check anyway. */
        if (!tn->fn->size) {
                if (rii->mdata_tn) {
-                       /* We had a candidate mdata node already */
-                       dbg_readinode("kill old mdata with ver %d\n", rii->mdata_tn->version);
-                       jffs2_kill_tn(c, rii->mdata_tn);
+                       if (rii->mdata_tn->version < tn->version) {
+                               /* We had a candidate mdata node already */
+                               dbg_readinode("kill old mdata with ver %d\n", rii->mdata_tn->version);
+                               jffs2_kill_tn(c, rii->mdata_tn);
+                       } else {
+                               dbg_readinode("kill new mdata with ver %d (older than existing %d\n",
+                                             tn->version, rii->mdata_tn->version);
+                               jffs2_kill_tn(c, tn);
+                               return 0;
+                       }
                }
                rii->mdata_tn = tn;
                dbg_readinode("keep new mdata with ver %d\n", tn->version);