Sun Dexiang had only finished junior high. After graduating, she stayed at home, never working in the fields for work points. Now twenty-one, she was a lazy freeloader. Mr. Sun and Sun’s mother doted on her, as did her two older brothers. Neither of her sisters-in-law dared to say a word against her.
"Hungry, hungry, hungry. Were you a starving ghost in your past life?" Sun’s mother poked Sun Dexiang on the head. In the years since she’d graduated and stayed home, many matchmakers had come to their door, but their offers weren’t good enough. Sun’s mother rejected them all, proclaiming that her daughter was destined for city life and would one day marry into the city.
After endless delays, Sun Dexiang turned twenty-one, and it was looking like she’d be stuck on their hands. Still, Sun’s mother refused to lower her standards. The suitor not only had to be a city person, but his family also had to be wealthy. Otherwise, she wouldn’t let her daughter marry.
"Mom, I’m really hungry," Sun Dexiang said.
"Just bear with it. Wait for them to come get us," Sun’s mother said.
"What if they forgot about us?" Sun Dexiang asked worriedly.
"They won’t. Even if they forget, your second sister-in-law won’t," Sun’s mother said with certainty.
Sun Dexiang silently prayed for her second sister-in-law to hurry and call them for dinner. But then she saw Jie Jingchen and Jie Jingling walk past the window, one after the other, talking and laughing. When Jie Jingling didn’t come in to get them, Sun Dexiang’s expression soured. Sun’s mother lost face, and her own expression twisted visibly.
"Mom!" Sun Dexiang stomped her foot in frustration.
"Shut up." Sun’s mother shot her a glare. ’How dare my second son’s wife not call me for dinner? I’ll definitely tell my second son on her when we get home.’
Jie Jingling and Jie Jingchen walked into the kitchen. Noticing her mother-in-law and sister-in-law weren’t there, her eyes flickered. She said to Jie Jingchen, "Fourth Brother, you all go ahead and eat. I’ll go get my mother-in-law and sister-in-law."
"Mm," Jie Jingchen acknowledged. There were exactly eight people, sitting in pairs on each side of the table.
Jing Qi and Sun Tong sat on one side. Jie Jingchen sat down next to Qin Mei. Qin Mei raised an eyebrow and, seeing that Jie Jingling hadn’t followed them in, asked, "Where’s my sister?"
Jie Jingchen stared at her. ’She’s *my* older sister and *your* sister-in-law,’ he thought, wanting to remind her. ’Her relationship with my sister is better than her relationship with me.’ The thought left him feeling quite unbalanced. "She went to get her mother-in-law and sister-in-law."
"Oh," Qin Mei said.
"I just yelled so loudly. Didn’t they hear me?" Jie Jingjue asked, confused.
Jie Jingchen’s eyes filled with anger, and his icy voice was as sharp as a knife. "So you *do* realize how loud you were just now?"
Jie Jingjue froze for a second, then casually rubbed his nose. He didn’t dare provoke his fourth brother any further. The consequences would be dire.
"You could scream until your throat is raw, and you still wouldn’t get a response from someone pretending to be deaf. They’re elders, so of course they have to put on airs," Qin Mei said sarcastically. With Sun Tong present, she was being much more careful with her words.
"Hmph!" Jie Jingjue snorted disdainfully. "If they want to put on airs, they can go back to their own home to do it. Our family doesn’t indulge that kind of rotten behavior."
He didn’t even indulge his own Granny, so why would he indulge Sun’s mother?
In front of Granny, Sun’s mother was a junior herself.
Qin Mei coughed lightly, reminding Jie Jingjue that Sun Tong was present.
Jie Jingjue also realized that it probably wasn’t good to talk about the child’s grandmother in front of her.
"Guests are guests," Jie Jingchen said.
Jie Jingjue quickly changed his tune. "Right, right, guests are guests. We should receive them warmly. Look at me, making a mess of things. I should have gone to invite them myself. How could I let our older sister go?"
"Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, you don’t have to worry about me," Sun Tong said timidly. Her grandmother wasn’t nice to her, so they weren’t close. She wouldn’t tattle.
"Tongtong, have a duck leg." Jie Jingshan picked up a duck leg with her chopsticks and placed it in Sun Tong’s bowl. She said with a beaming smile, "This roast duck is delicious. It’s my favorite. Quick, try it."
"Auntie," Sun Tong was stunned by the favor. The whole table was filled with delicious food that made her mouth water just looking at it. Her aunt had given her the duck leg, but she didn’t dare to eat it. At home, chicken legs and duck legs were always for her older and younger brothers. Her grandmother said that since she was a girl, it was a waste for her to eat such things. Things like chicken legs were for her brothers; it was only not a waste when they ate them.
"It’s really delicious. Go on, try it," Jie Jingshan said when she saw Sun Tong wasn’t eating, mistaking her hesitation for disbelief.
The juniors couldn’t start eating before the elders were seated. Sun Tong was timid and always the last one to pick up her chopsticks. Jie Jingshan didn’t have such constraints. Ever since her legs had become disabled, she hadn’t eaten at the main table, only returning to eat with everyone else after Qin Mei arrived.
"Jing Qi, you and Tongtong can share." Qin Mei placed a duck leg in Jing Qi’s bowl. She knew Tongtong was mistreated in the Sun Family; the girl wouldn’t even dare to eat if Jing Qi offered her the first bite.
Qin Mei found it strange. Mr. Sun and Sun’s mother doted on their youngest daughter, Sun Dexiang, yet they despised their only granddaughter, Sun Tong. ’Is it just because she’s not their own flesh and blood that they don’t value her?’
’Not valuing her is one thing, but they don’t have to despise her!’
"Let Tongtong have it," Jie Jingshan said graciously, moving the duck leg into Sun Tong’s bowl.
Seeing this, Sun Tong was no longer just stunned by the favor, but worried and afraid.
Seeing that Sun Tong was on the verge of tears, Qin Mei picked up the duck leg from her bowl and put it back into Jing Qi’s. "Sharing makes it taste even better."
Jing Qi thought for a moment, then didn’t defer any longer. She picked up the duck leg and took a bite. "Tongtong, it’s really, really good. You should try it."
Sun Tong was stunned. Jing Qi had just started eating without a second thought! ’Grandma and my other aunt aren’t even at the table yet! And it’s a duck leg... that’s definitely meant for my other aunt. If they eat it, what will she have?’
"Auntie," Sun Tong called out.
"Tongtong, it’s okay. This is the Jie Family, not the Sun Family," Qin Mei said encouragingly.
"Auntie Qin," Sun Tong was still scared. She picked up the duck leg and put it back on the serving plate. "I don’t like eating duck legs. Let my other aunt have it."
Qin Mei’s heart ached with pity. Jie Jingchen saw it all, and his gaze shifted to Qin Mei. He recalled her conversation with his older sister; if Tongtong stayed with the Sun Family, her future was concerning.
Jie Jingjue wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t noticed anything at first, but he caught the undertone in Sun Tong’s words. What kid doesn’t like to eat duck legs? Sun Tong’s restrained posture showed it wasn’t that she didn’t like it, but that she didn’t dare.
Jie Jingjue picked up the duck leg and placed it in Sun Tong’s bowl. "Tongtong, I bought this especially for you. If you don’t eat it, you’ll be wasting my kind gesture, and I’ll be very sad."
Qin Mei rolled her eyes. ’He’s actually tricking Tongtong.’ It was obviously Jie Jingchen who bought it, but he insisted it was him. Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingchen and saw his solemn, thoughtful expression. He wasn’t focused on Jie Jingjue, but rather on...
The corners of Qin Mei’s lips couldn’t help but curve up. ’He’s taken my and my sister’s words to heart.’
"Fifth Uncle," Sun Tong said, troubled. "But... my other aunt likes to eat duck legs."
"Tongtong, this is Shijiu City, not your village. This is the Jie Family, not the Sun Family. You’re our niece. Your aunt isn’t. Our family is protective of our own. If your aunt dares to bully you, I’ll protect you. I’ll beat her until she’s looking for her teeth on the floor." Jie Jingjue shook his fist, making Sun Tong laugh.
Jie Jingshan picked up the duck leg and held it to Sun Tong’s lips. "Tongtong, take a bite."
"But..." Under everyone’s encouraging gazes, Sun Tong broke into a brilliant smile. She opened her mouth, took a bite, and said, full of praise, "It’s delicious! So delicious!"
"Hehe, I didn’t lie to you, did I?" Jie Jingshan said proudly.
"Tongtong, try a chicken leg." Jie Jingjue placed a chicken leg in Sun Tong’s bowl.
"Fifth Uncle," Sun Tong looked at Jie Jingjue and said meekly, "Grandma and my other aunt aren’t here yet."
Jie Jingjue paused for a moment, then said, "You guys eat first. Don’t worry about them. If you’re not enthusiastic about eating, there’s something wrong with your head."
Jie Jingchen had bought a roast duck and a braised chicken. By the time Sun’s mother and the other two finally arrived, Jie Jingshan and Sun Tong had finished the duck legs and chicken legs. Jie Jingjue then gave Sun Tong the wings.
"Tongtong, have you forgotten the Sun Family’s rules?" Sun’s mother glared at Sun Tong and chided her harshly. Her expression was ugly. She didn’t dare scold Jing Qi, so she could only take it out on her own granddaughter.
"Grandma," Sun Tong didn’t dare to eat anymore, lowering her head in fear.
When Sun Dexiang saw that the duck legs and chicken legs were all gone, she flew into a rage and was about to lay into Sun Tong. "Tongtong..."