Because of Onizuka earlier, the people inside the house were terrified. Now, seeing another stranger walk in, they were startled again.
However, Liu Ming's appearance and attire were clearly much better than Onizuka's, and he didn't look like a bad person.
But the two of them had just experienced such a thing and had no mind to compare; they only knew that another stranger had broken into their house.
"Who are you? What's your relationship with that person just now? Don't think we're really easy to bully," Nanako's father said angrily.
"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm just bringing Nanako the dinner I promised her," Liu Ming said with a kind face, raising the large clay pot in his hand.
He explained as he walked, "The person just now is my childhood friend. Although he meant well, he did cause you a little trouble. Consider this as his apology."
Liu Ming gently placed the large clay pot on the table.
"That wasn't 'a little trouble'; he smashed a big hole in our wall!" Nanako's father was quite angry. He thought Liu Ming was trying to dismiss the matter as if nothing happened, which was out of the question.
"Oh well~ As long as everyone's alright, isn't that good? It's just a hole; put a piece of paper over it and you won't see it," Liu Ming calmly offered a solution, which infuriated the other party.
Nanako, fearing that the two would argue and cause problems, quickly ran to stand between them. She looked curiously at the large clay pot on the table and asked, "Big Brother Liu, what is this?"
"Hmph," seeing his daughter chatting and laughing with the other party, Nanako's father immediately snorted in displeasure.
"Husband," Nanako's mother stood beside him, her gaze on Liu Ming.
"Then I'll open it, okay?" Nanako took the insulated gloves Liu Ming handed her and slowly opened the lid of the pot.
"sukiyaki!" Nanako's eyes lit up, and she cried out in surprise. She had only mentioned her past to Liu Ming once, and she hadn't expected him to remember it and even specifically make it for her. A wave of emotion welled up in her heart.
"Hmph, who knows if there's poison in it." Nanako's father completely disbelieved Liu Ming's good intentions.
Liu Ming glanced at him, reached into his pocket, took out a business card, placed it gently on the table, and said, "This is the address of my restaurant. Your family is welcome to dine there."
He did this for another reason: if they had any problems after eating these things, they could always come to him.
"Big Brother Liu, are you leaving?" Nanako, seeing Liu Ming preparing to depart, quickly called out to him.
"Onizuka is still waiting for me outside," Liu Ming said, then looked at Nanako's parents.
He thought for a moment and decided to offer them a reminder: "I hope you both seriously consider the reason why you work so hard to earn money. Don't forget your original intention because of the outcome; that would be a net loss."
Then he gave Nanako a meaningful look, "Don't wait until you've lost it to regret it. By then, it will be too late."
"What do you mean by that?"
Liu Ming, however, ignored him and walked straight out.
"Big Brother Liu, I'll see you off." Nanako quickly ran to Liu Ming's side.
Just as they walked out the door, Liu Ming turned to Nanako and said, "You should go back quickly, or your parents will worry."
"Okay, thank you so much for tonight," Nanako said with a smile.
Nanako returned to the house and saw her parents standing by the table, looking at the sukiyaki pot.
Nanako's father actually wanted to throw it away, but smelling the aroma wafting through the air, he felt a little reluctant.
Nanako happily ran between them, gently took their arms, and said, "Since Big Brother Liu brought it, let's try it."
Nanako's father turned his head away but didn't say anything in opposition.
"Alright, let's try it. It's been a long time since we've had sukiyaki together," Nanako's mother said after a moment of hesitation.
At this moment, Nanako's family no longer cared about the hole in the wall. The three of them sat down, surrounding the pot.
"I'm going to eat," Nanako said, picking up a piece of beef, gently blowing on it to cool it, and then putting it into her mouth.
"This beef is too tender, and why is the flavor so rich, even after being stewed? And what is this feeling? Why is it so familiar?"
To find the reason for that familiar feeling, her mind involuntarily sank into thought.
Then she saw a scene from her childhood: her family eating sukiyaki together.
Father, Mother, and her, a family gathered around a small table, with happy expressions on everyone's faces.
Unconsciously, she cried again, but this time, it was tears of emotion.
Not only her, but her parents as well. Their expressions were full of nostalgia, and the smiles on their faces were more genuine.
They remembered the things they had forgotten.
Didn't they work so hard back then to give their family a good life? Now their living conditions had indeed improved, but relatively, the family didn't seem as happy as they had imagined.
Why was that?
At this moment, they couldn't help but think of Liu Ming's words before he left.
They seemed to have truly forgotten their original intention.
The three of them savored the large pot of sukiyaki for a full two hours.
Afterward, although the parents didn't say anything, Nanako noticed that their attitudes towards each other had significantly improved, and the matter of the hole was never brought up again.
Meanwhile, Liu Ming was driving his car, with Onizuka as his passenger.
"You saw it, if you continue to be a teacher, you'll definitely encounter such things again in the future. Even so, you're not planning to give up?" Liu Ming asked Onizuka calmly.
"Is that even a question? I'm destined to become the world's number one teacher. Such a small matter won't stop me," Onizuka said proudly, patting his chest, having recovered his spirits.
"You really dare to say that. But if you really encounter it again in the future, don't come looking for me. I don't want to deal with such bothersome things again," Liu Ming glared at him, giving him a heads-up.
"How can that be? You're our strategist! If I don't come to you, should I go to Ryuji, that brute?"
Onizuka shook his head repeatedly. He wasn't stupid; there was no way he would listen to Liu Ming.
"Do you have the right to say that? You seem even more violent than Ryuji. As a teacher, you don't even spare your own students," Liu Ming said.
"No way, you still remember that? I've already forgotten it myself. Besides, I did it for their own good, didn't I? Look, aren't they all worshipping me now? Every single one of them respects me so much at school," Onizuka said proudly.
"Heh heh, don't you have any self-awareness?" Liu Ming rolled his eyes at him.