Chapter 1 (3)
Although he was born in the urban-rural fringe area, he has acquired a well-educated and well-mannered character.
Yu Jia admired her mother-in-law. But her gangster side remained: Li Ren's mother smoked and played mahjong. Even after being married to Li Ren for many years, Yu Jia and her mother-in-law maintained a "you respect me, I respect you" relationship.
However, Yu Jia's previous relationship with Li Ren was a "marriage of inferiority," and her mother-in-law treated her warmly. Then, after years of childlessness, her mother-in-law turned cold again. Then, after Si Si was born, her mother-in-law became even more indifferent. As Li Ren's position rose through the ranks, her mother-in-law became warm again—to her own son. Toward Yu Jia, she was as indifferent as plain water with a little salt added.
Yu Jia opened the door and entered the house. The main lights in the living room were off, lit only by a Philips energy-saving bulb. No one was there. Yu Jia changed her shoes and went to her daughter's room. Sisi was asleep. She went to the bedroom. She was sound asleep. Had she left? Or had she never come, and was Yu Yi mistaken? Yu Jia changed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Pushing the door open, the sensor light suddenly illuminated, revealing her mother-in-law, a statue, perched on the toilet. Yu Jia, startled, called out, "Mom," and hurriedly left. She'd prepared all the way downstairs and upstairs, only to be caught off guard. She gathered her composure and looked around the living room; everything needed to be tidied. Li Ren's mother's sudden visit was unacceptable. She was a good housewife.
After a while, my mother-in-law came out of the bathroom.
Yu Jia couldn't hold her pee any longer, so she said, "Mom, please sit down first," and hurried to the bathroom. Li Ren's vomit-stained clothes had already been washed, and Si Si's pants, socks, and bra were all hanging on the bathroom railing, dripping wet.
My mother-in-law did it for me.
Yu Jia felt strangely embarrassed. She couldn't explain why she'd left her husband and daughter home alone while she came home late. However, since her mother-in-law didn't ask, she couldn't proactively explain. That would only make her feel guilty. Her mother-in-law's arrival was unusual. Why didn't she call ahead? Why didn't she let us pick her up? What happened? Was it serious? Did she have a fight with Dad or something? What was Dad going to do when he was home alone?
There's no need to ask. It's here. It's a fait accompli. You have to accept it whether you want to or not.
Yu Jia quickly washed her face and removed her light makeup. She didn't want her mother-in-law to notice she was wearing any makeup, especially lipstick. Her persona was that of a simple, unpretentious housewife. And she truly was. The only time she "let out" her guard, she ran into a trap.
Liren's mother walked into the living room, stood there, and pointed in the direction of the coffee table. "I'll sleep on the sofa."
Yu Jia quickly said no. She wanted her mother to sleep in the big bed. However, the house only had two bedrooms and a living room, and Sisi lived in the small second bedroom. Li Ren was already lying in the master bedroom, so she couldn't let her mother-in-law share a bed with Li Ren.
To coordinate, Yu Jia said, "I'll tell him to get up."
Liren's mother quickly stopped him, "No, no, Liren has worked hard and finally got a chance to sleep. Just let go of the sofa. I'll sleep on the sofa. Rest."
The attitude is very firm.
Yu Jia couldn't resist. She had to bring two extra mattresses to cushion the bed, then took out a new quilt and filled it with a memory foam pillow. My mother-in-law was always constipated and had trouble sleeping. She couldn't stand noise or light, and was a light sleeper. Her requirements for pillows were high—and naturally, they increased with Li Ren's career advancement. In the past, she could just use any piece of clothing as a cushion, or even nothing at all—and she could fall asleep lying flat on her back.
Lying in bed, Yu Jia couldn't fall asleep. A soft snoring sounded beside her. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't move.
She wasn't happy with her performance today. Perhaps her mother-in-law had already deducted a point from her in her secret notebook. Yu Jia believed that in the long run, this would be detrimental to her and Liren's love.
As soon as she got off the car, Yu Shuang told Yu Rui that she would definitely attend fewer such gatherings in the future as they were meaningless.
Yu Shuang rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm not full."
Yu Rui asked her why she didn't eat.
Yu Shuang said, "I've heard enough of you."
Yu Rui knew she didn't like hearing about dating, marriage, having children, and raising them. She could understand Shuang; his house was mortgage-free, he had a good job, and he was independent. There was no need for him to compromise himself for the sake of marriage. But she also felt that Yu Shuang was a bit stubborn, or perhaps her dislike for men was a self-protective measure because she couldn't get the love from men.
Yu Shuang doesn't know how to dress well, and she doesn't know how to play to her strengths. She always dresses like an average office woman, with a wide-lapeled collar, brown leather boots for winter, medium-length hair, and no makeup. It's true that Yu Shuang has a good foundation, with fair, radiant skin, but Yu Rui believes she won't last many more years if she continues to mess around like this.
However, Yu Rui liked Yu Shuang because they weren't in competition, and Yu Shuang had many outstanding men around her, all of whom she could consider. Furthermore, Yu Shuang was generous and would always invite Yu Rui to stay at his house for a few days after every party.
Once, when the landlord was repossessing his property, Yu Rui had no place to live for a while. It was Yu Shuang who generously accepted her and provided her with a roof to shelter her from the wind and rain.
At that time, Yu Shuang's mother hadn't come to take care of her daughter yet. Shuang's father had passed away a few years earlier. Yu Shuang also had a younger brother, Yu Qing, who used to work in a big city, but after getting married, he found the pressure too great and moved his family to a medium-sized city.
Yu Qing married a village woman and had two children, but now the whole family depends on him. Yu Shuang is furious. With the in-laws entrenched in Yu Qing's place, Yu Shuang's mother has no choice but to come to her daughter's side.
It wasn't a big deal at first. She felt her daughter needed her too much. The house, though large, was a mess. Yu Shuang couldn't take care of herself, had no sense of her own life, and was becoming increasingly dry and sallow. Shuang's mother arrived and turned the tide. Yu Shuang's cheeks gradually became plumper, and her life became smoother and smoother. Yu Shuang didn't seem to want to look for another man anymore. The mother and daughter grew increasingly close, with no room for a man between them.
Yu Jia talked only about her husband and children, Yu Meng enjoyed daydreaming about love, and Yu Rui was tight-lipped, never saying anything. Yu Shuang's mother, though rarely seen, was somehow made into a celebrity by her constant nagging. Mother and daughter shared a common hatred, their disdain for her brother-in-law's family. Yu Shuang despised women without ambition, and her mother loathed housewives who lived off their husbands. When she spoke of her daughter-in-law, she spoke in a storytelling tone: "She hasn't worked in seven years—it's killing her!" Of her daughter-in-law's parents, she'd say: "So many chronic illnesses, diabetes! Coronary heart disease! They don't even have a pension." She had a pension and health insurance, and although she regularly took Danshen drops and occasionally took quick-acting heart-saving pills, she was absolutely no burden to her children. Shuang's mother treated her son as if he had never been raised, leaving him to her in-laws as a live-in son-in-law. Yu Shuang was a true hero; she was content with having a daughter.
Going downstairs, Yu Rui turned around and headed to 7-11.
"What?"
"You can't go empty-handed." Shuang's mother is around, so you have to respect your elders.
"What a fuss! Go upstairs."
Yu Rui insisted a little longer, but Yu Shuang pretended to get angry, so Yu Rui had no choice but to give in. The two of them went upstairs.
"Auntie." Yu Rui was polite and nodded, bending her body slightly.
"Oh, that's Xiao Rui. Oh my god, how can she be so beautiful? Wow, Shuang, you should learn from her." Yu Shuang's mother was a passionate woman. Yu Rui was embarrassed by what she said. Although she was beautiful, it was true that she was praised so much, in the middle of the night, and with Yu Shuang as a foil, it was really inappropriate.
Yu Rui said: "Auntie, Shuang is also beautiful, she just disdains to dress up."
Yu Shuang's mother said, "That won't work. You have to pretend."
Yu Shuang was impatient, "Alright, stop talking, is there anything to eat?"
"You haven't eaten yet?" Yu Shuang's mother asked in surprise. She followed him into the kitchen and fussed around. She brought two bowls of noodles. They were a base of vegetarian noodles, topped with a pig's trotter and a few green vegetables.
Yu Rui was full, but she couldn't resist the hospitality, so she had to eat a little with Yu Shuang.
As soon as you take a bite, you can taste the flavor of home, which is much more delicious than the food in the restaurant.
"How's it going?" Yu Shuang's mother asked. Yu Rui nodded, looking at Shuang'er beside her, devouring her meal without even looking up. Yu Rui suddenly felt a little envious of Yu Shuang. Motherless children are pitiful. Her mother died early, and her father remarried. Although she and her sister can go to school normally, they always have a strong sense of wandering in their hearts.
Compared to Yu Shuang, Yu Rui has a stronger desire to succeed, but she does not have enough intelligence to get into a key university, so she can only take a different path and become an actor.
It was only as soon as she took a bite of the pig's trotter that Yu Rui truly understood why Yu Shuang had refused to "grow up." Her mother had taken such good care of her, making her feel comfortable. It wasn't just about eating. She even took a bath afterward, the water running smoothly.
Yu Rui was even startled by Yu Shuang's underwear: pink, with piggy embroidery.
"What's your taste?" Rui asked.
"My mother bought it." Shuang answered.
In her mother's heart, she was still a little princess. Her only responsibility was to go out and earn money; her mother took care of everything around the house. After taking a shower, she didn't go to bed immediately. Shuang's mother helped Shuang and Rui blow dry their hair. Rui applied a series of face creams. Shuang's mother said to Shuang, "Learn something," and then pulled Yu Rui over, "Teach her something."
Yu Rui smiled and broke down the steps one by one, explaining them in detail. Yu Shuang interrupted, "Mom, you're being so redundant. I'm not wearing makeup, so naturally, I don't need so many steps. Just cleansing, water, and night cream, OK." Shuang's mother said helplessly to Rui, "You want everything to be simple. You want to be lazy and save trouble. Okay, I'm here. I'll take care of it. What will you do when I'm not around? How will you do it?"
A happy daughter. Yu Rui was even a little jealous of Shuang. Shuang's innocence, generosity, carefreeness, and lack of defense all came from her mother. She was the medium and bridge between Shuang and the real world. She was her manager.
Shuang is overprotected.
As she spoke, Shuang's mother had already made the beds and stuffed a heating pad under each of Shuang and Rui's blankets, taking them out before bed. This way, the blankets were just the right temperature, not too cold, not too hot. The girls were ready to go to bed. Shuang's mother sighed to Rui, "I really don't know who to find." Yu Shuang knew her mother was going to nag again, so she pulled the blanket over her head.
Shuang's mother gave a helpless smile and winked at Rui. Yu Rui understood and gave Shuang's mother an OK sign. She obeyed the order and helped Shuang keep an eye out for men—in fact, Shuang had no shortage of men around her, she just didn't need them.
It's late at night.
Yu Rui and Shuang shared a bed tonight. Shuang heard her mother leave, stretched her neck, and called out, "Mom! Medicine! Take the medicine!" Yu Shuang's mother responded with a hum. Yu Rui lay down straight, savoring the warmth of someone else's home.
A few minutes later, she wanted to say a few words to Shuang in private, but when she turned around, Yu Shuang was already snoring softly.
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