Chapter 1659: I'm Not Just Sweet-Talking; It's From the Heart

Duan Ruirui took a deep breath before speaking: "That man seems to have gotten entangled with his boss's daughter due to an accident."

"Anyway, it started as a good deed to save someone, but somehow it all got muddled. You know Kunlan's personality; she said she wants to come back and stay for a while so everyone can cool down."

Duan Ruirui glanced outside: "I overheard this. I went out specifically the afternoon before yesterday and called Kunlan. She said she'd talk about it after returning to the capital."

Liu Chuxue hadn't expected such a thing to happen, but since she hadn't seen the person herself, she didn't feel right offering an opinion: "Then we'll talk when we see her."

As the two were talking, Uncle Xiao's wife, Zhang Haitang, walked in: "Freshly fried oil cakes, you two should try them."

Duan Ruirui smiled as she accepted the bowl: "Mom loves me the most."

Liu Chuxue watched the interaction between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law: "Look at that little mouth, so sweet."

Duan Ruirui rolled her eyes at her: "I'm not just sweet-talking; it's from the heart."

She wasn't lying. Her mother had passed away early, and after that, various family matters had made her relationship with her own family quite subtle. After marrying into the Xiao family, her mother-in-law was straightforward and spoke openly about everything, and treated her very well.

So, returning kindness for kindness, she occasionally gave her mother-in-law little surprises. Through this back-and-forth, the two developed a relationship like that of a real mother and daughter, to the point where even her older female cousin felt a bit jealous.

Uncle's wife was a kind-hearted person. Upon learning about Duan Ruirui's family situation, she not only didn't look down on her but thought of her in every way. With both sides being good, their bond naturally became impeccable.

Watching them each eat two, Uncle's wife finally carried the bowl away: "You two chat; I'll go help in the kitchen."

After seeing her mother-in-law out, Duan Ruirui said: "Chuxue, I am very happy now. Moreover, when I went back to my parents' home on the second day of the lunar new year, my father got drunk, and I only then realized how much torment he has endured these past few years."

Seeing her eyes instantly turn red, Liu Chuxue felt a pang of heartache and took her hand.

Then she heard her say: "My father, while drunk, spoke about the incident when my mother passed away back then. It turns out that day, my mother was on her way to buy ingredients to make food for me when the accident happened. My father never told me, but deep down, he resents me."

"Do you think I'm very unfilial? It's been so long before I found out my mother's death was actually related to me. All these years, I've been carelessly and foolishly just eating and being happy."

Liu Chuxue patted her hand: "This isn't your fault. It can only be said that heaven plays tricks on people. Living your life well is the best repayment to your mother."

Duan Ruirui choked out: "When my father was drunk and talking nonsense, he said the same thing, but as soon as he turned and went back to his room, he burst into loud weeping until he fell asleep."

"I'm probably the only one who didn't know about my mother's incident. Otherwise, my older brother and second brother wouldn't always try to cause me trouble. They probably resent me too. If I hadn't been so greedy for food, my mother wouldn't have met with an accident."

When Uncle's wife came in, she saw her fourth daughter-in-law crying: "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Speaking quickly, she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket: "Stop crying right away. The New Year hasn't even ended yet; we should be happy every day."

She then helped Duan Ruirui wipe away her tears.

Remembering something, she half-joked: "This handkerchief is clean. I washed it and haven't used it yet, so don't worry that I used it to wipe my nose and am now using it to wipe your tears."

Her tears were still swirling in her eyes, but her mother-in-law's words made her laugh directly.

Even Liu Chuxue, thinking of that scene, couldn't help but shiver.