The stove was placed at the entrance of the Leng Family as desired. Tang Lin knew this was Leng Hui’s heartfelt gesture. After straightening her clothes, she solemnly stepped over the stove.
The smoke from the burning pomelo leaves in the stove acted like a cleansing agent to dispel impurities. Her clothes still carried a faint, refreshing fragrance of pomelo leaves, which invigorated the spirit upon smelling it.
After Tang Lin entered the house, Chen Shumei silently picked up the stove and left.
Leng Hui walked around the house and noticed that the Qingming Vegetable brought back yesterday was tossed in a corner, uncleaned.
Old Lady Leng and Sun Xiaojuan, who usually stayed at home, were nowhere to be seen. Only Leng Mei, who had a fractured bone in the partitioned room, was at home.
“Did they not know Mom was being discharged from the hospital today, or are they doing this on purpose?”
Leng Hui was furious that her mother was being treated so lightly.
Leng Yongkang placed the items brought back from the hospital into the partitioned room of the main house, then lifted the door curtain and stepped out.
“They might have gone to the farmers’ market to buy groceries. Hui Hui, you can’t always think the worst of your family. That’s not right. If your grandma and the others heard you, they’d be so hurt.”
Leng Hui scoffed at his words.
Leng Yongkang awkwardly rubbed his nose and sat down, intending to pour himself a glass of water.
But the kettle was snatched away by Leng Hui.
Leng Hui poured a glass of warm water for Tang Lin, had her sit on a chair to rest, then rolled up her sleeves, ready to take matters into her own hands and personally cook a delicious meal to celebrate Tang Lin’s return.
Seeing Leng Hui enter the kitchen, Leng Yongkang complained to Tang Lin: “Look at the youngest daughter you gave birth to. She’s becoming more and more disrespectful toward me, her own father.”
Tang Lin snorted lightly: “If you want her to respect you, first you must set an example and keep her in your heart. Don’t always think about mistreating my precious youngest daughter for the sake of the family.”
Making her youngest daughter suffer while feeling sorry for himself—there’s no such logic in the world.
One person can’t have all the advantages.
Leng Yongkang felt he couldn’t communicate with Tang Lin, so he stood up, wanting to help Leng Hui with the cooking.
However, on this rare occasion when he took the initiative to offer assistance, he was startled by the scene inside as he stood at the kitchen door.
“Leng Hui, what are you doing?”
“What’s wrong with Hui Hui?”
Leng Yongkang’s shout frightened Tang Lin, who was resting on the chair, making her heart race as she thought Leng Hui was in some kind of danger.
Leng Hui turned around and glared at Leng Yongkang in displeasure. “A grown man like you shouldn’t be so easily startled. Look how you scared my mom.”
Hearing Leng Hui’s voice, Tang Lin felt relieved.
But Leng Yongkang held his breath, pointing worriedly at the preserved pig head soaking in the basin. “You’ve soaked the entire pig head in hot water. We can’t eat this much in one meal. Once it’s soaked, it’ll spoil easily. When your grandma comes back and finds out, be careful—she won’t let you off easily!”
“It’s not the whole thing, only half is left.”
The preserved pig head was essentially the pig’s face with the bones removed. Some had been eaten during the New Year and last time, leaving only about half.
Sliced thinly, it would yield about two bowls. One bowl could be used to wrap Qingming Jiao Ba, and the other could be stir-fried with garlic shoots—both would taste exceptionally good.
“Even if it’s only half, if your grandma were to prepare it, it could be cooked six, seven, or eight times. You’re using it all at once. When your grandma finds out, won’t she raise hell?”
Leng Yongkang inwardly lamented—why did he have such a troublesome daughter?
Leng Hui looked up with an innocent expression and said, “I gave her a chance. She was the one who didn’t make arrangements. If she won’t arrange it, then I have to. We can’t let my mom leave the hospital without a proper meal, can we?”
Leng Yongkang’s temples throbbed visibly. “Why is it so difficult to communicate with you right now?”
Was this really just about a single meal?
Tang Lin, sitting outside, couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She knew Leng Hui was doing this on purpose.
Making the Leng Family act unreasonably.
If they weren’t willing to discuss things properly, then she’d solve the problem directly and forcefully.
Old Lady Leng was too stingy to let her have the meat?
Then they’d just cook all of it.
From now on, no one would get to eat any.
As Leng Yongkang turned around, he noticed the smile on Tang Lin’s lips.
He rubbed his forehead, his mind buzzing.
“Where are you going?”
Leng Yongkang was about to step out for some fresh air when Tang Lin’s question stopped him. Ignoring her, he continued walking out.
“When Hui Hui finishes cooking, if we eat all the meat and don’t leave any for you, don’t blame us.”
Leng Yongkang’s foot, already poised over the threshold—should he step out or pull back?
He was caught in a dilemma.
Tang Lin smirked triumphantly, seemingly oblivious to Leng Yongkang’s predicament, and casually picked up a primary school textbook nearby to flip through.
In the end, Leng Yongkang retreated. The temptation of the meat was irresistible.
He had barely found a seat and sat down for two minutes when he saw Leng Hui emerge from the kitchen, holding a hammer. She dragged a wooden box from under the bed and started smashing the lock.
“Hey, hey, hey, Leng Hui! What are you breaking the lock for again?” Leng Yongkang scolded.
Leng Hui rolled her eyes at him. “I’m getting rice flour to make Qingming Jiao Ba, of course.”
Last time, a lock was already wasted. If he didn’t stop her now, this new lock would meet the same fate.
Leng Yongkang hurried over, trying to snatch the hammer from her hand. “Can’t you just use a key to open it?”
Leng Hui retorted, “Do you have the key?”
Leng Yongkang: “…”
Finding him in the way, Leng Hui pushed him aside and, before he could react, swung the hammer down. The lock Old Lady Leng had bought just a few days ago was destroyed once again.
“What a sin!” Leng Yongkang slapped his forehead, looking as if the sky had fallen.
Tang Lin scolded him impatiently, “Who are you putting on that miserable act for? If you have the guts, don’t eat later!”
Leng Yongkang rubbed his face, sat back down beside Tang Lin, and said with a grimace, “I think she’s the reincarnation of the Monkey King—completely lawless, treating this house like the Heavenly Palace to wreak havoc.”
“Pfft!”
Tang Lin couldn’t hold back her laughter, pressing her lips together. “If this house of yours is the Heavenly Palace, then the gods up there must be terribly poor.”
Hearing this, Leng Yongkang forced a smile uglier than a cry.
Leng Hui cooked quickly. Having learned how to make Jiao Ba at the Jiang family the other day, this was the perfect opportunity to practice. Although the Jiao Ba she made came out in odd shapes, they tasted quite good.
She stir-fried the remaining pig’s head meat with some garlic sprouts, and the aroma immediately filled the air.
Then she whipped up an egg drop soup, and just like that, lunch was ready.
As the fragrance wafted from the kitchen, Leng Yongkang felt a craving for alcohol, but unfortunately, there was no wine at home.
Leng Mei, who had been quietly staying in the adjacent room, couldn’t hold back any longer and softly called out, “Uncle, Aunt.”
Tang Lin motioned for Leng Yongkang to carry her out.
Sitting at the table, Leng Mei looked at the full plate of preserved meat, the basin of Qingming Jiao Ba, and the large bowl of egg soup.
To be honest, she admired Leng Hui’s courage.
She didn’t know what had gone wrong—Tang Lin, who should have died in this car accident in her previous life, was actually still alive.
Moreover, Leng Hui, who was usually eccentric and taciturn, had changed too. Her temper seemed to have become more assertive, daring to confront others at the slightest disagreement.
Leng Hui helped Tang Lin pick up some food and noticed that Leng Mei had been staring blankly at the dishes on the table. Puzzled, she asked, “Aren’t you eating? Are you afraid your grandma will come back furious and take it out on you?”
Leng Mei shook her head, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of meat into her mouth. The long-lost savory flavor filled her mouth. She glanced at Leng Hui and, seeing how happily she was eating, found her own appetite improving considerably.
Leng Hui noticed that every time she picked up a piece of meat, Leng Mei would glance at her. The repeated glances made her uneasy, and just as she was about to lose her temper, Leng Mei would look away again.
Leng Hui cursed inwardly: What a weirdo!