Jiang Ruyu slapped his head: "You're just greedy."

Liu Xuewen watched his older cousin and younger cousin interact with envy. His family had never had such a good atmosphere. However, he was not sure if it would be better in the future. Maybe it would.

The group was busy in the kitchen. Jiang Ruyu also wanted her three younger brothers to learn how to cook, especially Xuewen. Their aunt had passed away, and Xiangqiao was in school. Their family needed someone who could handle the kitchen.

Jiang Hui watched intently from the side. He knew he had to learn properly; according to his own plan, it would be better to master the skill of cooking.

When the sound of firecrackers came from outside, Jiang Ruyu's family had almost finished preparing their New Year's Eve dinner. The sea bass was steamed, the small sea snails were blanched, the tiger prawns were braised, the conch slices were used to make soup, the potatoes were stewed with chicken, the shredded pork was stir-fried with mushrooms, the canned yellow peaches were mixed with water and then used to make glutinous rice balls and fermented rice, a sweet soup was made, and finally, a spinach salad was made. Eight dishes in total, a nice number, and enough to eat.

I wanted to call my uncle and the others, but the old lady waved her hand and refused: "Just take some of our dishes over for Yangyang to try, don't call them over, lest it make them feel uncomfortable."

After the old lady said that, no one said anything. In the end, Jiang Hui brought over a plate of dishes: "Uncle, Grandma said that since Second Brother is finally back this year, she won't invite you to dinner. My sister asked someone to get some seafood, and Grandma said to let Yangyang try it."

Jiang Jianguo nodded: "Okay, I understand. Wait a minute, your grandma is hospitalized this year, so there probably isn't much at home. Jiang Jun, go to the kitchen and get some meatballs and sugar-coated fruit for Jiang Hui. After dinner, tell your grandma to go to bed early and not stay up late for the New Year."

"Okay, I understand." Jiang Hui took the fried food his uncle brought back home for dinner. Wang Shuhua looked at the plate full of various seafood, feeling envious and jealous, but dared not say anything. Her biggest confidence was gone, and she could only obediently not cause any more trouble.

Jiang Ruyi glanced at the food on the plate, her teeth grinding with jealousy. Without any hesitation, she picked up a crab from it. There were only two crabs in total. Fang Meili glanced at her sister-in-law without saying a word and gave the crab to her father-in-law.

Jiang Jianguo smiled and said, "Give it to Yangyang. It's hard to buy this stuff around here."

Jiang Jianguo then placed the food on his plate for his grandson, Yangyang, who is three years old this year. He obediently thanked his grandfather, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa."

Jiang Ruyi rolled her eyes in annoyance and reached out to snatch it, saying, "Stop passing it around, if you're not going to eat it, give it to me." In her heart, she was still thinking, "Where did Jiang Ruyu buy this crab? It's really delicious."

Jiang Yang was startled by his aunt. Fang Meili's eyebrows were practically standing on end. Before she could even speak, Jiang Jianguo's eyes widened: "Put it back! Jiang Ruyi, you're twenty years old, not two. You're even snatching food from a child's bowl. Is this how your mother and I raised you?"

Jiang Ruyi curled her lips indifferently: "Why can't I eat two crabs? Do you know how hard I suffer in the countryside? Why can't I eat something good? He's just a kid, and there's so much food on that plate. He won't go hungry if he eats one less crab."

Jiang Jun put down his chopsticks and stared at Jiang Ruyi: "Give it back, don't let Dad say it again."

Jiang Ruyi paused, afraid that her second brother would really beat her. She angrily threw the crab back, and it fell to the ground with a thud. Jiang Yang could no longer bear his grievances.

The child turned around and buried his face in his mother's arms, wailing, "Waaah, Mommy, my crab fell down, it's dirty, waaah, Auntie is mean, I don't like Auntie."

Fang Meili hugged her son tenderly and comforted him, "Yangyang, be good, don't cry. Even if the crab is dirty, you can still eat it after washing it. Let Daddy wash it for you."

Jiang Kai picked up the crab from the ground and glanced at Jiang Ruyi: "You're really getting worse as you get older. You don't understand human relationships and you have no manners."

Jiang Jun looked at his sister who was still eating crab, his disappointment growing deeper. He suddenly snatched the crab from her hand: "Are you really going to disregard everything, Jiang Ruyi? Do you think that having that Gu Changzheng means you can act lawlessly and recklessly? Apologize to your sister-in-law and Yangyang, or you won't be eating this meal."

Jiang Ruyi stood up in a fit of anger and embarrassment: "I am your own sister, why are you so mean to me? No matter who I have a conflict with, you only scold me. Whose brother are you anyway?"

Jiang Jun laughed sarcastically: "Jiang Ruyi, if I could choose, I really wouldn't want to be your brother. You're such a disappointment. Look at yourself now. You used to be charming, cute, sensible, sweet-talking, and never unreasonable. Now, you're just being unreasonable and rude, with no manners. You're no different from those uncultured shrewish women in the countryside."

Jiang Ruyi never expected her second brother to evaluate her like that. She stood up in despair and pointed at him, "You, you've gone too far, Jiang Jun. You're not my brother. I hate you. From now on, stay out of my business."

Jiang Jun also said directly, "I can ignore your affairs, but as long as we're in this family, I will interfere if you speak or act unreasonably. If you do well outside, I won't be envious of you; if you don't, that's your own choice. Remember, no one in this family owes you anything."

Jiang Ruyi trembled with rage. The feeling of her dignity being trampled underfoot overwhelmed her once again. Her eyes were bloodshot as she looked at the people at the table who were supposed to be her family, her eyes filled with resentment: "I will remember the humiliation I suffered today, the insults you have inflicted upon me."

Jiang Ruyi glared at the people on the table, then turned and went back into the house. Fang Meili sneered. Jiang Kai glanced at her and warned her. Fang Meili pouted and didn't say anything. She thought Jiang Ruyi would be able to turn around and leave gracefully, but all she did was say hurtful things.

Jiang Ruyi isn't stupid. If she runs away in a fit of anger, she won't get anything. She can't go to Gu Changzheng on New Year's Eve either. Besides, she doesn't want Gu Changzheng to know that she has such a bad relationship with her family. It would make her seem like she's all alone and can only rely on him, which isn't a good thing.

Wang Shuhua frowned, suppressing her anger as she looked at her second son: "She's your sister, but look at how you treat her like an enemy. What are you doing?"

Jiang Jun looked at his mother with a cold gaze and spoke without any pretense: "Heh, isn't it all because of what you taught her to be like this today? Do you think she's a well-mannered person? Even we family members think she has no manners or upbringing. What do you think people outside will say about her? They'll just say, 'How did this child's parents raise her? She's in her mid-twenties and still doesn't know any manners.'"

Wang Shuhua was so angry that she was about to stand up and hit him: "I'm your mother, and you talk to me like this? Is this how you show good manners? Is this how I taught you to talk to me?"

Jiang Jun looked up and said, "I was born of you. You can hit me or scold me if you want, and no one can say anything. But, Mom, you can't stop others from saying what they want. Why am I saying these things to you? Because your actions have made me lose the most basic respect a child can have for their mother."