Chapter 286 : The Perfect Housewife
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Ling Ning apologized to Nanase Ren, who had been patiently waiting on the sofa.
Though she had opted out of makeup, dealing with her long hair took some time. As nice as it looked, maintaining it could be a hassle.
In her past life, her short hair hadn’t needed much attention, and she’d never bothered with skincare, let alone makeup.
“No problem!”
Nanase Ren sat on the sofa in perfect posture, legs elegantly crossed. It wasn’t just the incident with Sprite, Ling Ning’s cat, that had left her in such a refined pose—it was simply her natural habit.
“Have you eaten breakfast yet? If not, let’s grab some together! Then we can pick up some ingredients for lunch. We can delve into cooking techniques over a meal,” Ling Ning suggested with a smile.
At her words, Nanase Ren’s eyes lit up. She’d been eating breakfast at her hotel every day since arriving in China, and while the Tobion Grand Hotel’s western breakfast was decent, she was tired of it. Finally, she had a chance to go out and eat with someone!
Ling Ning had thought about inviting Xia You along, but considering Xia You had stayed up late gaming, she decided against it, letting her friend catch up on much-needed rest.
With two striking beauties walking down the street, they couldn’t help but draw attention. One cyclist even crashed into a pole, too busy staring at them to watch where he was going. Even then, he quickly apologized to the pole.
“Ren, is there anything specific you’d like to eat?”
“Soy milk and fried dough sticks! And pork buns!” Ren replied without hesitation.
“You got it.”
Ling Ning took her to a beloved old breakfast spot she frequented, ordering soy milk, fried dough sticks, and pork buns for both of them.
As she took her first bite of the crisp, golden fried dough stick, Ren was delighted by the combination of crispy outside and chewy inside.
She’d seen a show back in Japan called A Bite of China that had sparked her interest in Chinese cuisine. Since then, she’d been eager to learn Chinese cooking. Her parents’ busy schedules hadn’t left much time for her to explore the local culinary scene, so she mostly stayed around the hotel area—her farthest solo outing had led to her meeting Ling Ning.
“Ren~ let me show you a fun way to eat this.”
“Hm?”
Ling Ning smiled and dipped her fried dough stick into the soy milk. After a few seconds, she took it out and took a bite, savoring the softened yet still crispy texture.
In her previous life, she’d always eaten fried dough this way, even if her friends had teased her about it. To her, it was just tastier this way.
Following her lead, Ren dipped her dough stick in soy milk, taking a bite. Her eyes lit up at the mix of textures and flavors. In no time, her dough stick and pork bun were gone. Chinese food really was wonderfully diverse!
Ling Ning chuckled, seeing how much Ren enjoyed the new food. In her eyes, Ren was simply curious about these unfamiliar foods—just like a child discovering candy for the first time. However, she knew that the novelty would likely wear off over time.
“Had enough? We can order more if you’re still hungry.”
“No… no, that’s plenty!” Ren patted her stomach, feeling full. In Japan, she usually ate smaller portions for breakfast.
Checking her phone, Ling Ning saw they still had time. “It’s still early. Want to walk around a bit?”
“Yes, please!”
So Ling Ning became Ren’s personal guide, pointing out various spots of interest. When there was something she couldn’t explain, she’d skirt around the details.
Since S City was a new, modern city, there wasn’t much history to discuss. But she could still share some highlights.
“And this… is the high school I attend.” Ling Ning pointed to the school gates. Since classes were in session, the campus was quiet, with only a few teachers moving around.
“Wait, you’re a high school student?” Ren was stunned. She’d thought Ling Ning’s demeanor and grace made her seem more like a refined, responsible housewife than a student.
“Guess it’s because I have an old soul,” Ling Ning laughed. If you combined her past life and current age, she was probably in her forties. No wonder she felt more mature.
“No, no way—you’ll never get old!” Ren insisted. Though Ling Ning had joked, Ren sensed she might actually mean it.
“Well, it’s almost time to head to the market for some ingredients. That way, we can do some in-depth cooking later. I look forward to learning from you, Ren.”
“No, no—I’ll be learning from you!”
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Author’s Note:
Four updates today! Thanks to everyone who sent those “knife” comments. Time to keep grinding!