Take a Bite of Iron

"Click."

The soft sound of a key turning in the lock broke the evening quiet of the house.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the living room window, casting blazing golden-red patches across the floor.

The air carried the faint aroma of cooking, mixed with the fresh scent of laundry detergent—a smell unique to home.

"Big Brother! Big Sister! Welcome home!"

Na'er had long been waiting atop the shoe cabinet by the entrance.

The moment she heard the door open, she immediately jumped down from her stool and pounced over like a happy little bird.

She wore a pale yellow dress, and a tiny butterfly hair clip adorned her short silver hair. Lang Yue had just bought it for her yesterday.

She first hugged Tang Wulin's arm, tilting up her little face. Her large purple eyes sparkled, and her smile revealed two tiny canine teeth.

Then she stretched out her other hand and gently tugged at Huang Feng'er's sleeve, looking up at her with a sweet smile.

Huang Feng'er's body stiffened instinctively, but she quickly relaxed.

Looking down at Na'er's soft hair, a trace of barely noticeable tenderness flashed through her golden eyes.

She softly murmured, "Mm," and allowed Na'er to keep holding her sleeve.

"Dinner's ready. Go wash your hands and eat first."

Lang Yue's voice came from the kitchen, carrying the warmth of everyday life.

Immediately afterward came a sizzling sound as food hit the wok, followed by the rich fragrance of scallions, ginger, and garlic spreading through the entire house.

"Dinner's on!"

At the mention of food, Tang Wulin's eyes instantly lit up.

He kicked off his shoes without even bothering to wash his hands, then dashed toward the dining room like a gust of wind.

Na'er also held onto Huang Feng'er's sleeve, taking tiny steps as she leisurely followed behind.

The moment they entered the dining room, they saw a table overflowing with food.

At its center sat a large bowl of braised pork, stewed until tender and flavorful, gleaming with oil. The fatty meat melted in the mouth, while the lean meat had soaked up the sauce.

Beside it was a plate of sweet-and-sour ribs, bright red in color and carrying an enticing sweet, tangy aroma.

There was also a steamed perch, its flesh snowy white and tender, topped with thin green scallion strips and ginger.

Besides that, there were braised prawns, braised crab, stir-fried cabbage, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a large bowl of seaweed egg-drop soup.

At the corner of the table sat a large rice cooker, filled with a whole pot of fragrant white rice.

Despite having prepared so much food already, Lang Yue still wore her apron and bustled around in the kitchen.

With a spatula in hand, she was stir-frying the final dish of shredded potatoes with green peppers.

She had long since witnessed the appetites of the three children and knew this little food would not be nearly enough for them, so every time she made just a tiny bit extra.

Tang Wulin rushed to the table, his eyes practically going straight.

He swallowed, then reached out and grabbed the largest braised crab on the plate without caring whether it was hot.

The crab had only just come out of the pot, and its shell was still scorching hot.

Tang Wulin did not care in the slightest. He opened his mouth and bit straight into the crab.

Crack—

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

The hard crab shell was as brittle as paper beneath his teeth.

He chewed shell and meat together. The shell crunched into powder, while the delicious roe and tender crab meat burst together in his mouth.

After chewing a few times, he swallowed it all without leaving even a scrap behind.

In just two bites, he had completely devoured the palm-sized crab.

["Look how hungry this child is."

Jin Qiu floated within the Spirit Sea, leaning against the Starlight Tree as he casually remarked on the scene outside.

Since returning after crossing over, he had never eaten anything.

As the Golden Dragon King, he no longer needed food to obtain energy.

Besides, in the Dragon God memories he had inherited, dragons had always eaten like this. No matter how exquisite the food, they swallowed it bones and shells included. There was no such troublesome thing as peeling shells.

So, he had long become accustomed to Tang Wulin's way of eating.

"No need to worry about him eating himself sick either." Jin Qiu yawned and continued.

"This kid's digestion is comparable to that of dragons. He was fine after eating so much in one meal before, so what are a few crabs?

Even if you gave him a chunk of iron, he could chew it up and swallow it."

Thinking this, Jin Qiu felt that he could let Tang Wulin take an actual bite of iron sometime in the future.

Beside him, Tang San's divine consciousness watched Tang Wulin wolf down his food, and the corner of his mouth could not help twitching.

He silently thought to himself that when he had the time later, he definitely needed to properly teach his son how to eat.

After all, he was the son of a Divine Realm law enforcer. Eating this crudely would be far too embarrassing if word got out.]

Na'er sat beside Tang Wulin. Watching her brother eat the crab without even peeling its shell, her eyes widened roundly.

She blinked her large purple eyes, then copied her brother by reaching out with her little hand and grabbing a crab.

Imitating Tang Wulin, she opened her little mouth and took a bite out of it.

"Crack."

The same crisp shattering sound rang out.

Na'er's teeth were not as sharp as Tang Wulin's, but they were still enough to crush the crab shell.

She chewed in small bites, a little slower than Tang Wulin, but swallowed the shell and meat together as well.

After three bites, she had also eaten the entire crab clean.

A little yellow crab roe stained the corner of her mouth, making her look like an adorable little kitten that had secretly eaten honey.

Huang Feng'er stood nearby, watching these two little ones, each more able to eat than the other and each cruder in their eating habits than the other. The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

She silently walked to the other side of the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

She extended her slender fingers, picked up a crab, then lowered her head and began carefully peeling its shell.

Her movements were practiced and elegant.

Her fingers deftly lifted the shell, removed the gills and crab heart, then used a small spoon to scoop out the delicious roe and place it onto a small dish beside her.

She then picked the meat from the legs and claws bit by bit, arranging it neatly.

Throughout the entire process, she made no sound, and not a single piece of shell fell onto the table.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly. No one's going to take it from you."

Lang Yue came out of the kitchen carrying the final plate of shredded potatoes with green peppers. Seeing Tang Wulin and Na'er wolfing down their food, she could not help saying with a smile.

"There's still plenty of rice in the pot. Get more if it isn't enough."

She set down the plate, picked up a napkin, and gently wiped the crab roe from the corner of Na'er's mouth.

"Look at you, your whole face is covered in food."

Tang Ziran also came in from the living room. After sitting down and picking up his chopsticks, he kept placing food into the bowls of the three children.

"Eat more, eat more.

Feng'er drew a Hundred-Year Soul Spirit today, and Tangtang drew a good Soul Spirit too. Let's celebrate properly."

Tang Wulin's mouth was stuffed full of food, and he gave a muffled "Mm."

His chopsticks moved like raindrops, constantly picking food from the plates and stuffing it into his mouth. He ate bowl after bowl of rice and quickly finished his third.

Less than ten minutes later, Tang Wulin put down his chopsticks. He rubbed his round belly and let out a loud burp.

"I'm full!"

After saying that, he ignored the others who were still eating, jumped down from his chair, and ran toward the bedroom in a flash.

It was the room shared by him, Na'er, and Huang Feng'er.