It was a Saturday last month. After the exam I left for home. When I got back, I was ravenous. I went all the way into the kitchen for a bite, but there was no ready meal there. Instead, I found some live crabs in a basin. They must be presents from Father’s business partners. As you know, crabs from Yangcheng Lake in East China are very popular this season in town. I expected that Mother would do the crabs the next day.

The next day, Mother was preparing the crabs for cooking. Out of curiosity, my younger sister asked how Mother would go about it. “Direct steaming,” Mother replied.

“Why don’t you kill them first?” Sister went on.

“Steamed alive, they’ll taste fresh,” Mother promised.

“Oh no! You are so cruel, Mother. I hate it when you do the creatures that way,” my sister protested.

“What a stupid girl! They are no more than crabs,” Mother said smiling. She insisted on steaming the crabs alive, despite my sister’s strong objection. Neither would give in, so a verbal war erupted between them.

A verbal war between females is known to be fierce and fiery. The one between my mother and sis was no exception. In the end, my sister carried the basin with the crabs in it into her own room. She then locked the door and carried the key with her.

Thanks to my sis, the crabs survived. They are still alive in the basin.