Daily life in the highlands: Cutting grass for buffaloes, cooking a family meal

What kind of outdated custom is this? There are only four people in the house, but we always have to divide the food. My grass cutter has been broken these past few days, so I have to cut grass by hand. It's not like I'm doing this to make a fancy video. Cutting grass like this is really tiring.

After adding water seven, seven, four, nine times, this is my pot of corn that's been cooking all day. Usually, my mother-in-law cuts a lot of grass, but I don't really know how to cut much, so I'm just cutting a little for the buffalo and pigs to eat. Back when I lived with my birth mother, she rarely let me do these kinds of chores.

Now that I'm married, my mother-in-law does everything herself, so I'm quite clumsy. (I only get to do things when she's too tired or comes home late from work.) My mother-in-law is very hard-working, so she goes to work and comes home late, very tired.

There's not much to cook, so I'm just boiling water first and washing some greens to boil. Earlier, when I was cutting grass in the field, I picked some fish mint. I washed it, added salt and MSG, and mixed it to absorb the seasoning.

It smells so good, everyone. Adding some dried chili would be even better. My parents-in-law are back from work. They said that on Ngo's graduation day, they'll find a chicken. While waiting for my dad to cook, my mother and I will go cut grass for the buffalo.

This season, Ngo's field clearing didn't yield much green grass, so we have to cut extra dry grass to feed the buffalo all day. After cutting grass, I ran to the garden to dig up some ginger to stir-fry with the chicken. I've been looking for ginger since last year, but I can't find any big pieces.

I only found a few small pieces. I've been married for four years, and I've never plucked or cleaned a chicken. My husband does it when he's home, or my parents-in-law do it. They always say I'm clumsy, so I get to relax. We still have to divide the food.

Someone even asked if I would let my future daughter-in-law eat separately like this. To be honest, I'm not highly educated. I know these customs are outdated. But my parents-in-law still hold these beliefs. Instead of arguing with them about right or wrong, I'll just try to wash a few more dishes.