Chapter 9
Three days later, I went to my mother-in-law’s house alone. She didn’t even look up and directly instructed, “Go make dinner, and remember to use less salt.”
I spent the whole morning in the kitchen, finally bringing the last dish to the table. Jasper finally arrived, with Adeline following behind him.
My mother-in-law warmly greeted, “Adeline, come in and sit.” She held her hand and chatted, clearly liking Adeline very much.
Adeline, with her flattering words, made my mother-in-law laugh and smile.
I stood beside them, nervously twisting my apron, feeling completely out of place.
My mother-in-law glanced at me and instructed, “Adeline loves tomato beef stew. Go make another serving.”
I silently walked into the kitchen. It was another rainy day, and my back was starting to ache. Forty minutes later, I brought the dish to the table. My mother-in-law kept serving Adeline food, and Jasper poured her soup.
From afar, they really looked like a happy family of three.
I walked towards Adeline, but suddenly tripped. I couldn’t hold the plate steady, and hot soup spilled all over my arm, instantly reddening and swelling it. At the same time, Adeline shrieked as some soup splashed on her arm too.
Jasper jumped up, and my mother-in-law yelled at me, “You can’t even handle such a small task! Worthless!” She raised her hand to hit me.
Jasper stopped her, “Mom, take care of Adeline’s hand first.” She found some burn ointment and carefully applied it to Adeline, gently reminding her to avoid water.
I returned to the room alone, my arm hurting so much that I couldn’t stop crying. Jasper pushed open the door and entered, holding a tube of burn ointment. “You got burned too, didn’t you?”
“My mom can be blunt. Don’t mind her,” he said. “Besides… it really was your fault today.
You couldn’t even hold a plate properly.” He added. Noticing my silence, he sighed and left the room, probably to comfort Adeline.
After all, she was always delicate and afraid of pain. Back in high school, even a paper cut on her hand would make Jasper worry endlessly, I thought sarcastically.
Sitting for a while, I started feeling hungry. I hadn’t eaten a single bite of the feast I prepared. Just as I opened the door, I saw Adeline. She stood there with her arms crossed, smiling as if watching a good show.