Xu Xiuzhen, who was used to waking up early, would get up before dawn.
As before, I casually tossed the dirty bowl into the sink and went out for my morning exercise.
People in the residential compound usually do their morning exercise in the riverside garden, which is not far from the compound.
She had been hospitalized twice in recent days and hadn't been here for a long time.
She used to take a walk here first thing in the morning, and then go to the pavilion to play cards.
She walked along the river as usual, then headed towards the pavilion.
When she saw that there were already people in the pavilion, Xu Xiuzhen waved and greeted them from afar.
"Old Lin! Old Lin!"
Old Lin, like her, lived in the family compound.
However, Old Lin lived in Building 2, while she lived in Building 7.
Upon hearing the voice and seeing Xu Xiuzhen, Old Lady Lin's expression clearly darkened.
She nudged her mahjong partner, Lao Xie, and made a slurping sound towards Xu Xiuzhen's direction.
Old Xie rolled his eyes.
Xu Xiuzhen entered the pavilion and immediately asked, "Have you missed me these past few days?"
As she spoke, she sat down next to Lao Xie, just like before.
Grandma Xie glanced at Xu Xiuzhen, then moved closer to Grandma Lin with a look of disgust in her eyes.
Xu Xiuzhen asked, puzzled, "Old Xie? What is this?"
Grandma Xie remained silent, and even gave her a disdainful look.
"Old Xu, you can leave. We don't want to play with you."
Xu Xiuzhen was puzzled.
"Why? Weren't we having a great time together before?" She thought about it again and realized that it was true; she hadn't been there for over a month, so they must have found new card-playing partners.
"It's okay, I won't play. I'll just watch you guys play and talk to you to pass the time."
Old Mrs. Lin hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Instead, Old Lady Xie suddenly stood up.
“Xu Xiuzhen, can’t you understand? Old Lin said we’re not playing with you! Forget it, forget it…” Old Mrs. Xie waved her hand and pulled Old Mrs. Lin up: “Come on, let’s go somewhere else. Call Old Wu and tell her not to come this way.”
"No..." Xu Xiuzhen, looking puzzled, stood up and blocked his way, questioning, "Old Xie, what do you mean?"
"It means exactly what it says! Get out of the way!" Old Mrs. Xie pushed Xu Xiuzhen aside and pulled Old Mrs. Lin out of the pavilion.
Xu Xiuzhen watched the two walk away with a blank expression.
She couldn't figure out for a long time how she had offended them.
Feeling empty inside, she left the pavilion and walked along the path towards the square.
After walking a few steps, they ran into Old Man Qin, who lived in the same residential compound.
The old man runs here every morning, and she waved to him as usual.
Unexpectedly, the old man Qin ran past her without even glancing at her.
Xu Xiuzhen awkwardly withdrew her hand, muttering to herself as she looked back at Old Man Qin's retreating figure.
"These are all so strange."
She still didn't think much of it.
When Xu Xiuzhen arrived at the square, two elderly women playing badminton nearby suddenly stopped playing and whispered to each other, one of them even pointing at her.
Then she heard the old man Qingtai say, "It's her! People treated her with all their hearts, and even took care of her son at his bedside, cleaning up after him and seeing him off. But she not only doesn't remember their kindness, she's ruined her life."
"I heard about it yesterday too! She used to be so chubby, but in just over a month she's become as thin as a bamboo pole. Is she even human anymore?!"
Xu Xiuzhen wasn't even sure who they were talking about.
Looking around, there was no one else there but her.
Just then, someone walked by and wondered what was going on.
The two people passing by even pointed at her.
"Was she the one everyone was talking about yesterday?"
"Yes, yes, that's her. Her son is that famous Professor Liao!"
"Oh my, I really didn't expect that such a kind-looking old lady could abuse her daughter-in-law like that! And her son, his wife was being bullied like that, and he didn't even say a word."
I heard that yesterday, because her daughter-in-law stole some of her bird's nest, she blamed the whole thing on her. Sigh! Having a mother-in-law like that is truly pitiful.
"That's why they say you can know a person's face but not their heart! She used to tell everyone how good she was to her daughter-in-law. Now she's contradicting herself."
"..."
Hearing this, Xu Xiuzhen was completely devastated.
At that moment, she even felt that everyone in the square was talking about her and cursing her behind her back as a wicked mother-in-law.
She lowered her head, turned around, and walked quickly back.
She didn't look up until she got home.
With red, aggrieved eyes, she took out her phone and dialed Liao Nanxing's number.
Upon hearing Liao Nanxing's voice, Xu Xiuzhen burst into tears.
"Son, Mom doesn't want to live anymore." Xu Xiuzhen sat on the ground crying, kicking her legs like a child.
"What's wrong now?" Liao Nanxing asked wearily.
While crying, Xu Xiuzhen recounted what had happened that morning.
Then she cried and wailed, "She was the one who bullied me, but everyone says it was me who bullied her. I... I'm more wronged than Dou E!"
While crying, Xu Xiuzhen also recounted her argument with Su Mu the previous night.
Then, Su Mu and Zhou Chunhua were compared.
They also said that Zhou Chunhua was better than Su Mu in every way except that she couldn't have children.
Before Xu Xiuzhen could finish speaking, Su Mu's roar came from the other end of the phone.
"Zhou Chunhua is good, then you and Zhou Chunhua can go over there!"
Xu Xiuzhen, with tears streaming down her face, was dumbfounded. Wasn't Nanxing away on a business trip? How could Su Mu be with him?
Before I could even process what was happening, the call ended.
...
Hospital.
Su Mu lay by the bedside, tears streaming down her face.
“Anan, how could Mom say that about me? You asked me to accompany her, and I carried such heavy things and walked such a long way there, but not only did I not get a smile from her, she also complained about me.”
Liao Nanxing, with his unshaven beard, felt utterly overwhelmed.
When Zhou Chunhua was at home, the old lady and Su Mu were as close as if they were inseparable.
Now that Zhou Chunhua is not home, the two of them have started arguing.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his head buzzing.
"Forget it, let's break up! I'll get an abortion while the pregnancy isn't too far along. Your family is too high-class for me, Su Mu."
"Mumu!" Liao Nanxing quickly grabbed her, afraid that if she didn't hold on properly, she might do something foolish.
“I know my mom is difficult to take care of, and I don’t mean to blame you. How about this? Try to find a nanny today and have her take care of her. If you don’t see her, she won’t be able to make a fuss.”
Su Mu cried for a while before nodding.
"Let's make this clear beforehand: even if I marry you, I don't want to serve her."
“Who said you have to serve her? From now on, the nanny can take care of her. We and the baby live in the new house, and we only see her a few times a year.”
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