Ceremony

As for going to college, it actually has nothing to do with the current Shirakawa Kaede. Everything is the result of the efforts of the predecessor.

In his vague memory, when he was very young, he was leaning in front of the door, holding his head high under his mother's knees, listening to what his mother was reading from the book.

Perhaps because of his frailty, or perhaps because of his quiet nature, he does not have the wildness of a child in the mountains. On the contrary, he has always been fascinated by books in a different way.

It is precisely because of this that he became the first young man in a mountain village in hundreds of years to rely on reading to travel, especially in a metropolis like Tokyo.

Therefore, when they learned that the Shirakawa family was encountering difficulties due to tuition fees, the neighbors in the village spontaneously provided more or less support. This also prevented Shirakawa Hayato from suffering unnecessary criticism.

They don't understand what Tokyo is and what a big city is. But they also know that it is always good to study more, especially when going to college.

Early in the morning, Shirakawa Kaede was still eating breakfast at home, when Torataro's shouting came from outside the door.

"Xiao Feng! Xiao Feng! Hurry up, the farewell ceremony is about to begin!"

Hearing Torataro's urging, Shirakawa Kaede, who was originally not in a hurry, became eager to give it a try. He glanced at his father who had no response and his mother who looked reproachful.

Today is a rare day of good weather. The white snow is a bit dazzling under the shining sun.

Bai Chuanfeng also stepped out. He bowed to the driver, and his parents behind him did the same.

He kicked away the approaching rhubarb, and it whined and ran away with its tail between its legs. As it ran back, it looked back at Baichuan Feng aggrievedly from time to time.

The bustling crowd erupted into a burst of agreement and debate.

"Let's just talk about Eiji Village on the other side of the mountain. It's a village that doesn't even want to have electric lights or girls. All efforts are in vain."

Uncle Yamada also squinted his eyes and watched all this. Then he suddenly thought of something and returned to the car. When he appeared again, he had a bouquet in his hand.

Shirakawa Kaede had also heard a bit about Eiji Village. It was separated from Xiaolu Village where he was by a mountain, but Xiaolu Village was outside the mountain, while Eiji Village was in the mountains.

But this still could not stop him from yearning for Tokyo. Along the way, he kept talking about the various colors of Tokyo that he had heard from others.

"Xiao Feng, do you think there is really money everywhere in Tokyo? I heard that no one even picked up 10 yen coins on the ground?"

In the first two years, there were still many passengers at the station here. But as more and more people walked out of the mountains and rushed to the city, there were fewer and fewer people in the village. Torataro and the others who went to school with Shirakawa Kaede felt that they were not

Those who went to school also dropped out one after another.

Not to mention her fair skin, her eyebrows and eyes are as delicate as that of a girl, and she is even a head taller than Torataro. Although she wears the same coarse cloth as usual, her delicate beauty cannot be concealed.

As his name suggests, Torataro is thick and strong. He has a pair of thick black eyebrows on his dark face. Whenever his mood changes, he seems to come alive and swim back and forth.

…

Now, as Shirakawa Kaede graduates from high school, it is time for this station to close. For this reason, people in the village spontaneously prepared to hold a farewell ceremony for Xiaolu Station.

"In other words," Uncle Yamada waved his hand with a smile, "Shirakawa, you can be admitted to Meiji University, that is quite remarkable. From this point of view, the operation of Xiaolu Station to this day is definitely worth it."

Because there is one last passenger at this station, Kaede Shirakawa, who takes the train to school every day. "It will be operated at least until Shirakawa High School graduates," so JR Akita decided to maintain this line until Shirakawa graduates.

"Yamada, this is the game I caught from the mountain. You're welcome, keep it."

The two people talked as they walked, walking along the path in front of the village towards the only station outside the village.

"Yamada-san, thank you for taking care of me for such a long time."

"Uh" Torataro's eyebrows twitched like a caterpillar, and he also realized that this statement was unreliable.

So Shirakawa Kaede took this train every day to travel between mountain villages and cities. Although he was almost the only passenger on the train, the station was still cleaned every day, and the driver on the train still meticulously reminded passengers to pay attention to safety every time the train was closed.

Hey, this beast has really become a spirit. Could it be that he really thinks of himself as his brother?

"Here we are, here we are, wow, there are so many people!"

After a while, Shirakawa Kaede's parents also came to the scene in kimono. Just as everyone was greeting each other, the sound of dangdang honking came from a distance.

In addition to the two of them, there was also Rhubarb, a native Akita dog. To be precise, it was Rhubarb from the Torataro family.

"Who did you listen to?" Shirakawa Kaede turned to look at him speechlessly, and then continued without waiting for Torataro to respond, "Then don't look for a job in Tokyo, just follow him and pick up money in Tokyo with a sack.

Already."

"Yes, the boys from the Baichuan family are also very competitive."

Everyone in the village said that Shirakawa Kaede inherited her mother's aristocratic bloodline. After all, more than thirty years ago, when the war just ended, the Kazuko family was a real landowner family, so wasn't it a noble family?

In the last year, only Shirakawa Kaede was still waiting for the train at this station. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was his special train.

Shirakawa Kaede was amused by her neighbors' thoughts, and at the same time she felt they were a little cute, and a faint warmth lingered in her heart.

In the end, Bai Chuanfeng couldn't hold it any longer, so he took a few bites of rice, put down his bowls and chopsticks, and ran out of the door.

In fact, JR was originally planning to close Xiaolu Station two years ago due to a sharp decline in passengers and a financial deficit. However, villagers who learned the news petitioned to suspend the closure of the station.

Oh, Nekotaro is Rhubarb. That was the name given by Torataro. As for why he was called Nekotaro, it was because Torataro felt that tigers and cats are more like brothers.

Torataro waved his hand, the disgust on his face was clear.

Now, the "Zilu Station" that has been running throughout my entire school career is about to usher in its last shift. From today on, the Xiaolu Station will officially close and will no longer be in operation.

Although it is not a festival or New Year, everyone is still dressed more formally. Perhaps from the bottom of their hearts, people are still grateful for this old station that has served the mountain village for decades.

"Yamada, you're lucky"

Torataro pointed to the station not far away. There were more than a dozen figures gathered here, which made Torataro, who likes to join in the fun, very excited.

Therefore, compared with Eiji Village, which does not even have electricity, Torataro feels superior.

Rhubarb is the name given by Shirakawa Kaede. In the eyes of Tora Taro, Cat Taro has always been a brother-like existence.

Of course, Bai Chuanfeng will never admit this, and he will never associate with animals.

The yellow and green car was full of traces of time. It came from a distance and slowly stopped in front of you.

Creak, creak, the sound of moccasin boots rubbing against the snow became more pleasant.

The three black characters "Zilu Station" on the white background of the iron sign look weathered and blurred in some places. The mottled stop sign hangs on the red wall, creaking with the howling north wind.

"Idiot, it doesn't mean that you can become a great writer by going to college. That's two different things..."

Although the local economy has developed well in recent years, most of it is reflected in the cities. As for rural places like Xiaolu Village, the most significant manifestation of economic development is that every household can have access to electricity.

As for the TV, I'm sorry that it is too high-end. No one else in the village except the village chief's family has one. However, there is still no shortage of radios.

It is said to be a station, but in fact it is more like a shed. Only a red brick wall looks solid and reliable, and can provide a place to protect passing travelers from the wind and snow in the cold winter months.

And Shirakawa Kaede and Torataro are like two opposite sides. If Torataro is an authentic child of the mountains, then Shirakawa Kaede seems to be from the city.

"Maybe there will be a great writer in Xiaolu in the future."

The car door opened with a "squeak", and the driver in uniform stepped out of the cab.

The moment the driver's uncle appeared, the crowd burst into cheers. It was obvious that he had a very harmonious relationship with everyone.

In his words, besides Shirakawa Kaede, Nekotaro is his only two brothers.

Hearing Torataro's silly question, Shirakawa Kaede couldn't help but roll his eyes.

However, these two people who seemed to have nothing to do with each other unexpectedly became playmates who talked about everything.

This is the only passage in the village to the outside world, and it is also the only means of transportation that Shirakawa Kaede can rely on when he travels back and forth between the village and the city high school every day.

Under Bai Chuanfeng's surprised eyes, Uncle Yamada brought the flowers to him.

"Now, even if you leave Xiaolu in the future, don't forget to love your hometown."

The cold wind made Bai Chuanfeng's nose feel a little sore. He blinked and accepted the bouquet with a smile. "Well, I will definitely not forget it."

Thank you all for your support!
Chapter completed!