345. A Temporary Departure from Home
“Hey! Slow down, slow down! Ouch~”
Just back from tutoring class, Black Bean perked up her ears, causing her hat to tilt as her cat ears popped out. She turned to the door and called out, “Mom! Sister’s home!”
Mom was in the kitchen helping Uncle when she heard Black Bean’s shout. Wiping her wet hands, she stormed out with an unimpressed face, “Every day just messing around outside with Wen Yang!”
Her daughter hadn’t slept at home for several days!
They already had a catgirl in the house, and in ten months, they might have to add a baby to take care of!
Talk about a life of hard labor!
As Mom entered the living room, she saw the door swing open, and Ning Chu limped in, supported by Wen Yang.
Goodness, how wild was last night?
Even a succubus couldn’t handle it?
Ning Chu noticed the peculiar look from her mother, her face quickly turning beet red. “I twisted my ankle on the way back!”
You could practically guess what mom was thinking!
“Oh~” Mom showed no intention of apologizing for the misunderstanding, crossing her arms and shooting a disapproving glare at Ning Chu. “You’re so careless walking.”
“Isn’t it Wen Yang’s fault?!”
“???”
Wen Yang looked confused for a moment. “It’s my fault, my fault.”
“How serious is it?”
“I took her to the community hospital, nothing major,” he said, responding to his future mother-in-law’s inquiry. “She should be fine in half a day.”
Mom nodded lightly, “Get ready; dinner is almost ready.”
“Sis! You promised to bring me food~”
Ning Chu, limping toward the bathroom, had Black Bean cheerfully trotting alongside her, helping her with an arm.
“Isn’t it time to eat? And it was Wen Yang who said he’d bring you food, not me.”
She grinned her way to the sink, washed her hands, and dried her face. When she looked up, she found Black Bean still hovering nearby, not off seeking snacks from Wen Yang.
“What’s up?”
“Afraid you’ll fall~” Black Bean looked down at Ning Chu’s ankle, “Does it hurt?”
“Not really, as long as I don’t put pressure on it.”
After raising this silly cat for so long, finally, a little reward!
Ning Chu patted Black Bean’s head reassuringly, “Let’s go eat.”
She turned to walk to the kitchen, but after a couple of steps, suddenly felt something was off. She looked back to see Black Bean mimicking her limping gait.
Her bl**d pressure shot up!
She angrily raised her hand as if to swat at the cat, and Black Bean dashed into the kitchen in a panic.
“What are you doing~”
Although it was barely past nine when they left their rental apartment, they had dawdled long enough that it was already eleven-thirty when they got home—just in time for a meal.
Uncle’s cooking was up to par as always, and as long as Uncle was around, the food at home was bound to be good.
It wasn’t that Mom was stingy; it’s just that Uncle often brought his own ingredients.
Today’s dining table boasted two garlic-prawn little lobsters that weighed barely half a pound each—not too pricey at one hundred fifty for both, especially since Ning Chu had just wasted a hundred bucks on a useless cup the other day.
Turns out these last few days, she herself had become the cup…
“Have you packed your luggage? Aren’t you going to your classmate’s house this afternoon?”
“I’ll pack after dinner.”
Ning Chu was focused on wrestling with the lobster, not even looking up as she replied.
“Be polite when you go to your classmate’s; don’t behave like at home, like an old man.” Mom cautioned her daughter.
“Don’t worry, my classmate’s the only one at home; her parents are out of town. I heard they won’t be back until New Year.”
“That sounds kind of sad.”
Ning Chu’s lips twitched, “They live in a large flat, several hundred square meters, with a view of the sea…”
How could that be sad?
Don’t ask her how she knew…
“By the way, Mom, I’m planning to introduce my brother to my classmate!” она said, giggling. “Her family is loaded! If my brother marries in, he’ll be set for life!”
Mom shot her a look, “Who would want your brother?”
“Well, you never know~”
Too bad Lily was a succubus. Even if she liked her brother, he probably wouldn’t survive the encounter.
Given Ning Chu and Wen Yang’s standards, Ning Chu’s brother would likely end up worse off than Wang Jie—he wouldn’t last two weeks before being drained dry.
Mom casually served Wen Yang a piece of ribs, asking, “How’s work?”
“Um, pretty easygoing.”
“You should still focus on studying. At your age, stop thinking about making money. Once you graduate, there’s plenty of time.”
Wen Yang remembered Ning Chu saying something similar and nodded, “Got it. I borrowed a few books from the library and read when I have the time after work.”
“Sounds good.” Mom glanced at Ning Chu, “You should learn from Wen Yang.”
“Not that I’ve seen him read…” Ning Chu rolled her eyes.
For the last few days, she had been staying at Wen Yang’s rental apartment, and aside from reading her old writings, she hadn’t seen him open any other books.
Wen Yang felt a bit awkward and didn’t know how to respond.
In a choice between knowledge and a little succubus, it’s clear what to pick!
Plus, he was young and strong and had just experienced a succubus… a bit of an addiction is normal.
“I’m done eating! Time to pack my luggage!” Ning Chu said, propping herself up from the table. “Black Bean, help put the dishes in the sink.”
“Okay~”
Mom asked, “What time is your bus?”
“One o’clock. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done packing.”
“That might be cutting it close. Should we have Uncle drive you?”
“That works.”
There wasn’t much to pack—just a couple of sets of pajamas and some underwear, a few pairs of pants, and a coat; her suitcase was only half-full.
When Ning Chu finished packing and returned to the living room, she found Wen Yang had taken over dishwashing duty in the kitchen while Mom lounged at the dining table, cracking lobster legs and chatting with Uncle.
“Mom, you can’t have the guest washing dishes.” She approached her mother, somewhat annoyed.
“Guest? Where?” Mom looked around, puzzled.
“……”
Ning Chu was left speechless.
“Let’s go.” Uncle stood up, grabbing the car keys from the table.
“Wen Yang! I’m leaving now~”
“Stay safe on the way.”
Following Uncle outside, Ning Chu started to get excited about getting into Uncle’s luxurious little sedan.
However, upon reaching the parking lot, she found Uncle had driven a dusty pickup truck with a convertible bed, which looked like it had seen better days.
Well, Uncle is in construction… a pickup is more practical.
Uncle opened the passenger door, waited for Ning Chu to hop in before walking around to the other side to get in.
He sneakily glanced at Ning Chu sitting next to him and tried to make small talk, “Do you like the bag?”
“Yeah, I like it a lot, thanks.”
“No problem… Just saw you didn’t have a bag, so it would be inconvenient.”
And thus followed a long silence.
Ning Chu realized that neither she nor Uncle knew how to act around each other.
