“Mom~ I’m hungry!”
It was already well into the afternoon, but lunch still wasn’t on the table.
The little cat girl clutched her rumbling belly and leaned against the kitchen door, peeking in with droopy ears.
“So hungry~”
Ning Chu mother was busy preparing the food, the kitchen filled with the rich aroma of braised at simring in a pot.
Without even looking up, she replied, “Your sister’s almost ho. We’ll eat when she gets here.”
“When’s she coming?”
“In about an hour?”
“But I’m hungry now...”
With a sigh, she grabbed a small bowl, lifted the pot lid, and used a long pair of chopsticks to pick out a few pieces of braised pork—half fat, half lean.
“Here, eat a little for now.”
“Yay~”
Overjoyed, Black Bean darted into the kitchen, grabbed the bowl, and ran out while shouting excitedly:
“Sister’s coming ho!”
Their mother could only shake her head and smile.
After a period of patient correction, Black Bean had finally gotten used to calling Ning Chu “sister” instead of “mom”.
They had officially registered Black Bean in the household, giving her the legal na Ning Xin, with “Black Bean” now just a nickna.
Just when she had finally raised two kids—one working as a designer, the other in university—and was ready to enjoy retirent, along ca another child out of the blue.
Still, maybe it was Black Bean’s past as a stray, but despite her occasional mischief, she was bright and well-behaved, never really causing trouble.
She had gradually adjusted to living like a human, shedding her old cat-like habits. Even in cram school, she was doing well.
In just a few months, the little stray who’d been eating trash last September had already caught up to the curriculum for second grade.
She was planning to place her directly into fourth grade starting next fall.
Lunch was six dishes and one soup—she’d spent most of the afternoon preparing it.
After setting everything on the table, she glanced at Black Bean, who was eyeing the food eagerly, practically drooling. She covered the food with sh food covers and said, “Stop staring. Go downstairs and et your sister.”
“!!!”
Black Bean imdiately forgot all about the delicious food and dashed off to put on her shoes.
“Is big sis staying this ti?”
“Only for a month. She has to go back to school afterward.”
She helped Black Bean put on a white fluffy hat, took her hand, and the two of them left the apartnt.
Their neighborhood was built in the early 2000s, most buildings less than twenty stories tall with two apartnts per floor.
Ti had worn the place down; graffiti and flyers covered the walls of the stairwell.
The wall right outside their unit used to be filled with doodles from Ning Chu’s childhood—now it had a bunch of new ones, courtesy of Black Bean.
At the neighborhood entrance was a large semi-circular flowerbed, and just beyond it was a footpath alongside a creek.
Tall banyan trees lined the path, their branches creating a canopy of shade overhead.
Their mom took a seat by the flowerbed, patiently waiting, while Black Bean, unable to stay still, squatted nearby and played with the plants.
Not long after, a ride-hailing car slowly made its way down the narrow road and pulled up to the entrance.
The car door opened, and a cheerful girl with long, ssy hair hopped out.
She was wearing a white down jacket that covered her hips, and snug black skinny jeans that highlighted her long, slender legs.
The mont she got out, she ran over excitedly.
“Mom! Black Bean!”
“You even ca out to pick up~”
Ning Chu ruffled Black Bean’s hair affectionately, then turned to her mom with a grin.
“I’m starving. I didn’t eat for two days just to save room for your cooking!”
“Then why didn’t you co ho right after your exams?”
“Well, I had so stuff to deal with…”
She glanced back at the ride-hailing car. Wen Yang was unloading two suitcases and walking over, looking slightly nervous.
Noticing the gentle smile on her mom’s face, Ning Chu breathed a sigh of relief and gave Wen Yang a quick signal with her eyes.
“Mom, Wen Yang’s here too.”
“Hello, Auntie~ Sorry to intrude.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow and gave Ning Chu a helpless look.
“I’m not blind, you know.”
“Co on, let’s go ho and eat.”
So alike—just too alike.
Every ti her mother saw her daughter with that poor boy, she couldn’t help but see a reflection of her own younger self in them.
That’s why she knew—very clearly—that with Ning Chu’s personality, if she pushed too hard or opposed them outright, her daughter might just run off with the boy in rebellion, just like she herself once had.
“Brother-in-law~”
Black Bean ran up cheerfully, grabbing one of Wen Yang’s hands and one of Ning Chu’s, swinging them side to side like a seesaw.
“Did you bring anything yummy?”
“I brought lots of snacks. I’ll give them to you once we’re back.”
“Mom doesn’t let eat too many...”
“Just eat a little bit then.”
With Black Bean bouncing between them, Wen Yang felt much less nervous about eting his future mother-in-law. He looked around curiously at the neighborhood where Ning Chu had grown up.
The four of them walked slowly through the residential complex. Ning Chu held Black Bean’s hand and smiled as she asked her mom, “Mom, has Black Bean been behaving at ho?”
“She’s been great. At first, she didn’t want to go to tutoring classes, but now she complains if we don’t let her go,” her mom said with a laugh.
“The teachers and classmates all love her.”
“She looks like she’s gotten chubbier though. Mom, you need to watch her diet.”
“Just gained a few pounds. It’s fine at her age—she’s still growing, let her eat.”
As the mother and daughter chatted, a shout ca from nearby:
“Xiao Juan! You up for a ga of mahjong this afternoon?”
Ning Chu looked up in surprise and saw a familiar middle-aged woman sitting in front of the neighborhood convenience store.
It’s one of her mom’s regular mahjong buddies.
“Not today. I’ve got sothing to do this afternoon,” her mom replied with a smile.
“Who’s that girl next to you? Haven’t seen her before.”
“She’s mine.”
“You’ve got another daughter?”
Seeing the stunned expression on her friend’s face, her mother chuckled even more. She then leaned down to whisper to Ning Chu, “What do you think—if she found out you used to be a boy, would she be shocked?”
“Mooom~”
Ning Chu tugged at her mom’s sleeve in protest, pouting like a child.
Her cheeks flushed pink. Becoming a girl hadn’t exactly been her choice, but even so, she didn’t like talking about her forr male self.
Whenever she thought about the fact that she used to be a guy—and now looked like this, a full-on succubus—her sha practically exploded inside her brain.
Her mom sighed.
“So shy… But do you really think you can keep this from your grandparents forever?”
“Well…”
“They’ve been talking about you non-stop lately. They want you to go stay with them for a couple of days.”
Ning Chu bit her lip, suddenly anxious.
Thankfully, her grandma was a succubus too, so they’d likely understand the change. It wasn’t like they’d reject her just because their grandson had beco their granddaughter.
Still, just imagining facing her grandparents as a girl made her stomach twist with nerves.
“Let’s wait a few days, okay?” she said, stalling again.
They took the elevator up and reached the apartnt. Her mom unlocked the door.
Black Bean was already starving. Still holding Ning Chu and Wen Yang’s hands, she dashed inside toward the dining table.
“Dinner ti, dinner ti!”
“Brother-in-law! My mom’s cooking is amazing!”
She hopped onto a chair and stared eagerly at the dishes under the food covers.
“Let’s eat.”
Once her mom lifted the cover, Black Bean couldn’t wait any longer—she grabbed her chopsticks and snatched up a piece of crispy fried pork chop.
“She’s still a little glutton, but definitely less cat-like now.”
Ning Chu propped up her chin and grinned.
“Mom, it’s all thanks to your teaching.”
“Of course it is!” her mom replied proudly.
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