NOVEL NEXT Chapter 604. Family Dinner
“Ning Chu’s cooking has really improved!”
The carefully stewed braised pork was tender and bouncy. When I scooped it with the spoon, the skin wobbled, glistening a glossy reddish hue under the light.
“Back in college, she could barely cut potatoes into strips, and in the kitchen, she’d just get in my way,” Mom said with a smile as she placed the braised pork into Wen Yang’s bowl. “Eating so well every day, yet I don’t see you getting fat?”
“I usually work out for an hour during my lunch break, and besides, Ning Chu’s cooking is usually a bit slapdash. How could she spend hours cooking every day?”
Wen Yang chuckled as he teased his wife. Although he felt a bit stiff in front of his mother-in-law, that stiffness resembled a kid having fun outside meeting an elder more than the prior awkwardness.
“Don’t be too busy with work; you need to watch your health. Ning Chu complains to me every day that you’re always working at home and don’t have time to spend with her and the baby.”
“Mom, I never said such a thing!”
Ning Chu glared at her mom in annoyance.
How could the things she complained about in private suddenly be blurted out in public like this?!
“She’s just acting tough~”
“Mom!”
Ning Chu’s face flushed red as she buried her head in her bowl, digging in.
“It’s mainly because I’ve been busy these days. I just landed a big client, and I should have more time to spend with Ning Chu now.” No matter how many times, Wen Yang loved seeing his wife’s shy demeanor. He teased her, “If Ning Chu doesn’t say anything, how would I know what she wants?”
Just as he finished his teasing, his foot was stepped on firmly, freezing his smile in place. He quickly tried to change the topic: “Hei Dou, does your sister cook well?”
“Of course, it’s delicious!”
Hei Dou’s rice mixed with the braised pork sauce; she couldn’t stop eating and barely lifted her head to respond.
“It’s way better than the cafeteria food at my school~ and it’s all meat!”
She babbled as she ate, her face smeared into a cute mess: “Last semester, I even found metal wires in the cafeteria food! The cafeteria is terrible, and the school won’t even let us order takeout.”
Ning Chu found Hei Dou’s complaints about school and the cafeteria both familiar and strange.
Unknowingly, she’d been away from university for nearly ten years.
“Isn’t there a complaints department? You could call the market regulation agency?” Wen Yang suggested.
“Can I?” Hei Dou looked up, bewildered, but quickly shook her cat ears dismissively. “I’m already interning, it’s whatever.”
Uncle was quiet, hard to insert himself into the conversation, just focusing on eating and occasionally speaking a few words.
Although he had known Uncle for many years, Ning Chu realized she didn’t even know Uncle’s name. She barely interacted with him and only cared that her mother got along well with him.
With a loud “thud,” everyone tensed up.
Their daughter, sitting in her high chair, accidentally knocked her bowl over, spilling food everywhere. She looked up in confusion at Grandma. Before Ning Chu could scold her, she began to cry with a loud “Wah!”
“Oh dear~ It’s just a bowl being knocked over, why cry?” Mom immediately softened, picking up her granddaughter to comfort her. “Ning Chu, quickly clean up the floor.”
“……”
Ning Chu glared, watching her daughter in Grandma’s arms who hadn’t even shed a tear but was now crying even louder.
“Don’t worry, let Mommy clean up~”
She’s so dramatic at this age!
Ning Chu wasn’t going to coddle her daughter. She remained still, “Mom, let her do it herself.”
“How old is she? I’ll do it~”
This was why she really didn’t want her mom and daughter to spend time together.
They’d spoil her rotten…
Ning Chu helplessly rubbed her temples but stood up to get a cloth from the kitchen to help Wen Yang clean up the mess.
Once Mom left, she wouldn’t be cleaning up a mess but rather dealing with Wen Shujun!
After the little episode, the food on the table was nearly finished, and Hei Dou was playing house with the little one who had just cried, while the others continued to sit at the dinner table, eating and chatting.
“Mom, didn’t you say you were going to stay with Uncle?”
“Your sister came back, right? What will happen to her if I leave?” Mom cradled her granddaughter while pacing by the dining table. “Let’s talk about it after Ning Xin is married.”
“Mom! You should go! I can manage just fine at home by myself!”
Hei Dou eagerly called from the living room.
“Can you cook? Or keep the place clean? If you live alone, it won’t be long before the house turns into a dog den.”
“It’ll be a cat den!”
Mom couldn’t even bother to retort to Hei Dou: “Your sister is already in her twenties, and yet she acts like a child every day.”
She sighed helplessly: “What are we supposed to do with her later? At least she isn’t dumb; she knows to come back to Wen Yang for support. If she were out on her own, she’d get scammed and end up giving people money.”
“When I’m gone, you and Wen Yang will have to take care of Ning Xin…”
Wen Yang frowned: “Mom, you could go out made up and say you’re in your thirties, and people would believe it. What are you talking about dying?”
“Exactly.” Ning Chu nodded in agreement. “Last time I went shopping with you, the salesgirl even thought we were sisters~”
Mom chuckled at the two, and no matter her age, every woman loved being praised for looking young and beautiful.
Besides, as a succubus, she certainly had the right to it.
Even though she was over fifty, her figure was still only slightly plump, voluptuous even, and her skin was delicate, with fine lines that could easily be hidden with a bit of makeup.
In terms of charm, even Ning Chu couldn’t compare… otherwise, the once sturdy Uncle wouldn’t have thinned out so much.
“Alright, alright, your Uncle and I will head out now.” Mom cheerfully stood up, linking her arm with Uncle’s. “Let Ning Xin return tomorrow; she has no sense of self-awareness and thinks she can stay and affect you all.”
“No worries, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other~” Ning Chu followed her mom out of the dining room. “Shu Jun, say goodbye to Grandma.”
“Bye~”
Wen Yang politely followed, “Mom, I’ll drive you back.”
“Be careful on the way~”
Ning Chu only saw them off to the hallway, her face beaming with warm smiles as she waved goodbye to her mom.
But as soon as her mom, Uncle, and Wen Yang entered the elevator, her smile instantly vanished, her expression darkening as she turned back to glare at her daughter, who was playing with her toys in the living room.
The joyful sounds of her daughter had disappeared, and she was nervously fiddling with her doll.
Just the pressure from her gaze made her uneasy. She looked over for help to her petite aunt.
But Hei Dou’s cat ears had turned into airplane ears, her tail tucked away obediently as she played on her phone, looking utterly uninterested.
Sisters throwing tantrums were frightening…
“Mom! I was wrong!”
The loud voice startled Hei Dou, making her jump.
Being the first to admit fault caught Ning Chu off guard, lessening her anger instinctively.
But it was obvious her daughter had picked up on Wen Yang’s traits; she had already learned how to diffuse anger by admitting her wrongdoing first.