Extra Chapter
Nine
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The d*ath of Chen Yao’s grandfather didn’t make him mourn for too long. By the day after the funeral, he was already back at work, dutifully playing the role of the family breadwinner.
As a man, he couldn’t be wallowing in the past forever. He had a little family to take care of, with a beautiful and virtuous wife and a child who could remember snacks much better than consequences.
His wife initially had ambitions to make a name for herself through magic, but alas, she was currently forced to be a housewife, mired in the mundane routines of home life. The only people she interacted with were her husband and child, along with the market vendor. After twenty years, her social life was practically non-existent.
She had fulfilled her role, and Chen Yao had no reason to let himself sink into despair over a small setback.
Still, Lin Nan was somewhat concerned about his mental state.
The Lantern Festival passed in a somber atmosphere, and Chen Yao plunged back into his work routine, while Chen Jing was about to start school.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan found herself home alone, tidying up and whipping up meals to take care of the two men. Ever since Chen Jing started high school, there were fewer things for her to worry about—at least she didn’t have to shuttle him back and forth every day.
She had thought about getting involved in work, but after twenty years out of the workforce, she felt a bit lost. A stroll through a few job-search sites made her realize she was hopelessly out of touch with current trends.
She’d studied design, but these days, she wouldn’t even know how to use the software, let alone have the aesthetic sense required.
Even with a bachelor’s degree from twenty years ago, her options were mostly limited to being a sales clerk or server—jobs that paid poorly and came with a side of rudeness.
Perhaps it was due to the recent family tragedy that Chen Yao came home at six o’clock on his first day back at work.
When he arrived, Chen Jing had just finished school, likely caught in the subway chaos.
“Hubby!”
Lin Nan, who had already prepared dinner, heard the door and rushed down from the second floor. She quickly helped Chen Yao out of his black trench coat and unwound his scarf, gazing up at him with warmth.
“You’re home early today!” She gently touched his face, noticing the new fine lines.
“Yeah, hit a design block on a project, so I just came back. I’ll handle a few online meetings tonight,” Chen Yao replied while ruffling Lin Nan’s hair.
Looking at Lin Nan, who still had that youthful face in her twenties, Chen Yao couldn’t quite muster a smile.
Sure, her face was stuck in her twenties, but her body was all middle-aged now, and his wife’s energy level was gradually dipping.
“How about a full-body check-up when you have some time?” he suggested, pulling a white hair from Lin Nan’s head.
Having spent so long at home, Lin Nan had neglected her hair’s upkeep; she usually only dyed it when she remembered, and the local salons charged outrageous prices. She was certainly not about to waste money on that.
If it weren’t for wanting to look nice for Chen Yao every day, she might even let her personal hygiene slip.
“Sure!” Lin Nan nodded eagerly, grabbing Chen Yao’s arm and dragging him toward the dining room.
Since they missed out on seafood due to Chen Yao’s grandfather passing, Lin Nan had specially prepared a platter of grilled seafood to soothe his emotions.
After washing their hands, they sat down at the table side by side. Chen Yao picked up a large shrimp and plopped it right into Lin Nan’s bowl.
After all these years, whether they were eating crawfish or any other shellfish, Chen Yao always peeled them for Lin Nan.
As for their son, well, he needed to learn some self-sufficiency!
“Hubby, I heard the counselor got married.”
“Counselor?” Chen Yao looked surprised. “Zheng Qian?”
“Yeah, I saw it on his WeChat moments,” Lin Nan nodded, reminiscing about the time she spent at school with Zheng Qian while munching on seafood.
She couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how Chen Yao once got a bit possessive over her because of Zheng Qian. Back then, she thought those two men must have had a few screws loose.
“What’s so funny? His marrying isn’t that amusing, is it?” Chen Yao shot her a glare.
“Nothing…” Lin Nan stifled her laughter, “I just wonder what Zheng Qian’s wife looks like. Isn’t he nearly fifty? And he just got married?”
“Who knows?”
Chen Yao didn’t have a good impression of Zheng Qian, considering the guy once tried to flirt with his girlfriend. Oh wait, at the time, Lin Nan wasn’t his girlfriend yet, so that’s water under the bridge.
As they enjoyed their seafood, chatting about their college days, a bit of gossip about the strange behavior of the vendor, and some of Chen Jing’s past shenanigans, the couple had a good laugh. But after ten minutes, Chen Yao fell into a silence again.
He was still brooding over his grandfather’s passing, unable to shake it off.
Lin Nan was at a loss for words, but just then, the sound of the door opening broke their silence.
“Hey, Dad, you’re home early today?” Chen Jing burst in, spotting his parents at the dining table. He threw his backpack onto the sofa and rushed over, reaching for the peeled shrimp in Lin Nan’s bowl.
With his chopsticks, Chen Yao swiftly smacked Chen Jing’s hand.
“Ouch! I’ll just wash my hands!” Chen Jing whined, retreating toward the kitchen.
“Peel your own! You think you can just snatch your mom’s shrimp?”
“I can’t eat that much anyway!” Chen Jing defended himself, “I’m mildly allergic to seafood; I just want a few to satisfy my cravings!”
“Doesn’t matter!”
Chen Jing shrank back under Chen Yao’s glare, realizing their once brotherly relationship had soured a bit, and didn’t dare retort.
Once in the kitchen, he poked his head out, “Mom, is seafood all there is today?”
Lin Nan nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Yep, your dad wanted it. I’ve been prepping seafood since lunch, so I spent the whole afternoon on it.”
“But I can’t eat too much!”
“Then find another way to deal with it.” Lin Nan popped a shrimp in her mouth, casting a disapproving glance at Chen Jing.
She just couldn’t accept that her child was allergic to seafood, which meant they had been accommodating Chen Jing for years.
Although both parents wore looks of impatience, Chen Jing’s presence broke the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
“Didn’t cause any trouble at school today, did you? Why are you back so late?” Chen Yao took a swig of his drink. Earlier, Chen Jing had bought two cases of beer, leaving the couple to figure out how to finish them.
This foolish kid said he’d buy two cases without a second thought!
“I was the class monitor today, so I had to stay half an hour longer.” Chen Jing sat down across from them, struggling to open an oyster while saying, “The teacher said exams are coming, so we’ll start evening classes from now on.”
“??? Really?”
“Are we really worried about college entrance exams already in freshman year?”
Lin Nan and Chen Yao exchanged a glance, feeling like kids nowadays had it much tougher.
