CHAPTER 617: CHAPTER 251: SYSTEM CALLS ME TO SAVE THE DAY (PART 8)_2

Mrs. Qiao had endured it for two days but couldn’t bear it any longer. After she said two words to He Tiantian, Tiantian, clutching her belly which showed no signs of pregnancy, ran outside, shouting, "Help! Come quickly! The evil old lady is beating the daughter-in-law!"

Evil old lady?

Mrs. Qiao was almost knocked backward by anger.

Which evil old lady would cook and do laundry for her daughter-in-law?

Which evil old lady would just watch as her daughter-in-law threw her weight around in the mother-in-law’s house?

Not to mention the daughter-in-law was only pregnant, even if she indeed bore a son for the Qiao Family, she, she couldn’t just defecate and urinate over her mother-in-law’s head.

Mrs. Qiao felt so suffocated inside that she nearly couldn’t breathe several times.

What scared her even more was if He Tiantian really made a scene about it.

First, it would be bad for their reputation.

Second, their Qiao family couldn’t compare to the Jiao family.

If the Jiao family found out and came knocking, then, then—

"Jiaojiao, mom was wrong, it’s all mom’s fault, I’ll go steam an egg for you right now."

Suppressing her rage, Mrs. Qiao stiffly forced a smile, cooing and apologizing, and she barely managed to pull Tiantian back.

Second Brother Qiao was a young man, sympathetic toward his real mother and indignant at his sister-in-law’s shenanigans, but he also recalled her being virtuous, gentle over the past year, not really wanting to physically confront his sister-in-law.

Second Brother Qiao then tried to "reason" with her.

But He Tiantian just rolled her eyes, "I’m bullying my mother-in-law? When have I ever bullied her?"

"I’m just learning from our mom, aren’t I? I haven’t been in the family for two years yet, but I’m still from the same village. Back when our mom ’took care’ of our granny, I saw it all with my own eyes!"

"Ah, right, speaking of Granny, I almost forgot. Granny’s getting on in years, her eyesight isn’t good, and it’s inconvenient for her to live alone in the old house."

"Xiao Er, I know you’re filial and you’re a reasonable and well-mannered kid. Well, why don’t you go and bring our granny back, okay?"

Being filial, and according to traditional views, not only should one respect their parents, but also treat grandparents with great care.

Second Brother Qiao: ... If I dare to bring Granny back, my mom would be mad to death.

But, He Tiantian’s words were both reasonable and appropriate, even Mr. Qiao couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Men, after all, hope their families can live together harmoniously.

And in a man’s heart, "family" definitely includes his parents.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Qiao didn’t consider the mother-in-law who had set rules for her as "family."

So, after Mrs. Qiao had two sons and established her position in the Qiao Family, she sought ways to edge her in-laws out.

She declared externally: "The house is too small, and there are many kids, the elders understand our situation, that’s why they moved out."

"Though we don’t live together, we’re still one family, and we won’t be negligent in fulfilling our duties of care!"

Mrs. Qiao made it sound nice and indeed, occasionally sent some things to her in-laws who lived on another street, thereby maintaining her image as an honest, virtuous person.

But, everyone in the Qiao family, including Mr. Qiao himself, knew that Mrs. Qiao and Granny Qiao were like water and fire, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law regarded each other as enemies.

Mr. Qiao had once thought of being a filial son and having the whole family live together in harmony.

However, Mrs. Qiao disagreed, and after weighing the pros and cons, Mr. Qiao silently agreed with her decision.

Of course, if there was a chance to bring his elderly mother back without strong opposition from Mrs. Qiao, Mr. Qiao was very willing to do so.

After all, times were different now, his father had passed away, leaving only the old lady living alone in a rundown house, which somewhat concerned Mr. Qiao.

What’s more, he was an only son and yet wasn’t serving his own mother, which made him vulnerable to gossip.

Luckily, although Granny Qiao despised her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Qiao, she cared for her son and grandson. When asked, she would deliberately say, "I’ve gotten used to living alone, I can’t stand the noise, it’s more comfortable living by myself."

Who actually enjoys living alone as an elderly person?

Isn’t it all for the sake of the grandchildren’s reputation and her own face?

Mr. Qiao understood his mother’s hardships and felt increasingly indebted to her.

Every day after work, he would visit the old house to help her carry buckets of water and chop firewood.

Doing so eased Mr. Qiao’s mind a bit, and the neighbors didn’t dare call him unfilial or a white-eyed wolf.

If Second Brother Qiao could bring Granny Qiao back, Mr. Qiao could only be happy.

Second Brother Qiao: ... Dad, my sister-in-law is trying to harm me, and you’re actually cheering her on?!

Absolutely terrified, Second Brother Qiao dared not reason with his sister-in-law anymore.