Chapter 313 You're too selfish
She knew her mother genuinely cared for her, and that her mother's words came from the bottom of her heart.
She knew better than anyone else in the family what kind of life her mother led in this household.
Grandparents are elders, and their thinking is what it is. Even if her grandfather was the village chief and her grandmother had some schooling, they still couldn't escape the feudal ideas ingrained in their bones.
Her grandmother believed that a good mother-in-law was one who didn't hit, scold, or mistreat her daughter-in-law, nor did she set rules for her.
Her mother felt that her sister-in-law should live the same way she did. Unlike other women of the same age in the village who would criticize their daughters-in-law at every turn or assign them the task of taking care of the whole family, she was already being very kind.
That's why she wanted to escape the countryside; she didn't want to live the same life as her mother and sister-in-law.
She knew her mother said those things because she knew how difficult it was to be a daughter-in-law.
But she wasn't her mother, nor was her aunt, nor her grandmother. Her aunt knew how to treat her daughter-in-law well, and knew what it truly meant to treat a daughter-in-law like a daughter.
To be honest, she's been more comfortable and at ease at her aunt's house these past few days than at her own home.
Therefore, she knew clearly that she would not become a daughter-in-law like her sister-in-law, nor like her mother. She was herself, and only herself.
"Mom what mom?"
Erniu's mother was so angry that her features became somewhat ferocious. "If you still consider me your mother, then listen to me! I'm the only one in this world who won't hurt you!"
"Second son, shut up!"
Seeing her cold and aloof demeanor, Grandma Fang was both angry and anxious. "Who in the family would harm Erniu? Everyone hopes she can have a good life after marrying into the family."
"A good day?"
Erniu's mother's eyes were bloodshot, her anger almost tangible. "What do you mean by a good life? Running around in the city and countryside day and night, having to smile and do business with men, women, young and old, and when you get home you still have to give birth to children, raise them, take care of them, serve your husband's every need, and do all the housework for the whole family. You call this a good life, old lady?!"
Grandma Fang choked.
this……
It certainly doesn't sound like a good day.
But Erniu was willing to do the business herself. As for having children... men can't have children either. As for other things, she hadn't even married into the family yet, so how could she know that Su Laosan would bully Erniu like this?
Isn't this just needless worry?
“...In the village, even if there's no money, there's still land, so there's always food to eat. In the city, everything costs money, and even a hero can be brought down by a single penny. If there's no money...Erniu can go hungry if she wants to. She comes back to her parents' home asking for money and food. If I give her a bite to eat, can I still support her like before? I still have my parents-in-law, son, and grandchildren to support. I can't support her forever!”
Erniu's mother's heart trembled as she spoke, she took a deep breath and turned to look at Li Banxia.
He said, “Mother-in-law, put yourself in my shoes. You also have a daughter. Your eldest daughter went through a lot with her husband’s family, but you didn’t lift a finger, did you? You should understand me. Once a daughter is married, she belongs to her husband’s family. Although I don’t approve of you divorcing your husband at your age, I always cover for you when the villagers ask because Erniu says you’re a good person. I also think that in some ways you’ve been incredibly good to Erniu. This marriage…”
She glanced at Erniu, whose eyes were red, and said to Li Banxia with a heavy heart, "Since the mother-in-law doesn't agree, let's call off the marriage."
"Mom, I don't want to!"
Fang Erniu's pupils contracted; she was about to go crazy.
Su Laosan's face turned pale instantly. The joke the two had just made had come true at this moment. He frantically searched around for a few moments before finally getting the focus right. When he saw Li Banxia, he called out, "Mom."
Li Banxia looked at the two children, sighed, and called out to Erniu's mother, "My dear in-law, I really can't agree to your conditions. First, my philosophy is that once children get married, they become adults and need to be responsible for their own lives. They have to support their own families. I can support all of them on my own, but once they get married, that responsibility falls on them..."
“…You’re being too selfish. Those are your children, the responsibility you’ll bear until you die. How can they be theirs?” Erniu’s mother blurted out, her face full of disapproval.
Li Banxia smiled and said, "Secondly, opening a health center has always been something I wanted to do. I will not stop moving forward for anyone, including my children. They have their own lives, and I have mine. I have already wasted most of my life for them. Do I have to live the rest of my life for them? I don't want to."
Under Erniu's mother's astonished gaze, Li Banxia smiled faintly and shook her head, "I am myself first, and then their mother."
Erniu's mother couldn't believe it.
He said, "You gave birth to them, so you have to be responsible for them. If you don't want to take care of them, why did you give birth to them in the first place? You're being so selfish."
Li Banxia looked at her and hummed in agreement.
“You’re right, I’m a selfish mother. I can’t do either of those two things you mentioned. I can’t help them without any limits. They have to rely on themselves. I won’t give up my career just to take care of their children. I’ll leave the marriage to you…”
"mom!"
Su Laosan's face turned pale, his hand gripping Li Banxia's arm, his body trembling slightly. "Mom, no, I want to marry Erniu, I won't marry anyone but Erniu..."
"Auntie, please, please don't..."
Fang Erniu shook her head, tears flying from her eyes, looking incredibly pitiful.
Li Banxia recalled the image of her peeking out her little head and calling her "Auntie," rolling up her sleeves to help her with chores, and the time when Lao San was mistakenly arrested, and she was being held down for fear that she would be arrested as well, shouting for her to run away.
The eldest daughter-in-law said, "Mom, Erniu is a good girl. She's straightforward and says what she thinks. She's genuinely good to the two children. Her eyes sparkle when she smiles. She's not afraid of hardship when she goes to work in the countryside with the children's third uncle. She can handle all kinds of people. Once they get married, they'll definitely have a good life together..."
The eldest brother also said, "The third brother used to be lazy and good-for-nothing, but in order to save money to get married and support his wife and children in the future, he has truly transformed himself..."
"Mom! Let's talk this over again. They've come to this point, how can we just break up like this?"
Boss Su was also in a panic. He was fine when he came, so how did they break up in the middle of the conversation?
The matchmaker was also getting anxious. Was the matchmaker's money, which was already in her hands, going to fly away like a cooked duck?
No, no, no.
Her eyes darted around twice, then she leaned closer to Erniu's mother, exclaimed, and whispered, "Sister, this is such a wonderful marriage, you can't act impulsively! Even if you don't care about your daughter, you have to think about your son and grandson! I heard from Su Laosan that your eldest son is working with him..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
