The Midnight Mystery: Unveiling the Daughter-in-Law’s Secret Rice Bin Stash

Loan’s friends and colleagues thought she was incredibly fortunate, having “fallen into a pot of gold.” On the outside, Loan rarely spoke about her family circumstances, always presenting a cheerful and jovial front. But little did they know the inner turmoil she faced.

Loan’s husband adored her, but he was often away on business trips, leaving her alone. This meant that Loan had to bear the brunt of her mother-in-law’s scrutiny and criticism. It was a challenging situation, and she felt exhausted from dealing with it all by herself.

Loan’s family was not well off. She had a younger brother who was still in school, and she regularly sent money home to support him. When Loan and Tung first started dating, her future mother-in-law strongly opposed the match. She believed that Loan’s family background was not up to their standards and that they were not a good match. In her mother-in-law’s eyes, Loan was nothing but a gold digger.

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Tung was Loan’s boss, and he fell in love with his diligent, intelligent, and charming employee. Learning about her family’s financial struggles only made him more determined to win her over. Despite her mother-in-law’s strong opposition, Loan and Tung eventually tied the knot. Tung’s parents couldn’t stand in the way of their son’s determination.

As a result, Loan often faced criticism and harsh treatment from her mother-in-law, but she endured it all for the sake of her husband, not wanting to burden him with her troubles. Her father-in-law remained silent, but his cold demeanor toward his daughter-in-law was evident.

At her in-laws’ house, Loan was responsible for all the household chores, from cleaning and cooking to grocery shopping. Her mother-in-law, despite having the time, chose to ignore these tasks because of her dislike for Loan. Despite Loan’s best efforts, her mother-in-law constantly criticized her. She even hinted that it was Loan’s fault that they hadn’t conceived a child, even though they had only been married for a year. It wasn’t entirely Loan’s fault, as Tung’s frequent business trips meant they had little opportunity to try for a baby. They had agreed to focus on it the following year.

Loan often felt lonely and wronged but kept her feelings to herself, not wanting to worry Tung. However, this only seemed to embolden her mother-in-law, who continued to berate her, even accusing her of being a freeloader when Loan was perfectly capable of earning her own income.

The situation came to a head one week when Loan received a large quantity of turnips from a friend. These turnips needed to be used quickly, as they tend to spoil within a couple of days due to their high water content and thin skin. Even after sharing some with her neighbors, Loan still had almost ten turnips left.

That night, after dinner and conversation with Tung, who had just returned from a business trip, Loan suddenly remembered the turnips. Tung had shared a tip he learned on his trip about preserving turnips by storing them in a rice container. Loan, not wanting to wait until morning, got up in the middle of the night to follow his advice.

It was past midnight when Loan’s mother-in-law got up to use the bathroom, and the light from the kitchen caught her attention. She saw Loan furtively putting something into the rice container. In reality, Loan wasn’t being secretive, but her actions in the middle of the night seemed suspicious to her mother-in-law.

Her mother-in-law immediately jumped to conclusions, thinking that Loan was hiding something to take to her own family. She assumed that Loan’s family, being less fortunate, must be in need, and here was Loan, secretly taking something from her in-laws’ house to give to them.

Filled with anger, her mother-in-law lashed out at Loan in the middle of the night:

“What are you doing, my beloved daughter-in-law, in the middle of the night? Are they starving at your house that you have to sneak around and hide things to take to them? I never thought I’d have such an unclean daughter-in-law.”

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Loan was shocked and hurt by these accusations, and she was about to explain herself when Tung, having heard the commotion, came out of their room.

He was surprised and upset to hear his mother speaking to his wife in such a condescending manner. He immediately defended Loan, saying:

“Mother, how can you speak to my wife like that? She’s simply storing some turnips in the rice container, as I instructed her to do. And our family, though not wealthy, is not as you assume! Let’s all go back to bed, and we’ll deal with the rest of the turnips in the morning.”

Hearing her son’s explanation, her mother-in-law felt ashamed and embarrassed. Tung, meanwhile, apologized to Loan for his negligence and for not realizing how his mother had been treating her. He promised to speak to his mother about her behavior and reiterated that Loan was his wife, and that wasn’t going to change. He wanted his mother to accept and embrace her as part of the family, rather than constantly scrutinizing and mistreating her.

The next day, perhaps due to Tung’s intervention, his mother’s attitude softened. She asked Loan about the turnip preservation method so she could share it with her neighbors. Loan patiently explained the process, and her mother-in-law began to see her in a new light. She realized that despite her harsh treatment, Loan remained kind and respectful. In contrast, her neighbor’s daughter-in-law, though beautiful and successful, often shouted at her. This experience made her mother-in-law reflect on her own behavior, and her perspective toward Loan gradually improved.

How to preserve turnips in a rice container:

Ingredients:

– Fresh turnips

– Rice container

– Sharp knife

Instructions:

First, use the knife to cut off the tops of the turnips to prevent them from sprouting and losing water. Do not wash the turnips, as this will accelerate spoilage.

Next, place the turnips in a fresh-keeping bag or wrap them in plastic wrap, squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing the bag.

Finally, hide the wrapped turnips in the rice container. This method prolongs the shelf life of the turnips, preventing them from becoming soft, rotten, or wilted.

For long-term preservation and culinary use, it is recommended to slice or quarter the turnips and dry them in the sun. Before drying, wash them and soak them in a small amount of salted water to speed up the drying process. If sun-drying is not an option, you can use an oven or a bread oven to dehydrate the turnips. Dried turnips can be stored for up to a year. Before use, soak them in water for half an hour to soften them.