After hiding at Yuli's house for half a day and skipping lunch, Lin Jin returned home around 3 in the afternoon.
His dad was watching TV with his usual emotionless face. Hearing Lin Jin's arrival, he glanced back briefly before refocusing on the television.
It seemed he hadn't paid much attention to the earlier incident.
Lin Jin let out a soft sigh of relief, placed the groceries he'd bought that morning into the kitchen, and dashed into his bedroom.
Mom is coming back tomorrow afternoon, so I should prepare some of my specialties and make dinner exceptionally lavish!
The problem was, Lin Jin didn't actually have any specialties to speak of.
The food he cooked was always improvised, especially when he was just learning and didn't have a phone. Back then, whether he would stir fry vegetables or meat, or other stuff all depended on his mood. The seasoning was also based on the the thinking that too much seasoning tastes bad whereas too little only made it bland, so bland it was.
As a result, his initial cooking was virtually tasteless, to the point where his dad almost decided never to come home for meals again.
At one point, both father and son even suffered from stomachaches for a whole day because the food wasn't cooked properly.
It's a bit better now. After all, he'd been cooking for eight years. No matter how talentless he was, practice makes perfect. Although his dishes couldn't compare to those of a restaurant chef, they were at least palatable.
But he still didn't have a specialty dish.
Sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, Lin Jin lowered his head to play on his phone.
He really hoped his mom and dad could reconcile. But the prerequisite was that his dad had to move on from his past of gambling and drinking. Moreover, his dad had to pull himself together and become the backbone of the family. It wasn't necessary for him to be a businessman like before and make the family rich, but at least he should be able to provide for the family, right?
Otherwise, mom would definitely not give up her two clothing stores in Guangdong to reconcile with dad.
Though engrossed in his phone, Lin Jin's thoughts involuntarily drifted here and there. After thinking for a while, his attention was finally pulled back by the vibration of his phone.
"Dang dang dang dang! Another week has passed! So it's time to announce the weekly task!" A black cat jumped up from the bottom of the phone screen. After striking several poses, the cat finally settled down, looked up at Lin Jin with an adorable expression, and said, "It's Chinese New Year! Aren't you excited?"
"Cut to the chase. What's the task?"
Lin Jin bent his legs, placed the phone on his lap and looked at the funny looking black cat.
"Well, since it's Chinese New Year, this task is actually a reward!" The black cat rolled around inside the phone, made another cute face, and then got to the point. "This task is very simple. Just make sure your mom doesn't leave within seven days!"
"What do you mean by doesn't leave?" Lin Jin's face darkened immediately, fearing that the black cat was setting a trap. He hastily listed several possibilities. "Do you mean my mom can't step out of this house after she arrives, or that she has to come back to stay every night for seven days? Or does it simply mean she hasn't gone back to Guangdong?"
"Um..." The black cat scratched its head with its paw, pondered for a while, and finally concluded, "You're thinking too poorly of me, I have no intention of setting a trap."
"All cats that can act cute are good cats! Don't project your malice onto this innocent cat!" The black cat retorted righteously.
"Pfft!" Lin Jin didn't believe the black cat's nonsense at all and shot back, "Then explain that task where you had me crossdress and go out to attract men!"
"That task..." The black cat laughed awkwardly and finally spread its paws in a helpless gesture, "That was just an accident!"
"Tsk."
"Alright! I'm going to officially issue your task now! Pay attention and look!"
The black cat's expression suddenly became serious. With a swipe of its paw, a task page appeared from the corner of the phone.
Chinese New Year's Task!
This task is very simple! Just make sure your mom comes home to stay every night for seven consecutive nights! Who knows, maybe your mom and dad will have deep late-night talks, late-night quarrels, deepen their feelings late at night, or even make a baby late at night~
Task Reward: A "big" Chinese New Year gift package!
Task Punishment: Being touched all over by your younger brother~
What the f*ck?! Setting aside the questionable details of the task and the reward, just the task punishment alone was enough to fuel endless complaints, okay?
Lin Jin really wanted to curse out the black cat.
"What the hell is this punishment?" Lin Jin finally calmed down and voiced some of the most glaring issues, "And what's this 'making a baby late at night'? Why is the word 'big' in the Chinese New Year's gift package in quotes?"
"Um... the meaning of the punishment is that you will be touched all over by your younger brother~" The black cat showed a mischievous smile, then continued to explain to Lin Jin, "The big gift package! It's just a big gift package."
"But why is it in quotations?" Lin Jin continued to calmly complain, "Is it because all the text for this task was actually voice inputed by you?"
"Maybe I pressed the wrong button, but the gift package is definitely big!" The black cat straightened its back without changing its expression.
Bah! A big gift package should not only be big in size but also rich in content. But this cat's big gift package is probably large in size but only contains a single cookie, right?
"And what's this making a baby late at night?" Lin Jin laid flat on the bed, then waved his hand "Forget it, don't explain."
Anyway, it was clear that this cat was once again trying to scam him.
"Hey, Lin Jin." The black cat suddenly showed a flattering expression, "I wanted to ask you... how do you woo girls?"
"Woo girls?" Lin Jin was about to read a novel, but the black cat's current demeanor sparked his curiosity, "How does a cat like you woo girls?"
"Cat girls!" The black cat matter of factly said, "Recently, I've taken a liking to the girl next door, I think her name was keti or something…."
"Anyway, that cat is a foreigner, and as a patriotic cat, I can’t read her name!"
"Keti? You mean Kitty?" Lin Jin immediately thought of the famous cartoon cat from the Hello Kitty brand. He was familiar with the character because it had once been printed on his backpack during his elementary school days.
So Lin Jin searched for Hello Kitty's image online and asked the black cat, "Is it her?"
"Yes, yes, yes! It's Keti!" The black cat nodded frantically, asking Lin Jin in return, "So, how should I go about wooing her?"
The hell? What's going on where this black cat lives? Not only is there Doraemon, but there's also Hello Kitty? Is Garfield from the cartoons also a neighbor of this black cat?
"Who knows how to woo a cat" Lin Jin rolled his eyes helplessly, "What's the deal with where you live? Why are there all kinds of cats?"
"Exactly! Cats that can be my neighbors are naturally extraordinary!" The black cat lifted its head proudly, "Garfield, Chi, and Tom from your world are all my neighbors!"
It sounded incredibly unbelievable.
Lin Jin felt like he had stumbled into a somewhat fantasy world.
Anyways, it was a world that seemed very different from the style of this book.
Translator’s Note: Hello Kitty. Garfield. Chi from Chi’s Sweet Home. Tom from Tom and Jerry.
After hiding at Yuli's house for half a day and skipping lunch, Lin Jin returned home around 3 in the afternoon.
His dad was watching TV with his usual emotionless face. Hearing Lin Jin's arrival, he glanced back briefly before refocusing on the television.
It seemed he hadn't paid much attention to the earlier incident.
Lin Jin let out a soft sigh of relief, placed the groceries he'd bought that morning into the kitchen, and dashed into his bedroom.
Mom is coming back tomorrow afternoon, so I should prepare some of my specialties and make dinner exceptionally lavish!
The problem was, Lin Jin didn't actually have any specialties to speak of.
The food he cooked was always improvised, especially when he was just learning and didn't have a phone. Back then, whether he would stir fry vegetables or meat, or other stuff all depended on his mood. The seasoning was also based on the the thinking that too much seasoning tastes bad whereas too little only made it bland, so bland it was.
As a result, his initial cooking was virtually tasteless, to the point where his dad almost decided never to come home for meals again.
At one point, both father and son even suffered from stomachaches for a whole day because the food wasn't cooked properly.
It's a bit better now. After all, he'd been cooking for eight years. No matter how talentless he was, practice makes perfect. Although his dishes couldn't compare to those of a restaurant chef, they were at least palatable.
But he still didn't have a specialty dish.
Sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, Lin Jin lowered his head to play on his phone.
He really hoped his mom and dad could reconcile. But the prerequisite was that his dad had to move on from his past of gambling and drinking. Moreover, his dad had to pull himself together and become the backbone of the family. It wasn't necessary for him to be a businessman like before and make the family rich, but at least he should be able to provide for the family, right?
Otherwise, mom would definitely not give up her two clothing stores in Guangdong to reconcile with dad.
Though engrossed in his phone, Lin Jin's thoughts involuntarily drifted here and there. After thinking for a while, his attention was finally pulled back by the vibration of his phone.
"Dang dang dang dang! Another week has passed! So it's time to announce the weekly task!" A black cat jumped up from the bottom of the phone screen. After striking several poses, the cat finally settled down, looked up at Lin Jin with an adorable expression, and said, "It's Chinese New Year! Aren't you excited?"
"Cut to the chase. What's the task?"
Lin Jin bent his legs, placed the phone on his lap and looked at the funny looking black cat.
"Well, since it's Chinese New Year, this task is actually a reward!" The black cat rolled around inside the phone, made another cute face, and then got to the point. "This task is very simple. Just make sure your mom doesn't leave within seven days!"
"What do you mean by doesn't leave?" Lin Jin's face darkened immediately, fearing that the black cat was setting a trap. He hastily listed several possibilities. "Do you mean my mom can't step out of this house after she arrives, or that she has to come back to stay every night for seven days? Or does it simply mean she hasn't gone back to Guangdong?"
"Um..." The black cat scratched its head with its paw, pondered for a while, and finally concluded, "You're thinking too poorly of me, I have no intention of setting a trap."
"All cats that can act cute are good cats! Don't project your malice onto this innocent cat!" The black cat retorted righteously.
"Pfft!" Lin Jin didn't believe the black cat's nonsense at all and shot back, "Then explain that task where you had me crossdress and go out to attract men!"
"That task..." The black cat laughed awkwardly and finally spread its paws in a helpless gesture, "That was just an accident!"
"Tsk."
"Alright! I'm going to officially issue your task now! Pay attention and look!"
The black cat's expression suddenly became serious. With a swipe of its paw, a task page appeared from the corner of the phone.
Chinese New Year's Task!
This task is very simple! Just make sure your mom comes home to stay every night for seven consecutive nights! Who knows, maybe your mom and dad will have deep late-night talks, late-night quarrels, deepen their feelings late at night, or even make a baby late at night~
Task Reward: A "big" Chinese New Year gift package!
Task Punishment: Being touched all over by your younger brother~
What the f*ck?! Setting aside the questionable details of the task and the reward, just the task punishment alone was enough to fuel endless complaints, okay?
Lin Jin really wanted to curse out the black cat.
"What the hell is this punishment?" Lin Jin finally calmed down and voiced some of the most glaring issues, "And what's this 'making a baby late at night'? Why is the word 'big' in the Chinese New Year's gift package in quotes?"
"Um... the meaning of the punishment is that you will be touched all over by your younger brother~" The black cat showed a mischievous smile, then continued to explain to Lin Jin, "The big gift package! It's just a big gift package."
"But why is it in quotations?" Lin Jin continued to calmly complain, "Is it because all the text for this task was actually voice inputed by you?"
"Maybe I pressed the wrong button, but the gift package is definitely big!" The black cat straightened its back without changing its expression.
Bah! A big gift package should not only be big in size but also rich in content. But this cat's big gift package is probably large in size but only contains a single cookie, right?
"And what's this making a baby late at night?" Lin Jin laid flat on the bed, then waved his hand "Forget it, don't explain."
Anyway, it was clear that this cat was once again trying to scam him.
"Hey, Lin Jin." The black cat suddenly showed a flattering expression, "I wanted to ask you... how do you woo girls?"
"Woo girls?" Lin Jin was about to read a novel, but the black cat's current demeanor sparked his curiosity, "How does a cat like you woo girls?"
"Cat girls!" The black cat matter of factly said, "Recently, I've taken a liking to the girl next door, I think her name was keti or something…."
"Anyway, that cat is a foreigner, and as a patriotic cat, I can’t read her name!"
"Keti? You mean Kitty?" Lin Jin immediately thought of the famous cartoon cat from the Hello Kitty brand. He was familiar with the character because it had once been printed on his backpack during his elementary school days.
So Lin Jin searched for Hello Kitty's image online and asked the black cat, "Is it her?"
"Yes, yes, yes! It's Keti!" The black cat nodded frantically, asking Lin Jin in return, "So, how should I go about wooing her?"
The hell? What's going on where this black cat lives? Not only is there Doraemon, but there's also Hello Kitty? Is Garfield from the cartoons also a neighbor of this black cat?
"Who knows how to woo a cat" Lin Jin rolled his eyes helplessly, "What's the deal with where you live? Why are there all kinds of cats?"
"Exactly! Cats that can be my neighbors are naturally extraordinary!" The black cat lifted its head proudly, "Garfield, Chi, and Tom from your world are all my neighbors!"
It sounded incredibly unbelievable.
Lin Jin felt like he had stumbled into a somewhat fantasy world.
Anyways, it was a world that seemed very different from the style of this book.
Translator’s Note: Hello Kitty. Garfield. Chi from Chi’s Sweet Home. Tom from Tom and Jerry.
