Chapter 27: Absent – Daily Life of the Frail Sister-in-Law in the Big Courtyard

Chapter 27: Absent - Daily Life of the Frail Sister-in-Law in the Big Courtyard

Despite Lin Feng and Zhang Mei’s repeated apologies and pleas, Mother Lin’s stance remained firm. "If you’re so unhappy, then move out entirely, and you won’t have to see my irritating face again," she declared.

Mother Lin was unyielding. She gathered her things and left again.

By mid-morning, Mother Lin decided to save face and returned from outside. After all, she had been the one who contacted the matchmaker. It would look improper if she weren’t there. After thinking it over, she came back.

Lin Feng and Zhang Mei saw Mother Lin return and knew that she was waiting for Jiang Yang to come with the matchmaker to propose. They thought, perhaps, that their mother-in-law had changed her mind and wasn’t going to make them move out after all.

Their spirits lifted, and they greeted Mother Lin with a smile. But who was Mother Lin? After living with this couple for over twenty years, how could she not understand their thoughts?

"Enough, don’t overthink it. I just don’t want to make the matchmaker uncomfortable. Once Lin Shu is married off, you should find a place and move out, and let your father and me live in peace," Mother Lin said earnestly to Lin Feng, who was about to speak. "Oldest son, your father and I are not young anymore. Your father will be sixty in two years, and I’m not far off myself. We don’t have many years left."

Lin Feng looked at Mother Lin’s white hair, his mouth feeling bitter. Indeed, his parents were no longer young. In other families, parents at this age would have retired and stayed home. But his father was still working hard because of him. After all, aside from the household expenses, he hadn’t contributed much to the family since he got married.

His father endured hardships but couldn’t afford to retire. He had once worked tirelessly for his younger sister, and now he feared that his unfilial son wouldn’t take care of them in their old age.

Lin Feng’s eyes welled up. "Mother!"

Mother Lin’s heart ached too. At her age, when her daughter was still young, she held on with all her strength, fearing that if they fell, no one would take care of their little Nuan'nuan. So neither she nor her husband could afford to relax for even a moment, afraid that their Nuan'nuan would have no support.

Now that Nuan'nuan was getting married, the two of them could finally breathe a little easier. But with the eldest son’s family, their greed seemed endless. Had they ever considered what would happen to her and her husband in the future?

"Oldest son, after your daughter is married off, you should move out and let us have some peace!" It turned out that Father Lin shared the same thoughts as Mother Lin. He wanted to leave some dignity for their granddaughter, so he had taken leave from the factory and come back.

Although he didn’t know what had happened between his wife and their eldest son’s family earlier that morning, since his wife had decided to make them move out, something intolerable must have occurred. When faced with the choice between his wife and son, he chose his wife.

A lifelong partner, and after over forty years of ups and downs, they were still together. Since his wife had made up her mind, he wouldn’t object.

Zhang Mei couldn’t understand how things had come to this. With her father-in-law having spoken, their moving out was now set in stone.

She wanted to say something but was stopped by Lin Feng, who was already drowning in self-reproach.

Meanwhile, Father Lin led Mother Lin back to their room.

Mother Lin tried to smile to comfort Father Lin, to show she was okay, but she didn’t realize how forced the smile on her still-beautiful, aged face looked.

"Are you alright?" Father Lin asked simply. Upon hearing this, Mother Lin, who had already been feeling desolate because of her son’s attitude, could no longer hold back her tears, and her sobs were deeply suppressed.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting by the bed. Seeing her like this, Father Lin felt deeply sad and wiped away her tears.

"Don’t be afraid, it’s alright. From now on, it’ll just be the two of us. I still have a pension! We don’t need the oldest son, and we’ll be fine," Father Lin said with a forced smile, slowly comforting his wife.

"Hmm," Mother Lin sniffled in response.

Father Lin always knew that his wife’s decision to make their son move out must have weighed heavily on her heart. Seeing her cry now, he actually felt relieved. If she kept it bottled up, it would eventually cause her health to deteriorate.

Father Lin held Mother Lin as they sat there quietly. Father Lin let her cry in his arms, releasing her emotions, as his hand gently comforted her back.

In the living room, Zhang Mei and Lin Feng wore grim expressions, while Lin Shu didn’t dare to make a sound.

Lin Feng was blaming himself for his actions over the years, and thinking back, if it weren’t for Zhang Mei, he wouldn’t have made those decisions. This morning, it was Zhang Mei’s complaints about his mother that had been overheard, leading to this situation. So, he glanced at Zhang Mei and naturally placed all the blame on her.

At that moment, Zhang Mei was resenting the old couple for being so heartless as to make them move out. She didn’t notice Lin Feng’s glance; otherwise, the two might have ended up quarreling.

When Jiang Yang arrived with the matchmaker to propose, the atmosphere in the Lin family was still oppressive.

Mother Lin had already composed herself, though her expression remained indifferent. Father Lin’s face was as stern as ever. Lin Feng’s mood was still foul because of the morning’s events. Zhang Mei tried to smile, but thinking about moving out of their cozy home after Lin Shu’s wedding made her reluctance obvious.

As soon as Jiang Yang walked in, he could tell the Lin family wasn't in a great mood. He wondered if they were upset with him! He also thought maybe they were annoyed because his mother hadn't shown up!

Turns out, the matchmaker was thinking the exact same thing. The moment she stepped in, she rushed to explain, "Sister Li, I'm really sorry! Jiang Yang's mother asked me to apologize to you on her behalf! Unfortunately, she got hurt yesterday and couldn’t make it today. It’s truly not intentional."

Of course, whether it was intentional or not, how would the matchmaker know? But news of what happened between Mother Jiang and Mother Gu had already spread around the neighborhood. She’d heard about it first thing in the morning and was livid. Right when we’re about to propose, Mother Jiang has an accident at the worst possible time. If the marriage proposal fell through, who would pay her the matchmaker's fee?

With this reminder from the matchmaker, the Lin family realized that the important figure for the proposal, the future mother-in-law, was absent.

Zhang Mei’s face fell instantly.

But the next moment, the matchmaker added, "So this time, the proposal will be fully handled by Jiang Yang and me. We will ensure everything is done to your satisfaction."

Satisfaction?

Zhang Mei immediately thought of the bride price. If they’re satisfied, that must mean the bride price will only be higher, right?

Her face lit up at the thought, and she greeted them with a big smile. "Please, come in! It's fine. If the mother-in-law is hurt, she definitely can’t come. We wouldn’t want to put her through that."

Zhang Mei hurriedly said, "If she can’t come, then she can’t. At the end of the day, it’s the young couple’s marriage. As long as it doesn’t delay things, it’s fine."

"Exactly!" the matchmaker chimed in happily.