wavenovel Chapter 1273, page 1282: Another boy was born? Named Leek?!
Chapter 1273, page 1282: Another boy was born? Named Leek?!
Chapter 1273, page 1282: Another boy was born? Named Leek?!
As Naoki Nagayama leisurely prepared for the Tokyo International Film Festival, as Akina diligently practiced her English in preparation for rehearsals with Michael Jackson, and as Natsuka slept soundly, September arrived.
The weather is still hot, but you can already feel the coolness in the mornings and evenings. Summer is like hot water that has its bottom removed; although it is still boiling on the surface, it no longer has the strength to sustain itself.
The media frenzy intensified, with numerous other media outlets, besides the Asahi Shimbun, beginning to follow up on Recruit's bribery case. Previously deeply hidden information was gradually unearthed, continuously drawing public attention.
This forced the head of the planning bureau, Hidehiro Komatsu, to resign to avoid suspicion, and also triggered a special investigation by the Kawasaki City Council.
It was thought that this matter had come to an end, and justice had finally prevailed. However, what no one expected was that this was just the beginning.
Finally, in early September, the Asahi Shimbun's front-page report directly exposed four new bribe-takers, including the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Chairman of the Policy Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Chairman of the Democratic Socialist Party, causing a public uproar.
This bribery case has expanded from a simple exchange of real estate interests into a major government corruption scandal!
"Ha, the Asahi Shimbun is really tough!"
Naoki Nagayama looked at the newspaper with great emotion. He had only sent the second wave of information a few days ago, and the Asahi Shimbun had actually reported on it.
Thinking back on the past few days, when Shuichi Itō said that Nobuo Asai was becoming increasingly arrogant, even directly rebuking Kiyomi for not handing over control of the Film Association Foundation, Naoki Nagayama silently made a wish:
"Let the storm rage on!"
"Let's see if Asai Nobuo can continue like this once the big boss behind him gets involved."
It's likely that Takeshita Noboru never imagined that a nascent organization he intended to casually target would actually cause his Takeshita regime to teeter on the brink of collapse.
"Naoki-san, what are you muttering about instead of eating properly?"
Akina, sitting across the table, seemed a little resentful.
"Dad is setting a bad example for Hua Jiang!"
Looking at his wife's beautiful face and Natsuka's curious gaze, Naoki Nagayama could only surrender.
"Okay, okay, I'll eat right away."
However, while eating breakfast, looking at the little guy, Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of something.
"By the way, it seems that Sister-in-law Xiangjia is in the hospital awaiting childbirth. It's been almost half a month, hasn't it?"
"It seems so," Akina nodded, usually going to the hospital about two weeks in advance. "What happened?"
"I'll call and ask later."
However, just as the two were talking, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.
"Moshi moshi, this is Yama-oka-in."
"Naoki, it's Mom!" Nanako Nagayama's voice came through the receiver, her tone filled with joy. "Your older brother has a baby again!"
"."
What a coincidence! Is it really true that you can just speak of the devil and he appears?!
"It's already been born?!" Naoki Nagayama exclaimed in surprise. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
Since he had already given birth, the eldest brother, Aoki, did not ask the doctor in advance whether the baby was a boy or a girl, wanting to keep it as a surprise.
It's a boy.
Nanako Nagayama said with a smile through the microphone,
"Aoki must have been so disappointed when he saw it was a boy, haha. After seeing Hana-chan and Sayuri, he really wanted a daughter."
It seems to be a genetic issue in the Nagayama family; the probability of having boys is very high, so everyone really loves daughters. Aoki-nii has seen Natsuka and Kaede-nii's daughter, Sayuri, several times and is extremely envious.
"Haha, isn't it good that you have two sons, brother? Have you come up with any good names yet?"
"Not yet. He and your dad are discussing it. They were talking about calling it 'weeds' or something, and I scolded him for it!"
"."
Well, according to tradition, the next generation of boys in the Yongshan family will be named after herbs, and girls will be named after flowers. But weeds and such are really too pitiful.
No matter what, my nephew is the second male member of the fourth generation of the Yongshan family!
Call it chives if you want! It keeps growing back in batches!
After rambling on for a while, Nanako Nagayama prepared to hang up the phone.
"That's settled then. I still need to share the good news with the others, Naoki. You can come back and visit anytime."
"Hi, we'll be back in the next couple of days."
When Aoki's older brother had his first child, everyone was worried about potential problems, so Naoki Nagayama rushed back. This time it's his second child, so things are much better; there's no need to crowd around the hospital beforehand.
After hanging up the phone, he turned around and bumped into Akina's face. She had run over and leaned on Nagayama Naoki's shoulder to eavesdrop after hearing the call.
Naoki Nagayama rubbed Akina's smooth cheek helplessly:
"If you want to listen, can't you just sit down next to me?"
Akina, however, smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she asked with great interest:
"Did Xiangjia have another boy?"
"Yes, I heard that she suddenly had a stomachache when she got up in the middle of the night, and then gave birth in less than two hours in the morning."
Naoki Nagayama, back at the dining table, said...
"Then my mother went to the hospital for a checkup and called us to share the good news."
"Oh, I see. But it's so wonderful that Xiangjia was able to give birth to her baby smoothly, and it's a boy!"
Akina was happy for the baby, patted Natsuka's head, and then looked expectantly at her husband.
"I wonder when we'll be able to have a son, to keep Hua Jiang company."
".cough cough"
Naoki Nagayama quickly quenched his thirst with orange juice. He had already started planning for a second child while on vacation and hadn't taken any precautions.
The couple has been working hard to conceive, but it will take about a month to see any results.
"Maybe we'll have another daughter!"
"It would be best if it were a boy!" Akina said, "The Nagayama family has such a large business empire to inherit, so he can protect his older sister when he grows up!"
"Even if the second child isn't possible, we'll try for another one!"
These days, having many children is very common.
"Alright, alright~" Naoki Nagayama nodded silently, then said, "Tomorrow, I'm going back to Shizuoka. Akina, do you want to come along?"
"Of course I want to go!"
Akina nodded excitedly; her work schedule was now very flexible, allowing her to arrange her time freely.
"I'm going to see my little nephew."
"Then I'll have the driver get ready."
"Hmm~"
Akina nodded, then looked at her daughter, smiled, and gently touched her little face.
"Huajiang, how about we go back to our hometown for a visit? We can see our cousin too!"
While the Yama-oka residence was filled with joy upon receiving good news, the Takeshita residence on the other side felt as if a storm was brewing.
Takeshita Noboru had removed his baby-face mask and was looking seriously at the seven core members of the Takeshita faction who had come to the Takeshita residence; they were known as the "Seven Takeshita Magistrates" (in Chinese, "the seven lackeys of Takeshita and his ilk").
"Everyone, it seems this bribery scandal is quite serious."
Takeshita Noboru said,
"There must be something wrong here, especially at this crucial moment when I'm running for office!"
“Yes.” Haneda Tsutomu, one of the Seven Commissioners, nodded. “It’s definitely the opposition’s doing!”
Another person, Ryutaro Hashimoto, said:
"This could also be the Tanaka faction's last stand."
The separation of the Takeshita faction from the Tanaka faction was undoubtedly a major blow to the Tanaka faction, and the leaders of the Tanaka faction were certainly dissatisfied.
It's possible they might take this opportunity to cause trouble.
"I've already sent people to investigate. Apparently, those messages were sent directly to the newspaper by a mysterious person via anonymous letters."
Takeshita Noboru said,
"However, according to professional analysis, the use of a typewriter, ordinary paper, and a random email address makes it difficult to determine the source. It is highly likely that the whistleblower will not be found."
These days, there are no security cameras or real-time location tracking. Even mail delivery is done by Naoki Nagayama disguised as someone and randomly choosing a mailbox by the roadside. Hundreds of people come and go every day, so it's impossible to find anyone to check.
"Then let's look at the vested interests!"
Ryutaro Hashimoto said.
Who benefits from this? That party is the prime suspect.
"."
Even Takeshita Noboru fell silent at this point, because there was simply no one who would benefit the most.
The bribery case hasn't implicated them yet, but judging from current news reports, people from both the ruling and opposition parties are involved, including presidents of large companies and social celebrities. It's fair to say they've offended a whole host of people!
If we're talking about vested interests, then the Asahi Shimbun is probably the biggest beneficiary, because this newspaper receives the most attention.
However, they lack the means to report it.
"Could it be that someone within Recruit is truly acting in the name of justice?"
Another of the Seven Ministers, Kobuchi Keizo, spoke up.
His words caused the other key members of the Takeshita faction to change their expressions. If this was justice, then wouldn't that mean they were all evil?!
How could that be? They are all pillars of the nation!
"Ahem~" Takeshita Noboru interrupted the atmosphere and said solemnly, "This media storm is unstoppable. The media industry has lost control."
With the entire society's attention focused on this, any newspaper that fails to keep up will lose credibility.
"Have any of you accepted any benefits from Recruit?!"
"."
The seven officials looked at each other and remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescence. Takeshita Noboru was at a loss for words.
What a bunch of incompetent teammates!
"Um," said the oldest among them, Kajiyama Seiroku, "Takeshita-san, in this kind of environment, there's always some social interaction involved."
"Yes, yes." "I'm sorry not to accept it." "We had no choice."
Takeshita Noboru didn't say much, after all, he himself had received a lot.
"Regardless of what happened before, we can't accept anything now. We need to settle all the old scores!"
At this point, Takeshita Noboru's voice softened.
"We're all veterans in politics, we all know how to build firewalls, right? If anyone fails to do it properly, don't blame me for not saving you!"
In reality, firewalls are essentially used by secretaries, relatives, and confidants, similar to drivers, to hold assets and handle clandestine matters.
Upon hearing this, everyone else naturally nodded in agreement.
Having been involved in politics for so many years, these people know that no matter what the scandal, as long as there is no solid evidence, at most they will just bow and apologize in front of the camera, and then retire behind the scenes to continue being big shots.
Just like former Prime Minister Tanaka, he is not yet an important figure in the Tanaka faction.
"Alright. We've discussed this matter. Everyone should keep a low profile for now."
After making his harsh remarks, Takeshita Noboru then tried to soothe him.
"When I become Prime Minister, that will be the time for us to realize our ideals and ambitions. I will certainly not let everyone's contributions down."
"Hi!" X7
After all the seven magistrates of Takeshita had left, Takeshita Noboru summoned his secretary, Aoki Ihei:
"Aoki, go and inform Vice Minister Jiang that he must do whatever it takes, even if it means bowing deeply in apology, to quell the public outcry as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, the media will dig deeper and deeper, and it might actually get in touch with us, which would be bad!"
"At such a crucial moment, I cannot let a bribery case affect my campaign!"
This is essentially a way to get Jiang Haozheng to confess and take full responsibility to quell the storm. Anyway, with so many high-ranking officials on good terms with him, he'll be out in a year or two at most.
"Yes, I will inform Vice President Jiang!"
Aoki Ihei nodded. He knew that if things continued to develop this way, he might end up taking the blame himself, so he decided to shift the blame to Jiang Fuhao for now.
"However, Mr. Takeshita, I've received word that an opposition party is preparing to establish an investigation team. They believe that this bribery case involves many more people, which indicates that the ruling party is completely corrupt."
"Hmph! A bunch of hyenas!"
Takeshita Noboru cursed angrily, "In this circle, who wouldn't accept a bribe!"
This time, the opposition party has simply turned its attention to the ruling party!
"I need to contact the Socialist Party and other opposition parties. I want to have a serious talk with them."
"This can't go on; it will cause political turmoil and even social unrest!"
"Hi"
Tsuruko returned to her small apartment in Waseda, still feeling hot from her university classes.
Just as I was about to take a shower, I saw a message on the landline, so I pressed the play button.
"Tsuruko, you're not here."
"I'm calling to tell you that your older brother, Aoki, has another son!"
"Blah blah blah"
After hearing her mother's message, Tsuruko smiled.
I have a baby nephew again!
Then I couldn't wait to call home, but no one answered.
"Ah, they must have gone to my older brother's house."
Then I thought of:
"I need to go back and check on my little nephew!"
Speaking of going back to my hometown, I naturally thought of my second brother, so I quickly made a phone call to him.
"Hey Ni-chan, Big Brother had a baby, do you want to go back too?"
"Hey, tomorrow? That's fine too. Take me with you!"
"What? No? Hana-chan wants to go back too, and there's not enough room on the train?! You want me to take the Shinkansen back?"
"Bakani-chan, I'm ignoring you!"
"."
Huffing and puffing, Tsuruko hung up the phone, muttering things like how he got married and had children and then forgot about his sister.
I turned around and looked at the empty apartment, and for a moment I felt a little lonely!
"What's so great about that? I'm going to have several babies in the future!"
"But before that, I should buy a car!"
In fact, Tsuruko is quite wealthy now, and buying a car would be easy for her.
She used to want to save money to buy a luxury car like her brother's after graduation, but now it seems that buying a minivan for transportation is fine. Anyway, she'll get her driver's license soon.
"You're not taking me back, huh? I'll drive back myself!"
"."
(End of this chapter)