Chapter 1545 - 1534: Scumbag Repents
"What’s wrong? Dinner I made wasn’t to your taste again, huh? Getting up in the middle of the night to cook for yourself," Ye Qiu heard his mother’s endless complaints about Mei Ya the moment he finished showering.
Mei Ya said nothing, acting as though she hadn’t heard Jiang Xiuqing’s voice, leaving Ye Qiu feeling helpless and guilty.
"Mom, what are you talking about? I didn’t have enough to eat outside, Xiao Ya cooked these noodles for me," Ye Qiu said as he pushed open the door. "Mom, why do you always criticize Xiao Ya for no reason?"
Mei Ya looked back at Ye Qiu, still not saying anything.
However, Jiang Xiuqing wasn’t pleased, feeling that her son was defending his wife more than her. She shouted, "You’ve really forgotten your mother after marrying a wife. I worked hard to raise you, and what’s my reward now? I’m so unfortunate, widowed at 22, and now my son also sides with outsiders. I might as well not live anymore."
The woman’s unreasonable crying really left people helpless, especially Ye Qiu, her son. His mom indeed raised him with great effort, making sacrifices for his education, and he achieved success now. He didn’t want his mom to suffer any longer, nor did he want to go against her wishes. Hence, whenever she acted up, he had to bear it patiently, although Mei Ya was likely the one most aggrieved.
"Mom, can you be reasonable? What did I say wrong earlier?" Ye Qiu sighed deeply.
"You scolded me for your wife," the Old Lady said, eyes wide.
"Was I scolding you? I just wanted you not to pick on Xiao Ya. We’re family; can’t we talk things through? She only cooked noodles for me, yet you still blame her," Ye Qiu implored gently.
But the Old Lady got even angrier upon hearing that. "You say I’m picking on her? How am I picking on her? I wonder why she doesn’t explain herself. Isn’t that disrespecting me? In our place, wasn’t every daughter-in-law like this before?"
"Mom, can you lower your voice? Xinrui is still sleeping," Ye Qiu said sternly. "Do you want the child to know that her parents and grandma are fighting? It will create a psychological shadow for her."
"A psychological shadow? I think you guys are just making things up. It’s just a kid; how can they have so many issues? I’ve never heard of such things back home," Jiang Xiuqing said, although her voice did soften.
"Can it be the same? You mentioned before that every daughter-in-law was like this, but those times people didn’t watch TV or wore patched clothes and lived without electricity. Can you do things exactly as they used to be?"
"Life is better now. Why should I live a harsh life?" The Old Lady said with an angry expression.
"You said it yourself, conditions have changed, and naturally, people have changed too. Our family clearly can live a good life, yet you insist on comparing Xiao Ya to past daughters-in-law. Aren’t you deliberately driving me crazy, making me sleepless and unable to work?" Ye Qiu spoke seriously, trying to frighten his mom.
Indeed, Jiang Xiuqing looked at him worriedly. "You can’t sleep and can’t work? Why didn’t you tell me such a serious thing?"
"Didn’t you always say you want me to be filial to you, so I didn’t want to worry you?" Ye Qiu sighed heavily. "Because lack of sleep affects work, I couldn’t close the deal."
"What should we do then? Mom will go to the pharmacy tomorrow to get some medicine to make soup for you."
"It’s useless. This is a psychological issue; drinking soup won’t help."
"Then hurry to see a doctor; what are you waiting for?"
"What’s there to see? When Xiao Ya had a headache last time, you said it was just a little issue and not to be dramatic. My sleeplessness is even less than that. It’s nothing."
Jiang Xiuqing seemed to realize something, squinting at him questioningly, "Are you pretending, trying to remind me again for your wife’s sake?"
Mei Ya had been puzzled, seeing Ye Qiu, who slept late but had good sleep quality. Moreover, he said his company matters were going smoothly two days ago; was there really a fallout now? Until hearing his mother-in-law’s words, she felt her husband was deliberately standing up for her, but seeing her mother-in-law’s face, she felt uneasy.
"Mom, don’t you think I look worse than before? Even my hair is thinning," Ye Qiu telling a bold lie, but old folks often sense their children looking thinner or tired. Now with Ye Qiu saying it, Jiang Xiuqing also noticed dark circles around his eyes, his hair appearing less lush than before.
She instantly panicked, "What should we do? Let’s go to the hospital, right now."
"Mom, I told you, it’s psychological. Even if we go to the hospital, doctors can’t solve it." He said, taking two bites of the noodles before putting down the chopsticks, as if unable to eat.
"Isn’t it tasty? I’ll make something else for you."
Mei Ya remained seated, curious to see how Ye Qiu was acting.
"No need, Mom. I just don’t have an appetite."
"How come no appetite? Didn’t you skip dinner?"
"It’s been like this lately, feeling full just seeing food." Ye Qiu sighed deeply, his face showing hesitation.
"Not eating properly isn’t sustainable. Eventually, one can’t hold on."
"At worst, we’ll go to the hospital for a glucose drip."
"Can that replace meals? You can’t skip meals for anything!"
"But I just don’t have an appetite; don’t worry too much. Actually, I consulted a doctor; they said it’s psychological stress, advised me to relax."
"Our family life is getting better; what’s there to be stressed about?" Jiang Xiuqing asked confusedly, almost spinning with anxiety.
Ye Qiu smiled bitterly, "How could I not be anxious? The relationship between you and Xiao Ya isn’t good; Xinrui’s future education; the lost company orders—where should I look next? Plus, fulfilling promises to people back home, which part doesn’t require my attention? Mom, I didn’t want to say this before, but these past two years I’ve really been tired; I’ve been holding on all along."
Not just Jiang Xiuqing; Mei Ya felt moved too, thinking about her husband’s circumstances, seeing indeed he faced a lot.
"But mom, it’s fine; life has to go on, right? These things can’t be avoided, but they’ll be handled eventually." Ye Qiu smiled resiliently, making Jiang Xiuqing feel even more heartache.
"But nothing is more important than your health! Mom promises you, I won’t argue with your wife anymore, and I’ll refuse those people from back home, not letting them trouble you."
"Yet if we don’t fulfill their requests, how will you showcase with your hometown folks?"
"They are nothing compared to you! You’re so accomplished that even if we don’t help, they wouldn’t dare say a word in our face."
Mei Ya sighed a breath of relief, knowing full well how many inconveniences her mother-in-law’s relatives had caused. Every two-three months, a batch would arrive, and it wasn’t about the hospitality cost but the discomfort of letting them stay, often moving their daughter out of her room, leading to frustration.
Her husband would always help his mother, claiming relations couldn’t stay well otherwise. Now, finally, freedom?