After a short cement slope, the front yard of the Dubian Family came into view.
It was a sturdy patch of dirt, so compacted that even on rainy days, there wouldn’t be much mud.
On this plot stood a very ordinary two-story wooden house, shaped like an "L."
It looked quite old, a rarity in today’s age, resembling traditional island architecture.
"The two of you, this is my home."
The three of them stood at the end of the cement road, just about to step onto the dirt front yard.
Kiyono Lin surveyed the house, noting its black tiles and a silver satellite dish on the second-floor window sill.
Plants that wouldn’t die in winter were placed in front of the house and under the porch—rather than potted plants, they looked more like unnamed plants dug up from the mountains.
"Is that the Honda Cub you mentioned?" Jiutiao Meijie’s gaze shifted to the storage on the left side of the house.
The storage was doorless, filled with farming tools and a red motorcycle.
Mud was caked between the tires of the motorcycle, which also had a cargo box on the back seat.
"I’ll take you for a ride when I have time," Dubian Che boasted.
Jiutiao Meijie gave him a slightly helpless look.
"Do you have a driver’s license?" Kiyono Lin asked curiously.
You could only get a motorcycle license at sixteen.
Since the two of them had spent almost every day together after turning sixteen, it seemed unlikely that Dubian Che had found the time to get his license.
But she believed that getting a motorcycle license would be a simple task for Dubian Che, manageable even just by utilizing the mornings before school if he really set his mind to it.
Dubian Che smiled confidently at her, "In Misezawa Village, I do."
Which meant he didn’t have one.
"Alright, alright, let’s forget the bike for now and go inside," Dubian Che said, stepping into the front yard first.
The two beautiful girls, carrying their suitcases, closely followed him.
"Not seeing the car, I guess my dad isn’t home," Dubian Che said, pulling the wooden door open single-handedly without a key.
They were greeted by a long wooden corridor.
On both sides of the corridor were wooden sliding doors, with stairs to the second floor at the far end.
Kiyono Lin looked to the left, leading towards the porch; the end of the porch connected to the small house that made up the horizontal part of the "L."
Would that be the kitchen?... She was guessing when Dubian Che suddenly shouted.
"Just come in!" A woman’s voice came from the wood door on the left.
"No way! We have too much luggage, come help out!"
The wooden door slid open and Dubian Zhi stepped out.
Seeing the two people beside her son, she paused, taken aback.
Dubian Che smiled joyfully and slightly proudly at Mrs. Dubian, introducing them.
"This is my girlfriend, Jiutiao Meijie."
"Greetings, Aunt Zhi, I’m Che’s girlfriend, Jiutiao Meijie," Jiutiao Meijie greeted elegantly.
"Gr, greetings, Meijie," hearing such a formal greeting, Dubian Zhi felt like she was in a TV show.
"This is Kiyono Lin," Dubian Che continued, "my friend and my foe, she’s grown up with Meijie since childhood."
"Hello, Auntie," Kiyono Lin greeted in a normal manner.
"Oh, it’s Little Lin," Mrs. Dubian said with a smile, "come in, come in."
She took out three pairs of slippers from the shoe cabinet, one for Dubian Che and two for guests who usually visit.
Kiyono Lin nodded politely in thanks.
Jiutiao Meijie glanced at the slippers, focusing on the pair in front of Dubian Che, "Are these yours?"
"Yeah, you wear mine, and I’ll wear yours."
Jiutiao Meijie nodded, changing into Dubian Che’s slippers.
Mrs. Dubian glanced at Jiutiao Meijie and said with a smile, "Come on in."
The three of them left their luggage at the door and followed Mrs. Dubian into the room she had just exited.
It was a spacious living room, luxuriously large for an ordinary person living in Tokyo.
In the corner of the living room, there was a cabinet topped with a thin, high-end-looking but actually cheap TV, with a resolution of only 1333x768 pixels.
The TV was showing a variety show: a popular idol was touring Iwate Prefecture, dramatically introducing various delicacies.
In the center of the living room was a floor furnace, similar to a "kotatsu," but the table was designed with a pit underneath, allowing one to slip their feet inside without having to kneel.
Additionally, the living room had an iron wood stove, on which sat nearly dried orange peels.
The faint smell of ripe oranges emanated from there.
"Please have a seat, I’ll go peel some fruits for you," Mrs. Dubian said at the entrance of the living room.
"I’ll help," Kiyono Lin, who had just entered the living room, turned back towards Dubian Zhi.
"No need, Little Lin, you should rest. It must have been tiring coming all the way from Tokyo."
Kiyono Lin thought for a moment, "Alright then, thank you, Auntie."
"You’re welcome," Mrs. Dubian laughed cheerfully twice, then instructed Dubian Che, "Little Che, make sure to take good care of them."
Mrs. Dubian went to the kitchen.
Kiyono Lin sat down by the floor furnace, comfortably letting out a sigh.
The long car ride and walk amounted to her weekly quota of exercise.
"Meijie, have a seat too," Dubian Che called out.
Jiutiao Meijie looked at the kotatsu’s quilt with mild disdain, "You want me to crawl into something used by who knows how many people?"
Indeed, village women often came to chat with Mrs. Dubian, but Jiutiao Meijie frowned upon everyone, rural or urban.
Used to her germophobia, Dubian Che proposed, "I think we have new quilts at home, also, shall I get you a new cushion?"
"The cushion needs to be new too."
"A new cushion... Do we even have one..." Dubian Che didn’t hold much hope.