Chapter 27: Speaking Without Filter

Lao San pedaled his bicycle at full speed, delivering her directly to the entrance of the alleyway leading to her mother-in-law's house.

"Stay at your mother's for now. I'll come pick you up after work."

Zhao Meijuan stood at the mouth of the alley, watching Lao San's figure disappear into the crowd. Thinking about her encounter early this morning, her expression was incredibly grim.

"Juanzi?"

Liu Hehua walked over carrying a basket. When she saw her daughter, she instinctively sized her up from head to toe.

"What are you doing standing here so early? I thought I was seeing things."

"Mom~, you have no idea. These past few days, that old hag has been like a mad dog, snapping at me without letting up. She even complains that I'm just a freeloader and demands that I take turns with Lao Wu to cook for the whole family. She kicks the door before anyone is even awake and starts cursing the moment she opens her mouth. It's infuriating!"

Listening to her daughter's complaints, Liu Hehua gave her a look. Was this really something to complain about?

"It's just cooking. It's not like you haven't done it before. What's there to complain about?"

Zhao Meijuan choked on her words and immediately pouted.

"When we got married, Zhang Jianshe personally promised me that I wouldn't have to do anything in the future. He broke his word first. Why should I have to serve their whole family?"

Hearing this, Liu Hehua looked at her with a complicated expression. It was a good thing Zhang Jianshe was a big, burly man who lacked any sense of cunning and was determined to marry only her daughter; otherwise, that woman Li Xiangqin would have had to swallow her pride and endure it in silence.

If it were her, once she married into a family, she would do whatever it took to vent her frustrations.

"Know when to stop. Lao San protects you with all his heart, but your mother-in-law isn't stupid. Lend a hand with the housework and keep your mouth sweet. Your mother-in-law is about to retire, and she's counting on you to take over her position. Don't push her to the breaking point."

"Mom, that position is mine for the taking. I've calculated it; that old hag only has six months left until retirement. Lao Wu and Lao Liu are both in school. Aside from me, there's no one else suitable to take over."

In truth, she would have preferred to take her father-in-law's position, but too many people were eyeing it, and she didn't have a high enough chance of winning, so she hadn't made a move.

Besides, the benefits at the textile factory weren't bad, and there were more jobs suitable for women; she wouldn't be losing out.

Thinking of this, Zhao Meijuan gave a triumphant smile.

"No matter how much that old hag dislikes me, she'll have to hand that job over to me. Otherwise, she'll have to let her son support me for the rest of my life."

Liu Hehua looked at her daughter in surprise. This girl had changed quite a bit since getting married; her calculating nature was a match for her own.

Fortunately, she had nagged her often to look out for her maternal family, and so far, it seemed to be working.

"That's all well and good, but don't go too far. If you push people too hard, it might end in mutual destruction."

"Don't worry, Mom. That idiot Zhang Jianshe only listens to me. If I tell him to go east, he won't dare go west; if I tell him to hit a dog, he won't dare chase a chicken."

Zhang Jianshe was destined to never escape her grasp in this lifetime.

Seeing her daughter's smugness, Liu Hehua's lip twitched. "Fine, as long as you know what you're doing."

She was a mother-in-law herself; if her own son had married such a troublesome wife, she would have certainly started a fight.

As the two entered the residential compound, several boys squatting on the ground playing marbles rushed toward them.

"Auntie, you're back! I want candy! Go buy some candy for me!"

"I want sugar cakes! Two of them!"

Looking at her rowdy young nephews, Zhao Meijuan nodded with a smile, but as she reached into her pocket, her expression froze.

"Auntie left in a hurry today and didn't bring any money. I'll buy them for you next time."

"No! I want them now!"

"Auntie, do you just not want to buy them? Do you still want us to back you up in the future?" The slightly older child looked up, already starting to get angry.

Zhao Meijuan was stunned, thinking her nephew was joking. She reached out to pat his head. "You little rascal, Auntie changed her clothes this morning and couldn't get the money out; I forgot to bring it."

The hand was brushed away as soon as it touched his head.

"Grandma said if Auntie buys us yummy food, we'll back you up in the future. If you don't buy it, don't expect us to help you!"

Hearing this, Liu Hehua looked at her daughter awkwardly and scolded her grandsons.

"You greedy little monkeys, what nonsense are you talking about? Scatter! Go play by yourselves!"

"Hmph! My mom said Auntie's health isn't good and she definitely won't be able to have kids. All the money Auntie and Uncle earn will be ours in the future!"

Liu Hehua: "..."

Zhao Meijuan was stunned. She turned to her mother. "Is this how Sister-in-law usually teaches the kids? And you don't even say anything, Mom?"

"Ahem... children are outspoken. Don't hold it against them."

Liu Hehua quickly pulled her daughter into the house, pushed her into a chair, and went to pour a glass of water to soothe her throat.

"Alright, don't take it to heart. Your nephew isn't wrong. If you suffer grievances at your in-laws' house in the future, your nephews will be the ones to back you up and cheer you on."

Zhao Meijuan blinked. Ever since she married Lao San, the two of them had been intimate every single day, yet there had been no sign of pregnancy.

Previously, she hadn't thought much of it, thinking they were still young and that having a child later would allow her a few more years of ease.

But hearing her nephew say it today, she suddenly felt something was off.

"Mom, why would Sister-in-law say I can't have children?"

"What's so strange about that? Everyone knows you're thin and frail... if you did give birth, the baby would be as tiny as a kitten; even I worry you wouldn't be able to keep it alive. But I must say, your complexion has improved much more in this year of marriage, and you've put some meat on your face. It seems marrying Zhang Jianshe was the right choice."

Liu Hehua glanced at her, then turned to sit beside her and began sorting vegetables. Everyone else was at work, so it was convenient for the mother and daughter to talk.

"Children are a matter of fate; don't be too obsessed. The Zhang family already has a grandson, so they don't care whether you have children or not. Your mother-in-law won't use that to torment you."

Zhao Meijuan rubbed her stomach and snorted. "We've only been married for a year, and there's a long life ahead of us. I don't believe I won't have my own children."

Other people's children would always be someone else's; only the ones she bore herself would be reliable.

She would find an opportunity to go to the hospital later. As long as there was nothing wrong with her, then it would be Zhang Jianshe who couldn't reproduce, and that old woman could forget about using that to suppress her in the future.

Hearing her daughter's tone, Liu Hehua's eyes flickered.

"Alright, still angry, are you? They are your own nephews; even if you break their bones, the tendons are still connected. Actually, the child isn't wrong. If you get mistreated by your in-laws, your maternal family is the only reliable thing you have."

"I know." She had heard this so many times her ears were practically calloused.

"By the way, because I didn't get up to cook this morning, my mother-in-law was so angry she told Lao San and me to move out and rent a place. Mom, do you think we should move?"

"Are you stupid? If you move out, you'll have to pay for your own food, drink, and everything else. With just your husband's meager salary, how are you two going to survive? On air?"

Liu Hehua glared at her.

"You don't have a job. You eat and live at home, so everything you save is your own."

"That old hag has already asked for living expenses. Starting this month, I have to hand over fifteen yuan every month. I was thinking, rather than paying that money, it's better to move out for some peace and quiet."

Liu Hehua: "..."

In just a few days of not seeing her, how had this girl managed to turn her life into such a mess?

(End of Chapter)