Chapter 361. Surprise Attack
As noon approached, Wen Yang walked up the stairs, emerging from the subway entrance.
This area was an old district, where buildings were typically only ten or so stories high, and the road was only four lanes wide. The street-side trees were dense enough to nearly obscure the entire street under their canopy.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, festive banners and lights still hung in the streets, but the once-busy old district felt somewhat quieter than usual.
This was the closest subway station to Ning Chu’s home, and it would take about a fifteen-minute walk to get there.
After picking up some New Year gifts from a roadside stall, Wen Yang perked up, checking his appearance in his phone’s reflection, standing tall as he headed toward the residential complex.
When he reached the bottom of the building, a parked electric car caught his attention.
It wasn’t the car that stood out but the two elderly people standing next to it.
The old man had graying hair at the temples, was slim, and his bony wrists were clearly visible, yet he stood straight with a spirit more vigorous than most young people.
The old lady was slightly plump, with a rosy complexion and well-maintained skin, looking as if she were only in her forties or fifties. One notable feature was the goat-like curved horns sprouting from her head.
People with long horns like that weren’t common; who knows how heavy they were…
Wen Yang couldn’t help but take a longer look, earning a friendly tap on the head from the old lady.
He flashed a shy smile and nodded back before stepping into the residential building and waiting by the elevator.
After a moment, the two elderly folks also joined him, stepping into the elevator together.
“Ning Chu’s this little brat, it’s like asking for her life to come see me.”
“She’s shy; she must be afraid of what others might say.”
“Xiao Juan too; such big matters she doesn’t tell us. We have to wait until something happens before she shares. You’ve spoiled her since she was little.”
Wen Yang listened to the conversation behind him, but unfortunately, it was in a local dialect that sounded like a jumble of gibberish—he couldn’t comprehend a word, but the tone sounded like they were arguing.
He glanced back and saw the old man puffing out his cheeks and glaring, while the old lady looked cheerful, seeming more like they were chatting than fighting.
It must be a pronunciation issue with the local dialect… Speaking of which, he had never heard Ning Chu speak in dialect—she probably didn’t know it at all.
The elevator arrived, and Wen Yang went in first, selecting Ning Chu’s floor before stepping aside to play with his phone.
“Xiao Juan’s neighbor? I’ve never seen him before.”
“A younger generation coming to pay respects?”
He couldn’t understand what the old people were saying, but felt their gazes on him. Peeking at the elevator panel, he suspected these unfamiliar elders might be neighbors across from Ning Chu’s family.
When the elevator stopped, he walked out alongside the two old folks, and they all halted in front of Ning Chu’s door.
“……”
The three exchanged glances for a moment, a bit bewildered.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and a girl excitedly dashed out: “Wen Yang!”
Seeing the scene outside, she slammed on the brakes, her hands gripping the door frame while her feet skidded several centimeters on the tiled floor, nearly causing her to fall flat.
With that awkward glance, Ning Chu’s expression stiffened; her cheeks were already flushing as she quietly greeted, “Grandpa, Grandma… what are you doing here…?”
Mom never mentioned this to me!
“It’s been about ten days since the holiday; if we didn’t come today, would you hide till school starts?”
“Not at all! We planned to come pay respects tomorrow…”
Her gaze couldn’t help but drift to Grandma’s head.
Wow! Those horns look pretty cute from this angle~ A bit like goat horns!
Grandpa and Grandma looked quite similar to before she crossed over, but Grandma seemed a bit younger and sported two curved horns.
“Oh dear~ Ning Chu is really beautiful~” Upon seeing her granddaughter, Grandma beamed with joy, stepping inside without even taking off her shoes, cupping Ning Chu’s fair face in her hands, her laughter crinkling the corners of her eyes.
Ning Chu’s face was pinched and poked like dough, and after a peck on the cheek that hurt her enough to redden her eyes, she looked over Grandma’s shoulder at Wen Yang, filled with a sense of existential despair, yet still forcing a smile.
“Grandpa!” Hei Dou, who was watching TV in the living room, immediately noticed what was happening and rushed over, throwing herself into Grandpa’s arms.
Though he wanted to observe the changes in his granddaughter a bit longer, Grandpa first pulled out a string cheese from his pocket to placate Hei Dou.
“Ning Chu, who’s here?”
Hearing the commotion, Mom appeared from the kitchen in an apron. She glanced at the door, and her smile immediately froze.
“What’s wrong? Not welcome?”
“Of course not~”
As guests, it felt more like they were hosting a father figure. Grandpa swaggered into the living room, plopping down on the sofa and casually grabbing some sunflower seeds from the table.
It really is Dad…
Mom’s expression was a bit panicked, glancing frequently toward the kitchen.
Just over ten days ago, it was Ning Chu introducing Wen Yang to her parents… now it was Uncle being entirely unprepared.
The scene was a bit chaotic; Wen Yang stood outside the door feeling lost, while Ning Chu was getting hassled by Grandma, Grandpa comfortably sat on the sofa playing with a kitten, and Mom stood frozen in place unsure of what to do…
What kind of situation is this on the first day of the New Year?
With a sigh of concern, Mom soon put on a cheerful smile and beckoned to Wen Yang, “Stop standing outside like a fool, come in.”
“Okay, Auntie, I brought some food…”
“Leave it there.”
Her smile sent a chill down Wen Yang’s spine. As soon as he entered, she introduced him, “This is Ning Chu’s boyfriend, Wen Yang.”
Wen Yang immediately straightened up, unsure how to greet her.
Should I call him Grandpa or Uncle? Maybe Big Uncle?
It should be the former, but he and Ning Chu weren’t even married yet…
“Oh?” Grandpa looked at Wen Yang with great interest, “Good looking young man.”
“Right?” Mom took Wen Yang’s hand and pressed him onto the sofa. “You two have a nice chat. I’ll go make lunch.”
“Honestly, you didn’t even give a heads up about coming over, and now I’m not prepared.”
Having bought herself some breathing room by selling her daughter’s boyfriend, Mom quickly turned to the kitchen to discuss strategies with Uncle about meeting her parents.
But Wen Yang was left bewildered, feeling the pressure under Grandpa’s scrutiny.
At the same time, Ning Chu was overwhelmed, pulled aside by Grandma, who chatted away like there was no end to what she had to say.
“You’re so pretty, even more beautiful than your mom was when she was young.”
“You didn’t grow horns, did you? Just like your mom~”
“Just six months ago you were still such a little kid—look at you now, all grown up and looking great. Look at your figure~”
Can we please not bring up six months ago…?
That sense of embarrassment hadn’t quite left Ning Chu, making her awkwardly smile, “Mm.”
Standing in front of Grandma felt like being a doll on display; she was poked and squeezed, thoroughly adored by her grandmother.
But after about ten minutes of this, she couldn’t take it anymore and reasoned, “Grandma…”
She clearly witnessed Mom selling Wen Yang off earlier! Don’t blame me for being unkind!
“What’s wrong?”
“My mom’s got a boyfriend in the kitchen.”
Grandma froze before quickly heading toward the kitchen, saying, “I’ll go take a look.”
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.