Chapter 4 — The Anti-Cancer Kitchen

“If necessary, invite a nurse to evaluate the cause of difficulty swallowing and vomiting.” “Don't arbitrarily feed them.” I said the same thing again. Diep Gia Ninh was so impatient that his voice changed. “But my mother only wants to drink what Aunt Hua makes.” My mother finally opened her mouth. Her voice was very light, but very steady. “If you want to drink, then study.” “The hospital has a nutrition department.” “There are also recipes online.” “I can't secretly light a fire for you guys anymore.” The other end of the line was silent for a long time. Diep Gia Ninh cried and said: "Aunt Hua, I beg you." My mother closed her eyes. “Gia Ninh.” “The rules you want, I'll give them to you.” “Stop using your mother to ask for my gratitude.” She hung up the phone. The house was so quiet that there was only an hour left. I looked at her red eye sockets and suddenly felt that she had changed. Not being cruel. But she finally understood that loving a patient and continuing to take care of that person's daughter are two different things. Tham Boi Tran was then hospitalized again. The doctor adjusted her antiemetic medication and also invited the nutrition department to mix the liquid food. Diep Gia Ninh stopped calling. But I heard the nurse say that every day she holds a small notebook and asks the doctor what can be eaten, what can't be eaten, how to cook rice water, and how to make minced meat. She could also study before. It's just that there was no need to study then. My mother is there. So she can be busy with work, she can do publicity, she can talk in the group about "public benefit norms". Anyway, whatever her mother wants to eat, just send a text message. “Aunt Hua, sorry.” “Uncle Co, help me carry it over.” “I can't make it today.” She used these sentences for two years. After the kitchen was returned clean, many people came to the house to apologize. Uncle Vuong brought a bag of oranges and stood in front of the door rubbing his hands. "Uncle Co, Ms. Hua, what the group said before, I didn't stop, I was wrong." My father did not accept the orange. “I accept it with all my heart, take it home.” Uncle Vuong smiled shyly. "Can the kitchen still be open? My wife really can't eat food from the restaurant." My mother said: "Don't open it anymore." “Not angry.” "But I really can't open it, and I don't want to open it like that anymore." Uncle Vuong was impatient. “We can pay more.” “A stove costs ten yuan, twenty yuan is fine.” "If you can't do it anymore, sign a liability waiver. If something happens, you won't be found." My mother looked at him. “If something really happened, would your son recognize the liability waiver?” Uncle Vuong was immediately speechless. The next day, there were voices downstairs. “Hua Mai looks terrible now.” "Before, I was still open, but now I still refuse to give money." “It's human, being tested once makes your heart cold.” When my father heard it, he was so angry that he didn't say anything for half a day. My mother is very calm. “Let them say it.” “Say two words, don't waste my gas money.” My mother was not like that before. In the past, when someone said something difficult, she lost sleep. Now she has learned how to return other people's problems back to that person. She started living her life. I no longer wake up at four thirty in the morning. No need to go to the market to buy cheap vegetables. There's no need to remember which bed patient can't eat onions, which patient can't smell the fishy smell, which patient has a bitter taste in their mouth after radiotherapy. She will plant garlic sprouts on the balcony. I will go to the park for a walk with my dad. I will cook myself a small pot of red bean porridge. But I know, she hasn't really given up yet. She has an iron box with small pieces of paper left behind by the patient inside. “Sister Hua, today's porridge is really fragrant.” “Uncle Co, thank you for buying vegetables for my mother.” "When I get better, I'll come wash the pot for you two." The top sheet was written by Tham Boi Tran. At that time, she had just eaten a little, her hands had no strength, and her words were crooked. “Sister Mai, rice water saves lives.” My mother looked at it for a long time, then finally closed the box. “The patient is not wrong,” she said. "The mistake is that some people have eaten hot rice and still criticize the person who carries the rice for not being clean enough." My nose is stinging. “Mom, do you regret it?” She was silent for a moment. "Regret." “Regret not making regulations sooner.” “There is no fear of being tested.” “It's the fear of making kindness a matter of course for others

.” A few days later, headmaster Dinh came again. This time he did not bring in inspection staff, only brought part of the documents. “Uncle Co, Ms. Hua, the hospital and the neighborhood have already had a meeting.” “The patient really needs to cook.” “We are preparing to apply to build a formal shared kitchen.” “There is a location, there is disinfection, there is an appointment, there is insurance, there is a professional manager.” My mother said nothing. Director Dinh quickly added: "It's not for you two to open a private business." “It's not for the two of you to bear the responsibility.” “I just want to invite two people to be volunteer instructors, come and teach dishes to patients twice a week.” “Families cook for themselves, field staff are in charge of management.” My father looked at my mother. My mother received the document and flipped a few pages. She did not immediately agree. She just asked: "Who takes care of the donated money?" Chairman Dinh said: "Go to the neighborhood's public account, publicize it every month." “Who buys the ingredients?”