Chapter 124: No One Likes Washing Dishes After Dinner
At around eight o'clock in the morning, Hokusinn Kichyō arrived at the Yagyū residence.
She carefully tidied up her appearance and instructed the driver, "Please come pick me up in the evening."
Without hesitation, the driver replied, "Yes, Miss... before dinner?"
Hokusinn Kichyō replied, "Of course, it's after dinner!"
After waiting for the driver to leave, she reached out and knocked on the door of the Yagyū house. In no time at all, the door opened.
It was Yagyū Simozi. She was wiping the sweat off with a towel, as if she had just finished her morning exercise. When she saw Hokusinn Kichyō at the door, for a few seconds, her eyes displayed a protective gaze like that of a lioness, but it quickly subsided, allowing the other to enter her territory.
Because lions allow one male to have multiple wives.
However, this kind of compromise still made her feel very uncomfortable. She had to endure it, even though it was far from being calm.
Especially when she noticed Hokusinn Kichyō looking eagerly in the direction where Bai Wei might appear, her tone also became difficult to improve.
"Don't look."
She interrupted, saying, "If you're hoping to see our older brother dressed in his martial arts attire, exercising in the morning, with sweat trickling from his cheeks down to his neck, then streaming into his collarbone and chest muscles, I advise you to give up on that idea."
Hokusinn Kichyō felt her thoughts being exposed and experienced a brief moment of shyness in her heart. However, she quickly brushed off the feeling of shyness and moved on.
She became even more convinced that Yagyū Simozi was of the same kind as herself. This kind of level of small things, she, as a younger sister, had surely experienced many times before.
Drat... Of course, your family's side dishes are eaten freely, but I haven't had a chance to taste them yet!
She neither admitted nor denied, but simply asked, "Did the morning exercise end early?"
"No, my older brother hasn't been doing morning exercises for several years," Yagyū Simozi replied calmly.
"Why? Even the best skills require long-term practice to maintain," Hokusinn Kichyō wondered, not understanding.
The two of them had now reached the entrance area and began taking off their shoes.
The answer came from inside the main hall, and Bai Wei brought breakfast to the table, smiling as he replied, "Because there is no need. Morning exercises are a prerequisite for martial arts practice, but I no longer practice martial arts. So, morning exercises are unnecessary for me."
"Mr. Bai!" Hokusinn Kichyō hurriedly ran over, taking care to adjust the position of her skirt and intentionally tilted her head to showcase the cutest angle. She greeted with a cheerful, "Good morning!"
Yagyū Simozi chuckled to herself from behind, secretly mocking this woman's sneaky thoughts. At just nineteen years old, she couldn't believe she had already mastered such tricks.
Bai Wei was accustomed to seeing it all. With two lifetimes' worth of experiences, he had encountered women of various personalities - innocent ones, free-spirited ones, those who appeared wild but had a pure heart, and those who seemed innocent but had a wild side. Smiling in response, he said, "Good morning, have you eaten?"
"No, no, I'm just here to have a meal." She promptly sat down.
"Just adding another pair of chopsticks." Bai Wei handed a bowl of millet porridge to her, assuming the role of a host and maintaining a gentle smile towards the two younger ones. "Usually, we don't have many serious visitors, so I'm glad to see that you've become friends with Simozi."
Yagyū Simozi instinctively straightened her back. She couldn't help but feel that her serious older brother was becoming more and more like a kind old man.
Hokusinn Kichyō was not uncomfortable with anything. Being able to sit at a table and eat made her quite content. It seemed like the perfect moment had arrived.
If they were to disturb her every day, it wouldn't be suitable. But coming once or twice a week is not too frequent.
As long as she gradually got used to it, and when the right time came, she could naturally make her move and seize the opportunity, and then smoothly join in.
She had already prepared her winning words – "I am not here to break this family apart, but to become a part of it."
At the dining table, Bai Wei and Hokusinn Kichyō were chatting and laughing, while Yagyū Simozi remained dignified and quiet, neither speaking nor sleeping.
Breakfast quickly came to an end, and Bai Wei started washing the dishes. This scene wasn't the first time she had witnessed it, but Hokusinn Kichyō still found it quite fascinating.
She sat on the living room sofa, resting her chin on her hands, and gazed at the young man washing the dishes. Even though she could only see his profile and back, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Then she saw Yagyū Simozi reach out her hands and place them below her chin.
"?"
"I'm afraid your eyes would roll straight out and I would catch them for you."
Hokusinn Kichyō rolled her eyes, not paying attention to this kind of teasing. She just shook her head and sighed softly, saying, "Someone who is full doesn't understand someone who is hungry."
"Who's the full one? I don't understand what you are saying," Yagyū Simozi said cunningly, hiding her true intentions.
"..." Hokusinn Kichyō didn't pay much attention to the subtle jabs in Simozi's words. As long as Yagyū Simozi didn't drive her away, that was already good enough. It hadn't been much time, and she had plenty of patience.
"That means you don't need my elder brother's private photos..."
"I want it! Give it to me!"
"Wasn't you pretending to be dumb?"
"I can learn to speak!" exclaimed young Hokusinn with an eager thirst for knowledge.
"..." Yagyū Simozi was momentarily speechless, amazed by her own audacity.
"Do you need money?" Hokusinn Kichyō pulled out her wallet. "I don't have much with me. Inside this card, there are only twelve million. It's my secret savings..."
Yagyū Simozi remained expressionless and said, "I almost believed it."
Hokusinn Kichyō blinked her eyes and said, "If you dare to sell, I will definitely buy it. It's a sure and profitable deal!"
"You, Miss, are lowering the average level of all the young ladies in the country. It's embarassing, everyone can see it."
"After growing up, people always need to learn how to be shameless. Hurry and bring me the photo, let me take a look!"
Yagyū Simozi helplessly brought the photo album over. The two of them flipped through it together, but there were no private photos, only a few group pictures of family members.
"Have you seen enough, Miss?"
"I'm not really a young lady," Hokusinn Kichyō shook her head and said, "I'm just an ordinary girl, you can find girls like me everywhere."
"The girl that could be seen everywhere wouldn't act so stubborn..."
"Everyone will," Hokusinn Kichyō said earnestly, "Everyone will do it when they face the only thing they truly enjoy in their lives."
If a girl really fells in love, she can be very determined too. If they hesitate and lack initiative, it means they don't like it enough.
"I've never seen a girl like this before," Yagyū Simozi turned her head, secretly agreeing with the statement. After all, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl.
"Don't you see it now?" Hokusinn Kichyō boasted.
"How can you say you like my brother so easily, when you've only met him a few times?" Yagyū Simozi laughed.
Hokusinn Kichyō really wanted to discuss this matter seriously. She squinted her eyes and asked, "When you find a man charming even when he's washing dishes, doesn't that count as liking him?"
"Hmph, what is this..."
Yagyū Simozi glanced to the side and looked towards the kitchen. Bai Wei happened to notice her gaze, and their eyes met. The young man responded with a smile, a simple and ordinary smile that instantly filled the room with brightness.
She lowered her head, her hands rubbing her slightly blushing cheeks. She hesitated and finally said, "I guess... it can be considered."
Hokusinn Kichyō leaned back on the sofa and said softly, "I've actually never even seen a man washing dishes before."
Yagyū Simozi paused for a moment, realizing that this seemed both uncommon and yet not uncommon at the same time.
In the families of the Ming Country, both men and women were responsible for chores. However, nobody liked doing the dishes. So, husbands and wives would often playfully compete with each other to avoid washing them. This led to humorous situations and even more entertaining than romantic mind games.
Simozi didn't find it troublesome at all, but rather saw it as a delightful part of her daily life. She didn't dislike cooking and doing the dishes; in fact, it made her feel calm and content inside.
"You've probably spent too much time in the Ming Country and have been influenced by their values," Hokusinn Kichyō said softly. "In Yingzhou, it's normal for women to take care of cooking and washing dishes. Even if there are sons and daughters in the family, daughters are expected to help their mothers shoulder the responsibilities, while sons only need to think about where to play today and come back all dirty without worrying about the household chores... That's why it's very rare for men to cook and wash dishes."
"In my home, we have a servant, so we don't need to do household chores ourselves. But sometimes, I see my mother cooking and bringing food to my father. He never does any cleaning, even though he's married into the family. He's very spoiled by his wife's care, and he's quite macho."
Yagyū Simozi asked, "So, a man who can wash dishes catches your eye? That's such a simple requirement, there are plenty of them everywhere in the Ming Country."
Hokusinn Kichyō said, in a slightly annoyed tone, "So, what I mean is, you really don't understand... The important thing isn't just about washing dishes, you know?"
"What is it about?"
"Respect, equality, and humility," Hokusinn Kichyō looked at Yagyū Simozi's puzzled gaze. She sighed once again. Yagyū, who had been in the Ming Country since she was twelve, had likely been detached from a normal family for too long and didn't understand how families functioned in Yingzhou.
"Once upon a time, there was a man who had a simple rule - whenever a guest arrived, he would not do household chores in front of them. He believed that doing so might make outsiders think less of him."
"Household chores and small tedious tasks are for women, while men are responsible for welcoming guests. And women must stay silent, without interjecting haphazardly or shouting loudly."
"This is the current situation of families in Yingzhou."
"Normally, it should be your turn to wash the dishes now, and your brother should stay here with me to chat. That's what would usually happen."
Yagyū Simozi suddenly started to understand a little bit, but she was still a bit confused. She said, "Is my brother taking care of me? On normal days, I cook and wash the dishes, but sometimes my brother cooks too. However, I'm always eager to do it... Isn't this how it should be among family members?"
Hokusinn Kichyō choked on her breath. She propped her cheek on her hand and let out a sigh, but immediately after, a wave of nameless anger flared up.
This fiery feeling was called jealousy.
She had been hiding it well before, but now she couldn't help but show it a little bit.
"I see you, and you're... thoroughly spoiled by your brother."
"My brother doesn't spoil anyone, my personality can be a bit difficult, but I'm not arrogant because of his love." Yagyū Simozi confidently stated.
Hokusinn Kichyō looked and clenched her fist... You clearly gave me a mean look!
She let out a little "hmph", "The meal is over, let's go to the dojo and practice!"
Without a good beating, this bad feeling would be hard to get rid of.
