239. Balcony Barbecue
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“Excuse me!”
The aunt excitedly shut the door behind her, and you could faintly hear her and the uncle discussing outside, “I never expected that girl Lin Nan would be so forward. Our Chen Yao can’t really be that useless, right?”
Her expression darkened as she glanced down at Chen Yao below her.
“Still not getting up? Do you have any idea how heavy you are?!” Chen Yao was still dazed from Lin Nan’s sudden intrusion and was in serious pain, unable to recover for quite some time.
Lin Nan, flustered, tried to scramble off Chen Yao but somehow ended up pressing down on his… well, let’s just say she was startled and hurriedly rolled to the side.
So hot…
Chen Yao pretended to regain his composure, trying to shove the recent events from his mind, but his body was being too honest about the situation. So, he turned his back to hide the evidence from Lin Nan.
The atmosphere in the room was so awkward that neither of them dared to breathe. After a while, the aunt pushed the door open again, wearing a perplexed expression as she peered inside.
Why is it so quiet?
She looked at the two sitting on the floor, both neatly dressed and engrossed in their phones, her brow furrowing.
Looks like I really need to take Chen Yao to the hospital.
Or maybe it’s my husband and I being home that’s throwing him off his game?
“How about we do a barbecue on the balcony later?” the aunt said with a gentle smile. “Uncle is still marinating the meat, it should be ready by ten tonight.”
“I’ll help!” Lin Nan jumped up and dashed out of the room.
Even though the aunt kept insisting she didn’t need help, the awkward vibe in the bedroom made it impossible for Lin Nan to stick around, so she shamelessly plopped down at the dining table, grabbing a skewer to get started on the meat.
The meat had already been marinated, and there were two small steaks thawing nearby. Even though they’d had a good dinner, the uncle and aunt still liked to whip up some nighttime snacks for Lin Nan.
“Tomorrow we’re going to volunteer. We’ll leave in the morning and won’t be back until late at night, and lunch and dinner…”
“It’s okay, I can cook.” Lin Nan confidently skewered the meat. She had worked in a barbecue restaurant during her summer and winter breaks, so she was quite familiar with this whole setup.
She was a bit worried the aunt would stress out, so she quickly explained, “I used to buy groceries and cook for myself back in junior and senior high, not the best, but definitely not inedible.”
“Just being able to cook is good enough,” the aunt said warmly, praising her. “There aren’t many girls who can cook these days.”
“Well, it’s not like anyone else is cooking for me…”
If her parents weren’t constantly out, spending money on food while not leaving her enough to eat, Lin Nan wouldn’t have bothered cooking for herself. After all, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and cleaning the stove were all ridiculously tedious tasks.
She vaguely remembered almost throwing up the first time she made noodles.
“There’s plenty of food in the freezer, so you should be able to find whatever you want. If you don’t have enough, just call me.” The aunt advised. “The seasonings are in the cupboard, and the dishwasher is right there, so you won’t even need to wash the dishes yourself. Just wear gloves when washing the pots; the detergent is harsh on hands…”
Lin Nan kept nodding her little head, but then suddenly had a question: “Aunt, is your family very wealthy?”
Both of them paused, and the aunt smiled bitterly, “You didn’t know?”
“If you run a restaurant… you should have money, right? It seems like you can buy diamonds and eat bird’s nest all the time…” Lin Nan mumbled, “Plus, I see Chen Yao’s living expenses are pretty high; it seems he can even ask you for more when he runs out.”
“Not particularly rich, just moderately well-off.”
Lin Nan didn’t quite understand what “moderately well-off” meant, but considering they had lobster, steak, and abalone for every meal and a bowl of bird’s nest every day, they certainly didn’t look like they were struggling financially.
She used to think Chen Yao’s parents were just running a small restaurant, but it turned out they were doing quite well since the food industry can be pretty lucrative once established.
Still, she never expected they could eat bird’s nest every day; she had never even seen that stuff before.
Though she realized that thanks to her presence, Chen Yao’s family dining had leveled up, the uncle and aunt didn’t seem to mind one bit. Rather, they were making every effort to provide her with the best.
The aunt subtly probed into Lin Nan’s family situation, and since Lin Nan wasn’t particularly cunning, she answered honestly to everything. In less than half an hour, she had practically blurted out everything she knew.
“Your dad is truly something else,” the uncle criticized.
Although Lin Nan also thought so, hearing it from someone else still made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
Finally, the skewers were ready, and she called Chen Yao from inside, grabbing the barbecue grill and some smokeless charcoal before the group headed out to the balcony.
Chen Yao’s family balcony was pretty spacious, with clothes hanging up and plants growing, but it still felt quite empty.
The four of them set up little stools around the grill, with the uncle taking the center stage as the head chef.
The aunt was there helping out, but when she looked up, she saw Chen Yao lazily playing on his phone and couldn’t help but say, “Chen Yao, if you’re sick, just hurry up and go to the hospital.”
“Mom, why are you nagging at me?” Chen Yao stared at her in bewilderment, then shifted closer, thinking maybe she was annoyed he was just sitting around. “Come on, let me grill a couple of skewers too.”
“Who said you could do that?!”
“???” Chen Yao was baffled, but then it hit him, and he shot daggers at his own mother.
Haven’t you seen Lin Nan still here?
“You can’t let such a wonderful girl like Lin Nan slip away.”
Lin Nan was just as confused, wondering how she had ended up in this conversation.
“If you don’t act fast, I’ll just adopt Lin Nan as my goddaughter,” the aunt threatened. “Then your inheritance will all go to her! None left for you!”
Chen Yao looked like he’d seen a ghost, too drained to respond, he simply went back to playing on his phone, while Lin Nan was practically cheering on the sidelines.
She playfully nudged Chen Yao with her toe, and upon noticing his gaze, she quickly hugged the aunt’s arm, tilting her head up smugly, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
The aunt gently ruffled Lin Nan’s hair, “Go play on your phone, and you’ll definitely get your share once it’s done.”
Look at me! In just two days, your parents are already planning to adopt me; you really are just the unwanted child!
Chen Yao could practically see the mocking glint in her fox-like eyes.
But he was helpless, just watching his mother’s endearing demeanor that he had never seen before!
Hadn’t I once seen my mom throwing punches in mixed-gender sparring? Now it seemed like she had morphed into someone else’s mom. Chen Yao was left feeling despondent and distanced himself some more.
I may truly be an unwanted child…
Lin Nan edged closer and whispered, “You returned the gift your mom gave me last time, right?”
“Nope, spent it on games.”
“I meant for you to give it back to her! If you just spend it on games, she’ll think I took the money.”
“What else was I supposed to do? If I give it back, won’t I just get yelled at…?”
Before he could finish, he noticed Lin Nan turning around and yelling, “Aunt! The gift you gave me last time was all spent by Chen Yao on games!”
“I’M JUST KIDDING!” Chen Yao bolted into the house.
