant was a not particularly cheap food in the Edo period, and it also has a homophonic sound with "成事".
Hence, the proverb “One Fuji, Two Eagles and Three Eggplants” was born.
It is said that dreaming of these three things in the first dream of the new year means that there will be good omens in the coming year.
Inoue chuckled:
"I didn't buy these noodles at the market. The boss made these noodles with her own hands."
As soon as Inoue finished speaking, everyone on the scene, except for Kondo and Hijikata, the old acquaintances of Souji, all focused their attention on Souji.
"Okita."
Nagakura looked at Souji in disbelief.
"This noodle...was made by you yourself?"
Suddenly being stared at by so many people with shocked eyes, Souji, who had always been carefree, showed a rare shy expression.
She quickly put down the bowl in her hand, placed her two small hands on the hakama of her legs, and nervously grasped the fabric of her clothes with her fingers.
"Well, I made this side. How about it? Is it to your liking?"
"too delicious!"
Harada shouted loudly.
"Okita, the noodles you make are so delicious! They are much better than the noodles I eat when I go out to restaurants!"
Nagakura followed Harada and handed over his praise:
"Okita, I think you can try to open a noodle shop in the future. With your skills, you will definitely make a lot of money, and you will never have to worry about food and drink again in your life."
Saito, who had always been taciturn and never spoke when he could speak, now spoke up:
"Okita-kun, it's delicious. Your cooking is very good."
Saito's characteristic simple and straightforward words.
Although the words are simple, there is not a lot of praise contained in them.
Hearing that everyone spoke so highly of the noodles she made by herself, the corners of Souji's mouth slightly raised, and a look of relief appeared on his face.
However, although Souji did indeed show a look of joy, her facial features were a bit stiff.
It gives people a feeling of "she is happy, but she is not completely happy yet".
At this time, Souji quietly turned his head and looked at Qingden who was sitting not far from her.
"Tangerine-kun."
she asked.
"What do you think? Do you think the noodles I made are delicious?"
The bowl of noodles in his hand, which was so delicious that he wanted to swallow it with his tongue, was actually made by Souji - for Qingto, this was both unexpected and reasonable.
Perhaps due to the influence of the environment in which he lost his parents at a young age and had to be strong and help his two sisters with housework, Souji is already very "wifely" despite his young age.
Cleaning him, doing laundry, cooking... all kinds of housework, everything is done well.
Before Kondo got married, Abi and Inoue were basically doing all the housework in the Shiwei Hall.
A Bi is very diligent.
And Inoue, who likes to do housework and is not happy when others help him, is even more of a housework expert who can "finish three days' work in one day".
Therefore, the director's housework skills are of no use.
After Kondo got married and there was a woman in the imperial examination hall who could take care of the housework, Souji's skills became even more useless.
Therefore, after going back and forth like this, I rarely have the opportunity to cook in person.
However, even so, Aoto had eaten Souji's cooking a few times - although not many times, Souji's extremely high level of cooking skills still left a deep impression on Aoto.
"Very tasty!"
Qingdeng praised sincerely.
"Soji, you will definitely be a good wife in the future...well...!"
Before the last word: "子" came out of his mouth, Qingdeng quickly shut his mouth.
——What a risk, what a risk!
He was quick to talk and almost exposed Souji's daughter.
Nagakura and Saito didn't know that Souji's physiological structure was slightly different from theirs.
If Qingdeng failed to shut up in time, if he said the sentence "You will definitely be a good wife in the future" completely, it would not end well.
"Uh... he will be a famous chef who will be famous far and wide if he changes his career to catering!"
Qingdeng promptly changed his tune.
At the moment, everyone in the hall was busy eating noodles, so no one noticed anything strange about Qingdeng.
The only one who would have a big reaction to Seito Shijai's words and Shijai's strange behavior was the Souji himself.
"Hey hey hey~~"
Souji raised his hand to play with the slender ponytail on the back of his head, with a naive smile on his face.
That weird look of "happy, but not completely happy" disappeared.
Instead, there is complete, heartfelt joy.
Qingdeng didn't know that someone still noticed and understood the full text of his slip of the tongue just now.
"A good wife..."
A murmur that seemed excessive and inappropriate to describe as "as thin as a mosquito's moan" floated out from Souji's lips.
Souji picked up her bowl, lowered his head, and took big gulps of noodles into his mouth.
Use a wide bowl that is slightly larger than her little face to cover the corners of her mouth that are slightly raised and curved, as well as the bright red face that is full of talk.
…
…
There is no custom of setting off firecrackers or fireworks during the Japanese New Year, so it was quiet outside.
It was quiet everywhere... Correction, it should be said that the whole of Edo was quiet.
Japan's largest city, wrapped in night and thin moonlight, was as quiet as the depths of a lake.
The air is filled with the scent of soba noodles and peace.
From time to time, bursts of laughter would come from a certain mansion.
With such a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere, it is difficult to imagine that this city has suffered countless setbacks and hardships in the past year.
The radical anti-barbarian faction carried out indiscriminate killings; the anti-barbarian group carried out unscrupulous destruction everywhere; the large influx of jobless rogues led to an extreme deterioration of public security...
Thanks to the joint efforts of law enforcement officers from various public security agencies, including the Sankai Sankai and the Huofu Thieves Kai, headed by Aoto, the security situation in Edo has been greatly improved.
The anti-barbarian group no longer exists, and the "radical anti-barbarian movement" that was once in full swing due to the assassination of Jing Yin Zhibi gradually ceased; the lawless rogues remained silent and kept their tails between their legs.
At first glance, it seems that brighter days have arrived.
However... anyone with a little bit of discernment and a little bit of overall perspective can see that peace is far from coming.
Qingden agrees with some of the remarks made by Yin Dong Dazang when he came to visit this morning: Times are changing greatly.
The current situation in Japan is not only not improving at all, but is also getting worse and more bloody.
The idea of respecting and fighting is now very popular among the people and even among the officials.
Many members of the shogunate were admirers of the idea of zunxing—especially those of the Hitotsubashi faction.
A considerable number of people in the Hitotsubashi School highly admire the idea of respect and opposition.
Fanatics with radical ideas of resisting the barbarians like the lunatics of the anti-barbarian group have not disappeared. They just changed their "vests" and no longer call themselves "patriots who resist the barbarians". Instead, under the banner of the emperor, they start calling themselves "people with patriots who respect and resist the barbarians." .
They gained great righteousness.
They evolved and became trickier.
As long as Qingdeng is still in a public security agency like the Huofu Thief Reform, sooner or later he will still have to deal with these people who have radical ideas to fight against the foreigners... Ah, no, now we should call them "respecting the people who fight against the foreigners". Yes, sooner or later he will still fight with these people. deal with”.
However, no matter how you say it, the old year has passed and the new year is coming.
No one can say what will happen in the next year, or even further in the future.
In short, let’s embrace the present to the fullest.
Enjoy this rare moment of tranquility.
Qingdeng took out his pocket watch and looked at the current time - exactly 20 o'clock, 4 hours before 1861.
——Speaking of which...it seems like it's almost the first anniversary of my time traveling to this world...
If Qing Deng remembered the flowers correctly, he came through his soul on January 12, 1860.
After all calculations, Qingdeng has indeed been living in this new world for nearly a year.
——Time flies so fast...
The corner of Qingdeng's mouth raised a smile that resembled nostalgia.
The previous year passed so quickly.
Because Gohun had passed through and was still confused about the situation, he followed Arima and the others with a confused look on his face. The scene of the attack on the lair of the Renyi clan was still before his eyes. As a result, in the blink of an eye, I was already celebrating the upcoming New Year with my brothers.
The previous year had been very long.
Thinking back carefully, Qingdeng really met a lot of people and experienced a lot of things in the past year.
He has subordinates who share honor and disgrace, brothers and sisters who treat each other with sincerity, and a girl he loves deeply.
We have solved murders, eliminated terrorists, and fought bandits.
Qingdeng's year was more colorful and exciting than the ten years of ordinary people.
Qingdeng stuffed his pocket watch back into his arms, raised his eyes, and scanned the faces of everyone in front of him one by one.
Harada was bragging about the origin of the scar on his stomach again.
Saito remained as reclusive and independent as ever, eating noodles in silence.
Kondo and Nagakura, who were drunk, started to dance.
Inoue happily acted as the atmosphere team, keeping time with these two dancing masters.
Hijikata showed his hand for the first time in a long time, took out the shamisen he got from nowhere, and provided background music for Kondo and Nagakura in conjunction with Inoue's tapping.
While enjoying the dance of Kondo and Nagakura with great joy, Souji drank wine with his right hand and left hand, and let out hearty laughter like silver bells from time to time.
Looking at the lively scene in front of him, the smile on Qingdeng's face gradually became more peaceful.
He felt a strange sense of peace and contentment well up in his heart.
Qingdeng grabbed his own wine bottle and took a swig of Tusu wine.
The spicy fire brings a special pleasure, sliding from the mouth to the belly, and then flows throughout the body, all limbs and bones.
Qingdeng decided to indulge tonight! Drink it and you won’t get drunk!
…
…
About three hours later——
Trial Wei Pavilion, among the diners——
"Lu...lu..."
There seemed to be some sound.
"Snoring... snoring..."
The sound is getting louder and louder.
"Hurr...! Hurr...!"
I heard it clearly, it was the sound of snoring.
Not just one, but several. Some have a loud volume, some have a low volume, one after another.
Then, after hearing snoring, Qingdeng smelled a very bad smell - the smell of wine.
Under the dual stimulation of the noisy snoring and the stinking smell of alcohol, Qingdeng gradually regained consciousness.
With a little bit of clarity, he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing that caught his eye was the darkness occupying the entire viewing field, followed closely by the familiar ceiling that he had long been accustomed to seeing.
There was no doubt that he was in his own bed.
--Um……? Why would I...hiss...!
Qingdeng tried to recall how he appeared here, but as soon as his brain started to work, a needle-like sting hit his brain and then spread to his whole body.
Qingdeng couldn't help but cry out in pain. He quickly raised his hand to hold his forehead and gasped continuously.
The coldness of the air conditioner had a certain analgesic effect, sucking the cold air into the back of his stomach, Qingden gradually felt better.
——Why...am I in bed? Am I not... drinking with the guys?
Turbid consciousness, messy thoughts.
My head was so painful that it was about to burst. I couldn't organize effective thinking and couldn't recall anything.
But in order to solve the mystery of "he suddenly appeared in bed", Qingdeng still frowned, suppressed his physical discomfort, and tried to remember.
Gradually, the hanging thread hanging down into the sea of memory felt like something was entangled - he remembered it.
After deciding to indulge for a long time, Qingdeng started the "binge drinking" and "will not refuse anyone who comes" mode.
No matter who comes to him for a toast, he welcomes them all and drinks to their heart's content with them.
The more you drink, the more excited you become, and the more excited you are, the more you drink.
During this period, Qingto actively participated in various small games organized by Kondo and others. Such as: wild ball boxing, playing mahjong, awkward dancing...
Then... there is no more.
Qingteng's memory finally stopped at drinking with Souji.
At that time, Qingto, who was already a little unconscious, and Souji, who was also drunk and a little unconscious, were holding hands and chatting about some random topics that seemed to have some content, but seemed to have no content.
He and the director chatted in gibberish, drinking one glass after another - this was Qingden's last memory.
After that, things became like this: Qingteng woke up in bed, and his memory was greatly fragmented, as if he had traveled through time. Qingteng had no memory at all of the long memory of drinking with Souji and sleeping in bed. , as if someone had cut off a piece of memory out of thin air.
——Am I drunk?
Qingdeng couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This was the first time in his life that he had drunk to pieces.
It can be regarded as another level of eye-opening and new life experience.
As for how he ended up sleeping under the quilt, someone must have carried him back after he was drunk.
——Hiss... Is it so painful to drink the fragment... My head seems to explode...
Qingden rubbed his eyes and reached out to grab the pocket watch placed on the bedside. With the gift of "cat's eye", he glanced at the current time.
——11:30... Still in 1860... It seems that I didn't sleep for too long... Hmm! My bladder is so bloated...
Qingdeng realized belatedly that his bladder was extremely distended.
All the wine I drank tonight turned into digested human waste.
How could I possibly sleep in such a painfully swollen state?
So, Qingdeng endured the severe pain in his head and got up with difficulty.
Looking up, Nagakura, Harada and others were lying on the ground in a mess.
Everyone's body exuded the strong and choking smell of alcohol, and the stench was terrible. The smell was so loud and strong that Aomori couldn't help but wonder if all the residents of Koishikawa Kohinagayanagi Town could smell this stench that could rival biological and chemical weapons.
Depending on the situation, even if Nagakura and the others don't drink fragments like Qingto, they should be about the same.
Qingdeng held his breath subconsciously, climbed out of bed with his hands and feet quickly, and walked out of the room of diners in three steps at a time.
…
After running to the toilet and releasing his physiological needs, Qingden suddenly felt refreshed, and even the pain in his head was relieved a lot.
However, the world in front of him was still tilting and rotating slightly, making Qingden still stagger a little when he walked.
Qingden just walked back to the diners with swaying steps.
However, at this moment, Qingdeng suddenly heard strange sounds coming from the direction of the yard.
--Um?
Qingdeng turned his head to look at the sound, and the clarity in his eyes suddenly increased a bit.
——What's going on...
Although no thief would have the guts to sneak into the sword hall and steal something, to be on the safe side, Qingden lowered his body weight, crouched, and tiptoed towards the yard.
As soon as he arrived at the courtyard of the Trial Guard Hall, a wave of cold air that could freeze a person's breath into white mist immediately enveloped Qingdeng's whole body.
Fortunately, when he came out to use the bathroom, Qingdeng put on his thickest cotton coat, otherwise he would have frozen into ice and withered now.
Qingden tightened his clothes and glanced at Tingluo.
In just a moment, he found the person who caused the strange noises.
"Okita-kun?"
Qingden raised his eyebrows.
I saw Souji, wearing a thick purple feather fabric, sitting alone on the veranda at the edge of the courtyard.
This purple haori is the new clothes Okita Hikaru bought for Souji.
Purple is Souji's favorite color, and Souji couldn't put it down because of the thick feathered fabric given to him by his sister.
As soon as the weather cools down, I can't wait to put them on. Wear it almost every day without exception.
The iconic light and slender high ponytail is gone, replaced by a smooth shawl of hair.
The general secretary rarely spreads information, so the scene that appears in Qingdeng at this moment is extremely rare.
Compared with his appearance in a ponytail, Souji, with his three thousand black hair hanging down, lacks the lively aura, but has more gentle and soft beauty.
Because he was not tall enough, the Chief Sitting on the verandah could not reach the ground with his feet. Without socks, his white and pink feet were dangling like this.
His two little feet swayed back and forth as if he were paddling, and his two little hands were placed on the floor on the left and right sides of his body. Using his arms on the ground as support, he leaned his upper body back sharply, raised his chin, and looked The distant deep space beyond the eaves.
She was so focused and immersed in watching that she didn't even notice that Qingdeng was standing not far from her.
It's cloudy tonight, with thick clouds separating the sky and the earth. There was neither moon nor stars in the sky at this time, and there was nothing except clouds dyed dark by the night. She didn't know what she was looking at, and she was looking at it so seriously.
It wasn't until this moment that Souji finally turned his head and discovered Qingden's presence because he sensed Qingden's gaze.
"Ah, Tachibana-kun!"
The director-general waved vigorously to Qingden with a happy expression.
"Ms. Okita, why are you sitting here all alone if you don't go to bed so late at night?"
Qingden asked as he walked towards the general manager.
Since there were no outsiders around, Aonto adopted the title he would only use when he was alone with Souji: Miss Okita.
Souji did not immediately respond to Qingto's question, but instead patted the floor beside him with a smile.
"Tachibana-kun! Quick! Sit here!"
"What to do"
Although Qingteng was puzzled, he still followed the general's instructions and sat down next to him obediently.
"It's quite cold tonight. Do you have enough clothes? At least wear the right socks..."
"Chirp~"
Qingdeng's words stopped abruptly.
Because just at the last moment, there was a hot touch on his left cheek.
Qingden was so shocked that he temporarily forgot how to control his body muscles.
Qingto tilted his eyes dumbfounded and looked at Souji in astonishment... who was leaning over with his entire upper body and giving a passionate kiss to his left cheek. His red lips had not moved away from his cheek until now.
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