But if she truly didn't do anything and just waited to eat, her mother-in-law might deliberately mock her inaction at mealtime and not allow her to have the bear paw.
The bear paw was a delicacy even rarer than canned beef. She knew instinctively that her biased mother-in-law would surely reserve the lion's share for that damned lass, let alone now that Gu Tingyun would be joining them for dinner.
Seeing Li Chunhua stand in the same spot pensively with her round belly, Zhao Mei thought she was feeling anxious and offered: "Sister-in-law, come pick the vegetables with me. Our mother and eldest daughter alone are enough for the kitchen."
Her intentions were good - she wanted to take Chunhua away from their mother-in-law's sight and give her some lighter work to do.
After all, in the yard, they were allowed to sit on the bench while picking vegetables.
However, Li Chunhua felt that she was butting in. She only wanted to steal some food, not actually work!