novelhk Chapter 132 Mother-in-law, Daughter-in-law, and Son-in-law
Chapter 132 Mother-in-law, Daughter-in-law, and Son-in-law
Zhu Tingyue has been working like a whirlwind lately, making the most of every minute.
She often leaves home at the first rays of morning sunlight and returns under the stars and moon.
After countless days and nights of hard work, she finally finished all the pile-up of work in the last few days before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanqiu had launched a "complaint attack" against Zhu Tingyue more than once.
Every time he saw Zhu Tingyue, he would frown and say with a mournful expression, "Tingyue, look at you, all you do is bury yourself in your work all day long, you completely ignore me!"
"We're spending less and less time together, and I feel like you're almost forgetting me!"
After saying that, she would let out a long, pitiful sigh.
Zhu Tingyue plans to take him out for some fun these next few days, while also giving her parents some private space.
She keenly noticed that her father's gaze towards her had been somewhat unusual lately, as if it carried a hint of displeasure and indifference, quite different from his usual kindness and care for her.
That feeling was just like when she was a child, when her father wanted to take her mother to have some alone time, and she clung to her mother, her eyes filled with tears.
Back then, my father had this unfriendly look in his eyes.
Shen Yanqiu immediately agreed, with only one condition: go a little further away. Jiangcheng is full of acquaintances, and you might accidentally make the headlines.
Zhu Tingyue readily agreed, booked the flights and hotels, and the two set off that afternoon.
Zhu Tingyue chose a small town in the south, and it was already late when she arrived.
But the air was filled with a fresh scent, and a faint, lingering fragrance of flowers.
Under the streetlights, the dappled shadows of the trees create a unique and serene beauty.
They checked into the hotel they had booked, and the window of their room faced a river.
The shimmering lights on both banks are reflected on the river, creating a scene resembling a flowing painting.
After a simple dinner, Zhu Tingyue took Shen Yanqiu for a stroll along the river.
"Yueyue, we've never gone out to play together!"
Shen Yanqiu looked around with curiosity, and the unnamed wildflowers by the roadside were beautiful and vibrant.
Shen Yanqiu was as excited as a child, taking pictures nonstop with her phone.
"Look, isn't it beautiful? Show it to your mom when you get home, she'll definitely love it!"
Before Zhu Tingyue could even express the sadness brought on by his previous words, he made her laugh with his next sentence.
"Yes, you'd better take more pictures. If Dad comes up with enough excuses, all the photos you've worked so hard to get will be wasted!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yanqiu hung her head dejectedly: "Yueyue, does Dad have a problem with me? He doesn't approve of anything I do and he's always going against me!"
"No way! Dad's just getting old. You're his son-in-law, so be more considerate of him! We adults shouldn't hold grudges against him!"
Zhu Tingyue's fatherly tone left Shen Yanqiu confused: "That's true. He's getting old and he's your father, so I should really give in to him."
"But he always belittles me when you're not around, saying I'm not good enough for you!"
"Is that so?" Zhu Tingyue had never heard her father say such a thing before.
"Well then, I'll talk to him when I get back. You know, at his age, he's just a bit gossipy, right? You can just bear with it!" Zhu Tingyue said, suppressing a laugh.
"Fine then! Let him say whatever he wants next time, I won't argue with him! Anyway, I'm the kind of person who asks for money, so I can just move out with the kids later!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? What nasty things did he say?" Zhu Tingyue couldn't believe her father would say such a thing.
"Go ask him yourself, so you won't accuse me of gossiping. There's an old saying: the most difficult relationship is between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. I think the relationship between a father-in-law and son-in-law is also quite difficult!"
"I guess it's because I didn't do well enough that Dad is finding fault with me and nitpicking?"
He directed and acted out the whole thing, speaking with tears welling up in his eyes, while secretly glancing at Zhu Tingyue with a smug look in his eyes.
"No, who doesn't know you're a great contributor? You're the lucky star of our Zhu family. I like you, that's enough. I don't need to care about other people's opinions."
"Hmph, you Zhu family! So I'm the only outsider here!"
Shen Yanqiu would start acting at the drop of a hat, and Zhu Tingyue's acting skills hadn't improved to that level yet, so she was often caught off guard by his erratic thinking and couldn't keep up with the scene.
"We're family, you've forgotten, we have children too!"
Zhu Tingyue placed his hand on her belly. He was five months pregnant now, and his abdomen was slightly protruding. When he was wearing thick clothes outside, it wasn't very noticeable, but it would be very clear at home.
"What's the child's name? Have you chosen one yet?" Shen Yanqiu insisted that Zhu Tingyue name the child.
Zhu Tingyue hadn't really thought about the child's name carefully, and she was stumped when Shen Yanqiu asked.
"Not yet. I think we should discuss it together. Pregnancy is hard on you, so it would be better if you took over. I'll give you some advice!" Zhu Tingyue gave her answer after careful consideration.
"You didn't even think about it, you were only focused on work!"
Upon hearing Zhu Tingyue's words, Shen Yanqiu knew that she was just being perfunctory, and she immediately became unhappy. The flower that she had found strange and beautiful just a moment ago now looked repulsive.
"Shen Yanqiu, look what's written here? We must cherish flowers, plants, and trees! They have lives too!"
Zhu Tingyue pointed out the roadside sign to him and read it to him with a smile.
Shen Yanqiu withdrew her foot, which she had just extended but hadn't yet landed, glared resentfully at Zhu Tingyue, and continued walking forward without saying a word.
You've made them angry again!
Zhu Tingyue quickly chased after him to coax him: "Shen Yanqiu, the child is listening! Let's quietly come up with a name for him, and he'll hear it when we say it out loud, won't he?"
"Who said that? He doesn't know anything!" Shen Yanqiu clearly didn't believe it.
"How could we not know? He can hear us! Let's get up quietly and surprise him when he's born, okay?"
Shen Yanqiu was easily persuaded, though she still looked somewhat reluctant: "Alright!"
After calming him down, Zhu Tingyue took him for a walk for a while, worried that he would get tired, before leading him back to the hotel to rest.
Lying on the bed, Shen Yanqiu automatically snuggled into Zhu Tingyue's arms and placed Zhu Tingyue's hand, which was outside, on her waist.
Zhu Tingyue had already received several calls from her mother, but she hadn't had a chance to answer them. When she opened the chat page again, she saw a long string of voice messages and text messages sent to her.
She clicked on each one and found that the entire string of content could be summarized in two words: moderation.
Shen Yanqiu laughed as she listened, trembling in Zhu Tingyue's arms.
"Yueyue, Mom doesn't believe you!" He laughed enough, and then continued to fan the flames from the side.
Zhu Tingyue gave him a disgruntled look: "Yes, Mom believes in you the most! If you believe in you, why did you say those things? Reflect on yourself!"
"Anyway, my mom didn't message me telling me to be more restrained!"