Chapter 9 — Don't Use The Two Words 'Filial Obedience' To Tie Me Down

When Chu Manh was asked, she paused, her eyes were slightly awkward, and she turned to look at her husband. Her husband coughed lightly and said: "The specific ratio can be discussed later, but we definitely won't let your family bear it all. We will try our best."

“How much is your best effort?” I won't let them get away anymore.

"How much do you plan to spend each month? Tell me the specific number, so I can calculate it."

Chu Manh immediately became upset and raised his voice:

“Sister-in-law, what you say is too realistic, your mother is already like that and you still calculate money, don't you think it's too much?”

"Impossible." I interrupted, my voice decisive.

"I don't want to argue about the word 'money' in the future. If we talk about picking them up, we have to say it clearly now."

Her husband frowned:

“Sister-in-law, aren't you a bit cold? Mom is so sick, the important thing is to take care of her, is it reasonable for you to keep thinking about money right now?”

“What I think about is who has to spend how much money, who has to put in how much effort.” I looked straight at him.

"Everyone said it sounded so gentle, asking me to pick them up, then everyone 'tried' to contribute a little, but when it was time to put in real money, did they say it was difficult and say it was a big pressure?"

I paused, then said more directly:

"I can spend money, I can also arrange time to come and take care of her, but I cannot accept taking her into my home so that I can take care of her full-time by myself."

“That is not filial piety.”

“That's turning me into a free caregiver.”

The hallway immediately fell silent. Chu Ngon bowed his head, his hands clenched until they turned white. In his heart, he was both embarrassed and relieved, because finally someone said what he didn't dare say.

“Sister-in-law, what you said is so harsh!” Chu Manh couldn't bear it anymore, his voice shrilled.

"My mother is my mother-in-law, taking care of her is a natural thing, why do you talk like you're 'serving'? Do you have to eat her food and use her property?"

I looked up at her, my voice calm:

“What about you, she is your biological mother.”

Chu Manh's throat was blocked, his face changed, and he couldn't say anything for a while. After a while, he tried to argue back:

"Of course I will be filial, but my conditions are not as good as yours. My husband and I really don't have much money, and we can't always be with them, so I thought of you..."

“So have you thought about me?” I interrupted, my voice not loud but every word clear.

“I also work, have to raise children, and have my own life, so why do you assume that I have to bear the burden?”

I looked straight at her, not avoiding her:

"You always said the conditions were difficult, so do you know who spent the most money from the moment mother entered the hospital, who swiped the card with the deposit of several thousand, and who ran to the hospital after work every day to pick up the child?"

“What about you, sometimes when you come and stand for a few minutes, you complain of being tired and busy with work.”

“You feel like you're 'difficult', so your mother... should leave me to bear the burden alone?”

Chu Manh's face turned red, her lips trembled, but she couldn't say the word "should" anymore. Her husband also no longer had confidence, and could only say weakly:

"Sister-in-law, you shouldn't say things like that. Mom is like that now. We should give in to each other and wait for her to get better..."

“You won't get better.” I interrupted, looking towards the hospital bed in the room, my voice cold.

"The doctor has already said that there is a long recovery process ahead, with a high possibility of paralysis on one side of the body. Everyone, don't fool yourself by saying 'wait for Mrs. Get well again.”

“Several decades from now… is just the beginning.”

That sentence was like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the hope of "trying hard for a while and it's over" in Chu Manh's heart. She trembled and reflexively looked at Chu Ngon.

“Dude, what do you say, mom is our biological mother, can you stand by and watch her go to a nursing home?”

As soon as the three words "nursing home" were uttered, the atmosphere in the hallway immediately darkened. In the minds of many people, bringing the elderly there is almost synonymous with being unfilial. Chu Ngon was startled and immediately waved his hand:

“Who said to put my mother in a nursing home? I never thought so.”

I looked at him and asked directly:

“So how do you plan to arrange it?”

Chu Ngon swallowed his saliva, his eyes wavered between me and my sister, and finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth and said:

"I... I think it's best to welcome my mother to our house for now, wait for the situation to stabilize, then hire more people and take care of her together."

Having said that, he himself didn't dare look at me. I looked at him for a few seconds, clearly seeing the guilt, clearly seeing the so-called "wanting to fulfill filial piety", also clearly seeing the hesitation when standing between the two roles of husband and son.

“Chu Ngon.” I slowly spoke up.

“Is this your decision, or the result of what you discussed with your mother and sister?”

“I…” He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Chu Manh's husband immediately interjected:

"Sister-in-law, I also said before that in the future, I want to live with my brothers and sisters. This time, I think it's done early, so it's easier to take care of them when we're together."

Say it as if it were a matter of course.