Chapter 16

Actually, Mother Li was not to blame.

In the past, the best thing in the house was eggs, and they were usually reserved for Tiezhu, the eldest grandson, to eat first. Because of this, Tiezhu never made a fuss.

But today, there was meat—just this once—and Li Tiezhu revealed his true nature without a doubt. Mother Li was truly hurt by him.

Li Tiezhu was the eldest grandson, and it was true that Mother Li favored him.

But he was not her only grandchild.

As long as they were her grandchildren, she cherished them dearly.

Granddaughters came second.

The two most authoritative people in the household were arguing, and no one else dared to speak. Only Li Tiezhu, still oblivious to the situation, continued crying relentlessly.

He believed that as long as he cried, his doting grandmother would do everything she could to get him some delicious meat.

“Uwaaaahhh!”

“Shut up!” Mother Li scolded sharply.

Li Tiezhu hiccupped in shock, failed to catch his breath, and choked, coughing pitifully.

At that moment—

“Grandpa!”

“Grandma!”

Hearing Er Bao’s voice, Mother Li’s expression softened.

She turned to see Er Bao dashing in like a little cannonball, holding a bowl of meat. He shoved the bowl into her hands.

“Meat.” he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to run off.

Mother Li reacted quickly and grabbed him. “Er Bao, why are you bringing meat over again? Take it back!”

“Mom!” Jiang Ailing was helping Li Tiezhu catch his breath. Hearing this, she called out, but Mother Li shot her a glare.

“Grandma, this is wild chicken meat. We found it while gathering firewood in the mountains with Mom, but I was the one who caught it!” Er Bao declared proudly.

As he spoke of the wild chicken he had caught, he felt that the rich aroma lingering in the air smelled even more delicious.

Eager to get home and eat the meat, Er Bao broke free from his grandmother’s grasp. As he ran, he called out: “Mom told me to bring this for Grandpa and Grandma! If I take it back, she’ll scold me!”

“This child…” Mother Li sighed, failing to catch Er Bao, but she had no intention of sending the meat back.

“Grandma, the meat—cough, cough, cough—” Li Tiezhu, still struggling to catch his breath, reached out for the bowl in Mother Li’s hands.

Mother Li’s expression turned cold. She shifted the bowl away and said expressionlessly: “This was a gift from your Second Aunt-in-law to honor me. You’re not getting any!”

“What?” Li Tiezhu was instantly anxious. His coughing stopped as he shouted: “Grandma, I want to eat!”

He even reached out to grab the bowl.

Mother Li struck his hand with her chopsticks. Li Tiezhu yelped in pain.

“Mom!” Jiang Ailing shrieked. She quickly grabbed her son’s hand to check for injuries, but Li Tiezhu shoved her away harshly and growled: “I want to eat meat!”

“This… this meat wasn’t meant for me!” Jiang Ailing was panicked as well. “It’s your grandmother who won’t let you eat it!”

Seeing this, Mother Li became even more resolute in her decision. She firmly refused to let Li Tiezhu have any. Instead, she picked up a piece of meat and placed it in front of Goudan, who was sitting beside Li Sanhong.

Goudan’s mouth immediately started watering. He grabbed the piece of chicken and began gnawing on it.

Although his eating manners weren’t the best, he was still far better behaved than Li Tiezhu.

No one else was given any.

Mother Li and Father Li divided the rest.

---

Meanwhile, over at Shen Yiyi’s place, they had waited for Er Bao to return before starting their meal.

The chicken was plump, glistening with oil, and exuded an irresistible aroma. Its meat was tender, juicy, and incredibly delicious.

Shen Yiyi felt a little guilty and stole a glance at Li Chen. Wild chickens were usually lean, with firmer meat—would he notice the difference?

Li Chen often went into the mountains to hunt and had caught plenty of wild chickens before. How could he not realize that this one was different?

But he didn’t ask.

Or rather, their relationship had not yet reached the level where they could chat about such things.

Seeing Li Chen’s calm demeanor, Shen Yiyi secretly sighed in relief. She then turned to look at the Three Baos—each of them was clutching a piece of chicken, their mouths covered in grease, even their hands smeared with oil, looking just like three little spotted kittens.

“Eat slowly.” Shen Yiyi said as she picked up a clean cloth. She first wiped Xiao Bao’s mouth and then his small hands.

Xiao Bao sat still obediently, letting his Mom clean him up. Tilting his head back, he grinned foolishly. “Mom, so yummy!”

“If it’s yummy, then eat more.” Shen Yiyi tapped his little nose.

“Mom, me too!” Er Bao quickly finished his piece of chicken and eagerly stretched out his hands, pouting in an attempt to be pampered.

He looked adorably silly.

Shen Yiyi chuckled. Just as she was about to wipe his hands, a large hand reached over, took the cloth from her, and tossed it directly to Er Bao.

Li Chen’s voice was firm and commanding. “Take care of your own mess.”

Er Bao, scolded by his Dad, bit his lip and glared at him, puffing up his cheeks in protest.

With a disgruntled huff, he grabbed the cloth and wiped his hands himself.

Li Chen was unmoved. Instead, he picked up a piece of chicken drumstick and placed it in Shen Yiyi’s bowl. His chiseled face remained expressionless, but his protective gesture was clear. “Eat. Don’t worry about them.”

Shen Yiyi: “…”

She felt a little sorry for her son, but… why was she so happy about this?

The moment Li Chen placed the chicken in her bowl, he regretted it. She had always disliked his closeness—let alone the fact that he had used his own chopsticks to pick up the food for her.

Seeing her freeze, Li Chen grew increasingly uneasy. However, his expression only darkened slightly. Just as he was about to reach out with his chopsticks to take the piece of chicken back—

A different pair of chopsticks moved faster than his, picking up the chicken first.

Li Chen was stunned. He watched as she popped the piece of chicken into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, showing no sign of displeasure. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said: “Thank you, Brother Chen.”

Li Chen felt a sense of relief and gave a vague “mm” in response.

---

That night, everyone ate to their heart’s content.

Of course, after the meal, it was still Li Chen who took the dishes away without giving anyone else a chance.

Shen Yiyi knew she couldn’t win against him, so she simply let it go.

That evening, the Three Baos were stuffed full, their bellies round and firm. Xiao Bao, in particular, walked with his legs spread out like an exaggerated waddle. He kept rubbing his little stomach, looking very much like a chibi version of a pregnant woman.

Shen Yiyi found it both amusing and concerning. It seemed like she would have to start controlling their food portions from now on.

She had originally planned to take the little ones out for a walk, but since the sky had already darkened, she decided against it.

Instead, she walked circles in the courtyard, with the three little radish heads trailing closely behind her. The sight resembled a Mom hen leading a group of baby chicks.

Li Chen finished washing the dishes and stepped outside, only to be greeted by this scene. His usually cold, emotionless eyes softened.

Without saying anything, he picked out the thicker firewood from the kitchen, carried it to the courtyard, and started chopping it into smaller pieces with an axe.

While Li Chen worked, Shen Yiyi and the Three Baos finished digesting their food. She then urged them to take a bath.

The kitchen stove had two pots—one outside, which she used for cooking, and one inside, which was filled with water that had already been heated.

She set aside some of the boiled water for drinking, and the rest was used for bathing.

Shen Yiyi scooped the hot water into Da Bao and Er Bao’s large wooden tub.

Er Bao, puzzled, furrowed his brows. “Mom, didn’t we already take a bath at noon?”

“Because you got dirty again.” Shen Yiyi explained.

“But before, we only took one bath a day!”

Shen Yiyi sighed and patiently tried to reason with him. “Let me give you an example. You ate lunch at noon, right? But when you get hungry at night, you still have to eat dinner, don’t you?”

Er Bao nodded hesitantly, as if beginning to understand.

“Bathing is the same.” Shen Yiyi continued encouragingly.

Er Bao tilted his head, still unsure, and was about to ask another question when Li Chen grabbed him from behind.

“Stop asking so many questions. If your Mom tells you to bathe, then hurry up and bathe!” Li Chen ordered sternly.