redvbooks Chapter 1536 - 1016: The Decision
Chapter 1536 - 1016: The Decision
Yu Tao’s story truly shocked Chuxia.
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine having such in-laws.
If it were the old society, this kind of thing might still exist. In this era, how could anyone still have such thoughts?
"My sudden weight gain is probably closely related to my emotions..." Yu Tao sighed and said with a bitter smile, "Not long ago, I met a high school friend I was particularly close to. When we caught up, she stared at me for a long time before recognizing me.
Then she asked if I ate a lot. I told her about my appetite, and after thinking for a while, she said that compared to the average pregnant woman, I eat less. So, it might be an emotional issue. She asked if I always felt depressed.
We used to be best friends, but after we both got married, we had less contact. Although we hadn’t seen each other for many years, that closeness never changed with time and distance, so I honestly told her about my family issues.
She sighed and said, you can’t choose your family, but you must learn to refuse what you should refuse, fight for what you should fight for, and let go of what you must let go. When a person is excessively depressed, it’s easy to cause an imbalance in the body, leading to sudden weight gain or loss.
I thought she made a lot of sense and wanted to adjust myself, but unfortunately, some things are not easily done just by understanding. I also felt embarrassed to tell others, so I could only watch myself continue to gain weight.
During this time, being with my sister-in-law, in a good mood, and not thinking about all that mess, along with reasonable exercise, I lost so much weight at once.
I used to worry that if I went back like this, I’d gain it all back. But now..." she smiled shyly, "I’ve really let go, I know what to do now, and I trust I won’t gain it back."
After a little thought, Chuxia also felt her friend’s words made sense, so she said seriously: "Eldest sister-in-law, since you’ve figured it out, resolve it early.
I personally think you should inform Mom and Grandma. When you really deal with it, let Big Brother accompany you. Don’t always shoulder the burden alone. Sometimes, your shoulders might not be as strong as you think."
After a long period of contemplation, Yu Tao finally made up her mind: "Sister-in-law, I’ll take your advice and first clarify things with the elders on my husband’s side, then seek their opinions, and then I’ll proceed."
...
"Why did you keep bottling things up, child?" Lin Yanqiu embraced the tearful Yu Tao. "If you’d told Mom earlier, Mom would have helped you think of a solution..." She looked at Old Madam Zhou, "Mom, I’ll accompany Taotao back and bring her family here so they can feel more at ease."
"Alright." Old Madam Zhou nodded without a second thought, "You’re the right person to accompany Taotao. If Yu’s family starts pestering again, your dad and I will go too! Truly, after all these years of genuine treatment, they turned into a bunch of ungrateful wretches. It’s really unbelievable."
"Grandma, I’m sorry, I should have said something sooner..." Yu Tao looked at the red-faced angry old lady with guilt, "Actually, there were several times I almost spoke up, but then felt embarrassed. I admit, I was mainly afraid of being looked down upon..."
Old Madam Zhou interrupted her, "You silly child, you’ve been married here for so many years and still don’t trust your husband’s family. Shouldn’t you be reprimanded?"
"Yes." Yu Tao glanced at Chuxia, ashamed, "Sometimes I can’t help comparing myself to my sister-in-law. The more I compare, the more I feel inadequate, and the more concerns I have."
"Ah..." Old Madam Zhou sighed, "In the end, it’s the Zhou family’s fault for not doing enough. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have developed these feelings. Alright, things have reached this point. I won’t nag you anymore, but don’t make such mistakes in the future. Can you do that?"
"I can! Of course, I can!"
Yu Tao hurriedly nodded in response, finally bringing smiles to the stern faces of Old Madam Zhou and Lin Yanqiu, lightening the atmosphere.
The next day, Lin Yanqiu accompanied Yu Tao and Yanyan back to A City.
"Third sister-in-law, Taotao..." Wang Lei, sitting in the hall with the baby, looked at the sudden appearance of Lin Yanqiu and Yu Tao with delight, then craned her neck to look behind them.
"Mom didn’t come back..." Lin Yanqiu smiled as she took the baby from Wang Lei, pressing her forehead against the little one’s, "Ning Ning, have you missed the Eldest Uncle’s Wife after so many days?"
The little one didn’t understand but sensed the affection and giggled toothlessly. Yanyan, held by Yu Tao, turned her head to glance, then pouted and started to wail...
"This little thing, so tiny yet already knows how to be jealous..." Seeing her daughter dry-wailing without tears, Yu Tao looked helpless. The little one was so young, yet every time she saw her grandmother holding another baby, she’d pull this stunt. She was like this in the Capital City too. Who knows whom she takes after, with this temperament?
"Come, let Third Aunt hold you." Wang Lei said while trying to take the little one from Yu Tao, but the child only cried louder...
"This little rascal..." Helplessly, Lin Yanqiu handed Ning Ning over to Wang Lei, who wore an awkward expression, and reached out to take the little granddaughter from Yu Tao’s arms, tapping her finger on the girl’s nose. "You little sensitive one, you cry when grandma holds brother, cry when she holds little uncle, only want me to hold you, huh..."
"Mom, Taotao, didn’t you say you’d only come back when Nannan and Beibei had their Hundred Days Old celebration?" asked Zhou Xikang as he pushed the door open, looking at his mom and wife with a face full of surprise.
"There are some matters to resolve, so we came back early..." Yu Tao checked the time, puzzled, "Why do you have time for lunch at home today?"
"Training starts this afternoon for a week, I came back to get some things..." Zhou Xikang said while taking the chubby daughter from Lin Yanqiu’s hands. "Thought I’d have to wait to see Yanyan, but here she is at home waiting for me, haha..."
"Only have eyes for your eldest daughter, no one else matters?" Lin Yanqiu asked with a smile.
Zhou Xikang looked helpless: "Mom, why are you and Yanyan being jealous?"
Yu Tao suddenly realized that her daughter’s temperament had followed her mother-in-law...
...
"I know a bit about it, but didn’t realize it was this serious..." After hearing his mom recount the Yu family’s situation, Zhou Xikang sighed and looked at Yu Tao, "Taotao, we are husband and wife, you shouldn’t keep this from me."
"You know most of it, but some..." Yu Tao bit her lip, her face flushed red, "some things I’m really embarrassed to bring up. If it weren’t for being forced without options, I might have kept enduring it, because... because it’s just too humiliating!"
"Between us, what are you embarrassed to mention? If I knew the whole story, understood your deep sorrow, I would definitely deal with them differently.
Even if not openly offending them, I would ensure they understand that whether it’s plotting against me or Laoqi, it’s absolutely impossible.
You..." Zhou Xikang sighed, looking with some heartache at his wife whose shape noticeably changed due to stress, "You just keep torturing yourself, huh..."
"I have to speak a few words for Taotao on this..." Wang Lei, who was about to leave, was pulled back and said, "Both Eldest Uncle’s Wife and Xi Kang know what my family is like, so I particularly understand Taotao’s feelings.
After all, they’re blood relatives, unless absolutely necessary, we don’t want to be so estranged there can’t be any interaction, though nowadays unlike ancient times, a married woman doesn’t suffer without her family’s backing, still, being raised in that household, leaving it behind entirely is too hard.
Unless the heart is wounded to a certain extent, it’s generally tough to make up one’s mind. Of course, those who find it difficult are often those with deep emotions; those for whom feelings mean little, this isn’t an issue at all.
For us, emotional solace results in happiness, but for those people, it’s only through material or benefit consolation they feel happy, so..." She shrugged, no longer continuing.
"Actually..." After hesitating for a while, Yu Tao finally said, "Back then, the Yu family didn’t shy away from plotting against Laosan, but only because I threatened severing ties that they stopped coveting."
Zhou Xikang looked at his wife incredulously: "They even dare to target Laosan?"
"Yes, though I didn’t say it before the sister-in-law out of embarrassment, she should feel Yu Xiang’s hostility towards her. Yet sister-in-law is smart, she never speaks much."
Zhou Xikang shook his head, looking speechless.
Regarding his few sisters-in-law, he’s truly at a loss for judgment.
If not for the mutual understanding between him and Yu Tao leading to their attraction and union, he might have hesitated to marry her, given how unreliable the other girls of the Yu family are.
Whenever he visited, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law gathered around him, especially one sister tried to snuggle him close, yet somehow, all the Yu family members just turned a blind eye when they saw...
Things were now clearly stated, so specific actions naturally followed.
Such matters should not be kept hidden, because if you try to hide them, the other party won’t want to keep them concealed either, remaining implicit leads to self-harm.
"Taotao, let mom accompany you, I have to train in the afternoon, and it wouldn’t be good for me not to go at such a time." Zhou Xikang looked at Yu Tao with a troubled expression as he suggested it, not expecting such a coincidence in timing.
Additionally, this matter was indeed urgent, and with Nannan and Beibei’s Hundred Days feast coming up, he hoped the Yue family’s silliness wouldn’t create a joke... (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to recommend or vote monthly for this book, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)