What was the fundamental principle of a healthy lifestyle?
The simplest way to put it was to eat well and eat your fill in the morning and at noon, but eat less at night. Eating too much in the evening was hard to digest and could even shorten your life.
Liu Cong thought his grandmother's plan for the day was excellent, but if he wasn't home for lunch, wouldn't that mean...
No way. He shook his head. Whether it was braised pork, braised fish, or fried ribs and steamed rice, he couldn't bear to miss any of it.
Gu Jinhua saw the hesitation in her eldest son's eyes. She knew he had no real faults, except for being a glutton. So, she played to his weakness, coaxing, "Don't be so reluctant to part with this fish. Your second uncle is coming back today, so your grandma's place will definitely have good food. They might even have big chunks of meat." Seeing the unconvinced look on her son's face, she thought he was still fixated on the fish, unable to let it go. She smiled and said, "How about we ask your grandma not to cook the fish for lunch today and save it for dinner instead?"
'If my son says he wants to go to his maternal grandma's house right away, then my father-in-law probably won't stop him, right?'
For a moment, Liu Cong was tempted.
'A healthy lifestyle is important, but breaking the rules just once should be fine, right? If I can convince Grandma to save all the good food for dinner, I can have lunch at my maternal grandma's place and still come back to another great meal tonight.'
He looked at his grandma with hopeful eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he remembered his grandma telling him that they ate well for lunch at home—a secret he was not to mention at his maternal grandmother's house, nor even tell his own mother. The words died on his lips.
"Oh, please. Didn't you say your brother is in the hospital? When our Cong'er gets over there and they hear the news, won't they just rush off to the hospital? Forget about good food—it'll be a question if anyone even cares whether our Cong'er has eaten or not."
Gu Jinhua's mother-in-law shot her daughter-in-law a disdainful look. She couldn't stand the way Gu Jinhua had suddenly come home, caught her with the fish, and was now staring at it intently. Such a shallow, grasping display.
'Have I been skimping on her food or something?'
Even if the family mostly ate their big fish and meat dishes while she was out, it wasn't like she skimped on shredded pork in the daily stir-fries. There were often small fish and shrimp, too. Their meals were still much better than the average family's.
Especially since, according to her grandson, the so-called "good food" he got at his maternal grandmother's house was nothing more than a single plate of fish or meat on the table. Or maybe some white-flour steamed buns, freshly cut noodles, or dumplings... all common fare, a far cry from what they had at home.
'So ungrateful.'
The thought that Gu Jinhua had seen such a large fish today made her mother-in-law feel particularly vexed.
Now that she'd seen it, it would be unreasonable not to save some for her tonight. And this daughter-in-law of hers knew how to make a scene. If Gu Jinhua pulled at this thread and unraveled the whole truth—that she'd been secretly making better lunches for everyone else—the ensuing fight would be even uglier for everyone.
Gu Jinhua's mother-in-law weighed the pros and cons and realized she'd have to save at least a small half of this fish for dinner. A pang of regret shot through her. The fish might look big, but how could it possibly be enough for the whole family? If she had to set some aside for one more person, it meant her husband, her son, her grandson, her granddaughter, and she herself would all get one less bite...
While her heart ached, she also felt a secret sense of relief. Thank goodness she was always so cautious, always covering her grocery basket with a cloth to keep others from seeing their good food and getting jealous. People might start gossiping and connect it to her husband, saying unpleasant things.
"Cong'er, don't listen to your mother. If your maternal grandparents really wanted you to come over for a good meal, why didn't they invite you in advance, knowing your second uncle was coming back today? We don't need anything from their family. Grandma bought all your favorites today. Isn't it better to cook them now and eat them while they're hot? If we save it for tonight, the flavor will change. How could it possibly be as good?"
The mention of an empty stomach sharpened Liu Cong's wits. He thought about it and realized his grandma had a point. 'Whoa, I almost fell for Mom's trick. Grandma is still the best to me; she always thinks about what's best for me.' He nodded like a pecking chicken. "Grandma, I'll listen to you. I'll go after I eat."
Then he turned to Gu Jinhua. "Mom, don't worry. Even if there's no good food today, I'll still make the trip for you."
'The trip won't be a total loss,' he secretly calculated. He also wanted to take the opportunity to see if his second uncle had brought him any tasty snacks or fun toys this time.
"Fine. It's all the same if you go after you eat." Gu Jinhua's tone was gentle with her son, but when she turned to her mother-in-law, her expression soured. Her mother-in-law was clearly teaching her son to be distant from her side of the family, right to her face. Yet, what she'd said was the undeniable truth, and Gu Jinhua had no way to argue.
No matter how much her own mother doted on her grandson, there were limits; it certainly couldn't compare to the love for her own son. In a moment of panic, her mother would never think to ask if her grandson had eaten... She had been too hasty and careless just now. Her brother was important, of course, but her son was more important. What if this incident caused a rift between mother and son in the future?
'I was muddled with anxiety.'
Gu Jinhua took a deep breath, but her chest still felt tight with frustration. Seeing her like this, Gu Jinhua's mother-in-law flashed a triumphant smile, not about to let her off the hook. This time, she aimed her attack directly at her. "How can you be so heartless, with eyes only for your own family? Willing to trick your own son into running all that way and back on an empty stomach just for your troublesome relatives?"
"Mom, it's not like that at all! How was I doing it on purpose? I just didn't think of it at the moment, that's all!" Gu Jinhua had had enough. She took a step forward. "I'm going back to work."
As she spoke, the large lunch box in her son's hands caught the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't need to guess to know it was filled with something delicious, she just didn't know what. By the time she got home, it would surely be long gone. "Son, what's in that lunch box?"
"Meat buns," Liu Cong replied, opening the lunch box for Gu Jinhua to see.
Gu Jinhua looked inside. Good heavens, the lunch box was indeed filled with meat buns. One, two, three... six in total, exactly one for each person in the family. "Perfect, I'm hungry too. I'll just eat mine now to tide me over." As she spoke, she unapologetically reached in, grabbed one, and took a huge bite.
The meat bun was still warm, and her first bite filled her mouth with savory juice. It was just too fragrant. Gu Jinhua couldn't resist the temptation. Chewing on the bun, she mumbled, "I've been on my feet all morning, and I just rushed back here. I only had a bowl of congee and some pickles for breakfast, so I've been starving for a while. Give me that girl Yixiang's bun, too." With that, she quickly reached out and snatched another one, holding it in her hand.