Gourds Aren't Just for Eating, They Can Also Be Used for Scrubbing; The Feeling of Being Cherished

"Huh? Steamed rice? You can steam rice?"

Kushina still did not know how to cook, so she looked rather confused and clueless at the moment.

"You can, but it takes a bit of skill." Liuyun patiently explained it to her.

"The rice smells so good, and the meat smells so good. With these two together, I feel like I don't even need anything else..."

Kushina was very satisfied with the pig trotter rice, her little cheeks puffed out as she ate.

"Try this dish..."

Liuyun smiled and pointed at the green vegetables on the plate.

"Okay!"

Kushina swallowed a mouthful of rice, took a sip of chilled fruit juice, then nodded with a smile.

"This looks like some kind of gourd! Stir-fried gourd with shrimp?"

She picked up a slice of the stir-fried gourd, its thick sauce making her appetite surge.

"So tender, so fresh and sweet!"

Though it was clearly a savory dish, Kushina found it unusually sweet on the palate.

The angled luffa itself became fresh and sweet after being stir-fried over high heat. After absorbing the flavor of the shrimp, it became even fresher and sweeter!

"What kind of gourd is this?"

Kushina picked up several more slices in a row. She felt that this thing went even better with rice than braised pig trotters.

"Hehe..."

Liuyun could not help laughing out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Kushina looked utterly bewildered.

"What do you use to scrub yourself when bathing?"

"Why are you asking that?" Kushina felt a little embarrassed.

"Didn't you want to know what kind of gourd this is? Then tell me what you use to scrub yourself..."

As Liuyun spoke, he scooped up a spoonful of the stir-fried gourd's sauce and poured it over his rice.

"What does that have to do with anything? I use a luffa sponge... Huh? You're saying this is luffa???"

Kushina's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

"Mm, more precisely, it's a ridged luffa..."

"Y-You... how did you make it like this? Why doesn't it have any grassy smell at all?"

Luffa had a very strong grassy odor. It was not as if Kushina had never eaten it before; after trying it once, she regretted it.

Why did Liuyun's plate of stir-fried luffa not have the slightest grassy smell? It was even so fresh, sweet, and delicious—perfect with rice!

"Is it because of the shrimp?" Kushina asked proactively.

"No, the shrimp only enhances the freshness..."

"First, blanch it in boiling water to remove the odor, then stir-fry it over high heat. The heat has to be strong enough..." Liuyun revealed the key trick.

"High heat transforms the odor into a fresh, sweet flavor."

Kushina was completely lost, but she instinctively felt that Liuyun was amazing.

He seemed to know almost everything!

"You... you're really cool!" she could not help praising him.

This coolness was not limited to his appearance; it included every other aspect of him as well.

A bright gleam flickered in Kushina's eyes. She felt that Liuyun was practically the legendary hidden gem of a guy!

"Hmph hmph..."

Liuyun let out a slightly smug hum.

Just as the two were enjoying their meal, Liuyun suddenly whipped his head around to look out the window.

It was completely empty. There was nothing there.

Who was it?

Liuyun could sense a faint feeling of being watched. If his senses had not been wrong, someone should have been outside the window just now.

He did not chase after them, because if no one was there, chasing out would be pointless. And if someone had been there...

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

An ordinary person could not possibly have such fast reaction speed. If someone had been outside just now, then it had to have been a ninja!

Beneath the window, Tsunade was crouching halfway to the ground, her exquisite face filled with shock.

He... noticed me? It must have been a coincidence!

As an Elite Jonin, having her presence discovered by an elementary school student who had not even graduated yet? It was simply unbelievable.

Grandma Mito Uzumaki noticed Kushina acting strangely and felt a little worried, afraid something might happen to her. So, she had Tsunade come over to take a look...

Tsunade had never expected that little girl Kushina to be so bold that she actually dared to go to a boy's house for dinner!

She had been happily peeking from outside when that little brat suddenly pulled that stunt, scaring the wits out of her...

Even now, her poor heart was still pounding wildly!

After moving away from the window, Tsunade let out a long breath. She no longer had any desire to keep spying on them. As long as Kushina was fine, that was all that mattered.

At the same time, she planned to have someone investigate that little brat's background after she got back.

Kushina had already been lured to his home. If he tricked her a few more times... wouldn't that be terrible?

"W-Wait... I'm full... Don't give me any more rice..."

Kushina waved her hands repeatedly. She had already eaten two huge bowls of white rice. If she kept going, she really would stop looking ladylike...

Who ate this much the first time they visited someone else's home? Even if the food was delicious, she couldn't eat too much...

What if she scared him?

What if he thought she was a huge glutton?

What if he never cooked for her again, or... thought he couldn't afford to feed her?

"Eat... It's the last bowl. If you don't eat it, I'll have to throw it away. You wouldn't want my effort to go to waste, right?"

"I'm responsible for cooking, so you'll have to be responsible for eating..."

As Liuyun spoke, he filled her completely empty rice bowl with white rice.

She had licked the bowl cleaner than a dog ever could. How could Liuyun believe she was full...

Most people in the ninja world had enormous appetites, especially children with special constitutions.

"Ah... th-then... okay... I'll... I'll have one last bowl!"

Liuyun handed the heaping bowl of rice to her, then refilled the large cup of sweet-and-sour fruit juice in front of Kushina.

Watching this, Kushina suddenly felt that Brother Liuyun was just far too considerate!

An embarrassingly shameful thought even surfaced in her heart...

"Want some pig trotter? It's really good to gnaw on!"

Liuyun took out half a small pig trotter from the pot, gnawing on it as he tempted Kushina.

Seeing Liuyun disregard table manners and eat with his hands, while making the food look so delicious, she somehow relaxed as well.

"Then... just a little..."

Kushina said quietly.

The next moment, Liuyun placed most of a pig trotter from the pot in front of her.

"Just grab it with your hands and gnaw on it. You don't need to be shy at my place..."

"When was I shy..."

Kushina muttered softly, then copied Liuyun and began gnawing on it with great relish.

After three large bowls of white rice, two large cups of juice, and every last bit of the other dishes had been swept clean, Kushina finally patted her round belly in satisfaction and declared that she truly couldn't eat another bite...

"Next time, I'll cook more dishes for you..." Liuyun said seriously.

In southern China, when treating guests to a meal, having all the food eaten clean was considered quite discourteous.

He truly hadn't expected Kushina to eat so much... Her appetite was even bigger than his...

There had been enough rice, but it seemed there had been a little too few dishes.

Kushina had actually eaten to her heart's content and was completely full, but Liuyun still retained some of his old habits as a host and felt that he had not done well enough...

"Mm-hm!"

Kushina did not catch the hidden meaning, but her eyes crinkled into happy crescents.

To her, being kept in Brother Liuyun's thoughts was already an immense happiness!

She felt wonderful in Liuyun's home. Aside from her initial nervousness, once she relaxed, she immediately felt incomparably at ease. It was far more comfortable than staying at the Senju Clan Grounds.