The Generous Gesture: A Token of Appreciation for In-Laws

21 September, 2024

On previous Mid-Autumn Festivals, my husband and I would gift my in-laws an expensive box of mooncakes, a nice box of tea, and a few million dong as a token of our filial piety.

But this year, looking at our bank balance of just 20 million dong, I felt really uncomfortable. As children, it is only natural to want to show filial piety to our parents! But our current financial situation does not allow it.

So, I discussed with my husband that this year, we would only buy a cheap box of mooncakes and tea to gift to my parents-in-law as a symbol, and that we would make it up to them next year when we are better off. My husband thought for a long time and then reluctantly agreed.

I knew he also felt guilty, but we couldn’t do anything more.

After the decision was made, I bought the cakes and tea and sent them to my husband’s parents in the countryside. At the same time, I also called my mother-in-law and told her that we would not be coming home this time because the company was very busy and we had to work overtime.

After discussing, my husband and I decided to gift my in-laws a cheap box of mooncakes this year. (Illustration)

That night, my husband and I lay in bed sighing all night. It was almost morning when we finally dozed off, only to be awakened by a knock on the door.

My husband got up to open the door and saw his parents and his younger brother’s family standing outside.

– Dad, Mom, younger brother, sister-in-law, what are you doing here? What happened at home?

I asked anxiously.

– Nothing happened. Yesterday you said that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you had to work overtime and couldn’t come home. Since your dad, mom, and your younger brother’s family are free, we thought we’d come and visit you. Our family has a tradition of eating together during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and since you can’t come home this year, we thought we’d come to you instead.

At that moment, my husband and I realized what was going on, and we also thought that perhaps our families had guessed something.

After breakfast, my parents-in-law urged us to go to work quickly or we would be late. I had to go to work on Saturday anyway, but my husband had to wander around outside all day.

In the evening, we took the whole family out to a restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, I also asked my parents-in-law directly:

– Dad, Mom, and you guys are going back early tomorrow, right? We’re really busy this time and don’t have time to hang out with you. When we have time, we’ll come home and stay for a few days.

I had to say it nicely, otherwise, if they stayed, we would have to spend a lot of money on food. Our current financial situation does not allow it, so I need to save as much as possible.

Both my parents-in-law and my brothers-in-law happily agreed.

My husband’s whole family came to our house last weekend. (Illustration)

After dinner, when we went to pay the bill, the waiter told us that someone had already paid. It was probably my younger brother-in-law who paid for the dinner.

When we got home, we sat in the living room and chatted. As soon as we sat down, my mother-in-law took out 200 million dong in cash from her bag and said.

– This is the money you gave us over the years. Your dad and I didn’t spend any of it. You take it back and use it for your living expenses. Remember, we are family, and we should share each other’s burdens when times are tough.

Just as I had predicted, both my father-in-law and mother-in-law knew about our current situation. My mother-in-law said that when she received the box of mooncakes that night, she had her suspicions.

At that time, she called a childhood friend of my husband’s and found out that their son was unemployed.

– You should have told us about this. It’s not right for us to have to find out about our son’s situation from someone else.

My mother-in-law chided us. My husband and I both knew that hiding things from our parents was not right, but we didn’t want to worry them any further, so we kept it a secret. Moreover, we had long ago learned to only share good news and not bad news.

As for the money, although we refused at first, my parents-in-law and brothers-in-law insisted, so we eventually accepted it. My father-in-law and brothers-in-law also encouraged us. In that moment, I deeply felt the power of family love and support.