NOVPUB
Chapter 435: Chapter 425: Comparative Therapy (Extra for Anitaqing)
"You’re wrong," Shen Yunfang said after listening to Dashuan’s wife recount the entire matter, then asserted firmly.
"I’m wrong? Where exactly did I go wrong?" Dashuan’s wife felt somewhat indignant, wondering why Yunfang would think that too.
"Let me ask you, who has control over your family’s money?" Shen Yunfang asked bluntly.
"It’s with me, but I’ve never spent it recklessly. Whenever I spend money, I discuss it with my family," Dashuan’s wife quickly explained. Although she was in charge of the money, it was always Dashuan who spent it, and she would consult with her mother-in-law about major household expenses.
"So, you see, this is exactly where you went wrong," Shen Yunfang nodded, indicating that indeed she had made a mistake, a grave one at that.
Dashuan’s wife had a look of confusion on her face.
Shen Yunfang felt a mix of frustration and disappointment towards her. Why had she ever thought Dashuan’s wife was wise? In reality, she was just as confused.
"You have the family money in your hands, and how you spend it should be up to you. Why do you need to constantly discuss it with others, especially your mother-in-law? If this time your elder brother borrowed money and you just knew about it, do you think your mother-in-law would have the same attitude? Would your household still have this headache? You could have resolved your parental family’s issue without affecting your own home. So why on earth did you feel the need to tell others, causing such tension with your mother-in-law?" Shen Yunfang believed that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are like natural adversaries over the competition for a man. Thus, even in relatively harmonious families like Old Lady Wang’s, there need to be boundaries between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Some things, especially those related to the parental home, should be kept to oneself to maintain family harmony.
"But the money is earned by the whole family. If I just spend it without telling them, is that really okay?" Dashuan’s wife still hadn’t wrapped her head around this concept.
"I’m not saying you should never tell them anything. In cases like this, you could tell Brother Dashuan; he would understand and might even support you. But you must realize, your mother-in-law has no connection to your parental family. Why would you think she would be happy to see you using her son’s money to help your brother? A mother-in-law is still a mother-in-law, and the relationship has always been a difficult puzzle. Although Old Lady Wang is an uncommonly reasonable mother-in-law, she has her own little schemes, just like you. So there are some issues regarding your parental family you just don’t need to share with her. That would keep you happy, her unoffended, and the house free of conflict. Am I right?" Shen Yunfang explained to her.
Um, Dashuan’s wife nodded. Yunfang’s words seemed to make some sense to her.
"Just consider yourself lucky," Shen Yunfang tried a different approach, using her own misfortune to highlight Dashuan’s wife’s fortunate situation. "I would wake up laughing from my dreams if I had a mother-in-law like Old Lady Wang. Imagine if you were in my shoes with a mother-in-law like mine; can you think of what it would be like?" With this, Dashuan’s wife felt a sense of relief.
Indeed, Dashuan’s wife felt more at ease after hearing Shen Yunfang’s advice. She thought it over and didn’t feel as suffocated as she had the past few days. Her mother-in-law was truly not bad. Apart from this time, she had always been rather good to her. Yes, she should be content.
"Really, you talk as if your life is as bitter as a bitter herb," Dashuan’s wife laughed, amused by her words.
"I am just a bitter herb, aren’t I? Look at me, married for so long, with two kids now, and yet my mother-in-law still treats me with such disdain, finding fault in everything I do. Where can I even go to seek justice?" Shen Yunfang dramatically wiped away nonexistent tears of sorrow. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"Give me a break, I know you too well. You don’t even take your mother-in-law seriously. If she wants to jump around, just let her be. As long as Li Hongjun is good to you and the kids, that’s all that matters," said Dashuan’s wife, now comforting her in return.
When Shen Yunfang thought of Li Hongjun, she fell silent. That man, still not knowing whether he could return, made any talk of his being good to her and the children seem like empty promises.
"What’s going on, did you and Hongjun have a fight?" Seeing Yunfang’s face color change at the mention of Li Hongjun, Brother Dashuan’s wife immediately thought Yunfang had fallen out with Hongjun. No wonder she had suddenly returned to her hometown. "What happened? Quickly tell your sister-in-law."
Shen Yunfang quickly composed herself and put on a smile again, "How could we have the time to fight? You know, he can’t come home for long periods of time. Even if I wanted to fight with him, I couldn’t find the man."
She didn’t want to tell others about Li Hongjun going off to battle, thinking that it would only add to their worries.
"Really? Then why did you come back all of a sudden?" Brother Dashuan’s wife didn’t think she was lying based on her expression, but she still felt uncertain.
"Yes, really, truer than gold. I came back because I missed all of you, and besides, the school’s on summer break. Li Hongjun is away on a mission, and it’s no fun for me to stay in the Capital alone with the kids, so I came back. What, do I need a reason or some sort of incident to happen for me to come back?" Shen Yunfang gave her a sideways glance.
"No, of course not. I’m happy that you’re back," Brother Dashuan’s wife quickly soothed, "Hey, wait a minute, shouldn’t you be the one comforting me? How did we get this turned around? Hurry up, you’re always full of clever ideas, think of something for your sister-in-law. How can I make my mother-in-law happy, or at least get her to stop being so passive-aggressive all the time? I can’t live like this." Brother Dashuan’s wife realized the topic had taken a turn and quickly steered it back, as she still hadn’t resolved her own family issues.
"There aren’t any good solutions, but it’s not that hard either," Shen Yunfang returned to the main topic to analyze for her.
"How so?" Brother Dashuan’s wife pressed.
"Isn’t this issue all about money? Just use some money to shut your mother-in-law up." Shen Yunfang offered her a tip.
"What do you mean?" Brother Dashuan’s wife still didn’t understand.
"What I mean is that you should find an opportunity to subtly let your mother-in-law know that your elder brother has already paid back the money he borrowed from you. Better yet, tell her that he even gave you some interest. Flash some cash in front of her, and any anger she has will disappear." Shen Yunfang gestured with her hands.
Actually, Mother Wang doesn’t have any bad intentions; she just doesn’t like her daughter-in-law always taking care of her own family. If she sees that her daughter-in-law has gained some advantage from her own family, there’s no reason for her not to be happy.
"But my elder brother can’t pay me back at the moment. And how could I take interest from my elder brother?" Brother Dashuan’s wife still didn’t grasp Shen Yunfang’s meaning.
"Oh my, how can you still not understand what I mean? Your brother might not have paid you back, but who would know if you don’t say anything? Is your mother-in-law going to ask your brother? Can’t you be a bit smarter and just take out some money and claim it’s what your brother repaid?" Shen Yunfang said impatiently.
Brother Dashuan’s wife looked troubled.
"What’s the matter, are you out of money? If you’re out of money, I can lend you some." Shen Yunfang didn’t know how much she had lent her brother, but she was willing to lend her some for the time being, showing her understanding and support.
"No, that’s not necessary, I still have some money on me, but is this okay? Isn’t this deceiving people?" Brother Dashuan’s wife was troubled by this. She always felt that life should be lived with integrity; she had never been sneaky with anyone at home, and the idea of deceiving her mother-in-law was something she found hard to accept on the spur of the moment.
"These are white lies, understand? This is just to keep the family stable and united. Anyway, I’ve given you my idea; it’s up to you to decide what to do."
