2) Favouritism.

Laughter and merry conversations filled the dining room as everyone was waiting for the food to be served. While her most of her daughter-in-laws were in the kitchen, busy preparing the last dish, my aunt was fussing over every little detail.

“Don’t be a fool,” yelled the matriarch. “Who would serve the soup in such a plain bowl on this important occasion?”

Nodding their heads as they hastily correct their mistake, my cousin-in-laws did not dare to look at my aunt in the eye. After a minute of checking the food, my aunt nodded her head with approval. As their mother-in-law was out of kitchen, my cousin-in-laws heaved a sigh of relief.

The sight of my cousin-in-laws rushing to serve the food to the rest of the family made my heart ache. Smiling while the food was served, my aunt turned and asked her daughter-in-law, Ying, “Is everything to your liking?”

Obviously contented by the amount of attention my aunt had given to her, Ying returned a picture perfect smile.

Everyone had gathered to celebrate the first month of Ying’s baby boy. Unlike my other cousin-in-laws, Ying was the first to deliver a male child – the family jewel.

As my aunt kept placing the best bits of every dish in Ying’s bowl, the expressions on the rest of my cousin-in-laws darkened. This sight made me feel uneasy. Oblivious of the fact that the rest of my cousin-in-laws hated her and my aunt, Ying ate the food placed on her bowl delightfully.

Throughout the meal, the dark expressions across the table made me wonder about my aunt’s actions.

“When will favouritism tear the family apart?”