### Dinner at Ning Chu’s House
Just as dinner time hit, Black Bean suddenly opened her eyes wide and sniffed around but didn’t catch the enticing aroma of meat.
It dawned on her that she was snuggled up in her blanket.
She turned to see her sister, who was fully absorbed in her phone, wiggling like a worm on the bed. Black Bean crawled over, “Sis~ Has mom not started cooking yet?”
“She went out to buy groceries. We’re having big crabs tonight.”
“Really?!” Black Bean’s eyes lit up, and she quickly burrowed out of the blanket, leaping off the bed with both feet landing on the quilt.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Ning Chu looked up at Black Bean, worried that this little cat might pull off something outrageous.
“Doing homework!”
Black Bean zoomed over to the desk and pulled out the workbook Wen Yang had bought for her. After scribbling her name on it, she suddenly turned around, looking a bit anxious, and asked, “Sis, is it true that if I write two pages, you’ll treat me to dinner?”
Ning Chu instinctively nodded.
“Yay!”
Feeling a twinge of anxiety, she noticed her right eyelid twitching uncontrollably and hastily added, “But your handwriting has to be good! No sloppiness, I’m checking it!”
“I know!”
A thought crossed Ning Chu’s mind: she and Wen Yang wouldn’t go bankrupt because of Black Bean, right?
Black Bean might have her share of quirks, but even counting her “cat years,” she was just around eight months old. If we consider her time as a human, she’s really just one or two months old.
It was hard to be too harsh on her for making mistakes, but thankfully, Black Bean’s past as a stray had made her obsessed with food. If dinner could be the bait, those bad habits might just change.
The only downside? She’d probably turn into a chubby little cat.
Ning Chu opened her nightstand drawer, glancing at the stash of snacks hidden inside.
This was Black Bean’s “little vault,” where uneaten goodies were kept. She wasn’t silly enough to hide things that weren’t packaged and could spoil easily.
Maybe she had already been lectured by their mother once.
“Sis! Shut it! Close it!”
Upon hearing the drawer open, Black Bean’s ears perked up, and she dashed over, anxiously shutting the nightstand again.
“I’m not going to steal your stuff,” Ning Chu rolled her eyes.
“What if you get tempted?”
“Ah, no trust in your sister at all…”
Black Bean made a face at Ning Chu and scampered back to do her homework.
Ning Chu stretched lazily, about to lie back down and mess with her phone again when she suddenly heard a commotion by the front door.
She quickly got up, running barefoot across the floor.
Sure enough, Wen Yang and her mother were back.
Wen Yang was lugging several big bags, while her mother came back empty-handed, looking more like she went for a stroll than grocery shopping.
“Still not wearing shoes, huh?” her mother shot Ning Chu a glare. “I just cleaned the floors, and now you’re tracking dirt all over.”
“It’s fine; let Wen Yang clean again.”
Trying to act tough, Ning Chu still hurried to the door to grab some slippers from the shoe rack.
In just half a day at home, she already had three pairs of slippers by her bed.
“Wen Yang, come help me out here.”
Her mother put down her shoulder bag and strolled into the kitchen, while Wen Yang wore a smile and shot Ning Chu a glance.
“Go for it!” Ning Chu mouthed encouragement to Wen Yang.
Perhaps it was because they had broken the ice, but her mother seemed to be a bit friendlier toward Wen Yang nowadays. Maybe it was because Wen Yang had brought her some gifts that she really liked.
Though the flip side of this friendliness was that Wen Yang ended up being at her service…
“When do you start work tomorrow?” her mother inquired while busily preparing dinner.
“Early shift, from seven to three-thirty,” Wen Yang replied with a wry smile. “I’ll end up late for work tomorrow too.”
He was on a rotating shift, and as a newbie, he had to juggle morning and evening shifts to get familiar with hotel operations.
Once this time passed, he’d probably secure either the early or late shift.
“Be careful at work,” her mother quickly noticed why Wen Yang might be late, casting a glance at Ning Chu, who was peeking around the kitchen door.
Ning Chu hadn’t heard their earlier conversation, looking a bit confused as her eyes met her mother’s, then her attention quickly shifted to the two squirming crabs in the sink.
“Just steam the oysters directly; it’s easier. Otherwise, Ning Xin will get restless waiting.”
“Okay.” Wen Yang began scrubbing the oyster shells.
“Ning Chu, what’s Ning Xin up to? Playing on her tablet?”
“Doing homework.”
Seeing her mother’s expression freeze for a moment, Ning Chu proudly lifted her chin, “She’s working on the workbook Wen Yang bought her! She’s very studious when I’m around~”
“She has a short attention span,” her mother grumbled as she continued cooking.
They had bought a lot of groceries from the market, in addition to the crabs, ribs, and oysters that Ning Chu mentioned; her mother also picked up shrimp and chives.
The rice in the rice cooker was already done steaming, and within ten minutes, several dishes were on the table.
“Start eating now.”
Her mother looked up to call for Black Bean, only to find she had already hopped onto the dining table, wagging her tail in anticipation.
Stir-fried chives with eggs, boiled shrimp, and steamed oysters were all simple enough dishes.
“The crabs and ribs will take a bit longer.”
“Wen Yang, go eat at the table, don’t be in the way in the kitchen.”
Seeing Wen Yang sitting next to her, Ning Chu immediately straightened up and whispered in his ear, “I can totally feel my mom being nicer to you~”
“Definitely.”
Wen Yang could feel it too. As Ning Chu’s future mother-in-law softened up, he felt less awkward around her.
Before him was a big bowl of rice, and his future mother-in-law had already noted his appetite.
“Are you still going to sleep at my rental tonight?” Wen Yang quietly asked, looking toward the kitchen.
Ning Chu’s face flushed, and she quickly shook her head, her little head shaking so fast it looked like a blur, “No way!”
Was she that desperate?!
After last night’s antics that left her feeling sore, he wanted to wear her out again tonight!
“Alright, I’ll head back after dinner. I need to get to bed early for my seven o’clock shift tomorrow.”
“Mm, just don’t be late again.” Ning Chu paused, “Do you have any suspects? The person who drugged you?”
“Nope.”
“Just stay far away from those bad women.” She frowned, venting her displeasure, “Thank goodness I stepped up~ That cup turned out to be completely useless, and I spent over a hundred on it!”
What a total loss!
Black Bean mixed the stir-fried chives with her rice, curious as she asked, “Sis, what are you two talking about? What cup?”
“Nothing.”
Ning Chu quickly shook her head to deny.
Having a beast ear girl at home was indeed inconvenient! Her nose was too sensitive, and her ears were still sharp!
“Steamed crab coming right up~”
Her mother brought over a big plate of crabs, instantly capturing Black Bean’s attention: “I want the big claws!”
“Here’s your big claw.”
“Ning Chu, this one has a lot of meat—quick, take it.”
Whenever Wen Yang ate at Ning Chu’s house, he always felt the warmth of family. Even in the noisy chaos, it felt strangely inviting.
“Wen Yang, you take half too; get more vermicelli. This dish is way better with the noodles. Just try my cooking.”
He paused, looking at the half crab placed into his bowl, his smile growing softer: “Thanks.”
“This kid, still thanking me?”
Her mother chuckled as she settled down, slowly nibbling on a few crab legs.
———
The new cover is finally up! My darling Ning Chu is so cute~
