Sorry I am not good at writing Hmong...so I'm just translating everything into English. Not sure if anyone heard of this one before but here it goes:
Once upon a time, there was a small village in the mountains. A son from a family who resided there had brought home his wife to his mother. His father had passed away, so his only family was his mom. They lived their life together with his mom beautifully in the small village.
Due to poor illness, the mother had asked the daughter in law for help with chores. Too often to the point where the daughter in law got so sick of her mother in law. She started complaining to her husband daily.
Then one day, the daughter in law's uncle from afar sent words to her and her husband that they're going to kill a cow and having a feast for their son. They had invited her and the husband to go join the feast. It would take 1 day of walking to get to her uncle's village.
The son had prepared a few things in the house for his mother so that she wouldn't have a hard time doing things, when they leave. The mother was so sick, she did not have any apetite to eat at all. When she heard that her son and daughter in law's uncle was going to kill a cow to do a feast for their son, she had asked the daughter in law to bring back some cooked intestine. It was the only thing she was craving for and wanted to eat.
The following morning, the son and daughter in law had left. When they arrived at the uncle's home, they had enjoy the feast so much. The daughter in law was so happy with all the food they were getting to eat because living with her husband and his mother, she just knew that should would never be able to afford a cow. Since they are so poor, she decided to take this chance to stuff as much food in her mouth.
The next day, the woke up early to head home. Before they came home, the daughter's aunt had packed food for them on their way home. She packed a chicken and some rice. The son had already stepped outside, whenthe daugther in law remembered that her mother in law had wanted some cow intestine. She asked for them and her aunt packed some cow intestine that was left over for them.
While they were on their way home, it was already in the afternoon when they finally stopped to eat. They sat down and rest for a bit to eat. The son had asked his wife to break a chicken leg and some rice. And so she did that. Then while she was going to break apart the other leg for her, she saw the cow intestine. She decided that, she'll have some of it and save some for her mother in law.
She took some out to eat, but it wasn't enough to fulfill her. The son told her that even if it wasn't fulfilling just be thankful that she had some already and to leave the rest for his mom. But she was not satisfy with his comment and kept thinking that she deserves to eat it because she's been doing so much work for his mom everytime his mom request of her. She turned her back to him and secretly took some more out and more out to eat..until she realized that there was no more cow intestine left.
After they ate, they got back on the road and walked home. On their way home...the daughter in law kept thinking that her husband is going to yell at her when he finds out that she had ate all the cow intestine and didn't leave his ill mother any. It was getting darker and darker...the sun was setting down. On the road, the daughter in law saw some caterpillars. She decided...she'll pick each caterpillar that she see and wrap it in leaves for her mother in law...after all they are small and short like sliced cooked cow intestine, and so that was what she did.
When they reached home, it was dark already. The mother was still up. She had the fire burning for light. The son asked the mother why she hasn't slept yet since it was late. She told him it's because she was really hungry waiting for the cow intestine and was not able to sleep. The son had the wife take out the cow intestine to his mom so she can eat.
While the mother in law was unwrapping the cow intestine, she did not realize that it was just a bunch of caterpillars. She held them in her hands and started chewing when her son was preparing some things. The daugher in law had already went to bed. Before her son went to bed, he came to talk to his ill mother to see how her illness was doing. The whole time talking...he kept looking at the food his mother was eating. He then realize that it was not cow intestines. He took it from his mom and threw it at the floor, then told his mom that she was eating caterpillars.
His mother was so sad that her own daughter in law would give her caterpillars to eat. This whole time she thought she was eating cooked cow intestines. She started to tear. Her son told her that if she wants to eat cow intestines, tomorrow early in the morning, he will go see if he can find anyone who has some cow intestine and he'll buy then cook it for her. She told him that it's okay, but that she will never forgive her daughter in law for what she had done to her. She kept saying that over and over while she was crying in her bed.
The next morning, when the son woke up, he found his mother had died. The next two days, he had run so much errands trying to prepare the funeral for his mother. During the funeral, the daughter in law did not help out as much. She decided that since all the relatives are here, they will do the job while she sits and mourns over her dead mother in law.
On the last day of the funeral, all the men went to bring down her mother in law so they can carry her over to her burial area. All the men tried and tried but they were not able to carry her mother in law down. No matter what they did, they were not able to carry her down at all. Then some of the relatives started gossiping that while the mother in law was still alive, the daughter in law had fed her caterpillars.. .so she should be the one carrying her dead mother in law. Everyone started saying that over and over that she needs to carry her mother in law.
She cried and would not do it. But everyone started hating on her and pushed her over to the mother in law. She got down and grabbed the mother in law onto her back. She was able to carry her mother in law.
On the way to the burial area, there was a place that was already dug up and ready to place the dead. The daughter in law tried to lift her grandmother off her but she was not able to. She tried and tried but could not get the mother in law off her at all. The men started saying they need to get a knife to cut the mother in law off her. So they did that. However, anywhere they tried to cut, they were cutting the daughter in law's flesh. No matter where they cut the mother in law, it was the daugther in law's flesh.
The daughter in law couldn't take it anymore, she cried. Her mother in law's flesh had became her own. She tripped herself over and fell into the hole. She had fainted and fell asleep. Everyone kept thinking that she had died when she fell down. So they told her husband not to cry and to let go. There was nothing that can be done. They buried his wife and mother together.
When the daughter in law finally awaken...she felt small critters crawling over her. She could smell the raw slimey rotten aroma surrounding her. She tried to move but couldn't. Everything was dark...it was hard to breath. She started calling out her husband's name. The husband was mourning over his mother and wife when he heard his name called. It was his wife's voice calling him. He suddenly stopped what he was doing and ran over to the grave. It really was his wife calling him from below.
He got scared. He wasn't sure if it was his wife anymore. Then he finally said to her to let go of him. She is already dead. It was because she gave his mom caterpillars to eat. It was so mean of her and disrespectful of her to be treating a sick person in such ways especially since it was his mom too. He told her that he does not want a wife who is dead and someone who will feed anyone caterpillars. He no longer wanted her. He got up and left home all the while hearing his wife calling out his name.
The wife no longer able to go back up and follow her husband...buri ed undergound with his mother on her back...soon died.
