Chapter 158 : A Family of Three
"I'm going to cook dinner!"
Ling Ning suddenly announced, her voice loud enough to catch Ling Ye's attention as she played on her computer. Ling Ye had no idea what had gotten into her mom this time.
Shortly after Ling Ning made the announcement, the wet sensation on her toes finally disappeared. Xia You slowly emerged from under the kotatsu, yawning as if she had just woken up.
"Are you cooking now, Ling Ning? Let me help you." Xia You said casually.
Ling Ning studied Xia You’s expression carefully. There was nothing out of the ordinary—Xia You was acting just like her usual self. But when Ling Ning glanced at Xia You's lips, she felt her toes twitch, as though that wet sensation had returned.
"Mhm~"
Ling Ning responded with a nod before reluctantly crawling out of the kotatsu. Even with her thick tights on, stepping out into the cold air made her shiver involuntarily.
Ling Ye had initially planned on saying, "I'll help too!" But after starting to climb out of the kotatsu and feeling the cold, she immediately abandoned the idea. It wasn't worth it—better to stay cozy inside, watching Xiao Ai.
Ling Ye didn't notice that a section of her mom's tights seemed to be a slightly different color.
Xia You followed Ling Ning into the kitchen, and as soon as Ling Ning turned her back, Xia You's sleepy expression vanished, replaced by an intense gaze of enthusiasm.
"Ah, Ling Ning..."
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With Xia You helping, they were able to prepare all the dishes relatively quickly, even though there were quite a few. Tonight's dinner was bountiful—after all, it was New Year’s Eve. A more extravagant meal was definitely called for, and most of the dishes were Ling Ye's favorites.
Xia You's favorite food was anything made by Ling Ning, and Ling Ning's preferences matched those of her daughter. So naturally, the table was filled with dishes Ling Ye loved.
When Ling Ye saw that the entire table was filled with her favorite foods, she cheered and gave her mom a big kiss on the cheek. It was safe to say that this was the most abundant New Year's Eve dinner Ling Ye had ever had.
By coincidence, they happened to catch the Spring Festival Gala while eating. Watching the gala while having their New Year's dinner turned out to be quite enjoyable.
The format of the Spring Festival Gala in this world was similar to that of her previous life, though the more open policies allowed for some interesting additions. Ling Ning found it entertaining enough.
According to Xia You, the gala had invited quite a few big-name celebrities this year, but Ling Ning wasn't particularly interested. She was unfamiliar with most celebrities in this world, and she’d never been the type to follow stars, either in this life or her last. Plus, chasing celebrities wouldn't earn her any money—it was a waste of time.
After dinner and a bath, Ling Ning snuggled back under the kotatsu. Xia You also took a bath at her place, claiming that her water heater was broken.
However, Xia You was taking an unusually long time—over an hour in there, and it wasn't like they had a bathtub in their small apartment. There was no reason for it to take that long, and Ling Ning was starting to feel the urge to use the bathroom.
Just as she was about to check if Xia You was still alive, Xia You finally emerged from the bathroom, her face slightly flushed.
"Xia You, you’re finally out." Ling Ning didn’t waste any time, rushing into the bathroom right as Xia You exited. This tiny apartment only had one bathroom, which also served as the washroom.
Fresh out of the bath, Xia You was startled to see Ling Ning waiting at the door. Once Ling Ning had gone inside, Xia You stared nervously at the bathroom door, only relaxing once Ling Ning came back out.
"Oh! I forgot to turn on the washing machine."
Just as Ling Ning was about to crawl back under the kotatsu, she remembered the washing machine hadn’t been started yet. She headed back to the bathroom, and as she was adding the detergent, she noticed that the topmost item in the laundry was her own bear-patterned panties—and they were still damp.
She didn’t give it too much thought, quickly turning on the washing machine before eagerly heading back to the kotatsu, where she fixed her gaze on the sketch comedy currently playing on the Spring Festival Gala.
Xia You watched Ling Ning’s movements closely, relieved to see that there was no particular reaction. Only then did she allow herself to relax, turning her own attention back to the television.
"Mom, why don't we have fireworks here?" Ling Ye casually asked while glancing at other places’ celebrations on her computer screen, noticing the beautiful fireworks that accompanied many of them.
She had never seen fireworks in person, not even once, and had never gotten to play with any. Her curiosity about them was immense—what were they like?
"Because it's banned here. We’re not allowed to set off fireworks." Ling Ning sighed. She would’ve liked to see fireworks too.
Back in her childhood in her previous life, every New Year’s Eve was spent buying small fireworks to play with—fish bombs, cow dung bombs, things like that. She still remembered the time she watched a friend trip while playing with a cow dung bomb. The aftermath had been horrible, and from then on, she’d sworn off such dangerous antics.
Ling Ning looked at her daughter's longing eyes and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Ye Ye, would you like to see fireworks?"
Ling Ye nodded eagerly. "I also want to see snow. My classmates said snow is really beautiful, but I've never seen it in person~"
"Fireworks and snow, huh..."
Hearing her daughter’s wish, Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully, pulling out her phone and opening Taobao. She suddenly remembered that Taobao was running a promotion—spend a certain amount, and you could enter a lucky draw. She hadn’t claimed her draw after buying the kotatsu, and she vaguely remembered that the grand prize was something like a "Luxury Three-Day Hot Spring and Fireworks Festival for a Family of Three."
"If only I could win the grand prize~ I could take my daughter to see the fireworks, see the snow, and enjoy a hot spring. It would be amazing, and I could even bring Xia You along." Ling Ning gazed at the grand prize description, feeling a bit of hope.
But it was just a dream. No matter how lucky she might be, there was no way she could win that... right?
With that thought, Ling Ning quietly pressed the "draw" button.
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Author's Note:
Damn, I've been having writer's block these past few days—only managed to write a little over two thousand words today. It feels like death at this rate~