"Stop, don’t talk about my daughter-in-law, she probably went to help register for an appointnt and pick up dicine yesterday and got tired. That’s why she’s in a bad mood today and said she can’t make braised eggplant," sighed Samuel’s mother, looking pitifully at Ivy Linden. "Ivy, why don’t you go ho and rest?"
Ivy Linden was almost faint with anger from what Samuel’s mother said.
Yesterday, she frad Ivy at ho with detergent and even broke her own bone. Refusing to stay in the VIP room at the hospital and insisting on being in a regular ward with other patients, all to make Ivy look bad!
Has Samuel’s mother watched too many dramas, using even such lowly tricks on her?
Ivy Linden clenched her fingers; if it weren’t for Samuel, she’d quit serving this old woman and leave straight away.
"Oh my, today’s daughters-in-law are really spoiled. Just registering for an appointnt and picking up so dicine tires her out? Back when I was a daughter-in-law, I was working in the fields with a big belly! Only when my son was about to be born did I stop working and lie down to give birth. Didn’t even go to a hospital, just got a midwife. After giving birth, the confinent period was only three days, and I was back serving my husband’s entire family..."
The woman in bed number two went on and on.
Samuel’s mother felt disdain for the woman, but when she heard her ntion having a son, a sarcastic smirk appeared on her face. What’s so great about having a son? She had a son, too. It was Ivy Linden, this hen that couldn’t lay an egg, who couldn’t give her a big, chubby grandson.
Samuel’s mother thought about her peers, proudly showing off their grandchildren every day, which filled her with resentnt. This ti, she was going all out to get rid of Ivy Linden.
The woman continued, saying, "Back in my day, a daughter-in-law as inconsiderate as yours would be beaten by the mother-in-law with a bamboo stick until she was obedient and sensible."
The young woman in bed number three twitched her mouth, thinking, "So harsh? Isn’t that too exaggerated?"
Samuel’s mother sighed, "Dear sister, what era was that? What era is it now? Daughters-in-law once beca mothers-in-law, but now mothers-in-law have to live by the face of daughters-in-law. Tis have changed, they have changed."
Samuel’s mother intentionally emphasized the last part, as if she was utterly helpless and had suffered much mistreatnt at ho from her daughter-in-law.
The young woman in bed three felt sympathy for Samuel’s mother, thinking she was quite a good mother-in-law despite the advancents of today. Won don’t suffer as much as they did in the past.
But there are still many domineering mothers-in-law today! A good mother-in-law like Samuel’s mother, oppressed by her daughter-in-law, is really rare.
Especially when Samuel’s mother was wearing brand-na clothing. The young woman worked in a luxury boutique and could tell that Samuel’s mother ca from a wealthy background.
Ah, if only she could marry into a family like Samuel’s and be his mother-in-law’s daughter-in-law.
The young woman looked at Ivy Linden with displeasure. This woman was average-looking and able to marry into a wealthy family, shouldn’t she be grateful and cherish it? Why create trouble?
She’d be dumped by her husband sooner or later!
"Tis have changed, but you can’t spoil a daughter-in-law like that, creating an inconsiderate tyrant out of her," the woman in bed two said.
"Auntie, do you have a daughter-in-law?" Ivy suddenly asked.
The woman was taken aback, staring, "Yes! Why? My daughter-in-law is very sensible, not like you."
Ivy laughed, "Oh? Is that so? My mother-in-law fell yesterday, and I imdiately brought the child to the hospital to tend to her, serving her closely."
"So, tell , if your daughter-in-law is so sensible, why haven’t I seen her since I got to this ward yesterday? You seem to be here alone, even calling soone to bring you dinner."
The woman’s face changed. This daughter-in-law was indeed too sharp-tongued.
"Do you think my daughter-in-law, like you, doesn’t need to work? She works in a factory, with a twelve-hour shift every day, then goes ho to take care of the child and my son. How many hands does she have to do so much work?"
"Sister, don’t get angry, my daughter-in-law doesn’t know how to talk."
"Not knowing how to talk is harder than eating shit, thinking everyone is like her, lazy at ho and not going to work."
The woman was emotional, feeling comforted only when she saw Samuel’s mother siding with her, she glared at Ivy.
The woman thought Ivy would quiet down, but unexpectedly...
"Working? That’s a good excuse. Auntie, how do you know I don’t work? When I’m busy, it’s no less than twelve hours a day, but when the elder is unwell, I put everything aside; that’s the basic filial duty of children."
The woman felt as if a fish bone was stuck in her throat.
Ivy smiled, "I think your daughter-in-law deliberately doesn’t co to care for you, right? Why is she so unfilial? Listening to your words, I understand. You’re still living in the old society, wanting to oppress your daughter-in-law, stripping her skin off to make her work herself to death as a slave!"
"Naturally, your daughter-in-law wouldn’t want that, so your mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship is strained. She won’t even take leave to tend to you when you’re in the hospital."
"Auntie, I advise you to wake up! Treat your daughter-in-law better. You’re not that old yet, but when you reach seventy or eighty, lying bedridden every day needing care, if you’re still alone, how pathetic will you be?"
The woman’s face hurt, feeling as if she’d been slapped hard. Ivy Linden was right; her relationship with her daughter-in-law was tense because she didn’t let her rest during her pregnancy for the last two months, wanting her to earn more money for the child.
When her daughter-in-law gave birth, she didn’t care, not even taking care of her during confinent, thinking it was normal to treat her like that since her own mother-in-law treated her the sa.
Who knew her daughter-in-law would hold it against her.
Her daughter-in-law was without a mother, and when she refused to care for her during confinent, her daughter-in-law vowed she wouldn’t tend to her when she was sick.
The woman recalled how her mother-in-law died; was it from illness or starvation? In the old society, with many children, they all pushed responsibilities onto each other, and eventually, no one took care of the elder.
The woman fell silent.
Samuel’s mother saw the woman defeated by Ivy Linden and wanted to say sothing to Ivy.
Who would’ve thought?
Ivy suddenly said, "Mom, you see, everyone has a sense of asure. If she isn’t good to her daughter-in-law, her daughter-in-law won’t be good to her. If you’re good to your daughter-in-law, she’ll be good to you. Don’t you think so?"
Actually, if it were laid out openly, it was clear to anyone that Ivy Linden was quite a good daughter-in-law. Yesterday, she ran back and forth for the elder, even taking care of her excretory needs.
For a daughter-in-law to go this far, the mother-in-law should be smiling happily.
Reviews
All reviews (0)