Chapter 2 — Freedom Is The Most Precious Gift

4 The next morning, Lac Tung woke me up. I sleepily sat up, looking at his face enlarged right in front of me. "What are you doing? Wasn't being drunk enough to cause trouble last night?" I looked at him with a flattering smile and looked down. "Wife, I'm sorry, you already know how I feel. Yesterday I was drunk, so that's why I said too much. Don't take it to heart. Tonight, I'll buy you your favorite steamed buns, okay?" I snorted, got out of bed and went to wash my face. I haven't settled the past yet. Before it's over, don't expect me to forgive you. What's more, yesterday your mother said things that made me so angry that I gritted my teeth. I had to deal a strong blow, waiting until Lac Tung realized his mother's behavior was truly unacceptable, then I considered forgiving. I don't understand why, this kind of "jewels are crushed and stones are shattered", harming others and harming oneself makes me feel... extremely happy. I looked at the calendar — every three months my mother-in-law will return home for a few days. Every time like that, she would "harvest" something from my house to bring back to give to relatives in the countryside. Another half month will be the next time she returns home. That evening, I stopped by a convenience store to buy a bottle of red wine and a bottle of fruit wine, then brought them home. Under the watchful eyes of my mother-in-law, I gently placed those two bottles of wine in Lac Tung's wine cabinet. I locked the locker, then put the key in the flower pot on the balcony. "Two more bottles of delicious wine, they look so luxurious. If you bring them out to entertain guests at the banquet table, I'm sure everyone will admire them. Any bottle is a rare item." I talked to myself, pretending like I didn't see my mother-in-law looming outside the door. In the following days, I continuously turned on wine review programs, intentionally turning the sound loud. During the program, the guests expressed their admiration and admiration when seeing the precious wines, making exaggerated expressions every time they tasted them. Those sounds, those reactions, gradually became imprinted in my mother-in-law's head. “Mom, listen, Linh Doanh, are those wines really as magical as they say?” I immediately nodded repeatedly: "You don't know, that wine is a symbol of class, mother. The more connoisseurs of wine, the more they understand its preciousness. Without further ado, have you heard of Maotai wine? For wine connoisseurs, it is a treasure! As soon as you pour it, you will instantly bloom!" Although my mother-in-law is not familiar with wine, she has certainly heard of brands like Maotai. Hearing me say that, she indeed nodded: "Your eldest uncle once mentioned it, but he has never tasted it." I arrogantly raised my chin: "You haven't had a drink yet. Your family doesn't have it. But our family does. And if you see it, I'm sure you'll crave it to death, and you'll be crazy jealous." I saw my mother-in-law deep in thought, and the corner of my lips curled up into a faint smile. A few days later, I deliberately drank both bottles of wine and fruit wine that I bought. Every time she sees me drinking, my mother-in-law looks regretful: "You should drink less, too much alcohol is not good for your health." I nodded and chimed in: "Yes, I know. But... I crave it so much, Mom. Good wine is still really delicious, it tastes great. Next time my sister-in-law comes over to eat, I'll buy a few more bottles for her to enjoy." Actually, I'm disgusted almost died. Although my alcohol tolerance is not bad, I absolutely hate drinking alcohol, it's bitter, and I don't understand why people say it's delicious. I also deliberately choose a wine with a low concentration, sometimes even secretly mixing it with fruit juice to make it easier to drink. Just like that, I "honed" my mother-in-law's spirit for half a month. Finally, the mother-in-law was preparing to return home. The day before, I even offered to help her pack her luggage, but she firmly refused, insisting on arranging it herself. As a result, when I got home from work, it was as expected — there were three bottles missing from the wine cabinet. Two bottles of Maotai, one bottle of Ngu Luong Dich. Wow, I really know how to choose. It wasn't in vain that I played wine tasting programs all day long for her to watch. I did the math - adding the fountain pen and these three bottles of wine, it's almost twenty million. It's already exceeded my previous damage. Satisfied! 5 Lac Tung discovered the wine was missing on the third day after his mother returned home. He has a habit that every time his mother is not home, he will invite his colleagues over to eat and gather to chat. I have to admit, he's normally quite skillful in communication, and his relationships aren't bad either. I finished preparing all the dishes, and he went to the wine cabinet to get wine. Less than a minute later, I heard his screams. I held back my laughter, turned off the gas stove, and ran to the wine cabinet. "What's going on? Why are you screaming so loudly?" Lac Tung's face turned pale, he stared blankly at the wine cabinet, then raised his head to look at me and asked: "Did you take the bottles of wine from the cabinet?" "Huh?" – I pretended to be confused, "I don't like those wines you hid so well, why would I take them back?" I walked up to him, looked into the wine cabinet, and looked panicked: "Oh my god, have you lost a few bottles of Maotai? I had accumulated two bottles before? They're dead, could it be that someone stole them?" I quickly pulled out my phone: "Or... should I call the police?" Lac Tung quickly pressed my hand: "Stealing isn't just taking alcohol?!" He looked around, the laptop was still there, and the gold medals hanging on the wall were also still there. He seemed to remember something, so he immediately took out his phone and called. “Mom, have you touched my wine cabinet?” I heard the other end seemed to be very noisy. "Yes, my eldest uncle loved it, and said he had never had such a delicious wine in his life. Mom saw that he was having so much fun drinking it, so she gave him three bottles. He only drank half a bottle and was already satisfied. He said he had to take the rest home and keep it safe." I saw the veins on the back of Lac Tung's hand stand out, he clenched the phone as if he wanted to crush it. "Mom, why didn't you tell me? Do you know how much those bottles are worth?!" An annoyed voice rang out on the other side: "What if I take some of your wine? You don't know how much your uncle praises you! Praising you for your success, I feel happy when I hear it. It's just a few bottles of wine. We're eating here, don't talk to you anymore!" I looked at Lac Tung who was on the verge of collapse, pretending to be enthusiastic and asked: "What now? Are you still inviting your colleagues to dinner?" Lac Tung closed his eyes, put his hand on his forehead: "Eat." “Do you have a headache again?” I asked. "No problem." His mood seemed to have completely dissipated, so he conveniently pulled out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and brought it out. I returned to the kitchen and continued cooking. Why, now you know what "pity" feels like, right? That meal, Lac Tung Eat in a state like being in the clouds. As for me... needless to say how much fun! You used to take my lotion lightly, so I don't take your wine or fountain pen seriously either. True pain can only be understood when you experience it yourself~ Several colleagues also realized that his mood was deteriorating, so after eating they withdrew. Waiting for everyone to leave, Lac Tung slumped down on the sofa. I had to hold back my laughter until I was about to get internal injuries! I walked closer to him, originally intending to be generous and allow him into the bedroom, but before I could speak, he spoke up: "You don't need to be sarcastic anymore. When my mother comes home, I will talk to her properly, and won't let her arbitrarily take things from the house." My kindness was distorted to the point of choking. But once the anger has risen, if you don't "bounce" him back at all, you're too sorry for yourself. "I was originally going to tell you to talk to your mother properly. Do you remember the last time I asked her to give me something? You threw a book at me. I was going to tell you... your mother gave your fountain pen to someone else." Lac Tung immediately jumped up as if he had been electrocuted. “What did you say?!” I looked at his pale face, this shock was probably a bit too much. “I tried to stop it, but I couldn't stop it.” Lac Tung suddenly shouted: "What did you do that you couldn't stop it? You knew how expensive that pen was and still let it go? You did it on purpose, right?!" "Are you crazy? That's your mother! I just argued a little and she said I was unfilial. Who did I put up with her for so long? This time I also made it clear, that pen is very important to you. But she said it - compared to a grandchild, a pen is nothing. She insisted on giving it to Tieu Viet, and said that you said it yourself, take what you want in the house, give it to anyone you want. Don't tell me that you made it up yourself." Lac Tung's face turned red. He knew clearly that in his mother's eyes, Tieu Viet - her eldest grandchild - had a higher status than him. "Forget it, what's the use of arguing with you now? Tieu Viet took that pen, right?"