I was so stunned that I almost dropped the cherry in my hand. My face suddenly turned red and my heart felt like it was being stabbed by a needle. I couldn’t believe that my son would scold me just because of 2 cherries.
I am 63 years old this year, a retired worker. After my husband passed away, I lived alone in the old house.
My son’s family lives in the next village, not far from my house. They are all office workers, very busy with work. They already have a lovely 5-year-old daughter. Because the road is not far, every afternoon I often pick her up to go to my house to play, eat, and when she finishes work, she will stop by my house to pick her up.
On weekends, the children come home to eat with me. Last weekend, my daughter-in-law brought a box of cherries over, saying she bought them for me to eat.
I felt very happy and joyful because cherries were really too expensive for me. I heard from my neighbors that they were delicious, but I had not had the chance to try them because my pension was so low that no one dared to buy them. I mentioned it to my daughter-in-law the other day, but unexpectedly, she actually bought them for her mother-in-law.
Knowing that I wanted to try cherries, my daughter-in-law bought them for me. (Illustration photo)
After the meal, the children and grandchildren sat in the living room chatting. I got up and went to the kitchen to make tea, then took two cherries and put them in my mouth, chewing slowly to enjoy this rare delicious taste.
At that moment, my son walked in from behind and saw me eating cherries. He suddenly said loudly:
– Mom, cherries cost more than 300 thousand dong a kilo, how can you eat them so casually? My wife bought them for Bo (my niece’s name). Normally, I wouldn’t even dare eat them, but you ate them.
I was so stunned that I almost dropped the cherry in my hand. My face suddenly turned red and my heart felt like it was being stabbed by a needle. I couldn’t believe that my son would scold me just because of 2 cherries.
I said nothing, silently returned to the living room, sat down and continued making tea, but my heart was in turmoil. I knew my children were struggling and facing a lot of pressure in life.
I tried not to cause trouble for them, even tried my best to help them share the housework and take care of my niece. But I never thought that even eating 2 cherries would become a conflict between us.
At this moment, the daughter-in-law came over and softly said to me:
– I heard you say you didn’t know what this cherry tastes like, so I bought it for you to enjoy. My husband speaks without thinking, you know that. So don’t think too much, Mom. Eat as much as you want, and when it’s gone, I’ll buy you more.
My daughter-in-law’s words moved me so much that tears fell unconsciously. I knew that my daughter-in-law was not only comforting me, but also maintaining the harmony of this family in her own way.
When the kids got home that evening, I sat alone in the living room and thought a lot. Maybe I really didn’t do a good job in some aspects. I should have brought the box of cherries to the living room to eat with them instead of enjoying them alone in the kitchen.
The next day, my son came to my house. He bowed his head and said a little embarrassedly:
– Mom, yesterday it was my fault. I made you sad. When I got home, my wife scolded me and explained a lot. I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have said that. What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you later.
Looking into my son’s sincere eyes, I smiled and silently thanked my daughter-in-law. I realized that with these two cherries, my family has become more united, loving and appreciating each other.
I also realized how lucky I am to have a wonderful daughter-in-law. Thanks to my daughter-in-law, my son is becoming more mature, grown up and cares more about his mother. Thanks to my daughter-in-law, for the first time I know what these imported fruits taste like. Thanks to my daughter-in-law, for the first time I get to celebrate my birthday,…