The newly married young wife had gone to her stepmother in law’s house to bring back the three children, and Mu Chengfeng could not settle his mind. He still had another surgery later that day, and this kind of distracted state would not do.
Jiang Yousheng scolded him.
“You got married so you could feel at ease. Since you’ve married her, then trust her.”
Mu Chengfeng wanted to trust her too, but his stepmother was hypocritical. Whenever arguments reached the end, she always resorted to crying and acting pitiful. Even he could not handle her tactics completely, so how could he not worry?
“My sister in law knows my family situation well. My stepmother found so many excuses before finally bringing Xiaoyu here because she wants me to move back home and continue handing over money for raising the children.”
Back when Mu Chengfeng and his late wife had lived apart, only seeing each other occasionally, both of them had been busy. The three children had spent over half their time at their grandfather’s house. Every month, Mu Chengfeng and his late wife handed over half their salaries depending on where the children were staying. His stepmother had enjoyed the benefits and now wanted to continue.
Previously, while the children’s grandfather had still been alive, their step grandmother had not dared go too far. But now her biological son was married, and the children’s grandfather was gone as well. Mu Chengfeng no longer dared leave the three children in her care.
Qian Chunmei said, “Now that you’ve explained it, even I’m worried. I’ll go over there at noon and take a look. If anything happens, I’m here. I’m not afraid of your stepmother.”
“Thank you, Sister in law.” Mu Chengfeng thought to himself that he would try to get off work early tonight so he could go support Xiaoyu.
By now, Xiaoyu should have arrived already. When he had been young, he once held affection for his stepmother, but after realizing how false she was, his heart gradually grew cold toward her. Xiaoyu had already said she did not want children of her own, which meant she should genuinely care about the three children. He only wondered how long it would take before the children began to like Xiaoyu as their new stepmother.
Jiang Xiaoyu had already arrived at her future mother in law’s house. The courtyard gate stood open, and from inside came the words she was hearing directed toward the three children.
“You’re going to have a stepmother now. She’s your aunt’s younger cousin, a country girl who doesn’t understand anything. She’s only eighteen herself, basically still a child. But don’t worry. If this marriage succeeds and she moves in, I’ll keep her under control. As long as I’m here, she won’t dare mistreat you.”
Her cousin chimed in from the side, “So don’t upset Grandma. As long as Grandma lives a long life, the three of you can grow up happily.”
Standing outside, Jiang Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. This woman was a step grandmother herself, yet she still had the nerve to tell the children that step grandmothers were kinder than stepmothers. That kind of nonsense only fooled little children.
“Cousin, I’m here.” Jiang Xiaoyu ran inside while greeting them cheerfully.
The mother and daughter in law duo, who had been coaxing the children in the courtyard, both looked astonished. Since Jiang Xiuzhen had entered nursing school, she had not seen Jiang Xiaoyu again. She had never expected Jiang Xiaoyu to grow into such a beautiful young woman. Her delicate and lively appearance looked nothing like the terrible image the family always described.
“Xiaoyu, which ferry did you take? I went to the docks and couldn’t find you. I was worried sick.” Jiang Xiuzhen truly had been anxious.
Getting into nursing school from the countryside had already been difficult enough, and afterward she had even married into the city. But how could all good fortune in the world belong to one person? Her mother in law was domineering. Fortunately, her husband always supported her, which was why she tolerated so much from her mother in law.
Regarding Jiang Xiaoyu’s situation with her elder brother in law, Jiang Xiuzhen blamed both the chaos back in their hometown and her own loose tongue. The childhood marriage arrangement Jiang Xiaoyu’s father had secured by saving someone’s life had originally been with a respectable county family. Somehow Jiang Baozhu had become involved with the other party instead, and the family wanted to switch the engagement. Jiang Xiuzhen had only complained about it once at home, but her mother in law overheard and immediately came up with the idea of introducing Jiang Xiaoyu to her elder stepson.
In truth, Jiang Xiuzhen had not wanted this either. Jiang Xiaoyu was originally her younger cousin, but if the marriage happened, Jiang Xiuzhen would have to call her sister in law.
However, her mother in law favored the arrangement, claiming Xiaoyu was young and easy to manipulate. They could coax her into living together, or let the couple live separately while still leaving the three children behind. Mu Chengfeng earned over eighty yuan a month. Split in half, one portion would go to his wife while the other would continue supporting the household in exchange for raising the children.
Her mother in law’s calculations looked like she was helping raise her stepson’s children out of kindness, but in reality she simply could not bear to lose the money she had already gotten used to receiving. Both she and her husband had jobs. Their household was hardly struggling enough to require such schemes.
When she heard that Jiang Xiaoyu had simply missed them at the docks, Jiang Xiuzhen received a glare from her mother in law and immediately lowered her head in silence. Better to let her mother in law speak directly with Xiaoyu.
“So you’re Xiaoyu? You’re truly beautiful. How did you stay so fair living out in the countryside? Sit down and rest first. Treat this place like home. I’ll have your cousin make you a bowl of noodles with poached eggs.”
“There’s no need for Cousin to trouble herself. I ate snacks on the ferry and I’m not hungry.” Jiang Xiaoyu smiled sweetly, the kind of smile that could daze a person’s soul.
The more Yu Jinfeng looked at her, the more satisfied she became. Such a beautiful girl would definitely attract her stepson. But she was young and likely hot tempered. Once married, the household would inevitably descend into chaos, and then Yu Jinfeng as the mother in law would step in to suppress things. That way, she would still remain in charge of the family.
“Xiaoyu, I know becoming a stepmother is unfair to you, but my eldest son has excellent character and earns a high salary. Once the marriage succeeds, I’ll help take care of the children while the two of you live separately. I’ll even arrange a job for you later. Then you can have a child of your own someday and still have a complete life.”
“I don’t feel wronged at all. Isn’t it just raising children? I already did that back in my hometown. My cousin knows this. I often took care of her two younger brothers, Dazhu and Erzhu.”
Jiang Xiaoyu focused her attention on the three adopted children from Mu Chengfeng’s late wife. The novel had explained them clearly.
The eldest daughter was named Mu Jinzhi. She already knew she was not biologically related to the family. Growing up dependent on others had made her timid and withdrawn.
The second daughter was named Mu Hongye and was only six years old, but in truth she was a genius. She found talking to children her own age exhausting, while older children disliked her because her intelligence made them feel foolish, so nobody wanted to play with her. Her personality was even lonelier than her older sister’s.
The youngest son was only three years old, still at an age where he understood nothing. While the adults were talking, he had climbed onto the coffee table himself and grabbed a peanut to eat, even stuffing the shell into his mouth. He could easily choke on it.
Back in her kindergarten days, Jiang Xiaoyu had supervised twenty five children at once. She could never let her eyes wander for even a second. Since entering the courtyard, her gaze had already been shifting continuously among the three children. At that moment, she rushed into the main room and pulled the peanut shell out of the youngest child’s mouth.
“Mom, even if you’re only their step grandmother, you’re still their grandmother. How can you pay so little attention to the children? The youngest is hungry enough to eat peanuts with the shell still on. You didn’t feed him enough at lunch, did you? He’s so thin when I pick him up. That means he probably hasn’t been eating enough for a long time.”
“What did you call me? Mom? How can you call me that? Did I even agree to let you marry into this family? Jiang Xiaoyu, my eldest son, definitely doesn’t want to marry you. I still need to persuade him. Don’t speak to me with this kind of attitude. If you don’t treat me like your mother in law, why would I let you enter this household?”
Jiang Xiaoyu held the youngest child in her arms. In her original era, he would only have been preschool age. Preschool classes were the greatest headache for kindergarten teachers, but this little boy was remarkably obedient. Even after the peanut was removed from his mouth, he did not cry. Instead, he quietly nestled against her while wrapping his arms around her neck. He was nothing like the first preschool class Jiang Xiaoyu had ever taught, where the children’s crying often startled her awake from nightmares.
She beckoned the two older girls over to her side and gently patted them both. They were such well behaved children. The eldest even carried a quiet eagerness to please.
“Mom, there’s no need for you to worry. Mu Chengfeng and I have already received our marriage certificate. Thank you for taking care of the children during this period. Now that I’m here, you won’t have to trouble yourself with raising them anymore.”
“You arrived only today, and you already married my eldest son?”
“Yes, we got married. Here’s the marriage certificate. Take a look. Jinzhi, Hongye, you two can look too. From now on, I’m your stepmother. In the future, you’ll listen to me instead. You don’t need to listen to your step grandmother anymore.”
Yu Jinfeng had intended to use the marriage itself to pressure Jiang Xiaoyu. But the moment she saw the marriage certificate Jiang Xiaoyu produced, her vision darkened. Hasn’t everyone said Jiang Xiaoyu was hot tempered and foolish? Yet she had secretly obtained the certificate with Mu Chengfeng behind both families’ backs.
“Xiaoyu, you’re still young. Suddenly raising three children won’t be easy. Why not first focus on building your relationship with Chengfeng before bringing the children back?”
Before transmigrating, Jiang Xiaoyu had dealt with twenty five sets of parents in kindergarten, plus a demanding principal and coworkers constantly shifting responsibilities around. None of them had been easy to manage. This step grandmother was hardly more difficult than the people she used to handle.
Spreading her hands helplessly, Jiang Xiaoyu said, “You already said it yourself. Mu Chengfeng didn’t want to marry me at first. I promised I would treat these three children like my own and wouldn’t have children until they were grown. That’s why he agreed to marry me. So naturally, the children must come with me.”
Yu Jinfeng had already guessed as much. Without some kind of promise, her stepson never would have married such a young girl. Clearly Jiang Xiaoyu’s claim about waiting until the children grew up before having her own was only a lie meant to deceive her eldest son.
Yu Jinfeng wanted to keep the three children because she herself had married Mu Chengfeng’s father as a housekeeper. She had no pension. Her biological son Pingzhi was nowhere near as successful as his older brother and worked only as a factory laborer. By raising Mu Chengfeng’s three children to adulthood, she could save up a comfortable retirement fund.
Besides, two of the children were girls. Once she raised them herself, their future bride prices would naturally go into her own pocket. That alone would be enough for her retirement and would ease the burden on Pingzhi.
She had exhausted herself planning for her biological son’s future, yet no one appreciated her efforts. Instead, they all accused her of being too cruel as a stepmother. But she had never mistreated the children. Whatever she ate at the table, they ate too. Why should she not be allowed to keep raising them?
“What if I simply refuse to let you take them?” Yu Jinfeng shamelessly resorted to stubbornness. She was already old. She wanted to see whether Jiang Xiaoyu cared about her reputation. If the accusation of disrespecting elders spread, Mu Chengfeng would never endure the shame.
“What if we simply stop giving you money then?” Jiang Xiaoyu smiled.
Who actually liked raising children? She had become a kindergarten teacher because it paid wages. Becoming a stepmother now was also for wages.
The step grandmother was the same. She kept hold of the three children because she wanted Mu Chengfeng to continue paying child support. Dream on. Jiang Xiaoyu wanted that money for herself.
Yu Jinfeng immediately clutched at her chest dramatically.
“I have heart disease. Jiang Xiaoyu, don’t upset me.”
“Mom, then we’ll send you to the hospital. Mu Chengfeng will definitely arrange a private room for you. You can recover properly there. My cousin just happens to be a nurse too, so she shouldn’t even go home after work. She can stay at the hospital day and night taking care of you. We’re all filial people after all. Every time you get sick, we’ll send you to the hospital. Of course, the hospitalization fees will have to be paid by Cousin and Cousin’s husband.”
Yu Jinfeng immediately stood upright again.
“I’m fine now. No need for the hospital. But think carefully. Once you become pregnant with your own child, you’ll immediately send my grandsons and granddaughters back.”
“Deal.” Jiang Xiaoyu had not expected things to go this smoothly. The old woman had no idea that Jiang Xiaoyu truly had no intention of giving birth.
Yu Jinfeng did not believe for a second that Jiang Xiaoyu would remain childless forever. Within a year at most, she would definitely become pregnant. At that point, she would come begging Yu Jinfeng to help raise the three non biological children again, and then Yu Jinfeng could demand even more money for childcare.
Turning toward her daughter in law, who had been pretending to stay invisible, Yu Jinfeng shouted, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and get paper and pen. We’ll put it in writing.”
Jiang Xiuzhen could not have been happier to see the three children being taken away by Xiaoyu. She wanted children of her own, but her mother in law refused to allow it because she wanted to hold onto the three children. Now things were finally different. She could have her own child now.
Qian Chunmei had heard everything from outside and felt genuinely happy for Mu Chengfeng. He had truly married the perfect wife. Jiang Xiaoyu was even willing to postpone having biological children for so many years.
Delighted, she stepped inside to act as witness while the agreement was written down. Then she took the youngest child into her arms and said to Jiang Xiaoyu, “Pack up the children’s things. I’ll take you to the family housing compound. The place was just built recently. The three tiled rooms belong entirely to you now. You absolutely must live well and prove yourselves. Don’t let others laugh at you.”
Jiang Xiaoyu had officially started her new job. Holding one child’s hand in each of hers while the youngest was carried beside her, she said to the three children: “We’re going home.”
“Wait.” Her stepmother in law suddenly called out to stop her.