ryethenovel Chapter 271 Summer in Karuizawa
Chapter 271 Summer in Karuizawa
The two stepped out of the living room and walked along the smooth wooden corridor towards the back courtyard of the villa.
Pushing open the heavy wooden back door, a cool, grassy scent wafted towards me.
On the bluestone steps below the edge, servants had already neatly prepared comfortable shoes for guests to stroll through the woods. Satsuki slipped her fair feet into a pair of light white canvas shoes with soft soles, while Shuichi removed his indoor cotton socks and put on a pair of dark outdoor walking shoes.
The two walked down the stone steps into the corridor and disappeared into the dense primeval pine forest behind the house.
The summer sun in Karuizawa should be blinding. But here, the straight red pines and larch trees soar into the clouds, their lush branches intertwining and tangling in mid-air, filtering out the harsh sunlight and casting large patches of shade, making the forest paths appear secluded and serene.
The summer heat was thus kept at bay, and a subtle coolness suddenly settled in the surroundings. The nostrils were filled with the bitter scent of pine resin and the damp aroma emanating from the woodland soil.
The winding path has been covered by the passage of time, and the pine needles that have fallen year after year have woven a thick and soft brown carpet.
Dark walking shoes and white soft-soled canvas shoes alternated as they stepped on the soft layer of fallen leaves.
"rustle."
"rustle."
The crisp cracking sound echoed through the tranquil woods. The temperature in the forest was several degrees lower than indoors, and the father and daughter felt the coolness of the woods and couldn't help but relax.
"Karuizawa is indeed a great place to escape the summer heat. It's just that it's a bit too humid."
Shuichi walked beside Satsuki, his gaze sweeping over the path on both sides. The vegetation and green moss here were meticulously tended by gardeners, presenting a deliberately preserved rustic tranquility. However, after several summer rains, even on the bluestone steps that had been swept clean of every fallen leaf, a layer of damp moisture inevitably remained.
"The dampness in this forest feels like it can seep right into your bones," Xiu Yi said, shaking his head slightly.
Satsuki walked briskly with her hands behind her back.
"When the humidity is high, the plants grow lushly."
She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the azure sky above, which was fragmented by the tree canopy.
"When I went out just now, I saw the two plum trees in the corner of the courtyard, and the fruit was already very plump."
Satsuki turned her head and looked at Shuichi.
"Have the kitchen make some chilled sugar water with rock sugar and well water tonight. Put some green plums in it to chill them; it'll help cool down the dampness in this forest."
Xiuichi smiled and nodded.
The two walked side by side on the winding forest path.
As we rounded a high ravine, the gaps in the tree canopy suddenly opened up.
Shuichi paused slightly in his steps.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the massive complex of buildings on the hillside in the distance.
That was a plot of land that the Seibu Group forcibly acquired more than five years ago, with plans to build a large-scale ultra-luxury resort hotel.
Five years later, the main building of the hotel has risen from the ground. Outside the gray concrete frame, the large, dark glass curtain wall is only half-finished.
At the time, Xiu Yi even complained that their construction was disturbing the peace and quiet of the resort.
However, at this moment, this huge construction site, which should have been in the final stages of interior decoration and exterior facade finishing, fell into a deathly silence.
The orange paint on the tower cranes remained bright in the sunlight. Bundles of unopened insulation materials, large glass panels, and scaffolding pipes were neatly stacked on the construction site. Large construction machinery remained quietly parked on the muddy ground. However, there was no sound of machinery and not a single person in sight.
A massive, luxurious building, nearing completion, abruptly stalled due to tight funding. This created a stark visual juxtaposition with the surrounding vibrant, verdant mountains and forests.
Shuichi looked at the vast, silent building and frowned slightly.
"Seibu's financial chain is already stretched to its limit."
Shuichi's voice carried a hint of emotion.
"The Ministry of Finance's loan cut-off order has completely strangled Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. In order to maintain the liquidity of those core land plots in Tokyo Bay, he has no choice but to forcibly order the suspension of even large projects like Karuizawa, which represent the face of Seibu, to cut losses."
He looked away and turned to look at Satsuki.
"Moreover, I heard that the expenses at the Paradise Pavilion have already given him a huge headache."
Satsuki stopped in her tracks.
She listened quietly to Shuichi's reflections, then glanced at the cluster of buildings in the direction her father had been looking.
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"Ah... Uncle Ti is so pitiful."
Satsuki turned around, her hands behind her back.
"Father, do you think we should go and help Uncle Tse?"
Shuichi chuckled to himself. He shook his head, looking at the innocent-looking girl in front of him.
"You silly girl. When you sold the Pleasure Pavilion to him, did you ever think about how pitiful he was?"
Satsuki chuckled softly.
She took two steps forward, the pine needles under her feet making a crisp rustling sound.
"Father."
She turned around to face Shuichi, her hands behind her back.
"Do you know why, when we were building Gokurakukan in Hokkaido, I insisted on going against all advice and refusing to use a more energy-efficient electric heating system, instead insisting on using an extremely bulky heavy industrial boiler and special heavy oil as the sole energy source for the constant temperature system?"
Xiuichi frowned, lost in thought for a moment.
"Hmm... because heavy oil engines have the highest thermal conversion efficiency? Hokkaido's winter temperatures are extremely low, and if that scale of inland tropical climate is to be maintained, the peak load of the power system may not be able to support it."
Satsuki shook her head slightly.
"That is indeed one reason."
Her smile deepened.
"But the most important thing is..."
"Uncle Ti is too 'fat'."
Satsuki looked at Shuichi.
"The Seibu Group controls one-sixth of all the land in Japan; their asset pool is bottomless. If it were just ordinary infrastructure maintenance costs, that level of poison wouldn't be enough to kill them."
Xiu stood there, stunned. He didn't immediately grasp the logic behind the metaphor.
Heavy oil? Poison dosage?
Satsuki stretched out her right hand, her slender fingers passing over Shuichi's shoulder, and pointed in the direction of Tingsong Manor behind her.
"Father. You saw the news on TV just now."
Her tone became somewhat cheerful.
"The current situation in the Middle East is not very optimistic."
"If war breaks out and the oil pipelines in the Persian Gulf are cut off, global crude oil production will experience a precipitous drop..."
Satsuki drew a small circle in the air with her finger.
"At that time, the price of special heavy oil..."
"But the price won't be the same now."
Shuichi's gaze paused slightly.
No way... the initial plans for Gokurakukan were finalized two years ago...
The Paradise Pavilion's temperature control system cannot be shut down; if it were, the expensively transplanted tropical plants would instantly die in the extreme cold. To preserve this spectacle, the Seibu Corporation must continue purchasing heavy oil.
If war breaks out, oil prices will skyrocket. The energy bills that were already causing Yoshiaki Tsutsumi a huge headache will multiply several times overnight.
At that time, the Seibu Group's cash flow can truly be described as "precarious".
This game of chess.
The process began two years ago, from the moment the site was selected in Niseko and the boiler model was finalized!
Shuichi looked at his daughter.
He exhaled a long breath, the stale air that had been building up in his chest. His gaze swept beyond the dense canopy of trees, taking in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.
"People often say that being one step ahead is genius. Satsuki, your lead is more than just one step ahead..."
Shuichi looked at Satsuki and gave a complicated, bitter smile.
"Satsuki. Your Go board... is so big it makes me feel uneasy."
Gaoyue looked at her father.
Her eyebrows curved into a smile, making her smile incredibly vivid.
"Why are you still afraid, Father?"
She turned around, stepped lightly forward two steps on the thick layer of pine needles.
"Moreover, with you, Father, behind me, I have more energy to 'charge' without any worries."
Satsuki stood with her hands behind her back. She tilted her head slightly, raised her chin, and deliberately dragged out the last syllable.
"certainly……"
"If Father insists on catching up, I might be so merciful as to slow down a bit and wait for you~"
Looking at her daughter's extremely rare coquettish attitude.
Shuichi laughed with relief.
"Then please wait for this old man, young lady."
He started walking, following the slender figure ahead.
The rustling sound became lighter and more cheerful.
A summer breeze rustled through the tree canopy, and dappled golden rays, broken and fragmented by the branches and leaves, fell like flowing gold dust, alternating and swirling on the two people's shoulders.