IMGH Chapter 24

Fighting Over Food

Jiang Yi knew this girl wasn’t just bluffing him — if he really pushed her too far, she was capable of anything. If Xiao Wenya were to find out that he liked men, the household would erupt into chaos. Jiang Yi quickly cut in, saying, “Mom, overseas returnees are unreliable — all that foreign education has completely warped their insides. Xuan Xuan is still young; she can take another two years to find someone.”

“In two more years, Xuan Xuan will be pushing thirty. An older leftover woman can only find second-hand goods. What about Aunt Zhang’s nephew? He’s a senior executive at a company, has a house and a car. Xuan Xuan, what do you think of him?” Xiao Wenyan said excitedly.

“Mom, senior executives are even worse! They’re on planes flying all over the place every day — it’s hard to even meet up or go on a date!” Jiang Yi shook his head.

“Then what about Sister Huang’s cousin’s son? He’s a painter.”

“Mom, you mean that man with a head full of curly hair tied into a little braid? He looks neither like a man nor a woman!”

“That’s called an artistic style — what do you know!”

“Alright, alright, alright. Let’s set aside his looks and talk about his prospects.”

“What’s wrong with his prospects? He’s a painter — one sold painting goes for the price of an entire apartment.”

“And how many has he sold so far?”

“Uh… he’s still in the creative process.”

“Mom, a painter’s work doesn’t become valuable until after they’re dead!”

Smack! Xiao Wenyan slammed her chopsticks hard onto the table and said coldly, “This one won’t do, that one won’t do. You’re so capable — if you’re so capable, why don’t you find me a daughter-in-law?”

Seeing that his mother was blowing up, Jiang Yi immediately fell silent. Jiang Mingxuan quickly picked some dishes for Xiao Wenyan and changed the subject, saying, “Auntie, the food Big Bro cooked is so delicious — please eat quickly, or it’ll get cold and won’t taste as good!”

Xiao Wenyan shot Jiang Yi a look and said, “Xuan Xuan is the good one. Not like your brother, who does nothing but make me angry!”

“Look at you, a grown man who can cook this well — spend that energy figuring out how to court a girl instead.”

Jiang Mingxuan pointed at the bowl beside Jiang Yi, piled high with dishes, and protested, “Big Bro, you already put out two bowls and you’re still piling this much food in them — you can’t hoard food like that.”

“If I don’t grab more now, you, the big-stomached eating machine, will take it all. You eat so much and you’re not even afraid of getting fat!”

Seeing Jiang Mingxuan’s chopsticks flying as she claimed dishes from the plates, Jiang Yi quickly joined the food-grabbing fray, loading all of Qiu Rui’s favourite dishes into his bowl.

“Big Bro, you’re stealing my meat. Hey, my shrimp! Auntie, look at him — he’s so annoying!” Unable to out-grab Jiang Yi, Jiang Mingxuan shook Xiao Wenyan’s arm and whined in complaint.

Xiao Wenyan turned a cold face to Jiang Yi and said, “You awful child — you don’t even know to let Xuan Xuan have some. Look at that bowl of yours, it’s overflowing. You’re not allowed to take any more until you finish what’s in it!”

“But…”

Just as Jiang Yi was about to argue, Xiao Wenyan had already moved the plate over to Jiang Mingxuan’s side and warned, “No more grabbing, or I’ll punish you by not letting you eat at all.”

Jiang Yi pulled a long face. He had been so busy piling food into Qiu Rui’s bowl that he hadn’t gotten around to eating himself.

“I’m full. I’m going to the balcony to get some air!”

Jiang Yi, who had been puzzling over how to grab more food to appease his stomach, heard Qiu Rui’s words and said quietly, “You’re not eating anymore?”

“I’m done,” Qiu Rui said flatly.

“Eating this little — no wonder you’re so thin,” Jiang Yi muttered, watching Qiu Rui drift away.

“You awful child, what are you saying?” Xiao Wenyan, seeing Jiang Yi talking to empty air by himself, asked in confusion.

Jiang Yi quickly replied, “Nothing, nothing!”

“If it’s nothing, hurry up and eat. With that much food in your bowl, you have to finish it all today. I told you, no food should be wasted.” Xiao Wenyan rapped on Jiang Yi’s bowl in warning.