Han Ruochen's smile fell off, and she turned to look behind her. When she saw Meng Yunhan staring at her as if she had done something sinful, Han Ruochen simply arched a brow and replied, "We are eating. Is it against the law now?" Han Ruochen knew that she was probably sounding way too disrespectful, but honestly, she couldn't be bothered to keep the pretence up inside the house.
Meng Yunhan did not deserve her respect, and neither did Han Ruochen expect anything from her. As long as the woman didn't bother her, she was not going to bother with her either. But if Meng Yunhan thought that she could still control her like she did in the past, then she was highly mistaken.
"You prodigal girl! How can you just cook three eggs just like that? And look at the oil that you have used." Meng Yunhan felt her heart ache when she thought about how Han Ruochen had eaten the eggs that she had reserved for Han Ziyan, and the oil used in the pancakes was not any less either. All of this was eaten by that idiot. Her heart was aching so badly that she wished she could cut open their stomach and take everything out.
How dare they! Do they think they were deserving of this hearty meal?
Han Ruochen knew what Meng Yunhan was thinking. After going back and forth so many times, she already knew what kind of person this woman was; she snorted inwardly before raising her voice, "Mom, you keep telling us that we need to be much more careful with our spending and control our budget. But Ziyan eats eggs and meat all the time, every single day of the week. Dad just told me that we have more than ten thousand yuan of savings, and he brings back pork every day. If not pork belly, then it will be pork ribs. Why is it that I have never seen anything on the dining table? You only give me vegetables to cook every day. Look at us; we are all skin and bones. Just how much do we need to save?"
"Is Han Ziyan the real daughter of this family, and are we all picked up? Why is it that you only feed her meat and eggs while we can't even drink leftover soup?"
When Han Yichen heard that Han Ruochen had never eaten meat, he frowned and took a look at his second-oldest daughter and his youngest son. And what he saw indeed shocked him; the two of them were so thin that they looked like they were malnourished. He then turned around and looked at Han Ziyan, whose face was so round that it almost looked greasy. Anyone with eyes could see who had been eating the meat and eggs at home.
Meng Yunhan was shocked when she heard Han Ruochen's words. She never expected Han Ruochen to counter her so ruthlessly. Not only did she bring up the matter of missing meat from the meals, but she also pointed out the savings that she had wiped clean.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned around to look at Han Yichen, whose face was darker than she had ever seen. The man was staring at her as if he wished to eat her alive.
"Where did you take the meat!?" Han Yichen asked angrily. His own children were starving while an outsider was eating and drinking well. Han Yichen wanted to open the head of his wife and see what was going on in her head; why couldn't she care for her biological children and keep taking care of her late sister's daughter?
"Darling, don't believe this wretched girl's lies!" Meng Yunhan exclaimed. "She is lying; there is no way I will do such a thing. You have to believe me, Yichen." As she spoke, she delicately shed two tears.
However, Meng Yunhan still underestimated Han Ruochen. The latter simply took a look at her and burst into tears as well. "Yes, Dad. I am sorry; I made mom cry… she really takes good care of us. We get to eat meat all the time; it's just that I and Beijiang are too thin because we quickly digest the meat that is served on the table. Don't blame, mom, Dad."
It would have been better if Han Ruochen hadn't said anything.
Han Yichen looked at his daughter and then at his youngest son. The two of them were so thin that he could see their collarbones jutting out. Was this eating well? If this were eating well, then all the beggars in the village would eat well!
He turned and glared at his wife before saying to her, "Don't make me repeat myself! Where did you take all the meat?"
Meng Yunhan flinched under his loud voice. She knew that there was no way she would be able to escape this time around, so she simply lowered her head and said, "To my mother's house."
Of course, it was a lie. Meng Yunhan hated her parents for making her marry Han Yichen, a villager. How could she send them anything but it was still enough for Han Yichen, this honest man, to believe.
He bristled angrily before turning to look at Han Ruochen and saying, "I will hand the meat to you from tomorrow onwards; you should cook something nice for your brothers."
"Okay, Dad. And could you arrange for two cartons of milk for Beijian and Jianyou? The two of them are still growing; milk would support their growth." Han Ruochen made a request on the spot. It was better to use the money of her father on her and her siblings rather than letting it fall into the pot of the Yun family.
"Okay—"
"No!"
Before Han Yichen could agree, Meng Yunhan screamed in between. She looked at the two of them wildly before turning to look at Han Yichen and saying, "It is a waste of money; there is no need—"
"How is it a waste of money? My sons are the ones who are going to drink the milk. You tell me, how is it a waste?"