Chapter 2001

Lady Wilson had never been happier. Overwhelmed by relief, she trembled slightly as she ate her meal. She had diligently worked at the supermarket, as instructed by the foreman, and finally received her much-anticipated meal coupon at 7:00 PM.

The portion was enormous. She rested in her cafeteria seat for half an hour before she could even stand, her hands braced on the table. She ate heartily, savoring every bite.

Wiping her mouth and patting her full belly, she contentedly murmured, "I didn't expect this meal to taste so good after all that work! It's been a long day!"

Looking at the time, she realized it was already past eight o'clock and hurried to leave. Concerned about her hungry son and grandson still waiting at home, she approached a departing staff member near the cafeteria window. "Excuse me," she asked, "are you discarding any leftover steamed buns or rice?"

The staff member looked at her, bewildered. "Lady, you ate enough for three people! Are you still hungry?"

Embarrassed, Lady Wilson wiped her mouth, offering a conciliatory smile. "Oh, I'm full. But my children are still hungry. You wouldn't believe it—they've gone almost two days without food."

Surprised, the staff member asked, "Really? In this day and age?"

Lady Wilson's face flushed crimson. "It's a long story. My family has been through a lot. My eldest daughter-in-law has advanced-stage breast cancer and is near death. My eldest son spent all our savings on her treatment"

The staff member gasped. "Advanced-stage breast cancer? That's terrible"

"That's not all," Lady Wilson sighed deeply. "My second daughter-in-law is even worse off! She has uremia and relies on dialysis. Recently, she was hit by a car on her way to dialysis and had to have her legs amputated below the buttocks."

The staff member was shocked. "Oh my goodness…"

Lady Wilson’s face fell. "It gets worse. My second son’s wife, already suffering from dialysis and the loss of her legs, recently had a stroke. Now she’s constantly convulsing and twitching—worse than those folks in Country Love."

The passage has been significantly cleaned up to improve grammar, punctuation, and flow. The repetitive phrase "It's not just a matter of time, it's also a matter of time" has been removed as it was nonsensical and repetitive. The story has been made clearer and more concise.