Chapter 7: Mother-in-law’s Determination

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

She was leaning on a stick. Not far behind her was a field of clear porridge. She could only see one or two salted vegetables. The watchdog, Xiao Huang, was licking the food frantically.

Chu Wei could not bear to see such a scene. She walked to her mother-in-law and squatted down. “Mom, this is my cooking. If you don’t mind, we can eat together.”

Before she finished her sentence, Chu Wei stuffed the food into her mother-in-law’s hands. Even if the latter didn’t want to eat, she had to let her mother-in-law eat first. This was the basic principle of being a human.

“Why did you come here for no reason? Chen Ji will be back soon to pick you up. Hurry up and pack your things. You can leave with him anytime,” said her mother-in-law. Her hand that was holding the bowl was trembling slightly.

Chu Wei didn’t say anything. She looked at her mother-in-law who was in dire straits and felt sad in her heart. It was said that raising a child would safeguard one from the troubles of growing old. Was this really the case?

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m doing quite well here. As a mother-in-law, I’ve not let your sister-in-law down. I brought up her two children by myself. I’ve also helped her to take care of her family and business. Now that I’m blind and a cripple, it’s your sister-in-law’s turn to take care of me and send me off when I’m dead. I didn’t do anything for you, so why are you here to join in the fun?” The mother-in-law deliberately shouted at the top of her voice.

She was not an old fool and naturally knew the good from the bad. Ever since she became blind, her daughter-in-law, who used to be kind and understanding, had disappeared. She had completely changed her behavior. When she was blind for a few days, the food she cooked was still decent. From the moment she fell into the smelly ditch, the food she ate has been abysmal.

For example, today, Chen Hu’s family had eaten three delicacies: Twice-Cooked Meat, stir-fried veal, and a pot of mushroom and shredded pork soup. She was only given a bowl of porridge and a few pieces of salted vegetables. The excuse was that she had just recovered from a serious illness and should not be eating greasy food.

Yesterday, it was plain noodles. The day before, it was porridge. After eating it for a few consecutive days, her mother-in-law felt very hungry and her face turned pale. Her eldest son, Chen Hu, couldn’t bear it and secretly stuffed two pieces of sausage into her bowl.

Zhao Jinli wanted to bully her for not being able to see and used the excuse that there was a bug on her bowl. She then took out the two pieces of sausage and threw them to Xiao Huang. She was blind and her ears had become sharper. When she heard Xiao Huang nibbling on the sausage, her mother-in-law’s heart was filled with sorrow and resentment.

Although she was blind, she could see things more clearly than before. Before she got sick, Zhao Jinli had been very obedient to her and her mouth was as sweet as honey. She even kept calling her ‘mom’. She used to think that her eldest daughter-in-law would take care of her until she passed away, so she had helped her family a lot these years and secretly saved money for them.

After she became blind, Chen Hu only brought her to the hospital for a checkup once. On the way to the hospital, he told her that no matter how much money was needed or how difficult it was, he would definitely treat her. However, when they arrived at the hospital, it only took a mere eighty dollar quote for a scan to dispel Chen Hu’s intention of treating her. In the end, after wasting half a day, he only tested her blood and urine before bringing her back.

Li Jinhuan knew very well what her eldest son and his wife were thinking right now. They couldn’t wait for her to push her to Chu Wei. That way, they wouldn’t have to take care of a blind old lady like her, and they wouldn’t have to think about spending money to treat her. They would be so carefree if they didn’t have anything to do with her.

How could she not be sad to have such a heartless son and daughter-in-law? She would never forgive such children.

The old lady thought it through very clearly. Didn’t they keep plotting against Chu Wei? She wouldn’t let them have their way. She once warned Chu Wei privately that no matter what the eldest son’s family said, she would pretend not to hear it. When Chen Ji returned, she should quickly follow him to the army and leave this family.

According to seniority, she was the mother and her contributions were indispensable. Now that she was blind, she had seen through them. As long as she was still alive, she would fight it out with them.

Chu Wei gently patted her mother-in-law’s hand. Neither of them said anything, but they had already said a lot in their hearts. Her mother-in-law passed the food back to Chu Wei and shook her head at her. “Girl, hurry up and go back. If there’s nothing, don’t come over. I, the old woman, have gotten what I deserve today. God made me blind and punished me for being unable to differentiate between good and bad people. We both know what the two of them are thinking. You are going to follow Chen Ji to the army soon. Don’t come over to my side at this critical moment.”

The old lady was an understanding person. Since she had given birth to an unfilial son like Chen Hu, she had to pay for it. She was already halfway through her life, and it did not matter anymore. However, she could not involve Chu Wei again.

Chu Wei frowned and picked up a piece of fish meat. “Mom, I understand what you mean. Humans are made of iron, while rice is made of steel. Your body has not been well recently, so you have to eat. Come, try the carp that I made today..”