Actually, the old lady didn’t want to live under the same roof as Han Yunru.
But she was reluctant to leave this luxurious villa, and she didn’t want to let her unfilial son, Jiang Da, have his way. Did he want to drive her out? Then she’d stubbornly stay to disgust them!
If she couldn’t be happy, neither should anyone else.
So, when Jiang Teng asked, “Right?” the old lady nodded in agreement.
“See? I knew Mom still wanted to stay with big brother and his family!” Communication reached a deadlock.
The old lady refused to leave, irritating everyone, while Jiang Da wanted her gone but couldn’t make it explicit.
Standing on the second floor, Jiang Fuyue clicked her tongue at the sight.
Her younger brother looked up at her. “Sister, Dad looks like he’s in a difficult situation.”
“Oh,” she responded calmly.
“So… can we help him?”
Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Some things others can’t help with.”
Her little brother seemed to half-understand.
In the living room, Jiang Hua and Jiang Teng looked at Jiang Da, waiting for his final decision.
Han Yunru also looked at her husband, a hint of struggle in her eyes. Perhaps she had pushed him too hard…
Just as she was about to say something, Jiang Da broke his silence.
“Since Mom likes living with her sons and daughters-in-law, why don’t the three of us take turns looking after her? What do you think?”
Before Jiang Hua and Jiang Teng could respond, Yang Jinqiu and Liu Shuting’s expressions changed.
What a ridiculous idea!
Having the old lady live with them? That would be a nightmare!
After years of being daughters-in-law, they knew exactly what kind of person the old lady was—sharp-tongued, mean, constantly meddling and stirring up trouble, especially with her sons against their wives.
Yang Jinqiu had suffered through this when she first married in.
Since then, she had seen through the old lady completely. To put it nicely, you could call her “overly concerned.” But to be blunt, she was a “home wrecker.”
Wherever she went, trouble followed.
As for Liu Shuting, the doted-upon youngest daughter-in-law, she had endured less hardship than Yang Jinqiu, but she outright looked down on the old lady.
It wasn’t just about their clashing lifestyles; Liu Shuting couldn’t agree with many of the old lady’s views. For instance, the things the old lady said about Han Yunru—if those words had been directed at her, she might have rushed up and torn the old woman’s mouth apart.
The thought of living under the same roof with the old lady made her scalp tingle. How could she possibly agree?
She immediately signaled Jiang Teng with her eyes: Don’t forget what you promised me before we left the house!
Jiang Teng was equally stressed. Despite his usual lip service about being filial, what he couldn’t stand the most was the old lady constantly meddling in his life.
Living together? That would be unbearable. She’d nag him to death!
Yang Jinqiu didn’t dare be as blatantly defiant as Liu Shuting, but at this moment, her worried gaze turned to Jiang Hua, silently pleading for him not to agree.
But Jiang Hua didn’t even glance her way. To him, this was a matter for the men to decide—what the women thought didn’t matter.
Seeing the two remain silent, Jiang Da pressed the issue.
Jiang Teng, sensing Jiang Hua’s subtle approval, clenched his teeth and decided to speak up:
“How would that work?”
Jiang Da replied calmly, “Why wouldn’t it work?”
“Well… we all have jobs. Who’s going to stay home to take care of Mom? And even if we hire a caregiver, it’s not practical to have one constantly moving between three households. Besides, even though we live in a small villa, it’s not like we can just clear out two rooms for Mom and the caregiver right away!”
Jiang Hua remained silent, still withholding any clear stance.
Jiang Da turned directly to Jiang Teng. “Then what do you think is the best arrangement?”
The ball was in Jiang Teng’s court now, with both Jiang Da and Jiang Hua waiting for his response.
“I…” The man was flustered. “How would I know…”
Liu Shuting tugged on his sleeve. After a brief exchange of glances between the couple, Jiang Teng cleared his throat and said: “Well, after giving it some thought, I still think it’s best for Mom to move back to the old house.”
The old lady’s eyes widened in shock. She couldn’t believe such words were coming out of the mouth of her cherished youngest son.
“Ah Teng, even you’re abandoning me?” If Jiang Da’s suggestion had only angered and upset her, Jiang Teng’s avoidance and pretense struck her deeply.
“Mom! You’ve got it all wrong! How could I abandon you?” Jiang Teng immediately defended himself. “I just think you’d be more comfortable back at the old house. After all, you’ve lived there for decades, and your old neighbors are still around. Even the doctor said familiar environments are better for recovery. You miss us, sure, but you’ve got to prioritize your health, right?”
He spoke with such apparent filial piety, as if he were the epitome of a dutiful son.
Upstairs, Jiang Fuyue listened to his spiel and nearly believed him.
But the old lady didn’t “nearly” believe—it didn’t take her a moment to buy it completely. Overcome with emotion, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she muttered, “Ah Teng is the truly filial one, always thinking of me. Not like certain ingrates—it’s better not to have raised them at all…”
Everyone present knew exactly who she was criticizing.
Seizing the old lady’s good mood, Jiang Teng quickly chimed in, “Mom, don’t hesitate! No matter how nice a villa is, it’s never as comfortable as your own home. Once you’ve recovered, you can stay at any of our houses whenever you like!”
The old lady snorted coldly. “Forget it. Some people’s homes are so precious, I wouldn’t dare stay there!”
Jiang Da remained indifferent, unmoved by her sarcasm.
It seemed the eldest brother had changed, and Jiang Hua and Jiang Teng looked at him with noticeably different expressions.
In the end, the old lady was sent back to her home. Jiang Hua and Jiang Teng, along with their wives, also left.
The once-grand villa was now left with only Jiang Da’s family of four.
Jiang Fuyue led Jiang Chenxing downstairs to the living room and tentatively called out, “Dad?”
“…Hmm?” Jiang Da paused for two seconds before responding. When he looked up at his two children, his face carried the same simple and honest expression as always. His gaze was slow and unassuming. “What’s the matter?”
Jiang Fuyue handed him a cup. “Drink some water.”
Jiang Da tilted his head back and drank a few gulps, then let out a heavy breath, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
See? He could do it.
What he hadn’t done before wasn’t because he couldn’t—it was because he didn’t want to, didn’t dare to, or wasn’t willing.
“Yueyue, Chenxing, has Daddy let you down?”
Jiang Chenxing understood part of it, but not everything. He just said, “Daddy was so cool earlier!”
Jiang Da laughed and patted his son’s head. But when he turned to meet his daughter’s scrutinizing gaze, his smile faltered slightly.
“Yueyue…” He seemed momentarily dazed.
His daughter wasn’t as easy to appease as his son.
“Dad, that’s a question you should be asking someone else, not me.”
Jiang Da trembled slightly. For a moment, he even felt an urge to avoid it. He didn’t dare turn around to look at Han Yunru.
In the end, it was the woman who broke the silence first. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and talk.”
Her voice was gentle, calm, and serene.
Jiang Da immediately followed, unwilling to fall behind but not daring to get too close, resembling a timid dog trailing after her. His posture betrayed a hint of awkward vulnerability.
“Sis, will Mom and Dad argue?” Jiang Chenxing asked.
“They won’t.”
Because this big oaf had finally figured things out.
Once inside the bedroom, Jiang Da closed the door behind them.
“Wife… wife…. don’t ignore me, please…” He hadn’t dared to call her like this earlier in front of the kids, but now that they were alone, he had no reservations.
“Wife” and “honey” spilled out one after another, as if he couldn’t say it enough.
Han Yunru pressed her lips together, a mix of annoyance and exasperation. “Enough already!”
“Wife, I’m sorry.”
Han Yunru’s tone was indifferent. “There’s no need to apologize to me.”
“There is! I’ve let you suffer. I didn’t realize in time and stand by your side during the toughest moments. That’s my fault.”
“I shouldn’t have allowed Mom to mistreat you…” Images of what he had glimpsed through the door crack last night suddenly resurfaced in Jiang Da’s mind, and his heart ached as if it were being torn apart. “Wife, marrying me must have been so unfair to you.”
Not only did she have to live with a coarse, unromantic man like him, but she also had to endure his mother’s insults and harassment.
“In this matter, I’ve done a poor job, but I’ll reflect on it,” Jiang Da said slowly and earnestly, his eyes full of sincerity. “If there’s anything I do wrong in the future, please tell me, okay? You’re my wife, the person I’m spending my life with. No matter what you say, I won’t be angry or blame you, so you don’t need to be afraid…”
So this fool understood everything after all!
He knew her worries and concerns. He even understood why she had “kept quiet” and now assured her not to be afraid…
Han Yunru’s heart ached and swelled with emotion all at once.
“Husband…” she murmured.
Jiang Da couldn’t hold back any longer. He rushed forward and wrapped her in a hug. “Ah Ru, you finally called me that! I’m so happy!”
The old lady’s drama had finally come to an end, for now.
As the golden autumn of September arrived, Linnan No. 1 High School welcomed a new school year…
