Er Ya's words came at just the right time; Lin Jianguo was just about to come out and call them for dinner.

The table was already set with food: a plate of braised pork, a plate of scrambled eggs with toon leaves, a plate of stir-fried mushrooms with pork, and a large plate of spicy crayfish.

The snails they brought back were unwashed, thinking that they would stay fresh for a few more days. So Jiang's mother didn't stir-fry the snails this morning, but the meal was already good enough to serve guests.

It looks and smells delicious, and it looks wonderful when placed on the table, with its red and green hues.

Lin Fugui thought to himself: This second brother's family is quite something. Although they are not wealthy, they still make a big show of it knowing that I am coming to eat.

He remained polite, saying, "Look at you all. I told you to keep it simple. Look at what you've prepared, all this meat and vegetables. It's such a waste. Why don't you just have some porridge and cornbread?"

Er Ya feigned innocence and said, "This is just our everyday meal. We always eat like this."

That's nonsense. Who can afford to eat this much food every day? They think Er Ya is just a kid who doesn't know any better and is just bragging.

Lin Fugui said nonchalantly, "Okay, your family eats well every day, so stop staring at me and hurry up and eat. We have things to do."

He picked up a piece of braised meat with his chopsticks, chewed it a few times, and said, "What kind of meat is this? It tastes pretty good, chewy."

He took another bite of the stir-fried mushrooms and pork, and gave a thumbs up in praise: "Second brother, you know what, your wife's cooking is pretty good, much better than your aunt's. You're lucky to have such a good meal."

"I'm not as amazing as you make me out to be, village chief. I just cook simple home-style meals. If you like them, feel free to eat more."

Lin Fugui praised the food highly, then turned his head and saw Er Ya holding that bright red thing, diligently peeling off its shell. Curious, he took one too, but before he knew it, he was pinched by the pliers: "Whoa, what is this thing? Why does it bite?"

Er Ya teases Lin Fugui: "Hahaha, Grandpa Village Chief, you have to take its tail first. This is called a crayfish. I'll peel one for you to try later. It's delicious."

Lin Fugui took the crayfish that Er Ya had peeled, put it in his mouth, and found it to be fresh, tender, juicy, and delicious. He couldn't wait to follow Er Ya's instructions, peel off the shell, and happily began to eat it.

Everyone at the table raved about the spicy crayfish, and for a moment, the stir-fried eggs with toon sprouts didn't seem so delicious anymore.

Lin Fugui was thoroughly humiliated: What happened to the promise to eat less and save some money for Lin Lao Er?

Looking at the mountain of crayfish shells piled up in front of him, he awkwardly patted his round belly, took a sip of water to relieve the discomfort, and decided to make up for it later elsewhere. He simply couldn't control his mouth when it came to crayfish.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lin Fugui stood up and said, "Let's go. I reckon everyone should be up by now."

With the village chief in charge, Jiang's mother felt at ease with her two children, Er Ya and Lin Xiao. She said softly, "Lin Xiao, let the village chief take you there later. Your uncle and I still need to go to the market to sell some things. We made them yesterday, and if we don't sell them today, they'll probably spoil."

Lin Xiao quickly stood up and said, "This is already too much trouble for Uncle and Aunt, you can go about your business."

Jiang's mother patted Lin Xiao's head and continued, "Don't get into a conflict with them. Just divide the family property simply. After all, they are your father's family. Even if they don't give you anything, your uncle and aunt will help you support the family. We will always treat you as our own child."

Lin Xiao nodded heavily, his eyes filled with tears of emotion.

After giving Er Ya a few more instructions, Jiang's mother led them towards Lin Shitou's house.

Jiang's mother hurriedly fed the pigs and packed everything up before the two locked the door, left the key at Li Taohua's house, and rode their bicycles to the market.

Over here, Lin Shitou's wife, Li Cuihua, hummed an unknown tune as she leisurely fed the chicks.

She was overjoyed to have gotten rid of that short-lived burden. With him gone, the house would belong to her son from now on, and their lives would be even better after that old man died.

The sound of Grandpa Lin coughing came from inside the house again, and Li Cuihua was immediately furious upon hearing it.

"You cough all the time, why don't you just die already? You're wasting our family's food. The amount you eat at each meal is enough for me to feed several chicks. If I feed them the food, they can lay eggs for me. What's the point of raising you, you old geezer?"

"you……".

Li Cuihua put her hands on her hips, pointed at the house, and cursed, "What do you mean, 'what ... ' ''?' You've always favored that burden. Didn't I give birth to your grandson? Now look what's happened, he's gone, and we might not even know if he's alive or not. Why don't you hurry down and go join him?'"

Lin Shitou came out carrying his youngest son, Lin Xiaobao, and looked at Li Cuihua, saying, "Alright, keep your voice down. What kind of talk will this make if others hear you?"

“I’m going to say it out loud, that old bastard, ugh, I’ll make him starve to death.”

The door wasn't closed. As soon as Lin Fugui pushed it open, he heard Li Cuihua yelling that she wanted to starve her father-in-law to death. He walked to the middle of the yard and said angrily, "Who do you want to starve to death?"

As soon as Lin Shitou saw the village chief coming over, he quickly winked at Li Cuihua to stop talking and forced a smile, asking, "Village chief, what brings you to my house today?"

Lin Fugui snorted: "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known your wife was so capable. She wants to starve her father-in-law to death. Lin Shitou, is this how you act as a son?"

Lin Shitou bowed and scraped, saying, "No, village chief, she's talking nonsense. I've already told her off. Li Cuihua, quickly apologize to the village chief, or else..."

Li Cuihua took the child and pretended to coax him: So what if the village chief heard her cursing? As long as her husband doesn't say anything, what can an outsider like him do to her?

Lin Fugui didn't want to see the couple's fake act, so he waved his hand and said, "Forget it. If you want to discipline your wife, go back inside after we leave. I didn't come here today to talk about this. Lin Xiao, Er Ya, come in."

Lin Xiao? Why is that child back again? Li Cuihua's initial elation suddenly plummeted. This burden, she thought he had died out there. Why is he back again? She stared at Lin Shitou and asked in a low voice if he had brought the child back.

Lin Shitou shook his head, indicating that it had nothing to do with him.

"What are you two whispering about in front of me? If you have any questions, just say them."

To be continued!