Chapter 32: Craving Meat

Before Leng Hui could speak, Old Lady Leng, sitting on the bed, sneered, "Stop putting on an act. Don't you have any sense of your own level? If you don't have the skill, don't insist on pretending you can do everything. Spending money to buy this junk back—I'd like to see what kind of results you can actually produce."

"You spendthrift woman who knows nothing!"

Leng Hui picked at her ear, ignoring Old Lady Leng's sarcasm, and gestured for Tang Lin to eat quickly.

"Don't mind those lunatics. Hurry up and eat your pigeon leg. There isn't much meat on a pigeon, but the two legs have the most. I stewed it for several hours, so it's already tender. The meat will fall off the bone with just a light bite. And drink more of this soup; it's infused with the essence of the pigeon and ginseng. Drinking it will help your body recover faster."

Smelling the aroma in the air and hearing Leng Hui's words, Old Lady Leng, who hadn't eaten lunch, nearly succumbed to temptation and moved to snatch the bowl of soup.

There was also movement coming from the inner compartment.

It seemed a single bowl of pigeon soup was enough to make many people crave it to the point of tears.

Seeing Leng Hui's incessantly chattering mouth, Tang Lin picked up a pigeon wing and stuffed it into her mouth, intending to shut her up while simultaneously satisfying her craving.

As a result, the girl took a bite of the wing and cried out, "Wow, Mom! This is the best pigeon wing I've ever eaten. The meat is so tender it just melts, and the bone slips right out. It's delicious!"

Old Lady Leng spat on the ground. "Eating alone without fear of your guts rotting or being sent to the eighteenth level of hell! You black-hearted thing, whoever marries into your family is truly cursed for eight generations!"

Tang Lin and Leng Hui treated Old Lady Leng's cursing like wind passing their ears; nothing was more important than getting delicious food into their stomachs.

"Mom, I could hear your voice from far away. Who provoked you today?"

Just as the words fell, Leng Yongxing walked in through the door with two children, looking helpless.

However, the two children couldn't control their emotions; as soon as they entered and smelled the meat, they began to wail.

"Wow, there's meat cooking at home today!"

Noticing Tang Lin holding a bowl of soup and the pile of bones on the table, Leng Chuan dropped his schoolbag on the floor and ran over. "Auntie, are you eating meat?"

Tang Lin nodded. "I've finished the meat; now there's only a little soup left."

The youngest, Leng Feng, burst into tears upon hearing this.

Leng Chuan was not much better; his eyes welled up with tears as he demanded, "Auntie, how could you eat all the meat? We haven't even eaten yet!"

Leng Hui pinched his cheek. "If you want meat, go ask your dad to buy some. The meat my mom is eating today is one I bought for her."

"All my dad's money is given to Grandma. Auntie, what kind of meat are you eating?"

"Pigeon meat."

Leng Chuan looked away from the pile of bones with disdain and turned to Leng Hui. "Pigeons don't have much meat; they're almost like sparrows. Sister, you'd be better off buying a chicken. At least a chicken has more meat so everyone can have some."

Hah!

That matter-of-fact tone made Leng Hui laugh in anger. "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

"Is Xiao Chuan wrong?!" Old Lady Leng had walked over at some unknown point and pulled Leng Chuan into her arms, fearing Leng Hui might lay a hand on her precious grandson.

Leng Hui couldn't even be bothered to deal with Old Lady Leng; winning an argument with an old woman like that brought no honor.

Instead, she turned to look at Leng Yongxing and sneered, "Second Uncle, your son wants meat. The farmers' market hasn't closed yet; if you ride your bike there now, you might still make it."

"Ride a bike where?"

Leng Yongkang, who had just entered, only heard the latter half of the sentence and asked in confusion.

Leng Hui replied, "Leng Chuan and Leng Feng want to eat meat. I suggest Second Uncle goes to the farmers' market now while there's still time."

"They want meat?" Leng Yongkang looked at his two nephews. Both had tears in their eyes, looking as though they truly craved meat. "Second Brother, since the kids want meat, go get some meat coupons from Mom and buy some. It's no big deal; look, you've made the children cry from hunger."

Old Lady Leng was so angry she nearly couldn't catch her breath. She stepped forward, pointed at Leng Yongkang's nose, and cursed, "Asking me for coupons? Where would I get meat coupons? I might as well cut off my own flesh for you to eat! You bunch of senseless fools, just go die!"

Leng Yongkang was bewildered, not even knowing why he was being scolded.

Leng Yongxing looked at the ceiling in silence.

Leng Hui clicked her tongue. This Old Lady Leng had a foul mouth that dared to curse anything; she had no concept of guarding her speech.

Tang Lin finished the last sip of soup, told Leng Hui to wash the bowl, and to tidy up the table.

Only then did Leng Yongkang notice the bones on the table, belatedly guessing what had just happened.

"Xiao Lin, what kind of good thing did you eat? Why didn't you leave a bite for Mom?"

Leng Hui slammed the bowl onto the table and said coldly, "Ginseng stewed with pigeon! I bought it for my mother! Since you care so much about your mother, why don't you go buy some to show your filial piety?"

"You child, what's wrong with buying some for your grandma to eat?" Leng Yongkang was somewhat annoyed by her lack of flexibility.

Leng Hui swept the bones from the table into an empty bowl and said righteously, "Nothing's wrong. I just know that everyone cares for their own mother!"

Leng Yongkang: "..."

Old Lady Leng's liver ached with rage. She turned and walked into the hallway, shouting loudly toward the residential compound, "Second Brother's wife! Where have you died off to? It's mealtime and you don't even know how to come back. Who do you think is going to serve you!"

From some distant corner, her voice drifted back: "Mom, I'm coming!"

When Leng Hui finished washing the dishes and returned, she saw Leng Yongkang helping to tidy up the radio components on the table.

Seeing her return, he pointed to the radio set aside and said, "I just tried to tune it, but there was no response. It looks like the money spent on collecting scrap has gone down the drain again."

Leng Hui ignored him. She picked up the radio, went into the inner room, and a moment later emerged with two batteries. She installed them, flipped the switch, and immediately, the sound of static filled the radio. After a bit of tuning, the familiar voice of a radio announcer came through, followed by music after further adjustment.

"Hey, you actually fixed it!" Leng Yongkang marveled.

Leng Yongxing also walked over. "Huihui, how much did you spend on that scrap? Now that you've fixed this radio, you've made a huge profit."

A radio, even a second-hand one, could be sold for dozens of yuan. By fixing it, she had effectively saved the family dozens of yuan.

Leng Yongkang nodded. "I didn't expect Huihui to have this skill."

Leng Hui snorted coldly. "You can't judge a person by their appearance, nor can you measure the sea with a bucket! Don't be so short-sighted as to underestimate people!"

Leng Yongkang:...

He felt an itch in his hands!

In this era, there weren't many forms of entertainment, and a radio was considered a luxury that not every family could afford.

The sound emanating from the radio seemed to have a soothing superpower, smoothing over the family's dissatisfied emotions.

Even Old Lady Leng and the two crybabies, Leng Feng and Leng Chuan, became quiet.

Sun Xiaojuan rushed home, looking with curiosity at this harmonious scene in the Leng household. Today, Tang Lin had eaten alone, yet her mother-in-law hadn't scolded her mercilessly?

"You've crawled back from the dead! Hurry up and cook, what are you idling around for?"

Hearing the music, she was about to walk over to investigate, but her movement alerted Old Lady Leng, who immediately lost her pleasant expression.