Chapter 364: Leaving
Just past seven in the evening at a seafood restaurant near the house, seven people were gathered around the dining table in a private room.
Wen Yang had gone to work. Even on New Year’s Day, there was no rest for someone in his service-oriented job; he had to dutifully clock in.
Black Bean was happily munching on a salt and pepper shrimp with one hand and a piece of braised ribs with the other, juice running down her chin, joyfully bobbing her head. The cat ears on her head swayed like seaweed in the tide.
Grandma sat beside her, chuckling, occasionally dabbing at Black Bean’s mouth with a napkin, although she hadn’t eaten much herself.
Grandpa was drinking with Uncle, both slightly tipsy, their loud voices echoing even outside the private room.
“I’m not bragging! When Xiao Juan was young, she was known for miles around for her beauty! At least three suitors came by each day!”
“Any guy who wanted to pursue her could fill this whole restaurant, but she insisted on dating a poor kid, and nobody could convince her otherwise!”
“……”
Ning Chu, curious, leaned over and tugged at her mother’s sleeve, “Mom, do you have any photos from when you were young? Let me see~”
Although she’d seen her mom’s younger photos in her previous life, that mom didn’t have the allure of a succubus.
“Just go look for them in the storage room when we get home,” her mother shot back, rolling her eyes. “Don’t listen to him; you’re way prettier.”
“Really? How embarrassing~”
Playfully grinning, Ning Chu got a light smack on the head from her mother, instantly sobering up as she obediently picked up a piece of rib.
The elders at the table hadn’t eaten much; most of the food was devoured by Ning Chu, Ning Yuan, and Black Bean.
“Hey, Ning Yuan~” Grandpa, in his drunken rambling, suddenly switched topics and pointed at Ning Yuan, “Why are you still single? You’re about twenty-six or twenty-seven now, time to think about marriage!”
Ning Yuan was momentarily taken aback, forced to chuckle, “Well, I just graduated six months ago. If you count that, I’m only twenty-four.”
“You’re almost thirty! Bring someone home next year!” Grandpa shot him a disapproving glare. “Look at your sister! She’s been back for just a few months and already brought home a boyfriend! What about you?”
Can we not talk about me all the time?
This is NOT the kind of conversation I want to have!
Transforming into a girl in October, it’s only been four months. During that time, I had to adapt to being a girl, my s*xual orientation got twisted, I found a boyfriend, and it’s all been handed to me on a silver platter…
The speed of this gender-bending was astonishing, causing Ning Chu to blush and want to crawl under the table at any mention of it.
When her brother shot her a strange look, her face heated up uncontrollably, and she buried her head in her food as if it was the most fascinating thing on earth.
“I’m not a girl, and I don’t have money for dating and marriage,” Ning Yuan put on his economic argument.
Ning Chu, however, was a little miffed. She hadn’t spent much of Wen Yang’s money on her relationship; in fact, she ended up supporting him quite a bit.
“I have money! If you bring a girl home, I’ll give you two thousand a month, and when you get married, I’ll even buy you a house!”
Ning Yuan fell silent for a moment, then pulled out the work card: “I’m really busy at work, there are hardly any girls in the entire office…”
“Then change your job. My friend is looking for someone; the pay is good, and it’s not that tiring.”
“……”
He had nothing to say, so he just gave up: “I don’t want to date this early…”
“Ning Yuan wouldn’t fancy guys, would he?” Grandma chimed in.
“No, I just don’t want to date, can we not drag s*xual orientation into this?”
Seeing her brother being cornered, Ning Chu started feeling grateful she had secured a boyfriend early on, or she’d be in the hot seat too.
This is too tragic!
Thank goodness I’m the one doing the bullying!
She added fuel to the fire, “My brother prefers 2D paper dolls. He’s not interested in 3D!”
The forward-thinking Grandpa grasped what Ning Chu meant. He’d been online since the early 2000s and was quite the internet veteran: “Ning Yuan, don’t get lost in the virtual world; come back to reality~”
Ning Yuan shot a fierce glare at Ning Chu, but the little succubus wasn’t fazed: “Grandma! Brother’s being mean to me!”
“Why would I be mean?! Isn’t what she said true?!”
“……”
I must’ve been too lenient when we were kids; only 2D has ‘bro-con’ stuff!
After their bellies were full, the group gradually left the restaurant.
Black Bean had too much energy and was darting about on the sidewalk. Ning Chu worried she’d accidentally run into the road or bump into someone and caught her to keep her grounded.
“We’re heading back first.”
Grandpa turned to wave, and her mother half-heartedly suggested, “You’re leaving so early? Stay the night, tomorrow…”
Before she could finish, Grandpa cut her off: “With that tiny house of yours, there’s no bed to sleep on.”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Even though Grandpa had been drinking, Grandma was the one driving, and she was quite skilled, better than Ning Yuan by a notch.
Watching the electric bicycle vanish into the distance, her mother turned to the kids: “Ning Chu, Uncle and I have a bit of business to take care of. Make sure to take care of Ning Xin when we get back.”
“Okay~”
“Don’t go out messing around on New Year’s Day!”
I can guess what that’s about…
Mom got drunk last night, and with all the kids around, nothing likely happened. Now she couldn’t resist.
Not like she’s in a better position than I am!
Ning Chu casually responded, “Got it, what time will you be back?”
“In the morning, I guess?”
Her mother linked arms with Uncle’s burly one, a blush creeping over her cheeks as she led him to the street to hail a cab.
Once Mom was out of sight, Ning Chu started brewing a little plan.
She handed Black Bean, whom she was holding, over to her brother, “Bro~ I’m going to surf the internet. I’ll be back later, so you can take care of Black Bean.”
“???”
Ning Yuan looked like he’d been hit by a truck: “Isn’t there a computer at home?”
“How can I hog the computer from my brother~ Besides, it’s way too outdated…”
“Then who are you going online with? Isn’t Wen Yang still at work?”
“Classmates, friends.”
Without lingering, Ning Chu happily called for a ride and left in no time, leaving Ning Yuan and Black Bean to brave the chilly wind by the roadside.
“What a treat,” Ning Yuan grumbled, “On New Year’s Day, it’s just us two left at home while everyone else goes out to have fun.”
“Big sister’s definitely off to see brother-in-law!” Black Bean said proudly, “I can smell brother-in-law on her every morning!”
Wait! What kind of smell? Can a kid even smell that?!
Ning Yuan’s mouth twitched, an inexplicable sense of disappointment and worry washing over him.
“Let’s go, we’re heading back.” He grabbed Black Bean’s hand and walked toward home, nagging like he used to with his younger brother, “Be careful outside; don’t run around, you could get hit by a car!”
“Don’t eat too much junk food; stop staring at meat all the time. Cats need veggies sometimes too!”
“Once we get back, don’t make noise. Just be quiet and I’ll play games while you watch TV. It’ll be good for both of us…”
Black Bean’s ears perked up, her nose picking up the delicious smell of barbecue from across the street. Her gaze was glued to the barbecue shop, and she wasn’t listening to a word.
Darn it! If only I hadn’t eaten so much earlier~ burp!
