My mother-in-law insists we wait to eat until my husband comes home, even if he's late

I’m 32 years old, married for six years, and have a son in kindergarten. My husband and I currently live with my mother-in-law. I run a pharmacy from home, pick up my son in the afternoons, and handle the cooking. My husband works in business with irregular hours and often comes home late. What tires me out is not just his late arrivals, but also that my mother-in-law insists on waiting for him before we eat. She believes it’s better to wait for everyone to be there so the meal is more enjoyable.

Every evening, I cook dinner around 6 o’clock and set the table neatly. I feed my son first, and then my mother-in-law and I sit and wait. I often say, "Mom, just eat first while it’s hot," but she always refuses, saying, "Wait a bit, let’s eat together. Otherwise, he’ll end up eating alone..."

However, her "waiting a bit" often stretches into an hour. One time, at 8 p.m., I called my husband, and he told me he was on his way, but he didn’t arrive for another two to three hours. Every night, because of this delay, we don’t get to rest until late. When our son starts primary school, I feel like I’ll be even more exhausted. But my mother-in-law often says, "It’s really tough to make a living these days," and shakes her head.

One time, I cooked braised fish and sour soup—my husband’s favorite dishes. I waited until nearly 9 p.m. for him to come home, and when he finally arrived, he said, "I’ve already eaten; a client kept me." He told us to eat before he came home, saying he could eat quickly and didn’t need to wait. He’d said this before, but my mother-in-law insisted on waiting for him to return before eating.

Sometimes, I wish we could live separately to make things easier, but my husband doesn’t agree because we’re not financially stable enough yet. More importantly, my mother-in-law is alone, and her health isn’t great, so I’m not comfortable leaving her by herself. It’s a small issue, but it has been dragging on, and it’s wearing me out.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?