Chapter 336. Dinner at Ning Chu’s House
Just around dinner time, Hei Dou suddenly opened her eyes, wrinkled her nose, but didn’t smell the enticing aroma of meat.
It then dawned on her that she was lying in her warm bed.
Turning to look at her sister, who was busy fumbling with her phone, she crawled over like a little bug: “Sister~ Has Mom not cooked yet?”
“She went out to buy groceries. We’re having big crabs tonight.”
“Really?!” Hei Dou’s eyes lit up, and she quickly escaped from the bed, jumping down onto the floor.
“What are you doing?”
Ning Chu lifted her head to look at Hei Dou, fearing the little cat might do something outrageous.
“Doing homework!”
Hei Dou immediately darted to the desk, pulling out the exercise book Wen Yang bought her, and just as she was about to write her name on it, she suddenly turned back, a bit anxious, and asked, “Sister, do I really get a meal for writing two pages?”
Ning Chu instinctively nodded.
“Yay!”
Suddenly, she felt that something was off; her right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably, and she quickly added, “You have to write neatly and not scribble. I’ll check it.”
“I know!”
Will Wen Yang and I really end up going bankrupt because of Hei Dou?
Even though Hei Dou has her quirks, counting her cat age, she’s only about eight months old. If you only count the time since turning human, she’s barely a month or two old.
It’s hard to be strict with her when she makes mistakes, but thankfully, her past experience of wandering and starving has made her a little obsessed with food, so using the extra meal as motivation should help correct those bad habits.
The only downside is she might turn into a little chubby cat.
Ning Chu opened the nightstand to sneak a peek at the stash of snacks hidden inside.
This is Hei Dou’s “little treasury,” where anything she can’t finish goes. She’s not foolish; she won’t hide anything unwrapped or half-eaten that will spoil.
Maybe she’s already been scolded by Mom once.
“Sister! Close it! Close it!”
Upon hearing the drawer opening, Hei Dou’s ears perked up, and she hurried over to shut it again.
“I’m not going to steal your stuff.” Ning Chu rolled her eyes.
“What if you get tempted?”
“You don’t trust your sister at all…”
Hei Dou stuck her tongue out at Ning Chu and happily skipped off to do her homework.
Ning Chu stretched lazily, about to lie back down and browse on her phone when she suddenly heard a noise from the front door.
She quickly got up, padded barefoot on the floor, and rushed outside.
Sure enough, Wen Yang and Mom had returned.
Wen Yang was carrying several big bags, while Mom had her hands empty, just holding a handbag, looking more like she went for a stroll than grocery shopping.
“Why can’t you put on shoes?” Mom shot a glance at Ning Chu. “I’ve just cleaned the floor, and now you’ve left footprints everywhere.”
“No worries, let Wen Yang clean it up again.”
Talking tough, but Ning Chu still scampered to the door and grabbed a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet.
In just half a day, she had already accumulated three pairs by her bed.
“Wen Yang, come help me out.”
Mom set down her purse and slowly headed to the kitchen, while Wen Yang looked cheerful, shooting Ning Chu a glance.
“Good luck!” Ning Chu mouthed encouragement to Wen Yang.
Perhaps because Wen Yang had been getting closer to her daughter, Mom’s attitude towards him seemed to have become friendlier, or perhaps it was because the gift Wen Yang gave her was genuinely to her liking.
Though the result of that friendliness was that Wen Yang was being ordered around…
“What time do you start work tomorrow?” Mom asked while busying herself with dinner.
“The early shift, from seven to three-thirty,” Wen Yang smiled wryly, “I’ll be late for work the next day.”
His job had a shift system, and as a newcomer, he was mixing early and late shifts to get acquainted with the hotel operations.
After this period is over, he might be able to settle into either an early or late shift.
“Stay on top of your work.” Mom quickly noticed the reason for Wen Yang’s tardiness, shooting a glance at Ning Chu, who was peering into the kitchen.
Ning Chu hadn’t heard their previous conversation and exchanged a bewildered look with Mom, before quickly focusing on the two crabs clawing in the sink.
“Just steam the oysters directly; it’s easier. Otherwise, Ning Xin will complain if she has to wait too long.”
“All right.” Wen Yang started rinsing the oysters.
“Ning Chu, what’s Ning Xin doing? Playing on her tablet?”
“Doing homework.”
Seeing Mom’s expression falter, Ning Chu immediately raised her chin with pride: “She’s working on the exercise book Wen Yang bought! She’s very diligent with me around~”
“She has a three-minute attention span,” Mom murmured as she continued cooking.
Having bought quite a lot from the supermarket, besides the crabs and oysters Ning Chu mentioned, Mom also got shrimp and leeks.
The rice in the rice cooker had long been steamed, and within a few minutes, several dishes were ready to be served.
“Let’s eat first.”
Mom looked up, ready to call for Hei Dou, but Hei Dou was already sitting at the dining table, wagging her tail, eagerly waiting for dinner.
Stir-fried leeks with eggs, boiled shrimp, and steamed oysters—all simple dishes.
“The crabs and pork ribs will take a bit longer.”
“Wen Yang, go eat somewhere else; don’t get in the way in the kitchen.”
Seeing Wen Yang seated next to her, Ning Chu straightened up and whispered, “I feel like my mom’s attitude towards you has improved a lot~”
“Definitely.”
Wen Yang could feel it too; he was noticeably less stiff as her future mother-in-law’s demeanor changed.
In front of him was a large bowl of rice, and her future mother-in-law had already memorized his appetite.
“Are you going to sleep at my place tonight?” Wen Yang gazed toward the kitchen and asked quietly.
Ning Chu’s face flushed, and she shook her head in embarrassment, her little head shaking like it was on a spring: “No way!”
Am I that needy?!
Last night he wore her out, and her poor condition hasn’t even healed; now he’s thinking of doing it again tonight!
“Fine, I’ll head back after I finish the meal. I need to sleep early; I have the seven o’clock shift in the morning.”
“Mm, don’t be late again.” Ning Chu paused, “Do you have any suspects? The person who drugged you?”
“No.”
“Anyway, stay away from those bad women.” She frowned and muttered in dissatisfaction, “Thank goodness I stepped in~ That cup was completely useless! It cost me over a hundred!”
What a loss!
Hei Dou mixed the stir-fried leeks with her rice and curiously asked, “Sister, what are you guys talking about? What cup?”
“Nothing.”
Ning Chu urgently shook her head to deny it.
Having a beast-eared girl at home is really inconvenient! Her nose is so sharp, and her ears are so good!
“Steamed red sturgeon with vermicelli is ready~”
Mom came in with a large plate of crab, immediately drawing Hei Dou’s attention: “I want to eat the big claws!”
“Here, your big claws.”
“Ning Chu, this one has lots of meat, quick, take it.”
Every time Wen Yang eats at Ning Chu’s house, he can feel the warmth of family. Even though it’s noisy, it’s something to yearn for.
“Wen Yang, you take half of one, and be sure to add more vermicelli; the dish is better than the crab. Try my cooking.”
He paused, looking at the half crab placed in his bowl, and his smile softened a little more: “Thanks.”
“This kid, thanking me even!”
Mom happily sat down and slowly started munching on some crab legs.
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The new cover is finally up~ My Ning Chu is so cute~
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