Chapter 294 Muzi's Family at the End of the Year
November 21st, Saturday, near the end of the year.

The New Year in Otaru still has its own unique flavor. In terms of food, high-quality seafood such as kelp rolls, salmon roe, northern clams and hairy crabs will definitely be served on the table.

This thing is also called seafood Osechi cuisine.

As the New Year approaches, the city government will also carve countless snow lanterns and ice sculptures on both sides of the streets in the city as decorations to attract tourists to take photos.

Not to mention hot springs, sake, and foreign pastries, which are available every year.

Fujii Itsuki always likes to avoid trouble, but after staying at home for a long time, he feels bored.

He didn't need to prepare any lesson plans during the holidays, but Chitose, Kokoharu, and even Jiuhuayue, who had finished her work, all had their own things to do.

This made it difficult for Fujii Itsuki to disturb them most of the time, so he had to go find Muzi to have a drink to relieve his boredom.

It was snowing outside, but it was extremely warm inside the pub.

There were constant noisy sounds all around, and from time to time, the heroic conversations between old uncles could be heard.

"cheers."

"Well, cheers."

After clinking glasses, Fujii Itsuki took a sip and suddenly noticed that Akai Muko was secretly smiling at him from the seat opposite him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Akai Muzi put down the wine glass, still smiling, "No, nothing, I just think you have changed a little bit, Shu."

"Which ones?" Fujii Itsuki was puzzled.

"For example, when you were drinking just now, you used to drink a glass of wine in one gulp, but now you only dare to take a small sip."

"Alas, I am under control, so I have no choice but to agree. If I continue to drink like before, the three of them will hold me accountable."

“Does it feel bad to be controlled?”

Fujii Itsuki put the wine glass to the right and looked down. "It's hard to say, but I know they care about me."

"Then how dare you call me out for a drink?" Akai Muzi looked surprised.

".This is the only hobby I have during the holidays. I can't help it. They are busy with their own things and I can't disturb them."

"Kokoharu went home to prepare for the festival, Chitose is helping out at home, and what about Satsuki? Satsuki is back in Tokyo again?"

"Yeah. She's still famous in Takarazuka, and I think she enjoys being on the stage, so I support her to go back. There's a high probability that she won't be able to come back this New Year."

As Fujii Itsuki was talking, he suddenly remembered something.

"And I always felt that Xiaoyue was a little angry when she left. Could it be that she wanted me to keep her to celebrate the New Year together? I didn't keep her, but chose to send her away. Was she angry because of this?"

Akai Muzi stared at him: "."

"What's wrong?" Fujii Itsuki noticed her expression.

Akai Muzi sighed, "Didn't you see that?"

"I really didn't think about it at the time. Are women's minds so hard to guess?"

"Definitely is."

"What about you, Muzi?"

"Me?" Akai Muzi smiled. "It was true in the past, but it's different now. I just say whatever I want to say."

"For example?"

"For example, I really want to invite you to my house to celebrate the New Year together."

Fujii Itsuki looked at her.

"Ashu, there's no need to look at me like that."

Fujii Itsuki shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just thinking about the feasibility of this matter. Of course! I'm not saying I don't want to, but..."

"I understand, Chitose and the others."

Akai Muzi stirred the beer glass with chopsticks. "And the main reason I said this is that I think I should tell my mother about the relationship between us."

Fujii Itsuki looked at her and asked, "Are you going to explain this directly to your mother?"

Akai Muzi used her chopsticks faster, "Hmm."

"."

After Muzi said this, Fujii Shu remembered that the families of the other people were also difficult to deal with.

Especially Chitose.
Given Mr. Nagano's temper, he would probably just drag Chitose home.

As for who to marry in the future.
Fujii Itsuki didn't want to be partial, but realistically speaking, the one who was most likely to be married in name only was Xinchun.
How should I explain this to Chitose and Xiaoyue?
"Is Aunt Shiori free today?"

Akai Muzi saw what he meant from his eyes, "You mean, today?"

"Tomorrow is fine, how about that?"

"Ashu, are you going to confess directly?"

"It's not good for you to keep it a secret, Muzi, right? Sooner or later, Aunt Shiori will figure it out. I think you should find an opportunity to tell her clearly. This way, at least you won't quarrel over this kind of thing."

"."

Akai Muzi fell into deep thought, "Then let me make it clear first, mother... may not agree."

"I tried to get her to agree."

"Um"

"That's it."

"Today, let's go shopping and buy some things after we eat."

"it is good."

*
Fujii Itsuki and Akai Muko spent the entire afternoon strolling around the Triangle Market, buying a bunch of New Year goods and some gifts as tokens of consolation.

Muzi also informed her mother early today, saying that Fujii Itsuki would be over tonight and the two of them wanted to talk to her about something.

When Akai Shiori heard this, he was immediately happy.

The aunties living near the community stopped playing croquet and went straight home, saying that they had guests coming and they had to entertain them well.

In the clothing store on the shopping street, Akai Muzi put down her phone and turned to Fujii Itsuki:
"My mother knows."

"Row."

After staying in the shopping street until half past five, Fujii Itsuki drove his newly bought car, carrying a lot of New Year's gifts as condolences, to Akai Muzi's house.

What a coincidence! I met Akai Shiori who was carrying a big bag of vegetables and was about to go up the small stairs of the second-floor apartment when I saw two people driving.

Akai Shiori had never seen this car before and thought it belonged to someone else. But when she opened the door and saw it was Akai Muko getting out, she smiled and immediately walked over.

Fujii Itsuki then got out of the car and greeted Akai Muko's mother:
"Aunt Shiori."

Akai Shiori was always happy to bring the two together. When she saw Fujii Itsuki coming over with a lot of things, she quickly said:
"Why do you bring so many?"

Fujii Itsuki smiled and lifted it up for Akai Shiori to take a closer look. "It's just a small gift."

Akai Shiori looked at the car next to him again, "What about your car?"

Akai Muzi immediately walked over and pulled her mother over, sighing, "Ashu bought it himself."

"how much?"

Fujii Itsuki: “Not very expensive.”

Akai Shiori nodded, not quite understanding.

She doesn't know much about cars, but she thinks they should be very expensive.
Because the son of Hori Aoi, who runs the fruit shop across the street, bought a car with the same logo as hers for over 600 million yuan.

This one is Ashu.
Well, it shouldn't be cheaper than this.

After all, it looks even better.

Although she also wanted to say that money is not important.
But her daughter is so old now, so of course she wants her daughter to marry into a good family.

Having a home and a car will make you feel much more stable.

As for the child Ashu?
She had seen him grow up, and they were childhood sweethearts, so she knew him very well.

He just returned to Otaru and bought a new car worth several million yen within a year. He can still be seen in the news newspapers, which shows that he is very capable.

There are no small gaps to worry about.

Akai Shiori seemed to have sensed something was going on between the two of them, and immediately smiled and took the two of them to the small apartment on the second floor.

She was very enthusiastic and after chatting for a while, she took the initiative to cook. Fujii Itsuki naturally would not sit idle and also went to help.

Helping with cooking is of course not just about cooking.

"Ashu, has your work been going well lately?" Akai Shiori asked in a normal tone while washing vegetables.

"It's okay, Aunt Shiori. It's the end of the year and there's a lot to do." Fujii Itsuki smiled, his hands moving non-stop, cutting the prepared ingredients.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Akai Shiori responded casually, but her eyes kept glancing at him who was busy in the kitchen, "You and Muzi have been together for so long, you can be considered old friends, right?"

Fujii Itsuki paused his sword, knowing that Akai Shiori was testing him.

He nodded, "Yeah, we've known each other for a long time."

Akai Shiori was busy processing the vegetables in her hands with a smile on her face, "Muzi is a good child. When she was little, she could help the family with everything. You could say that she would bring home a portion of everything good she could think of. She is good at everything, but she is not good with herself.

“Look, I’m almost thirty years old and I’m still not married.

"I know that young people nowadays don't like to get married, and it's normal to get married in your 30s. But if you ask me, this is actually a social disease. After all, if you get married in your 30s, your passion and love for life will not be as good as that in your 20s.

"Ashu, you're right, right?"

"That's right, I think so too."

The topic was interrupted for a moment at this point.

"I heard that Muzi no longer wants to go to Shikoku Island? Is that right? Don't blame me for asking you. There are some things she won't tell me, but she has always opened her heart to you."

Fujii Itsuki put down the kitchen knife in his hand and considered his words.

He understood that this matter was a big concern for Akai Muzi's mother.

Muzi originally planned to open a flower shop in Shikoku Island, which was almost her main plan for the future for a while, but now she suddenly changed her mind.
"That's true. Muzi is considering staying here recently." Fujii Itsuki finally answered in a calm tone. Akai Shiori paused, then put down the vegetables in her hand and turned to look at Fujii Itsuki, "Do you know why she suddenly stopped leaving?"

Fujii Itsuki hesitated for a moment, then decided not to hide too much, "I think it's mainly because our relationship has changed recently."

"Have you decided yet?"

"That's right"

Fujii Itsuki nodded. Akai Shiori was so happy after getting this answer that she didn't even ask him for help and quickly called Muzi to go into the kitchen to help.

This made Fujii Itsuki quite embarrassed, as if Aunt Shiori was in a hurry to sell her daughter.

"It's okay, I'll do it."

When Akai Muzi entered the kitchen and saw her mother so happy, she didn't know what to say.

She knew that her mother was happy for her from the bottom of her heart.

Akai Shiori smiled and waved her hands, signaling her daughter to help quickly, "Muzi, it's not every day that mom sees you have such a big happy event. You're not a child anymore, I can't wait to be happy! Come on, come and cut the vegetables, Ashu, you go out and wait, the two of us will be enough in the kitchen."

Fujii Itsuki stood at the kitchen door, listening to the conversation between the mother and daughter, and smiled slightly. He knew that he couldn't get a word in now, so he tactfully withdrew and left the mother and daughter alone.

Akai Muzi walked to the cutting board and took the vegetables handed to her by her mother, but she couldn't help but glance at her mother, wanting to say something.

Her mother's happiness warmed her heart, but at the same time, she also felt a little heavy. She knew that her mother had always hoped that she could find a suitable partner, live a stable life, and have a real complete family, and now Ashu just made this wish seem to be coming true.

"mom"

"Ah? What's wrong?"

Akai Muzi hesitated for a second and shook her head, "No, it's nothing. I just think that you treating Shu like this is not very nice to me."

"How old are you and you're still jealous! Aren't you overjoyed? Come, prepare the fish first and just slice it."

"Mom, did you buy tuna?" Akai Muzi was a little amused.

"It's a rare visit for Ah Shu, so of course we have to eat something good."

Fujii Itsuki was waiting outside, and soon Aunt Shiori served a table full of dishes.

Aunt Shiori was completely relieved when she saw the two of them still sitting together.

She felt a little emotional and couldn't help but talk about some things from Muzi's childhood.

"Muzi suffered a lot when she was a child, Ashu, you know that. Her father ran away very early, and I was the only one raising her at home." She sighed, "At that time, our family was so poor that we could hardly guarantee food and clothing."

Akagi Muko lowered her head silently, her fingers lightly brushing the dishes on the table. Fujii Itsuki looked at her.

"Muzi was very sensible at that time," Akai Shiori continued. "Knowing that her family was poor, she quietly went out to work, and she was working illegally. As you know, illegal work is not easy. Sometimes when she came back, she would smell like fish."

A trace of heartache flashed in Akai Shiori's eyes, "As a result, those ignorant children in school always laugh at her and think she is dirty."

"."

Fujii Itsuki looked at Akai Muko again.

In fact, he didn't know about this kind of thing when he was in high school. Muzi only said that she helped the family and worked illegally when she was a child, but she didn't go into details.

Akai Muzi's face was very calm, as if she was listening to someone else's story.

"Ashu, you don't know these things, right?"

"I know some, but not all."

"Then Muzi will definitely not tell anyone about the bullying she suffered at school."

Akai Shiori sighed: "She never even told me about those things. Later, I heard about it from my neighbors and then I knew how hard she was at school. But no matter what, she never gave up. She always wanted to share the burden for me, and most of the money she earned from part-time jobs went to subsidize the family.

"Many times, when I saw Muzi staying at home alone with few friends visiting her, I felt heartbroken. I felt that I had not given her a good home, and I could not even help her with what she was going through at school.

"So when she told me she had a friend, I was very happy."

This so called "friend".
Fujii Itsuki knew that it was referring to himself.

"Later, I realized that the child was in love. He became happy, liked to get up early every day, and went to school every day without having a straight face. He went out happily. I was very happy to see this."

Fujii Itsuki could feel the sincere joy and anticipation in Shiori's tone.

"I always hope that she can find someone who can make her happy." Shiori sighed, "It's not easy for her. She has suffered a lot along the way."

Akai Muzi lowered her head and listened to her mother's words silently, as if she didn't want to recall those bitter past events.

She whispered, "Mom, stop talking. It's all in the past."

"Mom said so much because she wants Ah Shu to take good care of you and not let you suffer any loss, right? You have never had a complete family. I am very sorry."

In fact, at this point, Fujii Itsuki felt a little hurt.

There is no complete home.
If you think about it carefully, it's not just Muzi, it seems that several other people are like this.

It seems that it is not a coincidence that everyone gets together.

Fujii Itsuki paused, exchanged glances with Akai Muzi, and felt that it would be better to say it out loud.

He was about to speak, but Akai Muzi didn't seem to want to embarrass him and spoke first:
"I'm glad you can say so much today, but the relationship between me and Shu is actually more complicated than you imagined."

"what?"

"The relationship is a little more complicated than usual."

Akai Shiori was confused and still didn't understand.

Akai Muzi wanted to speak again, but Fujii Itsuki interrupted her and continued to explain:

"To be honest with you, Aunt Shiori, I actually had an engagement with the daughter of the Matsumae family."

"What?" Akai Shiori was even more confused.

Akai Muzi: "What Ashu said is the truth."

"Then you, what's wrong with you?!"

Akai Muzi sighed, "This matter is my fault. I can't let it go, so I choose to stay."

Fujii Itsuki took over the conversation again and tried to explain the matter more completely.

Including explanations about who to marry in the future and how to treat Muzi.
When Akai Shiori heard this, her mind was completely confused. She understood what Fujii Itsuki was saying, but it was still hard for her to accept it.

"The Matsumae family, the Matsumae family I'm thinking of?"

"Yes."

"What about Ah Shu and the eldest daughter of the Matsumae family?"

"Ashu was the child's tutor before, and then the Matsumae family took a fancy to him and wanted to bring him in as their son-in-law."

Akai Shiori looked at Akai Muko, and her daughter responded with an evasive look, telling her mother that this was her choice.

A complicated look flashed across Akai Shiori's eyes, as if she finally understood something, but she also seemed to be still digesting it all.

"I see."

For the next few seconds, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat silent.

Akai Muzi didn't speak immediately, but just lowered her head and sighed softly.

"Mom," she said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Do you really know?"

"I know. Ashu is the one I chose."

"Even so? Even so? Haven't you always wanted a complete family? Do you think this counts?"

“No, but I would still choose this.”

"No matter how many times you repeat it, it's still the same choice?!"

"No matter how many times you repeat it."

This sentence seemed to give Akai Shiori an inexplicable comfort. Although she was still a little worried, what else could she say after hearing her daughter's firm tone?

Why did he insist on refusing to agree with Muzi's choice?

Wouldn't that also destroy the relationship between myself and my daughter?

And Akai Shiori also knew that along the way, Muzi had never easily relied on others, not even her mother.

If there is one person she relies on, it is Fujii Itsuki.
Akai Shiori was entangled and entangled again, extremely entangled.

"What does the little girl from the Matsumae family think of you, Muzi?!"

"She knows me."

"So she agreed?!"

"She agrees."

"."

At this point, Akai Shiori didn't know what to say.

"Well, since you all said so, I won't ask any more questions."

Akai Shiori sighed slowly, her voice was a little choked, but more of a relief. "I'm not against you, but I hope you won't be looked at differently. But since you all think it's okay, then it's naturally hard for me to say anything. Ashu, Muzi, no matter what the future holds, you must be happy."

Fujii Itsuki nodded, "I will, and I'll try my best."

The atmosphere in the room finally became a little relaxed. Akai Shiori took the initiative to pick up the chopsticks and said, "Okay, let's eat first. Don't stand and talk. Sit down. I made a lot of delicious food for you."

Both Fujii Itsuki and Akai Muzi smiled, although there was still some unspeakable complexity in their hearts.

"By the way, the relationship between you two won't affect Muzi's ability to have children, right?"

"This"

"Ok?"

Akai Muzi replied somewhat awkwardly: "It actually depends on what Xinchun thinks."

"You guys have to see what the kid from the Matsumae family wants to do before you can have a baby?"

".Mom, you know that's the Matsumae family."

Akai Shiori's expression suddenly became extremely strange, but in the end she said nothing and continued eating.

(End of this chapter)