Chapter 1 — For 5 Pounds of Shrimp

On International Women's Day, March 8, I bought 5 pounds of crayfish to reward myself. Seeing that, my mother-in-law immediately told me to buy 5 more pounds. Then I called both my older sister-in-law and my younger brother-in-law. They also told them to bring the children along. So I was stuck in the kitchen struggling all day. No one helps, my mother-in-law doesn't even let me eat at the table with her. I thought my husband would be on my side. Who would have thought he would appear indifferent and unconcerned. Okay, if everyone just wants to sit down and eat, don't blame me for flipping the table on the spot!

1

On March 8 of this year, I just completed a big project. As a middle manager at a foreign company, although I often work overtime, my income is very good. After finishing this project, my boss smiled and said to me:

"Chau Tinh, this time the bonus is at least 1 million. Next month I will send your promotion proposal to the corporation."

I was immersed in the joy of being promoted and receiving rewards. After finishing my shift, I immediately ordered 5 pounds of crayfish from a farm. At this time, this type of shrimp is quite rare on the market. But because I have loved this dish since I was a child, and on the occasion of celebration, I boldly spent money to buy 5 kilos. Carrying the shrimp home, I happily opened the door and walked in. Before she could change her shoes, her mother-in-law saw it with sharp eyes and shouted:

"Chau Tinh, what did you buy? Such a big bag, you're still crawling!"

I patiently explained:

“Mom, this is a crayfish, I had to work really hard to buy it.”

"Crayfish!? Such an expensive thing, but you still dare to buy it. I heard that this thing is not good, it only eats corpses to grow!" – the mother-in-law said heartbroken.

Seeing my mother-in-law's attitude, I immediately knew that my habit of saving too much had relapsed. My husband - Luu Bang - comes from the countryside, he also has two older sisters. His father-in-law passed away when he was in middle school. Since then, her mother-in-law raised her three children alone. But my husband was very determined and tried to get into a top university. Now he is working as an employee at a pretty good company. He is very hardworking, so my parents also appreciate him. Before getting married, my parents not only gave me a house, but also prepared many valuable dowries. All because of trusting my husband who is gentle, hardworking, and has a bright face. Two years ago, Luu Bang discussed with me bringing my mother-in-law from the countryside to live with me. I'm a bit of a picky person, so if there's another person in the house, I feel uncomfortable. At first I objected. But Luu Bang kept persuading her, saying her two sisters' house was too small and they couldn't pick up their mother. My mother lives alone in the countryside, is old, and if something happens, no one will worry. He also said that if mom came here, she could help take care of the children and do housework and that. I also don't expect my mother-in-law to help me. But in the end, he softened and agreed to let her live with him. Since my mother-in-law came to the house, she hasn't had much to do with the housework, and she often complains about my lifestyle. Every day they told me that using branded cosmetics was a waste, secretly took them and gave them to my two sisters-in-law, and then poured cheap Dabo cream into old bottles to trick me. Otherwise, blame me for coming home late from work and not cooking, so my husband has to eat outside food. Every time I'm about to get angry, Luu Bang jumps in to be the peacemaker. He told me that it was very difficult for her mother-in-law to raise three children alone, and living frugally had become a habit. Then turned to talk to me My mother said that it was normal for me to work hard, get a high salary, and occasionally enjoy a little bit. Both sides were coaxed at once, everything was temporarily peaceful, everyone continued to live in an atmosphere of "pretending harmony". This time, I had to work overtime for many days in a row to complete a large project. Both physically and mentally were tired, so on the occasion of March 8, I bought some crayfish to reward myself. Yet my mother-in-law rushed out and criticized me. In my heart, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself. But I really don't have the strength to argue anymore. I had to change the way I spoke to cheer her up a bit:

"Mom, have you forgotten? Today is International Women's Day. Let's celebrate together."

Hearing that, the mother-in-law's face softened a bit, but still sighed sadly:

"Hey, it's not necessary to eat these things on International Women's Day. You really have never suffered before."

I heard her complain and my head hurt. Luckily at that moment, Luu Bang walked out of the room.

“Come on mom, stop saying a few words, Chau Tinh's work is hard enough.”

When the mother-in-law saw her son coming out, she immediately changed her expression to a gentle one:

"Oh, it's the same with you. Chau Tinh spends so much money and you don't take care of it. I'm just worried about the two of you."

“Okay, mom, let's go out and watch TV.”

Luu Bang helped his mother sit on the sofa. At this point, I breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the kitchen to start washing the shrimp. March is definitely not crayfish season. The shrimp was small at this time, and its shell was covered with black mud. I'm a meticulous person so I have to be careful with each shrimp, and I also have to remove the back seams of the shrimp. This job is really not easy. But thinking about later, I will stir-fry the shrimp with pepper, star anise, and pepper to make it really fragrant, then add a bottle of beer to braise... That scent will definitely be irresistible! Thinking about that, the feeling of fatigue also eased somewhat. I was diligently washing shrimp when my mother-in-law suddenly burst into the kitchen.

2

As soon as she walked in, she stared at the shrimp I was washing.

"Chau Tinh, don't be busy anymore."

At that time, I was tired and thought my mother-in-law was finally moved and wanted to help me wash shrimp. Unexpectedly, her next sentence left me speechless.

"This is it, you go buy another 10 kilos, I'll call both my older sister-in-law and my younger brother-in-law to come to the house to eat. Oh yes, my two nieces will also come. Remember to buy some snacks for the kids."

Oh my god... is this going to be a big party or what? Call a whole bunch of people here. Before I could react, my mother-in-law wiped her hands and left. Liu Bang also just walked in. He looked at me with guilt:

"Chau Tinh, today is March 8th... I also know that your two sisters' situation is not good, my mother only loves them. Please try to endure a little, just for me..."

Looking at his gentle appearance, even though I was upset, it was still difficult to get angry. But my mother-in-law must have called and informed my two sisters-in-law. Guests have been invited, I don't feel comfortable turning people away. Had to swallow my anger inside. Leaving the unfinished shrimp to wash, I panted and ran out to buy more crayfish. I had a hard time ordering another 10 pounds of crayfish. Thinking that I had two young grandchildren with me, I went to the supermarket to buy some chips, fruit, and then conveniently picked up a carton of orange juice. Carrying 10 pounds of crayfish, I dragged myself home come downstairs. Looking at the remaining snacks, fruits and drinks, I really didn't have any strength left. So I called the landline at home, hoping someone would come down to help me carry my things. The bell rang all day, finally connected, but no one answered the phone. I started to feel strange. I had to call Liu Bang, my mother-in-law, and then my two sisters-in-law. Unexpectedly... still no one picked up the phone! Well, console yourself, it's understandable that everyone is busy cooking and not paying attention to their phones. So I had no choice but to run up and down, carrying all the bags myself and bringing them up to the house. Finally arrived at the door. Just pushed the door in... Oh my god! Guess what I see? The two grandchildren were crawling around on the floor, fruit peels were thrown everywhere. The older sister-in-law sat cross-legged, gnawing sunflower seeds, intently watching entertainment shows on TV. My younger brother-in-law was eating the strawberries I just bought, turning on the speakerphone to watch a short video, laughing happily and lying on the sofa! Really... I don't consider myself a guest at all! Well, when guests come to my house, I try to hold back. I went straight to the kitchen, thinking that my mother-in-law and Luu Bang were probably in there cooking. The result... the spacious kitchen without a single person in sight! The crayfish I hadn't washed yet were still lying on the table, as if teasing me. Always speechless. I could only drag my tired body to continue washing the shrimp. Unexpectedly, a live shrimp struggled violently, pinching me and making my hand bleed. Laughter and the sound of television programs continued to echo from the living room. Finally, I couldn't bear it anymore, I stuck my head out and asked:

"Sister, can you come in and help me wash the shrimp? 15 kilos is too much, I can't do it anymore."

The two sisters-in-law at first pretended not to hear, but when I coughed loudly, they reacted. But instead of standing up to help, he burst out laughing as if he had just heard something funny. The older sister-in-law opened her mouth first:

“Sister-in-law, look at my new nails, how can I touch those things?”

After speaking, he winked and laughed at me, as if I had just told a joke at the beginning of the year. Oh sorry, so your nails are nails, but mine are not nails? I turned to look at my brother-in-law and she quickly continued:

"Oh, my sister-in-law doesn't know, I've been afraid of those animals since I was a child, I feel dizzy just looking at them. How terrible!"

This is the first time I've heard such an absurd reason. If you're afraid of crayfish, as soon as you hear about this dish, you'll happily run to it, so who's the one who's afraid? This is my house, not theirs. Feel free to come to someone's house and enjoy it like a hotel, and I'm an osin? Since it's called International Women's Day, everyone should enjoy it. Why do I have to go out of my way to serve them? I was still standing frozen in the kitchen when my mother-in-law walked in from outside and spoke:

"Oh Chau Tinh, don't let her sisters wash anymore. Even the two of them won't be clean."

"No matter how early it is, just wash slowly. If you're hungry, just eat snacks first, dinner later."

It's so good, it's like pouring honey! He even acted like he was thinking about me, understanding and kind. Oh my god, do you really think I'm an idiot? I'm trying to find out where Liu Bang is, intending to call him out for a fair trial. Who would have thought to see him lying in the room in a state of bewilderment? sleep, sleep soundly like nothing happened. I was so angry that I wanted to rush in and wake him up. I'm working so hard washing shrimp that my hand is bleeding from being pinched. And he's hiding in the cozy bedroom? My mother-in-law quickly stopped me, not letting me wake her up.

"Hey Chau Tinh! What are you doing so careless? Don't you see my son is sleeping? Men who work outside all day also need to rest!"

Okay, for that pot of crayfish, I'll hold off! It's not too late to wait for Liu Bang to wake up and then settle the matter later.

3

So I had to endure the pain and try to wash the remaining shrimp. It was starting to get dark, people were tired and their hearts were getting more and more impatient. I don't even know how to turn in time. At this time, the older sister-in-law walked into the kitchen.

"Chau Tinh, when will the rice be ready? Your child - Dat is hungry, does he keep eating snacks?"

The person she called "Dat" was a round lump of fat, so fat that his eyes were just a small line. When it crawled and rolled on the floor, I was afraid that the neighbors downstairs would run up and complain because of the loud noise. Criticize me for being slow? Well then, go in and wash it! Seeing that I didn't bother to respond, she raised her glossy painted nails and continued to complain:

"I'll be honest, don't buy crayfish next time, it's expensive and has little meat. Why don't you buy salmon, I hear it's very delicious."

I don't understand what it is anymore. Is there a problem? Just don't help, just stand there criticizing this and that. I haven't thrown all the shrimp in her face yet, it's still light! At first I bought lobster just to treat myself to a delicious meal. After finishing work and then sitting and eating alone, it's also a kind of enjoyment. Now it turns out that I'm cooking for a bunch of people, everyone is waiting with their mouths open, and they have the nerve to criticize everything? I was so upset, I slammed the kitchen door, leaving my older sister-in-law's grumblings blocked outside the door. Because of the shrimp dish I had been looking forward to for so long, I bowed my head and continued washing. A while later, I discovered that the kitchen was out of an important spice.