Chapter 5

"Mom!" Xia Xi hurriedly interrupted her, gripping the steering wheel tighter unconsciously, "Please don't say things like that anymore, especially in front of the kids. The past is past; I and him will never be together again in this lifetime. We were never from the same world to begin with; it was my youthful ignorance that provoked him."

Grandma couldn't get a word in, just sighed.

The phone rang; Xia Xi glanced at the caller ID—it was Xia Xuan calling.

She couldn't take the call, so she handed the phone to Su Jinru sitting in the passenger seat, asking her to answer it.

Su Jinru hastily wiped her eyes, composed herself, and answered the phone: "Hey, Xuanxuan, your sister's driving—what's up?"

The other side asked how much extra money was needed for the banquet and the room booking; she turned to him.

Su Jinru didn't know either; it was all arranged by Xia Xi.

She turned on speakerphone, letting Xia Xi speak.

Xia Xi: "It's not much; no need to transfer it to me."

Xia Xuan objected: "Even brothers settle accounts clearly; you're putting up both money and effort for this wedding—how can I let you pay out of pocket? If you don't say so, I'll just transfer 60,000 over to you."

Xia Xi had no choice with this little sister; she compromised and gave a number.

Afterwards, Xia Xuan transferred the money over.

Su Jinru said: "Your sister's right. You also have two kids to raise; having just returned to the country, you need to buy a lot of things, so you should think more about yourself. Your sister is now married and earns from her painting, and Chen Songbai has gotten a promotion and raise, so life isn't pressuring them. As for you, your marriage situation is still unsettled—what do you think of the person I set you up with last time?"

"Stop." Xia Xi disliked hearing the marriage-pressure nag, "I'm driving; let's talk about it when we get home."

Su Jinru scolded: "You kid, every time matchmaking comes up you change the subject."

Here it was all harmonious, but over there Xia Xuan's side had erupted into a heated argument.

"What are you doing? You want to transfer money to your sister?" Miao Cuixia jumped up from the sofa—she had just been complaining about a sore back and waist, but now showed no sign of it—she pointed at Xia Xuan's nose and snapped, "In the hotel your sister herself said the extra money would be covered by her; now that you've married into our family, you don't think more about the household and still side with your natal family—what kind of daughter-in-law are you?"

Xia Xuan, soft-spoken and not good at arguing, flushed and paled as she said: "This is my and Songbai's wedding; it's not right for my sister to pay… besides, the money for decorating the venue all came from my sister, and today she's been busy entertaining guests."

"Xiao Xuan, you shouldn't say that." Miao Cuixia's face darkened: "Don't you think? Your sister works abroad as a top designer, earning millions a year; you're in poor health and can't work, so the whole family relies on Songbai alone—how can that be the same?"

"I……"

Unable to counter her, Xia Xuan clenched the corner of her clothing and threw a pleading look at Chen Songbai.

Miao Cuixia always domineering at home, seeing this she stepped forward to block her view: "You have a heart condition; you can't bear children to continue the Chen family line. Do you know how much pressure I faced to agree to this marriage? It was our Songbai who knelt before me, kowtowing until he bled, before I nodded my consent. You ought to be grateful!"

Xia Xuan was on the verge of crying from anger.

She understands gratitude, which is why she doesn't want to bother her elder sister all the time; the money for her surgery back then all came from that sister.

"Mom, the more you say, the worse it gets." Chen Songbai went around his mother, took Xia Xuan's arm and shielded her behind him, frowning: "I also want to ask—where did all these relatives come from? I don't even recognize many of the faces. We originally booked fifteen tables, which was more than enough; why are there so many people today?"

Miao Cuixia felt guilty, her eyes darting.

She sat back on the sofa, hands clasped in her lap, not daring to look at her son: "I just called your maternal uncle back home yesterday, saying you were holding the wedding at a five-star hotel; those country bumpkins wanted to see the spectacle, so they brought the whole family along."

As she spoke, she herself grew angry and spat: "I pah—one person pays while the whole family mobilizes; even scraping wool isn't this extreme—it makes me furious!"

Chen Songbai understood: his mother had called the poor relatives back home to show off; they weren't stupid, so they seized the chance, gave a gift, and brought the whole family to the five-star hotel for a feast—since flights and hotels were covered, they treated it as a trip.

"Look, this is clearly your doing—how can you let your elder sister foot the bill?" Seeing her son not side with her, Miao Cuixia's anger flared; knowing she couldn't win a head‑on clash, she slapped her thigh and wailed: "Fine, you ungrateful son—you got a wife and forgot your mother; you won't even look at me now—I might as well die!"

"Enough, what's a grown‑old man doing crying like that?" The ever‑silent, smoke‑puffing Chenfu spoke, his short, dark face full of irritation as he exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at the woman hiding behind his son: "Your mother has a point—you've cut off the Chen family's incense line; that's utterly rebellious."

As those words came out, Xia Xuan's face drained of all color.

Before the marriage she had been honest about everything: she had a congenital heart condition, had undergone surgery a few years prior, doctors advised against pregnancy, and there was a high chance she wouldn't survive the operating table.

When Chen Songbai proposed, he explicitly said they would not have children.

If they ever wanted a child in the future, they would adopt one from an orphanage.

As for the Chen elders, Chen Songbai would handle persuading them; she didn't need to confront them directly.

Who would have thought that after the wedding was over, the two elders would bring up the topic of having children?

"Dad!" Chen Songbai exclaimed, exasperated: "I already made it clear last time I was home—why bring this up again?"

Chenfu waved his hand, black‑faced, unwilling to say more.

He's a stubborn fellow; once he has a woman, he throws everything to the back of his mind—it's unreasonable.

Miao Cuixia let out a heavy sigh, threw down the words "Unfortunate family," got up and went to the bathroom to shower; after being busy most of the day, she was sweaty and not very comfortable.

Chen Songbai took Xia Xuan's hand back to the room, pressed her shoulders and pushed her to sit on the bed's edge, gently stroking her face with pity: "Sorry, Xiao Xuan, for letting you suffer. My parents are old and stubborn, hard to reason with. But they truly love me; if I persist, they'll eventually understand. Anyway, we don't live with them, and they'll be heading back to their hometown in a couple days."

Xia Xuan's eyes felt sore, she clung to his waist and buried her face against his chest.

People often said mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relations are hard to maintain; only after experiencing it herself did she realize they were right.

She thought marriage meant two people building their own happy little home, but in reality, the problems to face were countless.

Xia Xuan felt mentally exhausted.

Chen Songbai gently stroked her head: "Later, go out and say a few kind words to placate my mother; she's not that unreasonable. Old ladies generally respond to softness, not hardness."

Xia Xuan inwardly resisted getting along with Miao Cuixia, but she didn't want to put her husband in a difficult spot; after hesitating a moment, she agreed.

Miao Cuixia finished her shower and came out to see Xia Xuan holding a basin of foot-washing water placed by the sofa, with a packet of herbal foot-soak inside, smiling as she said: "Mom, soak your feet then lie down to rest; it will ease fatigue."

Miao Cuixia pursed her lips, said nothing harsh, walked over, put her feet in the basin, and pounded her own shoulders with clenched fists: "When you get old, you're just useless; I used to do heavy farm work without feeling anything, but after standing most of the day today, even my neck and spine can't take it."

Xia Xuan understood, went over to knead her shoulders and beat her back: "I'll buy you a massager online; that way you and Dad can use it when you go back to your hometown."

Upon hearing the three words "go back to hometown," Miao Cuixia's face fell: "Are you trying to drive us out?"

Xia Xuan hurriedly shook her head to explain: "I didn't mean it that way..."

All right, even if you don't say it, we'll leave anyway. We're not used to city life; that elevator makes me dizzy every time I get in. Miao Cuixia pulled her hand down, taking the opportunity to set a rule: "You don't go out to work all day, so from now on you must manage the household well, take good care of Songbai—his work is very hard. Also, when you have time, exercise more, keep your body healthy, visit several big hospitals to consult doctors; who knows, you might be able to conceive."

Xia Xuan gave a wry smile to herself, listening to her without offering any rebuttal.

(End of chapter)