Regarding going to university, it doesn't really have anything to do with the current Shirakawa Kaede. Everything is the result of the efforts of the predecessors.

In my vague memory, when he was very young, he leaned against the door, held his head high under his mother's knees, and listened to his mother's books.

Maybe it's because he's weak, or maybe it's because he's quiet by nature, he doesn't have the wildness of a mountain child at all. On the contrary, I have always had a different fascination with books.

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

So when they learned that the Shirakawa family was having trouble with the tuition fee, the neighbors in the village spontaneously supported it more or less. This also made the Shirakawa Hayato who came to the door not suffer unnecessary criticism.

They don't understand Tokyo, the metropolis. But I also know that it's always good to study more, especially when I go to college.

Early in the morning, Shirakawa Kaede was still eating breakfast at home, and there was a babbling shout from Torotaro outside the door.

"Kaede! Kaede-chan! Hurry up, the farewell ceremony is about to begin! ”

Hearing Torotaro's urging, Shirakawa Kaede, who was not in a hurry, also became eager to try, and he glanced at his father who was unresponsive and his mother who looked at him with some blame.

In the end, Shirakawa Kaede still couldn't bear it, hastily shaved a few mouthfuls of rice, put down the dishes and chopsticks and ran out of the door.

Today is a rare good weather, the snow is shining in the sun, and the white is a little dazzling.

The creaking, creaking, and the sound of mocskin boots rubbing against the snow became more pleasant.

As his name suggests, Torotaro is thick and strong. A pair of thick black eyebrows on his dark face, whenever his mood changes, he seems to swim back and forth.

And Shirakawa Kaede and Torotaro are like two opposite sides, if Torotaro is an authentic child in the mountains, then Shirakawa Kaede is like a city boy.

Not to mention the fair skin, the eyebrows and eyes are delicate like a girl, and even the height is a head taller than Torotaro. Although it is usually the same coarse cloth and coarse cedar, the beauty can't be hidden.

People in the village say that Shirakawa Kaede inherited his mother's aristocratic blood. After all, more than 30 years ago, when the war had just ended, the Hezi family was a real landlord, and it was not a nobleman.

However, these two people who seem to be unrelated no matter what, but they unexpectedly become playmates who talk about everything.

"Xiao Feng, you said that Tokyo is really full of money? I heard that no one picked up a 10 yen coin on the ground? ”

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

"Who did you listen to" Shirakawa Kaede turned his head and looked at him speechlessly, and then continued without waiting for Torotaro to respond, "Then you don't have to look for a job when you go to Tokyo, just follow him to pick up money in Tokyo with a burlap bag." ”

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

But that still didn't stop him from yearning for Tokyo, and he kept talking about the various colors of Tokyo that he had heard from others.

"Let's talk about Yingji Village on the other side of the mountain, a village that even electric lights and girls refuse to patronize, any effort is in vain."

Torotaro waved his hand, the disgust on his face overflowing.

In Eiji Village, Shirakawa Kaede also heard a little. It is separated from the village of Xiaolu where it is located by a mountain, but the village of Xiaolu is outside the mountain, while the village of Yingji is in the mountain.

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, every household can be connected to electricity, which is already the most significant manifestation of economic take-off.

As for the TV, I'm sorry it's too high-end, and there is no one else in the village except the village chief's house. But there is still no shortage of radios.

Because of this, compared with Eiji Village, which didn't even have electricity, Torotaro felt superior.

The two men talked as they walked, following the path in front of the village until they walked towards the only station outside the village.

In addition to the two of them, there was also Rhubarb, a native Akita dog. To be exact, it's the rhubarb of Torataro's house.

Rhubarb is the name given by Shirakawa Kaede, and in the eyes of Torataro, Cataro has always been a brother-like existence.

Oh, and Cataro is rhubarb. That's the name given by Torotaro, and as for why it's called Cataro, it's because Torotaro thinks that tigers and cats are more like brothers.

In his words, apart from Shirakawa Kaede, Cataro is his only second brother.

Of course, Shirakawa Kaede will never admit this, he will never be in the company of animals.

With a kick kicking away the rhubarb, it whimpered and ran away with its tail between its legs. While running, he looked back at Shirakawa Kaede from time to time aggrievedly.

Hey, this beast is really good. Could it be that he really treats himself as a brother?

"It's here, it's here, wow, there are so many people!"

Torotaro pointed to the station not far away, where more than a dozen figures had gathered, which made Torotaro, who likes to join in the fun, very excited.

It is said to be a station, but it is actually more like a shed. Only a brick red wall looks solid and reliable, which can provide a shelter for passing travelers in the cold winter months.

The three words "Zilu Station" on the black iron plate on the white background look weathered, and some places have been blurred. Mottled stop signs hang on the red wall, creaking with the whistling of the north wind.

This is the only way to connect the village to the outside, and it is also the only means of transportation that Shirakawa Kaede can rely on to travel back and forth between the village and the city high school every day.

Now the "Zilu Station", which has run through his entire school career, is about to usher in its last shift. From today onwards, Xiaolu Station will be officially closed and will no longer operate.

In fact, two years ago, JR was preparing to close Xiaolu Station, which was running a deficit due to a sharp drop in passengers, but the villagers who heard the news petitioned to suspend the closure.

Because there is one last passenger at this station, that is Kaede Shirakawa, who takes the train to school every day. "At least until Shirakawa graduates from high school", JR Akita decided to maintain this line until Shirakawa graduates.

Originally, in the first two years, there were still a lot of passengers at the station here. But as more and more people get out of the mountains and rush to the cities. There are fewer and fewer people in the village, and Torotaro, who goes to school with Shirakawa Kaede, feels that they are not the material for school, and they also drop out of school in turn.

In the last year, Shirakawa Kaede was the only one who was still waiting at this station, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was his special train.

So Shirakawa Kaede took this train every day to travel between the mountain village and the city, although he was almost the only passenger on the train. However, the station is still cleaned every day, and the driver on the bus still meticulously reminds passengers to pay attention to safety every time the door is closed.

Now, with Kaede Shirakawa graduating from high school, it's time for the station to close. For this reason, the people of the village spontaneously prepared to hold a farewell ceremony for Xiaolu Station.

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

After a while, Shirakawa Kaede's parents also came to the scene in kimonos, and just as everyone was greeting each other, the sound of Dangdang's whistle came from a distance.

The yellow and green body is full of traces of time, it comes from a distance and slowly stops in front of you.

The "squeak" door opened, and the driver's uncle, in uniform, stepped out of the cab.

"Yamada, I'm glad I'm sorry"

"Yamada, this is the game I caught from the mountains, you're welcome, take it"

…

The moment the driver's uncle appeared, the crowd erupted into a burst of greetings, and it could be seen that he had a good relationship with everyone.

Shirakawa Kaede also stepped out, he bowed to the driver's uncle, and the parents behind him did the same.

"Yamada-san, I've been taken care of for so long."

"Where," Uncle Yamada smiled and waved his hand, "but Shirakawa can be admitted to Meiji University, which is quite remarkable." In that regard, it is definitely worth it for Fawn Station to operate to this day. ”

"Yes, the kid from the Shirakawa family is also very competitive."

"In the future, Xiaolu may also have a great writer."

"Stupid, it's not that if you are admitted to college, you can become a great writer, those are two different things..."

The bustling crowd erupted into a burst of echoing and arguing.

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

Uncle Yamada also squinted at all this, and then suddenly remembered something, and returned to the car. When he reappeared, he had an extra bouquet of flowers in his hand.

In Shirakawa Kaede's surprised gaze, Uncle Yamada sent the flowers to him.

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

Shirakawa Kaede's nose was a little sour in the cold wind, he blinked his eyes and accepted the bouquet with a smile. "Well, I won't forget."