Chapter 358.除
November 20, Evening
As dusk fell, the red lanterns at the balcony and front door lit up one after another, the brilliant string lights stood out clearly against the surrounding darkness. In the distance, faint sounds of fireworks were heard, obscured by tall buildings.
Ning Chu took a small stool and sat at the front door, watching her mother burn paper for ancestors in the hallway. The heat from the yellow paper mixed with flying ash drifted nearby, while Hei Dou dashed around with a sparkler near the fire barrel, driving their mother to the brink where she almost gave her a couple of whacks on the backside.
“Get away, don’t bump into the barrel!”
During the New Year, burning paper has a designated iron barrel; in a couple of days, someone will come around to collect the burnt ashes for money.
“Ning Chu, close the door, don’t let the ash blow inside!”
“Oh~”
With a casual motion, Ning Chu shut the door, resting her hands on her thighs, propping her chin up as she gazed at the night outside the hallway window.
When would Wen Yang come~
Although she knew that Wen Yang wouldn’t arrive until around eleven, she couldn’t help but fantasize about him finishing work early to give her a surprise.
“Move aside, move aside.” Ning Yuan opened the door from inside and stepped into the hallway with couplets in hand. “I’m putting up some couplets, so please clear the way.”
Ning Chu grabbed her stool and moved to her neighbor’s door, looking up at her brother as he put up the couplets.
“Have you talked to Lily yet?”
It had been a few hours since she added her as a friend during lunch, surely they have had a conversation by now, right?
“Talk about what?”
“……”
Ning Yuan had his back to her, sticking couplets on as he said, “We just exchanged greetings; I don’t know what else to talk about.”
“You could just casually bring up a topic.”
“She hasn’t come to chat with me; it’s New Year’s, what if she’s busy?”
Ning Chu pouted, “A straight man like you, waiting for the girl to come chat with you…”
She had lost all hope for her brother and Lily~
One was super introverted, the other a straight man with slight fear of women; they seemed completely mismatched!
It was hard to say whether they could even chat together.
“Sounds like you were the same before.” Ning Yuan pressed the couplet to the wall, then turned back to ask, “Does it look crooked?”
“A little lower… Yeah, just like that.”
When they were kids, the lanterns used for the New Year were real, and double-sided tape was like rice glue, but she didn’t know when it started that all the red lanterns became electric ones, and that kind of glue was nowhere to be found anymore.
The sounds of fireworks were only faintly heard, and there was no suffocating smell of firecrackers in the air; she couldn’t see any children playing around in the neighborhood either…
“Brother, remember when we used to throw firecrackers into other people’s houses?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Ning Chu looked at her brother with a wistful gaze and said, “Then you ran away, and I got scolded… It was your idea.”
“I don’t remember that.” Ning Yuan selectively forgot; he finished putting up the couplets, stepped back to take a look, ensuring they were straight, then casually switched the topic. “Wanna go watch the Spring Festival Gala indoors? It’s about to start.”
“Too lazy to watch; there’s nothing interesting.”
The coffee table was moved aside, and the dining table was placed right in front of the TV. Uncle had already set up the induction cooker and pot on the table, filling it with pre-sliced vegetables.
As eight o’clock approached, Uncle finally prepared the hot pot for the night, but Wen Yang would definitely miss it.
“Ning Xin! Come in and eat hot pot.”
“Coming, coming!” Hei Dou rushed into the room.
“Go wash your hands first.”
She dashed off to wash her hands hurriedly, then sat down, her eyes immediately locking onto the slices of beef and lamb on the table. Without waiting for the pot to boil, she eagerly grabbed two pieces of beef and tossed them in.
One by one, everyone took their seats. Surprisingly, Uncle stepped out again, hurrying to help their mother with the paper burning.
Ning Chu snapped a photo of the dining table and sent it to Wen Yang, urging, “It’s already eight! When will you get home from work?”
Surprisingly, Wen Yang responded this time: “I’ll likely be home by nine; the shop doesn’t have many customers, and the manager let us leave early.”
He actually left early!
Ning Chu’s mood instantly lifted, a smile spreading across her face.
The hot pot began to boil, and the first program of the Spring Festival Gala was live.
She glanced at the television with little interest, lowering her head to open a jar of sesame sauce and pour it into a small bowl.
Hei Dou had never watched the Spring Festival Gala and was captivated by the show, focusing intently until she realized Ning Chu had snatched the beef from her chopsticks.
“Sis! That piece was mine!”
“If you let it boil too long, it won’t taste good. I’m helping you eat it.”
“Brother~” Hei Dou immediately looked at Ning Yuan with pitiful eyes, “Sister is bullying me~”
Ning Yuan responded coldly, “Uh-huh.”
Their mother and Uncle came in after finishing the paper burning, carrying a smoky smell as they sat down at the table.
Uncle pulled out a bottle of white liquor from under the table, poured some for their mother, then turned to the siblings, “You two want some too?”
“Sure.”
As Ning Yuan reached out to pass his cup, Hei Dou quickly put her bowl up as well.
“Give me some too!”
“No crowding, little kid.” Their mother shot a glare at Hei Dou, “Go drink some milk; aren’t there several cans in the gift bag?”
Hei Dou jumped down from her chair and scampered off to grab some Wangzai milk.
“Ning Chu.”
Uncle conveniently poured Ning Chu a cup and placed it in front of her.
She frowned slightly in embarrassment; she wasn’t fond of alcohol, especially white liquor, whether in this life or the previous one, it never suited her.
But at home, even if she got tipsy, it wouldn’t matter.
Just consider it a face for her mother’s boyfriend…
“Thank you.” Ning Chu murmured softly, picking up the cup and grimacing as she took a small sip.
The burning sensation shot through her throat, causing her to cough incessantly, tears nearly spilling from the corners of her eyes.
Their mother smiled and reminded her, “It’s high-proof, drink less, if you can’t handle it, just skip it.”
“Could’ve told me earlier…”
Ning Chu stuck out her tongue and exhaled, even just a little sip left her cheeks flushed red.
She glanced at her brother and saw that Ning Yuan couldn’t handle high-proof liquor either; his brows were furrowed, while their mother drank with a smile, clearly used to drinking with Uncle.
With white liquor, hot pot, chatting, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, this New Year’s Eve dinner felt unusually slow; over half an hour passed, and the food on the table hadn’t diminished much.
Only Hei Dou was eating quickly, already clutching her stuffed belly, reclining lazily on the sofa.
There was a gentle knock at the door, and Ning Chu perked up, immediately getting up to answer it.
As expected, Wen Yang appeared at the door.
“Why are you so late? We’re almost done eating.”
“Had no choice; it’s New Year’s Eve, no rest. I originally thought I’d be off at eleven, but thankfully the boss made some changes.”
His fatigue seemed to vanish the moment he saw Ning Chu. As he took off his shoes and stepped inside, she had already stepped forward to help him take off his coat.
“Go eat, the meat is almost gone thanks to Hei Dou.”
Wen Yang glanced at the dining table and noticed the cups of white liquor. Lowering his head, he quietly reminded Ning Chu, “Drink less. Afterward, let’s go to the flower park to see the fireworks.”
His breath brushed against her sensitive ears, causing a blush to creep onto Ning Chu’s face. She froze for a moment before breaking into laughter, “Hey? That’s exactly what I was thinking~”
Their mother leaned on her palm, watching the lovey-dovey couple at the door, and commented, “Look at how eager your sister is; I didn’t see her this enthusiastic when I came home.”
Ning Yuan looked at Ning Chu with a complex expression.
A few months ago when they last met, his brother had just become a girl. Last week, he saw her again, and the girl had grown even more beautiful. And this time, he began to understand why Ning Chu carried a newfound maturity and charm…
It was as if, in the blink of an eye, his little brother had transformed into a housewife, leaving him with an indescribable feeling inside.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
Wow brother must be very very mad