Chapter 10 — My Wife Is Not An Outsider

When she changed her shoes, she saw food and four sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table. She looked up at me. I patted the chair next to me: "Come here quickly, the food is cold." Wen Duong sat down and carefully picked up his chopsticks. No one said anything. Silence for about half a minute. My mother made a "tsk" sound, picked up a piece of braised meat, paused for a second, then put it in the On Duong bowl. Extremely awkward movements. It's like being forced to do charity by someone pointing a gun at your head. But the meat is still hot. Wen Duong was stunned for two seconds.

“Thank you mom.”

“Eat.” My mother turned her face the other way.

This meal took place in silence. But all four of them sat at the table. Four sets of bowls and chopsticks. Food is hot. After eating, On Duong went to wash the dishes. I followed, took the rag next to me and wiped the plate. She tilted her head and looked at me: "You don't need to..."

“You two, do it quickly.”

The sound of running tap water. Soap bubbles slid off the edge of the bowl, her fingers soaked in warm water, less cold than a few days ago. While washing the last bowl, she suddenly spoke up: "Your mother just picked up food for me."

“Yes.”

“First time.”

She bowed her head, her bangs covering half of her face. Drops of water flowed down the edge of the bowl, falling into the stainless steel sink, making a tinkling sound.

“The first time someone put food in my bowl.”

My hand stopped. Placing the plate on the bowl stand, I turned to look at her. She still bowed her head to wash the dishes, but the tip of her nose was already red. I reached out and turned off the faucet.

“From now on there will be every meal.”

She raised her head, drops of water still lingering on her eyelashes, the corners of her mouth curved. Not the "I'm fine" kind of smile, but a real smile. Very small, very faint, but a sincere smile. This is a good thing. But I know it's not over yet. Because at noon the next day, I read a status line on Luc An An's Friends Circle. Accompanied by nine selfie photos. The caption reads: *"There are people who marry into other people's houses, eat other people's food, live in other people's houses, and still criticize their husbands and people. My mother has worked hard all her life, and does not deserve to suffer such resentment. Living in this life must have a conscience."* Below is a series of comments, all of which are followed by a bunch of frivolous friends.

“An An, be strong!”

“Oh my god, your sister-in-law is so mean!”

“Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are inherently difficult, so why doesn't your brother manage it?”

I took a screenshot. Don't delete, don't comment. Turning to open Wen Duong's WeChat, he asked a question: "Have you seen An An's status?" She replied immediately: "I see. It's okay, just let her talk."

“Have your colleagues seen it?”

A moment later she texted back: "Um. Someone asked."

“What did they say?”

"Nothing, just wondering."

I put the phone down and looked back at the status line on the screen. Nine selfie photos carefully edited through the app. Use the latest filter. The phone was the one bought last year with four thousand yuan "borrowed" from Wen Duong. I'm in no hurry to deal with this. At five thirty in the afternoon, I left work on time. But don't go home. Take a trip to the bank. Then go to the real estate broker office. It was seven o'clock when I got home. Wen Duong hasn't returned yet. My mother was cooking rice in the kitchen — yes, she was cooking rice now, but she always had an expression of "I was forced" on her face. Luc An An curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone. When she saw me enter the door, her eyes blinked blinked and avoided. I finished changing my shoes and walked in front of him.

“An An, I saw the story on Friends Circle.”

He raised his chin: "I'm just telling the truth."

“I said my mother worked hard all her life.” I nodded: "I agree with that. But in your post, there is the sentence 'marry into someone else's house, eat from someone else, stay at someone else's house'. This sentence I want to be fair with you."

"There's nothing to consider..."