"Oh no, Brother Xiaobei! My mom has gone missing, I... I looked everywhere earlier, but I couldn't find her. I..."

Nanako Haruno, frantic, blurted this out as she ran over...

Before she could finish, Nanako Haruno couldn't continue because at that moment, she saw her mom, Rei Haruno, standing radiantly next to Hu Xiaobei, smiling tenderly at her.

"Mom, you... you're awake! I thought I had lost you!"

After recovering from her surprise, Nanako Haruno breathed a sigh of relief!

She had really been scared a moment ago.

Because after she returned to her mom's room, she didn't see her there...

"Yes! I just woke up a little while ago."

As she spoke, Rei Haruno turned her head and blinked her watery eyes as she looked at Hu Xiaobei.

Hu Xiaobei, under Rei Haruno's gaze, couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.

Because at that moment, Hu Xiaobei was reminded of the previous flirtations between them.

At the same time, Hu Xiaobei began to feel relieved, thankful that he hadn't flirted more, or it would have been extremely awkward now...

...

Seeing Hu Xiaobei's embarrassed demeanor, the corners of Rei Haruno's mouth slightly lifted.

Quickly, she turned her head to look at her daughter and softly said, "Sweetheart, Mom is a bit hungry. Have you finished cooking?"

"Yes. I just made some plain noodles. Let's both you and Brother Xiaobei have some."

Nanako Haruno knew her mother's condition wasn't suitable for eating anything too greasy, so she had simply made some plain noodles in the kitchen.

"Alright, let's go together!"

And so, Hu Xiaobei walked out with them...

...

At the dining table, Hu Xiaobei stared at the plain noodles, feeling a tad bored.

In that instant, Hu Xiaobei spoke up, "Auntie, do you have any cucumbers? I'll prepare one to complement our meal!"

"Cucumbers? I don't think we have any left!"

Upon hearing Rei Haruno's words, Nanako Haruno spoke, "Yeah, we don't. I also thought about fixing a cucumber earlier, to serve with it, but there wasn't any in the fridge."

"Oh, never mind then!"

While speaking, Hu Xiaobei picked up his chopsticks...

Just then, Hu Xiaobei heard Rei Haruno speak again, "Right, there are a few cucumber plants in the backyard, I'll go check if there are any good ones."

Hearing Rei Haruno's words, Hu Xiaobei quickly stood up, "Auntie, the backyard is unsafe, let me go instead."

Hu Xiaobei knew she was weak at the moment, and besides, there were poisonous snakes in the backyard.

If he let her go there, she might even get bitten.

"That would be kind of you, Xiaobei!"

Hearing Rei Haruno's polite words, Hu Xiaobei couldn't help but glance briefly at her trembling bosom and said, "Auntie, you don't have to be formal with me."

With that, Hu Xiaobei stood up and headed straight for the backyard...

"That little bastard, his eyes are still so sharp!"

After Hu Xiaobei had left, Rei Haruno muttered softly...

...

In the backyard, Hu Xiaobei's lips twitched slightly...

Previously, Hu Xiaobei was curious about why there were snakes here...

Now, Hu Xiaobei was no longer curious.

Because the grass here was knee-deep...

So, it was normal for there to be snakes...

Rubbing his nose, Hu Xiaobei quickly walked through the grass...

Soon, Hu Xiaobei found the cucumber trellis they had mentioned, not far ahead in a corner...

In that moment, Hu Xiaobei was just dumbfounded...

The reason he was so stunned was that he found the cucumber plants on the trellis were completely withered!

"It seems they really don't have time to take care of these usually!"

Mumbling this, Hu Xiaobei prepared to turn around and leave.

Hu Xiaobei knew it was impossible to find fresh cucumbers on such withered plants, so staying here was pointless.

After walking a few steps, Hu Xiaobei suddenly stopped.

Because at that moment, Hu Xiaobei remembered he was an expert in botany.

"Why leave when I have Nine Wood True Qi?"

After muttering this, Hu Xiaobei quickly walked back.

Soon, Hu Xiaobei squatted in front of the cucumber trellis.

"This is more than bad, it's downright terrible!"

After scrutinizing closely for a few moments, Hu Xiaobei gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose...

These cucumber seedlings, let alone blooming and bearing fruit, surviving at all is a problem!

Hu Xiaobei knew that their condition was partly due to lack of care and partly because of the poor soil quality here.

Simply put, the soil here hardly had any nutrients.

Hu Xiaobei knew that was a major problem across Japan.

Having identified the cause, Hu Xiaobei squeezed the roots of these yellowing cucumber seedlings.

After squeezing them, Hu Xiaobei gradually infused them with Nine Wood True Qi from his body.

After the infusion, Hu Xiaobei saw the yellow cucumber seedlings slowly start to grow, and soon, they were getting bigger and bigger...

Seeing them start to flower, Hu Xiaobei smiled.

He soon looked forward to them with some anticipation!

"Once they mature, they can really taste how these cucumbers are, and by then, they'll probably swallow their own tongues!"

Thinking this, Hu Xiaobei looked at the deep green cucumbers...

Under Hu Xiaobei's gaze, the cucumbers slowly got bigger.

After they matured, Hu Xiaobei plucked two cucumbers and walked back with a beaming smile.

...

In the kitchen, after washing the cucumbers, Hu Xiaobei began to prepare smashed cucumbers!

Hu Xiaobei wasn't good at cooking, but as far as he was concerned, smashing a cucumber was doable.

After all, it was very simple!

As Hu Xiaobei started to smash the cucumbers, a strong fragrance wafted into the living room.

Nanako sniffed slightly and excitedly said, "Mom, do you smell it? What a delicious smell!"

Hearing Haruno Nanako excitedly speak, Haruno Rei softly said, "Daughter, did you smell it too? I thought I was imagining things!"

"I thought it was an illusion too, because I've never smelled such delicious cucumber before!"

Hearing Haruno Nanako's words, Haruno Rei muttered softly, "Could Xiaobei really have found cucumbers? But that's impossible! The cucumber seedlings in our backyard have all withered!"

"That's what I'm saying!"

Just a while ago, after Hu Xiaobei had left, they remembered that the cucumber seedlings they had planted in the backyard had already withered.

Remembering this, they wanted to remind Hu Xiaobei...

But thinking about the danger of the backyard, they dared not!

In their eyes, Hu Xiaobei would come back once he saw that the cucumber seedlings had withered.

But now, they were actually smelling a delicious cucumber fragrance.

This made them think it was an illusion.

...

At that moment, the cucumber scent they smelled was getting stronger...

At the same time, they also heard footsteps getting closer.

Quickly turning their heads, they saw Hu Xiaobei come over with a plate of smashed cucumbers, smiling warmly.

The entrancing fragrance was coming from that plate of cucumbers...

"Xiaobei brother, where did you get these cucumbers from?"

"Exactly!"

Hearing their astonished questions, Hu Xiaobei rubbed his nose, somewhat grumbled, "You still have the nerve to ask! You planted cucumbers and didn't take care of them! Now, they were about to die!"

Hearing Hu Xiaobei's words, they blushed slightly and softly said, "This... we were just busy!"

"Busy? That's just an excuse!"

After saying that, Hu Xiaobei placed the plate of cucumbers he was holding onto the table.

After setting it down, Hu Xiaobei said, "Try it, I cultivated these! I think you'll definitely like them!"

Hearing Hu Xiaobei's words, they turned to look at the plate of cucumbers he had placed on the table.

Soon, a hint of hesitation flashed across their faces!

They noticed that the cucumbers smelled great but looked really unappealing.

Seeing them hesitantly picking up their chopsticks, Hu Xiaobei's mouth twitched slightly with embarrassment.

Previously, Hu Xiaobei thought smashing a cucumber was very simple.

But when he actually started, he realized it was much harder than he had imagined.

That's why the smashed cucumbers he made... they looked quite unappealing...

After a while, seeing they were still hesitant to start eating, Hu Xiaobei coughed and said, "I know the appearance is a bit off, but I assure you, the taste is great. You should give it a try!"

"The appearance is off? It's way beyond just off!"

"Exactly!"

Hearing their comments, Hu Xiaobei's face fell...

Soon, Hu Xiaobei murmured softly, "Is being this honest really necessary?"

Hearing Hu Xiaobei's frustrated remark, they burst into giggles...

Quickly, they picked up a piece of cucumber and put it in their mouths...

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