106. Smeared All Over the Face
“This isn’t just a little bit, is it~”
Jiang Yuan looked in surprise at Ling Ning’s skilled cooking techniques, which were almost on par with her own.
“Maybe it’s just practice making perfect,” Ling Ning replied, as she tossed the salted fish into the pan. This braised spicy salted fish was one of her specialty dishes, after all~
Speaking of salted fish, it reminded her of the tentacled one at home. The dog food she got from the pet shop owner was almost gone. Ling Ning would have never imagined that this weird salted fish could eat so much. She was seriously tempted to dissect it to see if its stomach was connected to another dimension. If it weren’t for her daughter being so fond of it, she would have fried it up and fed it to the dog long ago.
With two people cooking, dishes were soon being brought out to the dining table one after another.
Qian Xu had also been invited to stay for dinner. He secretly sneaked a peek into the kitchen and saw Ling Ning getting along well with his soon-to-be mother-in-law. He could feel his own advantage slipping away.
“No way! I can’t let that pretty boy keep getting ahead like this.”
Qian Xu clenched his fists. If things kept going like this, he was definitely out of the running. He had to come up with a way to stop Ling Ning.
“Alright, it’s ready, let’s eat.”
“Honey, since when did you learn to cook these dishes?”
Zhou Jingshan looked at the enticing spread on the table. At least half of the dishes were things he had never had before.
“Half of them were made by Ling Ling.” Jiang Yuan beamed.
“Oh?” Zhou Jingshan looked at Ling Ning with a nod of approval. “Not bad, kid. You’re good at chess, and it turns out you’re also good in the kitchen.”
Ling Ning smiled slightly. “These are just some simple home-style dishes, nothing special.”
Just as everyone was about to start eating, Zhou Jingshan seemed to remember something suddenly. He got up and went into a room, and not long after, he came back holding a bottle.
“Kid, how about some wine? This is a bottle I’ve been saving for ages; it’s definitely not inferior to the one you brought.”
Ling Ning eyed the clear liquid, feeling her mouth water, but even three glasses of red wine were enough to make her drunk. With this clear spirit, even one glass would probably be too much. Besides, she had driven here, and everyone knows the saying, “When you drive, don’t drink; when you drink, don’t drive.”
“Uncle, um… I drove here today, so if it’s okay, can we save the drinking for another time?”
“Dad, Ling Ling drove here today. If she drinks, how will he get home?”
“What are you worried about? The service industry is so advanced these days. There’s always that driving service, right? If worse comes to worst, aren’t there plenty of guest rooms here?” Zhou Jingshan dismissed her concerns.
Ling Ning wanted to say something else, but seeing Zhou Jingshan had already opened the bottle, she figured refusing again would be pointless.
“Qian Xu, you have a drink too.”
“No problem, Uncle. It’s been ages since I’ve had a drink with you.” Qian Xu eyed Ling Ning with a smirk. Just one look at her face told him she probably couldn’t handle her alcohol. If he could get her drunk tonight… heh heh heh.
Ling Ning didn’t immediately drink from the full glass in front of her. Instead, she brought it to her nose, taking a light sniff. Based on her years of experience in the drinking scene, this was definitely good stuff.
“Uncle, I toast to you.”
Knowing there was no way out, Ling Ning gave Zhou Xiaoxiao a “counting on you” look and downed the glass in one gulp. She felt the spicy heat burn down her throat, which after some time transformed into a smooth sweetness.
“Good stuff!” Ling Ning couldn’t help exclaiming.
“Oh-ho, kid, you know your wine! I suppose you must, considering the bottle you gave me. Come on, drink up!”
“Cheers!” Qian Xu joined in, pushing his own glass forward. As a frequent drinker, he prided himself on his alcohol tolerance.
Seeing Ling Ning constantly being toasted by the two, Zhou Xiaoxiao grew worried that Ling Ning wouldn’t be able to hold on. If she accidentally revealed her identity, they’d be in big trouble.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Qian Xu watched Ling Ning drink glass after glass, but she showed no signs of getting drunk, not even a blush. Now it was his turn to feel uneasy. He eyed the nearly empty bottle. Even Zhou Jingshan, his soon-to-be father-in-law, was struggling, let alone him.
Although Ling Ning wasn’t a heavy drinker, her constitution had one peculiar trait: she would never get visibly drunk while drinking. The hangover, however, would hit her all at once afterward. It was an odd sort of endurance.
“I… I can’t… ugh!” Qian Xu finally couldn’t hold it in. He tried to cover his mouth, but it was no use, and he ended up vomiting all over himself, a truly pitiful sight.
“Kid, you’re pretty good…” Zhou Jingshan followed soon after, but unlike Qian Xu, he merely passed out without any further mess.
Zhou Xiaoxiao looked at her father in surprise. She knew exactly how much he could drink. For Ling Ning to outdrink even her father… and to think Ling Ning had said she wasn’t a good drinker. Who was she kidding?
“Quick, help me find somewhere to lie down.”
Ling Ning tugged on Zhou Xiaoxiao’s skirt, feeling her mind starting to freeze up.
Without asking any questions, Zhou Xiaoxiao helped Ling Ning to her room. As soon as she saw the bed, Ling Ning couldn’t take it anymore, throwing herself onto it. Since her reincarnation, this was the first time she’d drunk so much, and with clear spirits, no less. It was murderous.
“Ling Ning, Ling Ning!”
Zhou Xiaoxiao gently shook Ling Ning, but there was no response. Her once pale face was now flushed bright red. Only now did Zhou Xiaoxiao realize Ling Ning wasn’t lying—she really couldn’t handle her alcohol.
“Why do you have to push yourself so hard?” Zhou Xiaoxiao muttered softly.
Despite her complaint, Zhou Xiaoxiao still took off Ling Ning’s shoes, carefully adjusted her position, and tucked her in. Then she sat at the bedside, staring at Ling Ning.
“If only you were a man…” Zhou Xiaoxiao whispered, brushing Ling Ning’s cheek. The sight of Ling Ning in male attire this morning had really startled her.
Though she had asked Ling Ning to pretend to be her boyfriend, she never expected it would actually work. Judging from her parents’ reactions, Ling Ning’s performance had definitely had an effect. If she played her cards right, there was a good chance she could convince her parents to cancel the engagement.
When Zhou Xiaoxiao returned to the living room, Jiang Yuan was helping Zhou Jingshan to rest, leaving only Qian Xu lying in a pool of his own vomit.
Zhou Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose. Leaving him there wasn’t right, but she was too disgusted to touch him. In the end, Zhou Xiaoxiao reluctantly grabbed a mop.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
This salted fish isn’t writing anymore; this salted fish is off to play mahjong.