Half past six in the evening.
The main hall of the Lin family was brightly lit. The usual square table had been removed and replaced by a massive long table, bedecked with a dozen or so cold appetizers and hot dishes, steaming and fragrant.
Lin Dong, his second brother, and his wife Jiang Lu hadn't returned yet. Rumor had it they were off preparing a birthday gift for the Jiang family matriarch and wouldn't be back until later.
Zhang Yu sat rightfully at the head of the table, with Wang Jiangyao beside her. On the other side sat Lin Zheng.
The younger generation—Lin Shen, Lin Feng, Lin Feng (the third), Lin Yue, and Lin Mian—took their seats in order.
As for Gao Min and Liu Yutong...
They were relegated to the very back, the farthest corner seats. The kind of spots where you'd have to stretch your arm to its limit just to reach the main dishes, and had to stand up and walk over if you wanted to snag something from the other end.
"Little Min, don't mind us," Wang Jiangyao said with a syrupy smile. "Our family's big—the head seats are for the elders. You young folks should sit on the side, where it's livelier and easier to grab food."
The words sounded pleasant enough, but the underlying meaning was clear to everyone present.
You two are outsiders at the end of the day. Even being allowed at the table is an honor.
Gao Min nodded without a word. She'd been prepared for this.
But Liu Yutong? She was a different story. The moment her backside hit the chair, she didn't even look up. She just pulled out her phone and started fiddling with it, apparently texting someone.
The smile on Wang Jiangyao's face froze for a split second.
This uncouth country girl—didn't she have any basic manners at all?
Eating while on her phone, and when an elder hadn't even finished speaking!
"Ahem."
Zhang Yu cleared her throat, striking a senior's authoritative pose. "Since everyone's here, let's start the meal. By the way, Minmin, since this is your first time at the Lin residence, there are some rules your second aunt needs to tell you."
Gao Min set down her chopsticks and looked up at her, expression earnest.
"Although the Lin family may not rival the top-tier rich clans, we're still a family of several generations' standing. We value order—elders before juniors. At the table, elders must eat first; juniors must never pick up their chopsticks before. You can't rummage through the dishes, can't stand up to reach food from afar, can't tap your chopsticks or bowl, and definitely can't slurp your soup... Got all those basic manners?"
Gao Min: "Got it, Second Aunt."
Zhang Yu nodded with satisfaction, then finally picked up her own chopsticks, helped herself to a bite of stir-fried greens, and began to eat.
Only after she started did the others reach for their chopsticks.
Wang Jiangyao picked up a piece of braised pork belly. Suddenly, as if reminded of something, she turned her head toward Liu Yutong in the corner.
"By the way, Miss Liu, you're our guest—don't be shy. Help yourself to whatever you'd like. Make yourself at home."
Liu Yutong didn't even lift her head, just grunted an "Mm."
Wang Jiangyao: "..."
How come it felt like this girl was brushing her off like a beggar?
Whatever. A small-town gal—no breeding, no manners. Not worth arguing with.
Elsewhere at the table.
Lin Yue, on the other hand, was warm-hearted. She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and placed it in Gao Min's bowl. "Sister Min, try this. It's our chef's specialty—you won't find many places in the capital that can match it."
Gao Min looked up and smiled. "Thanks."
Lin Yue then put a piece into Liu Yutong's bowl. "Miss Liu, you should try it too. It's delicious."
Finally, Liu Yutong lifted her head.
She glanced at Lin Yue, then looked down at the piece of fish glazed in sauce in her bowl.
She paused for two seconds.
"I don't eat food served by other people's chopsticks."
Lin Yue: "Huh?"
Liu Yutong picked up the serving chopsticks and, with a blank face, moved the fish to the side plate. "Unhygienic."
"... "
The entire table stared at one another, the atmosphere dropping into an abyss of awkwardness.
Lin Yue's smile collapsed visibly. Her eyes reddened almost immediately, and she looked at her mother, Zhang Yu, with a pained, aggrieved expression.
Zhang Yu furrowed her brows and slammed her chopsticks down. "Miss Liu, what's the meaning of this? Yueyue was being kind, serving you food. And you reject it publicly like this? That's just cruel!"
Liu Yutong: "I didn't ask her to serve me."
Zhang Yu: "You—"
Wang Jiangyao quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Oh, Second Sister-in-law, forget it, forget it. Calm down. Miss Liu is a first-time guest—she doesn't know our customs yet. It's understandable."
Then she turned to Gao Min, speaking with clear innuendo. "Minmin, you'll have to teach Miss Liu properly when you get back. After all, if she's going to mingle with us in the future, being clueless about manners... People might think the Lin family's guests are utterly uncivilized."
Liu Yutong cast a glance at Wang Jiangyao and suddenly broke into a smile.
"Auntie Wang, you're trying to say I'm uncivilized, aren't you? No need to beat around the bush. You could have just said it to my face."
"Also, I heard someone earlier recite the Lin family's dining rules—don't pick and choose, keep it quiet, be refined. But I couldn't help noticing how you went digging through that kung pao chicken dish just now. Seven or eight times, at least, just to fish out a few peanuts."
Wang Jiangyao's smile instantly curdled.
"And that bird's nest soup you were sipping? The slurping sound was so loud, I bet the neighbors could hear it. Anyone listening would think there was a pig farm running in the Lin residence."
"Pfft!"
Lin Feng nearly spewed the rice out of his mouth. He ducked his head, desperately covering his mouth, his shoulders shaking violently and his face turning red.
Lin Shen pushed up his glasses, the corner of his mouth twitching.
The other young members also lowered their heads.
Wang Jiangyao's face had turned the color of liver.
"You... Who are you calling a pig?!"
She—a country bumpkin—had just insulted her to her face!
Second sister-in-law Zhang Yu's face darkened as well. She slammed the table. "Miss Liu, you've gone too far! If it weren't for the fact that Minmin is here for her first visit, I'd have the servants throw you out already!"
Liu Yutong turned to Zhang Yu, her expression the picture of innocence.
"Auntie Zhang, why are you saying that? I never called anyone a pig. I just made an innocent little analogy."
"You were just teaching Minmin the rules—'Don't rummage through the dishes,' 'Don't slurp your soup.' I thought those were sacred commandments of the Lin family. Then I looked over and saw Auntie Wang rummaging away happily and slurping up her soup like a drain, albeit a bit louder than usual. So I thought to myself... Huh? Are the rules at the Lin family selective? Elders can break them, but the youngsters can't? Or are these rules just a show for outsiders?"
"You—"
Zhang Yu was left speechless by the barrage of questions.
Just then, Lin Zheng, who was getting a headache from the commotion, spoke up.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Miss Liu is a guest. As hosts, we should be warm and welcoming. No need to sour the mood over a trivial matter."
Liu Yutong immediately nodded. "Fourth Uncle Lin is absolutely right. I'm a guest—guests don't know the rules, it's natural. You hosts should be a little more understanding, don't you think?"
And with that, she fixed her gaze on the massive king crab sitting at the center of the table.
"Oh, that king crab is too far away for me to reach. Lin Feng, you're sitting close. Could you please pass it over here? As a guest, I get priority."
Lin Feng: "..."
He froze for a moment, taking in Liu Yutong’s utterly self-assured expression, then glanced at the ashen faces of the older relatives around him.
In the end, he reluctantly stood up, moved the plate of king crab to a different spot, and placed it directly in front of Liu Yutong.
Then, amid the heavy silence of the Lin family, he watched as this utterly unorthodox young woman pulled on gloves and, as if no one else were there, began to dig in with gusto.
She ate with pure relish, crab meat dripping with sauce, bite after bite—and of course, she didn’t forget to stuff some into her sister Gao Min’s mouth.
Every single member of the Lin family fell silent.
And yet, she kept muttering, “I’m just a guest, I don’t know the rules,” lowering her posture so much that no one could find a pretext to lose their temper.
They couldn’t exactly throw her out, could they?
But that meal certainly opened their eyes.
In all their years, this was the first time they had met someone with such thick skin, the first time they had seen a guest behave this way.
Originally, they had planned to use this chance to lay down the law and put Gao Min in her place.
But now, with Liu Yutong stirring things up like this, everyone had lost their appetite. They no longer had any mood to lecture Gao Min.
