Chapter 1 — Returning to Husband's House for Tet

My husband and I went back to our hometown to celebrate Tet. I drove eight hours to get there. As soon as she got out of the car, her mother-in-law's face darkened and she said:

"Why are you here now? Do you know that the whole family is waiting for you to cook New Year's Eve dinner?"

I looked at the crowded crowd of relatives behind her, a little suspicious, so I pointed at myself to confirm. But her mother-in-law became even more impatient:

"Look, is there any bride as lazy as you? Why don't you hurry up and cook dinner!"

I gritted my teeth and went into the kitchen, trying to finish each dish one by one. With two more dishes to complete, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I was about to eat. Unexpectedly, another group of guests arrived. I looked at my newly bought clothes covered in grease, and there was still a group of people outside waiting to eat. Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore and slammed my hand on the stove, unexpectedly making a big hole in the pot. Mother-in-law shouted:

"You vandal! We haven't even blamed you for cooking with so much salt and oil, but you're already angry!"

Hearing that, I got even angrier. Lots of oil, lots of salt, right? Then don't eat it!

1

"Ahead! That's right, stop here."

My husband, Truong Nien, sounded excited, but I was exhausted. He refused to drive, saying that every time he held the wheel he would get drunk, and today was New Year's Eve, so the eight-hour drive back home was on me. On the way, I wanted to rest for half an hour, but Truong Nien kept urging me, saying that I had to hurry back so I could have a New Year's Eve meal with everyone. Therefore, I did not dare to stop, I just kept running. When I got there, I saw my mother-in-law waiting at the entrance of the alley, so I got out of the car, opened the trunk, took out a Tet gift and gave it to my husband and said:

“Let's rest for a while, driving eight hours is tiring!”

I took the remaining gifts and walked over to greet my mother-in-law:

“Mom!”

But she just looked at me coldly and said:

"Why are you coming back now? Do you know the whole family is waiting for you to cook New Year's Eve dinner?"

I was a bit skeptical, thinking that she must have said something wrong, so I asked again:

"Are you guys waiting for us to come home for a New Year's Eve dinner?"

The mother-in-law's voice became sharper:

"Are you dreaming? If you don't cook, who will? The whole family is still waiting!"

I looked at the relatives behind her, pointed at myself again, not quite sure. The mother-in-law became even more impatient:

"Look to see if there is any bride as lazy as you? Why don't you hurry and go to the kitchen!"

I was stunned by this unexpected sentence and was about to turn to ask Truong Nien what was going on. He looked at me then walked over and asked:

"What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted to rest for a while?"

In front of her beloved son, my mother-in-law suddenly became much gentler:

"What are you resting for? The daughter-in-law has just returned to her husband's house for the first year and has to cook the New Year's Eve meal. My mother was like that before, no one spoiled me like me! Now I'm complaining that I'm tired, if I get pregnant in the future, the sky will surely collapse!"

Hearing his mother say that, Truong Nien also awkwardly chimed in:

"I forgot to tell you, the first year I return to my husband's house, I have to cook a New Year's Eve meal. My mother used to be the same way. It's just a meal for relatives, no big deal."

Watching the mother and daughter coordinate smoothly like a play in front of me, anger rose in my heart. But I suddenly remembered what my biological mother once told me:

"From childhood to adulthood, my parents pampered me too much. When I get married and go home to celebrate Tet, I don't know what will happen! Truong Nien's family is different With our family, we must know how to tolerate each other to live well. Your husband is your choice, you already know his family situation."

I tried to swallow my anger and calmly said:

"So can Truong Nien stand next to me and show me how to cook?"

My mother-in-law immediately yanked my hand towards the kitchen:

“What do men know about cooking? You don't even know how to cook and yet you want to be someone's wife? Fortunately, she married into this house, not into another house. Who can stand it all day when she looks beautiful but doesn't know how to cook? "

I looked at the strange woman in front of me, every word she said was like a knife cutting into my heart. I turned to look at Truong Nien, hoping he would help me, but he acted as if he didn't see my eyes asking for help.

2

The mother-in-law pointed at the bags of food:

“Here are the dishes to make today, let's get started!”

I actually know how to cook. When I was young, my parents worked all the time, and I mainly lived with my grandmother. She loves to cook delicious food for me to eat. Just like that, I gradually learned how to cook. I remember the first time she tasted the dish I made, she smiled and said:

“Ninh Ninh, when you grow up and get married, don't tell your in-laws that you know how to cook, remember?”

At that time, I naively asked:

“Why, ma'am? Cooking for others is also fun!”

She patted my head:

“So stupid! Cooking all the time is tiring! Just like your mother, you have your own career! When you grow up, you must be like your mother and have a decent job. As for the kitchen, just hire someone to do it, no need to work hard yourself.”

After getting married, I still occasionally cook for Truong Nien, he always compliments me on how delicious it is. This whole year, I haven't met my mother-in-law many times. She certainly doesn't know that I know how to cook. Now I understand what my grandmother meant, but it's too late. I sighed, thinking about all the confused relatives waiting outside. I've never cooked for this many people before! Looking at my mother-in-law sitting on a chair, intently watching the video, I spoke up:

“Mom, can you help me wash the vegetables? I can't prepare it alone."

She didn't even lift her head, just dropped one sentence:

“My son only asked me to light the stove, you can take care of the other things yourself.”

My anger rose again, I could only constantly remind myself that my husband was my choice, trying to control myself so as not to explode on the spot. I quietly took the vegetables to the sink and slowly washed them little by little. Meanwhile, the mother-in-law continuously urged:

“If you wash like this, you won't have rice to eat until Tet tomorrow! Why are you so clumsy? I don't understand where five years old look at you."

I don't care, she keeps talking, I just do it my way. Until the outside couldn't stand it anymore, someone came into the kitchen and urged:

“Is the rice cooked yet? It's been two hours! My nephew is so hungry that he's crying! The new year is almost over."

The mother-in-law saw someone urging her and quickly replied:

“Just wait a little longer, it's almost done!”

Then she pushed me aside:

“Get out of the way! Why are you so slow? Are your hands and feet so slow and you still don't know how to ask others for help?"

I was still doubting whether she had amnesia when I suddenly heard Truong Nien's voice:

“Gia Gia, I know this is your first time coming to my house for Tet so I want to perform well, but you also have to watch the situation! How many people are outside? waiting to eat, this time it's because you don't understand things."

At that moment, I immediately understood what my mother-in-law meant—she deliberately pushed all responsibility onto me. I wanted to argue, but then stopped. Because clearly, Truong Nien took his mother's side, and now I will be blamed no matter what I say. I'm not the type of person to accept losses without protesting, so I laughed coldly:

“Looks like we'll have to install new cameras here in the future!”

3

Truong Nien and her mother-in-law immediately understood what I meant, both of their faces were ugly. Seeing that his mother and I were tense, Truong Nien pulled me to a corner and gently coaxed:

“Gia Gia, I am an only son, my mother raised me alone and worked very hard. Losing face in front of relatives is more unpleasant than being killed. I'll show you respect for this matter, consider it a request from me, okay?"

Seeing that I was still unhappy, he immediately gave me a condition:

“Next year, let's celebrate Tet at your house, okay?”

I thought for a moment then reluctantly agreed, then returned to continue cooking. When my mother-in-law saw me return, she immediately placed the basket of vegetables on the kitchen with an annoyed attitude. I didn't pay any attention, I even pretended to care:

“Wow, mom! Be careful.”

My mother-in-law thought I was humbled, so she sarcastically said:

“I thought you hated me so much! It's cold like this, you tell me to cook the meal but you still ask me to wash the vegetables."

I pretended to be innocent and said:

“Mom, I'm telling you to be careful with that basket of vegetables! If I mess it up, I'll have to wash it again, which is very annoying."

Even though I agreed with Truong Nien to cook, that doesn't mean I will tolerate his mother making fun of me. My mother-in-law was so angry that she was shaking. I still calmly looked at her and said:

“Mom, what are you doing standing there? Let's build a fire!”

The mother-in-law's face darkened and angrily sat down to light the fire. Seeing that, I don't want to anger her any more. After all, it's Tet, no one wants to take their mother-in-law to the hospital because of anger. Having prepared all the ingredients, I started stir-frying. Thanks to experience, the dishes are also completed very quickly. With only the last two dishes left, I rubbed my hungry stomach, excitedly thinking about having a big meal later. I put down the pan and went out to drink some water. But when I turned back, I was stunned. When did the mother-in-law start eating? I quickly looked inside the pot, there was only a thin, almost clean bottom layer left. My mother-in-law ate until her mouth was shiny with grease. She chewed and waved to me:

“Let's eat again, Gia Gia! Why don't you eat?

I tried to hold back the anger boiling inside, looked into the pot, and discovered that the food still had a few grains of rice from her bowl. I didn't bother to say anything else, just decided to make a new part for myself. At this time, Truong Nien drank alcohol and dragged all his relatives in, smiling and saying to everyone:

“Uncle, this is my wife, Gia Gia!”

I reluctantly said hello. After seeing off the guests, Truong Nien immediately turned to command me:

“Gia Gia, your uncle and aunt will be here later, they haven't had dinner yet. Let's cook a little more.”

I was exhausted, just coldly replied:

“Go out and buy more food, I haven't had dinner yet.”

Truong Nien heard this and shouted angrily:

“Look to see if any family has a daughter-in-law like you? What if you haven't eaten yet? Why are you making such a commotion like you're about to starve? See if there is any bride like me? I told you, today Now I have to cook, if I don't cook, I have to cook!"

The thread of patience in my head suddenly broke.