362. Grandfather and Grandmother
Lunchtime.
The Uncle and Wen Yang sat rigidly at the dining table, both of them feeling a bit anxious and not really in the mood to eat.
Compared to that, Wen Yang seemed more stable emotionally. After all, this was Ning Chu’s grandfather and grandmother; he’d already charmed Ning Chu and her future mother-in-law, so the opinions of the older generation didn’t weigh too heavily anymore.
However, the uncle, who was over forty, looked even more flustered. His face was void of expression, frozen like he was in the middle of a board meeting.
Meanwhile, Grandfather and Grandmother observed the two of them while munching on their food.
One was their daughter’s boyfriend, and the other was their granddaughter’s boyfriend…
“Wow, it’s fast; I just heard about Ning Chu last month, and now she has a boyfriend!” Grandmother murmured.
It seemed Ning Chu was adapting quite well to her new little succubus identity. At least, there was no need to worry too much about her mental state.
Though it was happening a bit too quickly… one might even wonder if she had secretly liked men before or if she just had a complicated female psyche.
Ning Chu, who was sitting on the sofa with a bowl of rice, rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction.
“Why are you bringing me into this?! I’m not even involved!”
Right now, wasn’t the most important thing her mother’s little boyfriend?
“Sis~ The meat’s gone!”
Black Bean poked her head around, eyeing the braised pork in Ning Chu’s bowl.
“Here, if it’s not enough, just go grab some from the table.”
The dining table was too small; the square table usually sat four people, and six could squeeze around the corners. But with eight people in the house now, the living room felt exceedingly cramped.
Mother stood behind the uncle, looking helpless. She wasn’t ready to introduce the uncle to her parents, yet here came a surprise visit right on the first day of the new year.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuan was standing by the table, enjoying the show and devouring his food with delight.
“Six or seven years of secrets?” Grandfather put down his utensils and shot a glance at Mother.
Mother instantly tensed, pressing her lips together and withholding any response.
Everyone had been skeptical about her marriage back then, yet she had stubbornly stood by that heartless guy. A few years later, she found herself living like a widow, struggling to raise two kids.
It was her choice, yet she was too prideful to admit mistakes or let her family believe she was having a tough time…
“Didn’t you say that guy went abroad to make his fortune? Why is there suddenly another one?”
Mother turned her head away, defiantly silent.
Grandfather sighed, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it, mumbling, “You spoiled her since she was little.”
Grandmother shot him an irritated look and got up to open the windows and the front door for some fresh air. “There are kids in the house; why are you smoking?”
“Like I care, you’re already over forty, acting like a little girl.” Understanding his daughter’s temperament, Grandfather extinguished the cigarette, stood up, and flashed a warm smile. “I’ll go tease my granddaughter…”
He rushed off to tease Black Bean, who, upon seeing the strange old man, screamed and dashed around the room.
Wen Yang let out a sigh of relief, quickly shoveling in a few bites of food before rushing over to sit next to Ning Chu.
“Thank goodness Grandfather and Grandmother are distracted by my mom.” Ning Chu glanced toward the kitchen, where Grandmother was chatting with Mother and the Uncle. “Were you nervous just now?”
“Not really; it’s just that your Grandfather can be a bit intimidating.”
“Right? After all, he used to run a business and had a lot of people under him~”
“Seeing your Aunt, I finally understand why you’re so tough.”
“Guess I take after my mom, huh?”
Wen Yang nodded, laughing.
If he were to ask Ning Chu how she felt, even if the little succubus was feeling as squeezed as a cream bun, she’d roll her eyes and, breathless, shout “Just okay!” with her raspy voice.
Ning Chu set her bowl and chopsticks on the coffee table and grabbed a workbook from the sofa, handing it to Wen Yang. “Well, this mess you created is your responsibility to manage.”
“What mess?”
“Black Bean finished all three workbooks. According to the ‘two pages per meal’ standard, you owe her several meals. I’ve already helped you cover six late-night snacks…”
Wen Yang’s expression was about to crack. “She finished them all in just a few days?”
“Yep, she even finished the Journey to the West you gave her. Now she’s catching up on the 86-version TV show. I’m debating whether to have her write a review; that could count as a meal.”
“……”
“Bro~ Grandpa keeps trying to rub my face!” Black Bean suddenly dashed over, throwing herself into Ning Chu’s arms and burying her face in her chest.
Grandfather lazily followed behind, grumbling, “I’m your Grandpa; what’s wrong with getting close?”
“Your beard pokes my face!”
Black Bean looked at him suspiciously, clutching Ning Chu’s shirt tightly.
Grandfather didn’t mind being scorned by the little cat. He cheerfully sat down next to Ning Chu and turned to Wen Yang. “So, who’s this? You’re Wen Yang, right?”
“Uh… I’m a college classmate, former roommate. He took good care of me back in school.”
“He knows about your situation?”
“Yep.”
Wen Yang politely nodded at Grandfather. “I know basically everything about Ning Chu.”
Although his looks were handsome, he didn’t seem frivolous; his thick brows and big eyes, along with his chiseled features, easily won the favor of older folks.
“So, you’ve brought him home. Any plans for marriage in the future?”
Ning Chu’s face turned beet red, nodding bashfully.
Grandfather teased playfully, “So soon? Not planning to play around for a couple more years?”
“Graduation will come in three years anyway…”
Though a marriage certificate could be exchanged for credits, Wen Yang didn’t meet the age requirement.
Plus, Ning Chu worried early marriage might lead to the ‘hurry-up-and-have-kids’ pressure… She had her flexible boundaries; it initially started with accepting her female identity, then liking men, and now being a little succubus.
Now, she just hoped to avoid having kids.
Sure enough, as soon as the wedding talk came up, Grandfather immediately inquired about the next steps: “So when do you plan to let me hold my great-grandkid?”
“That… we’ll figure it out later?”
Ning Chu stammered, her face flushed.
Now that Wen Yang had bought the extra-large condoms online, they would prevent any surprise pregnancies.
But the condoms were not very comfortable… They felt like a phone cover; if she weren’t worried about breaking her phone and not being able to afford repairs, she wouldn’t bother with a thick case. She preferred the bare feel and weight of her phone.
So Wen Yang was considering getting some ribbed, textured, and warm ones to try…
Noticing that Grandfather’s focus was elsewhere, Black Bean quickly squirmed out of Ning Chu’s arms and darted off to find Ning Yuan.
Grandfather glanced at Black Bean’s retreating figure, then shifted his gaze back to the people in the kitchen.
After a moment, he asked, “What do you think of that guy?”
Ning Chu frowned and shook her head. “I’ve only met him a couple of times… so far, he seems alright? He treats Mom well.”
Grandfather seemed disgruntled with Mother, frowning, but didn’t say much. He merely nodded, shook his head with a sigh, and took out his cigarette case and lighter, heading toward the hallway.
But Ning Chu suddenly thought of a question and hurriedly called out, “Grandpa! Do we still have to go to your place to pay respects this year?”
“I knew you didn’t want to go!” Grandfather shot her a glare. “If I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t see me till school starts.”
“Oh, come on~”
