Chapter 214. Mom’s Boyfriend
“Ning Chu, come here!”
“This outfit really suits you!”
“How about this dress? Does it look nice?”
Suddenly armed with a clothing rack to freely dress up, Mom’s shopping spree has been quite aggressive these last couple of days.
Ning Chu was grimacing; her calves were already a bit sore. She really didn’t want to haul another heavy suitcase back to school filled with clothes, nor did she want to waste time just to buy them.
Better to grab some food on the street and then spend two hours at an internet cafe.
But the one suffering worse had to be Ning Yuan.
She glanced back at her brother, who was trudging behind, already laden with shopping bags, and almost burst out laughing at his expression of utter despair.
Since becoming a girl, she distinctly felt a slight barrier between them. While Ning Yuan didn’t show it much, they had grown up together since childhood.
The problem was, eliminating that gap needed prolonged close interaction, and one slip-up could lead to some sort of romantic comedy disaster!
“Ning Chu!”
“Coming, coming~”
Hearing Mom calling again, Ning Chu sulkily jogged forward, only to find her Mom stopping in front of a snack shop.
This snack shop had been around for who knows how long. Every time they visited their grandparents in the countryside, Mom would always stop by here for a meal.
To avoid Grandma’s overly enthusiastic cooking, which they couldn’t bear…
“Ning Yuan, put down your stuff first.”
Having not been here for a long time, Ning Chu curiously scanned the surroundings and noticed it was quite different from her memories.
Hmm, the prices were way off, more than double!
That peanut butter noodles used to be three bucks, now it’s seven!
“So expensive…”
“Everything’s expensive now,” Mom complained, resting her chin on her hand. “Just a trip to the supermarket will easily cost a hundred.”
Suddenly, she looked across the table at Ning Yuan: “When are you going to find a girlfriend? If you don’t hurry, I’m going to set you up with a blind date by New Year’s!”
Ning Yuan quickly shook his head in rejection: “Forget it. I’ve just started working for a little over a year; I can’t afford to date.”
“Isn’t there any girl you like at your company?”
“Nope, there aren’t even any girls there.”
He hesitated and looked anxious: “We don’t even have a house or car, and no money for a bride price. No rush.”
“How can you not have a house? The location’s pretty good.”
Sure, their family’s place was old and dilapidated, but it was in the old town, super convenient for getting around; apparently, it was left by that scumbag of a father.
“This place is too shabby. They’d definitely want a better house.”
Ning Chu loved watching this pushy mom moment, beaming as she saw her brother desperately try to brush Mom off.
But soon, the spotlight shifted to her.
“You’re laughing? If you don’t find a boyfriend soon, just wait to see what happens!”
“…”
Ning Chu exchanged a glance with Ning Yuan, and they quickly reached an unspoken agreement.
Ning Yuan took the lead: “Mom, what about you? We’re both single; have you considered finding a boyfriend?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Ning Chu chimed in enthusiastically, nodding like a bobblehead.
Mom was momentarily taken aback and rolled her eyes at her two kids: “I’m too old for that. What’s the point?”
“But Mom is still gorgeous~ You look like you’re eighteen! I’m sure plenty of people would line up to date you!”
“Oh please, eighteen?”
With a playful smile, she ruffled Ning Chu’s hair and countered: “Ning Yuan, take notes from your brother. If your mouth was this sweet, you wouldn’t have worries finding a girlfriend!”
In just two days, Mom hadn’t quite gotten used to the new way of addressing her.
The snacks they ordered finally came to the table; she took a few bites, her gaze flickering. After a moment of contemplation, she looked up and said, “Don’t worry about me; by New Year’s, I’ll bring him to meet you…”
Both siblings froze, looking incredulously at their mother’s rosy-cheeked face resembling a blushing teenager.
No way! Mom really has a secret boyfriend!
Ning Chu had anticipated this, but still gasped, wide-eyed: “Mom! How old is he?”
“Just in his forties.”
That long… Wait, is he some old dude in his forties?
Immediately, a strong, robust uncle figure popped up in her mind; otherwise, how could he handle a succubus like Mom?
Mom’s taste in men must be fine; the average looks in this world skew upwards, so he cannot be a greasy, fat uncle.
Most likely, he’s a handsome uncle!
Ning Yuan then asked, “Mom, when did this start?”
“Well, I think around the time Ning Chu was in middle school?”
“How did you two meet?”
“It started as an online romance…”
“Wow~”
Both siblings leaned forward, filled with excitement and curiosity, bombarding Mom with questions. But after a few answers, she got flustered: “Eat your food! What’s with all the questions? You sound like old gossipers!”
“Oh…”
Ning Chu looked down, sneaking a glance at Mom’s now flushed neck.
She’s shy, huh~
Though she’s over forty, Mom is still a succubus and with her makeup and figure, she looks like a stunning thirty-something. That bashful look was quite alluring and cute.
Made her want to pinch her cheeks~
Too bad, she thought. She’d be risking a beatdown.
After lunch, Mom had returned to her gentle, demure self: “You’re really not going to your grandparents?”
“Forget it, I’m afraid Grandpa will have a heart attack…”
“Not likely,” Mom picked up her small handbag and waved to the waiter while continuing, “So, we’re heading home? You can still rest for two hours when we get back.”
“Yeah! Let’s go home!”
Mom then turned to Ning Yuan: “When are you leaving?”
“I’ll hang around for a bit, maybe around seven or eight, back to the rental apartment.”
“If it were up to me, you shouldn’t rent outside…”
Ning Yuan sighed helplessly: “Mom, commuting from home takes over an hour; I’d have to leave by seven in the morning to make it. Plus, with all the overtime, living at home is just not doable.”
“Then just find a job closer to home?”
“The economy’s bad; having a job is already great, I can’t be picky.”
Mainly, for the past twenty years, he’d been under Mom’s control; now that he could stand on his own two feet, of course he preferred living independently and freely.
Once they settled on the bus back to the provincial city, Ning Chu instantly pulled out her phone to chat with Wen Yang.
“By the way, I’ll transfer you two thousand later; remember to rent a place once you’re back.”
“That’s too much, isn’t it?”
“Not really. When your ID comes through in a month, we’ll see if you’ll stay in the girls’ dorm or continue renting.”
Mom peeked at Ning Chu’s phone screen just then and caught a glimpse of something. Ning Chu quickly swiped away the chatting app with her thumb.
“Who are you chatting with, huh?”
Ning Chu shook her head in denial: “No one, just having someone look at rental places for me.”
She had already asked Wen Yang to help find information on rentals, and if all went well, she could move into the apartment as soon as she arrived at school.
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