Yu Li greeted her parents and sisters before sitting down to eat.
Perhaps because they had already shared boiled eggs with her earlier today, the three Yu sisters subconsciously followed her lead, picking up their bowls and burying their heads in the food.
The aroma of the cured meat rice, with its uniquely rich and delicate fragrance, was irresistible to those who had never tasted such a delicacy.
At this moment, the sisters couldn’t care about anything else. At worst, they could just let Grandma give them a beating after they were done eating.
It was worth it.
Seeing the four sisters eating right in front of everyone, Yu Lao’er and his wife widened their eyes in shock.
They had no idea what was happening, nor did they know where the two bowls of cured meat rice that their eldest daughter had placed in front of them came from. They didn’t dare touch them recklessly.
Instinctively, the couple looked toward the elderly man and woman seated in the main positions. Sure enough, their expressions were terrible—let alone the reactions of the others.
Yu Jingyi was the first to make a fuss. “Why do they get to eat rice? I want to eat it too! Give it to me! I want it!”
His sharp voice finally snapped everyone back to their senses.
“You’ve turned the heavens upside down!” Grandma Yu suddenly jumped up, slamming her hand on the table and furiously questioning, “Where did this come from? Yu Jin, did you steal the rice and cured meat from my room to cook this? You wretched girl, how dare you steal from me! Watch as I beat you to death!”
The rice, mixed with diced cured meat, was unmistakable. For rural folk, such cured meat rice was the ultimate delicacy. The rice contained a generous amount of diced pork, an extravagance they could hardly fathom. Normally, they wouldn’t even dare to use much oil when cooking, often just smearing the pot with an oily cloth. How could they possibly bear to prepare such a dish?
Even though the Yu family was relatively well-off, they wouldn’t eat like this.
Yu Laosan [Third Brother Yu] watched the second household with flickering eyes, quietly stopping his eldest and second sons from speaking.
The eldest son of the third household, Yu Jingzhong, was fifteen this year, and the second son, Yu Jingxin, was thirteen—both half-grown boys. Other than five-year-old Yu Jingyi, who could still foolishly eat and play, the two brothers had to join the adults in working the fields most of the time.
Like Yu Laosan, they were shrewd, but due to their youth and vigor, they could easily get riled up.
At a time like this, with the old man and woman standing their ground, there was no need for them to step forward unnecessarily.
Yu Laosan understood this well and stopped his two sons from getting involved.
As for the youngest son, wasn’t it normal for a five-year-old to throw a tantrum when he saw his sisters eating something good?
Yu Jin flushed with anger and was about to retort when Yu Li spoke up, “This was a returning gift my mother-in-law asked me to bring back.”
At these words, everyone froze, thinking they must have misheard.
A returning gift?
Then they heard Yu Li continue, “Grandma, didn’t you tell me to give you the returning gift? So I asked Second Sister to cook it all. That way, everyone can taste it, and it counts as giving it to you too.” She scooped another mouthful of cured meat rice into her mouth and added, “It’s all food, and it has to be cooked and eaten eventually. Might as well cook it today.”
Everyone: “…”
What kind of twisted logic was that?
Grandma Yu nearly blew her top, especially seeing the sisters completely unbothered and eating so happily. Her heart ached with fury and grief simultaneously.
This was fine grain—and a piece of cured meat!
This kind of delicacy, which they themselves couldn’t bear to eat, was perfect to send to the county town to nourish Eldest Brother, Jingde, and Jingli.
But now it had been squandered by these wretched girls.
The more Grandma Yu thought about it, the angrier she became. Overcome with fury, she rushed out, grabbed a cane from the corner of the wall, and lashed it toward Yu Li and her sisters.
As she struck, she cursed profanely, “Eat, will you? Eat! Are you reincarnated hungry ghosts? You rotten brats, money-draining burdens, damn wretches… How dare you be so greedy…”
Seeing Grandma Yu explode, Grandpa Yu and the people of the third household coldly observed, not one stepping forward to intervene.
Especially the third household. They secretly sneered, thinking that the second household’s girls were truly outrageous. They had cooked the returning gift from the Fu family, and not only that—they had cooked it into six heaping bowls of cured meat rice, leaving only a layer of crispy rice at the bottom of the pot for the rest of them. Was this not infuriating?
They hoped Grandma Yu would properly discipline these girls, teach them a lesson, and help them remember their place. After all, they were just money-draining burdens, yet they dared to indulge their gluttony…
Yu Jingyi clapped his hands on the side and cheered, “Grandma, beat the money-draining burdens! Let them eat! They didn’t even leave any for me!”
He clapped while laughing heartily, his face full of excitement.
But just as Grandma Yu’s cane swung down, Yu Li suddenly reached out and snatched it away.
No one could tell how she did it; they only saw that in the next moment, the dried cane ended up in her hand.
Then, Yu Li broke the cane into several pieces and tossed them onto the ground.
Grandma Yu’s cursing stopped abruptly.
Even Grandpa Yu, who had been silently allowing his wife to discipline the granddaughters, turned grim. His expression darkened, clearly furious. Naturally, his anger was directed at Yu Li, who dared to defy her elders.
The people of the third household were equally astonished. They hadn’t expected Yu Li to have the audacity to seize Grandma Yu’s cane. This was bad…
Sure enough, Grandma Yu flew into a rage, swinging a slap toward Yu Li.
From her aggressive posture, it was clear that if her slap landed, the thin and frail Yu Li and her sisters could easily be sent flying.
Yu Li quickly grabbed Grandma Yu’s hand, her brow furrowing slightly, a hint of displeasure on her face. She turned to her dazed parents, who sat frozen, and said, “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Compared to Grandma Yu’s sudden outburst, eating was obviously more important. Yu Li was genuinely puzzled by her parents’ wooden behavior.
The cured meat rice was so delicious—why weren’t they eating it?
Glancing at her three sisters, Yu Li saw that they remained unbothered by the commotion. They continued eating, savoring each bite without stopping. This was exactly how a proper eater should behave.
Of course, it was also possible that the three sisters had already resigned themselves to being beaten. Since they were going to get hit anyway, they might as well eat first. Naturally, they were making the most of their time, shoveling the rice into their mouths as fast as possible, in case they couldn’t eat later.
Yu Lao’er and his wife were utterly dumbfounded. Hearing Yu Li’s words, they instinctively picked up their bowls.
Only when they started eating did Yu Li let go of Grandma Yu and gently pushed her aside, ensuring she wouldn’t disturb her meal.
Grandma Yu, who was a small and thin elderly woman, looked as light as a paper figure as she staggered backward. She toppled directly onto Grandpa Yu.
Seeing this, everyone present was stunned.
The crowd widened their eyes in disbelief. They never expected the usually submissive Yu Li to rebel against her elders. How was this even possible?
Yu Li, however, continued eating happily, completely unfazed.
Everyone watching her couldn’t help but swallow their saliva, their mouths watering. Judging by her expression, the cured meat rice must have been incredibly delicious—no, cured meat rice was inherently delicious, and they all desperately wanted to eat some too.
Yu Jingyi, overwhelmed by hunger, threw himself on the ground, crying and screaming, “Grandma, I want cured meat rice! I want to eat!”
Grandma Yu fell onto Grandpa Yu, dazed and disoriented, unable to react for a moment.
Seeing that she was useless, Yu Jingyi, unable to contain himself, jumped off his stool and lunged at the youngest sister, Yu Zhu, attempting to snatch her bowl of cured meat rice.
Spoiled by Grandma Yu’s favoritism and deliberately indulged by Yu Laosan and his wife, Yu Jingyi had developed an overbearing personality and often bullied Yu Zhu, who was three years older than him.
In his mind, the girls from the second household were nothing but money-draining burdens, born to serve the family. They shouldn’t even eat an extra grain of rice, let alone enjoy such a delicacy as cured meat rice.
Yu Jingyi, who was well-fed and chubby, appeared almost twice the size of eight-year-old Yu Zhu. If he truly made a move, Yu Zhu would undoubtedly be no match for him.
The adults watched coldly, making no effort to intervene.
Just as Yu Jingyi was about to crash into Yu Zhu, Yu Li reached out, grabbed him, and threw him into Yu Laosan’s arms.
Yu Laosan instinctively caught him, but having such a hefty child slam into his chest left him breathless. He groaned as the impact knocked him backward.
With a loud thud, Yu Laosan fell to the ground, landing on his back, and cried out in pain.
“What are you doing?!” Wang Shi screamed, jumping up to help Yu Laosan.
Yu Jingzhong and Yu Jingxin, the two elder brothers from the third household, couldn’t hold back any longer. They stood up and swung their hands toward Yu Li.
Though they were still growing boys, they were well-fed and strong. When they lashed out, their slaps carried force and momentum.
Yu Li finally felt a flicker of anger. Couldn’t she even eat in peace?
She stood up and kicked the two brothers away as they charged toward her. Then, she grabbed the pot of crispy rice leftovers from the table and overturned the entire table.
With a loud crash, the sound of coarse earthen bowls shattering filled the air, silencing everyone in the room.
Even the three sisters paused mid-bite, their cheeks puffed out as they stared blankly at the overturned table.
Yu Lao’er and his wife, who were holding their bowls, also froze in shock.
The large basin of vegetable soup spilled across the floor, with much of the liquid splashing onto Grandpa Yu.
Yu Li stood there, her expression cold. “If none of you want to eat, then don’t eat!”
She wasn’t the type to lose her temper easily, but these people had repeatedly interrupted her meal, hurling insults as they did so. It was unbearable, and for once, she was genuinely angry.
“And another thing—I don’t like it when people insult me or my sisters,” she said seriously. “If you keep it up, I will get very angry.”
The people in the room stared at her, dumbfounded, as if they had forgotten how to react.
“Yu Li! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Drenched in vegetable soup, Grandpa Yu finally broke his silence, his voice stern and filled with fury, his face as dark as a storm cloud.
Seeing that Grandpa Yu was truly enraged, everyone in the Yu family instinctively shuddered.
Though Grandpa Yu typically stayed out of family affairs, leaving everything to Grandma Yu, this didn’t mean he lacked authority. In fact, most of Grandma Yu’s decisions were tacitly approved or outright signaled by Grandpa Yu.
Despite Grandma Yu’s loud and overbearing demeanor—scolding even Grandpa Yu when angry—whenever Grandpa Yu lost his temper, she would immediately back down, not daring to provoke him further.
Everyone in the Yu family knew that angering Grandpa Yu was the worst possible mistake. When provoked, he would punish people severely, without holding back.
Grandpa Yu was undeniably the most authoritative figure in the family.
Among the sisters, Yu Jin and the others feared their grandfather the most. Even when he was calm, they found him intimidating—let alone when he was furious.
The sisters turned pale with fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Yu Li, holding a bowl in each hand, looked at Grandpa Yu and replied honestly, “Disturbing people while they eat is wrong. You should all stay quiet and let us enjoy our meal in peace.”
Grandpa Yu was momentarily stunned by her words before flying into a rage. “Is this how you talk to your elders?”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, suspecting that this granddaughter of his had grown bold after marrying into the Fu family, daring to return home and challenge them, disregarding her elders.
How utterly foolish!
Yu Li looked at him, confused. “If I shouldn’t say it like this, then how should I say it?”
Though she had the original owner’s memories, they felt distant, like watching a black-and-white movie through a screen. She could grasp the general idea of things but lacked detailed understanding.
For instance, she still didn’t fully comprehend some of this world’s rules and social customs.
Yu Li didn’t see anything wrong with her actions. Why couldn’t she talk to her elders this way? They were the ones in the wrong—why wasn’t she allowed to point it out?
How unreasonable!
Rules were always set by the strong, and she believed herself to be stronger than these people. Naturally, she didn’t need to endure things the way the original owner did.
Grandpa Yu’s face twitched, feeling like his granddaughter was deliberately provoking him.
He suddenly stood up, and under the eager, gleeful gazes of Grandma Yu and the third household, he grabbed a wooden carrying pole leaning against the wall and swung it toward her.
Though Grandpa Yu was old, he was still a farmer who worked the fields. His strength was formidable, and this swing was powerful enough to cause serious harm.
In Grandpa Yu’s mind, a defiant, unfilial granddaughter like Yu Li deserved to be beaten to death.
His movement was so swift that Yu Lao’er and his wife screamed in terror.
“Big Sister!” Yu Jin and her sisters shrieked.
Yu Li’s gaze sharpened, and she felt a wave of hostility surge from deep within her. She calmly placed the bowls she was holding onto the bench, swiftly snatched the carrying pole from Grandpa Yu’s hands, and with a reverse swing, hurled it toward the hall’s window.
A loud crash echoed, and it sounded like something outside had collapsed.