Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Beep beep beep—!

The phone went dead.

Riko blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"How could you imitate Ayako? That's flirting, not being coquettish." Xiuming almost burst out laughing, shook his head, tapped her forehead, and gloated, "You're doomed. Just wait until you get a beating when you go home for the New Year!"

That's good news too. Knowing the old man's personality, he'll probably feel like he's eaten shit for months and won't call again.

He will definitely hold this grudge until the New Year, and it won't fade away until he's vented his anger.

The only way to vent his anger was to beat his ill-mannered, bad-behaved, and unfilial daughter.

Every time I think about it, I will feel a surge of anger, and I will not be able to relieve the disgust in my heart without beating my daughter.

The daughter is already worse than the son-in-law.

Riko's face was flushed red, almost steaming, and her hand gripping the phone receiver was trembling.

“Riko-chan, come here,” Hideaki tilted his head and pointed to his ear, laughing, “call me ‘husband’ in this voice.”

Riko bit her lower lip and remained motionless.

"You think you're so great?" Xiuming immediately put on a stern face and said with his ear crooked, "Hurry up."

Riko shuddered, closed her eyes tightly, leaned forward slightly, covered her flushed face, revealing only her lips, and whispered in Hideaki's ear, "Husband~~ ah~~~~~"

Before she could finish shouting, Xiuming hoisted her onto his shoulder and strode toward the bathroom, throwing clothes as he went.

"Shout while showering, don't stop."

The long, drawn-out notes are also very powerful.

"..."

There is no bathtub in the bathroom, only a shower.

After the sound of rushing water, came "whispers" and strange, chilling cries for help.

Then, on the floor leading from the bathroom to the master bedroom, there was a line of wet footprints left by Xiuming, barefoot.

A water stain remained on the blue checkered sheets in the master bedroom.

The clock in the living room ticked away, then struck three times.

On the beige mattress in the master bedroom, Riko buried her head in the soft goose-feather pillow.

Because of Xiuming's unusual request, she felt extremely ashamed after regaining her senses, and was filled with anxiety, wondering how Xiuming would view her.

Xiuming was basically used to her behavior.

Because every time afterward, she would feel "remorseful" for a while, ashamed of her outrageous behavior.

Xiuming liked this about her; she could be shy when she wanted to be, and unrestrained when she wanted to be. If she could also cook, she would be even more perfect.

Xiuming was already dressed and busy in the kitchen.

The bread dough has been kneaded and covered with food-grade plastic film.

Then I simply cooked two bowls of noodles, added spinach, and cracked two poached eggs into each.

Just as Riko was putting the noodles in a bowl and serving them on the table, she happened to walk out of the bedroom.

"You really know how to time it right! Hurry up and come eat, you lazy woman!" Xiuming tapped the table with her finger. "Next time you cook, I'll be waiting, you hear me?"

"Hmm..." Riko looked ashamed, lowered her head, moved to the dining chair, and nodded while holding her bowl.

Xiuming slurped up a mouthful of noodles and said irritably, "You wash the dishes after you finish eating, do you hear me?"

"Hmm..." Riko saw that Hideaki had started eating, so she also started eating in small bites.

Delicious! I never want to cook again...

After the meal, Riko obediently cleared away the dishes, took them into the kitchen, washed the pots and pans, and when she came out of the kitchen, Hideaki had already entered the master bedroom and was lifting the mattress, tidying up the money spread out on the bed board.

"Riko-chan, bring me a bag," Hideaki called out as he tidied up.

Riko picked up the black briefcase containing various debt documents from the living room, took small steps to the master bedroom door, and asked in a low voice.

"Is a briefcase acceptable?"

"Hurry up and bring it over..." Xiuming waved, then suddenly glared at him, "Don't use those little steps, they make me angry."

“I’m sorry, husband…” Riko trembled, took three steps in two, and almost slid to her knees by the bedside, holding her briefcase in both hands. “I will never do it again.”

"You better remember this, or I'll bring Ayako home." Hideaki snatched the briefcase and said, dumping debt documents onto the floor.

"..."

Chapter 37 Think about how terrified you were back then

Debt documents were scattered all over the floor.

The only asset in the company is the stock worth 230 million yen.

“My identity information will be online first thing tomorrow morning. I’m going to use this 63,000 yen to buy stocks,” Hideaki said, zipping up his black briefcase with a squeak after putting the money away. “Do you have any objections?”

"Huh?" Riko was a little stunned.

In Japan, full-time housewives hold significant financial power.

Those hardworking men don't need to use their brains; they can just be money-making machines.

Of course, machines also need maintenance. As long as the money earned is given to the wives, the wives will provide them with all kinds of emotional value.

The more money a wife gives, the more emotional value she provides.

Some new wives, excited by receiving so much money, might shout: "You can do anything for me, anything at all..."

Unfortunately, the husbands, who have already become money-making machines, have no time or inclination to do anything for them.

This results in wives finding it difficult to obtain effective and satisfying emotional value from their husbands.

In Japan, the term "full-time housewife" is already considered a job.

Even if you're at home, it's still a job. And since it's a job, you have to earn emotional value from it; otherwise, no matter how much money you make, you won't be satisfied.

This also leads to many wives becoming emotionally drained and empty due to a lack of fulfilling emotional needs. Just like submariners who give up high salaries because they can't handle the immense mental pressure.

They too would fall into sorrow:

Although the husband will give money, it is marital property!

After finishing my housework every day, I still go to beauty salons, manicures, massages, and hair appointments... Isn't it all to provide them with better and more comfortable emotional value?

But how did they do it?

She put on her best mental state, prepared meals and bath water, and welcomed her husband home, hoping to receive some positive feedback.

But when you open the door, you'll either find a drunken man vomiting everywhere, or a deadpan man lying down and sleeping.

So, while enduring spiritual emptiness and torment, they used their money to invest and maintain their health...

This is a vicious cycle:

The husband works tirelessly to earn more emotional support from his wife, while the wife, unable to receive the same emotional support, gradually loses interest in money. But life goes on, and to continue providing emotional support to her husband, she can only suppress her own emotions and go for beauty treatments, skincare, and massages...

Therefore, during their outpatient beauty treatments, they sometimes receive unexpected emotional value, which excites them greatly: as long as it's you...

By this time, the novice wives have evolved into mature and experienced wives.

Riko is currently a new wife and is very unfamiliar with everything.

But she is trying her best to be a good full-time housewife.

Now, because she is so poor, she values ​​money very much.

When Xiuming confiscated all her money, she didn't dare to even breathe loudly, let alone refute it, because of her personality and Xiuming's behavior. She could only silently endure it.

But she wasn't stupid; she knew that using money to buy stocks now was extremely dangerous.

Financial channels on TV and financial newspapers report daily that the stock market is collapsing and many people are choosing suicide because they have lost everything.

Everyone in the world knows that Japan's stock market is about to collapse.

The first victims have emerged—wasn't it the husband who jumped to his death? Such an irresponsible husband, leaving behind so much debt; one should hate him. But now, looking back, I not only can't hate him, but I also feel grateful—the kind of gratitude one would give to an ordinary friend…

Riko's expression changed from blank at first to worried, then aggrieved, and finally to conflicted.

This surprised Xiuming. Was he being too good to her?

"Did you eat shit?!" Xiuming glared at him.

Riko was startled and blurted out, "No... I didn't steal any food..."

"If I didn't know you were stupid, I would have thought you were deliberately trying to disgust me," Xiuming almost laughed out of anger. She immediately skipped over the disgusting topic and got back to the point. "If I ask for your opinion, just answer properly. Say 'no opinion' or 'I will follow my husband's arrangements.' It's a simple matter! What's with that sour face? Tell me the truth and see if I don't hit you."

"No...that's not it," Riko said, waving her hands rapidly in front of her, palms facing Hideaki. "I was thinking about that person who shares my husband's name...that's why..."

“You fickle woman,” Hideaki suddenly shifted his position and sat next to Riko. “Tell your husband what advantages I have over that woman with the same name. Say whatever you want, don’t be afraid.”

Riko blushed deeply: So you're saying I'm fickle and easily bored...?

She thought of so many things... especially, how could she possibly say them out loud?

"If you don't tell me, I'm going to get angry!" Xiuming threatened, grinding his teeth.

"Honey...husband, you're the best..." Riko swallowed hard, shrinking her neck.

Xiuming leaned his ear forward again. "What? I didn't hear you."

"Honey...you're the best!"

Riko suddenly felt like she had touched a nerve with Hideaki. She remembered that yesterday, when she told him that she couldn't do ugly makeup, he reacted like this.

"Louder," Xiuming said softly, unable to suppress the urge to smile.

"I...I..."

Xiuming's sudden gentle tone made Riko's mind flash through everything that had happened on their way home that day. Her heart pounded wildly, and with a determined look, she covered her face and shouted, "I...I love my husband!"

"Damn it!" Xiuming whirled around, glaring at him. "I want to hear a single word!"

"Uh~?" Riko's toes, which had been so shy that she was almost digging her slipper soles to shreds, instantly transformed into shame and grievance, flooding her nostrils and stinging her eyes. Tears welled up uncontrollably as she said, feeling wronged, "My husband is the best..."

Why did it turn out like this...?