Chapter 2

My mother-in-law made fried chicken, butter scallops, and mutton curry, all high in oil and salt.

She happily brought the dishes to the dining table.

"Lara, you had blood drawn today, so you need to replenish your energy!"

But my daughter's blood sample was severely elevated in yellow fats. The doctor had warned her about her dangerously high cholesterol level and told her to stop eating high-salt, high-oil foods.

In the Facetime call, my daughter from ten years later pounded her fist against the screen. She looked furious.

"Grandma, didn't you hear what the doctor said? Why are you still making food that harms me?"

Sadly, besides me, no one could hear her desperate cry.

My present-day daughter gleefully picked up a piece of fried chicken and looked at me defiantly.

Usually, I would remind her not to eat so much, but today, I stayed silent.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Mom? I even managed to convince the doctor. You know you're in the wrong."

I calmly picked up my utensils and began to eat.

In the Facetime call, my daughter pleaded with me, "Mom, say something to stop me from eating the fried chicken. I'm suffering from all this cholesterol, it's hard to breathe."

I hesitated but finally spoke up. "Lara, I must say something. Don't eat so much fried chicken. It's fine if you're chubby as long as your readings are healthy. All I want is for you to be healthy."

My daughter victoriously turned to my mother-in-law. "See? I told you Mom still wants to control me. She's such a pain."

My mother-in-law heaped more food onto my daughter's plate. "Your mother's not a doctor. What does she know? A few pieces of fried chicken won't hurt anyone. You only have to worry about high blood pressure and cholesterol when you're in your sixties or seventies. If you have to eat like someone in their sixties when you're still so young, what's the point of living?"

She said that even though the doctor had just advised my daughter to control her diet because her cholesterol level was even higher than that of someone in their sixties.

My daughter finished off all four dishes on the table.

My mother-in-law smiled broadly.

"If you like my cooking, I'll make you delicious food every day."

I lost my appetite due to my mood and put my utensils down early.

After dinner, I passed my daughter the blood pressure and cholesterol medications the doctor prescribed.

"Here's the medicine the doctor prescribed. He said to take it after meals."

My daughter scoffed and said, "Mom, stop lying. I heard you conspiring with the doctor in his office."

I was taken aback and asked, "How did I conspire with the doctor?"

"You insisted he prescribe me this medication, which he wasn't going to do initially."

She pointed to the name on the medication: "Jasmine Lane, 56 years old."

The name on the bottle was mine.

After the check-up earlier today, I consulted the doctor with my daughter's report.

He said he couldn't prescribe the medication directly without the patient willingly registering for treatment. However, given my daughter's dangerous indicators, I pleaded with him to make an exception. He finally agreed to prescribe the medication based on my medical history.

My mother-in-law snatched the medicine away. "I have this too. It's for people over 60. Lara is only in her twenties. How can she take this? Besides, this medication could cause side effects like stroke and paralysis. Do you want to harm your daughter? What kind of mother are you?"

I felt heartbroken. The medication I had painstakingly asked the doctor for was being claimed as something that would harm her.

In the Facetime call, my daughter from ten years later screamed in anguish, "Take your medication! You're only pre-diabetic, so you can still keep it under control! Do you know how serious diabetes is? It's an irreversible lifelong condition! If I forget to take one injection, I could suddenly faint!"

Unfortunately, no one could hear her.