Chapter 130 : 'Sprite'
"Ling Ning, I heard there's a new bubble tea shop nearby, and it's supposed to be really good. How about we go give it a try? My treat!"
It was Saturday, and after school in the afternoon, Ling Ning had originally planned to head straight home. But after considering it for a moment, it was still early, and Xu Qing was treating, so Ling Ning readily accepted Xu Qing's invitation.
The newly opened bubble tea shop wasn't too far from the school, though it was a bit out of the way. Maybe because it was newly opened, there were still quite a few students lining up for bubble tea.
Seeing the line, Xu Qing cheered silently in her heart. Her mission today was to keep Ling Ning out for as long as possible, stalling until Xia You and the others were ready for Ling Ning to return home.
"There are so many people... Should we go somewhere else?" Ling Ning asked, looking a bit exasperated at the crowd.
"N-no, it's fine. I've heard the bubble tea here is really amazing. I think it's worth the wait." Xu Qing babbled, making it up as she went—truth be told, she'd never tried the bubble tea here herself.
"Oh..."
Ling Ning nodded. After all, Xu Qing was treating, so Ling Ning just went with the flow. She leaned against the wall and took out her phone, typing away.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing used the opportunity to take out her phone and send a message to Xia You, asking if they were ready. But Xia You didn't respond—probably still busy.
Soon enough, it was their turn. Ling Ning just ordered a small pearl milk tea. She wasn't particularly fond of bubble tea but did like chewing on the pearls inside.
A small cup of milk tea wasn't much, and Ling Ning quickly finished it. True to Xu Qing's words, the milk tea was pretty good, and the pearls were delicious. After finishing, Ling Ning pulled out her phone to check the time—maybe it was time to head back home and start cooking.
At that moment, Xu Qing suddenly grabbed her hand. "Ling Ning, didn't you say earlier that you were out of pens? I know there's a stationery shop nearby. Let's go take a look, shall we?"
"Oh, no need for pens. Li Qian gave me a few earlier this afternoon. They'll do for now."
"Li Qian, you brat!" Xu Qing thought silently to herself.
Ling Ning gave Xu Qing a curious look, feeling that something was a bit off about her today. Before she could say anything, her phone rang. It was her daughter calling.
"Hello~ Ye Ye?"
"Mom, just come straight to our house when you're done. Sirou and I are both home now."
"Why are you home so suddenly?" Ling Ning asked, sounding puzzled.
"Just come back, you'll see."
With that, Ling Ye hung up, leaving Ling Ning rather confused.
At the same time, Xu Qing received a text from Xia You, saying everyone was in place and ready. Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. If things hadn't been ready soon, she wouldn't have known what else to do.
"Hey, Xu Qing, isn't your place in the other direction?" Ling Ning asked, seeing Xu Qing still walking alongside her.
"Well, I have something to do this way, and I figured I might as well come to your house for dinner. Is that alright?"
"Dinner? Sure, no problem."
Ling Ning stood at her doorstep. The last time she'd been home was about two weeks ago, just to feed the "salted fish." She wondered if it had starved to death by now.
Quietly unlocking the door, Xu Qing took an inconspicuous step back.
"Happy Birthday, Ling Ning!"
The moment Ling Ning stepped through the door, she was greeted with this cheer, followed by a barrage of party poppers.
Finally, Ling Ning understood. So this was why Xia You, Xu Qing, and even her daughter had been acting so strange lately. It was all to give her a birthday surprise.
Only now did Ling Ning remember—it was December 10th, her birthday.
Ignoring the streamers covering her, Ling Ning walked inside to find everyone from the café there, even Luo Xiaoning, who was lying listlessly on the couch playing PS4 with Ling Ye. That PS4 must've been brought over by her daughter.
"So? Are you surprised? Are you touched?" Xu Qing grinned as she approached Ling Ning.
"Well~ It's alright, I guess."
Though Ling Ning spoke indifferently, she was genuinely moved. In her previous life and now, birthdays had never been a big deal to her. In her past life, only her girlfriend had celebrated a few with her, and otherwise, it was just her alone, either forgetting or treating herself to a decent meal. This was the first time she had so many people celebrating with her.
"You should know, I closed the café early just to celebrate your birthday," Chu Mengyao chimed in as she approached.
Ling Ning raised an eyebrow and looked at Chu Mengyao. "Really? Or is it because there was no business today? If it were a busy day, even if the King of Heaven was celebrating a birthday, you wouldn't close a minute early. Don’t think I just met you yesterday."
"Tch!" Caught red-handed, Chu Mengyao clicked her tongue.
"Where's Xia You, by the way?" Ling Ning asked, glancing around but not spotting her.
"Xia You's in the kitchen. We can't just eat cake tonight, can we? And she's the only one here who knows how to cook."
"I'll go help."
With so many dishes to prepare, Xia You would need help.
With Ling Ning joining in, plates of mouth-watering dishes quickly made their way to the table.
Ling Ning's dining table wasn't big, so it was a bit cramped with everyone gathered around it. But no one minded the small inconvenience. After all, the food cooked by Ling Ning and Xia You was just too delicious—especially for Jiang Xue, who was having Ling Ning's cooking for the first time. She couldn't believe how amazing her teacher's cooking was.
As they ate, Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly seemed to remember something and dashed into the living room, returning with a bottle of red wine and a bottle of "Sprite." She had snuck the wine from her father's stash—he always seemed reluctant to drink it, so it must be good wine.
Xu Qing eyed the bottle of wine and nervously asked, "Are we really okay drinking alcohol while we're still underage?" Truth be told, she'd never had a drink before.
Zhou Xiaoxiao waved her hand dismissively. "This is China, not Japan. Underage drinking is perfectly normal here~"
As for Ling Ning, a known drinker, she couldn't help but get excited at the sight of alcohol. With her tolerance, a glass or two wouldn't make her drunk.
Seeing her mom enjoying the wine, Ling Ye, sitting beside her, curiously asked, "Mom~ Ye Ye wants to try a sip."
Seeing the hopeful look in her daughter's eyes, Ling Ning mischievously put the glass in front of her. "Alright, Ye Ye, give it a try, but just a small sip, okay?"
Ling Ye eyed the red liquid, its color strangely alluring. She took a light sip, and immediately regretted it. The bitterness overwhelmed her, and though she wanted to spit it out, she hesitated, her face scrunched up in displeasure. Ling Ning couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing her daughter's reaction, Ling Ning poured her a glass of "Sprite." Only after gulping it down did Ling Ye finally recover.
Ling Ye vowed never to touch that stuff again.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author's Note:
Even if a salted fish dies, in its coffin, it will still shout with its decayed voice: "Touma, you third party! Yukina, you... b***h!"
One more chapter coming~