Qi Taiguo spoke with defiance about Mother Qi, but his heart was still slightly soft. Uncertain whether she had moved back into her room, he made a call from his office to his home, intending to speak with Father Qi.
However, the news Father Qi brought to him left him stunned.
"Your mother, don’t expect her to change. I think she’s getting more confused as she gets older. It’s enough that you know in your heart," said Father Qi angrily over the phone, "What was she thinking doing something like that? It’s fortunate it was discovered in time; otherwise, she could have done serious damage to her brain. Such a fool! Your wife had called earlier to persuade me, to let her come back home. I was actually considering it, but then she... Sigh."
"Dad, did she really do that on purpose?" Taiguo asked, almost choking on the words.
"I heard it with my own ears. It was Fengping’s bad advice," Father Qi disclosed.
Qi Taiguo sighed, showing a bitter smile, and said, "Dad, I got it. Let’s not talk about it anymore!"
"Mm, let’s not. You don’t need to worry about family matters; your dad is here. If there’s anything serious, I’ll call you!" Father Qi said.
"Alright."
After hanging up the phone, Qi Taiguo sat in his chair, lost in thought. How had his mother’s temperament come to this?
To exploit the family’s soft-heartedness, she went so far as to mistreat her own body... Sigh.
After learning of his mother’s actions, Qi Taiguo felt sullen for a while, and a sense of disappointment crept in as well.
At dinner, Cheng Su noticed his disheartened expression and couldn’t help feeling curious, thinking he was worried about his mother-in-law. She suggested, "If you’re not at ease, why not go back and check on her yourself? Or maybe call dad to ask about the situation?"
Seeing the look of concern she offered, Qi Taiguo felt even more embarrassed. He put down his chopsticks and said, "I’ve already made the call. But..."
He let out a long sigh.
Cheng Su knew there had to be more to the story.
"Dad said mom deliberately made herself sick with a self-inflicted hardship trick, just to move back home!" Taiguo said with a wry smile as he relayed Father Qi’s words, "I can’t understand how she could think to do such a thing."
Cheng Su fell silent, knowing that a son cannot scorn a poor mother, just as one cannot speak ill of one’s father. The principles are the same.
These are words Qi Taiguo could say, but she couldn’t.
Yet, his mother-in-law was really rash. It wasn’t even the end of April yet, with the cold spring weather still lingering. If the discovery had been delayed, she would have certainly ruined her health.
She quietly continued eating.
Thinking she might be upset, Qi Taiguo said, "Let’s not talk about this anymore. I heard from dad that you had also called home earlier? I wasn’t aware of that?"
"Mm, I did during the disaster relief," she replied.
"Thank you," Qi Taiguo said gratefully, smiling. She must have still held some resentment, yet she made the call anyway.
Looking at him, Cheng Su sighed, "She is still your mother, no matter how annoyed I am, I can’t erase this fact, nor can I have you sever your relationship with her. As long as I’m in a relationship with you, I can’t pretend I don’t see it." She couldn’t just stand by and watch, nor could she watch him suffer.
After all, she was doing it all for him!
Qi Taiguo felt even more ashamed and said, "Someday, she’ll know your worth."
Cheng Su silently picked up some food with her chopsticks and said, "Whether she knows I’m good or not isn’t important anymore. Daughter-in-law and mother-in-law will never be like real mother and daughter. I’ve come to terms with it, and so should you!"
Listening to this, Qi Taiguo sighed, knowing that the rift between his wife and his mother was beyond repair. But who was there to blame?