The sun began to set, its afterglow illuminating Konoha Village.
"Uncle Renye, is my sweet and sour pork ready yet?"
Tsunade pulled open the kitchen's paper sliding door, stood on her tiptoes, and peered over the doorframe, her large eyes filled with anticipation.
Her favorite dish was the sweet and sour pork made by Renye.
Perhaps because children generally liked sweets, Tsunade had no resistance to sweet foods.
Ever since she had it once, she couldn't stop thinking about the sweet and sour pork.
Hashirama's tall figure enveloped Tsunade, and he stretched his neck to look inside, mimicking her, "It smells so good! Is it almost ready?"
Uzumaki Mito saw the two figures, one large and one small, and a scolding expression appeared on her face, "It'll be ready soon."
"Aunt Mito, please take these out first," Renye said, pointing to the dishes already prepared on the table.
"Okay." Before Mito could even move, Hashirama happily came to the table, "Mito, let me help you."
With that, he picked up two plates of food and left the kitchen.
"Hahaha, these are all my favorites! Renye, you're so thoughtful!"
Uzumaki Mito smiled slightly and followed, carrying the dishes.
Tsunade didn't leave; she went to Renye and tugged on his pant leg.
"Uncle Renye, where's my sweet and sour pork?"
Seeing Tsunade's pitiful expression, Renye felt his heart almost melt.
This girl was almost too cute!
"Don't worry, I'll make it for you right away." Renye put the food from the pan onto a plate, then immediately began preparing the sweet and sour pork.
He first cut fresh pork loin into even strips, placed them in a bowl, cracked an egg into it, and sprinkled salt, pepper, and cooking wine.
He gently mixed it with his hands, allowing the meat to fully absorb the aroma of the marinade.
While doing this, he poured oil into the pan.
Then, he added an appropriate amount of starch to the bowl with the meat, kneading it repeatedly until each piece of meat was evenly coated with a thin layer of powder.
White smoke gradually rose from the oil pan, and when it reached six-tenths hot, Renye carefully placed the meat strips one by one into the pan.
With a sizzling sound, the meat slowly became crispy in the hot oil.
After the first fry, he removed the meat to drain the oil, and when the oil temperature rose to eight-tenths hot, he fried it a second time.
This time, the pork loin's surface became even crispier, emitting an enticing aroma.
Renye quickly prepared the sweet and sour sauce; for delicious sweet and sour pork, this sauce was key.
In a bowl, he successively added balsamic vinegar, white sugar, light soy sauce, ketchup, and a little water, stirring evenly with chopsticks to ensure all ingredients were fully blended.
Subsequently, he washed the pan, added minced garlic and ginger slices to sauté until fragrant, and when the aroma filled the air, he poured in the prepared sweet and sour sauce.
The sauce in the pan began to bubble, and its color became increasingly vibrant and bright red.
He sprinkled in a spoonful of starch water to thicken it, making the sauce progressively richer.
Finally, Renye poured the golden pork loin into the pan and stir-fried it quickly.
This portion of sweet and sour pork was now complete.
"Uncle Renye, I want to eat, I want to eat!" Tsunade was practically drooling.
Seeing this, Renye was a little helpless and picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork for Tsunade.
The greedy girl didn't care if it was hot and began eating, huffing and puffing.
"Let's go, time to eat." Renye picked up the food and called Tsunade to leave.
Seeing that dinner was served, Tsunade quickly followed.
Although Uncle Renye's sweet and sour pork was delicious, the other food was also tasty!
She couldn't possibly give up other foods for just one, could she?
...
"Has Tobirama not arrived yet?"
At the dinner table, Uzumaki Mito inquired.
"It looks like he won't be able to make it," Renye said. "I've already packed his portion; I'll send it to him later."
"Hahaha, Tobirama really missed out on a good meal," Hashirama laughed, picking up a piece of sweet and sour pork and putting it in his mouth, instantly narrowing his eyes in enjoyment.
"Grandpa, you're stealing my food again!" Tsunade pouted, her cheeks puffed out in anger.
This sweet and sour pork was something she specifically asked Uncle Renye to make for her!
"Hahaha, Tsunade, don't be angry, try this." Hashirama smiled and picked up a dish for Tsunade with his chopsticks.
Seeing this, Tsunade finally relented.
"You've worked hard, Renye." Uzumaki Mito picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it in Renye's bowl.
"Aunt Mito, you're too kind," Renye said.
The twilight filtered through the paper windows, casting dappled light on the four people and one cat.
Tsunade ate until her cheeks were bulging, and she still wouldn't let anyone take the remaining sweet and sour pork from the table and put it into her bowl.
"Meow meow meow~" The Tanuki Flower rubbed against Tsunade's feet, constantly nuzzling her.
Tsunade looked a little reluctant, but still fed a piece of sweet and sour pork to the Tanuki Flower.
Hashirama talked about his younger days while eating.
Renye and Mito listened quietly, occasionally adding a few words.
The family enjoyed the delicious meal together, with laughter constantly filling the table.
Hokage Office.
Senju Tobirama stared grimly at the mountain of documents piled on his desk.
He had finally managed to process the documents before dinner and was just about to pack up and go to his elder brother's house for a meal.
But as soon as he stood up, his assistant came in carrying another pile of documents.
The thought of his elder brother enjoying a luxurious meal at home while he was stuck here miserably dealing with documents made his blood boil.
"No, I need to eat!" Senju Tobirama muttered to himself.
After all, documents could be handled anytime, but a luxurious feast wasn't something one got to eat often.
Senju Tobirama, who was usually diligent and responsible, had the idea of skipping work to eat.
"Forget it, I'll just leave it to a Shadow Clone."
Actually, for handling documents, he preferred to do it himself and was reluctant to use a Shadow Clone to be lazy.
But the current situation was special, and he had no choice but to use a Shadow Clone.
After performing the hand signs to summon a Shadow Clone, he left the Hokage Office.
Only the Shadow Clone remained, sitting at the desk, processing documents.
...
"Elder Brother, I'm not too late, am I!"
Senju Tobirama entered the house and saw that there was still plenty of food on the table, instantly sighing in relief.
Good thing he arrived in time; any later and he would have only been able to eat leftovers.
"Tobirama, you're late," Hashirama said.
Tobirama pulled out a chair and sat down; a bowl and chopsticks were already set before him, clearly prepared in advance.
"Elder Brother, I couldn't help it, there was too much to do."
He was more excited for this feast than anyone; if he hadn't been so busy, he would have been there already.
Senju Hashirama nodded and picked up a chicken drumstick for Tobirama.
"You've worked hard, Tobirama."
Tobirama nodded, said nothing more, and began to eat.
Renye saw that much of the food had been eaten and worried that Tobirama wouldn't have enough.
So he took out a food container from the kitchen and placed it in front of Tobirama.
"Uncle, I thought you wouldn't be coming for dinner, so I already packed it."
Tobirama subconsciously opened the food container, and a look of relief flashed across his face as he saw the various dishes inside.
This kid actually thought to pack it for him in advance...
Uzumaki Mito saw this scene, turned to Hashirama, and smiled, "Hashirama, Tobirama and Renye get along very well."