Chapter 111 Good Numbers
Yuzuru Hanyu had initially expected a very Finnish Christmas dinner, but as he sat down, he found himself in for a surprising surprise. The dishes on the table, a fusion of Japanese and Western influences, were a feast for the eyes, ears, and senses. Next to exquisite tempura and sashimi dressed in soy sauce and wasabi, sat a golden, freshly roasted turkey, mingling with warm, fragrant roast potatoes. The richness of Western cuisine and the refinement of Japanese cuisine seamlessly juxtaposed, as if this table was not just a clash of two cultures, but a seamless fusion of two lifestyles.
The home's decor was unique. The golden lights of the Christmas tree twinkled beneath the white lights, and beneath it lay a pile of colorful gift boxes. Next to it, an elegant Japanese futon sat quietly, reflecting its traditional craftsmanship. The warm light cast upon it created a uniquely tranquil atmosphere. The almost unadorned scene surprised Yuzuru Hanyu. The Christmas tree and the Japanese fabric cushions blended seamlessly into the same space, seemingly without conflict, rather presenting a harmonious aesthetic. The sound of conversations in Japanese and Finnish drifted through the room, the two languages switching seamlessly as if there were no boundaries between them. Like the melody of a symphony, it flowed through this warm space.
Although all of this left Yuzuru Hanyu feeling somewhat bewildered, it felt so natural, as if this warm family had already welcomed him in. He surveyed the people in the room. Marrku, a blond, blue-eyed Nordic man, stood among this group of Japanese people without feeling out of place. Everyone found their place in each other's lives, a warm and peaceful atmosphere, embracing each other's differences as if this were the most natural way of life.
"What are you thinking about?"
Le quietly nudged him with her elbow, bringing him back to his senses. While he was lost in thought, a serving spoon was passed to him. It was Grandma Huizi, kindly offering it to him, signaling him to try the dish he hadn't tried all night. The colorful stew before him was the first dish he hadn't tried...
The vibrant color of the bell peppers seemed like the most outrageous challenge on the table. Hanyu pursed his lips, glancing up at Aunt Feng, who sat diagonally to him. With a firm resolve, he took the spoon. Just as he was about to start, the dish in front of him was suddenly removed and replaced with a salmon soup.
"Yuzu, you must try this salmon soup. It's my masterpiece." Marrku said in his not very fluent Japanese mixed with English, while changing the position of the dishes and winking at him somewhat obviously.
"Try it~" Le smiled again and nudged him with her elbow, "You'll like it."
Following the recommendation, Yuzuru Hanyu carefully scooped a spoonful of salmon cream soup and poured it over his bowl of rice. The hot cream soup coated the rice and seeped in quickly. When he picked it up with chopsticks, the rice was evenly coated with its rich aroma. He didn't move the soup smoothly enough, and a few grains of rice fell back into the bowl. Before his tongue could even taste it, his eyes narrowed, his face filled with satisfaction.
"I always feel that Ajinomoto should seriously consider changing its spokesperson."
Feng's slow complaint made Yuzuru Hanyu hesitate in chewing.
"I was also wondering why Ajinomoto chose our Yuzuru as their spokesperson... but when they said they only wanted him to endorse sports supplements, I think that makes sense."
Yuzuru Hanyu looked at his father with a look of grievance, as he actually turned against him and joined the team. He looked at his mother for help, but his signal was ignored.
"Hahaha—come on, stop pretending. Everyone in Japan knows you're a picky eater." Le finally couldn't help but expose the elders' impromptu drama. "But Marrku's salmon cream soup is really delicious. Try it carefully."
With her strong recommendation, Yuzuru Hanyu finally put aside his thoughts on performance and tasted the food carefully.
Sure enough, the fishy smell of salmon was diluted by the rich cream, and when mixed with rice, the taste was no less than that of rice with raw eggs.
"How about it? I'll just say it's my masterpiece~"
Marrku's smug expression and Hanyu's earnest nod of affirmation lightened the atmosphere throughout the dinner. Laughter and conversation mingled, and Hanyu's nervousness seemed to dissipate with every bite of delicious food.
After dinner, everyone began to gather around the kotatsu table, forming a circle. Feng served pudding and fragrant mulled wine, filling the air with a warm and comforting atmosphere. The rustling of the wind outside and the gentle swaying of the Christmas tree blended together, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere inside. Le leaned over to Hanyu Yuzuru and whispered something in his ear. He then easily rose from the floor and took his place by the video display case next to the television.
"How about we watch something together? A movie?" Le suggested easily and exchanged a glance with Yuzuru Hanyu who was standing next to the TV cabinet.
"Here are... The Godfather, Titanic, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Spirited Away..." Yuzuru Hanyu read out the movies while turning his head to observe everyone's reactions. Seeing that no one seemed to be interested, he continued searching, trying to find the movies that Le mentioned that would be suitable for the family to watch on Christmas.
He ran his fingers through the discs, but couldn't find the "It's a Wonderful Life," the show Lebo had shown him, the must-see every year. But he did find a disc that was different from the others. Large, handwritten letters crisscrossed the discs, making Yuzuru Hanyu tilt his head involuntarily as he finally made out the words: "Nutcracker—by Raku."
The name he whispered was quickly caught, and Marrku also leaned over and explained, "Ah, this is what we brought back. That was the first time Raku played little Clara, but unfortunately Feng and I were busy at that time and couldn't go to the scene. Fortunately, the dance troupe thoughtfully sent the video to the young actors." His words were full of regret, and everyone immediately decided to appreciate this video full of Christmas atmosphere together.
The film played, showing the adorable Le, dressed in a blue dress and a large bow in her hair, gracefully and joyfully holding a Nutcracker figurine as she presented her Christmas present to the audience. This particularly adorable figure evoked memories for Yumi Hanyu, who turned in surprise to look at Hideki for confirmation. Hanyu's exclamation confirmed her memory was correct.
"Hey! Did we go see it?"
"Yeah, it seems like it was. We went to see it together back then, with three free tickets for winning the Santa Cup." Hanyu Hidetoshi nodded slowly, recalling the scene. "So we were actually watching Le's performance! What a wonderful fate!"
"Isn't it? Come to think of it, I remember that time..." Yumi Hanyu remembered something and was about to speak.
"Wow! Aunt Feng, this pudding is so delicious!" Yuzuru Hanyu's exaggerated exclamation attracted everyone's attention. "Aunt, can I have another one?"
"Haha, I told you Yuzuru would like it~"
She slumped over the kotatsu table, sipping a warm glass of mulled wine, her head tilted as she watched the conversation drift off track, carried away by Yuzuru Hanyu's dramatic acting. Even as she began to drift off into sleep, she couldn't see the conversation return. The lively conversation shifted from praising her for her dancing talent, to something she couldn't quite catch, and she drifted off to sleep, sprawled across the table.
The warmth emanating from the tabletop was alluring. She shifted her position to free her numb elbow, only to find a hand resting her head on something not quite soft. She opened her eyes, and the living room was empty. Only the TV was still playing tonight's special. The volume was low, and the singer's voice was barely audible. The only thing she could see was his expression, which looked a bit comical. The Christmas tree lights were still flickering, and underneath, gifts lay waiting to be claimed. She shifted her head, trying to find a more comfortable position, but accidentally bumped into Yuzuru Hanyu's shoulder.
“Hmm—”
A muffled groan interrupted the quiet of the night, driving away her sleepiness. She sat up and rubbed her forehead, looking at Yuzuru Hanyu beside her with some disdain.
"You're really too thin, it's hard to lean on your arms..."
"What..." Being suddenly disdained like this was a bit frustrating. However, Hanyu Yuzuru didn't get angry. He just reached out and rubbed her forehead. "Aren't you going to sleep anymore?"
"Hmm..." Her face still had a slight blush from being tipsy, and her eyes weren't bright enough. Her answer was both obedient and a bit dazed. She looked at Yuzuru Hanyu's face, feeling as if she had forgotten something. Then she suddenly remembered, "Oh right! Why did you interrupt Aunt Yumi today?"
"What?"
"You've seen my performance before, and then what? Auntie said she remembered something."
If she hadn't been so slurring, Hanyu Yuzuru would have almost forgotten that he was drunk on red wine. He lowered his head and smiled. Since there was no one else around, it wouldn't be a big deal to confess.
"I remember when I was a kid, I kept saying that I wanted to marry a lovely Clara like her in the future." After he said that, he supported his head and smiled, observing Le's reaction. Seeing her blinking blankly with a look of surprise on her face, he couldn't help but want to move over and kiss her, but she spoke first before he could succeed.
"So you've liked me so long ago." She looked at him with a smile and tilted her head, "What a magical fate~"
"Yeah..." he responded softly. Even at such a short distance, the scent of her orange-scented red wine seemed very strong, just like the smell a few years ago, which made him a little drunk. "I didn't expect that I could actually get what I wanted." He kissed her lips as he spoke. The soft and warm lips seemed to still have the sweet taste of pudding, and the tip of his tongue still lingered with the aftertaste of orange and red wine.
If I had a time machine, I would really like to tell my past self.
These lips taste like this when kissed.
The countdown of Christmas bells rang out on the TV program. In between kisses, Le gently pushed his chest away, panting slightly, "Merry Christmas."
"Well, Merry Christmas," he said, wanting to continue, but she pushed him away. She glanced at the stairs not far away, and he understood her concerns. He kissed the tip of her nose reluctantly before letting her go. However, the watery eyes and slightly red cheeks in front of him, who had been bullied by him, made him flee the scene in a panic.
When I came back, Le was sitting under the Christmas tree, shaking the wrapped gifts one by one.
"What are you doing?" He smiled and sat down next to her. At dinner, the elders had already shown off the gifts they had prepared for the two children who had worked hard all year. The gifts piled under the Christmas tree were particularly tempting. Le would glance at them from time to time while eating, like a child. "If you're curious, just open them. It's after Christmas Eve now, you can open them now."
"Where should we start?" She looked as if she was faced with too many delicious foods and couldn't decide. "How about we exchange gifts first?" She said, digging out the small box she had wrapped from the pile of gifts. "Here, open it and take a look."
As he unpacked the exquisite box, Yuzuru Hanyu gradually guessed what it contained. Only when the inner packaging was fully revealed did he gasp in surprise. "How did you get that?! I set an alarm that day and prayed for a long time, but I still couldn't get one!"
"Eh? Is it so hard to buy?" Le asked curiously. "I saw you added it to your cart a long time ago... I forgot about it on the day of the sale, but then I happened to open the website and saw it was on sale, so I bought it..."
"..." How could it be like this? Yuzuru Hanyu felt like he had been tricked by consumerism.
Actually, this was originally a birthday gift, but looking at his expression, it seemed like he could get away with it. Le felt relieved and changed the subject, "What about mine?"
"I won't forget." He glanced at her cunningly, as if he had seen through her plan, and took out a box that was also exquisitely packaged.
After opening it layer by layer, I found that it was an iPhone 14 pro max. Not only that, there were also a lot of accessories, from screen films to phone cases.
"I saw your phone's screen was cracked last time, so I bought you a new one." He said calmly as he put the phone case on her. "The screen protector is already applied. This lanyard makes it easy to carry. This..."
"But my original phone only had a cracked screen. I can just replace it with a new one."
But the dent on the lower right corner made his heart tighten every time he saw it. He pursed his lips and refused to speak, only lowering his head to help her install the accessory. It was just a phone case, not very complicated, but he still refused to look up to answer her questions.
"Yuzuru?" She held his hand, but he held it in his palm in return.
His fingertips rubbed the shallow scar on the palm of her hand. His silence made Le guess what he was thinking.
"Yuzuru, you really don't have to..." Before she could even finish the word "blame herself", he spoke first.
"I understand. This is your choice," he said calmly. "But I can't let you bear the consequences alone. If it's injured, I'll help you heal it. If it's broken, I'll replace it with a new one. In short, we'll bear the consequences together. This is also my choice, and it's the responsibility I want to bear."
He looked into her eyes as he spoke, as if waiting for her approval.
"Yeah, okay." She agreed with a smile, finally putting his mind at ease. She patted the back of his hand and said, "Then let's continue looking at the gifts?"
"Um."
"Tell me, which of these two is yours? They are exactly the same..." As she spoke, she tilted her head and looked at the two identical packages. The handwriting on them was obviously from her mother.
"They're really exactly the same..." He was also a little surprised. "I remember Aunt Feng always gave me electronic products in the past, although it was only once or twice... These two feel soft to the touch, so they should... be yours, right?"
Encouraged by Yuzuru Hanyu, Le finally succumbed to his curiosity and opened the two gifts.
Two sets of Moomin home clothes, obviously one for men and one for women, and one of them is obviously a gift from Yuzuru Hanyu.
"Eh... I actually gave you this..." Le spread out his clothes curiously, turned around and was about to gesture to Hanyu Yuzuru, only to find that he looked like he was about to cry. "What's wrong with you? Don't you like it that much?"
"Le, does this mean that Aunt Feng has accepted me?" he said with a slightly nasal voice, "She agrees to our relationship. Not tacitly, but consent, right?"
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