Smart Mouth

故事全文


There was once a nagging daughter-in-law. She did nothing but talk all day. Everyone called her "Smart Mouth". One day, Uncle said that he would be bringing some friends over for lunch the next day. The next morning, the younger daughter-in-law woke up very early to clean the house. By the time Smart Mouth woke up, the house was clean. However, Smart Mouth did not feel ashamed for not helping. "There is still some dust on this chair", she said. "Come here and help me comb my hair", she said. When she saw the younger daughter-in-law in the kitchen making lunch, Smart Mouth opened her mouth again and said, "I know how to cook! Just follow my instructions." She continued to speak. "Make sure the bamboo shoots are finely sliced." "The carrots need to be diced, not sliced." When the younger daughter-in-law reached for the wok, Smart Mouth quickly said, "The food will not cook well with too little oil, but too much oil will make the food greasy. Too much heat will burn the food, but the food will take forever to cook if the heat is too low."

When Uncle and his friends finally arrived, Smart Mouth told the younger daughter-in-law, "Go back to your room to rest. I will take care of our guests." When Uncle's friends said, "This soup is delicious!" Smart Mouth said, "I made it." When Uncle's friends said, "These noodles are a little overcooked." Smart Mouth quickly said, "Younger daughter-in-law made them." When Uncle's friends said, "The seasoning is just right!" Smart Mouth said, "I seasoned the vegetables." When Uncle's friends said, "This meat is too greasy!" Smart Mouth quickly said, "Younger daughter-in-law added too much oil." When Uncle's friends said, "Why don't you ask younger daughter-in-law to have lunch with us?" Smart Mouth said, "Oh, she is very lazy. She has been out playing since morning!" When Uncle's friends said, "You should ask her to help with the housework." Smart Mouth sighed and said, "She won"t help me. What a tough life I have." Uncle smiled and told Smart Mouth, "I know how to tell someone's fortune by reading their face. Your face is fine, except for your mouth. If you do not speak for five years, you will be blessed with good fortune. Otherwise, you will have bad luck for the rest of your life."

After the guests left, Smart Mouth did not dare to open her mouth to speak. Since she could no longer ask the younger daughter-in-law to do things, she had to start doing things herself. Whenever she opened her mouth to complain about the younger daughter-in-law, she remembered what Uncle said and shut her mouth immediately. Soon, Smart Mouth learned how to cook delicious food on her own. She became hardworking and stopped nagging. Everyone began to like Smart Mouth, and Smart Mouth felt happier than ever before.