As soon as dinnertime approached, Hei Dou suddenly opened her eyes, twitching her nose, but didn’t smell the aroma of any meat.
It was only then that she realized she was lying in bed.
She turned her head to look at her sister, who had been lying next to her playing on her phone the whole time, and wiggled over like a worm. “Sis~ Hasn’t Mom made dinner yet?”
“She went out to buy groceries. We’re having big crabs tonight.”
“Really?” Hei Dou’s eyes lit up, and she quickly jumped out of bed, her feet bouncing off the blanket.
“Where are you going?”
Ning Chu looked up at Hei Dou, afraid the little cat was about to do something outrageous.
“To do my homework!”
Hei Dou rushed to the desk, pulling out the workbooks Wen Yang had bought for her. She wrote her name on the cover of the first workbook but then turned back nervously and asked, “Sis, will I really get a meal if I finish two pages?”
Ning Chu nodded instinctively.
“Hooray!”
Suddenly, Ning Chu felt something was off, her right eyelid twitching uncontrollably. She quickly added, “But your handwriting has to be neat, and you can’t just scribble. I’ll be checking.”
“I know!”
Are Wen Yang and I going to go broke because of Hei Dou?
The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.
Even though Hei Dou had her share of faults, counting in cat years, this little cat-girl was only about eight months old. If you only counted the time since she became human, Hei Dou was just one or two months old.
It was impossible to be too harsh when she made mistakes, but luckily, Hei Dou’s past as a stray made her extra determined when it came to food. Using extra meals as an incentive might just help her correct her bad habits.
The only downside was that she might turn into a little fat cat.
Ning Chu opened the bedside drawer and looked at the large stash of snacks hidden inside.
This was Hei Dou’s “treasure chest,” where she kept snacks she couldn’t finish. She wasn’t stupid—she didn’t store anything without packaging, half-eaten, or perishable.
Maybe she’d been scolded by their mother once before.
“Sis! Close it! Close it!”
Hei Dou’s ears perked up the moment she heard the drawer open, and she ran over in a panic to shut the drawer.
“I’m not going to steal your stuff,” Ning Chu said, rolling her eyes.
“But what if you get hungry?”
“You have no trust in your sister at all...”
Hei Dou stuck out her tongue and quickly scampered back to do her homework.
Ning Chu stretched lazily and was about to lie back down to play on her phone when she heard the sound of the front door.
She quickly got up, running barefoot towards the door.
Sure enough, Wen Yang and her mother had returned.
Wen Yang was carrying several large bags, while her mother carried nothing but her handbag, looking as if she’d gone for a casual stroll rather than a grocery run.
“You’re barefoot again,” her mother said, giving Ning Chu a disapproving look. “I just mopped the floor, and now it’s covered in your footprints.”
“It’s fine, Wen Yang will mop it again.”
Though her words sounded tough, Ning Chu still hurried to the door and grabbed a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet.
By now, she had accumulated three pairs of slippers around her bed.
“Wen Yang, come help me in the kitchen.”
Her mother set down her handbag and leisurely headed to the kitchen. Wen Yang, smiling, gave Ning Chu a quick look.
“Good luck!” Ning Chu mouthed to him encouragingly.
Maybe because Wen Yang had gotten physically closer to her daughter, or maybe because the gifts Wen Yang had brought had hit the mark, her mother’s attitude toward him had softened.
Though the result of this friendliness was Wen Yang being ordered around...
“What time is your shift tomorrow?” her mother asked while busying herself with the groceries.
“Morning shift, from seven to three-thirty,” Wen Yang said with a wry smile. “I was late to work the day after my first shift.”
His job was a rotating shift system. Since he was new, he had to alternate between morning and evening shifts to familiarize himself with the hotel’s operations.
Once this phase was over, he could settle into a fixed shift.
“Pay more attention at work,” her mother said, quickly picking up on the reason for his tardiness. She glanced at Ning Chu, who was peeking into the kitchen from the hallway.
Ning Chu hadn’t heard the conversation, so she blinked in confusion, then her gaze fell on the two large, claw-waving crabs in the sink.
“Just steam the oysters directly. It’s quicker that way, or Ning Xin will start complaining if she waits too long.”
“Okay,” Wen Yang said as he scrubbed the oyster shells.
“Ning Chu, what’s Ning Xin up to? Is she on her tablet?”
“She’s doing her homework.”
Her mother looked surprised, and Ning Chu proudly raised her chin. “She’s working on the practice books Wen Yang bought her! With me here, she’s very obedient~”
“She’ll last all of three minutes,” her mother muttered as she continued cooking.
They had bought quite a bit from the supermarket. Aside from the crabs, ribs, and oysters Ning Chu had mentioned, her mother had also picked up shrimp and some leeks.
The rice had long been ready in the rice cooker, and in about ten minutes, a few dishes were laid out on the table.
“Start eating,” her mother said.
She was about to call for Hei Dou, but at some point, Hei Dou had already settled herself at the table, her tail swaying in anticipation.
Stir-fried leeks with eggs, boiled shrimp, and steamed oysters—none of the dishes were particularly complicated.
“The crab and ribs will take a bit longer.”
“Wen Yang, stop hanging around in the kitchen and come eat.”
As soon as Wen Yang sat down next to her, Ning Chu straightened her back and whispered in his ear, “It feels like my mom’s being much nicer to you~”
“I can tell.”
Wen Yang could feel it too. As her mother’s attitude shifted, he became much less nervous.
In front of him was a large bowl of rice, and her mother had even remembered his appetite.
“Are we going to sleep at my place again tonight?” Wen Yang glanced toward the kitchen and asked in a low voice.
Ning Chu blushed, shaking her head quickly, her face turning red. “No way!”
Did he think she was insatiable?
He’d nearly worn her out last night. She hadn’t even fully recovered yet, and he wanted to go again tonight?
“Alright, I’ll have to head back after dinner. I need to get to bed early—I’ve got the seven o’clock shift tomorrow.”
“Mm, don’t be late again,” Ning Chu paused for a moment before asking, “Have you figured out who drugged you?”
“No.”
“Just stay away from those shady women,” she muttered with a frown. “It’s a good thing I stepped in to save you~ That cup was useless, and I spent over a hundred bucks on it!”
Such a waste!
Hei Dou mixed the stir-fried leeks with her rice, curiously asking, “Sis, what are you guys talking about? What cup?”
“Nothing.”
Ning Chu quickly shook her head.
Having a beast-eared girl around the house was really inconvenient! Her nose was sharp, and her ears were too good!
“Steamed crab with vermicelli is ready~”
Her mother brought over a large plate of crab, and Hei Dou’s attention was immediately diverted. “I want the big claw!”
“Here’s your big claw.”
“Ning Chu, this one has more roe, you should take it.”
Whenever Wen Yang had dinner at Ning Chu’s house, he could feel the warmth of family. Though the house was always noisy, it was something that made him long for more.
“Wen Yang, take half a crab too. Get more of the vermicelli—it’s tastier than the crab itself. Try my cooking.”
He paused, a bit surprised as she placed half a crab in his bowl. His smile softened. “Thank you.”
“This kid, thanking me?” her mother said with a smile as she sat down, grabbing a few small crab legs to nibble on.