The days of being a cat in Japan

Listening to the New Year's bell outside, Xu Jie couldn't help but lament how quickly the days passed while eating the soba noodles and rice cake soup in his mouth. This is already the second New Year it has spent here.

Since the day before yesterday, Mr. Fujimoto and Mrs. Fujimoto have closed the store, given annual leave to the staff, and posted a holiday notice outside the gate.

This year, the couple had a very fulfilling life.

Although they were busy, the turnover figures on the accounts at the end of the year made them feel that it was worthwhile even if they were busy.

The New Year at the Fujimoto family is still very lively. Adults, old people, children, and pets gather together to enjoy delicious food and watch the red and white singing on TV.

What is different from previous years is that this year's New Year's Eve dinner at the Fujimoto family has changed to a different person.

Because the daughter is already engaged to Agui of the Ishikawa family this year, the two families are now choosing a date and planning to hold a wedding for them.

Therefore, this may be the last New Year spent by Etsuko Fujimoto at her natal home, so as a mother, Grandma Fujimoto felt that it was necessary for her daughter who was about to become someone else's daughter-in-law to take a New Year lesson for housewives.

Being a daughter-in-law at someone else's home is completely different from being a daughter at home. Although Etsuko's in-laws are far away, they usually don't live in front of their in-laws.

But now that she is married, she will always go to her mother-in-law's house. Whether it is to visit or take care of her, as a daughter-in-law of someone else's family, when her mother-in-law can't cook, she sits and waits as a junior. Eat ready made.

Grandma Fujimoto can't control other people's daughters, but her own daughter must not be so uneducated.

So Grandma Fujimoto has already planned to teach her all her specialty dishes while her daughter is on her annual leave.

Etsuko Fujimoto couldn't laugh or cry when she found out about her mother's plan. She is indeed not good at cooking, but she is not a kitchen idiot. She can still cook some basic meals.

So when she first heard that her mother wanted to teach herself how to cook, Ms. Etsuko still disapproved and said, "Mom, I can cook, so you don't have to worry about starving Agui to death after I get married. Look at me After graduating from university, I have worked hard outside for so many years, and I can live pretty well without food and shelter, so don’t worry about it.”

Grandma Fujimoto sneered at her daughter's answer, and said very dissatisfied: "You know how to cook? What you cook is also called food? Don't think I don't know what you cook for Agui every morning. I see it. It’s just some baked bread, hard-boiled eggs, a cup of hot milk and some vegetable leaves mixed with something I don’t know. Is it nutritious to eat those things regularly? Don’t forget that Agui taught me For sports, you exercise so much every day, so you just use these things to feed the rabbit? Let me tell you, starving my son-in-law will never end with you."

Etsuko Fujimoto was completely speechless about her mother's 'partiality' after hearing the words, she said weakly: "Mom, what you saw is that breakfast should be lighter, of course, Agui eats big fish and meat at the school at noon every day Why don't you say it?"

After hearing the words, Grandma Fujimoto carried her eccentricity to the end and said, "Oh, boy, he's even in sports again, what's wrong with eating some fish? He's in good shape, so my grandson and granddaughter will be strong in the future."

Miss Yuezi jumped up and said, "Mom, you are my real mother, and I am your real one, right?"

Grandma Fujimoto didn't care about her daughter's complaints at all, and said very calmly after hearing the words: "Yes, that's why I have to teach you more. Otherwise, when you get to your in-law's house, even if your mother-in-law is the cook, you, a daughter-in-law, have to go over and help make a meal. Let's do it, if at that time you can't even tell the difference between flour and starch, wouldn't I want to lose face to my mother-in-law?"

Ms. Etsuko, who was not a mother, was defeated when she heard the words, because she really didn't know the difference between flour and starch.

So this year's Fujimoto family's New Year's Eve dinner changed the person who was in charge of the spoon, and only followed her mother for a morning and afternoon, Miss Etsuko, and temporarily took over the Fujimoto family's kitchen from her mother and sister-in-law.

Although he still has some doubts about the culinary skills of the novice chef, since Xu Jie was taught by Grandma Fujimoto, it shouldn't be too bad, right?

What's more, although Ms. Etsuko is in charge of the kitchen, Grandma Fujimoto and Mrs. Rie also stay in the kitchen to help and supervise the whole process.

So even if the taste is not very good, it should be edible, right?

Staring at the bowl of red, white and white rice cake soup in front of him, the raccoon cat who looked left and right but didn't dare to say so thought so.

Under Miss Etsuko's expectant eyes, the rest of the Fujimoto family mustered up the courage to pick up the porcelain bowl containing the soup and put it into their mouths spoon by spoon.

Xu Jie watched for a long time, and after making sure that no one was throwing up or looking strange, he then buried himself in his own bowl with peace of mind.

Well, although the color looks weird, it still tastes like rice cake soup.

The cihuamao, which was chewing soft rice cakes, had two big red envelopes under its paws, which contained the lucky money that Grandma Fujimoto and the Fujimoto couple just gave it.

In the family, apart from Little Fatty and Junzi, the only one who can get cash red envelopes for the new year is the cat.

For other pets in the family, in addition to a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, the New Year's gift is some toys or blankets and other utensils.

The civet cat that is treated differently is so proud that its tail is raised when it eats dinner.

Meow, cats are so different.

Little Hei Tuanzi, who is celebrating the New Year for the first time, feels very fresh about everything. He has already eaten dinner, and now he is curiously sniffing around the New Year's decorations at Fujimoto's house with his nose.

Xu Jie turned a blind eye to the performance of his kitten. From his point of view, it is normal for a child to be very curious.

So the kitten, pampered by his father, sniffed and sniffed all the way to his parents.

Looking at the kitten that was very close to him, Xu Jie raised his head and pushed his food plate and asked, "Meow, aren't you full yet? Dad still has some here, eat some more when you're hungry."

The little black cat, who was already full, shook his head when he heard this, and then used his paws to grab the two New Year's red envelopes that his father pressed under his body.

"Meow, dad, what is this?" the kitten with its head tilted asked curiously.

Li Huamao licked the rice cake soup on his lips and replied, "This is the lucky money given to the cat by Grandma Fujimoto and the Fujimoto couple."

"What is New Year's money? Can it be eaten?" Asked the kitten who was even more curious after hearing his father's answer.

Cihuamao wagged its tail when it heard the words, organized the vocabulary in its head, and then said to the kitten: "New Year's money is a New Year's etiquette, and it is given by the elders to the younger generation. Most of the time, parents or elders among relatives and friends They put some money in red envelopes and give them to younger generations during the Chinese New Year, for the sake of good luck. Because the bread in the red envelopes is money, although they can’t be eaten directly, they can be used to buy things.”

Xu Jie originally thought that after the kitten listened to his explanation, it would look at him adoringly with its shiny cat eyes like in the past.

Unexpectedly, the kitten did not do this this time. After hearing its own explanation, it looked at the red envelope and looked at itself, and saw that it was looking at the red envelope. After that, the triangular cat ears drooped down, with a listless look. look.

The cihuamao was startled when he saw this, and thought the kitten was suddenly unwell, so he quickly asked, "What's wrong with you, Tuanzi, why are you suddenly listless?"

When the kitten heard the words, he turned his head to look at Junzi and the little fat man, and when he saw that they had big red envelopes in their pockets, he became even more frustrated.

Xu Jie was really anxious when he saw this. His kitten has been extremely lively since he made a sound. He has never looked so slumped like today. What happened to this child?

Under Cihuamao's eager and continuous questioning, the little black cat said: "Dad, you just said that the red envelope is something that the parents and elders give to the younger generation for good luck. If that is the case, why doesn't the kitten not have one? Doesn't daddy want the cat to be auspicious?" Surely not, so have you forgotten something?"

The cihuamao was silent for a long time after hearing the words, it really wanted to give its mouth a few paws now, make it so cheap, and talk to the kitten about the new year's money, now the debt collector came.

Hey, by the way, isn't the cat only two years old this year?Why do you want to send out New Year's money from this age?

Shouldn't human children at this age be dressed up by their parents and go out to earn extra money?Why did it turn into a kitten coming to ask meow for New Year's money when I came to the cat?

Although he thinks so, Lihuamao still wants his kitten to be happy.

It silently got up and sent the two red envelopes under its paws, which had not been warmed up, to its own kitten.

Meow, judging by the appearance of the dumpling, I really care about what the cat just said, so I still have to give the red envelope.

The kitten who received Lihua's father's New Year's blessing smiled very happily. According to the memory of the little fat man and Junzi when they received the lucky money, they stumbled and said to Xu Jie: "New Year... good luck, congratulations... Gong Xi Fa Cai."

The raccoon cat who heard his kitten's blessing immediately lost his depression. He got up and hugged his kitten and licked it fiercely, meowing while licking.

Meow~~meow~meow, the dumplings in our family are smart, and they can learn these auspicious words just by listening to them.

The kitten who was licked by Lihua's father was also very happy. It felt that it was right, so after Xu Jie sent it, Tuanzi immediately trotted to Dahei's father.

The big black cat, who is not very interested in the new year of human beings, is the same as last year, basically serving as the background board for the whole process.

So when the kitten ran over happily, said auspicious words, stared at himself with sparkling eyes, and was looking forward to getting lucky money from it, the big black cat, which has always been calm, There was a rare bewildered expression on his face.

...! ! !

"Wow ha ha ha ha." The Fujimoto family who watched the whole process were laughing, while the raccoon cat covered its fat face with its paws, as if it couldn't bear to look directly at it.

The author has something to say:

Little Black Duanzi: Meow, lucky money, lucky money, lucky money for cats.

The big black cat was stunned:! ! ! !

Cihuamao: Shhh, son, please keep your voice down. If you let your brother and little green brother hear it, the cat will have to give two more copies.Forget it, it’s the same whether you say it or not, if there’s yours, there must be theirs, cats have always treated children equally.But why do cats who are only two years old have to give out New Year's money! !Ahhhhh, it makes no sense, when will it be the end...