Unfortunately, Lin Gengsheng's skills were no match for Old Master Lin.
Lin Huaiyuan glared at his eldest son. "You dare to set a trap for your father? You little bastard, you've really grown some guts!"
Feeling guilty, Lin Gensheng immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet the gaze of his shrewd father.
He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He must have been blinded by the thought of pork to dare to play tricks on his father.
Grandpa Lin then put down his pipe and said slowly, "We won't divide the meat among ourselves. Each of you should go back and get a liter of rice and some dried vegetables. We'll all eat here at the old house today. Let's all have a good time."
The Lin family has had a lot of trouble lately.
Today, something happy has finally happened. We should definitely get together and celebrate. It will also make those people in the village who are laughing at the Lin family jealous.
This is equivalent to the sons pooling their resources to eat together.
This way, the eldest son won't suffer too much, and the whole family can get together and have a good time to get rid of the bad luck from the past few days.
The handling of the matter was extremely fair, and no one had anything to say about it.
Even if someone's wife is feeling down, she can only keep it to herself and dare not say a word.
Lin Gengsheng felt a little better when he heard that he was going to get grain.
The third brother, Lin Chunsheng, and the fourth brother, Lin Dongsheng, had no objections. Anyway, they would eat about the same amount at home, and they could get a free meal of meat here today.
That's a piece of pork weighing almost ten pounds, plus two pheasants and a rabbit. We're sure to eat our fill today.
As soon as the family member spoke, the sons and daughters-in-law all sprang into action.
The children scattered, some helping the adults get their things, others playing in the yard.
The children love this lively atmosphere with lots of people, not to mention they'll get to eat meat soon. Their faces are beaming with joy, just like it's Chinese New Year.
Before long, the main room was empty.
Even Lin Sanya happily ran back home to tell her the news.
Old Master Lin stopped Lin Gensheng, who was about to go out to work, and instructed him: "Eldest son, go to the second son's house and tell him to bring the second son over as well, so that he won't be lonely at home alone."
"Sigh!" Lin Gensheng turned around and responded, "Let Zhiyong go to the second brother's house. I reckon the two stoves in the kitchen aren't enough; we'll have to build another one in the yard."
"Alright, you handle it!" Old Master Lin waved his hand.
After Lin Gengsheng left, the main room instantly fell silent.
Lin Momo also wanted to slip away to avoid being caught by the old man and questioned, but it seemed there was nowhere to escape at the moment.
The second wife's family will be coming over soon, so why is she running back?
Even without this impromptu dinner, she would have been interrogated anyway when she returned to her second wife's quarters. Since she couldn't escape it either way, she gave up struggling.
"Did you catch those wild animals?" When did you become so capable? Not only do you recognize medicinal herbs, but you can also catch prey. Is this still the granddaughter he used to know?
Sure enough, Grandpa Lin's curiosity is still quite strong.
"I guess so."
Lin sighed inwardly and resignedly answered her grandfather's question, "Back in the mountains, I didn't know when I would find my way down. I saw a snare in the wooden house and thought that since we couldn't eat all the food, I might as well try to snare some wild animals. As a result, I actually caught a pheasant."
"My luck wasn't as good as it was the first time. Sometimes I got lucky, sometimes I didn't. After a few days of this, I finally managed to get down the mountain by accident."
These lies weren't improvised; she had prepared them beforehand.
They thought everyone's attention had been diverted and they wouldn't need it anymore, but little did they know that Old Master Lin still remembered.
“You did the right thing. The wooden cabins in the mountains were built by hunters from the foot of the mountain for their own rest in the mountains, and they don’t store much food in them. If you eat them all, the hunters who come into the mountains will go hungry.”
The old man nodded, made a simple comment, and then turned his scrutinizing gaze to Shi Guang: "Why did you two come back so late?"
He had a gut feeling that something was amiss.
"We met her on the way. I thought this girl looked a bit like Uncle Lin's daughter, Sanya, so I asked her about it. It turned out she really was Uncle Lin's lost sister, so we came back together," Shi Guang replied with a smile.
After saying that, Old Master Lin looked thoughtful.
He glanced at the west room, then changed the subject, raising his eyebrows and asking, "Grand Uncle, I wonder if my grandfather has returned from the county?"
"Oh, not yet. Your grandfather has been gone for three or four days now, he might be back this afternoon." Old Master Lin was also thinking about the old man.
Thinking that several days had passed, given the old man's impatient nature, he should have returned long ago. He was probably held up by something in the county, but he should be back in the next day or two.
Shi Guang felt that it would be better to inform her grandfather about her marriage to Lin Momo first, and have her grandfather propose to Old Master Lin directly.
*
The families who had gone home to get their food rations returned one after another, and immediately got to work: some slaughtered chickens, some chopped meat, some washed rice, some washed vegetables, and some started the fire...
They were extremely busy.
Everyone's face was beaming with joy as they worked and chatted. The older children helped the adults, while the little kids gathered together to tease the dogs and chase the cats.
The courtyard was filled with a lively and festive atmosphere.
Outside the courtyard, a number of villagers had gathered to watch the spectacle.
Upon hearing that several branches of the Lin family were having dinner together today, the news immediately caused an uproar.
"What are the Lin family thinking? It's just that their lost granddaughter has returned. Is that something to be so happy about?"
"Yes, yes, I've never seen them value this granddaughter much before."
"If we're eating together, then the rice and vegetables must all be paid for by Old Master Lin, right?"
Seeing that the Lin family members from different branches were carrying rice and various dried vegetables to the main branch of the Lin family, and that everyone had a happy expression on their faces, the group of people were relieved.
"I knew it! Old Man Lin isn't that clueless!"
However, I was even more confused.
Why are you making it sound like you're celebrating a happy occasion?
Before long, Lin Musheng, who had been lying paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed), was carried over by his nephew, which made the villagers who were watching the spectacle even more excited.
It seems the Lin family is really having a feast today!
How much meat would be enough for such a large family?
I just heard from the third and fourth branches of the Lin family that Lin Erya brought back wild animals. These people don't believe it. How could a little girl have such great abilities?
But when they heard that the young master had also bought a large piece of pork, some people became envious and almost drooled. They regretted not helping the Lin family when they were looking for someone, otherwise they could have gotten some meat and satisfied their cravings.
It's not a holiday or festival, who would be willing to cut meat to eat?
Only wealthy families can afford to eat meat at every meal. This young master must not be used to the food of farmers, so he must be paying out of his own pocket to treat himself.
And now the entire Lin family is benefiting too!
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