Chapter 52: Feelings Have Faded

“Mom, just say it boldly and don't worry. I want to see if that bastard has a death wish, daring to mess with you? I guarantee I'll bash his head in.” As the second son spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to pick a fight at any moment.

Seeing him like this, Li Xiangqin gave him a half-smile, half-sneer.

“These injuries on my body were caused by your sister-in-law and your nephew scratching and biting me. How do you plan to avenge me?”

“What? Sister-in-law laid hands on you?”

The second son’s eyes widened in shock. He raised a hand to rub his ear, doubting he had misheard. But seeing that his mother didn't look like she was joking at all, he turned to look at the fifth and fourth children.

“Did sister-in-law really fight with Mom?”

“Yes, I helped pull them apart along with Big Brother when I walked in,” the fourth child nodded, using a cotton swab soaked in purple antiseptic to wipe Li Xiangqin's wounds.

“Big Brother and Sister-in-law went too far. They took their wife and kid out to a restaurant to eat well without us. They even let Sister-in-law fight with Mom, and even Leizi and Xiaxia joined in to help their mother and bite our Mom.”

The fifth child hugged her diary, feeling indignant on Li Xiangqin's behalf.

“Hmph, they even made plans to go out to eat again tomorrow. After a fight like this, I bet those plans are down the drain.”

Li Xiangqin looked at the glint in the fifth child's eyes, stood up, and delivered two sharp slaps to her face. Startled, the fifth child let out a wail and crouched down, clutching her face, wanting to cry but not daring to.

She had seen the scuffle through the crack in the door while the sister-in-law was fighting with Mom. Originally, she wanted to help, but she was afraid of having her face scratched and being unable to go out, so she didn't dare emerge.

“You useless girl, I wasted so much effort raising you. Even a six or seven-year-old knows to help their mother, yet you acted like a coward, hiding in your room without even daring to show your head.

You're useless when it matters most. I'd be better off raising a dog; a dog only eats leftovers, but when it sees its master being bitten, it will rush up to help. You're not even as good as a dog.”

“Waaa... Mom, I was wrong, I was just too scared.” The fifth child covered her face, her eyes brimming with tears. Unfortunately, this failed to evoke even a shred of maternal love from Li Xiangqin.

“Get lost, damn it. Don't annoy me.”

The fifth child rushed into her room, covering her face and wailing loudly.

After his initial shock, the second son rubbed his nose and sat down beside her. “Ahem... Mom, calm down. How did things suddenly turn into a fight?”

Usually, the sister-in-law prided herself on being a high school graduate and a member of an educated family; her speech and actions were quite gentle.

How did she suddenly lose her composure and start fighting with Mom?

Li Xiangqin didn't hide anything and gave him a brief account of what happened. Afterward, she flicked her eyelids. “As long as he pays back the money he owes, I can't be bothered to argue with him further. I'll just consider myself unlucky, as if I lost a pig.”

Good heavens, after just one visit, Big Brother owed Mom three thousand seven hundred yuan?

No wonder Big Brother looked so terrible; anyone would struggle to handle Mom's latest move.

If he had known it was going to be this dramatic, he would have come sooner.

Watching his eyes darting around, Li Xiangqin knew this fellow wasn't up to any good.

“Did you come back today for something as well?”

“No, no, no. I just came back to see Mom and to ask what the third brother and his wife did to make you angry. They have a perfectly good house but insist on moving out; they really have nothing better to do.”

Hearing his mother's inquiry, the second son waved his hands hurriedly to indicate he had no business at all.

Big Brother had already fallen victim to Mom; a wise man adapts to circumstances, and he absolutely could not challenge Mom's nerves.

The old lady was not to be trifled with lately; one should not provoke her lightly.

Seeing that he was being sensible, Li Xiangqin didn't bother arguing with him. “Children grow up and no longer obey their mothers. If they want to move, let them move. Now that they've started families, they truly should be independent.”

“Mom is right. I reckon they won't be away for long. After all, with Third Brother's salary, he can't support a couple on his own.”

“I heard he went to borrow money from you?” Li Xiangqin looked at him and asked casually.

“Yeah, he borrowed twenty yuan from me, saying it was for rent.” The second son nodded, then blinked. “Mom, since Third Brother moved out, can I come back to stay sometimes?”

Hearing this, Li Xiangqin gave him a surprised look. Ever since he got married, the number of times this guy had stayed at home could be counted on one hand.

“Are you, your wife, and your child planning to move back?” What kind of nonsense was this shameless fellow planning now?

“Ahem... just me. You know, it's more convenient for my wife to commute from her mother's house, and my mother-in-law is used to looking after the kid. If we suddenly change, the girl will have to readjust, so let's not make a fuss.”

He figured he should come back to stay more often to maintain family ties. Otherwise, the relationship would grow distant, and if something happened, there wouldn't be anyone to help.

Even now, the way Mom looked at him was indifferent, likely because he hadn't been back for a long time.

Li Xiangqin glanced at him. “Do whatever you want. Once Third Brother's room is empty, I'll have the sixth child move in. If you want to stay, you'll have to squeeze into a room with him.”

“You got it!”

The second son agreed readily. After sitting for a while and chatting about mundane matters, he stood up.

“Mom, if there's nothing else, I'll head back. Next time, I'll bring Lili back for you to see. The little girl has been raised by my mother-in-law to be so fair and lovely; she's very lovable.”

“Forget it. Lili has been looked after by your mother-in-law since she was small. I haven't raised her, so I won't force it. Don't get angry with your wife over something like this; it's not worth it.

I know your wife has high standards and looks down on working-class families like ours. You two are the ones living your lives; as long as you are comfortable, nothing else matters.”

As an only child from a cadre family, Wang Yulan had been pampered since childhood. She was just a bit blind to have fallen for the unmotivated loafer that was the second son.

Because of this, she had stayed at her parents' house from the time she gave birth through her postpartum confinement.

When the second son's wife was about to give birth, Li Xiangqin had specifically asked. The woman refused to come back, claiming the house was too noisy and would affect her recovery.

At that time, the eldest son was still in university and his wife was working; Li Xiangqin had been looking after both children.

Since the daughter-in-law didn't spend her confinement at her in-laws', Li Xiangqin felt she owed her. She specifically had her husband collect a hundred eggs, two old hens, and fifty yuan from the countryside to send to the second son as compensation.

Even so, the second son's wife still felt she had been slighted and had always held a grudge against her.

The granddaughter was not close to her, and she didn't have a particularly deep bond with the child either.

But as a grandmother, she would give the child five yuan every time they met to show her affection. However, once the child grew a bit older, she rarely saw her. She heard that the second son's wife had always opposed the child coming to her grandmother's side.

Even after she was sent to the nursing home, the number of times she saw the child was negligible.

Having lived a second life, her heart was much more detached; whether they came back or not didn't really matter.

Everyone has their own life path; why force it?

The second son looked at his mother, feeling guilty. His wife didn't like their family and wasn't willing to let their daughter come back. Whenever he insisted, his wife would give him the cold shoulder.

“Mom, Yulan was just spoiled by her mother. She's not actually a bad person.”

(End of Chapter)