Although they say this, the men in their forties or fifties are no longer what they used to be. The fine sweat on their foreheads exposes their bodies, indicating that their strength is declining.

Natsume Naoki smiled helplessly, walked forward and took the huge solid wood table from their shoulders, which only three people could lift, and put the table top down on his shoulders.

Then without waiting for others to speak, he took two chairs and put them on them, adjusted his posture, crooked his neck and stuck it on the edge of the table, held the table legs with both hands, and steadily lifted all the heavy objects from their hands.

And hold it on yourself.

"Uncles, let's go quickly. Uncle Murata should be waiting in a hurry."

His voice was steady and his steps were steady. After Natsume Naoki took four or five steps forward, the stunned men came to their senses and rushed forward as if they had seen a ghost.

They kept asking Natsume Naoki to quickly put down the tables and chairs, as if it was some kind of bomb that would blow up the whole village in a second.

But Natsume Naoki just reassured them not to worry. Seeing that Natsume Naoki could not be persuaded, they had no choice but to stretch out their hands to support the wooden table with the chairs.

After walking more than ten meters, they looked at each other and realized that they seemed to have no strength at all. Natsume Naoki was as stable as a heavy anchor. The hand on the table could only play a role in maintaining balance, and all the weight was still pressing on him.

On people.

——

"Hang these colored lanterns on the tree over there, and drag these fireworks to the roadside, away from the road. Be careful when you set them off, don't scare the visitors, and don't crash other people's cars. Once we get here, we can

I can’t afford to pay compensation, and besides, I heard from Naoki that the guests coming today are coming to recruit workers, so we must not neglect them!”

"Are you coming to recruit workers?"

"Since Naoki said it, it must be right."

"That's great! I just don't know where the construction site is. It's best if Sapporo is closer to home, not too far away, otherwise my wife will have to complain all winter."

"Don't be stupid, there are no real estate projects under construction in Sapporo right now? As long as the salary is enough, you can go to Okinawa!"

"Okay, stop talking!" Murata, who was waiting anxiously at the entrance of the village, frowned and looked at his watch: "Where did the people who moved the tables to the warehouse move the tables? Go and hurry, waiting for those tables to start the stove! Today is a good weather

, God is helping us, don’t ruin the banquet.”

A woman next to her was just about to put down her work and go to work. She turned around and saw a group of people turning out of the alley. She shouted in surprise: "They're coming, they're coming."

Murata's frowned brows relaxed a little, but when he turned his head to look, he was stunned on the spot.

Because in his field of vision, a group of people were surrounding Natsume Naoki, carrying a large solid wood table and several chairs, rushing here in a hurry.

"Quick, quick, give me a hand!"

He came back to his senses and quickly called to other villagers who were busy setting up the venue to come forward to help. After all the heavy objects were removed from Natsume Naoki's shoulders, Murata yelled at the group of people who were moving tables and chairs.

"What do you do for food? You have to ask Naoki to help you move a table?! You have watched him grow up, don't you uncles and masters know what kind of strength he is?!"

He glanced at the big solid wood table. This table was made for the village when he was learning skills from his father. The weight of the table was more than these people understood. Back then, it was difficult for four or five strong young men to lift that log.

Not to mention the young man who has been frail and sick since childhood.

So Murata looked anxiously at Natsume Naoki up and down, and quickly asked: "Naoki, are you okay? Are you stretched anywhere? Sit down quickly and rub it yourself."

Natsume Naoki shook his head and said with a smile: "Uncle Murata, I am not a child anymore. I have been trained in these years of studying outside, and I am very energetic now."

"But, this..."

Murata looked at the tired and panting people, and then at the table. Anyway, he asked himself that there was no way he could carry this big table back and forth alone, let alone how many chairs there were.

Isn’t it said that today’s college students are terribly poor physically?

Why does Naoki seem to be stronger than those of them who work all year round?

Murata and others looked at each other in confusion, but Natsume Naoki sat on the chair with a relaxed expression.

If it was Mao who came, the people next to him probably wouldn’t even need help, right?

When cleaning on weekdays, she could lift the bed in the bedroom with one hand, and use the other hand to sweep with a broom.

It's really possible that Mao will be cleaning the house now, he thought, after all, Mao is a person who can't take any time off.

After thinking about it, he turned to look at Murata, and found that Uncle Murata was dressed very smartly today, wearing a shiny jacket, his hair had been cut, although it was white, it was not messy at all, and his stubble was also cleanly shaved, it could be seen that

It's a matter of attentiveness.

"Uncle, you are very energetic today!"

"Leave a good impression on the guests!" Uncle Murata smiled brightly when he faced Natsume Naoki. This child was his favorite child in the village and regarded him as his own. "By the way, Naoki, what do you think about coming today?"

How many guests can I have? Did I tell you anything in advance?"

When it comes to business, Uncle Murata seems a little embarrassed.

Many people asked him about this matter last night when he went to every house to announce that there would be a running banquet. Almost all the men in the village were unemployed at home, and the number of workers to be recruited was a question that everyone was concerned about.

"It is estimated that there are more than a dozen people in our village who have the intention to go out. If we can recruit enough workers, that would be great. But what if..." Murata considered and said: "If there are not enough workers, just a few, I won't

went."

Natsume Naoki was slightly surprised: "Uncle Murata, what do you mean? I don't think you can earn more by doing carpentry than working outside?"

The recruitment was just mentioned casually, as a cover to prepare a surprise for the villagers.

Anyway, Natsume Naoki felt that with Amamiya Konma's courage, it would not be as simple as providing them with a job. It was more likely to directly provide money than to recruit workers.

Moreover, the money given must be more than these people can earn in their lifetime. Amamiya Konma is a very charismatic hero, and only he knows the weight of life-saving grace in his eyes.

But Murata doesn't know now, and Asai is probably the only one in the whole village who has some clues, so Natsume Naoki is very surprised by Murata's idea of ​​"sacrifice himself for others".

It is obvious that the Murata family is most in need of money in this village right now.

Murata replied: "I think so, leave the opportunity to make money to others. Everyone in the village believes in me. Our generation grew up together, so it is best for your father and I to talk.

They call me brother, and they have been with me for so many years, so let them know in advance. I told you at noon yesterday, have you told your father?"

He sighed heavily, "If it doesn't work out, I'll go and do it with your dad. It's fine if you pay less, but I won't be able to show off your face if you give me a lot of money."

After hearing this, Natsume Naoki looked at the uncle next door who had clearly put himself in good spirits and was eager to work today, but yet made sacrifices at the last minute, and felt a little emotional.

So he comforted him by saying, "Uncle, believe me. There will definitely be a good result today."

"Oh, I hope so!" Murata shook his head and asked, "Did you tell your dad about me?"

"Not yet. Don't worry, Uncle Murata. It won't be too late to wait until we meet the guests today."

"If you haven't said it, then you haven't said it. After thinking about it, it's too insincere to let a child of yours deliver the message. I'd better go and tell him myself!"

"No rush, no rush."

Natsume Naoki comforted Murata repeatedly and smiled: "Let's wait until after the meal. It's more important to arrange the banquet quickly."

Murata nodded: "Yes, guests cannot be neglected. Recruitment of workers is the village's top priority... The bamboo for today's flowing banquet was prepared last night."

Natsume Naoki followed Murata's line of sight and saw that enough open space had been cleared at the entrance of the village to set up tables and arrange dry landscapes.

The short sides of the long table are aligned and connected. A fence is built with pebbles at the end of the table. There is white sand on the ground. Ditches are dug around it and filled with clear spring water picked up by the villagers from the forest early in the morning. On the middle pebble, there is a surprise.

deer.

There is a similar structure in most Japanese gardens, or it is called "Frightening Deer" or "Tian Shui". It is a small vessel made of bamboo. It is washed by running water and covered with water. When the other side falls to the ground, it hits the pebbles to emit sound.

sound.

The bamboo used to frighten the deer is cut down by the villagers in the bamboo forest one day in advance, and then left outside in the snow to freeze overnight to become hard and crispy. Although it does not last long, the sound is clear and loud.

In addition, the excess bamboo can be hollowed out, or made into a tube shape or split into half.

Tubular bamboos are passed through the pebbles. Someone specially prepares the plain noodles and puts them in them with running water. The bamboos split in half are placed on the long tables. The plain noodles flow through the long bamboos and spread throughout the table. The guests sit down one by one to taste.

It is a very traditional Japanese style "flowing water surface".

Not only are there artificial landscapes and flowing water, every household will bring out their own food to entertain guests, which is the highest standard of reception in the village since ancient times.

Nowadays, hunting has been banned in the mountains and forests, and the villagers have begun to make a living from breeding. Free-range wild boars are considered to be the best delicacies for the pig farmers in the village. Those households near the sea have brought out the fattest seafood they have caught recently.

Among the busy crowd, Natsume Naoki saw a familiar figure, which made him somewhat surprised.

Directly north of the banquet, several women were gesticulating around a temporary round table, seemingly teasing a clumsy man.

Natsume Naoki walked over and looked around, and saw Nanami Ye among them.

"Can you do it? If not, just get out of the way!" A woman said in disgust at the man: "Why is a hunter approaching the fish basin? Don't make trouble here!"

The man blushed with embarrassment and seemed a little unconvinced, but he still wilted.

Just now, the chef came to collect the eels. He was an errand boy. When he came here, he saw a few eels swimming safely in the fish basin, so he thought that he could just catch them and send them to him. But he didn't expect that he couldn't catch them after several times.

My ancestors made a living by hunting, but now they go out to work and stay at home. They have never had anything to do with fish.

The eel has no scales but is extremely smooth. It is impossible to start with it without experience. His reckless appearance soon attracted the attention of the women around him.

When he saw the situation clearly, the clumsy man was surrounded and laughed at.

"Later...the kitchen will wait for the fish to be cooked. Kill it and send it to them as soon as possible! A bunch of women are really messing around!"

The man clenched his fist, then wiped his sticky palms on his body, lowered his head, spat, and walked away quickly.

The women were happy to see these men who usually yelled and drank, laughing and laughing.

However, only Nanamiye raised the corners of her mouth slightly, looking very ladylike.

"I woke up so early, I thought I saw the wrong person."
To be continued...