Even though the Lin family was considered relatively well-off in Linjia Village, dinner was nothing more than corn–sorghum flatbread, smashed cucumbers, and stir-fried eggplant—well, to be precise, boiled eggplant with not a trace of oil in sight.
There was also a bowl of plain boiled sweet potatoes.
As soon as Chen Shi called out that dinner was ready, the children hurried into the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks, placing them on the table already set up in the courtyard, eagerly waiting for her to appear.
At that moment, Lin Zhuer came out of her room. She lived in the room on Lin Dayong’s side. Unlike the other girls in the family, it wasn’t just that her clothes had no patches and were more brightly colored.
Her appearance combined the best features of Sun Xiaoyun and Lin Yongfeng: a round, plump face, a pair of big, bright eyes, a small and delicate nose—and especially her fair skin, even whiter than Sun Xiaoyun’s. Compared to everyone else, she practically seemed to glow.
Not only was Lin Zhuer gentle-looking, her temperament was quiet and refined as well. After politely greeting the elders, she sat beside Lin Yuliang, chatting with a soft smile.
Amid everyone’s eager anticipation, Chen Shi finally appeared like an empress dowager, striding over with a ladle in hand. Beside her, Sun Xiaoyun carried a basin of food, chin raised high, as if she were a chief eunuch basking in reflected glory.
Chen Shi controlled all the family’s rations and held absolute authority in the household—completely unshakable.
When she placed two eggs on the table, all the children’s eyes locked onto them, burning with desire. Lin Erxia was no exception.
But when it came time to distribute the food, things got awkward. Normally, one bowl per person was just right—but today, thanks to Lin Erxia’s earlier outburst, several bowls had been smashed, leaving them short.
Chen Shi glanced at the bowls, then at Zhao Lanhua. Zhao Lanhua didn’t even know where to put her hands, hurriedly trying to explain, “Mother, I’ll wait until you all finish before eating. Dachun, Erxia—”
Before she could finish, Lin Yongshun tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. “Oh come on, Mother, I’m starving. Hurry and serve the food. Otherwise I’ll just eat both eggs and skip everything else.”
Chen Shi shot him a glare, but knowing full well he was capable of doing exactly that, she quickly started serving.
Before anyone else could move, the tall and long-armed Lin Yongshun grabbed the first bowl and set it in front of the old man, grinning widely. “Dad, you eat first. Don’t go hungry.”
Everyone could see through him—he wasn’t worried about the old man going hungry, he was just starving himself and wanted to start eating sooner. The old man gave him a look, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared to eat.
Chen Shi and Lin Yongshun each placed a heaping bowl in front of themselves. What remained for the others were half-bowls of sweet potatoes and water, paired with a corn flatbread—the rest would have to be fought over.
Zhao Lanhua, cowed by Chen Shi’s glare, didn’t dare move. Lin Dachun and Lin Sanqiu were timid too, not daring to reach out.
Only Lin Erxia, unfazed by Chen Shi’s sharp looks, reacted quickly and grabbed a bowl, placing it in front of the three of them.
But the youngest, Lin Yubao, didn’t manage to grab anything. Watching the food dwindle, he opened his mouth to wail—when suddenly a bowl appeared in front of him.
“Enough. A man who cries all day over nothing—what kind of future is that? No more crying.”
With a bowl now in hand, Lin Yubao didn’t care about the scolding. He mumbled a quick acknowledgment and got ready to dig in.
But Lin Yongshun spoke up again. “Bao, look—your mother and your sister don’t even have bowls yet. So what should you do? Kids shouldn’t eat alone, or you’ll end up wetting the bed.”
Lin Yubao looked around, then used his chopsticks to spear a piece of sweet potato and offered it to Zhao Lanhua. “Mom, you eat.”
Zhao Lanhua hurriedly waved him off. “Mom’s not eating, you eat.”
Instantly delighted, Lin Yubao turned to Lin Dachun and Lin Sanqiu on the other side, completely ignoring Lin Erxia. Naturally, they refused too, making him grin even wider.
Just as he was about to hug his sweet potato and eat, Lin Yongshun put on a wounded expression. “Bao, why don’t you share with Dad? Dad even got you a bowl, and now Dad’s not happy.”
Lin Yubao hesitated, then reluctantly moved his chopsticks slightly away from his mouth and asked in a small voice, “Dad… do you want to eat the sweet potato?”
In a flash, the piece on his chopsticks disappeared, replaced only by Lin Yongshun’s laughter. “Thanks, my good son. So filial.”
Lin Yubao pouted and was about to cry again when Chen Shi snapped, “Third son, always snatching food from your own child—what kind of behavior is that?”
She scooped two more pieces of sweet potato into Lin Yubao’s bowl. He stopped crying, though his eyes remained fixed on Lin Yongshun, accusing him silently.
Unbothered, Lin Yongshun said, “Why aren’t you thanking your grandma? When you grow up, you must be filial to your grandma and grandpa—and of course, don’t forget your father.”
Chen Shi rolled her eyes. “That’s enough out of you, Third.”
Watching the farce unfold at the table, Sun Xiaoyun curled her lips in disdain.
Just as Chen Shi reached for the eggs, she realized one was missing. Turning her head, she saw one already in Lin Yongshun’s hand and immediately grew anxious.
“Third son, what are you doing taking the egg? One is for your father, and one is for Zhuer to nourish herself!”
Lin Yongshun didn’t care. Having just swallowed a mouthful of flatbread, he continued peeling the egg. “Mom, Erxia fainted today and didn’t even see a doctor. Shouldn’t she get some nourishment? Don’t you feel even a bit sorry for your granddaughter?”
Chen Shi was nearly furious enough to explode at the mention of Lin Erxia. “Give it to her? I’d sooner feed it to a dog! At least a dog wouldn’t smash my bowls!”
Hearing this, Lin Erxia snatched the half-peeled egg from Lin Yongshun’s hand. Moving too fast, she only got the peeled half—but without hesitation, she popped it into her mouth, chewing as she smiled at Chen Shi, even baring her teeth at Lin Zhuer.
Just as she reached for the other half, she found it already in Lin Yongshun’s mouth, who was chewing happily and flashing Chen Shi the exact same grin as Lin Erxia—double the provocation.
Chen Shi exploded, “Eat, eat, eat! So shallow-minded—grabbing at anything tasty without even seeing if it belongs to you!”
While everyone else shrank back in silence, Lin Erxia shot her father a resentful look before replying calmly, “I fed the chickens too—why shouldn’t I eat? Lin Zhuer, who contributes nothing, is the one who should feel embarrassed.
Grandma, how about you cook me an egg every day so I can broaden my horizons?”
She grinned cheekily, no longer afraid. Compared to this morning, this was just the appetizer.
Chen Shi was about to erupt again when Lin Dayong spoke up to stop her. “Give the egg to Zhuer. I don’t need it.”
Still shaken by Lin Erxia’s earlier terrifying smile, Lin Zhuer quickly said, “Grandpa, Grandma, you both work hard—you should eat the eggs. I don’t need them.”
In truth, Lin Zhuer ate eggs almost every day and was already a bit tired of them—but her mother always insisted she eat them anyway.