Lin Zixiang and her sister-in-law never got along. When she found out that Shu Yan went to ask for Shu Jianyang, her son, for help, she gloated in front of Lin Zixiangâs family for quite a bit. She hinted that their married daughter would ask her son for help because of her own three brothersâ incompetency.
That had made both Shu Youfu and Lin Zixiang very livid, which was another reason why Lin Zixiang was here with her son today.
âI know what I am doing,â said Shu Yan. Of course she had to turn to Shu Jianyang for help. Her three brothers were all useless, each of them worse than the next. Theyâd never be able to get her kids out from the Yeâs.
âLike hell you do! What do you know?â Lin Zixiang jumped up and down angrily. âWhat were you thinking? How did I give birth to a loser like you? You canât even keep your own man under wrap! Where is Ye Zhiqiang? Let me go talk to him. Did he want to abandon his own wife and kids? Does he think he could just walk all over the Shuâs?â
âHeâll be home for lunch. You can talk to him then.â As soon as she said that, Lin Zixiang immediately went quiet.
She was only brave on her own turf. She would shout all sorts of things at her own two daughters, but when it came to Ye Zhiqiang, she wouldnât even dare raise her voice.
âLook at you, huh? Have you cousin picked up your two kids. If Zhiqiang didnât happen to call, he wouldnât even know that his kids have came to the city,â said Lin Zixiang as her eyes scanned over the table top. Noticing that there wasnât even any fruit there, she said unhappily, âWeâve been here for a while now. Are you going to at least offer us some fruits to quench our thirst?â
âYe Zhiqiang is having an affair and I have been listening to you with pretending that I didnât know about it. But, this entire time, it was killing me inside. I am your daughter too. Canât you care about me some?â Shu Yan purposely dabbed her eyes and said with a choking voice, âI had no other choice but to pick the kids up. Ye Zhiqiang hasnât been home a lot. I figured if the kids are here, heâd at least come back from time to time and I will be able to see him too.â
In Lin Zixiangâs eyes, kids were the best tool to hold onto men. She said in an understanding voice immediately, âOkay, you have a brain after all.â
Then, giving her daughter a stare, she said again, âWhat were you suggesting? That I donât care about you? All men are like that. Even the useless men in our village have women on the side, let alone someone as competent as Ye Zhiqiang. Look at all the girls back in the village, you are doing much better than them. You have a house of your own and a personal car. Your husband provides you with an allowance on the dot every month. He never lifted a hand at you. Look at our neighbor, Yingzi, her husband beats her every night and we can hear it from our house. I think your days are going too well, thatâs why you have all this time for these crazy thoughts.â
Shu Yan, â......â
âThird Sister, I am hungry,â said Shu Jianxiang as he rocked his feet up and down. He gathered that his mom and sister were also done talking and made his demand like a lord.
âRight. We travelled half a day for your matters and didnât even have time for lunch. Quick, go cook something for your brother. We donât want him to go hungry.â Lin Zixiang immediately felt bad when her son said he was hungry.
âYou know, Ye Zhiqiang never liked me sending money back home. If he sees you when he gets home...â said Shu Yan as she gave them a troubled look.