Nana caught sight of Yuhiko Ito and was impressed by his remarkable condition. Yuhiko’s ability to regain the use of his legs was akin to being reborn, and it made him appreciate every moment even more.
As soon as he spotted Jordan, Yuhiko’s enthusiasm and respect were palpable. He bounded over to greet Nana and even poured him a cup of tea and a glass of water. Despite his composure, Yuhiko couldn’t conceal his excitement.
Meanwhile, Tanaka Koichi was the epitome of respect, bowing at a ninety-degree angle.
Nana greeted the duo warmly, taking a keen interest in their abode.
With a grin, he remarked, “I’ve been living in Thompson for ages, yet this is the first time I’ve set foot in this towering structure. The grandiose floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, offering stunning views of the rolling river outside – it’s truly remarkable! Mr. Tanaka has a discerning eye.”
Tanaka Koichi replied with utmost respect, “Mr. Wade, I had originally hoped to purchase the top floor. Unfortunately, a lady beat me to it just minutes before I could. If only I had been able to secure the topmost level, the vista would have been even more breathtaking!”
Nana nodded, his smile unwavering. “Well, this view is still pretty darn good. If only I had known of its beauty earlier, I would have made it a point to purchase a unit here.”
Adrian Ito chimed in, “Mr. Wade, you’re welcome to come visit us anytime in the future. I’ll ask Tanaka-san to program your fingerprint into the lock system so you can make yourself at home. And if we’re not here, feel free to come up and enjoy the place to yourself for a while.”
Nana was taken aback, unsure whether to accept or politely decline the generous offer.
Sensing his hesitation, Tanaka swiftly interjected, “Mr. Wade, there’s really no need to go through the hassle of adding your fingerprints. The door password is simply Miss’s birthday.”
Nana glanced over at Adrian and suddenly realized how little he knew about her. Although they had known each other for quite some time, they never really had a chance to talk about their personal lives. Nana wasn’t one to fuss over birthdays, sometimes even forgetting to celebrate his own, and Adrian had never disclosed hers to him.
Adrian was aware that Nana had no clue when her birthday was.
Feeling a little bashful, she admitted, “Mr. Wade, my birthday only comes around once every four years…”
It suddenly clicked in Nana’s mind, and he exclaimed, “Ah, I know! February 29th!”
Adrian beamed at him, her eyes shining with affection. “You’re right! Do you want to know what year I was born?”
Nana quickly interjected, “No need, no need. I already know.”
Tanaka chimed in, chuckling, “Seems like Mr. Wade is already well-versed in the door password!”
At that moment, Yuhiko Ito’s younger sister, Emi, emerged with an impressive spread of Japanese cuisine. Clad in a beautiful kimono, she walked up to Nana and bowed respectfully with her hands clasped together.
“Mr. Wade, I’ve prepared the finest Japanese delicacies for you,” Emi declared. “From top-tier seafood like sea urchin, oysters, sea bream, and bluefin tuna, everything is of the highest quality and currently available in the Japanese market. I guarantee you’ll love it.”
Yuhiko Ito chimed in, a smile lighting up his face, “Mr. Wade, Emi is a master of sashimi. Her attention to detail when it comes to ingredients surpasses that of even the so-called Michelin three-star chefs. The ingredients she uses on a daily basis are likely beyond what those Michelin chefs could ever dream of encountering.”
Yuhiko Ito gestured towards the exquisite plate of tuna sashimi and explained to Jordan, “Mr. Wade, this sashimi is made from the meat of the bluefin tuna’s cheeks. This fish can fetch a staggering three million dollars at auction, but even a tiny amount of meat from its gills costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. When converted, a single slice of this fish can cost tens of thousands of dollars, making it a delicacy that not even the best Michelin-starred restaurants can procure.”
Yuhiko wasn’t exaggerating, in Japan’s luxurious society, the prices of top-tier products could soar to mind-boggling heights. The highest auction record for a bluefin tuna stood at several million dollars, and the majority of its meat typically ended up in high-end restaurants. It seemed that only a select few establishments could lay claim to this incredibly rare and exquisite ingredient.
While people could easily drop a few hundred dollars to taste this fish in a restaurant, it’s highly unlikely that the two gills of this quality would ever make it to a restaurant’s back kitchen.
It’s hard for most people to fathom why the ultra-rich indulge in such extreme extravagance. For them, the price tag of a meal’s ingredients was inconsequential, whether it’s tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
To them, the value of a bottle of wine that cost tens of thousands of dollars lied solely in the act of opening it. When people had that much wealth, spending exorbitant amounts of money became a trivial matter. It’s simply impossible to spend it all within a few lifetimes.
For most people, a meal that cost three to five hundred dollars could easily equate to a day or two’s wages. But for Yuhiko Ito, a man of staggering wealth, even a hundred thousand dollar meal would only amount to the interest earned from his bank account in a single day.
In other words, if he were to spend a hundred grand on a meal, the proportion of his expenditure to his total net worth would be equivalent to an ordinary person spending ten yuan on a bowl of vegetarian noodle soup.
Jordan, although also very wealthy, had never been one for extravagance. Money didn’t hold much meaning to him,.
After hearing Emi’s elaborate introduction, he simply nodded and smiled, “Ms. Ito, you’ve gone through a lot of trouble. I don’t need such fancy food; just some home-cooked meals would be more than enough for me.”
Adrian Ito flashed a smile and said, “These delicacies are prepared exclusively for Mr. Wade. Even if he never visits us again, my aunt will still make them for him. It’s just a matter of food cost, which can run into the millions of dollars. Frankly speaking, I don’t quite understand what he eats, and to me, it seems more like a gimmick than anything else.”
Yuhiko Ito chuckled and interjected, “Adrian, in this world, anything can be considered a Tao if you pursue it to the extreme…”
“Take ikebana, for instance. You have a passion for it, so you would do everything possible to buy the most expensive flowers. While a rose from a roadside stall might cost three to five yuan, top-quality cultivars selected from thousands of flowers can sell for tens of thousands. Combining them with the best tools and arranging them in the most elegant way becomes the way of flowers…”
“I may not know much about ikebana, but I do know about tea and food. While an ordinary person might just make a cup of tea with a tea bag and some milk, only the best tea leaves, tea sets, and brewing techniques can be considered the way of tea. And when it comes to food, I know that it means eating only the best ingredients and drinking the most expensive wine.”
Adrian Ito stuck her tongue out playfully and teased, “The best way to eat is to be greedy! You’re already greedy, so why bother talking so much?”
Yuhiko Ito let out a hearty laugh before reaching for a bottle of sake with the label ’14 Generations’ emblazoned on it.
Turning to Jordan, he explained, “Mr. Wade, this is not your ordinary sake. This is the creme de la creme of Shiwan wines, one in a million. Even the prime minister may not have the privilege of tasting it!”
Nana looked at him quizzically and asked, “Mr. Ito, what’s your opinion? Is this wine really that good?”
Yuhiko Ito pondered for a moment before responding with a serious tone, “Honestly, Mr. Wade, this sake tastes far worse than Coke. But it’s the essence of sake-making. Just like how wine made from rotten grapes isn’t as tasty as grape juice, it’s still the quintessence.”
He poured Nana a glass of sake and smiled, “But, Mr. Wade, even though the taste may not be great, the feeling of being slightly drunk is something special. Let’s have Tanaka join us, so we can enjoy drinking and chatting together!”
Jordan, Yuhiko Ito, and Tanaka Hiroshi clinked glasses as Adrian poured more wine for Milos. It was amusing to see that Adrian only poured wine for Jordan, Emi only poured for Yuhiko Ito, and Tanaka only poured for himself.
To Jordan, the so-called top-quality sake wasn’t very enjoyable. Other than the pure rice fragrance, it lacked flavor. If he wanted to feel even a little tipsy, he needed something with at least 40% alcohol. To him, drinking sake was no different from drinking tap water. However, since Yuhiko Ito had brought it all the way, Nana felt obliged to give it his approval.
He also had nothing but praise for the top-quality seafood sashimi prepared by Emi. But, in reality, he believed that sashimi had no taste. All he was really tasting was the different types of fish.
After indulging in the top-quality seafood sashimi and sake, Nana bid farewell to Yuhiko Ito and his family. Although he was full of praise for the exquisite dishes, he couldn’t help but think to himself that sashimi had no real taste and was more of a vessel for soy sauce and wasabi. It was akin to hot pot, where the true flavor came from the dipping sauce and the broth.
After their lunch, Nana couldn’t forget his promise to visit Deana, so he bid farewell to the Ito family and drove to his old house. Though he had indulged in a lot of sake, he used reiki to remove all the alcohol from his system before setting off.
