But Shen Pingyu stepped back with a look of disdain, saying, “I don’t have as good an appetite as you.”

Dongdong, feeling frustrated, grabbed a piece with his bare hands and stuffed it into his mouth, declaring stubbornly, “I’ll eat it!”

Shen Pingyu, still composed, responded with a firm tone, “You can only sleep tonight after reciting the clan rules.”

Hearing this, Dongdong looked devastated, as if struck by lightning. With slumped shoulders, he slowly walked away, looking completely defeated. Shen Pingyu politely bowed and took his leave as well.

Yan Qiushu, witnessing the scene, was momentarily stunned. Beside her, Shui Yu giggled and said, “Young Master Pingyu grew up in the Shen family and has strict standards for behavior. Don’t be surprised, young lady.”

Yan Qiushu closed her astonished mouth and agreed with the statement.

The Shen family of Leping is known for its distinguished members. Although they live away from the world, they are respected by scholars everywhere. Yan Qiushu didn’t expect them to raise a nine-year-old child who is so remarkable.

Unlike the husband of the fourth daughter of the Xiao family, the husband of the third daughter of the Xiao family chose to marry into the family. The Shen family has a single line of descent, so when their son married into the Xiao family, his parents made it clear that their first child would belong to the Shen family.

At that time, the Xiao family was not seriously harmed and had plenty of children. They only worried about their daughter being mistreated after marriage, so they quickly agreed. In the first year of marriage, the third daughter of the Xiao family gave birth to Shen Pingyu. She raised him until he was two years old before sending him to the Shen family. Then Wan’er was born.

The Shen family was so excited about having more than one child that they almost moved to the capital. The emperor was delighted and wanted to offer them a mansion. However, shortly after Wan’er was born, the Great Zhou was defeated, and the Xiao family’s third uncle, who was a military advisor, was ambushed and died at the border.

The Shen family gave up on the idea of moving and has remained in Leping since then, with no family members serving in the government.

Now it seems the Shen family deserves their reputation. Even Dongdong is scared, showing how much trauma Shen Pingyu has caused him.

Dongdong really has trauma from hearing the name “Shen Pingyu.”

Shen Pingyu is very focused on formal education, but the Xiao family is made up of “rough people.” The most refined among them is the third daughter, who enjoys poetry.

However, she wasn’t always seen as beautiful or intelligent. She once whipped a man who had climbed into the Xiao family but secretly visited brothels.

Dongdong is smart and competes well with other children in his class, but he prefers martial arts and will likely focus on that in the future. Unless something unexpected happens, if he cannot balance literature and martial arts like his uncle, he will give up on literature.

Shen Pingyu, on the other hand, is the opposite. Influenced by the Shen family, he highly values literature. His father and grandfather died in the war, and his uncle Xiao Huaiqi is disabled. He is determined that Dongdong should learn literature like he did and has high expectations for him.

Fortunately, Shen Pingyu is seldom at home, staying for just over a month each year, so Dongdong can manage.

But during that time, it’s the most frustrating period for him.

No one in his family supports him!

Except for his uncle!

However, his uncle has little influence in the family.

Thinking of this, Dongdong sighed as he followed Shen Pingyu to sit next to Madam Xiao in the main courtyard. He felt so sad that he didn’t even get to eat two pieces of crispy pork!

Madam Xiao, usually serious, was gentler than usual when her other grandson returned. She kept watching him but didn’t ignore the other children. Seeing Dongdong go from a greedy little boy to a sad one made her worried: “What’s wrong? Your brother Pingyu is back, but you’re not happy?”

Dongdong tried hard to smile, behaving so well it made others feel sorry for him: “I’m happy because Sister Shu made crispy pork. I want to eat more~”

Madam Xiao was speechless: “Then grandma will ask someone to see if your sister Shu has more…”

Shen Pingyu disagreed, saying, “Why do you have to care so much about your appetite?” He paused and added, “But grandma, you can eat more. It’s a good thing. You look much healthier than earlier this year.”

Just then, a maid brought the prepared dishes. Each dish was small but impressive, resembling a banquet. Some dishes were new and made everyone hungry. Shen Pingyu smiled and said, “These dishes are already excellent.”

Since his return was announced in advance, the Xiao family prepared dinner early, so the food was especially nice.

Madam Xiao laughed but remained serious. She didn’t tell him that many of these dishes were made by Ah Shu, only saying, “Yes, yes…”

Xiao Huaiyu, the third daughter of the Xiao family, looked at her mother, then at her son, smiled, and decided to stay quiet. When she looked down, she saw her daughter giggling.

At this moment, a clear young voice echoed in the dining room: “Pingyu, that’s not right. If people don’t care about their appetite, then what should they care about?”

The young boy’s eyes lit up, but his voice remained reserved: “Ping has met my uncle before. As a scholar, he should focus on learning. Pingzhou has matured a lot recently. If he slackens in other areas, he can’t ignore his appetite!”

Xiao Huaiting stepped through the yard gate. His long legs brought him quickly to everyone. Hearing this, he smiled helplessly and shook his head: “When conditions allow, you can still enjoy it; otherwise, life becomes dull.”

Since the elders had spoken, Shen Pingyu stopped arguing and just nodded.

At this moment, another cheerful female voice came: “Lao Liu is right. How can we call it a meal without something delicious?”

The person arrived quickly, holding a food box. She said with a smile, “I just saw Ah Shu’s maid delivering food, so I took some. Come, everyone, try it first. Ah Shu said it was an appetizer, perfect to taste before dinner.”

She opened the food box, revealing a large plate of crispy pork, freshly made. The steam still rose as she opened it, and the crispy pork was piled up, forming a small hill.

Dongdong was delighted: “Little Crispy Meat! Sister Shu is so nice!”

Madam Xiao sighed, seeing this: “Ah Shu is truly skilled, but it’s a pity she’s too polite to join us for a meal.”

Out of courtesy, they didn’t want to disturb her on ordinary days, and aside from delivering food, they seldom visited. Madam Xiao regretted whether she had come across as too serious initially. With strong-willed children, she had to maintain seriousness, and her own unhappiness made it hard for her to smile.

“Yes,” Xiao Huaiwu said with a smile, nodding. She served some food to her mother first, then to Dongdong, Shen Pingyu, and Wan’er, urging them, “Hurry and eat.”

Shen Pingyu felt he couldn’t refuse the elder’s kindness and nodded obediently, taking a small bite.

Despite the crispy meat looking less appealing after a while, biting into it released a wave of hot steam. He instinctively opened his mouth to breathe but quickly shut it again, frowning as if in discomfort.

Noticing his son’s reaction, Xiao Huaiyu grew anxious. “You don’t like it? Just spit it out; it’s fine.”

Shen Pingyu shook his head. Spitting it out would be embarrassing, and he found it unnecessary. As the heat faded, he savored the delicious combination of crispy skin and tender meat.

He rarely indulged in such rich flavors, as the Shen family preferred lighter foods that wouldn’t leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Thus, this sudden burst of flavor was overwhelming yet delightful.

After a small bite, he noticed his mother watching him closely. His face flushed, and after a moment’s hesitation, he decided to be honest: “I really like it.”

Xiao Huaiyu beamed, “That’s wonderful! Ah Shu is an excellent cook. I learned a little from her and will make you something tasty tomorrow.”

“…Okay.” Shen Pingyu felt he shouldn’t have agreed, but unable to refuse his mother’s enthusiasm, he nodded and continued eating the remaining crispy meat.

The taste was truly wonderful. As he adjusted to the spicy and numbing flavor, he found himself wanting more.

After finishing one piece, he found himself drooling, instinctively reaching for a second. Looking around, he saw his younger siblings happily eating, their little mouths opening and closing in a way that was hardly elegant but made his heart warm.

At that moment, he decided not to correct their table manners.

Never mind; we’re family, so it shouldn’t matter.

With this thought, he picked up another piece. A satisfying “crunch” echoed, making him feel even happier.

Xiao Huaiyu watched him a few times and happily took another bite, then scooped up a bowl of soup, handing it to him. “This is hot and sour soup; have a sip. It’s very appetizing. You need to eat more; you’re too thin.”

Seeing her mother so caring, Wan’er chimed in cheerfully, “Brother Pingyu, try the sour plum soup too; it’s also good for your appetite! Grandma will eat more after drinking it!”

Madam Xiao nodded. “Would you like to try it?”

As Shen Pingyu glanced around, he caught a pair of affectionate eyes. He swallowed his hesitation and accepted the offerings. Both the sour plum soup and the hot and sour soup were steaming hot. After just a few sips, he felt warmth spread through him.

That night, most people were happy.

Except for the unfortunate Dongdong, who, after feeling full and drowsy, was punished by being made to copy texts.

With tears in his eyes, he turned to his mother and uncle for help, but both silently ignored him, watching him suffer!

The next morning, Yan Qiushu was awakened by the sound of a child crying.

“My legs are sore from cross-legged exercises last night! I have to wake up so early to exercise with him. Now he’s rushing me to school, wuwuwu…” Dongdong’s voice grew sadder as he spoke, burying his face in Yan Qiushu’s arms, his tears dampening her waist.

Feeling sympathetic, Yan Qiushu couldn’t help but offer comfort. “Don’t worry; I’ll make you lots of delicious food for lunch, and let your friends come over to eat.”

Dongdong lifted his head, wiped his eyes, and immediately brightened. “I only have one friend; I don’t need too many. I just want a variety of dishes. I want egg tarts, chicken wings, sweet and sour spare ribs, and crispy pork. They’re so delicious…”

Last time, when he discovered some kids in the group were bullying Sister Wan’er, he felt upset and chose to give the food to Ah Heng instead.