Chapter 6 — Taste of Home

She stood outside the door, as if listening to see if there were chopsticks noises inside or not. After a while, she grabbed the stairs and went down. Luc Canh Hoa and I quickly backed out of the building. Rain falls on my eyelashes. I looked at that old building and suddenly didn't know who to love first. When the mother-in-law came out, the cloth bag was empty. She folded the bag and put it in her chest. Then raise your hand to wipe the corners of your eyes. She thought no one saw. But Luc Canh Hoa and I both saw it. As she walked towards the house, her back seemed smaller than usual. Luc Canh Hoa suddenly said in a low voice: "Nam Am, your mother is such a clumsy liar." The bridge of my nose is stinging. “But she hides her feelings very well.” He looked at me. “I'll ask tonight.” I nodded. This time, I won't stop you. Because there is pain, the longer you hide it, the more it hurts. 08 That afternoon, my mother-in-law came home more than ten minutes later than usual. Luc Canh Hoa returned to the sofa early, pretending to have just woken up. I sat in the coffee shop until the afternoon before going to the company. During the afternoon, while drawing, I was always absent-minded. The line stretches outward, like a road with no end in sight. In my mind, the image of my mother-in-law standing in front of the old building continuously appeared. She carried a thermos, considering another family's child was also someone who bothered her. But what about herself? After returning home, faced with several oily and dark colored takeout boxes, she ended up just gnawing on a mango. After work, Luc Canh Hoa came to pick me up. He didn't drive right away. He put his hands on the steering wheel and was silent for a long time. I said: “Let's talk properly tonight.” He said: "I'm afraid I can't stand it." I said softly: "Then look at me first." He turned his head to look at me. I said: "If you get nervous, I will pull you back." His throat moved slightly, and finally he nodded. When we got home, my mother-in-law was gathering clothes on the balcony. She smoothed my shirt and carefully hung it on the hanger. Seeing us enter, she still smiled as usual. “I came home at the right time today, the rice was just cooked.” On the table there is hot soup and also stir-fried vegetables. It's the mother-in-law who cooks. Apparently she said her knees hurt, we clearly didn't let her stand for long. But as long as Luc Canh Hoa says she has a headache, she will still think of ways to do something. Luc Canh Hoa looked at that bowl of soup, his eyes were slightly red. The mother-in-law noticed and quickly asked: "Are you still upset?" Luc Canh Hoa put down his chopsticks. “Mom, let's talk for a bit.” Mother-in-law was stunned. She instinctively looked at me. I didn't avoid her eyes. I just called out softly. "Mom." The mother-in-law's fingers slowly tightened. It seemed she had guessed something. Living room is quiet. The TV doesn't turn on. Outside the window, the sound of rain was very low. Luc Canh Hoa put the phone on the table and did not turn on the camera. He just said: "Mom, this afternoon Nam Am and I followed you to the old house behind." The mother-in-law's face immediately turned pale. She opened her mouth but couldn't say a word. I quickly said: "Mom, we don't blame you." “We're just worried about mom.” Mother-in-law bowed her head. Her voice was very light. “You all know.” Luc Canh Hoa looked at her. “I know my mother brought food to a girl named Hieu Duong.” “I know mom orders food out every day.” “I also know that mom hardly eats anything.” The mother-in-law's shoulders trembled slightly. She placed her hands on her knees like a child who had done something wrong. “Canh Hoa, Nam Am, it's the wrong mother.” “I shouldn't have lied to you kids.” My heart is bitter. “Mom, don't apologize so quickly.” "Mom, tell us first, what's going on." The mother-in-law was silent for a long time. It took so long that the heat on the bowl of soup gradually dissipated. She slowly opened her mouth. "Hieu Duong's mother's family name is Chu, her name is Chu Lan." “When my mother worked in the factory before, she worked in the same workshop as me.” "At that time, my mother had just given birth to Canh Hoa, didn't have enough milk, had to go to work, and was so frantic that she cried every day." "Chu Lan does a little extra work every day to help her mother, and also saves eggs in the house to bring to her mother." Luc Canh Hoa was stunned. Obviously, he had never heard his mother-in-law mention these things. She continued. “After the factory was dissolved, we had less contact.” “After your father passed away, my mother once went to the hospital for a check-up on her knee and met her in the hallway.” “She was so thin that I almost didn't recognize her.” My heart sank

again. The mother-in-law quickly shook her head. “It's not what you think.” “She doesn't have any scary disease.” “It's just that the past few years have been so difficult.” "Hieu Duong has not been married long, she is pregnant, her husband is working on a project elsewhere, and cannot return for the time being." "Originally, her mother would take care of her, but suddenly she fell and was no longer there." Speaking of this, the mother-in-law's eyes turned red. “Chu Lan left too suddenly.” “Before she passed away, she held her mother's hand and said that Hieu Duong had been shy since she was a child, and told her mother to come visit her when she was free.” “Mom agreed.” I gently took a breath. My mother-in-law raised her head to look at me, her eyes full of guilt. “Nam Am, your rice is very delicious.” “Not salty at all.” “Really.” My tears immediately fell. She frantically pulled out the paper. “Don't cry.” “Mom's mouth is clumsy.” “At first, mom only tasted one piece, thinking that pregnant women should eat a little bland, so she casually said salty.”