424. Stirring the Pot
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Somewhere along the way, Lin Nan started to feel like this was her home.
Ever since Chen Yao dragged her out of her house, she’d felt a bit empty, thinking she’d lost her home. Luckily, that need for home was quickly fulfilled by Chen Yao’s parents.
Cuddling her knees on the sofa, she gazed at the TV, though her eyes had that vacant look—her mind racing with snapshots of past memories.
Just half a year ago, her mother had divorced her father, and she was on the verge of becoming a woman herself. Fast forward six months later, her mom found someone else to rely on, and Lin Nan had fully settled into her new life as a woman, finding a new family that accepted her.
It felt like a lifetime had passed in just half a year.
Suddenly, the front door burst open, and Chen Yao’s mother waltzed in with a big bag of ingredients, her face glowing with warmth. When she spotted Lin Nan on the sofa, her expression morphed into that of a kindly matriarch.
“You could have at least told me you were coming!” she playfully chided Lin Nan for her lack of consideration. “Next time, give me a heads-up, or Auntie won’t be ready!”
Lin Nan quickly put her legs down and struck a pose as the obedient child, hurrying over to help carry things.
Despite feeling more at home here, she knew how to play the part, just like some people who act wild outside but turn into little lambs at home.
Speaking of which, that definitely described Chen Yao.
“You don’t need to help, just sit there and play on your phone,” Auntie dodged Lin Nan’s outstretched hands, her smile becoming even more pleasant. “How about I make barbecue for you tonight? We just got a fresh batch of Australian Wagyu beef; I brought over two pounds just for your steaks and barbecue.”
“Yay!” Lin Nan nodded vigorously.
She followed Auntie into the kitchen, bouncing behind her like a little puppy. “I’ll help! I’m great at cooking, so I won’t be a bother!”
“Alright then.”
Auntie chuckled, leading Lin Nan into the kitchen. Since Chen Yao’s family owned a restaurant, the kitchen was larger and better equipped than most. The two of them hustled around without feeling cramped at all.
“Let’s make some dumplings as snacks to hold you over.”
Auntie dug into the big bag and pulled out a chunk of well-marbled meat, ready to chop it into filling, while Lin Nan took her spot on the other side of the kitchen, focused on prepping the veggies.
Garlic, ginger, and scallions were minced, chives cut into sections, and then there was the dough for the dumpling wrappers…
Even though Lin Nan thought it’d be easier to buy ready-made wrappers and get meat from a grinder at the market, Auntie seemed to have a preference for doing it the hard way.
After barely ten minutes, Auntie’s curiosity kicked in, and she casually asked Lin Nan about her life. “Chen Yao usually lives with you in that rental apartment outside of school?”
“Yep, we live together,” Lin Nan nodded, not bothering to look up.
“Are you getting used to living with him?”
Lin Nan instinctively nodded again, mumbling, “It’s okay… we just game and eat together…”
Auntie kept chopping with an even bigger smile, “If Chen Yao bullies you, just let me know. I’ll back you up.”
Now, that was a call for a proper chat.
Lin Nan’s eyes lit up, and she didn’t hesitate to lay down the law about Chen Yao’s faults. “He has smelly feet! After basketball, he takes off his shoes and the whole place stinks! And he won’t even wash his feet right away!”
“And he hoards food! Sneaks out to eat delicious stuff and never brings me any!”
“He snores at night, so sometimes I can’t sleep at all!”
Auntie’s face brightened at that last part: “He snores?”
“Yup! If it weren’t for the small apartment, I’d want to sleep separately!” Lin Nan slammed a piece of ginger down on the cutting board, fuming. “I’m already a light sleeper, and he snores on top of that!”
“You’ve been sleeping together, huh?” Auntie seemed overjoyed, her eyes crinkling with joy. “When are we getting grandkids?”
“……”
Lin Nan turned beet red, stammering while trying to explain she and Chen Yao had no physical relationship, but before she could spill any words, Auntie rambled on about all sorts of health tips, worried Lin Nan might suffer complications during childbirth, before veering into psychological advice, non-stop.
“I hear many women get postpartum depression, so you need to stay cheerful. If anything’s bothering you, just take it out on Chen Yao. He’s big and strong; a few hits won’t hurt him…”
Lin Nan couldn’t get a word in, awkwardly bowing her head and continuing to chop ginger and garlic.
Meanwhile, Chen Yao was stirred awake by their conversation, yawning as he shuffled into the living room, just in time to catch his mother say, “Take it out on Chen Yao,” causing his face to pale in sudden horror.
If Lin Nan ever embraced this philosophy, he might be destined for a lifetime on the couch!
“Mom!” he interrupted hurriedly, “I want fried chicken legs!”
“Eat, eat, eat! That’s all you think about!” Auntie shot him a glare.
Clearly dissatisfied at being cut off mid-rant, Auntie looked back at Lin Nan, who was all too considerate, and then back at her son, who, at his age, couldn’t even behave properly.
With a bold face, Chen Yao kept babbling, “Being able to eat is a blessing, Mom!”
“You’re turning into a pig! If Lin Nan didn’t fall for your tricks, what girl would ever look at you?”
Lin Nan blinked in confusion—when exactly had she been tricked by Chen Yao?
After a moment of contemplation, she took a deep breath to calm the redness on her face and put on a wise, understanding look. “Auntie, Chen Yao is actually quite nice…”
“See? He tricked you!”
Auntie was now even more agitated, brandishing the kitchen kn*fe as she marched out of the kitchen. “You’re lucky to have a girl interested in you; why don’t you cherish that!”
“What?” Chen Yao took a couple of bewildered steps back, “Mom, can you talk without wielding a kn*fe? It’s kinda scary.”
Lin Nan, feeling triumphant about stirring the pot, watched as Auntie unleashed a verbal tornado on Chen Yao, kn*fe in hand. Chen Yao was left just backing away, unable to utter a single retort.
“From now on, you better sleep with a clothespin on your nose! Snoring every night keeps Nan Nan from sleeping! No shame!”
Chen Yao was completely dumbfounded. Wasn’t Lin Nan guilty of snoring too? She’d even crawled over and deliberately positioned her nose next to his ear to do it!
If anyone was losing sleep, it was definitely him!
Just look at these dark circles under his eyes! Two months straight, and they hadn’t faded at all!
Now utterly dejected, Chen Yao couldn’t lift his head, but he carefully glanced into the kitchen and found Lin Nan grinning ear to ear.
She had clearly just fed his mother some juicy gossip, likely filled with slander. Lin Nan had used this tactic many times with Lilith, but he never expected it to be turned on him.
What used to be a quiet house now bubbled with life, reminiscent of a festival, and all the ruckus helped Lin Nan temporarily forget her worries.
This family feels great.
