604. Family Dinner
“Ning Chu’s cooking is getting better and better.”
The carefully braised pork was so tender and juicy that as soon as the spoon scooped it, the skin wobbled enticingly, glistening with a glossy reddish hue under the lights.
“When she was in college, she could only chop potatoes into strips for me; when she entered the kitchen, she was more of a hindrance than a help,” Mother smiled as she placed the braised pork into Wen Yang’s bowl. “With meals this good every day, how are you not gaining weight?”
“I usually hit the gym for an hour during my lunch break, and besides, Ning Chu usually cooks pretty lazily. She can’t possibly spend a few hours in the kitchen every day.”
Wen Yang teased his wife with a grin. Although a bit shy in front of his mother-in-law, his awkwardness was more like that of a kid acting up in front of elders than the awkwardness of estrangement from the past.
“Don’t work too much, you need to take care of your health! Ning Chu complains to me every day that you’re always busy working and don’t have time to spend with them.”
“Mom, I never said that!”
Ning Chu shot an annoyed glare at her mother.
How did those private complaints come out in front of everyone?
“She’s just stubborn~”
“Mom!”
Ning Chu blushed, diving into her food as if it were the only way to avoid the conversation.
“It’s mostly that I’ve been busy lately; I just landed a big client and I’ll have more time to spend with Ning Chu soon.” No matter how many times he encountered it, Wen Yang loved seeing the shy, bashful side of his wife, and teased, “But if Ning Chu doesn’t say anything, how would I know what she’s thinking?”
As the teasing left his lips, his foot was ruthlessly stomped on, freezing his smile. He quickly tried to change the subject, “Hey, Black Bean, is your sister’s cooking good?”
“Of course it’s good!”
Black Bean’s bowl was overflowing with rice mixed with the delicious sauce from the braised pork, and she was so engrossed in eating she could barely lift her head to respond.
“It tastes way better than what they serve in the school cafeteria~ and it’s all meat!”
She chatted away while munching, her face splattered with rice and sauce like a painted cat. “Last semester I even found metal wires in the cafeteria food! That place is a dump, and the school doesn’t even let us order takeout.”
Complaining about school and the cafeteria felt both familiar and strange to Ning Chu.
Unknowingly, it had been almost ten years since she left university.
“Isn’t filing a complaint useless? Or you could call the market regulation bureau?” Wen Yang suggested.
“Can we do that?” Black Bean finally looked up, a clueless expression on her face. But soon she shrugged, shaking her cat ears dismissively, “I’m interning now; it’s no big deal.”
The uncle, having little to say, just kept eating, occasionally throwing in a word or two.
Although she had known the uncle for years, it struck Ning Chu that she didn’t even know his name. She had little interaction with him; her mind was occupied with whether or not her mother was happy with him.
Suddenly, a loud “smack” made everyone tense up.
Her daughter, sitting on a child-sized chair, accidentally knocked over her bowl, sending food flying everywhere. She looked up confusedly at her grandmother, but before Ning Chu could scold her, she burst into tears.
“Oh dear~ it’s just a bowl that tipped over, no need to cry!” Mother’s heart instantly melted as she picked up her granddaughter to comfort her. “Ning Chu, hurry up and clean this up!”
“……”
Ning Chu glared at her daughter, who was being cradled in her grandmother’s arms and hadn’t even shed that many tears, bl**d pounding in her temples.
As soon as her daughter saw her glare, she wailed even louder.
“It’s fine, it’s fine; let Mommy clean up~”
And she’s already so spoiled at such a young age!
Ning Chu wasn’t about to pamper her daughter; she remained seated. “Mom, let her handle it herself.”
“She’s so little! Let me do it~”
And this is why sometimes she really didn’t want her mother to spend time with her daughter.
She would be utterly spoiled…
Ning Chu rubbed her temples helplessly, finally getting up to grab a cloth from the kitchen. She joined Wen Yang in cleaning up the mess her daughter had made.
Once her mother left, it was no longer a matter of cleaning up leftovers; it was about dealing with Wen Shuqin!
After the little fiasco, the food on the table was mostly gone. Black Bean, having just finished crying, was now playing house with the little one, while the rest remained at the dining table, chatting and nibbling on the remnants of the meal.
“Mom, didn’t you say you were going to stay with Uncle for a while?”
“Isn’t your sister back? What will happen to her if I leave?” Mother paced around the table, holding her granddaughter. “Let’s wait until Ning Xin gets married to talk about it.”
“Mom! Just go! I can manage just fine at home alone!”
Black Bean shouted from the living room, full of anticipation.
“Can you cook? Clean? Leave you alone for just a month, and the house will turn into a dog’s den.”
“Cat’s den!”
Mother rolled her eyes at Black Bean’s banter. “You’re in your twenties now but still act like a kid.”
She sighed helplessly. “What will happen to her in the future? Thankfully she’s not stupid and knows to run back to Wen Yang; if she were out there on her own, she’d get scammed sooner or later.”
“Once I’m dead, you and Wen Yang need to look after Ning Xin more…”
Wen Yang frowned. “Mom, you could put on some makeup and go out, claiming to be in your early thirties, and people would believe you! What’s with all this talk of dying?”
“Exactly!” Ning Chu chimed in, nodding in agreement. “Last time I went shopping with you, the salesgirl thought we were sisters!”
Mother laughed heartily at their teasing; no matter what age you are, every woman loves to be told she looks young and beautiful.
Besides, as a succubus, she definitely had that kind of capital.
Even at over fifty, her figure was still pleasantly plump, her skin was tender, and her fine lines could easily be hidden with a bit of makeup.
When it came to charm, even Ning Chu couldn’t compare… Otherwise, the once brawny uncle wouldn’t have turned so skinny.
“Alright, alright, your uncle and I are off.” Mother stood up cheerfully, linking arms with the uncle. “Let Ning Xin come home tomorrow; not a lick of self-awareness in her wanting to stay over and disrupt you all.”
“It’s fine; it’s been a while since we’ve seen you~” Ning Chu walked out of the dining room behind her mother. “Shuqin, say goodbye to Grandma.”
“Bye-bye~”
Wen Yang dutifully followed, “Mom, I’ll drive you back.”
“Watch the road~”
Ning Chu only escorted them to the hallway, smiling sweetly as she waved goodbye to her mother.
But the moment her mother, the uncle, and Wen Yang stepped into the elevator, her smile vanished instantly. She turned back, her face darkened, looking at her daughter playing with toys in the living room.
The cheerful giggles of her daughter had faded, and now she was nervously fiddling with her doll.
Just the pressure from her gaze made the little one uneasy, and she looked pleadingly at her aunt nearby.
But Black Bean’s cat ears had drooped like airplane wings, her tail tucked obediently behind her as she had already smartly started playing with her mobile phone, putting on an expression of indifference.
Sister’s anger was terrifying…
“Mom! I’m sorry!”
The loud, innocent voice startled Black Bean, making her jump.
Taking the initiative to admit fault caught Ning Chu off guard, and a lot of her anger dissipated unwittingly.
But clearly, her daughter had picked up some tricks from Wen Yang, learning how to use preemptive apologies to diffuse situations.
