Chapter Nineteen: Warm Soup and Hot Rice

Ning Shuyi couldn’t help but laugh, thinking this was indeed a ruthless move. All those subjective criteria about suitability paled in comparison to the objective fact of “married”—that alone could deter 99.9% of unwanted suitors.

Now that her curiosity had been satisfied, Ning Shuyi no longer asked why Huo Yan could bear the hardship of the dormitory’s living conditions at the bureau. Earlier, in front of Kang Ge, Huo Yan had made it clear he didn’t want to engage in intimate conversation with others, so she had no intention of making things awkward.

Once their tasks were finished, the case still required investigation but wasn’t urgent enough to demand burning the midnight oil at work. After wrapping up the day's affairs, the two parted ways to rest.

Upon entering her home, Ning Shuyi was greeted by a blend of lively conversation from the living room and the sound of the news on TV, accompanied by the delicious aroma of food floating through the air. In that instant, the fatigue from a whole day’s work seemed to ease.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home!” She called out to her parents while bending to change her shoes. “What’s cooking tonight? It smells amazing.”

“Well, look who’s here! Mom, our model worker is back!” Someone stood up from the sofa, holding a half-eaten apple in one hand and a phone in the other, clearly in the middle of sending a voice message. Seeing Ning Shuyi enter, he teased her with a grin.

Ning Shuyi paused, recognizing her brother-in-law Nie Guang. She nodded in greeting, “Brother-in-law, you’re here.”

“Yes, your sister suddenly got a craving for Dad’s cooking. I was going to make her a fancy dinner myself since I got off work early, but she insisted on coming home for a meal, and dragged me along with her!”

Nie Guang, in his thirties, was fair-skinned, bespectacled, and exuded a scholarly air. “Did you just get off work, or did you go out with friends after work?”

“I just got off.” Ning Shuyi finished with her shoes, hung up her coat, and glanced around the living room. “Where are my sister and parents?”

“Oh, you’ve worked so hard! Truly, a woman’s strength is no less than a man’s. Your sister is smarter than you in this regard—she doesn’t take on such exhaustion!” Nie Guang joked, gesturing toward the kitchen. “Your sister and Mom are tidying up in there. Dad’s gone upstairs; apparently, the tenant upstairs broke something, and the circuit keeps tripping. Dad went up to help.”

Back when their family moved after the demolition, Ning’s parents chose two apartments, one upstairs and one downstairs—living in the lower, renting out the upper. The proximity made it easy to take care of tenant needs.

Ning Shuyi nodded, “I’ll go check in the kitchen.”

Inside, her sister Ning Shuyue and their mother were chatting as they cleaned up.

Ning Shuyi pushed open the door, sniffed the air, and lamented, “Will someone take pity on this hungry worker? The aroma is driving me mad!”

“Oh, my darling Shuyi is home!” Her mother greeted her warmly. “Did you wash your hands? If you did, hurry and sit. Your dad simmered a delicious beef broth and made your favorite scallion pancakes, kept warm so you’d have them fresh when you got home!”

Ning Shuyue reached over to touch her sister’s face. “Look at my little sister, she’s so tired lately, her cheeks aren’t as round and cute as before! I liked it better when they were plump and pinchable.”

Having just finished washing dishes, Ning Shuyue’s hands were icy cold, making Ning Shuyi shiver and retaliate by tickling her. The sisters burst into laughter, teasing each other.

Their mother watched with a loving smile, unable to hide her happiness, though she playfully scolded them, “Just look at you two! Combined, your ages are almost retirement-worthy! One’s a kindergarten teacher, one’s a police officer, yet together you act like you’re not even six years old! So childish!”

Once their laughter died down, Ning Shuyi settled at the table, savoring her dinner while her mother and sister kept her company.

“When I came in, Brother-in-law was sending a voice message, sounding very passionate about something,” Ning Shuyi remarked, sipping hot soup that warmed her through. Tearing into the crispy, tender scallion pancake her father had made, she addressed her sister.

Ning Shuyue replied, “He has a classmate pitching some promising project, hoping he’ll join in a start-up.”

“Starting a business is risky, investments need caution,” Ning Shuyi reminded her sister between mouthfuls.

“I leave those matters to him; he can decide for himself. I don’t know much about it anyway,” Ning Shuyue said, seeming distracted from the topic. “You got off work late again—busy with another case?”

“Yes, we went to a scene today,” Ning Shuyi nodded, popping another piece of pancake into her mouth. “Took the new colleague along.”

“Slow down! Such a big girl, eating like a wolf—what kind of manners is that?” Her mother nagged, though her tone was full of concern for Ning Shuyi’s hard work, and she was curious about the new colleague. “Is that the new one you’ve been training with lately?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Oh, he’s reported in at the bureau?” Her mother was well-informed about the bureau’s affairs. “Next time you invite your colleagues over for dinner, don’t forget to include him!”

“We’ll see,” Ning Shuyi replied vaguely.

“No ‘we’ll see’! Last time you invited everyone, the new colleague couldn’t come because of training or something. You can’t leave one out. Especially someone new, unfamiliar with the place—you can’t make them feel excluded!” Her mother insisted.

“You don’t understand, he’s a bit unusual. Most people can’t persuade him to accept invitations, and our enthusiasm shouldn’t become a burden. Let things take their course!” Ning Shuyi waved her hand.

“Some people are just shy, not necessarily unfriendly. They might feel awkward as newcomers. We won’t pressure him, but you must extend the invitation regardless. Whether he comes is his choice, but not inviting him wouldn’t be right,” her mother sighed. “You never understand your father’s and my intentions, do you?”