Li Jiadong entered the room and clearly saw the person inside, “Big sister, why haven’t you left yet?”
“What else? I’ve been waiting for you,” Lin Jiayi replied irritably, her eyes fixed on the bag in his hand.
She relaxed a bit when she smelled the faint scent of meat.
Li Jiadong looked around and asked, “Why are you waiting for me? Didn’t all of you finish eating already?”
Lin Jiayi couldn’t bother explaining and reached out to grab the bag in his hand.
“Alright, give me the stuff already. It’s so late, don’t you know I’m pregnant? It’s not safe to walk late at night?”
Li Jiadong quickly lifted the bag out of her reach, puzzled, “How is my coming home late related to big sister? If you want to go home early, just go. I didn’t hold you back, nor did I ask you to wait for me.”
Lin Jiayi, failing to grab the item, glared at him, “You think I’m waiting for you? Give it to me. Such a small amount isn’t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. Are you even useful? Why can’t you ask for more?”
Only then did Li Jiadong understand what Lin Jiayi wanted and lifted the bag even higher.
“This is from second sister, all stuff that I like to eat. Big sister, why do you think you have the right to fight over it with me? You think it’s not enough, but I think it’s enough for two meals.”
“Li Jiadong,” Lin Jiayi shouted angrily when she couldn’t get the items, “what do you mean by this? Don’t forget that I was the one who asked you to get something from Lin Chuxia.”
Li Jiadong nodded, “You told me to get it, and you said second sister ought to be filial to our parents, right? Being filial to our parents doesn’t mean being filial to you, why should I give it to you?”
Unable to snatch the items, Lin Jiayi turned to Mother Lin with a look of grievance, “Mom, look at him.”
It was difficult for Mother Lin as well, as she tried to mediate, “Jiadong, just give your big sister a bit, she’s still carrying a child, you know.”
“Not giving,” Li Jiadong clutched the items tightly, “she’s carrying a child for the Li family. If she wants good food, let her husband buy it for her. Why should she have mine? It’s all from second sister.”
Mother Lin also saw those items, and indeed, they were all her son’s favorites.
Her son loved to eat pork liver, but it was expensive. She couldn’t bear to buy any for her son all year round.
There were also smoked chicken and sausages, they smelled delicious, and it was no wonder her youngest son was holding onto them so tightly.
How long had it been since she had bought any of these for her youngest son?
“Jiayi, I don’t think there’s much there. Why don’t you stay over for the night, and we can eat together tomorrow?”
Lin Jiayi refused, “Mom, everyone knows our family has this business. If I return empty-handed, that old lady and young sister-in-law at home will surely talk behind my back. Are you okay with your daughter being bullied by them?”
She came out today precisely because those two young sisters-in-law had provoked her.
Even after getting married, Li Hongmei could not settle down. Today, she came back to her maternal home and god knows what she said to the old lady, who made snide remarks about Lin Chuxia.
Half a year into marriage, and she’s already pregnant. Yet, that old lady still mentioned the matter of changing brides.
Mother Lin also knew the nature of the old lady from the Li family and the two young sisters-in-law. She didn’t want her daughter to be unhappy during the New Year, but she also couldn’t bear to let her son suffer.
Palm or back of the hand, both are flesh, but the son’s flesh was a bit more precious.
Lin Jiayi’s face grew uglier as she watched her mother.
“It’s all because of that little wretch Chuxia. She knew there was a big family, yet she only brought back so little. And you, couldn’t you have asked for more? Is her filial piety only worth this much?”
Li Jiadong, hearing his big sister scold their second sister, frowned in displeasure, “Big sister, you never bring anything home to show filial piety to our parents. Why do you always pick on second sister? You’re the eldest, so how much is your filial piety worth?”
“Lin Jiadong,” Lin Jiayi immediately bristled with anger, “What favor did Lin Chuxia do for you to side with her like this? You can’t have been bought by just a smoked chicken, can you? She has such a big bun shop, and she gave you just a smoked chicken, which isn’t even enough to share. She’s just trying to drive a wedge between us.”
The thought of Lin Chuxia working in that bun shop, whether it was her own or belonged to the Qin Family, made Lin Jiayi green with envy.
What difference did it make if the business was the Qin Family’s or her own? Was it not all just flaunting and showing off?
In the past life, she had reveled in glory for a lifetime, all thanks to Li Guangyuan.
Who would have thought that in this life, even that brute Qin Han would start doing business, allowing that wretched woman to get smug again.
Lin Jiadong shrank back from her shouting, retreating a step back due to the pressure that came from their blood ties.
However, he wasn’t willing to concede, insisting, “How is it driving a wedge? What I see is you wanting my piece of flesh, which is damaging our sibling relationship. You could give me some meat to eat like our second sister does, then I’d remember your kindness too.”
Give him meat to eat?
The Li family could barely scrape together two pounds of meat for the New Year, not to mention waiting until New Year’s Eve to eat it.
Where would she get any meat to give him?
Knowing that her brother was straightforward to a fault, Lin Jiayi patiently explained to him.
“You don’t understand. Her bun shop is massive, and Qin’s Cooked Food is famous all over the county. What’s this little bit of stuff? At her place, even beggars get more than this. She’s treating you like a beggar.”
“So, big sister, you also want to act like a beggar and fight with me over meat?” he retorted.
“You…” Lin Jiayi was so infuriated she raised her hand to strike him.
“Am I fighting with you? You’ve got a nephew now, and it’s the nephew who wants to eat. If you wanted more, why didn’t you just ask her for more? You are so gullible. Let me tell you, their cooked foods and their meat-filled buns are delicious. You went there only once and got so little, I bet you didn’t even get to smell the meat buns,” she said, determined to show her naive brother Lin Chuxia’s true colors. That little wretch wasn’t as easy to talk to as she seemed, and she was intentionally stirring up trouble between them.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiadong had something to say. He grinned, showing off his big white teeth, and even directed a breath at Lin Jiayi.
“What are you doing?” Lin Jiayi dismissed with a wave of her hand in distaste.
“Can you smell that? The scent of the meat buns,” he said, taking a couple of breaths into his palm and inhaling deeply.
“Don’t even mention it, big sister’s meat buns are really delicious. She was worried I’d be hungry when I got back, so she gave me a huge plateful. Did I eat 10? 12?” Lin Jiadong cocked his head to think; he was counting at first, but then his brother-in-law came, and he lost track of the count.
“Ah, never mind, I ate a dozen or so until I was full,” he said, pointing to his throat with a proud expression.
Upon hearing that he truly did eat the meat buns, and quite a few at that, Lin Jiayi’s voice grew shriller.
“12 meat buns, have you no conscience? Mom and Dad haven’t even had any, and you gobbled them all up. Didn’t you think of taking some back for them to try?”
Lin Jiadong spoke matter-of-factly, “You told me to go get cooked food from second sister, you never said anything about getting meat buns.”
Besides, that was all his brother-in-law’s stuff – what if taking too much displeased him?
Big sister rarely took things home, saying she feared upsetting her husband. Not only did she avoid taking things from her family home, but she often took stuff from there to her marital home.