"You sweet-talking girl, after such a long time, how come you've gotten thinner again?" But her eyes seemed even keener now.
The old village chief patted Lin Yuan's head with a smile, the very picture of a grandfather doting on his granddaughter. Lin Jianling, standing to the side, felt his cheeks burn with shame as he listened to Lin Yuan call a stranger 'grandfather' more intimately than she called her own father. He found the sight before him particularly embarrassing.
However, as the head of the family, he could not stay silent. He feigned a throat-clearing and approached the village chief, stuttering slightly, "Sixth Uncle, this, um, my Second brother Lin wants to divide the family, so today we need to trouble you to come over and bear witness for us."
In the village, the village chief was the eldest of the senior residents, and even Lin Jianling had to respectfully address him as Sixth Uncle, although this show of respect didn't earn him much favor from the village chief.
