NOVEL WEB Chapter 308
Chapter 308: Family
“Mom~ I’m hungry!”
It was already afternoon, but lunch still hadn’t made it to the table.
The little cat girl, with her stomach grumbling, pressed her hands against her belly while leaning against the door, peeking into the kitchen, her droopy ears flopping down: “I’m so hungry~”
Mother was busy preparing ingredients, and fragrant meat simmered in the pot, filling the kitchen with a rich aroma.
Without looking up, she replied, “Your sister will be back soon; wait until she comes back to eat.”
“When will sister come back?”
“In an hour?”
“I’m really hungry right now…”
With no other choice, she grabbed a small bowl, lifted the pot lid, and used long chopsticks to grab a few pieces of fatty and lean braised pork: “Then you can have a little to eat first.”
“Okay~”
Hei Dou excitedly dashed into the kitchen, bowl in hand, rushing outside while shouting, “Sister’s coming back!”
Mother could only smile and shake her head; after some correction, Hei Dou had gradually gotten used to calling Ning Chu “sister.”
This little cat girl had been registered under her real name, Ning Xin, while Hei Dou had become her nickname.
It was not easy raising two kids; one had become a designer working outside, and the other was in college, causing no concern. Just as she was starting to enjoy her retirement life, unexpectedly, another child appeared.
Perhaps due to her past as a stray, Hei Dou was a bit mischievous but quite clever, hardly needing much attention.
She had gradually adapted to her “human” identity, discarding past cat habits. She was doing well in her tutoring class, catching up to the second-grade level after months of effort, having previously scavenged for food outside in September.
Mother planned for Hei Dou to directly join the fourth grade next September.
With six dishes and a soup, she was busy for most of the afternoon.
Setting all the dishes on the table, she glanced at Hei Dou nearby, salivating and eager, covering the food with a mesh food cover.
“Stop staring; go downstairs to greet your sister.”
“!!”
Hei Dou immediately forgot about the delicious food on the table and hurried to put on her shoes.
“Will sister stay after she comes back?”
“She’ll return to school in a month.”
Mother placed a white fluffy hat on Hei Dou’s head and took her little hand as they left the room.
The residential community was built in the early century, with mostly less than twenty-story residential buildings, with every two households sharing a corridor. However, due to the passage of time, the whole place showed signs of wear, with graffiti and advertisements plastered all over the corridors.
Originally, the wall outside their door was filled with Ning Chu’s childhood doodles, now newly adorned with Hei Dou’s graffiti.
At the entrance of the community, there was a large semi-circular flower bed. Exiting the community led to a path along a stream, where banyan trees provided a canopy of shade over the entire roadway.
Mother sat patiently at the flower bed outside the community, while Hei Dou, unable to sit still, squatted among the flowers, causing mischief.
Within a few minutes, a ride-hailing car slowly entered the path and stopped at the community entrance.
The car door swung open, and a girl with casually flowing long hair excitedly jumped out. She wore a white down jacket that extended past her hips, paired with fitted black jeans that accentuated her long, straight legs.
As soon as she got out of the car, she hurriedly moved forward.
“Mom! Hei Dou!”
“You two actually came out to greet me~”
Ning Chu approached, affectionately ruffling Hei Dou’s little head, then playfully looking at her mother: “I’m starving! I purposely didn’t eat for two days, waiting for your cooking!”
“Then why didn’t you come back after your exam the day before yesterday?”
“Well, I had a little something to take care of.”
Ning Chu turned to the ride-hailing car, where Wen Yang had taken out two pieces of luggage and was nervously walking toward her.
She glanced at her mother’s gentle smile and breathed a sigh of relief, giving Wen Yang a knowing look.
“Mom, Wen Yang is here too.”
“Hello, Auntie~ Sorry for disturbing you.”
“I’m not blind.” Mother sighed helplessly at seeing her daughter’s little gesture. “Let’s go home and eat.”
It was just too much.
Every time Mother saw her daughter with that poor boy, she couldn’t help but see herself in her youth.
That’s why she clearly understood that if she strongly opposed it, her daughter would probably elope, just like she did back then.
“Brother-in-law~”
Hei Dou ran up, grabbing Wen Yang with one hand and Ning Chu with the other, swaying back and forth like a swing: “Did you bring me anything to eat?”
“I brought a lot of snacks for you; I’ll give them to you when we get back.”
“Mom says I can’t eat too many snacks…”
“Just eat a little.”
With Hei Dou around, Wen Yang’s nerves around his future mother-in-law had relaxed a lot as he curiously observed the community where Ning Chu had grown up.
The four of them strolled leisurely through the community, with Ning Chu holding Hei Dou’s hand, smiling as she asked her mother.
“Mom, has Hei Dou been good at home?”
“Pretty good; at first, she didn’t want to go to tutoring class, but now she doesn’t want to miss it.” Mother laughed, covering her mouth. “She’s quite popular among her classmates and teachers.”
“Does she look a little plumper? Mom, you need to keep her in check.”
“She’s only gained a few pounds. It’s fine to eat a bit more while growing.”
As the mother and daughter chatted, a voice suddenly shouted from a distance: “Xiao Juan! Are we playing Mahjong this afternoon?”
Ning Chu paused, looking up to see a familiar middle-aged woman sitting at the corner shop.
It was one of the Mahjong friends of her mother.
“No, I’ve got some things to do this afternoon.” Mother smiled and shook her head.
“Who’s daughter is this beside you? I’ve never seen her before.”
“She’s my kid.”
“Another one added to the mix?”
Seeing her friend’s shocked expression, Mother smiled even wider. She leaned down and whispered to Ning Chu, “Should she find out you became a girl, would she be surprised?”
“Mom~”
Ning Chu tugged at her mother’s sleeve, playfully opposing.
Her face flushed slightly; although becoming a girl wasn’t her intention, she still didn’t want to mention her previous male identity.
Just thinking about her former gender and looking at her increasingly succubus-like appearance made her feel an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
Mother sighed helplessly: “So shy… Do you think you can hide it from your grandparents?”
“Well…”
“They’ve been bringing you up lately, wanting you to visit for a couple of days.”
Ning Chu worriedly pursed her lips.
Fortunately, Grandma was also a succubus. They should understand her reasons for becoming a girl and wouldn’t reject her just because their grandson became a granddaughter.
But just the thought of facing her grandparents as a girl made her feel uneasy.
“Let’s see in a few days?” She could only continue her delaying tactics.
Arriving at the home, Mother used the key to unlock the door.
Hei Dou was already starving, dragging Wen Yang and Ning Chu’s hands as she hurried to the dining table: “Dinner is ready, dinner is ready!”
“Brother-in-law! My mom’s cooking is amazing!” She plopped into a chair, her eyes eagerly on the food cover.
“Let’s eat first.”
Only when Mother personally lifted the food cover did Hei Dou eagerly grab her chopsticks and quickly snag a piece of fried pork chop.
“Aside from still being greedy, she’s definitely growing less cat-like.”
Ning Chu chuckled, resting her chin on one hand: “Mom, you teach her well.”
“Of course!”