"Xinxin, what brings you here?"
Yang Yiyang thought: So they know each other. Calling her "Mother," she must be either a daughter-in-law or a daughter.
"Mom, how could you be injured so badly? How could he be so cruel as to beat you like this?"
"Wuwuwu!"
Seeing her, Mother Jiang felt both joy and sorrow. "Xin, Mom is fine, much better now. Don't cry. How did you find out?"
Only then did she remember there was also a daughter-in-law present.
"Yang Yang, this is my daughter from my previous marriage, Zheng Xin. She's already married."
Yang Yiyang called out, "Big Sister."
This sister-in-law is really beautiful. Is that why my brother took a liking to her and wanted to marry her? "Hello!"
Yang Yiyang then remembered that the man her mother-in-law married was also in a second marriage. So she was in a second marriage too, no wonder there isn't much affection between them as a couple who came together later in life.
That makes sense. Many couples who marry later in life guard against each other.
Both fear their own children will suffer.
Children raised in such an environment often follow the same pattern.
The mother and daughter hugged and cried for a while. Yang Yiyang didn't understand why they had so many tears.
After crying, Jiang Mother asked, "Xinxin, does your in-laws' family know you're here?"
Zheng Xin said, "Zhengping knows I came. I had someone cover my shift for half a day, but I didn't tell the rest of the family."
Jiang Mother looked at her daughter, her heart aching. The man she married is decent enough, but her mother-in-law is too domineering, taking away more than half of their combined salaries every month.
Her two children are also struggling. Jiang Mother's own son is useless and can't stand up for his sister.
Sometimes she wonders why her daughter has followed in her footsteps, living such a hard life.
But she never realized that a good life must be fought for oneself.
Seeing her mother covered in injuries, Zheng Xin's heart ached. "Mom, they said you stole a thousand yuan, which is why Uncle beat you and sent you to the hospital."
"What should we do next?"
Hearing this, Yang Yiyang thought, great, here comes another piece of dough.
Mother Jiang held her daughter's hand and poured out everything Yang Yiyang had taught her over the past two days.
Yang Yiyang fell asleep listening to it.
Zheng Xin also thought her mother was being a bit unrealistic and said with a worried face, "Mom, can this really work?"
Mother Jiang was also very uncertain. "I don't know."
But she knew she couldn't drag her daughter into this, or else her life with her in-laws would become even more difficult.
Thinking of the malicious words her mother-in-law had said to her, Zheng Xin felt another wave of sorrow.
"My mother-in-law heard about your situation from someone. She even told Zhengping to guard against me, lest I become a thief too."
Hearing this, Mother Jiang cried even harder. She didn't care about herself, but dragging her daughter into this made her feel utterly wretched.
"What should we do?"
Yang Yiyang got up to use the restroom. When she returned to the ward, Mother Jiang, who had come to rely on her over the past two days, asked, "Yang Yang, do you have any ideas about your sister's situation?"
Yang Yiyang rolled her eyes skyward.
"My methods might not suit you."
"What kind of person is your husband?"
Zheng Xin thought for a moment and said, "Your brother-in-law treats me quite well and is good to the children. It's just that my mother-in-law is a bit difficult and domineering."
Yang Yiyang understood immediately. "Does your husband have several brothers?"
Zheng Xin said, "Yes, there are three brothers. We're the oldest. The second brother is married, and the third isn't yet. Mother-in-law likes the third brother the most."
Yang Yiyang didn't let her continue. "Your mother-in-law dislikes you the most, always using you to control your husband. She doesn't even like the two children you gave birth to, right?"
Zheng Xin nodded, her eyes wide as if asking how you knew.
"Isn't the second brother's wife sweeter-tongued than you? And often pushes the chores they're supposed to do onto you? When you can't finish, your mother-in-law scolds you, and then your husband helps you do them together."
After hearing this, Zheng Xin's eyes widened even more, her face full of disbelief.
She even wanted to ask if her sister-in-law already knew about their family matters beforehand.
"Then your husband says to you, 'It's fine, I'll help you do it together. Just endure it and it'll pass. Besides, Mom is an elder; we dare not disobey what she says.'"
Zheng Xin was so shocked she stood up. "You're absolutely right."
Even Jiang Mother thought Yang Yiyang must have heard about Xinxin's in-laws before.
Yang Yiyang said, "So, after enduring for so long, do you think anything has changed?"
Zheng Xin thought for a moment and shook her head. It's still the same as before. Now her mother-in-law is even bringing up her maiden family's affairs.
A very typical melodrama.
Yang Yiyang thought to herself, with you two being as soft as dough, who else would they bully if not you?
And you still hand over all your earnings every month.
Even fools aren't as foolish as you.
Yang Yiyang broke it down for her, analyzing the mindset of each person in her family, why they acted that way, and clearly explaining their motives.
Zheng Xin listened as if hearing a foreign language, unable to believe it.
But expecting the couple to stand up for themselves all at once was impossible. The only way was to start with the children.
"Do you want to watch your two children grow up being bullied just like you two, and then spend their whole lives soaked in bitterness like you?"
At the thought of her two children, Zheng Xin cried sadly. "It's our fault as parents for being so useless."
"Exactly, it's your fault. The reason they're worse off than others now, with everyone stepping on them, is precisely what you've been teaching them every day."
"Sooner or later, your two children will be ruined by you two. When they can't take it anymore one day, they'll seek a way out."
This frightened Zheng Xin into crying loudly again.
She almost knelt before Yang Yiyang.
"Sister-in-law, what should we do? How can we prevent my children from suffering?"
"Really want to change?"
At the thought of her children following the same path she and her husband were on now, her heart ached unbearably. She said firmly, "Yes!"
"To change, a mother must be strong!"
"You must become stronger when faced with strength."
Yang Yiyang taught her how to deal with the second brother's wife and how to handle her mother-in-law.
"As soon as you get your salary each month, set aside half first and spend it all, leaving nothing. Just copy whatever the second brother's wife does."
Zheng Xin thought about how her mother-in-law would scold and even hit people.
"Wouldn't that get me beaten?"
"Are you a fool or an idiot? If they hit you, can't you run? Run while shouting to a crowded place? Can you do that?"
Under her gaze, Zheng Xin could only nod and whisper, "Yes."
"Then that's settled. You have to learn to complain to others, especially those with big mouths. Understand?"
Zheng Xin didn't quite understand. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
As if seeing her thoughts,
"Letting outsiders watch the joke, does your mother-in-law care about face? Will you lose a piece of flesh?"
Zheng Xin seemed to understand something.
"As soon as you get your salary, go buy good fabric for the children, have it cut outside before coming home."
"If someone tries to take it again, cut it all into scraps so no one can use it. If anyone dares to hit you, use the scissors to hurt them—as long as no one dies, it's fine."
She wondered, would she get beaten to death?
"If she scolds you, take both children and run outside crying, tell everyone through tears how your mother-in-law treats you."
You can also come back and call Jiang Zihao. I’ll make him smash everything in your in-laws’ house—that’s how they’ll learn to fear.
"If she hits you, run away. While running, smash all the most valuable things in the house. Don’t feel sorry for the money—it’s not your money anyway, why should you care?"
Jiang Mother and Zheng Xin listened as if hearing a fantasy, but imagining the scene, they couldn’t help feeling a thrill.
"If your brother-in-law doesn’t help you, tell him you’ll divorce him—say it in front of everyone."
"If life becomes unbearable, just set a fire and burn everyone together—say whatever sounds ruthless."
"Force your brother-in-law to make a choice: stand with you or stand with his mother. Can you do that?"