CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 294: I AM HER MOTHER-IN-LAW

When Father Song cheerfully brought his eldest grandson back from daycare to the house, Mrs. Song also returned home full of resentment, with the boy and girl twins in tow. At that moment, the living room was filled with people; Song Yuan Yao and Xu Jingjing had come home early for once, only to see Mrs. Song ignoring the twins and then grabbing Aunt Luo’s hand to tearfully complain.

"What kind of bad karma have I created, to deserve this? Am I supposed to be at her beck and call? I am after all the mother-in-law, not her servant. Oh! She just says her stomach feels uncomfortable, she’s about to give birth, and I’m expected to scamper back to the old home to tend to her? Why should I?" Mrs. Song gripped Aunt Luo’s hand, grinding her teeth as she spoke.

Initially, upon arriving in Z City, seeing her eldest grandson and the twins, and taking care of her injured second son, Mrs. Song felt life was comfortable without any frustrations. She felt she was making good use of her twilight years and was considering staying a while longer to lighten the load of her second daughter-in-law. But by evening, she worried about her eldest son managing alone and couldn’t help but make a phone call. To her surprise, her eldest son broke down on the phone, saying his wife, Wang Qinghua, was unwell and had been lying in bed for two days unable to get up, leaving him, a man, to manage everything. He was at his wit’s end, even cooking half-cooked meals. Wang Qinghua lost her temper and threw things around, even injuring their elder granddaughter, Niuniu.

Her eldest son surely couldn’t handle his wife’s temperament alone. Mrs. Song had worried about this before coming to Z City. Making her eldest son serve Wang Qinghua was indeed tough. But Wang Qinghua was really quite devastating to deal with. Hardening her heart and gritting her teeth, Mrs. Song packed her bags and came to Z City, hoping to relax for a few days. Yet just a day after their arrival, trouble had started; her elder granddaughter was injured—how could such a thing happen?

"Sister Liu, you should try to look on the bright side! Every family has their own difficult issues, and I don’t really know how to console you. The kids these days aren’t very understanding or reasonable, unlike our generation who grew up through hardships and had many rules. Being a young daughter-in-law wasn’t easy back then, but today’s daughters-in-law are nothing like we were." Aunt Luo chimed in, sympathetically nodding along with Mrs. Song.

"I think you’ve done a great job raising Yuanhuan and Yuanying. You are clearly a generous person. They say ’like son, like mother,’ and I can see that in your children. Be at ease! This mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship has always been difficult to manage since ancient times. You already have Xiuxiu, such a good daughter-in-law, and your younger son and daughter are capable, too. What more could you want? All the good things have come your way; how should others manage to live?" Aunt Luo said modestly, patting the back of Mrs. Song’s hand in a comforting, envious gesture.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Song felt pleased with herself. Thinking of her second daughter-in-law, Xu Xiuxiu, who truly was a good one, and her younger son and daughter, who weren’t very old yet could earn their own tuition fees during their summer visit to Z City, didn’t need her worries at all. Wasn’t her family much better off than others?

"That’s true, but you know, I’m satisfied just to have someone listen to me. If I don’t get it off my chest, it’s just suffocating inside." Mrs. Song sobbed, wiping away tears: "Sigh, back in the village, who wasn’t envious of me? My second son’s family is capable, and they even had twins, a boy and a girl. And Xiuxiu, she’s so filial. We never lack gifts on the holidays, and even on regular days, she sends packages home. Everyone speaks well of us. But then there’s this troublemaker—my heart aches!" Mrs. Song said, thumping her chest twice. "I had only been in Z City for a day, and she started making a scene over there, even using a bowl to injure my eldest granddaughter, her own daughter! How could she be so cruel? In my opinion, she wasn’t like this in the previous years, she was honest and not nitpicky. But how could she change so suddenly, always stabbing at one’s heart, and her words hurt so much?" Mrs. Song spoke with utter helplessness in her voice.

"They say that after a thousand years, a daughter-in-law becomes the mother-in-law, but the way she’s been a mother-in-law, isn’t it just about being aggrieved?"

"I understand you," Aunt Luo immediately continued to soothe and said kind words.

"What’s going on? The child is home, and it’s almost dark, yet you don’t let the Luo Family girl go make dinner, holding her up with idle chatter!" Father Song walked into the house with Cheng Guang and saw his wife grabbing hold of Aunt Luo and pouring out a litany of complaints. He instantly frowned, feeling irritated. This woman, honestly, he knew she had been angered by her eldest daughter-in-law, but hadn’t they all come to City Z? Why had she started grumbling again out of nowhere? From what he had overheard just now, it seemed that their eldest son Song Yuantao must have called.

"Dad, before mom came home, she made a call to our hometown. My eldest brother said that my sister-in-law wasn’t feeling well and even lashed out, injuring Niuniu. He can’t handle it all by himself and wants mom to go back and help take care of my sister-in-law," Song Yuan Yao, along with Xu Jingjing, who had been avoiding the commotion with the boy and girl twins, had heard every word Mrs. Song and Aunt Luo said. Now that Father Song was asking with a darkened face, she relayed the information.

Upon hearing Father Song’s voice, Mrs. Song reined in her desire to vent and fell silent, sulking and not saying a word, knowing that her daughter would tell him. She then sat beside the sofa, sighing to herself.

"Then go back! What is there to fuss about? Yuanyao, speak to your second sister-in-law this evening. Buy two train tickets for tomorrow; we’re going back." Father Song naturally didn’t want to leave his grandchildren either, but his eldest son’s situation was indeed worrying. Although his second son had been injured, there were plenty of people to take care of him in City Z, and his second daughter-in-law was reliable in handling matters; they didn’t need to worry too much. The situation back home indeed couldn’t do without someone, and if he hadn’t been missing his grandchildren so much, he wouldn’t have made the trip. It was tiring, but since they had come, seen everyone, and returning wasn’t an issue, it would prevent his eldest son from not knowing what to do at home.

"If you want to go back, then go back by yourself. Why should I have to go back to wait on her? After all the hard work I put into serving her, Wang Qinghua will continue to mistreat me, and in the end, I won’t get any appreciation. Why should I?" Mrs. Song rebutted Father Song bitterly, with a clear tone of spite.

"So what do you want to do? Our eldest daughter-in-law is about to give birth, and us running to City Z like this is already enough to give people something to talk about. If she gives birth, you won’t be able to not go back and help her through her confinement, or else won’t the neighbors poke at our spine? I cannot afford that loss of face," Father Song said authoritatively, sternly. "Alright, enough of the act. We’ve been in City Z for two days; it’s time to go back. If you’re so spiteful that you won’t return, do you plan on staying in City Z forever?" Having said his piece, Father Song tried to appease Mrs. Song a few more words helplessly, then huffed coldly.