Chapter 223: Dilemma – Daily Melon Eating at the Sickly Aunt’s Courtyard

Chapter 223: Dilemma - The Daily Struggles of the Sickly and Weak Aunt in the Compound

Mother Jiang's face instantly darkened, "Why not? If your aunt can do it, why can't you?"

"Mother-in-law—" Lin Shu couldn't help but raise her voice, "My parents have already moved out of my grandparents' place, and the place they live in now is just a small one-bedroom apartment, not like my grandparents' two-bedroom apartment. So there's no extra space for us to stay."

Mother Jiang's voice turned sharp as she snapped, "If your parents' place is too small, then you should move back to your grandparents' place!"

"..." Lin Shu was instantly speechless.

"Exactly! If Lin Qing can move back to your family, so can you!" Mother Jiang saw nothing wrong with what she said.

She saw nothing wrong with what she said. Lin Qing’s parents are Lin Shu’s grandparents, after all!

Besides, once they’re gone, won’t the house still go to Lin Shu’s parents?

In her mind, Lin Qing and her husband had no right to live there.

Lin Shu’s face twisted in conflict. How could it be the same?

Her parents had already been kicked out by her grandparents, and even they couldn't enter, let alone her, a married granddaughter?

Lin Shu turned to Jiang Yang for help, but unfortunately, Jiang Yang was slowly swayed from his initial stance.

"Xiao Shu, why don’t you just ask?"

"..." Lin Shu was momentarily speechless.

"I think what Mom said makes sense. This compound isn’t exactly safe these days. If we could move to your parents’ place, it’d be ideal. At least we wouldn’t have to deal with that lunatic all the time, and you wouldn’t have to live in fear."

Lin Shu frowned, clearly troubled.

"I..." How could it be the same?

"Let’s just try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out." Jiang Yang thought to coax her into trying, maybe it would work.

"But my parents really don’t have extra space for us to stay." Lin Shu had been back to her parents' place twice, which was the place they rented after moving out.

It was technically a one-bedroom, but really just one room split into three areas: her parents' room, her brother's room, and a small dining area.

If they moved in, there’d be no room for them at all.

She really didn’t want to—she’d never lived in such a cramped space before. Even though her grandparents' two-bedroom apartment was divided into four small rooms, it was still larger than her parents' current rented place.

Moreover, after marrying into the compound, their room was more spacious. Although their side room wasn't as big as the main room, it was still larger than her parents' place, especially since they didn’t have to share it with their child.

"Who said anything about your parents' place? I said go back to your grandparents' place." Mother Jiang’s scheme was obvious.

Since Lin Qing and Cen Gong moved back to the Lin family, their living standards must have improved significantly. If her second son moved in, wouldn’t they benefit too?

"I..." Lin Shu didn’t know what to say. Her parents’ place might not even be an option, let alone her grandparents' place.

"Xiao Shu, just go and ask!" Jiang Yang looked at her expectantly.

Lin Shu finally relented, biting her lip, "Then I'll go and ask first."

As soon as Mother Su saw that the matter was settled, her brows relaxed, and she laughed heartily, "After you ask, you should move in quickly!" as if she was certain the Lin family would agree.

Lin Shu bit her lip, looking at their excited faces, opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Jiang Da Sao was fuming as she watched from the side. After returning to the room, she gave Jiang Hai a sharp pinch on the waist.

"Ouch!"

"You crazy woman, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you. Look at your precious mom, in such a critical moment, she's only thinking about your second brother. She hasn't even thought about how if your second brother's in danger, so are you. She didn't even spare a single word of concern for you."

"..." Jiang Hai's face instantly froze.

He did feel a pang of discomfort. Throughout the meal, his mother only had eyes for his second brother. He listened the whole time, hoping for even a word of concern, but nothing—not a single word.

Jiang Da Sao poked his chest with her finger and said, "Tell me, isn't your mom playing favorites? It's downright outrageous."

Jiang Hai suddenly felt deflated too. Yes, she was indeed playing favorites!

Seeing that he was already somewhat shaken, Jiang Da Sao pressed on, "I think your mom doesn't give a damn about you. Oh, wait, she does. All she cares about is the paycheck you hand over. Nothing else matters."

Jiang Hai became even more dejected.

"Tell me, after all these years, don't you feel suffocated being the eldest? Our family of four is crammed into this tiny room, while your second brother and his wife have a whole room to themselves, and their two kids even have a side room. How is that fair?"

Jiang Hai mumbled, "Da Hu and Er Hu are boys, and on top of that... my second brother makes more than me."

Jiang Da Sao, frustrated, pinched him again, "More? How much more? You're a third-grade worker too, and your salary's only ten yuan short of his. After allowances, what you both contribute is pretty much the same. But your second brother's wife? She doesn't even have to chip in her salary. The lion's share of the family's money goes to Da Hu and Er Hu. How much of your hard-earned cash do you actually get to keep?"

"I..." Jiang Hai wanted to argue but was at a loss for words.

Jiang Da Sao felt a bit bad seeing him like this. She'd been trying to drive a wedge between Mother Jiang and Lin Shu to force a split, but it hadn't been very effective. Suddenly, she didn't want to wait anymore.

She decided to drop a bombshell. She took Jiang Hai's hand and placed it on her belly, "Hai Ge, you’ve got to think about our child too, not just yourself!"

Jiang Hai was instantly stunned. What? What did she mean?

"I'm pregnant again!" Jiang Da Sao blurted out.

"Really? Are you serious?" Jiang Hai looked at her belly, his whole body suddenly filled with excitement.

A child, he was going to have another child. Would it be a boy this time?

Was he finally going to have an heir?

Hahaha!

After his moment of foolish joy, he suddenly thought, what if it's another girl? What would they do then?

His laughter immediately stopped.

Jiang Da Sao, seeing his expression, quickly said, "Hai Ge, don’t sweat it. I just know this one’s a boy. Really, you have to believe me."

"Really?" Jiang Hai asked, his eyes somewhat vacant.

He had waited too long, been laughed at too much.

"Really, you have to believe me."