Sick in bed, daughter gave him a bowl of pigeon porridge but daughter-in-law only made him a glass of sour lemon juice and made him drink it.

I am a mother-in-law. I am over sixty this year, old and weak, and can no longer make money. At home I just look after my grandchildren, cook, and wander around the tiny yard. The weather has changed in recent days, and I have caught a cold, have a high fever, and am bedridden.

That day, my daughter – Ngoc – took the opportunity to visit, bringing a bowl of well-cooked, fragrant pigeon porridge. As soon as she entered, she sang:

– Mom, eat this bowl of porridge and you will feel better! I told the restaurant to cook it for 3 hours!

I was both happy and touched. My daughter had been married far away for many years and rarely came home, but today she was so thoughtful.

Just then, my daughter-in-law – Huong – walked up from the kitchen, holding a glass of diluted lemonade, her face calm:

– Mom, drink this cup to reduce your fever. I’ll buy some white porridge later.

I frowned:

– You’re so tired, why did you make such a sour lemonade? You’re not as good as your sister-in-law, she takes care of you every little thing!

Huong said nothing, just put the glass of water on the table and took out a wet towel to put on my forehead, gently:

– Mom, finish drinking and then eat porridge, or your fever will increase again.

I was angry inside. I thought: “It’s true that blood is like water. The daughter still has feelings, but the daughter-in-law is as dry as burnt grass. If there is anything delicious, she will save it for her husband and children, but the mother-in-law…”

That afternoon, I fell asleep. I woke up around 3pm to find the house quiet, the pigeon porridge was still on the table, untouched. I was so angry, I was about to call Huong out to scold her when I heard her and her husband talking in the kitchen, softly but I heard it clearly:

– How many times have I told you that mom has gout and cannot eat pigeon or red meat? I told you so, but your sister still brings those things!

– Yes, I told you already… But you said mom likes it, so you try to please her…

– So is it good or bad? If Mom eats that bowl of porridge, I’m afraid she’ll have to go to the emergency room tomorrow. I made lemonade to reduce the fever, but Mom criticized me again.

I felt like someone had poured cold water on me.

The porridge was delicious. But that’s right… the doctor told me to avoid red meat and pigeon because I had mild gout, which could easily become severe if eaten incorrectly. No wonder Huong only cooked white porridge and gave me diluted lemon juice to drink, which reduced fever without increasing uric acid.

I sat quietly on the bed, looking back at the cold glass of lemonade. Bitter. Not from the taste of the lemon, but from my own heart.

All this time I thought my daughter was the one who truly loved me. But the one who was by my side, taking care of me with every medicine, staying up every night to watch over me, was the daughter-in-law I had wrongly blamed.

That night, I said nothing, just gently called Huong in:

– Tomorrow, I want to eat white rice porridge with an egg…
– Yes, sir.
– Oh, and… remember to make me a glass of lemonade. But… add a little honey to make it less sour!

Huong laughed and nodded. As for me, I could only turn away and quickly wipe away the tears that were welling up.