603. Family Feast
Before long, their daughter was already chasing her little aunt all over the living room, and the place was filled with their noisy chatter, giving Ning Chu quite the earache.
She figured her daughter must be picking up bad habits from Black Bean.
How she wished for a quiet, obedient little cotton-padded jacket instead of this mischievous, black-hearted cotton ball called Wen Shuqin who was always causing trouble!
“Sis~ Are we having a feast tonight?”
Sniffing the fragrant smell of meat wafting from the kitchen, Black Bean popped her head through the door, nose twitching.
Ning Chu turned to look and saw her daughter peeking in like a greedy little cat, both of their heads bobbing eagerly at her.
“A feast~”
She stretched out the end of her words and fished a piece of richly colored pork belly out of the pot with a spatula. “Braised Pork, do you want to try some?”
“Can we eat it now?!”
“Let it cook a bit longer; it’ll taste even better, right?”
She took a small bowl and handed two pieces of braised pork to Black Bean, who accepted it with a look of disgust on her face. “Come on, you’re all grown up, yet you still act like you’ve never seen meat before.”
“Maybe I was starving when I was little?”
Black Bean happily accepted the bowl and darted off with the tiny one again.
Ning Chu shook her head helplessly, her smile warm and gentle, continuing her busy work in this small kitchen, year after year.
Sometimes, she would wonder—if only she were a man, she wouldn’t be stuck at home because of pregnancy and childbearing, with life reduced to only grocery shopping and endless housework. Maybe she’d find a beautiful and virtuous wife, be the pillar of a family, and have a big chubby kid…
Staying at home too long made her think up some weird stuff.
“Wife.”
Wen Yang’s call snapped Ning Chu out of her daze. She looked up to see him standing at the kitchen door, a proud smile stretching all the way to his ears.
“What’s up?”
“I closed a big deal!” Wen Yang excitedly walked into the kitchen, wrapped an arm around Ning Chu’s slender waist, and lifted her off the ground. “Aren’t I impressive?”
“Hey!”
With her feet off the ground, Ning Chu felt a bit panicked, flailing the spatula in her hand and instinctively closing her eyes.
“You have no idea how tough it was with this client. I revised it over and over, but finally, it’s settled! Now, we’re just waiting for the final payment!”
Wen Yang was over the moon and spun Ning Chu around before putting her down. “You have no idea, that client was a real pain… If it weren’t for their money, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
Ning Chu was finally set down and felt a little dizzy, taking a moment to steady herself.
Even though she didn’t fully understand Wen Yang’s work rants, seeing the pride on his face made her smile back, her eyes sparkling with admiration as she cupped her hands to her chest and said, “Hubby, you’re amazing~”
“Of course!” Wen Yang straightened up, beaming.
But the very next moment, Ning Chu’s expression darkened. “Could you not be so childish?!”
She raised the spatula as if to whack him on the head. “This is the kitchen, you know! I’m still cooking!”
Wen Yang startled and hurriedly bolted out.
“Childish!”
Once she shooed Wen Yang out of the kitchen, Ning Chu quickly lifted the pot lid to take a peek. She sighed in relief when she confirmed nothing was burnt.
“What if the pot tipped over?” She glanced at Wen Yang standing at the door. “And here you are, acting like a child.”
It had to be said, men really did act like big kids. Sometimes, Ning Chu questioned if she had given birth to one big child and one little child, a boy and a girl.
Though really, she wasn’t much different herself… either pretending to be pitiful to pout at Wen Yang or acting like two fools alongside him.
“How about we not cook and go out to eat?”
“I’m halfway through cooking already!” Ning Chu shot Wen Yang an eye-roll. “My mom should be here soon.”
Thanks to Black Bean’s return, what was supposed to be a regular dinner transformed into a big family gathering.
Upon hearing this, Wen Yang’s playful grin immediately vanished. He straightened his clothes and transformed into a mature, composed husband and father.
He couldn’t afford to be too silly in front of his mother-in-law.
“I’ll help out.”
“Oh, so now that my mom is coming, you decide to help, huh? Put on an apron; we don’t want you getting all greasy.”
Just minutes later, a knocking sound came from outside.
Black Bean, who had been playing house with her niece, perked up, tail swishing high, and scampered over to open the door.
“Mom! Dad’s here too~”
“Grandma!”
The little one opened her arms and stumbled forward, her mother kneeling down with a smile to scoop her granddaughter into her arms. “Oh! Little Shuqin, you’re so pretty~”
The uncle, however, was all business, giving Black Bean a slight nod of acknowledgment, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Unlike Ning Chu, Black Bean treated the uncle like a dad. She had no concept of parents when she turned into a catgirl, sweetly calling Ning Chu “Mom.”
As the mother brought the child inside, she laid eyes on the leftover hamburgers and fried chicken on the coffee table. “Ning Xin, you need to eat less junk food.”
“It’s what my sister wanted!” Black Bean unhesitatingly threw her sister under the bus, then sweetly pleaded, “Mom~ Can I sleep over at my sister’s tonight? I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“Is your sister okay with it?”
“Of course she is!”
Ning Chu’s mother raised an eyebrow, suspicious of Black Bean’s claims. With one child already affecting their couple’s life, adding Black Bean to the mix would likely turn her demon daughter’s dinner into a starving affair.
“How’s your job search going?” She asked as she sat down, still holding her granddaughter. “Since you’ve started your internship, it’s time to secure a stable job.”
“My brother-in-law promised me a job at his company! He even said he’ll arrange a mentor for me to teach me where I struggle!”
“Just don’t let your brother-in-law down, alright?”
“Absolutely! I’m so smart, I’ll learn it all right away!”
While her mother cradled the granddaughter in her arms, she slowly moved to the kitchen, looking at the busy couple and feeling quite satisfied as she told Black Bean, “Just look at your sister’s good taste. Your brother-in-law is diligent, capable, earns well, and treats his wife nicely. Remember to let your sister screen your future boyfriends.”
Black Bean nodded thoughtfully, “He is pretty capable…”
Every time she came to her sister’s place, she could always smell the delightful aroma everywhere, even with her sister busy with housework.
“Mom, he’s just putting on a show in front of you. At home, he acts like a king.”
Ning Chu overheard her mother and couldn’t help but laugh while throwing Wen Yang under the bus.
Her gaze drifted from her mother and Black Bean to the uncle sitting in the dining room, momentarily taken aback by his expression.
The last time she’d seen the uncle was about two months ago, and he seemed even thinner now?
His figure had transitioned from muscular to a beer belly and now to slim—a testament to how impactful being around a succubus could be, which also reflected how well Wen Yang had maintained his physique all these years, not losing much stamina at all.
“Mom, Wen Yang bought some good supplements. Let’s make sure the uncle takes some home.”
Wen Yang quickly agreed. “I’ll go grab it. Mom, why don’t you take Shuqin to the dining room? Dinner will be ready soon.”
But then, the mother set the granddaughter down and rolled her eyes at Wen Yang.
“You always come out to mess things up for Ning Chu, pretending to help. How often do you even step foot in the kitchen the whole year?”
“Two or three times…” Wen Yang awkwardly set down what he was holding and defended himself, “I was busy! A couple of years ago, I had time to cook for Ning Chu on the weekends.”
Seeing her husband at a loss, Ning Chu burst out laughing.
