Wei Donglai looked at the scene before him, feeling somewhat like life was no longer worth living.
He had finally cooked a meal. Shouldn't everyone have been praising him in happy harmony? Why were they acting like they were testing food for poison?
The bit Xue Li had just picked up with her chopsticks wasn't even as big as a fingernail. There was no way in hell she could taste it.
Wei Donglai felt a pain in his liver.
If none of you are eating, I'll eat it myself.
Just as he was enjoying himself, shoveling down big mouthfuls, a pair of chopsticks reached over and picked up a huge helping of eggplant.
Wei Donglai looked up and saw that it was his mother. Sure enough, she loved him most.
His eyes filled with moved tears. "Mom..."
But the moment the word left his mouth, Li Yue'e's chopsticks took a turn, and the eggplant landed straight in his eldest sister-in-law's bowl.
"That should be enough for you to taste it."
Xue Li was a little dumbfounded.
Mother-in-law, thank you so much.
She didn't even need to work up her courage now. Her mother-in-law had pumped it up until it burst.
Wei Guoqing and Chen Yingfeng couldn't hold back their laughter, but the good times didn't last. The next moment, both their bowls were piled high too.
One bowl had fish and cold-dressed dragon's whisker greens, while the other had kelp and greens.
Everyone got an equal share of the rain and dew.
"Mom, aren't you eating?"
"I had a pretty filling breakfast. I'll wait a bit."
You silly child, even medicine takes time to kick in. Shouldn't I wait until I know you're all fine before I start eating?
Forget it. Wei Donglai had stopped hoping and given up.
"You know, this food tastes pretty good."
"Really?"
"Try it. I'm not lying."
"Huh, it really is good. Eldest sister-in-law, he's an even better cook than you."
"Let me try some too."
"Well, I have to say, this really is good. It's making me want a few bites myself."
You think a little praise can chase away the gloom in my heart?
Too late.
"Son, these dishes of yours really are excellent. With cooking skills like these, you'd be more than qualified to be a chef at the state-run restaurant in town."
"If you ask me, with skills like that, you'll never starve wherever you go."
Mom, praise me one more time, and I'll forgive you for hurting me just now.
When Li Yue'e saw the corners of Wei Donglai's mouth rise involuntarily, she knew where she stood.
He glanced at Wei Guoqing, who immediately understood.
"Third son, after we eat, come with me and help tidy up the old house."
Wei Donglai was puzzled. "Dad, why are we tidying up the old house?"
Wei Donglai knew the old house. It was on the west side of the village, near the sea.
The whole family had lived there before. Unlike their current blue-brick house, the old house was made of mud bricks.
There were some old belongings and furniture inside. His father went over to look after it from time to time, so it wasn't too dilapidated.
"What else? We're cleaning it up for you to live in."
"Aren't I living just fine at home?"
"What's so fine about it? Having clothes brought to you when you reach out and food brought to your mouth? Or spending all day neglecting proper work, playing cards and teasing dogs?"
"Dad, I'm changing, aren't I? I even made lunch."
"It's precisely because you made lunch that I made this decision."
"Why?"
"Before, we were afraid you'd starve to death!"
Li Yue'e added.
That hurts, Mom!
He was beginning to regret making lunch.
Why did I have to show off? Why did I have to prove what I could do?
Well, great. I've been exiled in one fell swoop.
"Mom, I'm not even married yet. Can you really bear to kick me out of the house?"
"Son, I'm afraid if you keep going like this at home, getting married might be a little difficult. You're already twenty. You need to learn to be independent."
"Mom, doesn't this hurt your heart?"
"Better a short pain than a long one."
Seeing that he couldn't get through to his mother, he turned to his two sisters-in-law. "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, am I really that useless at home?"
His eldest sister-in-law, Xue Li, nodded honestly.
Chen Fengying, however, offered a polite remark. "Actually, you can't say he's completely useless."
Wei Donglai's eyes lit up. "I knew second sister-in-law had sharp eyes. Second sister-in-law, tell me how useful I am."
Chen Fengying held up her hand. "About this much."
Looking at his second sister-in-law's thumb and forefinger, which were almost touching, Wei Donglai's gaze dimmed at once.
Sure enough, in this family, his father no longer cared for him and his mother no longer loved him. What had once been a treasure had now become trash.
"All right, I'll go with Dad this afternoon."
Li Yue'e was very satisfied with her son's attitude. "You have to understand the pains we've taken. We're not abandoning you. We're just loving you in a stricter way."
Mom, you sure know how to PUA.
Wei Guoqing was a man of action. Once they had cleared the table, he led Wei Donglai to the old house.
The courtyard was small. The main house stood directly opposite the entrance, with a little kitchen on the left and a simple woodshed on the right.
The courtyard was open, with thick weeds growing along the bricks and stones.
A single osmanthus tree grew toward the sun.
Perhaps because no one had been there for some time, a lot of dust had accumulated inside the house.
The two men sorted out some odds and ends, then carried some furniture out of the house and washed it using the old hand-pump well in the courtyard.
They brought firewood, rice, oil, salt, pots, bowls, ladles, basins, clothes, bedding, and other things over from the new house.
Although there was nothing that needed extensive repairs, the two of them worked at these chores until it was almost dark.
"Dad, let's leave it at that. I can slowly finish fixing things up later."
"Mm. If I keep going, my back won't be able to take it."
Wei Donglai muttered under his breath, "Didn't you bring this on yourself?"
"You little brat, I'm not deaf yet."
Thinking that his son would be living alone for a while from now on, Wei Guoqing didn't take offense.
"Don't resent us for having you live here. You're not a child anymore. If we say too much, you find it annoying. You won't understand how hard life is until you live it yourself. Your mother and I don't expect much of you. Just be a decent, down-to-earth person, earn a steady income, and start a family soon."
"Dad, I know."
In truth, Wei Donglai couldn't say he was opposed to moving out and living alone.
After all, he and his parents would still be in the same village, only a short walk away. Having some space of his own would be more comfortable.
"Come on. Your brothers should be about ready to return to port. Let's go meet them and help carry their catch if they have one. We'll all have a good meal together tonight."
"Is this the last supper?"
The words had barely left his mouth when Wei Guoqing smacked him on the back of the head.
"You're never serious, day in and day out. You'll say anything that comes into your head. Don't you have any taboos?"
Father Wei thought that if his back weren't aching from working on the house all afternoon, he might have treated the little brat to a beating with his belt.
Wei Donglai grinned and didn't get angry.
Perhaps with each passing year, he would have one less year of being hit like this. Having lived more than half a lifetime longer, he had come to see many things clearly.
As the sun set, father and son headed toward the dock, one behind the other.
Looking at the slightly stooped figure ahead of him, Wei Donglai was filled with emotion. Time spared no one. His father was slowly growing old after all, and it was time for him to spread his wings.
When they reached the dock, boats of all sizes were coming into port.
Wei Guoqing only had to glance around before he spotted his two eldest sons. He immediately led Wei Donglai over to meet them.
While they were still some distance away, his two brothers called out from the boat, "Dad!"
Hearing the joy in their voices, Wei Donglai guessed their catch must have been good.