They all have special skills

One reason is that the house is naturally old.

Another reason was that the previous tenant of this house was not a clean person.

The situation was even worse when Shoko Toyokawa first moved in.

She used to respect and love her father very much, but after moving in from the original mansion, he did nothing and just stayed at home all day drinking.

At that time, she was the only one who cleaned the house.

She put on gloves and a mask, and wiped the tatami mats, which were dirty with something unknown, over and over again with a rag dipped in alcohol.

The same went for the stove, but she simply couldn't clean the inside of the old-fashioned range hood, so she had to give up.

The toilet in the house has a pungent smell of urine as soon as you enter it, which is even stronger than the free public toilets outside.

She endured the discomfort and cleaned the yellowed toilet and floor tiles thoroughly, paying attention to every detail.

The day she learned that her father had compromised with the family, Shoko Toyokawa did not cry.

She didn't cry on the day she broke with her family.

But when she actually moved here, she was squatting in the corner of the bathroom, scrubbing the dirt that smelled so bad but couldn't be scrubbed off.

Her tears finally burst out uncontrollably.

She pursed her lips tightly and didn't let herself make a sound. Her father was in the living room inside the house. This was the last bit of dignity she held on to!

Shoko Toyokawa's thoughts were wandering. Last night she dreamed of the situation when she first arrived at this rental house.

The continuous rainy days left her with no clothes to change into as she hadn't brought many sets of clothes with her.

There is no dryer, let alone a clothes drying room.

She had no choice but to use a hair dryer in the bathroom to slowly dry her underwear.

She continued to wear the damp school uniform the next day. After arriving at school, she almost always avoided her classmates because she was afraid that the smell on her body... would be noticed by others.

Living in a living space that combines a kitchen, bedroom, and living room, you have to squeeze into a crowded tram every day to go to and from school. There is no suitable place to dry clothes, so over time, they will naturally pick up unpleasant odors.

Shoko Toyokawa had once seen a movie called "Parasite".

The wealthy people who represent the upper class in the movie can keenly detect the smell emanating from the protagonist's family who are desperately trying to disguise themselves...

That "poor smell" that is unique to the poor.

In the past, Shoko Toyokawa didn’t quite understand it, and even felt that the foreshadowing that the director deliberately pointed out was a bit exaggerated.

She felt that there might be differences in wealth between people, but as long as they were clean, there shouldn't be any overly obvious smell.

But when she arrived here, her fall in social status made her realize that reality was far more cruel than she had imagined at that time.

The young lady, who had no worries about food and clothing and basked in the sunshine, died the moment she moved into this small rental house.

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 102: Her Lover

As a former eldest daughter, Shoko Toyokawa lost all the halo surrounding her and all the conveniences in life overnight because of her own choices.

At first, she was not used to the psychological pressure brought by this gap. She had to do everything by herself, and her life was even harder than that of children from ordinary families.

After all, she has a father who deliberately lies in wait at home and needs to take care of him. Besides that, she also needs to work to supplement the family income.

If my mother hadn't died early due to health reasons, if my father had chosen to resist from the beginning and discussed things with me more, then at least...

Forget it. Thinking so much now will only add to my troubles and will do no good.

After getting up in the morning, Shoko Toyokawa subconsciously glanced towards the living room.

As expected, through the gap in the sliding door that was never closed, I saw my father sleeping soundly on the tatami mat piled with beer cans.

It's no different than before.

For some reason, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly thought of the scene when Shimizu Ai called Shimizu Kawa "Dad" in a baby voice.

Shimizu Ai is so cute, and she looks smart and sensible. She never shows any fear in public and looks confident and secure... This should mean that she will have a good life in the future.

This also indirectly means that she will be well taken care of in the future, by herself and Qingshui...

Toyokawa Shoko made such speculation calmly.

Although it's quite hard to be shrouded in rain now, the future seems to be bright and beautiful after the rain...

The so-called bitterness finally brings sweetness...

After washing up, Shoko Toyokawa started preparing breakfast.

But when it comes to preparation, there aren’t actually that many steps.

She took out the rice balls she had made earlier and wrapped them in plastic wrap.

Then heat it in the microwave.

Open the microwave when the rice is halfway heated and adjust the position of the rice ball inside.

The reason for doing this is that the microwave's built-in rotation function is broken, and if the position of the ingredients is not adjusted in the middle, uneven heating will occur.

Compared to the initial helplessness and sadness, Toyokawa Shoko is now able to face the various difficulties encountered in life with a natural heart.

After finishing her simple breakfast, she lay down on the small round table in the room and began to study.

No matter what happens, she is clear that she cannot fall behind in her studies.

It was past ten o'clock when she put away her textbooks.

Steam the rice first.

Then take out the bean sprouts and minced meat from the refrigerator, wash them briefly, and stir-fry them together.

I put the dishes aside and cleaned up the stove. It took about half an hour to finish all this.

Compared to the beginning when she would burn herself and stir-fry the food everywhere, she has made great progress now.

"I'm going out. Remember to eat later."

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa put on her shoes in front of the entrance, but as usual, she still didn't get any response from her father.

She stood up, touched the toes of her round-toed leather shoes, and put on a mask.

Without saying anything more, he walked out of the house.

After everything calmed down, the middle-aged man who had been lying on the tatami in the living room finally raised his upper body slowly.

He stared at the gate with dull and haggard eyes and remained silent for a long time.

----

Shoko Toyokawa doesn't have to eat lunch at home.

Wagunaria Restaurant provides two employee meals daily.

Occasionally, when the kitchen is researching new dishes, the front-of-house waiters are invited to come and taste them and give their thoughts and opinions.

She always felt that it was a great honor that she was able to stick with this restaurant.

What she gained was far more than just the salary she received.

"Good morning, Fengchuan."

When she walked into the store and opened the door, Qingshuichuan, who saw her at first sight, took the initiative to come forward and say hello.

"Good morning, Shimizu."

Shoko Toyokawa didn't realize that she had a faint smile underneath her mask.

There were not many customers in the store at the moment, and most of the employees had not yet arrived at their posts, but Qing Shuichuan still subconsciously approached and said softly,

"Go change your clothes first. I'll wait for you in the staff lounge."

Definitely something to say about last night.

Toyokawa Shoko was also very concerned about the girl who suddenly appeared in the park last night...the girl who claimed to be her little daughter but acted very rebellious towards her.

When I changed into my work clothes and went to the staff lounge, Manager Sakaki was eating.

When Qingshuichuan saw her coming, he pulled out the chair next to him. His intention was self-evident. He was clearly inviting her to sit down next to him.

While Toyokawa Shoko was still feeling a little embarrassed, Manager Sakaki seemed to have understood something. He quickly finished the remaining rice in the bowl and left with a smile.

"What's wrong? The manager is smiling so happily. Is there something good?"

"Well, I just suddenly feel that youth is really great."

"?"

In the lounge, Shoko Toyokawa served herself a small bowl of rice.

Today's staff meal is tomato beef brisket and sesame seaweed.

The beef brisket is stewed until very tender and tasty, and the seaweed with a little matsutake oil is also very fragrant.

At first, Shoko Toyokawa felt a little embarrassed because she had just arrived at work and had to eat without doing anything.

But after seeing that others did the same, she gradually let go of her unnecessary reserve.

Indeed, in her current situation, she has no energy to be reserved.

They have all fallen into the situation of living in shabby rental houses and have to rely on working to make a living. In this situation, having enough food to eat is more important than anything else.

"Love her now..."

"It's okay, Akane is with her."

"Are the two of them okay?"

Toyokawa Shoko frowned; her worry was not without reason.

There is no need to say much about the fact that Shimizu Ai is too young. Although Shimizu Akane looks close to their age, she has come from the future after all. It is still questionable whether she can really adapt to today's society.

"It should be fine. Qian doesn't seem like an unreliable person. Besides, I gave her some money and a cell phone. If anything happens, she'll contact me first. If you're worried, I can call her right now."

"no need."

Qingshuichuan has taken this into consideration, and it would be impolite to continue questioning him.

"I talked to Qian for a long time last night. In short, I can confirm that she is indeed our... youngest daughter."

After answering a simple example question, Qingshuichuan went straight to the point.

"Ah."

Shoko Toyokawa lowered her head and ate in small bites. Unlike Shimizukawa, who was a boy, she had the natural advantage of having a thick face.

Even though Qingshuichuan had a serious expression on his face, she couldn't keep calm when he brought up this topic and not think about the various problems that this relationship would reveal.

For example, the reasons why Shimizu Ai and Shimizu Akane appeared... or something...

As a young girl, it was hard for her to imagine how she would end up with Qing Shuichuan, how she would do that kind of thing with him, and what kind of expression and reaction she would have given when that happened...

It really can't be blamed on Toyokawa Shoko for thinking too much. Basically, any normal girl would probably be so upset if she encountered such a thing.

It would be better to say that at the moment, Shoko Toyokawa was just emotionally boiling, but she didn't show any error on her face, which was already a sign of good composure.

This also reflects the former lady's excellent ability to control her expression.

"What did you all talk about?"

"Quite a lot."

Qingshuichuan put down his chopsticks, opened the milk he bought in the morning and inserted a straw into it.

He did not forget what Akane Shimizu told him last night about Toyokawa Shoko's recent situation.

She broke with her family and moved to a small rental house with her father, and suddenly went from being a rich and powerful lady to an ordinary person.

Even judging from her current state, she seems to have adapted quite well.

But it goes without saying that she must be working much harder now than before.

So Qingshuichuan naturally did not forget to bring her a box of milk, and pushed it next to her when he drank it.

"No thanks."

It’s not that she refused on purpose, but Toyokawa Shoko was really not used to this kind of thing.