The Mother-in-Law’s Fury: A Tale of Culinary Confusion

Due to her authoritarian nature, Ms. Loan intervened in her children’s marriages. A typical example is that every time Minh, her eldest son, brought his girlfriend home to meet the family, she would find fault with them. In her opinion, her son was exceptionally handsome and had a bright future ahead of him, so his future wife had to be equally impressive. At the very least, the ideal daughter-in-law should come from a well-off family, with a father holding a high position.

Indeed, girls from ordinary backgrounds were immediately dismissed by Ms. Loan. However, it is worth acknowledging that Minh is quite tall and attractive, with a successful career and many admirers. In the past, he had never truly fallen deeply in love with anyone. The girls he introduced to his mother were simply those he liked and felt compatible with, and he did not strongly protest when his mother disapproved. He parted ways with them not to please his mother but because he did not feel a strong connection.

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In reality, Ms. Loan had already set her sights on a potential partner for Minh—Ngoc, the daughter of Ms. Huong, her friend and neighbor. Ms. Huong’s family was also well-off, and her husband was a successful businessman, so Ngoc grew up in a life of luxury and was supported by her parents. Ngoc was very beautiful, and with her parents’ backing, she was an ideal choice for a daughter-in-law in Ms. Loan’s eyes. Ngoc also had a crush on Minh, so through Ms. Loan, she often visited his house, hoping to get closer to him.

During this time, Minh met Lan, a girl who truly captivated his heart. Although Lan had an ordinary appearance, she was talented, independent, and self-reliant. Her parents were ordinary civil servants who were now retired and living a quiet life. Minh brought Lan home several times, but his mother disapproved of her at first sight. Despite this, Lan, out of love for Minh, tried her best to impress. She was an excellent cook and often came over to prepare meals for the family, earning praise even from Minh’s father. However, Ms. Loan was determined to dislike her, and no matter what Lan did, it didn’t seem to make a difference in her mother-in-law’s eyes. She even insinuated that Lan was the type of girl who only knew how to please others, which greatly upset Minh.

On several occasions, Minh expressed his view that he would often yield to his mother, but he firmly stated that she could not interfere in his life anymore. Feeling desperate, Ms. Loan resorted to pretending to be ill to emotionally manipulate her son. She even threatened to commit suicide if he insisted on marrying Lan. At the same time, she met with Lan privately and bluntly told her that she would not accept her as her daughter-in-law. If Lan loved Minh, she should let him go so that he could have a wealthy in-law family to support his future career advancement. Ms. Loan also mocked Lan for being selfish and only thinking of herself, holding Minh back, and preventing him from achieving his full potential.

Lan, who had been taught to be independent and upright from a young age, felt deeply insulted by Ms. Loan’s words. Despite her deep love for Minh, she couldn’t bear the significant blow from his mother. Ms. Loan successfully pressured both her son and his girlfriend, ultimately getting her way.

Minh felt exhausted by his mother’s constant tears and threats of suicide, and Lan’s unexplained desire to break up. He eventually gave up and let go. After their separation, he continued to think of Lan and suffered from sadness and despair. Meanwhile, Ms. Loan took advantage of the situation and frequently brought Ngoc over to spend time with her son, increasing their interactions.

At this point, to forget about Lan, Minh reluctantly agreed to his mother’s wishes and became Ngoc’s boyfriend, even though he had no romantic feelings for her. Since both families were already acquainted and had good intentions, Minh and Ngoc quickly got married after just one month of dating. However, it was through this daughter-in-law that Ms. Loan realized she had made a bitter mistake.

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Having grown up in a wealthy family and always been pampered, Ngoc had never had to lift a finger to do anything. As a result, when she moved into her husband’s house, she broke or damaged everything she touched. Initially, Ms. Loan, proud of her hand-picked, wealthy daughter-in-law, did all the housework herself. Ngoc, on the other hand, was indifferent and left everything to her mother-in-law. After work, she would take a shower, play on her phone, and then come downstairs for dinner. After dinner, she would return to her room and chat with her friends.

Although Minh reminded his wife several times, she would only say:

“I don’t know how to do it. If you’ve taken over the task, then just leave it to you. Before I came here, you were already doing everything, weren’t you?”

Hearing his wife’s response, Minh felt exasperated but continued to persuade her. Ngoc would only reluctantly agree, saying, “Fine, I’ll try to learn eventually.” However, she had no intention of following through.

While this arrangement worked for the first few weeks, Ms. Loan soon became tired of it. She envied the daughter-in-law of her neighbor, who, although not very beautiful, devoted herself to her husband’s family. Every morning, she would get up early to go to the market and cook breakfast for the entire family before going to work. In the evenings, she would prepare dinner and take care of various household chores.

Not only was Ngoc lazy, but she also loved to socialize. Whenever Minh went on a business trip, she would go out with her friends until late at night. When Ms. Loan reprimanded her, Ngoc boldly talked back:

“You shouldn’t interfere in our lives. We’re adults, and we live our own lives. I don’t ask for your money or rely on you, so please respect my choices. Everyone has their own hobbies and interests, and so do I. If you keep doing this, we’ll move out.”

Ms. Loan was stunned by her beloved daughter-in-law’s defiant attitude but continued to endure it for fear that Ngoc would insist on moving out. Ms. Loan’s controlling nature made it difficult for her to let her son live elsewhere.

On one occasion, Ms. Loan was bedridden and unable to move, and the family was expecting guests. She remembered the bunch of water spinach a neighbor had given them earlier that morning, so she asked Ngoc to boil it. Although reluctant, Ngoc agreed to do it to avoid criticism from Minh. Half an hour later, Ms. Loan was shocked to see the dish of water spinach, with some parts dark and others yellow, looking utterly unappetizing. To make matters worse, Ngoc hadn’t even bothered to remove the stems. Having tolerated Ngoc’s behavior for a while, Ms. Loan’s temper finally flared up, and she scolded her daughter-in-law:

“Goodness me! What have you done to the spinach? It’s either dark or yellow; who would dare to eat this? And you haven’t even removed the stems! I don’t understand how your parents raised you that you can’t even boil vegetables properly.”

“I can only do so much. You can eat it or not; it’s up to you. You and my parents always said I wasn’t born to do this. If you don’t like it, hire a maid. I’m not a servant.”

Ngoc stormed off to her room, leaving Ms. Loan speechless and unable to retort. Frustrated, she called Ms. Huong to complain, only to receive an indifferent response from her friend. Ms. Huong said, “I told you from the beginning that she doesn’t know how to cook, but you insisted it wasn’t important since you could do it all. Ngoc has always been spoiled, and I hoped she wouldn’t have to suffer after marrying into your family. If she had to endure hardship, I’d rather keep her with me until I’m old.”

Hearing these words, Ms. Loan was left speechless. She had only considered the family background and not the character when choosing a daughter-in-law. She sighed, realizing that her life would become more challenging from now on. With a heavy heart, she set out to pick another bunch of water spinach to boil, as the guests would arrive soon.

In reality, boiling water spinach to make it crispy and retain its green color is not difficult; Ngoc simply didn’t know the trick.

Below is a tip for boiling water spinach to keep it green and crispy. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

– 1 bunch of water spinach

– 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and some ice

Instructions:

Clean the water spinach by removing the old stems and yellow leaves (you can leave some leaves on or remove them all, depending on your preference). Rinse it thoroughly under running water.

Soak the water spinach in a bowl of water with 1 teaspoon of salt to ensure it is thoroughly cleaned. (This is also a natural way to remove any potential pesticides used during cultivation.) Then, drain the water spinach and let it air dry.

Prepare a pot of boiling water. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add the water spinach and 1 teaspoon of salt (or half a teaspoon of sugar, which also helps keep the water spinach green). Boil until the water returns to a boil, and then continue boiling for another 5 minutes.

Note: To ensure crispy and green water spinach, make sure the water covers the vegetable completely. Boiling it for too short a time will result in dark, bitter water spinach due to the residual plant sap, while overboiling will turn it yellow and mushy.

By following this simple tip, your water spinach will remain green and crispy for 4-5 hours.

Prepare a bowl of cold water with ice (you can also add a few slices of lemon for extra flavor) and soak the water spinach in it after boiling. Leave it in the cold water until the water returns to room temperature, then remove the water spinach and drain it.

Good luck, and happy cooking!