Just then, Chu's mother appeared, her face grim, arms and legs outstretched, striding towards the house, looking quite angry.

"What's wrong? Weren't you playing mahjong? Are you angry?" Chu Fang asked upon seeing this.

"Ask your girlfriend." Chu's mother glared at him and went inside.

Zhong Tingyue strolled in leisurely. When Chu Fang asked his mother why she was so angry, she replied unhurriedly, "Your mother is unreasonable."

While playing mahjong, the two women got into a stalemate, but Chu's mother was unlucky and was always slightly inferior to Zhong Tingyue, so she was very unhappy and didn't say a word on the way back.

"You should be more accommodating to her."

"No way!" Zhong Tingyue's voice was firm. "I won't spoil your mother like you do. If I give in, I'll suffer a lot after I marry into your family."

“... ..."

You two are like a clash between a king and a tiger, aren't you? Chu Fang expressed his deep helplessness.

... ...

After the National Day holiday, Chu Yi and Zhou Qiong went to Shanghai early in the morning to study, while Chu Fang and Zhong Tingyue did not leave for the time being.

On one hand, Chu Fang wanted to stay a few more days after finally returning home, and Zhong Tingyue wanted to accompany him; on the other hand, Chu's mother was still in a bad mood. After all, her father, who had doted on her all her life, had passed away, and she was still unable to get out of her predicament and needed someone to take care of her.

Actually, another reason why Chu's mother was in a bad mood was that Zhong Tingyue was constantly going against her, which created a natural conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

The two often clashed over trivial matters, but Chu's mother, who was not highly educated, was often outsmarted by Zhong Tingyue, which made her very irritable.

"Oh dear, I can't sleep." At night, Chu's mother suddenly sat up, scratching her head. "Can you help me think of a way to get back at Zhong Tingyue?"

"Why are you messing with her? She's your son's girlfriend, and also your future daughter-in-law," said Mr. Chu.

"But she's against me."

“They didn’t do anything wrong,” said Chu’s father.

Despite their conflict, Zhong Tingyue maintained a moral high ground, leaving no room for criticism.

"Oh, I don't want to talk to you anymore." Chu's mother got dressed, got out of bed, and went outside, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to sleep with my mother. You'll be all alone in this room."

Chu's mother went to her mother's room to sleep and told her about her troubles. Chu's maternal grandmother listened quietly and gently comforted her daughter. As she spoke, Chu's mother started crying again: "I miss my father."

"well... ..."

... ...

The next day at noon, Chu Fang suddenly discovered that his mother had disappeared. He searched everywhere but could not find her. He asked the neighbors, but they had not seen her either.

The Chu family panicked.

Chu's mother was already in a low mood; could she have done something rash?

At this moment, everyone in the family went out to look for Chu's mother. Zhong Tingyue stroked her chin, wondering where Chu's mother was.

Putting himself in Chu Ma's shoes, he immediately had a flash of inspiration and hurried up the mountain.

Sure enough, from a distance, one could see Chu's mother sitting in front of Chu's maternal grandfather's grave, burning paper money and shedding tears.

Zhong Tingyue slowly approached, and Chu's mother raised her head and said softly, "I sprained my ankle."

At this moment, Chu's mother's eyes were filled with tears, her lips were slightly pursed, and she looked pitiful.

Ignoring the dust on the ground, Zhong Tingyue sat down and picked up Chu Ma's foot to examine it. Her right foot showed obvious signs of redness and abrasions, and was covered in dust.

She gripped her ankle and gently applied pressure, then heard Chu's mother's voice: "It hurts..."

"Why did you come here alone?" Zhong Tingyue wiped the dust from her wound with her sleeve. "Everyone thought you were missing and was very worried."

"Oh." Chu's mother lowered her head, a little embarrassed. "I missed my dad, so I came to see him."

Zhong Tingyue used her clean sleeve to wipe Chu's mother's wound, and then heard the latter's soft voice: "From childhood to adulthood, my father has always spoiled me. My grandmother originally planned to have two children, but my father decided not to have a second child because of me. He has always treated me like a treasure."

"Even though I chose Chu Fang's father when I got married and disobeyed him, he didn't say harsh words, beat me, or scold me. He still treated me as before. He also helped Chu Fang's father build a house and support the family. After retirement, he would give me part of his monthly pension..."

Chu's mother spoke in a low voice, recounting her father as she remembered him, his deeds from childhood to adulthood, and the happy and unhappy things that happened to him.

The passing of Chu Fang's maternal grandfather was something she found very difficult to get over.

“At night, I always dream about my dad. When I wake up, I feel empty. And for some reason, my memory of my dad is becoming more and more blurred. I’m afraid that one day I won’t remember him at all. I used to want to take pictures of him to remember him, but he didn’t want to take pictures. He always felt awkward. Now that he’s gone, the only photo I have is a work photo of him when he was young.”

Looking at the photo on the tombstone, a black and white work photo, her face serious and meticulous, was very different from the face of the doting father she remembered.

“If your grandfather knew you were like this, he would be very sad. He wanted you to live a happy life, not to suffer because of him. Perhaps you should change your mindset, live happily, and live the life your grandfather would have wanted you to live,” Zhong Tingyue said quietly.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I studied fine arts and often draw, so I think I can draw my grandfather's picture."

She had seen how Chu Fang's maternal grandfather died, and with her own abilities, she should be able to draw his multifaceted appearance.

Upon hearing this, Chu's mother asked, "Really?"

"should."

You're not allowed to lie to me.

"All you can say is... ...it should be possible."

Chu's mother was a little annoyed: "Let's pinky swear."

"I won't make any promises, I can only say it should be possible."

Chu's mother clutched her chest.

I've never seen such a stubborn daughter-in-law.

After wiping the dust off her wounds and burning the remaining paper money, Zhong Tingyue helped Chu Ma to her feet and asked, "Can you walk?"

"It hurts a little." Chu's mother's face twitched.

Zhong Tingyue sighed, squatted down slightly, carried Chu Ma on her back, and carefully made her way down the mountain step by step.

"You didn't bring your phone either?" Chu's mother asked, feeling embarrassed.

"I brought it."

“Then let’s call ‘Guai Guai’ and ask them to come pick us up.”

"Need not."

"Why?"

Zhong Tingyue calmly said, "I want to carry you down the mountain. The journey has been bumpy and difficult, and you'll owe me a lot. That way, you won't feel comfortable causing me any trouble."

"..." Chu's mother's eyes bulged.