Lin Lan hurriedly threw the tomatoes in to make a hefty pot of tomato soup. Unfortunately, there were no eggs and oil at home.
Even so, the kids were happy because it was the first meal of their own.
The pot of tomato soup had golden red tomato oil floating on its surface from the extracts of the tomatoes. There were also some red, white and green shallots accenting around the soup. Even without eggs, it was very beautiful and seemed very appetising.
“Delicious! Mother’s cooking is delicious!”
“It’s much better than our eldest aunt’s cooking!”
Lin Lan smiled that resembled a mother’s kindness, “Don’t talk nonsense, your aunt’s cooking is actually really delicious.”
She just never showed her true skills.
After eating, they hurried to work. The children went to mow the grass and there were ducklings that they were rearing at home, so she had to get some tender wild vegetables for them to eat.
When she was about to finish work in the afternoon, the eldest sister-in-law came over and looked for Lin Lan, “Brother and sister, come and cook with me at home. Father ordered it.”
Lin Lan didn’t plainly go with her wishes, “Eldest sister-in-law, how can I cook? I made a pasty tomato soup for the children in the morning; it was absolutely unsalvageable.”
“Well, it’s still better than what I make, and don’t worry, I know my level. So, let’s go and make a quick meal.”
As the eldest sister-in-law, she was responsible for maintaining the family’s harmony and adjustment of conflicts. She could only try to brave her way through the tasks that were entrusted to her by Old Lady Han.
Lin Lan still pulled away and said with a smile, “Eldest sister-in-law, don’t worry about it. I still have some cornmeal that I prepped in the morning. If I don’t make something out of them now, they might spoil, so I should probably heat them up just in case.
The eldest sister-in-law of the Han family grabbed her as she pleaded with a request, “Sister-in-law, please, I’m begging you to not get angry with our mother— how can the younger generation get angry with their parents? The family shouldn’t speak in two languages(4) and yes, our mother is not the fairest or the most authentic person in the world, but no matter what, she’s still older than us and we shouldn’t be mad at her. If she were to make a fuss because of this, the three brothers’ reputations wouldn’t turn out great either. “
(T/N: Means that a family should stay united. Two languages in a family means there will bound to be secrets one knows of the other, and cause the division between members of the same blood)
The way she spoke was meant to change the narration of things.
Lin Lan said, “Sister-in-law, I’m really angry about some things. I’m already a shrew with a bad reputation anyways, so I won’t please those who made me suffer just to improve my image. Let me just say it directly— I just want to split the family and make my own decisions without so many interventions and problems. With such a good opportunity, would you not grab it, eldest sister-in-law? “
The eldest sister-in-law smiled bitterly.
When it came to the separation of the family, she knew about it and yearned to have it more than anyone else.
But as the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law, unless the seniors specifically wanted the younger ones at home and sent the oldest ones out, it was practically customary for the eldest ones to bear the responsibility of taking care of the older generation. Would she dare to suggest something ?
The eldest brother of the Han family would instantly turn against her the moment she mentioned something . Don’t be fooled by his honest appearance; in reality, he was a far cry from the well-mannered Old Three.
Lin Lan wanted to give her some leeway and not make her life that difficult considering the fact that the eldest sister-in-law took care of them a lot back when they were still stuck at the house.