Did you really think you were the perfect son-in-law?
At the dinner table!
“Are you all starving ghosts reincarnated? Haven’t you ever seen food before?!”
Tonight, the Feng family was unusually blessed with a table brimming with fish and meat, and even a whole roast duck with duck carcass soup.
Even Feng Jiaozhao, the eldest brother-in-law, was fighting for the duck and fish, competing with the children for every bite.
This ravenous display infuriated Mother Feng, her face flushed red and green, muttering angrily under her breath.
“Mom, I told you you’re biased toward Feng Jiayou. It’s not a festival or a holiday, yet you’ve prepared such a lavish spread. Are you not going to let us eat?!”
“And you bought a whole roast duck. This authentic taste—surely it’s from Quanjude, right?!”
Eldest son Feng Jiaozhao, mouth stuffed with meat and duck, retorted to his mother, juices running down his chin.
“If you take from others, you owe them; if you eat from others, you can’t complain. The roast duck was bought by them. If you’ve got the guts, don't touch a single piece!”
Mother Feng looked at her disappointing eldest son, who was shameless enough to fight the children for food. Couldn’t he show some dignity—he was a grown man!
Feng Jiaozhao grinned sheepishly. “It’s been years since I’ve had a bite like this—it’s rare!”
“Yes, Uncle! The roast duck was bought by our new uncle! He took us to Quanjude today, and we ate roast duck there!”
“These are just our leftovers!”
Following up, six-year-old Feng Liqin added her own sharp comment.
“You went to Quanjude for a feast at noon? These are just your leftovers?!” Suddenly, Feng Jiaozhao found the roast duck in his bowl far less appetizing.
They’d sneaked out while he was at work and had a grand meal at Quanjude?
“Even eating roast duck can’t shut your mouth! What do you mean, leftovers?!” Feng Jiayou looked at her little niece, increasingly annoyed. If you can’t speak properly, just don’t speak, alright?
She hurriedly explained, “This is a whole duck that Xueming specifically asked the Quanjude chef to pack up for us. Sister-in-law, please have some more!”
She then offered another piece to her sister-in-law, Ke Yumei, urging her to eat.
“Oh right, Sister-in-law! On the way back, Xueming also bought malted milk and canned yellow peaches for you and Mom at the supply store. I’ll go get them for you!”
Remembering the malted milk and canned goods bought that afternoon, Feng Jiayou rushed off to fetch them.
“Thank you, Jiayou, but there’s no need. Sit down and eat first!” Ke Yumei quickly pulled her sister-in-law back, urging her to sit and eat.
“Alright, I’ll bring them to your room after we finish eating! Mom just rejected my manuscript again, I’ve been busy revising it and forgot all about this!” Feng Jiayou complained woefully about her mother.
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“Rejected again?!” Sister-in-law Ke Yumei looked in shock at her mother-in-law—how many times had this happened?
“Mom! How many times have you had her revise it? Does your magazine have such high standards? Just let her pass. I’m waiting for Feng Jiayou to get her manuscript fee and treat us to a meal at Quanjude!”
Feng Jiaozhao was equally surprised, recalling that the rejections started two months ago. It must have come back four or five times by now!
It’s all her daughter—why be so harsh? Just let her pass, isn’t that enough?
“Eat, eat, eat! All you know is how to eat! If her manuscript were usable, wouldn’t I let it pass?”
“She’s thick-headed, even with detailed revision notes she can’t do it right. Is that my fault?!”
Mother Feng put down her chopsticks, clearly annoyed. If Feng Jiayou couldn’t get her manuscript accepted, what did that have to do with her?
“It’s not that, Mom! How am I thick-headed? Clearly, your ‘October’ magazine lacks vision. I even suspect someone is abusing their position to deliberately suppress me!”
“Anyway, I’ve decided—after this revision, I won’t submit to ‘October’ anymore. I’ll send it to ‘Yanjing Literature’ instead!”
“Feng Jiayou, you should speak with some conscience! What do you mean, deliberate suppression?!”
“Fine, fine—submit wherever you want. Let me tell you: this manuscript just isn’t good enough. No matter how many revisions or submissions, it’ll be the same. I was even thinking that after this revision, I would just let it pass for your sake!”
---
And so it began again!
Cheng Xueming kept his head down, eating in silence, determined not to get involved in their mother-daughter dispute.
Besides, there was no way to pick a side! Logically, he should support his wife, but on the other side was his mother-in-law, who lived under the same roof—he couldn’t afford to offend her.
So he pretended not to hear a thing and just focused on his meal.
“Today I spoke with Old Qian. We’ve arranged to tidy up the side room on the east of the courtyard for Jiayou and Xueming to live in.”
“Jiaozhao, later you can help your sister clean it up, and if anything needs to be bought new, go ahead and buy it.”
After the squabbling, Father Feng spoke up.
“Uh? Weren’t we supposed to sleep in Second Sister-in-law’s room?” Feng Jiayou asked in confusion, looking at her father.
“Do you think your second sister-in-law will really stay at her family’s and not come back?” Mother Feng interjected impatiently. “Next month, your second brother might return!”
“Also, in a few days, Jiaomei should be brought back too. Your father has already sorted things out with her school.”
“Here’s two hundred yuan. If you need anything new, buy it yourself!”
---
Mother Feng glared at her husband, reluctantly pulling out two hundred yuan and handing it to her debt collector daughter.
“Mom, how can I accept this?” Feng Jiayou’s eyes lit up at the sight of money, but she smiled sweetly at her mother, her hand reaching eagerly for the cash.
“Mom! Yumei and I want a new bed. That iron-framed one hurts my back!” Feng Jiaozhao’s eyes sparkled as he eyed the two hundred yuan on the table.
“Jiaozhao, what are you saying?! When did we ever say we wanted a new bed?” Sister-in-law Ke Yumei blushed instantly, glaring at her husband and muttering.
“We definitely need a new one!” Feng Jiaozhao insisted.
“If you want a new bed, buy it yourself. Why are you asking me for money?” Mother Feng glared at him again, annoyed that all the debt collectors were eyeing her and her husband’s salaries.
“Thank you, Dad, thank you, Mom! But Jiayou and I really shouldn’t take your money—we actually have some savings!” Cheng Xueming couldn’t stay silent any longer.
He quickly pressed Feng Jiayou’s hand away from the money, politely refusing.
He genuinely wasn’t a live-in son-in-law!
Now they were helping them rent a room and giving them money for new furniture—this was the treatment of a live-in son-in-law, and Cheng Xueming couldn’t just quietly keep eating.
“Cheng Xueming, what’s your deal?! What savings do we have?! Dad and Mom are giving us money out of love for their daughter and son-in-law—why wouldn’t we accept it?!”
Feng Jiayou protested. The money was already in hand; why give it back? Besides, her parents’ combined monthly salary was nearly two hundred yuan—a little money for their daughter’s marriage and to help their son-in-law settle in, what was wrong with that?
“Just take it! What are you pretending for?” Mother Feng really couldn’t stand it. The more her farmhand son-in-law acted this way, the more she felt he was putting on airs.
Putting on airs for the whole family to see!
But her husband was clearly swayed—he’d agreed to let the debt collector get their marriage certificate, and today he’d gone to Old Qian to rent the east side room, adding another five yuan a month to their expenses!
So particular—he wouldn’t rent the cheaper three-yuan earthquake shelter on the west side, but insisted on the east side room. Anyone who didn't know would really think the Feng family had married a son-in-law into their home!
Fine!
With his mother-in-law laying things out so plainly, what could Cheng Xueming say? Any more retorts would just seem stubborn and prideful, so he could only thank his mother and father, and the whole family, once again.
...