The son-in-law was back, and the mother-in-law was positively effusive — four dishes and a soup every day.
That night she made sweet-and-sour spare ribs, braised meatballs, two stir-fries, and a little bok choy soup.
Gong Xue’s mother didn’t eat much; after a short while she put down her chopsticks, stood up and said, “You two eat on. I’ll go take a walk.”
“Hey, wait a minute!” Chen Qi called.
Seeing her head for the door, he asked curiously, “Where’s Mom going?”
“Now that you’re back she doesn’t have to walk me anymore. She’s got company. She met some teachers over at the Northern Film Studio next door — they have a great time together.”
“Oh right, your mom’s into the arts… are they men or women?”
“A bunch of people — both men and women.”
“Then your dad’s just in Shanghai with no one to watch over him.”
“You asking for a beating?” Gong Xue smacked the table and he shut up and kept eating.
His mother-in-law took into account his tastes — sweet stuff, salty stuff — everything tasted good.