"Useless! Idiot!" A pair of chopsticks was fiercely thrown at the girl's face. Five seconds later, the girl expressionlessly raised her head, looking blankly at the man who had thrown the chopsticks—her father.
"What did I tell you to make?" The man glared viciously at the girl, as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.
"Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes." The girl answered calmly.
"And what did you make?" The man slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"Chive and Egg Stir-fry."
Analysis rapidly ran through the girl's mind: The family had run out of tomatoes. Her parents hadn't bought them in time, and she had no money, so she couldn't buy them.
But dinner should still be eaten on time; failing to do so would negatively affect her body.
After comprehensive consideration, she chose to use chives to scramble the eggs, as this was the choice that resulted in the least loss.
The man's chest rose and fell rapidly, like an enraged bull. "Since you were so keen on making Chive and Egg Stir-fry, you must really like eating it, right?"
The girl looked at him indifferently and spoke in a monotone voice, "I have no preferences or dislikes."
"Hmph," the man sneered, pointing at the Chive and Egg Stir-fry on the table and a large basin of rice that was almost untouched. "Since you like eating it, finish it all. Remember, finish all of it."
After the man finished speaking, he stood up and left with his wife. The bonus from their daughter's year-end exams had arrived a few days ago, so they could afford a luxurious meal out without worrying about the cost.
A slamming sound—"Bang"—followed as the door closed. The girl sat down at the dining table and mechanically pulled the basin of rice toward herself, along with the plate of Chive and Egg Stir-fry.
Mouthfuls of food mixed with saliva were swallowed. The girl ate quickly. A little less than half a basin of rice and the entire plate of Chive and Egg Stir-fry had already been consumed.
"Cough, cough, cough, ugh..." With no expression on her face, she turned her head away. The excessive amount of food was already surging up her throat.
This is my punishment. I cannot stop halfway. This is to make me remember the mistake, and I must not fail to do it.
Raising her head, the girl continued to shovel the rice from the basin into her mouth. She didn't touch the other dishes on the table, as they were not part of the punishment.
The flavorless white rice was consumed by the girl mouthful after mouthful. The sensation of choking, the feeling of food surging upward, and the distending pain in her stomach.
After swallowing one more mouthful of rice, the girl finally couldn't hold it in, turned her head, and violently coughed everything she had eaten out.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." Even though she was coughing earth-shatteringly, not a single trace of pain appeared on the girl's face.
Before the coughing even finished, the girl raised her head again, picked up her chopsticks, and continued to face the remaining half basin of rice.
The stomach that had just convulsed and "expelled" food quickly received new food. Under this fresh stimulation, the girl threw up again after barely two bites.
After struggling through this process more than a dozen times, the girl finally managed to finish the entire basin of "rice."
The girl, sweating profusely from vomiting, gasped for breath and shifted her gaze to the mess on the floor beside her.
The punishment her father had given her was to finish this entire basin of rice and the Chive and Egg Stir-fry, but... she hadn't finished it yet.
"Lynn! Lynn! What are you doing? Stop eating!"
In a daze, Lynn detached herself from the memory in her mind, her gaze fixed blankly ahead.
Harry and Ron, the two stronger boys, were each holding one of her hands, preventing her from reaching for the ribs in the pot.
Hermione was also holding her waist, trying to press her down into the chair to keep her from moving.
Maranhao, Marietta Edgecombe, and Senior Penelope had taken the pot of ribs far away and were watching her anxiously.
A sharp pain shot through her stomach. Lynn lowered her head and realized that a considerable stack of rib bones had somehow appeared next to her hand.
"Merlin's ravenous gut! Even if you were starving, you shouldn't eat like this!"
Seeing that Lynn had regained her senses and her hands were no longer struggling, Harry finally released his grip with relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Merlin knew how strong Lynn had been; the two boys, each holding one hand, had barely managed to restrain her.
Hermione, meanwhile, had needed to use almost her entire body weight just to barely confine Lynn to the chair.
Ron also released his hands, breathing heavily, and nodded in agreement. "You... you weren't eating, it felt like you were trying to gorge yourself to death!"
Lynn withdrew her hands. Only now did she feel that her arms were aching from the excessive force she had used moments ago.
Seeing her retract her hands, the three girls standing nearby cautiously stepped forward and placed the pot back onto the dining table.
They remained vigilant, ready to immediately snatch the pot away if Lynn showed any sign of reaching out again. They absolutely could not leave this pot of ribs with her.
Of those present, only Hermione still clung tightly to Lynn, seemingly too shaken to let go.
It had only been a short while; they had talked for less than five minutes at most, and Lynn had already eaten more than half of that large pot of ribs.
Her father, Mr. Granger, a strong adult male, couldn't eat that much!
In less than five minutes, when Hermione looked at Lynn again, it was clear she was on the verge of throwing up, yet she was still frantically stuffing ribs into her mouth.
Hermione screamed in horror on the spot. Harry and Ron, who had been "working hard with their heads down," looked up and witnessed this "terrifying" scene.
Without the slightest hesitation, they reached out, snatched the rib out of Lynn's hand, and firmly held down her hands, which still wanted to grab more ribs.
Seeing that she wanted to stand up, Hermione immediately hugged her.
Maranhao and the other two girls worked together to lift the pot directly off the dining table.
Lynn's appearance, as if she were trying to gorge herself to death, was truly frightening. Even Harry and the others felt quite shaken.
How much more so for Hermione? That's why she was still clinging tightly to Lynn, refusing to let go.
"Hermione..." Because she had eaten too fast and too much, Lynn's voice was slightly hoarse. Also, to prevent the ribs that were already lodged in her throat from being thrown up, she couldn't speak loudly.
So the name she called out was small and muffled. "Hermione, I'm sorry for causing trouble for you all."
Lynn felt no emotion in her heart; she simply apologized because she felt her actions had caused trouble for Hermione and the others.
Hermione shook her head while hugging Lynn, saying nothing, but tightening the strength in her arms.
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