In the end, Huang Wei finished the dinner through her tears. She really never imagined that one day she would be shedding tears because of a meal.
She had once imagined seeing her other half cook for her and showing a blissful smile, but she absolutely never thought a wife’s cooking would leave her this miserable.
Because it was so unbearably awful, Huang Wei didn’t eat many of the dishes. She also didn’t dare let Cheng Luyun notice anything wrong, so she ate only a little rice.
Seeing this, Cheng Luyun’s face showed concern. “Brother Wei, why are you eating so little?”
—Do you seriously have no clue why I ate this little?
That sentence remained in Huang Wei’s mind. She couldn’t possibly say it out loud. If she did, she’d be done for. For the sake of her life, she could only endure.
Huang Wei’s lips moved, and two words squeezed out from between her teeth. “Losing weight.” Huang Wei wasn’t fat. She normally ate just the right amount and had a well-proportioned figure.
She had never considered dieting. In her view, being able to eat was a blessing.
But now, to avoid eating this awful food, she had no choice but to lie through her teeth.
Hearing her words, Cheng Luyun chuckled. “Brother Wei, you’re so thin. What’s there to lose?” Although she didn’t agree with Huang Wei, she didn’t force her to eat more, which made Huang Wei breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
The mother-daughter pair, however, ate quite a bit. Huang Chengcheng used a small bowl and piled it with many dishes, mixing them with rice before eating it all down. She ate obediently and quietly, exactly the dream child you’d see online.
As for Cheng Luyun, she held her bowl, her chopsticks picking small bites with each mouthful of rice. Her movements were elegant and gentle, her temperament evident in the way she ate.
Huang Wei finished eating first but didn’t dare leave the table and could only sit there. She sat very properly, though habitually she kept her head lowered, making her back seem a bit hunched. Her hands rested on her lap, clutching a bit of her pants to hide her inner tension.
The mother and daughter ate in quiet and finished not long after. Cheng Luyun stood up to clear the dishes. Seeing her rise, Huang Wei hurriedly stood as well, helping to tidy up.
Cheng Luyun smiled and told her not to bother, to go watch TV. Huang Wei shook her head. There was no principle in the world where she got to rest while someone else worked. She already felt embarrassed about letting Cheng Luyun cook alone earlier…
To be honest, it would’ve been better if she had cooked herself. Her food had color, aroma, and flavor. Cheng Luyun’s cooking had the color and the aroma, only the flavor was the problem.
Huang Wei insisted on helping, so after the first polite refusal, Cheng Luyun didn’t object further, merely letting her assist. Huang Wei looked at her leftovers, a bit embarrassed, and asked Cheng Luyun what to do with them. Before Cheng Luyun could answer, Huang Chengcheng bounced up. “Dad’s so silly! Leftovers are for feeding the pigs!”
Cheng Luyun’s gentle eyes fell on Huang Chengcheng. “Chengcheng is so clever. Can you take Dad to feed the pigs?”
“No problem! Chengcheng will take Dad to feed the pigs!”
Huang Chengcheng thumped her chest in assurance, then grabbed Huang Wei and dragged her toward the back. Passing through the main hall and a small back room, they reached the back door. When Huang Chengcheng opened it, a smell hit Huang Wei. It was familiar—she had simply forgotten the scent after living in the city too long.
Bowl in hand, Huang Wei was led by Huang Chengcheng to the pigsty. Pointing at the feeding trough, she said, “Dad, you pour it in.”
Huang Wei did as told, squatting down to feed the pig the leftovers.
Watching the pig snort and come over to eat that tiny bit of rice, she felt a bit sorry for it. Then she reconsidered—why feel sorry for a pig? She could barely keep herself alive, and who knew if this pig was even alive or not.
She only knew there were no living people in Huang Family Village. Whether there were living pigs was really hard to say…
For all she knew, the pig could blow a breath and kill her! At that thought, Huang Wei quickly stood up and said to Huang Chengcheng, “Let’s head back?”
Huang Chengcheng nodded and said okay.
They left the backyard, and once the door was closed, they couldn’t smell the pigsty at all. Huang Wei gently wrinkled her nose and sniffed—truly nothing.
That was impossible. No matter how clean, a pigsty always had an odor. How could a small door isolate the smell so thoroughly? But the two ghosts in this household made anything possible.
Huang Wei had intended to help wash the dishes, but after feeding the pigs, she returned to find Cheng Luyun had already finished everything. This gave her a twinge of guilt. She wanted to ask if there was anything else to do at home, but Huang Chengcheng dragged her off to watch TV. The television was in the living room, so they returned to the sofa where they’d sat earlier.
Turning on the TV, only cartoons were playing at this hour.
Huang Wei accompanied Huang Chengcheng without any intention of changing the channel. She actually quite enjoyed cartoons. As a child, when her peers and her adoptive parents’ own child watched cartoons, Huang Wei had endless chores. After school, she had to help around the house, go to the stove and cook.
She didn’t even know what to call her adoptive parents’ child. The other party should call her “elder sister,” but they were unwilling and never saw Huang Wei as family—more like a servant—so they never called her sister, just “hey” this and “hey” that.
Her adoptive parents did call her by her childhood nickname, but she didn’t like it when they did, because it meant she had more tasks to do.
Now, watching cartoons on the TV in front of her didn’t bore her.
Huang Chengcheng obediently nestled beside her, glued to her as they watched. Huang Wei didn’t know much about cartoons, though she recognized a few well-known domestic children’s ones. But the one playing now didn’t match any of them.
After all, this was a different world. Maybe this wasn’t from her world.
Leaning back on the sofa, Huang Wei watched TV with Huang Chengcheng. Outside, the sky slowly darkened, and the indoor light gradually dimmed. This environment actually made it easier to see the screen, as it felt clearer.
She didn’t know where Cheng Luyun had gone, and she didn’t dare ask. These peaceful, harmonious moments were precious; better not to stir up trouble.
The relaxed atmosphere let Huang Wei release a breath, and her taut nerves finally eased. But when one begins to slack off, drowsiness easily follows. She couldn’t help but yawn.
“Is Brother Wei tired?”
This voice jolted Huang Wei fully awake in a second. She looked toward the source and saw Cheng Luyun standing at the doorway, having appeared at some unknown time.
She didn’t move, just stood under the doorframe. Outside, it was nearly dark, barely any light visible. Inside, the TV emitted a faint glow, but it wasn’t enough and only caught the line of her jaw.
The scene struck Huang Wei as somewhat terrifying. Though she’d been slouched on the sofa, because of Cheng Luyun, she pushed herself upright with her hand on the cushion to look more presentable.
“Ah… yes, a little.”
She didn’t dare not answer Cheng Luyun’s question, even carefully choosing her words so as not to displease her. Cheng Luyun said nothing more, only reached out to flip a switch on the wall. The ceiling light flickered a few times before fully turning on. During those flashes, Cheng Luyun’s face shifted between light and shadow, making Huang Wei’s heart leap into her throat.
Thankfully, the light finally stayed on, and Cheng Luyun didn’t do anything to her.
Cheng Luyun stepped a few paces forward and said to Huang Wei, “Brother Wei, you really are tired from traveling back. I saw you sweating so much today. Why don’t you go upstairs, take a bath, change clothes, and get some rest?”
She walked past Huang Wei to her side and picked up Huang Chengcheng, who, at some unknown time, had nestled against her and dozed off. “Chengcheng is sleepy too. She didn’t even nap today. Sleep early.”
In Cheng Luyun’s arms, Huang Chengcheng rubbed her eyes, yawned, and groggily asked, “Mom, is Dad sleeping with us tonight?”
—What? Sleep together?
Huang Wei’s heart skipped a beat. During the day with light, she wasn’t that scared. But now, in the dark, sharing a room with two ghosts—was that not asking for death? She hesitated. She felt she had to find an excuse to refuse, or the entire night could truly end badly.
Before Huang Wei could speak, Cheng Luyun cut off her escape route. “Of course Dad will sleep with Chengcheng. He is Chengcheng’s dad. After being away so long, he must miss Chengcheng.” Holding Huang Chengcheng, she looked down at Huang Wei.
The electric light was behind her, casting its glow from behind, plunging her face into shadow.
“Brother Wei, what do you say?”
Cheng Luyun wore a very gentle expression, a smile still at the corner of her lips. But Huang Wei knew that if she dared say “no,” she would absolutely die.
Faced with this powerful threat, did Huang Wei dare have another opinion? She hurriedly nodded and forced a smile. “Yes, I’ll sleep together with Chengcheng.”
Having to call herself “Dad” was a bit tough—as a woman, she found it hard to refer to herself that way.
Cheng Luyun carried Huang Chengcheng away, and Huang Wei exhaled in relief. But Cheng Luyun left, yet not completely; she turned back at the doorway. “Brother Wei, aren’t you coming upstairs?”
Huang Wei squeezed out a word from between her teeth. “Coming.” She rose from the sofa and followed behind, out of the living room, through the main hall, to the staircase at the back.
Cheng Luyun carried Huang Chengcheng up the stairs. Huang Wei hesitated. “Maybe let me carry her?”
Cheng Luyun had already done so much. Carrying a child up the stairs was exhausting. Huang Wei had done nothing all day except walk around earlier; constantly letting Cheng Luyun do everything was a bit embarrassing. Cheng Luyun paused but didn’t turn back. “It’s fine. I’m used to carrying her. It’s just a short flight, no bother.”
With that, she continued on. Huang Wei grabbed the railing and followed her to the second floor.
The layout upstairs was similar to downstairs, but with more rooms. The master and second bedrooms, bathroom, and even a study were upstairs.
Huang Wei trailed Cheng Luyun and Huang Chengcheng into the master bedroom. Looking at that large bed, her legs turned weak.
Was she really, truly going to share a bed with two ghosts?
