Chapter 276 - 268: The Past of the Xie Family (Part 2)
Tian Xiaoju’s status at home plummeted; without money, there was no talk of managing the household anymore. Without money to manage, her once unchallenged authority was lost. She could no longer boss around her daughter-in-law, Lin Meizhu, and found herself cursed at daily.
From a queen to an old hag overnight, how could Tian Xiaoju accept such a fall from grace? So, she did everything in her power to sow discord between Xie Changgen and Lin Meizhu, attempting to regain control over her eldest daughter-in-law.
But her favored eldest son was no longer fooled by her tactics.
She didn’t understand that Xie Changgen had long resented her for being stingy with money in the past. He had to go to great lengths, sweet-talking and flattering, just to get a bit from her.
With no money, what could she say? How could her eldest son still listen to her?
So, her attempts not only failed but Lin Meizhu turned the tables on her, whispering to Xie Changgen, who ended up blaming all the fallout from the brothers’ separation – the fact that their family could not benefit from Lu Aimei’s family – entirely on Tian Xiaoju.
Seeing her beloved eldest son blaming her for the brothers’ estrangement, Tian Xiaoju deeply regretted her past actions; she lamented that she compromised her son’s interests. The more she thought about it, the more bitter she felt, and she started to approach her younger son, Xie Changgen.
Seeing their mother crying, snot and tears mingling, Xie Changgen was initially softhearted, but over the years, he had been successfully "brainwashed" by his father and wife — there was no other way.