Chapter 43: Uncle Explains? The System Doesn't Believe It!

Inside the house, the family sat around a small table. Jiang Xiaxia still felt a little dizzy, resting softly in Lin Ya's arms. After handing her grandmother the bowl of rice gruel she had just ladled for her grandfather, she still clenched her little milk teeth and put on a tough look: "Uncle sick, eat more!"

With that, she collapsed weakly back into Lin Ya's arms, clutching her little head as if she were in great misery.

Jiang Jing was just about to think this behavior of hers was wrong when he heard his mother let out a cold laugh, and she immediately ladled a full bowl of... watery rice gruel for him.

"Your injuries aren't healed yet, you shouldn't be eating whatever you want! Drink this to fill your stomach, so your stomach doesn't stay empty and get hurt when you take your medicine later!"

Jiang Hua said expressionlessly, giving the strong impression that if he didn't take his medicine, he wouldn't even get this bowl of rice gruel.

Jiang Jing, who indeed hadn't been prescribed any medicine yet, silently held his bowl and cast a sideways glance at Jiang Xiaxia. Despite her tender age, she was currently sticking out her thin chin at him with a triumphant, smug expression.

He then glanced at the table: apart from his older brother, who wore a look of utter astonishment, everyone else was gazing at the little girl with cheerful smiles, looking as if they found her endlessly adorable. Jiang Jing couldn't help but marvel at the oddity of it all.

The little girl had only been in the family for a single evening, and yet—and yet she had already surpassed him in the family hierarchy?

"Lianjun! In Auntie's house, make yourself right at home!"

After ladling a bowl for her youngest son, Jiang Hua smoothly pivoted her hand and handed the portion originally meant for him directly to Wang Lianjun: "If you're not full, just say the word and I'll add more!"

Wang Lianjun chuckled broadly: "Alright! Auntie, I won't stand on ceremony!"

With that, he cradled his bowl and edged closer to Jiang Jing, muttering with a beaming smile: "You have to admit, your family's rice gruel really hits the spot!"

Jiang Jing bit down on his back teeth, his expression suddenly turning deadpan: "Xiaxia, the only reason Uncle said what he did just now is because your Uncle Jun said he saw a dark little thing in your hand when he first walked into the courtyard. He thought you'd picked up some animal dung on the road and made me come check it out!"

Facing Wang Lianjun's stunned expression, Jiang Jing felt not a shred of discomfort from lying. The more he talked, the straighter his back became: "I didn't want to touch that kind of filth, so I could only shake you down!"

The eyes of everyone at the table turned toward Wang Lianjun, making it impossible for him to even swallow the mouthful of rice gruel in his mouth. He could only offer a dry explanation: "I—I was just concerned!"

Yet Jiang Xiaxia looked suspiciously between Wang Lianjun and her uncle. She clearly remembered that when she put the item away, Uncle Jun hadn't even entered the courtyard yet. How could he possibly have seen it?

Jiang Hua, however, recalled the drugged candy the little girl had produced back at the shipyard. Her expression paused slightly for a moment before she turned her gaze to Jiang Jing.

Jiang Jing shrugged, assuming an innocent air of absolute nonchalance.

Aside from Jiang Hua and Jiang Zhiguo, who had sensed that something was amiss, everyone else in the Jiang family looked at Jiang Jing and Wang Lianjun with unconcealed disgust.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Xiaxia reached into her pocket and fished around until a sesame-seed-sized object appeared in the palm of her hand.

She extended her tiny hand and offered it to her grandmother: "Grandma, for you!"

Jiang Hua glanced down at it, assuming it was simply some kind of seed the child had picked up somewhere and stashed in her pocket.

Though she had no idea how the girl had managed to keep it hidden in her pocket, it was only a seed after all, so it surely wouldn't cause any major trouble.

Thinking along these lines, Jiang Hua looked at Jiang Xiaxia and said gently, "Keep it and go play with it yourself!"

Seeing this, Jiang Jing craned his neck forward for a look.

Jiang Xiaxia pulled her little hand back: "No give!"

Jiang Jing let out a scoff, turned his head back to resume slurping his "porridge," and tossed a meaningful look at Wang Lianjun.

Once Wang Lianjun had noisily finished off his rice gruel, he pulled the meat bun out of his tunic and handed it to Jiang Xiaxia: "How about trading this for a look at it?"

Jiang Xiaxia looked at the same meat bun she had seen that morning, then glanced at her older brother and sister beside her. Seeing that they were keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead on their bowls and showed not the slightest bit of interest in the meat bun, she scratched her little tuft of yellowish hair in curious puzzlement.

She remembered reading in her reference materials that people in this era rarely got to eat meat. If a household had a meat bun, it would normally be divided up among everyone to share. Why was nobody here showing any interest?

"There's plenty of meat in this house!" Jiang Hua said, catching the little girl's dark, rolling eyes darting around the faces of the Jiang family members with a puzzled look. She smiled, stroked the child's head, and explained, "It's just that when I went out earlier, your grandfather didn't want the gossiping tongues in the village wagging, so he had everyone hold back and eat a little less!"

Really?

For the very first time, Jiang Xiaxia felt a trace of doubt regarding her grandmother's words. If they had only gone without meat for a few days, her older brother and sister wouldn't be looking so scrawny!

After thinking it over, Jiang Xiaxia directly handed the sesame-sized pill over to Wang Lianjun.

Then, she took the meat bun from him and handed it to Jiang Hua: "Together, eat!"

She counted on her small fingers and realized there weren't enough pieces to go around. After a moment's thought, she pointed at her uncle and declared, "Uncle eats the skin!"

Pausing for a second, she scurried over to Jiang Hua's side and whispered secretively, "Meat, in the gruel soup?"

That way everyone would be able to share it!

Jiang Hua couldn't help but sigh in resignation. She glanced at the meat bun and, seeing the little girl's stubborn persistence, nodded: "Alright! Grandma will use this to make meat soup later! We'll have it for lunch!"

Beside them, Jiang Zhien whispered to his younger brother, "Did Xiaxia say 'skin' or 'dung'?"

You couldn't really blame his mind for wandering there; their youngest uncle had brought up dung first, after all.

Jiang Muliang picked up a pair of chopsticks with a deadpan expression and dropped a pinch of salted vegetables into his older brother's bowl: "Eat more!"

If it was too salty, he'd have to drink more water. With his mouth plugged up, he wouldn't be able to spout any more asking-for-a-beating nonsense.

However, Jiang Jing had already heard it, and quite clearly at that.

He flashed his eldest nephew a smile that could only be described as ferocious: "Big nephew, finish your meal and come up the mountain with Uncle for some practice!"

Jiang Zhien didn't feel intimidated in the least. He just grinned widely back at Jiang Jing, flashing a row of brilliant white teeth: "Alright! Uncle, teach me a few more moves so I can protect Mom and Grandma in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaxia immediately puffed out her little chest: "Ask me! I know how!"

At her words, Jiang Jing's gaze shifted slightly as he pondered whether to use this opportunity to test the little girl's martial prowess. Right then, a commotion of squawking chickens and jumping dogs drifted over from next door.

"Grandma, how come Big Brother and Second Brother both have one, but I don't? You just look down on me because I'm a girl! Grandma Hua is back, and I'm going to tell her you favor boys over girls!"

"You wretched skinflint, am I not giving it to you? Take a look at your own mouth and teeth, can you even chew this?"

"I don't care, you're just biased, I'm going to tell Grandma Hua!"

Jiang Xiaxia pricked up her ears, her eyes suddenly lighting up. More drama to watch?

"Grandpa, are you going?"

Jiang Xiaxia turned to Jiang Zhiguo and extended an invitation.

Jiang Zhiguo, however, gave a light cough and said with a straight face, "What would it look like if I went to see something like that?"

With that, he waved his hand to signal that he had no interest in watching.

Yet his ears were perked up remarkably high.

Jiang Jing scooped the little girl up in one arm, grabbed two steamed corn buns with the other, and handed them to her: "Uncle will take you!"

With a slick slide, he slipped right down from the table, scooped up the little girl, and perched her atop the firewood piled against the base of the wall.

Two heads—one large and one small—poked out over the top, looking down at a little girl next door who was wearing a brand-new padded jacket and rolling around in the dirt, throwing a tantrum at Liu Jinhua.

"Her life is good, what is she making a fuss about?"

Jiang Xiaxia pointed at the little girl rolling around in the dirt without an ounce of care for her brand-new clothes, completely baffled.