When Lin Yongshun and the others returned, the house became even livelier.
Lin Yongshun exaggeratedly said, “Oh my, little sister finally came! Our mother has been waiting for you every day—she’s practically turned into a ‘waiting-for-her-husband stone’ sitting at the village entrance.”
Chen Shi spat at him, “Third son, if you don’t know how to talk, then shut that filthy mouth of yours. You just blurt out nonsense all day.”
Lin Hongying shook her head with a smile. Her third brother was still as unreliable as ever.
At noon, Second Aunt and Zhao Lanhua didn’t need to cook. Chen Shi personally took charge with Sun Xiaoyun, since their little aunt had brought meat today. Lin Hongying also helped out in the kitchen.
Before long, the rich aroma of meat spread through the air. Lin Yubao took a deep sniff, his face instantly turning blissful—like he’d inhaled something addictive. His little expression made everyone burst out laughing.
Soon, everyone crowded around the table to eat. Though it was packed, no one minded.
There was soft, stewed pork with eggplant, minced pork with green beans, sugar-mixed tomatoes, and the highlight—half a roast duck.
Such a feast was no less than a New Year’s meal.
Especially when the roast duck was brought out, everyone’s eyes locked onto it.
As Lin Dayong sat in the seat of honor, everyone gripped their chopsticks, ready to strike.
Seeing their wolf-like hungry expressions, Chen Shi swiftly grabbed a duck leg and placed it into Lin Hongying’s bowl. Sure enough, with the little aunt here, even Lin Zhuer had to step aside.
Lin Hongying turned and placed the duck leg into Lin Dayong’s bowl, then picked up a duck wing and put it into Chen Shi’s bowl.
Chen Shi tried to push the duck wing back, but Lin Dayong chuckled, “Alright, your daughter is being filial. Just eat it in peace.”
Chen Shi said nothing more.
Once Lin Dayong started eating, everyone else immediately dug in. In an instant, only three pieces of roast duck remained.
Chen Shi quickly pulled the plate toward herself and gave two pieces to Ye Shangdong and Ye Shangxi, and the last one to Lin Zhuer.
Lin Hongying protested, “Mother, you don’t have to give it to them. They don’t lack food usually—you should eat more.”
But this time Chen Shi didn’t listen. Turning kindly to the boys, she said, “Xiaodong, Xiaoxi, hurry and eat. Don’t listen to your mother.”
The two boys smiled shyly and nodded.
Though the roast duck was gone, there were still two meat dishes, which was already rare.
Next, it was Lin Yubao’s time to shine. Though his hands were small, when it came to picking out meat from the eggplant, he never missed.
Before long, Chen Shi shot him an annoyed look. “Xiaobao, what are you doing? Only picking the meat—are others supposed to eat or not? You already have plenty in your bowl. Hurry up and eat, or I’ll take all the meat away.”
Lin Yubao quickly shielded his bowl. His eyes darted, and he said brightly, “Grandma, I’m picking meat for my dad! He doesn’t get much to eat. He said working in the fields is tiring, so he needs to nourish himself.”
Lin Erxia turned to look—her father was eating meat more fiercely than anyone. And thinking about how he’d been slacking off lately, working only sporadically, she even felt like his skin had gotten fairer. Comparing that to herself… well, comparison really did hurt.
Lin Yongshun chewed his meat and looked up at Lin Yubao with a touched expression. “My precious son really cares about his dad! Boohoo… Dad will give you meat too. Eat well, grow big and strong, and be filial to Dad in the future.”
As he spoke, he added two more fatty pieces into Lin Yubao’s already overflowing bowl. Lin Yubao then picked up some meat from the dishes and gave it back to his father.
“Dad, you eat too.”
The father and son’s affection seemed almost moving enough to shake heaven and earth. Everyone couldn’t help but watch them, thinking that the third branch’s child was truly filial at such a young age.
But they didn’t notice that the meat in the eggplant dish was rapidly disappearing. Lin Erxia sped up her movements—she had already sensed the danger approaching.
Sure enough, Chen Shi’s roar followed. “Third son, you rascal! You’ve led your son astray. Take him and get out of here right now—don’t make me slap you!”
She couldn’t even care that Lin Hongying was present—Lin Yongshun was simply too infuriating.
Snapped back to reality by the shout, everyone looked at the eggplant dish. Where was the meat? Scanning around, they realized—it was all in Lin Yongshun and Lin Yubao’s bowls. This third son was too cunning—using a diversion tactic even while eating!
Still, their mother was sharper, seeing through his scheme. Everyone sped up their chopsticks—if they were any later, even the eggplant would be gone. After all, today’s eggplant was soaked in oil and flavor.
Lin Yongshun laughed, “Mother, don’t be angry. Your son is filial too—you should eat some meat.”
He stood up and placed a piece into Chen Shi’s bowl.
Looking at the half-bitten piece of meat, Chen Shi finally lost it. She flung her chopsticks straight at him.
“Third son, you unfilial brat—get out!”
Lin Yongshun had already anticipated it and easily dodged, sighing dramatically. “Mother, if you don’t want to eat, fine—but why hit your son? You can’t say I’m unfilial. I wanted to be filial—you refused!”
Turning to Lin Yubao, who was still eating with his head down, he said, “Bao, hurry and pick up those chopsticks from the ground. Wash them and give them back to your grandma. Show proper filial respect.”
Lin Yubao hesitated, reluctant to leave his meat, but still picked up the chopsticks and casually rinsed them in a random basin in the yard. Then he rushed back and handed them over.
But seeing his grandmother’s unfriendly expression and her refusal to take them, he quickly placed them on the table in front of her and slipped back to his seat.
Looking down, he saw that half the meat in his bowl was gone. He immediately glared at his father in accusation. Lin Yongshun, his mouth greasy with oil, grinned at him and reached his chopsticks toward his bowl again.
This time, Lin Yubao panicked, covered his bowl with his face, and started gobbling it down.
Lin Hongying watched the whole scene, especially Lin Yubao’s aggrieved expression, and couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Third brother is still just like when we were young—still so mischievous, like a child who never grew up.”
Since childhood, Lin Hongying had always seen her third brother differently. Her eldest and second brothers were steady and reserved, always doting on her.
It wasn’t that her third brother didn’t care for her—if she was bullied outside, he would lead a group to stand up for her.
But unlike the other two, he never gave way to her, especially when it came to food. If their mother secretly gave her something to eat and he found out, he would definitely make a fuss. If he didn’t get a bite, he might even smash the pot.
This had happened before—once, the iron pot was dented. After that, their mother learned her lesson: if the third son saw it, he had to get a share.
Lin Hongying had once suggested dividing tasty food equally among her three brothers and parents, but her mother never agreed.
So in comparison, she actually liked her third brother quite a lot—especially since he had such a lively personality.
Lin Yongshun grinned at her. “Little sister is still as sweet-tongued as ever. There’s no one in this family who doesn’t like you. Ask the younger ones—they’ll all say they like you best.”
Lin Hongying laughed even louder. Her third brother’s words were always amusing—and pleasing to hear.
Lin Yongshun had that kind of charm: when he wanted to praise someone, he always hit just the right spot, making them smile immediately.