Mr. Xie took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom, I’ll take you ho."
Hearing this, Granny exploded with rage. She pointed a trembling finger at Mr. Xie. "Oldest Son, what did you just say?"
"I’ll take you ho," Mr. Xie repeated, his tone firm.
"You..." Granny slapped her thigh and looked at Grandpa, who stood silently to the side. "Old man! Our lives are so bitter! We raised an ungrateful, treacherous son. He’s the eldest, he was supposed to be our support, the hope of the Jie Family! But he married a wife and forgot his own mother. He moved away with his children and left us behind. Now, we miss them so much. We just want to stay here for a month to be with them so we can die with no regrets. But he’s so unfilial! He won’t even grant us this one simple wish. We’ll never be able to rest in peace!"
Watching Granny wail and throw a fit, Mr. Xie felt a headache coming on.
Jie Jingchen watched with cold detachnt. ’Granny’s theatrics don’t work on ,’ he thought. ’But I’m not so sure about my father.’
His second brother was on a business trip, his third brother had taken his wife to visit her mother, Jing Wu was still out taking Aunt Zhang ho, and Jing Qi had gone back to his room early. That left only him to keep his father company.
Her usual tricks, which had always worked like a charm, were having no effect now. Granny was filled with grief and indignation. "Where’s Yan Qiu? Oldest Son, is it because Yan Qiu won’t allow it?"
"No," Mr. Xie said, his head feeling like it would split open.
Granny sneered. "Go on, protect her. Ever since you married her, you’ve turned traitor. You stopped being filial to your father and . Oldest Son, search your heart and tell , am I wrong? Think about your attitude toward us when you were with Zhang Hongyan. Now think about your attitude after you got together with Qiao Yanqiu."
"Jie Jianguo, a man marries a wife not just to carry on the family line, but also to be filial to his parents! Zhang Hongyan was filial. She served us hand and foot, waiting on us with all her heart. But what about Qiao Yanqiu? Has she ever served us tea? Has she waited on us for even a single day? Not to ntion attending to us at our bedside when we were sick!"
Qin i stood by the window, listening to Granny’s tirade. She found it utterly ridiculous.
’No wonder my mother-in-law refuses to show her face. Even my father-in-law can’t handle Granny, let alone her.’
’The first ten years test the mother-in-law, the next ten test the daughter-in-law. It all starts with the mother-in-law. If she treats her son’s wife kindly, how could the wife not be filial in return? Not only did she give nothing, but she also stirred up trouble. And now, in her old age, she expects ticulous, devoted care? Is that even possible?’
A faint, mocking expression crossed Jie Jingchen’s bewitching face, his thin lips curling into a sneer. "What good is being filial? You didn’t cherish it. In the end, you were the one who drove her to lose all hope in life."
Comparisons are odious. Since Granny wanted to compare the forr daughter-in-law with the current one, she couldn’t bla him for being rciless with his words.
Qin i really wanted to applaud. ’Granny looked down on her forr daughter-in-law, yet she took her devotion for granted. She wasn’t the least bit grateful and instead acted as if it was only natural for her to be served.’
’With Zhang Hongyan as a cautionary tale, if Qiao Yanqiu were to make the sa mistake, she would only have herself to bla.’
"Jing Si," Granny snapped, thoroughly incensed.
"Mom, whenever you and Dad are sick, no matter how busy she is or how late it is, Yan Qiu always cos over to treat you," Mr. Xie said, defending his wife. Yan Qiu did contribute to her in-laws’ care; she just had her limits.
"What’s the use of just treating our illnesses? Are we short on doctors? What we’re short on is a daughter-in-law’s filial piety at our bedside!" Qiao Yanqiu would examine them, give them so dicine and money, and then leave. Granny had a big problem with this; she could never get her to stay.
"Yan Qiu treats your illnesses, gives you dicine, and gives you money. My second brother’s wife takes care of you. The duties are clearly divided," Mr. Xie said.
Granny raged, "Clearly divided? Oldest Son, are you trying to kill with anger? We aren’t just her patients, we’re her parents-in-law! Taking care of us is her responsibility and duty! Your second brother’s wife is your second brother’s wife, and she is she. We need *her* to be the one showing filial piety."
"Old woman, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. The boy isn’t wrong," Grandpa, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up to diate. "Our eldest daughter-in-law treats us and gives us dicine and money, and our second daughter-in-law takes care of us. That’s a very reasonable arrangent. Besides, our third daughter-in-law also takes turns. No one is slacking."
"What do you an I can’t have my cake and eat it too? I want both!" Granny said petulantly. It was bad enough that her husband had stayed silent, but for him to open his mouth only to side with them was infuriating.
"You’re too greedy," Grandpa said helplessly.
"So what if I’m greedy?" Granny said, sticking her chest out defiantly.
Grandpa shook his head in resignation. He turned to Mr. Xie and said, "Oldest Son, it’s getting late. Just prepare any room for us. Your mother and I will stay for one night. First thing tomorrow, you can drive us back to the machinery factory."
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