Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 682 Extra: Autumn Homecoming Trip (2)

A wooden door on the other side of the room opens to reveal another wooden corridor, a type of edakabe typically found in large, traditional Japanese residences. Beyond the edakabe lies the garden. One can sit in the edakabe and enjoy the garden in any season.

Mai walked on the wooden floor along the edge of the courtyard, turning her head to look at the scenery. Whether it was because the black stockings on her feet reduced the resistance, or because her light gait had become a subconscious habit of the ninja lady, her footsteps made no sound even when walking on the old wooden floor.

She knew that planting maple trees was a custom in the Nara and Kyoto area, and nowadays, visiting Nara and Kyoto in autumn has become a daily routine for many Japanese people. She had almost forgotten that she used to have maple trees in her own garden.

Although she is nominally one of the heirs of this mansion, just like Aki, she probably doesn't know the house much better than Lu Mingfei.

She thought to herself, then secretly glanced at Lu Mingfei behind her.

The sun gradually set, and the town lights began to illuminate the landscape. The setting sun painted the horizon in colors similar to the red leaves. Mai strolled along the gravel path in the front yard, and before she knew it, she and Lu Mingfei had walked here. The main gate was just a short walk ahead.

The place was also covered with red leaves. The autumn wind swayed, and a rain of red leaves drifted in the air.

"Speaking of which, your and Aki's birthdays are also in the fall, right?"

Lu Mingfei spoke from behind: "November 4th."

Mai glanced slightly behind her and nodded: "Yes."

November 4th isn't strictly speaking autumn in Japan; it's winter. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan abandoned the lunisolar calendar, also known as the Chinese lunar calendar, and instead adopted the Western Gregorian calendar. This led to some delicate situations.

比如说日本和中国同样有盂兰盆节，也就是鬼节。但是日本的盂兰盆节是公元历法的7月15日，而华夏的盂兰盆节则是农历的7月14日或15日。同样的节日却有着完全不同的两个时间。

However, some well-established aristocratic families in Japan still maintain the tradition of using the lunar calendar. These families often adhere to religious and ritualistic customs, and the lunar calendar clearly aligns better with the norms of these rituals.

Although it seems that only she and Aki remain in the Shutoku family to this day, they are still a branch of the Taira family and have clearly retained the habit of using the lunar calendar.

She and Aki were born on November 4, 1988, which was not the beginning of winter in the lunar calendar; it was the tail end of autumn.

"Is that Aki back?" a voice asked from the side.

Mai and Lu Mingfei turned around together, following the sound, which was coming from their right. Through the nearly two-meter-high courtyard wall, they saw someone standing on a wooden ladder used for pruning trees in the adjacent house, looking in their direction.

Is this the neighbor uncle Aki mentioned before, who used to drive them to neighboring prefectures to buy wagashi (Japanese sweets) when they were kids? The dust on some long-forgotten memories seems to have been gradually blown away by the autumn wind, and the scenes of the memories are slowly becoming clearer with the wind.

However, the other person seems to have passed the age of being called "uncle," with graying temples, and he might be called "grandpa" by children on the street.

"Huh." The other person seemed to have also seen Mai's face clearly, and muttered, "Isn't that Aki...?"

Mai hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly and nodded to the other person: "Hello, I am Mai."

"It's Mai!"

The man paused for a moment upon hearing this, then spoke enthusiastically, "It's been many years since I've seen you, hasn't it? I heard from Aki that you went abroad to study and only came back for a few days each winter and summer vacation, so I never had a chance to meet you. I'm so glad to see you today. Have you grown up so much in the blink of an eye?"

Mai paused for a moment. Of course, she hadn't come back at all. But so, according to Aki, she had just gone abroad to study? To reassure the neighbors, she had said that she would come back for a few days every winter and summer vacation.

However, the man's gaze also turned to Lu Mingfei, who was standing next to Mai: "And who is this?"

Mai also looked at Lu Mingfei, suddenly unsure how to introduce him. However, Lu Mingfei naturally smiled and nodded at the man, replying in Japanese, "Hello, I'm Miss Jiude's boyfriend. Thank you for taking care of them."

The man clearly didn't notice Lu Mingfei's unusual wording and replied with a smile, "So you're Mai's boyfriend? What are you talking about? Shouldn't neighbors help each other out? Besides, I was often taken care of by Mai's father when I was young."

Lu Mingfei chatted and laughed with his neighbor. Mai couldn't help but glance at the boy; anyone who didn't know better would think she was the guest in the house, while Lu Mingfei seemed like the host.

However, the two didn't chat for long before the other person was called to dinner by a sweet little girl's voice. The other person smiled and said goodbye to Lu Mingfei and Mai. It seems the neighbor uncle really has become a grandfather.

Watching the other person walk down the wooden ladder, Mai then pursed her lips and said softly to Lu Mingfei, "Miss Jiude's boyfriend... I'm amazed you could come up with that answer."

"I wasn't wrong, was I?" Lu Mingfei said with a smile.

"There's nothing wrong with that..."

After all, it's impossible to simply say he's her boyfriend; in terms of confirming their relationship, Aki did so even earlier. It's also impossible to directly tell the neighbor that he's both her and Aki's boyfriend. The term "Miss Jiude's boyfriend" is far too ambiguous.

After all, Aki's drinking virtue is still drinking virtue, and Mai's drinking virtue is still drinking virtue...

……

The nights in the mountains always seem deeper, probably because they are far from the city. The scattered stars in the sky make the night sky look boundless and mysterious.

It's not actually that late, only about eight o'clock, and I just finished dinner not long ago. But the quiet night always makes me feel like it's already late at night.

An open-air bath is surrounded by a bamboo fence. Hot spring water, drawn from the mountain, flows gently into the bath through cut bamboo stalks, the swaying bamboo creating a crisp, wooden clatter. The chirping of insects drifts in from afar. White mist floats above the hot spring, and the water, bathed in moonlight and the glow of stone lanterns, appears a soft, baby-blue color.

Mai leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool, her long, loose hair cascading into the water like a waterfall, as she looked up at the night sky.

Footsteps approached from the entrance of the hot spring, drawing her attention. Aki, wrapped in a towel, walked to the edge of the pool and smiled at her: "Sister, would you mind if I soaked with you?"

"I don't mind. As long as it's not that guy."

Mai shook her head. Aki folded the bath towel and placed it on the rock next to the hot spring. She dipped her toes into the water, slowly submerged herself, swam to Mai's side, and sat down with her against the edge of the hot spring.

"what……"

Aki let out a soft breath; perhaps because the hot spring water was a bit too hot, her face flushed as soon as she soaked in it.

“The hot spring at home is still the most comfortable.” She said to Mai with a smile, “Luckily, the hot spring entrance wasn’t blocked.”

"Mmm," Mai replied softly.

"It's been so long since we've enjoyed a hot spring together like this."

"Um... By the way, Aki, thank you for tonight."

"What happened tonight? Ah... that."

Aki tilted her head cutely and immediately understood what Mai was talking about. It was something that happened during dinner.

The kitchen at home is usable, but there's no food. So we'll have to eat out for dinner.

News seemed to travel exceptionally fast in small towns. Mai and Lu Mingfei only bumped into their neighbor, an older man, in the courtyard that evening. By dinner time, news of Mai's return had spread throughout the town. The townspeople were never stingy with their hospitality; the restaurant owner not only waived their bill but also gave them a generous portion of char siu pork for their ramen. The price, however, was that Mai inevitably became the center of attention, and Lu Mingfei also became the subject of discussion. Feeling like she was being bombarded with questions from countless aunts and uncles during the New Year, Mai was unusually flustered.

Fortunately, Aki was there to help, which prevented Mai from being "besieged".

"You're welcome. It's nothing much. In fact, it would be too formal for you to say thank you."

The girls fell silent. Only the gentle tapping of the water-drawing bamboo echoed through the hot spring. Fires burned in the stone lanterns beside the pool, their light reflected in the water, shattering into countless fragments.

Mai remained silent for a while before speaking softly again: "Aki."

"uh-huh?"

"Have you ever asked me... why I suddenly left home without a word? Aren't you curious?"

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Aki's almond-shaped eyes, but a moment later a smile returned to her face as she looked up at the night sky.

"Well, how should I put it? It would be a lie to say I'm not curious. But I just feel there's no need to ask. You must have your reasons, sister. If one day you want to tell me why you left home, you'll definitely tell me yourself."

"..."

"not to mention--"

Aki's gaze returned to Mai, who was not far in front of her, and she smiled gently: "The important thing is that you're back now, isn't that enough? As for why you left home, whether you know it or not, it's not that important, is it?"

"……Too."

Her initial departure without saying goodbye stemmed from necessity. Her subsequent refusal to return was likely due to fear. Fear that everything in her hometown had become unfamiliar; fear of facing Aki, since, regardless of the reason, the fact remained that she had abandoned Aki.

If it weren't for Lu Mingfei's matchmaking between her and Aki, she probably would never have met Aki again on her own.

What a meddlesome guy...

"あき." Mai said softly.

"Ok?"

Aki turned to look at Mai, only to find that Mai wasn't looking at her, but was staring intently at the sky.

She paused for a moment, then looked up in the direction Mai was gazing. In the distance, countless red leaves drifted down under the night sky. It turned out a gust of wind had risen sometime earlier, blowing the red leaves from the surrounding maple trees down. They swayed in the air above the hot spring bath.

Aki came to her senses and suddenly realized that Mai's "Aki" just now wasn't calling her by her name, Aki, but rather softly pronouncing the Romanized word "aki".

Aki. Autumn. That's also the origin of her name. Her older sister, Mai, also has a name whose Romanized form, Mai, means "dance."

She and her older sister Mai were born in such an autumn when the red leaves were dancing in the breeze.

As Marguerite Duras said, the moment a person begins to reminisce, they have already started to grow old. Aki doesn't know if she's reached the age where she's already starting to grow old. Or perhaps everyone is, in fact, slowly growing old.

I grew up from that tiny girl in my memory. From kindergarten to elementary school, then middle school and university, I made many friends and read many books. Then, I had my first crush. We started dating, and then had an unforgettable first experience. Our feelings for each other grew stronger and stronger.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly and effortlessly.

"Is it not ready yet?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out from outside the bamboo fence.

Aki subconsciously turned to look at Mai, and Mai looked at her too. There were only three people in the house; she and her sister were in the hot spring pool, so it was obvious who was talking.

Mai was also taken aback for a moment, as if she had figured out what that guy was planning to do. She immediately leaned on the stone edge and prepared to get up: "It will be ready soon. Don't come in yet, wait outside for a while."

However, the reply was clearly a little too late. She had already heard a "thump" sound from ahead, and the next moment, a pair of hands encircled her waist.

“It’s not like it’s a paid hot spring in a hotel, so it’s okay to soak a little longer.” Lu Mingfei popped out from behind her and pulled her back to sit down in the hot spring. “Anyway, we don’t have anything else to do.”

Feeling something pressing against her waist, Mai bit her lip and glared at Lu Mingfei, thinking to herself, "Before you came, you had nothing to do... but now that you're here, things might change."

Mai pouted and looked at Aki, who had taken the initiative to sit down: "Since the hot spring pool at home is so big, why not separate the men's and women's baths?"

Aki also looked helpless: "It's because it's the family's hot spring..."

And even if there are separate baths for men and women, do you think Mingfei would obediently soak in the men's bath? Aki thought to herself.

The mountains are beautiful in spring, and they are equally stunning in autumn. Hot spring water droplets cascade down the curves of the mountain ridge. Lu Mingfei sits between the two girls. Aki's left hand and Mai's right hand are both hidden beneath the hot spring water, the surface rippling gently.

"I heard, Mingfei, you told someone today that you're my sister's boyfriend?" Aki asked softly, her pretty face flushed like a red leaf, her breathing sounding a little labored for some reason. This was probably because Lu Mingfei's hand was also hidden underwater.

"Jealous?"

"No... um... no."

“I told others that he was Miss Jiu De’s boyfriend,” Lu Mingfei replied.

"Oh……"

Aki nodded shyly. Just then, a "plop" sound suddenly came from the side. It turned out that Mai had almost slipped into the hot spring, perhaps because she wasn't sitting properly.

Aki blushed and let go of his hand, letting out a soft breath. Lu Mingfei winked at Mai: "It seems like Mai, you lost."

Mai sat up from the hot spring, her face flushed, and said angrily, "Couldn't we have talked about this in the room...?"

"It's a rare treat to soak in a hot spring together, and wouldn't it be nice to have a new experience?"

"cut……"

Mai, true to her word, swam to Lu Mingfei and kissed him before sitting down face-to-face with him.

The moment their lips met, Mai couldn't help but let out a soft, delicate sigh. Her ankle-length black hair slowly spread out in the water.

……

(End of this chapter)