Chapter 6 — Mother's Boundaries

"A grandmother like me wants to see her granddaughter, but does she have to see her face?" I changed my shoes and took my child into the bedroom. The door does not close tightly. I heard the voice in the living room very clearly. Luc Minh Vien lowered his voice. "Mom, today has been chaotic enough." "Mom, don't cause chaos anymore." Ma Phuong Lan seemed to be provoked by this sentence. "You caused chaos?" "My wife didn't invite my parents to the month-long party, didn't invite my sister, making you lose face in front of so many people." "Now you say you're causing chaos?" Luc Minh Vien was silent for a moment. "Mom, you sent those words in the group first, it's not appropriate." The phone suddenly went quiet. I sat next to the bed and covered An An with a small blanket. This is the first time Luc Minh Vien said Ma Phuong Lan was not suitable. Very light. Very late. But still said it in the end. But in the next second, Ma Phuong Lan's cry became even louder. "You raised me this much, now I speak to you for my wife?" "Mom, you know right away, once your son gets married, he's no longer yours." "Knowing that, I'd rather just give birth to Giai Giai." Luc Minh Vien's voice softened again. "Mom, I didn't mean that." I closed my eyes. This sentence again. Didn't mean that. In the living room, he coaxed Ma Phuong Lan for a long time. Said he would take An An home another day. Said Thanh Hoa's feelings are not good today. Said she had just finished her period and her body was still weak. Each sentence sounded like it was explaining for me. But every sentence puts the responsibility on me. I opened the bedroom door. Luc Minh Vien saw me and immediately covered the receiver. "Why did you go out?" I said: "I told her." "It's not that your emotions are bad." "It's that she did something wrong." Luc Minh Vien frowned. "Do you have to say it now?" I nodded. "Yes." "Because every time you pull over after that, it eventually turns into quitting." Ma Phuong Lan on the other end of the line heard it. "What did I do wrong?" "I'm not in good health either. Are you at fault?" I walked up to Luc Minh Vien. "It's not my fault that my mother's health is not good." "It's not my fault that I didn't help." "It's wrong that I didn't help, and blamed the person who was helping." "Wrong that I haven't fulfilled a grandmother's heart, but want her grandmother's dignity." "Wrong that mother sees me as an outsider, but asks me to see her as my own mother." The phone was quiet again. I continued. "In the future, when it comes to An An, whoever puts in the effort has the right to say it." "Whoever makes a move, shuts up." Luc Minh Vien's face changed. "Thanh Hoa." I looked at him. "Me too." "I'm the father, not an audience." "Starting tomorrow, from ten o'clock at night to two o'clock in the morning, I'm in charge of An An." "How to mix powdered milk, how to change diapers, your mother will teach you." Luc Minh Vien seemed to hear something. could not imagine. "Tomorrow I still have to go to work." I said: "My mother is not made of iron." "She is sixty years old, cooks and washes clothes during the day, and has to get up at night." "I work hard, but she doesn't?" He was asked until he choked. Ma Phuong Lan immediately said on the phone. "Men have to make money during the day, how can they take care of their children at night?" I answered her directly. "So women don't need to live during the day?" "You just gave birth, don't you need to recover?" "Your mother doesn't need to sleep?" "If men are only in charge of making money, then how much does your son spend on formula milk this month?" Luc Minh Vien's face immediately turned red. Because the answer is very clear. Not much. During the month of quarantine, I bought most of my furniture in advance. If there was anything missing, my mother would go downstairs and buy it. Luc Minh Vien is not without money. He's just used to thinking that small household expenses don't need him to worry about. Ma Phuong Lan was silenced by me, so she could only cry. "You guys are all bullying me." "I'll tell your father to book tickets, we'll come over tomorrow." I smiled. "Okay." "Here, please stay at the hotel." Ma Phuong Lan got angry. "I'm going to my son's house, but I have to stay as a guest."

Hotel?" I said: "My parents paid more than half of the deposit for this house." "The house loan was paid by me and Luc Minh Vien together." "Mom came as a guest, I welcome it." "You came to act like a mother-in-law, there is no room here." Luc Minh Vien suddenly raised her head. "Thanh Hoa, don't talk too harshly." I looked at him. "Is that hard to hear?" "Then you return the deposit that my parents paid." "How long does your mother want to live in the future?" He didn't speak anymore. After the phone hung up, the living room was as quiet as death. My mother came out of the kitchen. Just now she had not interrupted. But her eyes were red. She looked at Luc Minh Vien, her voice was very steady. "Minh Vien, from tomorrow I will start teaching you how to take care of children." "If you are willing to study, I will stay and help until Thanh Hoa fully recovers." "If you don't study, I will take him away tonight." Luc Minh Vien Standing there, his face changed continuously. After a while, he spoke in a low voice. "You're studying." My mother nodded. "Then go wash your hands first." "The baby's awake, you should change the diaper." Luc Minh Vien stiffly walked towards the bathroom door, looking at his back. This month's party was just the beginning. Because the next morning, Ma Phuong Lan actually brought Luc Giai Giai and stood in front of my door.07