novelraw Chapter 338 - 328: The Relationship Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law
Chapter 338 - 328: The Relationship Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law
Liu Yulan originally planned to return to work after Wang Pandi’s confinement period, but now Cheng Xue is pregnant too. Without her mother around to help, she had to rely on Liu Yulan.
Because of this, the family sat down together to discuss the situation.
If Liu Yulan didn’t stay to help, they would have to hire someone else, and the salary for a nanny wasn’t cheap. It was almost equivalent to what Liu Yulan would earn going back to work.
In the end, Liu Yulan made up her mind to give up her job opportunity and stayed to take care of the children. She was really not at ease handing over the household to a stranger.
"Mom, thank you." When Wang Jia Bao returned home from work and saw Liu Yulan busy around the house, he felt gratitude and was moved. "Without you here to guide us, who knows what our life would be like..."
Life could still go on, actually. In this world, there’s really never a time when someone is absolutely indispensable.
Living with parents had its benefits; there’s someone to help with big and small matters.
For a young couple living on their own, it’s great too—they have their own space and can live however they like. People with playful natures are especially suited for it.
But Cheng Xue and her family were different; they had their own courtyard, living together yet not entirely so.
Wang Jia Bao’s words were sincere but carried a bit of flattery, which Liu Yulan found very pleasing to hear.
Parents give so much for their children, always fearing that despite giving their all, they won’t even receive a simple thanks.
Doing a good job is expected, but not doing well could lead to resentment. Being a housewife is not an easy task.
Especially since Cheng Xue was the daughter-in-law, and with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, over time, issues were bound to arise.
Like now, when Wang Pandi was in confinement, Liu Yulan daily prepared nourishing soups and stews for her.
But could she finish a whole pot of soup by herself in one meal? In winter, it might be okay to keep it for a few days, but in summer, it would spoil, which would be wasteful.
Oh, well... Fortunately, there was now another pregnant one who also needed nourishment.
So, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Cheng Xue’s meals became quite abundant.
Liu Yulan was delighted to cook, but Cheng Xue wasn’t entirely happy with the meals.
She knew Liu Yulan meant well, but there were some things she didn’t like to eat. Especially things that seemed to appear daily, such as pig’s trotter soup, which was too greasy for her taste.
She was also a straightforward person who said what was on her mind.
After five days of pig’s trotters, she couldn’t help but speak up, "Mom, I’m not in confinement, why don’t you save this soup for my second sister..."
"Your second sister has enough. This is specially saved for you, drink it up, it supplements you, so the baby can grow healthy and chubby; wouldn’t it be wonderful if the baby comes out plump?" Liu Yulan didn’t realize Cheng Xue was being upfront and thought she was just being polite.
Cheng Xue frowned; she was only a few months along. If this continued, she’d gain so much weight that she wouldn’t be able to move. Even though pregnant, she wanted to be a beautiful mom-to-be.
"Mom, I don’t like eating this. You’d better save it for my second sister." Seeing that Liu Yulan didn’t understand, Cheng Xue just said it directly.
"Huh?" Initially confused, Liu Yulan eventually understood her intent and didn’t overthink it, assuming she really didn’t like it. "Alright, next time I’ll save something else for you. Tell me what you like, and I’ll make it for you."
Truthfully, Liu Yulan treated Cheng Xue quite well.
It’s just that the older generation’s views are different from the younger ones’. They need time to blend these differences if they want to get along more harmoniously.
As one thing leads to another, a few days later Cheng Xue mentioned she didn’t like having chicken soup every day...
And Liu Yulan felt uncomfortable in her heart.
She worked so hard to cook, and yet Cheng Xue was still being picky. There are only so many traditional postpartum dishes—how could she keep changing them?
Liu Yulan wasn’t a mean mother-in-law, but if she treated her daughter-in-law well and her daughter-in-law nitpicked, it was upsetting.
It’s said to treat daughters-in-law like your own, but deep down, they’re not your own. With real daughters, whether you scold or hit them, they can easily reconcile. Would a daughter-in-law be the same? That would be crazy...
She hoped someone could talk to her, and the best intermediary she could think of was her son, Wang Jia Bao.
So, one day when Wang Jia Bao returned home, Liu Yulan pulled him into the kitchen.
"Jia Bao, talk to Xiao Xue..."
"Mom, what’s up?" Hearing this, Wang Jia Bao got a bit anxious. Being asked to talk to someone right after coming home made him uneasy.
Liu Yulan recounted the past few days and concluded, "I’m doing this for her own good. You see how small-framed she is. If she doesn’t get nourishment now, she’ll struggle even more when her belly gets bigger... For the child’s sake, encourage her to eat more and put on some weight."
Every word from Liu Yulan was earnest, all for her benefit. Naturally, Wang Jia Bao agreed immediately and promised to convey the message to Cheng Xue.
Returning to their room, Wang Jia Bao acted as the messenger, and then, oh dear. One of his words must have struck a nerve, as Cheng Xue’s tears suddenly began to fall—she was crying uncontrollably...
In fact, this was also a symptom of Cheng Xue’s pregnancy—her emotions had grown more sensitive.
"Xue, Xue, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" Wang Jia Bao was getting anxious. While holding her, he was busy drying her tears and offering apologies, not knowing where to begin.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, don’t cry. Just tell me what’s bothering you, and I’ll change it." Wang Jia Bao was at a loss. He didn’t understand why she was crying. He replayed his words in his mind and added, "If you don’t like it, we won’t eat it..."
"Is this about food? You bumblehead, boohoo..." Cheng Xue cried, her heart filled with grievance, hitting his chest with intensity, each sob echoing a quiver of agitation, scaring Wang Jia Bao into a furrowed brow—it could crush flies.
In truth, Cheng Xue didn’t even know why she felt so wronged. All she knew was that her heart felt bad, pent-up and stifled.
She cried for a good while before her sobbing gradually stopped.
Wang Jia Bao just held her, gently patting her back, trying to console her emotions.
After a long pause, Cheng Xue stayed silent, resting in Wang Jia Bao’s arms, quietly.
Wang Jia Bao cautiously asked, "Feeling better now? Can you tell me what I did wrong? I’ll make sure not to make the same mistake again."
His determination to fix things was commendable. Cheng Xue took another deep breath and sighed, as if expelling the frustration in her chest.
"I don’t like eating pig’s trotters, drinking chicken soup... Eating it daily is just too much."
"Alright, we won’t eat it every day. How about once a week?" Wang Jia Bao remembered his mom’s words, that Cheng Xue needed nourishment.
This suggestion silenced Cheng Xue, which typically meant agreement.
"I don’t want to gain weight, even pregnant I want to look good."
"You’re not gaining weight. In my eyes, you’ve always been the most beautiful, just like now, you’re such a sweetheart..."