Chapter 364 - 364: Contest
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Yes.” Butler Zhao had become accustomed to following Mei Shu’s orders.
In the past, he would have definitely consulted Mei Yun’s opinion before acting.
But now, he had completely lost that awareness.
It was evident that during the time when Mei Yun left home under the pretext of a business trip to cope with the shock, the people of the Mei family had completely obeyed Mei Shu’s commands.
Mei Mu also noticed this subtle change.
She was secretly shocked, but her face showed no hint of it.
Among the people present, only the old lady remained clueless.
She still relied on the identity of her son as the head of the family, thinking she could continue to exert her dominance in the Mei family. Little did she know that her son’s position was already hanging by a thread.
During dinner, the change in Mei Shu’s status in the family became even more apparent.
The family sat around the dining table. Before Mei Shu touched her chopsticks, none of her brothers, including Mei Yue, dared to reach for the food first.
Mei Yun thought that perhaps the dishes prepared tonight didn’t suit Mei Shu’s taste, so he also refrained from eating first. Instead, he looked at Mei Shu with concern and cautiously asked, “Shu’er, if the dishes tonight are not to your liking, I’ll have the kitchen prepare something else for you.”
“No need.”
Mei Shu looked around and saw Mei Mu eagerly eyeing a plate of meat dishes. She picked up her chopsticks and took a piece, placing it in Mei He’s bowl. “Try this, Xiao He.”
“Thank you, Sister.” With two strangers present, Mei He didn’t dare to speak freely. He kept his head down and continued eating the meat that Mei Shu had placed in his bowl.
It seemed that the slices of meat could never be eaten up. Mei He savored them with small, cherished bites but didn’t eat much.
Mei Shu found it amusing and simply placed the entire plate of meat to Mei He’s side. “Eat, as long as you like it. Sister can have the kitchen make more for you.”
Mei He genuinely smiled. As long as he could feel his sister’s care all the time, he didn’t mind the sudden strangeness in the family atmosphere.
Mei Shu gently touched his hair, then addressed the others, “Alright, let’s eat.”
Mei Yan was the first to reach out with his chopsticks to pick up food.
The old lady, watching on the side, noticed something. She thought Mei Shu was asserting her dominance and was dissatisfied, ready to cause some trouble for Mei Shu.
Noticing Mei Yan reaching for a dish a bit further away, she rolled her eyes and suddenly moved that dish in front of Mei Mu. “Come, Mumu, try this. You’ve suffered a lot in jail. Look how thin you are. Now that you’re out of jail, you should nourish yourself.”
“Thank you, Grandma.” Mei Mu gratefully thanked her while glancing at Mei Yan, who had an expression of dissatisfaction. This delighted Mei Mu.
The old lady was clearly picking on Mei Shu and her brothers for her!
Then she could just sit back and enjoy the show!
Indeed, the next time Mei Jing and Mei Yan wanted to take a dish, the old lady followed the same tactic. She either intentionally moved the dish to Mei Mu’s front or preemptively took action, deliberately stirring the dishes in the plate, making them unappetizing.
Mei Jing and Mei Yan were immediately put off their appetite.
Mei Mu, seeing that the timing was almost right, gently declined the old lady’s enthusiasm, “Grandma, please don’t just focus on me. Brothers might also want to eat these dishes.”
She then personally placed the dishes that Mei Jing and Mei Yan had wanted to eat in front of them. “Sorry, Grandma is just too worried about my health. She didn’t mean to ignore you all. We are all family, so of course, we should share delicious food together. Besides, 1 am the older sister. Naturally, I should take care of you. If you like these dishes, please eat first.”
Mei Jing immediately looked at her in a different light.
It seemed that Mei Mu had gained some intelligence during her stay in the jail, but he still disliked her hypocritical attitude.
He snorted, about to mock her.
Mei Shu quickly stopped him, smiling, “It’s just a few dishes. There’s no need for all this back and forth. You all look like kids. If you like the dishes, have the kitchen make more. These dishes don’t take much time.”
After saying that, she directly instructed Butler Zhao to inform the kitchen to make one more of each dish that the old lady had taken earlier.
Mei Shu effortlessly turned the subtle situation around.
What she needed to make everyone understand now was that she, Mei Shu, was the only one who could lead the Mei family.
With that, Mei Mu could only awkwardly put down the dishes. In the open and hidden contest, she once again fell behind.
Although this incident didn’t seem like a big deal, without Mei Shu’s intervention, Mei Mu’s words earlier were paving the way for her to re-establish herself in the Mei family.
Even though she despised being the elder sister of these brats, she didn’t want to be isolated by all of them at the same time.
But Mei Shu, with a tone clearly belonging to an adult, made her sound like an inexperienced child. She was completely excluded from this family, becoming an outsider who needed to speak politely and act carefully.. How could she not be angry?