Chapter 2

10

Publicly mocked by Shen Shi, Auntie couldn’t save face anymore.

She promptly dropped to the floor and began wailing, rolling around in a tantrum.

“Heavens above! My only nephew speaks to me like this! How am I supposed to hold my head up?”

Yao Shutong crouched beside her. She hadn’t even wiped away her own tears before she started offering comfort.

The two of them sobbed together as though they’d suffered some enormous injustice.

“My own nephew! He gets married and stops acknowledging his aunt! Has he forgotten how I looked after him all those years? I did everything myself, terrified he might suffer. And now he’s forgotten it all!”

Shen Shi nudged the broken porcelain with his shoe and looked down coldly at them.

“Auntie, I’ve watched you pull this stunt since I was little. You haven’t tired of it after all these years, but I certainly have.”

He took my hand, intending to leave the racket behind.

But she refused to let it go. Still on the floor, she cried even harder.

“What’s all this wailing at New Year?”

My father-in-law’s deep, angry voice silenced her instantly.

Yao Shutong had only been pretending. At the sound of his voice, her tears stopped at once.

Auntie had worked herself up so much that she couldn’t stop immediately. Too afraid to make another sound, she could only suck in desperate breaths to calm herself.

My mother-in-law hated an uproar at home. She frowned at the scene.

“What are you all making such a fuss about?”

“Auntie’s craving the spotlight. She’s putting on a show.”

11

Perhaps seeing my parents-in-law there made Auntie certain we wouldn’t dare go too far.

She sprang up, dusted off her trousers, and came back swinging.

“Brother, look at what Shi’s become! The Shen family’s only son, yet he has no manners at all. Mocking and ridiculing his elders! I wonder who he takes after.”

My father-in-law raised an eyebrow. Instead of getting angry, he laughed.

“Who do you think?”

Realizing her mistake, she immediately changed tack.

“Shi’s a good boy at heart. It’s a pity someone taught him badly. If he’d stayed with me from the beginning, he never would have turned out like this.”

My mother-in-law’s voice rose several octaves.

“Are you saying I raised him badly?”

“He was so little when you insisted on taking him away. Now he isn’t close to me at all. I’m his own aunt!”

“Do I need to remind you why we went back to fetch him?”

After Shen Shi’s birth mother died, his father had been too busy away on business to look after him. He’d had to leave him in their hometown for a while.

Back then, Auntie had deeply resented his grandparents raising him. Every day, she’d made a scene, demanding they send him away.

Whenever they treated him a little too well, she’d roll around the house throwing tantrums, accusing them of favoring boys and caring only about their son and grandson.

Then her own son was born.

Although the grandparents tried to treat both children fairly, she still thought they were biased.

My parents-in-law eventually couldn’t stand her harassment anymore. Once their business had steadied a little, they went back and brought Shen Shi to live with them.

Fortunately, my mother-in-law treated him as her own, making up for the maternal love he’d lost.

12

“Brother, Shi and his mother keep picking on me. Are you going to do something or not? Someone really ought to teach them proper conduct. Without rules, won’t they make us a laughingstock?”

“It isn’t your place to teach my wife and son their manners.”

“If you still want to spend New Year with us, behave yourself.”

My father-in-law wasn’t a man who smiled much to begin with. Hearing those words from that stern face left her speechless.

Beside him, I secretly gave him a thumbs-up.

My parents-in-law really were a couple who’d weathered hardship together. Shen Shi had a lot to learn about protecting his own.

I’d happily take a serving of that marital sweetness.

Seeing things going badly, Yao Shutong quickly helped Auntie back to her room. They didn’t reappear until dinner.

That afternoon, Auntie’s son, Zhou Heng, also arrived, having just started his annual leave.

Delighted to see him, she kept calling him “my baby,” wiping his sweat one moment and handing him water the next, utterly absorbed.

Anyone who didn’t know better might think her “baby” was underage.

Unfortunately, her baby was nearly thirty, fat, big-headed, large-eared, and shiny with grease.

Zhou Heng greeted her unctuously, then took a box of premium tea straight over to my parents-in-law.

“I know you enjoy tea, Uncle. I prepared this New Year’s gift especially for you.”

Auntie watched approvingly, looking smug.

“Our Heng has always been so thoughtful. That tea cost him more than half a year’s salary.”

“Mom, I owe everything I have today to Uncle and Auntie. Of course I should repay them properly. This is nothing. Once I get a raise, I’ll buy Uncle even better tea.”

“My good boy. You make me proud.”

She patted his head, then gave us a pointed glance.

As if to say: See? Look how considerate my son is. Nothing like you ill-mannered lot.

Through my parents-in-law’s connections, my father-in-law had asked an old friend to arrange an easy job for Zhou Heng at his company. Wasn’t a proper thank-you the least he could offer?

Without their help, that hopeless lump of mud would never have landed a decent position in his life.

13

At dinner, my mother-in-law and Shen Shi kept putting food in my bowl. Soon it was piled high.

Auntie couldn’t stand the sight. Her brow creased in disgust.

“Well, this is an eye-opener. A daughter-in-law who won’t serve her elders, and lets her mother-in-law wait on her instead!”

“My daughter-in-law is fortunate. I’m her mother-in-law, and I’m happy to look after her. I’m afraid your future daughter-in-law won’t be so lucky.”

“Mom, don’t say that. Auntie will teach her future daughter-in-law so thoroughly that she’ll make her proud wherever she goes. Unlike me. All I do is embarrass my husband’s family.”

“Sweetheart, don’t blame yourself. If we can’t learn those ridiculous rules, we simply won’t. Look at me. After all these years of marriage, has your father ever lectured me about rules?”

Damn it. My mother-in-law had force-fed me another mouthful of marital bliss.

She and I played off each other in perfect harmony.

Yao Shutong was busy in the kitchen, while Zhou Heng had his head down, shoveling food into his mouth. Alone and outnumbered, Auntie couldn’t get a word in. A fine sweat broke out on her forehead.

“Mom, why are you kicking me?”

Zhou Heng suddenly shouted and looked up at her in confusion, grease still smeared around his mouth.

“Who’s kicking you?”

She kept winking at him, trying to make him speak up for her.

But beyond the tableful of food, Zhou Heng had eyes for nothing.

14

Just as Auntie was getting desperate, Yao Shutong arrived with a plate of red-braised pork.

As though clutching a lifeline, she immediately steered the conversation toward Shutong.

“Shutong, learn from Meng Yan. Then you might be fortunate enough to get such a good mother-in-law too. Understand?”

She stressed “good” so hard it sounded ground out between her teeth.

“How could I ever be as lucky as Yan?”

“True. That kind of luck isn’t for ordinary people. You’d have to find a family where the mother-in-law isn’t the first wife. Only someone who didn’t give birth to the son would lower herself like that, treating his wife like a treasure. She’s afraid they’ll throw her out.”

“Auntie, even first wives can get divorced. With divorce rates so high these days, who can guarantee their marriage will last?”

Having finished, the two of them shot my mother-in-law and me a haughty glance.

Impressive.

They’d learned our double act quickly.

These two fake innocents were walking all over us. Could my mother-in-law and I afford to back down?

Of course not.

She rolled her eyes dismissively and picked up our conversation.

“I think you ought to worry about your son’s marriage. He’s over thirty already. Hurry up. If you keep being so picky, he won’t even get a chance to contribute to the divorce statistics.”

“Mom, isn’t there a ready-made daughter-in-law right here? Shutong’s such a lovely girl. Gentle, capable, pretty, and so close to Auntie. After they marry, there certainly won’t be any mother-in-law troubles.”

“Now that you mention it, they do look well matched. Why not use the New Year as a chance to get to know each other?”

The subject made Auntie explode. She bared her teeth at us.

“What nonsense are you talking? She’s just a caregiver, waiting on people every day. You think she deserves my son? My son is exceptional. He needs a girl from a good family, with good looks!”

15

Her true feelings slipped out, leaving the entire table stunned.

Nothing was more terrifying than that sudden, total silence.

Hearing those words, Yao Shutong didn’t know how to respond. Her face flushed as she held herself back, lips pressed into a thin line.

Realizing her blunder, Auntie hurried to soothe her and placed a piece of pork in her bowl.

“Shutong, I didn’t mean what I just said. Don’t worry. I’ll find you a good husband.”

Clenching her fist, Shutong gave a calm smile.

“With your promise, I can rest easy.”

Auntie nodded approvingly. Then, remembering something, she ingratiatingly served my father-in-law some food.

“Brother, you must help me with something. Could you speak to your friend about promoting Heng and giving him a raise after New Year? He’s been working so hard lately, often staying late into the night. It breaks my heart. If he gets a raise, I’ll have him buy you even more expensive tea next year.”

“Young people need to work steadily and honestly. If he performs well, his bosses will notice and promote him.”

“Brother, he’s your only nephew. You can’t just ignore him. How is he supposed to manage on that salary?”

“It isn’t my company. What am I supposed to do? Or would you like to fund a company for me? I’ll make him its general manager.”

I couldn’t blame my father-in-law for being angry.

He’d called in favors to find Zhou Heng a job, hoping he’d settle down and work his way up. Instead, Zhou Heng had been picky, shying away from anything strenuous or difficult.

Eventually, out of respect for my father-in-law, his old friend moved him into an extremely easy position. Naturally, the pay wasn’t high.

Even then, he didn’t take the job seriously. He often made mistakes. That old friend had complained to my father-in-law more than once.

Fortunately, they were only minor errors. With a little patience, they could be overlooked.

But helping someone like that up was a waste of effort, however many times you tried.

Having gained nothing, Auntie could only let her old face droop.

At last, dinner was peaceful again.

16

After dinner, Shen Shi received a call asking him to return to the office for some unexpected overtime.

Once he left, I had nothing to do, so I went back to our room to watch a movie alone. I didn’t know how long I’d been watching when my eyelids began to droop.

Soon, I was fast asleep.

Through the haze, I heard rustling.

I forced my eyes open. In the darkness, a bulky figure sat at the foot of the bed, his face faintly illuminated in blue.

Looking closer, I realized it was Zhou Heng, sitting there with his phone. The screen lit the leering smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Aah!”

I kicked him with all my strength, grabbed a piece of clothing to throw over myself, and bolted out the door.

Hearing my terrified scream, everyone rushed over. My parents-in-law hadn’t even put on their shoes.

I huddled in my mother-in-law’s arms, trembling all over. Zhou Heng’s leering face kept flashing through my mind. I couldn’t shake it. Frightened, I wept uncontrollably and stammered:

“Mom, Dad. Zhou Heng… He… He sneaked into my room.”

Hearing that, my father-in-law immediately slapped him hard.

Caught off guard, Zhou Heng stood there blankly, clutching his swollen cheek.

Still furious, my father-in-law raised his hand for another slap. Auntie swiftly stepped in front of her son.

“Heng, why did you go into Meng Yan’s room?”

Finally coming to his senses, he explained aggrievedly:

“Uncle, listen to me. That room has the best Wi-Fi in the house. I only sneaked in to play a game. Look, I’m about to win this round. She kicked me just now. It hurts like hell.”

He even waved his phone in front of everyone, as though proving his innocence.

The explanation only made my father-in-law angrier. He promptly kicked Zhou Heng hard.

17

Auntie shielded her son, her voice full of reproach.

“Brother, he’s your nephew! How could you hit him so hard? What if you injure him?”

“I have no nephew that shameless!”

My father-in-law roared. After calming me down, my mother-in-law went over and kicked Zhou Heng too.

“You spend every day teaching other people rules, yet your son sneaks into his cousin’s wife’s bedroom in the middle of the night. What kind of rule is that?”

Faced with my father-in-law’s anger, Auntie might rein herself in a little.

But against my mother-in-law, she only grew bolder.

“Heng only went in to play a few rounds. How does that affect you? Blame Meng Yan for sleeping without locking the door. Could he have gotten in if she’d locked it?”

Utterly unreasonable. She was clearly in the wrong, yet blamed the victim.

I was so angry I ground my teeth, wanting to throw the whole family out immediately.

“If I’d known Zhou Heng was that shameless, I wouldn’t have let him through the front door.”

“You’re one of the younger generation. Your parents-in-law are still right here. What gives you the right to say that? Banning my son from the house? Since when are you in charge?”

“Let’s see whether I’m in charge. You. Pack your things and get out!”

My father-in-law waved his hand, flatly ordering them to leave.

“Brother, I’m your own sister. Heng’s your nephew! How can you throw us out? Heng, apologize to your uncle!”

Hearing that, Zhou Heng immediately flung himself at my father-in-law’s legs, sobbing with tears and snot streaming down his face.

“Uncle, I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Please forgive me this once. It’s New Year. Can’t we spend it happily together?”

My father-in-law kicked him away in disgust, unable to bear another look.

Just as the entire family descended into chaos, Shen Shi returned from working late. He opened the door and frowned at the scene.

“What happened this time?”