Everyone in the room was stunned.
Even Gu Yong, who had experienced countless battles and witnessed the vicissitudes of life, was speechless at Xu Ningyan's actions.
The hand that had been smilingly agreeing to serve chicken legs to her grandson now awkwardly remained on the dining table.
The adults were at a loss for words, but the children didn't know how to read the room.
Seeing that the big chicken leg and meat she had her eye on had been snatched away, she immediately became furious and burst into tears, crying, "My chicken leg—!"
"My flesh—"
Amid the child's loud cries, Xu Ningyan silently picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. Gu Zhixing, who was standing next to her, followed suit and also grabbed a big chicken leg and took a bite with relish.
In the minds of the two youngest children in the Gu family, they are the youngest in the family and their grandparents love them the most.
In the past, whenever there was something good to eat at home, they would always be the first to eat it, and they were used to it.
Even when they saw Xu Ningyan snatch the braised pork and chicken leg away, they felt that if they cried, Grandpa would definitely be able to get them back for them.
But now, seeing Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhixing eating meat and gnawing on a large chicken leg right in front of them, they panicked. Wailing and screaming, they lunged forward to snatch it away: "You bad guys! I'll kill you! You're stealing our meat and chicken legs! My mom and grandma said all the good food in this house is ours! Spit it out and give it back! Otherwise, I'll have my grandpa shoot you! My grandpa's the toughest, he has a gun, he'll shoot you, shoot you—"
With Xu Ningyan's skills and the Gu brothers by her side, how could she let two children get hurt?
The two men grabbed one child at a time, as if they were chicks. No matter how much the two children struggled, their fists and legs could only hit the air.
In particular, Gu Zhixing would mischievously shake and bounce the two children from time to time, and soon the children turned pale and started wailing and crying for their parents.
Gu Yong felt sorry for his grandson and quickly scolded, "Fourth brother, how can you, as his uncle, be fighting with the children for chicken legs? Hurry up and put Xiao Xi and Xiao Bei down!"
Gu Zhixing pursed his lips and, together with Gu Zhiyuan, put the two children, Gu Xiaoxi and Gu Xiaobei, down.
As soon as the two children landed, they dashed to Gu Yong to complain: "Grandpa, kill them! They stole our meat and chicken legs! Our meat and chicken legs are gone—"
Gu Yong quickly comforted him, "Oh, don't cry, don't cry. It's a chicken leg, right—"
Looking around, Xu Ningyan saw a large plate of braised pork in front of her. Despite the children's crying and fussing, Xu Ningyan was still sitting there, happily eating a bite of meat, a bite of rice, and a bite of side dish.
Half of the braised pork was already gone, so it was clear that we couldn't get the meat back.
When Gu Zhixing saw Gu Yong looking over, he quickly lowered his head and licked the chicken leg from head to tail, making it clear that he wouldn't give it to him!
When Gu Xiaoxi and Gu Xiaobei saw this, they cried even louder.
Gu Yong glared at Gu Zhixing, then turned to look at Jiang Yuan beside him.
Now, only in Jiang Yuan's bowl is there a perfectly intact chicken leg, placed neatly and untouched.
Clearing his throat, Gu Yong said, "Jiang Yuan, look, the two children are crying like this. How about you give them this chicken leg—"
Jiang Yuanxi twitched her lips. As an elder, and with Gu Yong already speaking up, everyone else was staring at her, giving her the feeling that she would be guilty of a terrible crime if she didn't give away the chicken leg today.
Lowering her eyelids, Jiang Yuan reached for her chopsticks to pick up a chicken leg. Gu Yong noticed that Jiang Yuan's expression was becoming increasingly gentle, and he knew that Jiang Yuan cared about him and was the most understanding person for him.
Just as Jiang Yuan's chopsticks touched the chicken leg, she heard a creaking sound from the stool on the ground. Then a dark shadow loomed over her, and a delicate hand held a bowl and handed it to her.
Xu Ningyan calmly said, "Aunt Jiang, since you're not going to eat it, then give the chicken leg back to me!"
Jiang Yuan was stunned for a moment. When she met Xu Ningyan's calm gaze, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. She felt that there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in Xu Ningyan's calm eyes.
Jiang Yuan looked again and saw only Xu Ningyan's calmness.
Beside him was Gu Yong's silent urging, and opposite him were Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhixing, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Jiang Yuan took a deep breath, placed the chicken leg steadily into Xu Ningyan's bowl, and smiled slightly at her: "Xiaoyan looks so thin, she should eat more and nourish herself."
Xu Ningyan smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Thank you, Aunt Jiang."
After saying that, he took back the bowl and the big chicken leg in it, sat down, and before anyone could react, he took a big bite and ate half of the chicken leg.
"Wow—there aren't any chicken drumsticks left!"
Seeing that both chicken legs were gone, Gu Xiaoxi and Gu Xiaobei were heartbroken and immediately lay down on the ground, rolling around on the floor.
Gu Yong was embarrassed and wanted to say something to Jiang Yuan, but Jiang Yuan wouldn't even give him a glance. She just sat silently to the side, eating her vegetables.
Her anger was directed at her two sons and daughters-in-law: "How have you raised your children? They throw tantrums over the smallest things. What kind of behavior is this?"
Qiao Aiyuan and Zhang Yanan didn't dare to breathe. They quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks, ran over, picked up the child, and left.
His daughter-in-law had run away, and Gu Yong couldn't eat anymore. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and looked at Fang Dani: "What's going on? Are we starving now? Couldn't you buy more? The kids can't even have meat and chicken legs?"
Fang Dani's eyes immediately reddened, and she stood up with a wronged expression: "Dajun's dad, you know how it is. There are many people in the family, and the expenses are high! We adults can suffer from food and drink every day, but the elderly and children in the family can't suffer from it!"
"My parents are getting old. My father likes to smoke, and my mother loves to eat steamed egg custard. These are their only hobbies. Can I just cut them off?"
“There’s also the issue of milk fees for the children every month, notebooks, pens, and every now and then meat and eggs to supplement their nutrition! All of these things cost money. Besides, it’s almost the end of the month, and we’re a bit strapped for cash! I’m just hoping everyone can bear with it and things will be better at the beginning of the month!”
"Today's meal was paid for by Jiang Meizi from the logistics department. I thought this much food would be enough to entertain the guests, so—"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yong turned around angrily and yelled at Jiang Yuan, "Jiang Yuan! Didn't I tell you to give us enough living expenses? The children need to grow, and the elderly need to supplement their nutrition. Don't you know that? If word gets out, what will the people in the compound think of us?"
"I trusted you so much, and I never questioned your living expenses! I thought you would handle it well. I believed in our decades-long relationship and in your character! But how could you do something like withholding living expenses?"
"If word gets out, what will people say about you and me? Won't they say that you, as the stepmother, are deliberately being harsh on Dajun and Da Kui? It's one thing for Dajun and Da Kui, but what about Lao San and Lao Si? Won't people gossip about them behind their backs?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
