Chapter 370 - 382: Television
An Ning accepted the file folder from Director Hu in surprise. "You’ve prepared everything so thoroughly."
"It’s our duty. You only need to focus on one thing; you can leave the rest to us."
Director Hu’s attitude was exceptionally deferential. The more An Ning produced, the more important she became.
An Ning put the folder away and headed out, with Director Hu accompanying her. Assistant Wang led the way to the place where she and Lin Cuihua would be staying.
In front of a two-story building, Assistant Wang was introducing a woman to An Ning.
"Comrade An Ning, this is Comrade Wei Hong. If you need anything at all, you can find her."
"Hello."
"Hello. It’s my honor."
Wei Hong was quite a bit older than An Ning, but her respect for her was plain to see.
Wei Hong led An Ning and Lin Cuihua to a room on the second floor.
Wei Hong opened the door and placed the key on a table just inside to the right. "This is the apartment we’ve prepared for you both. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The bowls and chopsticks are all new. If you need anything, just call for me. I live right across the hall."
"Oh, and there’s a telephone in here. The number is written on the base."
Wei Hong gave a brief tour of the two-bedroom apartment.
An Ning was very satisfied and thanked Wei Hong. Being very tactful, Wei Hong took her leave to let the mother and daughter unpack.
After the door clicked shut, Lin Cuihua took one last look and let out a long sigh.
"*Phew*... I didn’t embarrass you, did I?"
"What are you talking about, Mom? How could you ever embarrass me? Let me tell you, everyone else will just be jealous that you have such a wonderful daughter."
An Ning’s words made Lin Cuihua laugh, and she let out a genuine sigh of relief.
As a mother who always worried, she was happy as long as her child was happy. Her only fear was being a burden to her children.
Lin Cuihua’s mood had been greatly stabilized by Xiao Lang acting as a sleeping aid and by Master Tang’s tea. Her hormone levels were gradually returning to normal—or perhaps she was simply growing accustomed to them.
The trip hadn’t even really started, yet she was already almost completely better.
An Ning noticed this change and was just glad. This way, Lin Cuihua could relax and truly enjoy herself.
While Lin Cuihua tidied up and familiarized herself with their new surroundings, An Ning found a spot to make a little home for Xiao Lang.
She offered to help, but Lin Cuihua stopped her.
"You focus on your work. I can handle everything else."
"Okay, Mom, call me if you need anything."
Lin Cuihua nodded and started exploring the kitchen, looking this way and that.
The entire kitchen was not only stocked with new bowls and chopsticks, but the cabinets were also filled with staples like white flour, rice, millet, red beans, sesame seeds, peanuts, and dried noodles. As for spices and seasonings, they had everything you could possibly want.
Staring at the dazzlingly well-stocked kitchen, Lin Cuihua muttered to herself, ’It’d be great if Master Tang were here. There are so many things, and I don’t even know how to use half of them.’
Lin Cuihua closed the cabinet door and continued her inspection.
In the other room, An Ning sat down at the desk, opened the file folder, and got situated.
At some point, An Ning had taken out a pen and paper and was now sketching and scribbling.
"An Ning— An Ning—"
Lin Cuihua had to call her name several times before An Ning finally snapped out of it and turned to look at her mother.
"Mom?"
"Time to eat."
"Huh?"
An Ning subconsciously glanced at her watch. It was already past seven in the evening.
’It’s so late!’ She remembered it had only been a little past one when she sat down.
An Ning got up and went to sit in the living room. On the table were two bowls of congee, a small pot of steamed flower rolls, and a dish of braised potatoes and green beans.
"It’ll have to do. I had a taste... it’s not as good as what we have at home."
An Ning picked up her chopsticks, put a green bean in her mouth, chewed a couple of times, and nodded.
"Not as good as ours."
Lin Cuihua nodded in agreement. Picking up a flower roll, she said, "Even these rolls don’t taste as good as the ones at home."
An Ning knew why. The food they ate at home was all homegrown and enhanced with her spiritual power, so its flavor was naturally on another level.
The meal made the mother-daughter duo feel homesick.
"Mom, you don’t have to cook every day. There’s a cafeteria here. Just rest when you’re tired."
"It’s no problem. I don’t have anything to do anyway. It’s good to cook. Otherwise, I’d get restless and feel awful with all the idle time."
’That’s true,’ An Ning thought.
The two finished their meal, and Xiao Lang ate a little bit too.
Xiao Lang took one bite and unceremoniously spat it out onto the floor. He stared at An Ning with an aggrieved, accusatory look, as if to say: ’This is what you’re feeding me? After I pretended to be a guide dog for you? After I acted as your mother’s sleeping pill?’
An Ning read Xiao Lang’s expression and said, feeling a little guilty, "Be patient. I’m going to ask for a plot of land."
Xiao Lang didn’t understand what "ask for a plot of land" meant, but since An Ning had spoken, it reluctantly started to eat.
The look on its face, however, was as if someone were forcing it to eat poison.
Xiao Lang’s dramatic performance completely ruined Lin Cuihua’s appetite.
She had already thought the food wasn’t that tasty, but as someone who had lived through hardship, she couldn’t bear to see anything go to waste and would have eaten it anyway.
But after seeing Xiao Lang’s expression, Lin Cuihua suddenly felt full. Her throat seemed to tighten, and she couldn’t eat another bite.
"Mom, have some congee. It’s easy to digest at night."
In the end, An Ning ate almost all the food on the table.
After dinner, Lin Cuihua sat on the sofa, scolding herself for not being able to finish her food.
Have you ever seen someone curse themselves out? That’s exactly what Lin Cuihua was doing.
An Ning wasn’t sure what to say to comfort her, so she walked to the other side of the sofa and turned on the television.
"Good heavens! You scared the life out of me! What is that thing?"
Lin Cuihua had never seen a television before. She tiptoed forward cautiously, glanced at the front of the TV, then quickly at the back, and asked in confusion, "How... how are those people inside it?"
An Ning explained for a long time, but Lin Cuihua didn’t understand.
However, when a Chinese opera program began, Lin Cuihua dismissively waved An Ning away. "Move aside. I don’t want to know anymore."
Without taking her eyes off the television, Lin Cuihua backed up step by step until she bumped into the sofa.
Xiao Lang, also curious, lay down beside Lin Cuihua. The woman and the wolf watched television in perfect harmony.
An Ning watched for a moment, then returned to her room to continue her work.
Time always passes quickly when you’re busy. When An Ning emerged from her state of deep concentration again, the TV was showing static.
"An Ning— what happened to it? It was working fine, why is it gone?"
Lin Cuihua was completely engrossed and looked utterly disappointed, as if she’d missed the event of a lifetime. Seeing this, An Ning gazed thoughtfully at the television.
"Don’t worry, there’ll be more to watch."
There was no use in Lin Cuihua getting upset. When she heard the broadcast would be back on in the morning, she eagerly went to bed.
Before going to sleep, Lin Cuihua suddenly thought of something and stood at An Ning’s door to ask, "Will it bother you if I watch TV?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really. I can’t hear a thing."
After confirming, An Ning stood up and told Lin Cuihua, "If you like it, then watch. Don’t overthink it. I’ll be out during the day anyway, and at night, I really can’t hear it when I’m working."
"That’s great! I’ll go back and set an alarm clock."
Lin Cuihua, already hooked, went back to set her alarm like an excited child.
An Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’So television is a cure for depression!’ she thought.