Builders' Boulevard

For Lot # 07

Hirano – Traditional Farming Family

Yuuna – Elder

Kiyoshi – Yuuna’s step-son and head of household

Haruka – Kiyoshi’s wife and mother to his growing family

Shiori – Kiyoshi and Haruka’s first daughter

Tomomi – Kiyoshi and Haruka’s second daughter

Emi – Kiyoshi and Haruk’s third daughter

? – Does Haruka’s nausea mean a son finally? Or daughter number four? Or just that the food she ate was bad?

Yuuna should have been an empress, or so she had told herself from hearing her first tale of the imperial family. But Yuuna had been born into a small impoverished farming family. As a child she would escape into the wide outdoors to live out her fantasies as a ruling monarch of all thecreatures she ran across. In reality as the fifth daughter she grew up doing the back breaking work of planting and harvesting in the fields. Her life of family servitude was all but set when she grew into a teenager and the some what ugly duckling emerged as a swan. Her once seemingly sealed fate as a future spinster took a turn for the unexpected when the third son of the neighboring Hirano family lost his wife in child birth and looked for a surrogate mother for his newborn son. In less than a week she found her father had arranged the marriage. Now suddenly she was saddled with an aging husband she cared nothing for and a crying baby which she disliked immensely, Yuuna however was basically good at heart and did her best to settle in and run the household. Now with her husband dead and her step son married, Yuuna sits back and expects her daughter-in-law to wait on her hand and foot in a way she always thought she should have beenaccustomed and never lifts a finger to help with her grand children. Instead Yuuna still escapes outside the house into the comforts of the outdoors where her realm waits.

Kiyoshi has rethought his promise to his father over a thousand times, as on his death bed he let Kiyoshi know that Yuuna was not his real mother. But even in death his father had wanted to assure her position would not be changed and Kiyoshi had promised not tell anyone that he knew. But as Yuuna became older and more and more bitter it was harder and harder to keep that promise. As the only son, the farm had passed into his care on the death of his father. Still at that time a young Man he had immediately recognized his need for help. One day as he took his wares to the market he noticed a petite teenage girl behind a counter wielding a cooking knife faster than he had ever seen before. She had looked up and smiled at him briefly and then returned toher work. It was love at first sight for Kiyoshi. In fact he almost forgot why he had come to the market at all. Over the next several weeks he visited the market at every chance he could and watched her from afar. Finally he got up the nerve to speak to the fishmonger that owned the booth. After a brief conversation it was agreed upon that in the spring, after her next birthday, they could be married. It was then that he learned her name was Haruka. Now that it was settled he let his natural abilities take over as he prepared his fields for the spring planting.

Haruka smiled when her father told her of the business the young man had approached him with. She knew he must have been quite convincing to have sold her father on the idea so quickly. Finally the day for her marriage came and after the brief ceremony she brought with her the clothes on her back, two fish, and a small bundle of kitchen knives that had been her mother’s. The walk to the farm had been long but Kiyoshi kept her entertained with tales of his childhood and of the neighbors surrounding them.She was happy to be getting away from the busy market and into the solitude of farm life. Apart from his fields Kiyoshi promised to build her a small kitchen garden for her own use. What he didn’t tell her was about her mother-in-law Yuuna and her demanding ways, nor did he tell her his plans for a large family as perhaps he sensed either would send her running.

Haruka settled into the farm life quickly and almost immediately became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The child’s name was Shiori. As Shiori grew she followed in her mother’s footsteps and learned her way around the kitchen. She also would volunteer to do any errands that required a trip to town. What she didn’t tell anyone was each time she went into town she would find a way to slip into the local book sellers stall at the market. Sometimes she would even ‘borrow’ books and take them into the town garden to try to learn to read, always returning them when she was through. She has now grown into a teenager. She helps her mother in the kitchen but still sneaks away to the bookseller in town. Her greatest fear is that aman will take notice of her and approach her father.

It was not long after Shiori’s birth that Tomomi was born. As a toddler Tomomi would crawl behind her father and mother into the garden and fields. She also watched as Haruka tried to stretch every bit of money that the produce brought in, in an effort to appease her Grandmother Yuuna. Tomomi grew into a lovely child, helping in the fields and making friends wherever she went.

No sooner had Tomomi started to walk but Haruka found herself pregnant again. Her third daughter was named Emi and she is a good little girl who enjoys the sun and clean air of the outdoors. Often she is found at her mothers feet as Haruka works in her kitchen garden.

By now Kiyoshi had given up on a son and had contented himself to adopt an heir, preferably through the marriage of his elder daughter. But just that morning he had noticed Haruka in the familiar position retching in the garden. Did he dare to hope he had another chance? He turned with a smile and whistled as he headed to the fields to work.

(I'll post the link when I upload them.)

bulfrog,

you've done it again, great story, love reading your stories you put so much detail into them.

keep up the good work

T

*blush* Thank you.

I'm glad you are enjoying them. I guess I'm sort of using them as pseudo promo's for those lots. I figured some builders might like to build for a story, sort of like some of the BnS challenges.

That is an awesome story.  I'm not as creative when it comes to storytelling.  Definitiely cool.

absolutely, I love building lots for a well told family story

I will link them in the lots list I think

cheers

Thank you very much Gillian!

And Tota you are making me blush again. I have three more in the works. I thought this would be a good way to contribute since I will most likely not be able to do a build. You should see me running home a lunch and bringing up the CAS to check which traits are availabe when and making notes on hairstyles etc.

And Here they are!

Please ignore the "store item" bed it says they have... there wasn't even one of those in the house I was raising their skills in. /sigh

They look great

Rec'ed and fav'ed

Thanks

As you go through their outfits you will see some fabric repeated on different characters. I figured they would be a family that would use what they had in left overs and hand me downs. I had a lot of fun making them.

I've volunteered to do the lot for this family! I luv the family and thanks bulfrog for doing a story, it's really inspired me!

You are most welcome. I can't wait to see what you come up with.