Chapter 5 The Struggle of Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law

"Mom!" Alice quickly interrupted, her hands tightening around the steering wheel. "Please don't say things like that, especially in front of the kids. The past is the past. I will never be with him again in this life. We were never from the same world. I was young and foolish, and I provoked him."

Grandma couldn't say anything and just sighed.

The phone rang, and Alice glanced at the caller ID. It was Ann calling.

Since it wasn't convenient for her to answer, she handed the phone to Jane, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asking her to take the call.

Jane quickly wiped her eyes, composed herself, and answered the call. "Hello, Ann, your sister is driving. What's the matter?"

On the other end of the line, Ann asked about the extra banquet and room fees. Jane turned the phone to Alice.

Alice said, "It's not much. No need to transfer money."

Ann wasn't happy. "Even siblings should be clear about money matters. You spent so much on the wedding and worked so hard; how can you pay for everything? If you don't say anything, I'll just transfer 60,000 to you."

Alice was helpless with her younger sister and compromised on an amount.

Then Ann transferred the money.

Jane said, "Your sister is right. You have two kids to take care of, and you've just returned to the country. You need to buy a lot of things. You should think more about yourself. Your sister is married now and can make money from her art, Joyce has been promoted, and she has no financial worries. As for you, your marriage is still uncertain. How about the person I introduced to you last time?"

"Stop," Alice said, not wanting to hear anything about marriage. "I'm driving. Let's talk about it when we get home."

Jane scolded gently, "You always change the subject when it comes to matchmaking."

On this side, things were going smoothly, but on Ann's side, things were getting tense.

"What are you doing? You want to transfer money to your sister?" Sarah jumped up from the couch. Just a moment ago, she had complained about her back pain, but now she didn't show any sign of it. She pointed angrily at Ann, "At the hotel, your sister said she'd cover the extra costs. You're married into our family now, and you don't consider us? Are you seriously siding with your own family?"

Ann, soft-hearted and not good at arguing, blushed from embarrassment. "This is my and Joyce's wedding. It's not right for my sister to pay for it... And the money for the wedding decorations was also from my sister, and she's been busy hosting guests today."

"Ann, you can't say that," Sarah said with a dark expression. "You don't think about things. Your sister is a senior designer abroad, earning millions a year. You're not well enough to work, and the whole family depends on Joyce. How can things be the same?"

"I..."

Ann couldn't argue back. She nervously twisted the corner of her shirt and glanced at Joyce for help.

Seeing this, Sarah stepped forward to block Ann's view. "You have a heart condition and can't have children to carry on the Smith family line. Do you know how much pressure I was under to agree to this marriage? It was Joyce who knelt before me and bled from his knees before I agreed. You should be grateful!"

Ann was about to cry from frustration.

She had always been grateful to Joyce, especially since Joyce had paid for her surgery back then.

"Mom, you're making it worse," Joyce said, stepping between Sarah and Ann, pulling Ann behind him and frowning. "I was going to ask you, where did all these relatives come from? There are some faces I've never seen before. Originally, we had enough with 15 tables, but now we have so many more people."

Sarah looked guilty and avoided his gaze.

She sat back on the couch, clasping her hands in her lap, and didn't dare to look at her son. "Yesterday, I just called your cousin from the hometown to let them know you're having a wedding at a five-star hotel. Those poor relatives wanted to see what it was like, so they all came along."

She grew upset again and spat, "Ugh, one person pays, and the whole family shows up. It's like they're milking us dry. It's infuriating!"

Joyce understood now. His mom had called their poor relatives in the hometown to brag, and they weren't stupid. They saw the opportunity to get a free meal at the hotel, with all the expenses covered. They just considered it a trip.

"See, this is your fault. How can you expect my sister to pay for all this?"

When her son didn't side with her, Sarah got furious. She realized she wouldn't win by being stubborn, so she began to cry and shout, "Fine, you ungrateful son. Now that you have a wife, you've forgotten all about me. You don't even care about me anymore. I don't want to live!"

"Enough, you're old enough to be acting like this," Joyce's father spoke up, his dark and short figure exuding frustration. He blew out a puff of smoke, then looked at the woman hiding behind their son. "Your mom is right. You've cut off the Smith family line, which is extremely unfilial."

With these words, Ann's face drained of all color.

Before the wedding, she had been upfront about her congenital heart condition. She had undergone surgery years ago, and the doctor had advised against pregnancy because of the high risk. She could have died on the operating table.

When Joyce proposed, he had made it clear that they wouldn't have children. If they ever wanted kids, they would adopt from an orphanage.

As for Joyce's parents, Joyce had promised to handle the persuasion, and Ann wouldn't have to face it.

But now, after the wedding, the topic of having children came up again.

"Dad!" Joyce said, growing anxious. "I told you last time when I went home. Why are you bringing this up again?"

Joyce's father waved his hand, his face dark, unwilling to discuss it further.

He was the kind of man who forgot everything once he had a woman by his side, and nothing could get through to him.

Sarah sighed heavily, muttering, "The family is unlucky," then got up and went to the bathroom to shower. She had been busy all day and felt uncomfortable from the sweat.

Joyce took Ann's hand and led her back to the room, pushing her onto the bed and gently brushing her face. "I'm sorry, Ann. I know my parents are old and set in their ways, but they really care about me. If I keep insisting, one day they'll understand. We won't live with them anyway, and in a few days, they'll return to their hometown."

Ann felt a lump in her throat and buried her face in his chest, hugging him tightly.

She had always heard that maintaining a good relationship with her mother-in-law was hard, but now that she experienced it herself, she realized they were right.

She had thought marriage was about two people building their own little home of happiness, but in reality, there were so many more issues to face.

Ann felt exhausted.

Joyce gently stroked her head. "Later, just say a few nice things to my mom. She's not unreasonable. She just responds better to soft words than hard ones."

Ann didn't want to deal with Sarah, but didn't want her husband to be caught in the middle. After hesitating for a while, she agreed.

When Sarah came out after her shower, she saw Ann holding a basin of foot bath water beside the couch, with a pack of herbs in it. Ann smiled and said, "Mom, why don't you soak your feet and relax? It'll help relieve fatigue."

Sarah scoffed but didn't say anything harsh. She sat down and put her feet in the basin, clenching her fists and massaging her own shoulders. "Getting old means becoming useless. I used to do hard labor, and it didn't bother me, but now I can't even stand for a whole day without my neck and back hurting."

Ann understood, stepped over to massage her shoulders, and offered, "I'll buy you a massager online. That way, you and Dad can use it when you go back to your hometown."

As soon as Sarah heard "go back to your hometown," her expression soured. "Are you trying to get rid of us?"

Ann hurriedly shook her head and explained, "I didn't mean it like that..."

"Fine, even if you didn't say anything, we'll leave anyway. We can't stand city life. That elevator makes me dizzy every time." Sarah grabbed her hand and seized the opportunity to set the rules. "From now on, you need to manage the house, take care of Joyce, he works hard. Also, when you have time, exercise more, take care of your health, and consult with doctors in big hospitals. You never know, maybe you can still have kids."

Ann bitterly smiled, listening to her without responding.