Shu Juan curled up in the corner of the room, having not slept all night.
She and Gu Hong had gone from campus sweethearts to marriage.
They hadn’t even held a proper wedding.
Zhou Hui and Gu Jianguo had asked her to be understanding of their family’s difficulties, saying Gu Hong was just starting to build his career, and once he became successful, they would make up for it with a grand wedding.
Shu Juan thought that what mattered most was getting through life day by day, so she compromised.
But even after Gu Qianqian turned five, she still hadn’t gotten her wedding, and the Gu family had stopped mentioning it altogether.
After they got married, Gu Hong never gave her a single cent of his salary. Every time, he said his pay was low and that he needed money for workplace social obligations, claiming he had nothing extra to spare and asking her to be understanding.
So she stopped asking Gu Hong for money to cover household expenses—she supported the entire household herself.
When it came time to buy a house, Gu Hong couldn’t come up with the money, so she had to use her own savings. Because Qianqian was growing up, she had to consider his future schooling.
But Gu Hong, taking advantage of her absence during an exhibition trip, secretly registered the house under his mother Zhou Hui’s name!
He justified it by saying there was a policy on second homes, and that the first home should ideally be registered under someone other than the married couple.
Shu Juan was so furious she could have vomited blood, but Gu Hong comforted her by saying that since his parents only had him as their son, the house would eventually be theirs anyway.
But Shu Juan knew that if things ever fell apart between her and Gu Hong, she would end up with nothing.
Gu Hong, however, flipped his attitude in an instant, saying their life together was just beginning, and how could she already be thinking about separating from him over a house? What kind of person was she?
He also said that registering the house under Zhou Hui’s name was to give his elderly parents a sense of belonging in the home, and that she was being unfilial for getting angry about it!
She habitually compromised, thinking that she wanted the family to live in harmony, that she would be a good wife, a good daughter-in-law, and a good mother. So she worked hard to earn money, she was understanding and considerate toward Gu Hong, she was gentle and filial to her in-laws, even swallowing her pride and yielding whenever possible. As for Gu Qianqian, she gave him her whole heart.
But what was the result?
What did she get in return?
She got a family that took everything for granted.
Shu Juan reflected for an entire night, and when she lifted her head, she saw that the sky outside the window had already brightened.
She gazed at the lights of other homes outside, her face haggard, but her mind clearer than it had ever been.
She could no longer deceive herself.
The family harmony she had believed in was only harmony among everyone except her. The good man she had believed Gu Hong to be had tried to send her to another man’s bed for a promotion. And the happy life she had believed in—it was all a facade pressing down on her.
All these years, they had her completely under their control.
Even when Gu Hong offered her up as a gift, they didn’t think it was a big deal at all!
From the living room came Zhou Hui’s voice, grumbling through the closed door: “What time is it now? Why hasn’t she come out to make breakfast? Our Hongzi needs to eat and get to work soon, and Qianqian still has kindergarten! She’s gotten way too spoiled!”
Then the faint clatter of pots and pans sounded from the kitchen.
Gu Jianguo said, “Forget it, don’t bother. I’ll go out and buy something in a bit.”
Shu Juan snapped back to reality and felt her face was cold and wet.
She reached up and touched it—her face was covered in tears she hadn’t even noticed.
She wiped the tears away bit by bit, then moved her stiff body and got up to wash up.
Later, when Gu Jianguo returned with breakfast, Gu Hong and Gu Qianqian still hadn’t come to the table. Suddenly the door opened, and Shu Juan walked out of the study.
Zhou Hui saw her and sneered, “Still have the nerve to show your face.”
Shu Juan walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She picked up a youtiao and started eating, her eyes red and swollen, speaking as if nothing had happened: “Why wouldn’t I have the nerve to show my face? Once I’m full, I’m even going downstairs for a couple of laps.”
Zhou Hui was irritated just looking at her and said, “Hongzi and Qianqian haven’t come out yet—how dare you start eating first!”
Shu Juan ignored her and scooped up some soy milk to drink.
Then Gu Qianqian came out, saw what was happening, and threw a tantrum, saying coldly and viciously, “What right do you have to eat my food!”
Shu Juan didn’t stop, and Gu Qianqian, furious and humiliated, rushed up to her and snatched the youtiao from her hand.
Shu Juan looked up at her five-year-old son, as if he weren’t her son at all—she had raised an enemy.
She knew her son wasn’t close to her, but before he turned two, he used to cling to her, calling “Mommy, Mommy” in a way that melted her heart.
After he turned two, Zhou Hui and Gu Jianguo came, saying they would help her take care of the child, and they moved in permanently.
She had been grateful at the time, but it was precisely from then on that Gu Qianqian grew distant from her.
She didn’t know what Zhou Hui had been teaching him behind her back, but she had taught him to spit at her and curse at her, taught him to worship only his father and adore his grandparents—they were the best people in the world, while she, his mother, was the worst.
Gu Qianqian snatched the youtiao and turned to offer it to Zhou Hui, saying, “Grandma, you eat it!”
Zhou Hui beamed with delight and said, “Qianqian is such a good boy!”