Chapter 215 - 212: Aftermath

Chapter 215: Chapter 212: Aftermath

Zhou Ying glanced at Zhou Xiang’s expression and resentfully shut her mouth. ’It’s just like her,’ she thought. ’Third Sister loves to compare herself to Second Sister in everything. But the gap between them is so huge now, how can she possibly compare? If she doesn’t get a wake-up call, how is she going to get by in the future?’

’Besides, look at Second Brother-in-law. Is he an ordinary man? He let his wife go take the college entrance exams right after she had a baby. He was willing to leave his home and business to move with their child, who wasn’t even a year old, to a faraway, unfamiliar place to be with her. Is he the kind of man just anyone can handle?!’

’Third Sister herself even said that Second Sister is quietly brilliant. Does Third Sister not know what that means? If she keeps this up, she’ll end up estranged from Second Sister sooner or later. Even if Second Sister is too soft-hearted to hold a grudge, what about Second Brother-in-law? He gets fiercely protective if even our own mother says a single cross word to Second Sister, to say nothing of Third Sister!’

"Second Sister, that’s not it. I don’t wish anything bad for you, I just..."

Seeing Zhou Xiang’s panicked expression, Zhou Lian sighed and cut her off. "I know. I know you don’t wish me ill. You just feel that since we’re sisters, if I’m doing well, why aren’t you? I understand all of it. It’s okay. Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m not blaming you, and Xiao Wu wasn’t pointing fingers either. She’s just afraid you won’t be able to get over this mental hurdle."

"Second Sister!"

"I know, I know. You’re not wrong, you know. You’re just a bit too competitive. But I’ve told you before, whether it’s between spouses or family, being too competitive and aggressive isn’t good. Especially between a husband and wife. If you make him listen to you in everything, it might be fine for a short while, but over time, anyone would get unhappy. You’re a woman, acting like that in front of your own man... it’s too aggressive!" Zhou Lian said softly, looking at her sisters. ’Between a husband and wife, how can you ever clearly tell who is right and who is wrong?’

"But Second Sister, it looks to me like Second Brother-in-law listens to you about everything!" Zhou Cui said curiously.

With a small smile, Zhou Lian said softly, "That’s because you haven’t seen how we really are together. Jin Chen is more of a control freak than anyone. Take the college entrance exams, for instance. I had just given birth to Nuonuo not long before. He wouldn’t let me do a thing; he barely even let me hold Nuonuo. Yes, he was worried about me, afraid I’d get tired. But think about it, if I did nothing, what was I supposed to do? He saw that I was unhappy and said, ’Don’t you like to read? Then take the college entrance exams. It’ll be good for our child’s future, too.’ I thought about it, and it made sense, but you know I’d never been to a single day of school. How could I possibly pass? I just assumed he was joking."

"A few days later, he had all the paperwork done. What was I supposed to do? You know pulling strings like that costs money. So, I was basically forced into taking the college exams. And I passed. He said he had everything, that I didn’t need to worry about a thing. He went to the Capital City ahead of time to buy a house and arrange for our residency permits, and all I had to do was wait to start school. Later, he asked me if I liked being a student. I said I loved it. I mean, who wouldn’t? I didn’t have to manage anything—not the house, not the kids. So he said, ’Great. Then keep studying!’"

"I was in university for eight years, going straight from my bachelor’s to a master’s and then a PhD. When there was nothing left to study and I finally graduated, he said I was too naive and would get eaten alive if I entered the workforce. I said, ’After studying for so many years, I can’t just not get a job, right?’ He asked me if I liked the university. I said I did, that the environment was simple and peaceful. ’Then stay on as a professor,’ he said. So, I started teaching at the university when the semester began. In those eight years in the Capital City, I did nothing but study. Even when it came to sending letters, money, and packages back home... yes, he would ask me, ’We’re sending things to the family, is there anything you want to include?’ But the thing is, he had already thought of everything. What else was there for me to send?!"

The four sisters couldn’t help but roar with laughter at Zhou Lian’s rant. How could such wonderful things sound like this coming from her mouth? The more Zhou Lan thought about it, the more something seemed off. She said cautiously, "I’m starting to feel like our brother-in-law is raising you like his own daughter. Even just now, when you were angry and he came in to comfort you... it was exactly like he was pacifying a child!"

Zhou Lian’s face flushed beet red, the color spreading to her ears and neck. ’It’s true, Li Jincheng really is raising her like a daughter. And he has the nerve to call it ’spoiling her into a little girl for the rest of her life’!’

Seeing Zhou Lian’s reaction, the sisters had a sudden realization. So it was true! They had never seen a man who treated his wife like his daughter. Zhou Xiang pictured her own husband treating her like a child, and she couldn’t help but shiver. She looked at her second sister curiously and asked, "Second Sister, how can you stand it?"

Shooting Zhou Xiang a sidelong glance, Zhou Lian said irritably, "What else am I supposed to do? Argue and fight with him every single day? This way, I get to live a life of leisure. I’m waited on hand and foot, and I can just do whatever I want. I don’t have to worry about money, about the children not being raised well, or about my husband fooling around outside. I’m perfectly happy and carefree this way!"

Hearing her words, the sisters all fell into deep thought. ’It really is true,’ they mused. ’Our sister’s life is so carefree and blissful. Who wouldn’t want a life like that? But then again, thinking about Li Xiu’s personality... better not. So domineering and controlling. It might be fine for a little while, but spending a whole lifetime with a man like that? No, thanks! We definitely couldn’t handle him!’

"Actually, Second Sister has said it before," Zhou Ying said after a moment of thought. "You live your own life. The kind of life you lead is the one you build for yourself. You chose your husband, you bore your children. Other people can help with money and material things, but when it comes to actually living your life, no one can help you. With Second Brother-in-law’s temper, only Second Sister can handle him. Just try putting someone else in her shoes. With his domineering, vengeful, and scheming nature, they probably wouldn’t last a single day!" ’If I had a man like that,’ she thought, ’I’d die of pure rage!’

Giving Zhou Lian a meaningful look, Zhou Lan smiled. ’This second sister of mine,’ she thought. ’Considering the way her husband looks at her, could he ever really be domineering in her presence?’ Looking at her three younger sisters, Zhou Lan said softly, "Alright, everyone lives their own life. If anything really happens, it’s not like you don’t have family to back you up. Let’s all just try to live our lives well."

「In the courtyard.」

Li Xiu gathered his three brothers-in-law and explained the two matters clearly. These issues were tricky—not major, but not trivial either. Seeing their troubled expressions, Li Xiu gave a shameless smile. ’Serves them right,’ he thought. ’They should have handled this sooner instead of letting it reach my wife and letting her get upset for no reason!’

Second Brother Zhou looked up with a troubled expression. When he saw Li Xiu’s gloating face, he flared up and said huffily, "Didn’t Second Sister tell you? You’re the one who’s supposed to handle this!"

"Second Brother, are you sure about that? You want me to handle the Zhou family’s affairs?" Li Xiu asked, looking at Second Brother Zhou with a wicked grin.

Glaring resentfully at Li Xiu, Second Brother Zhou said in frustration, "So what do we do? It’s all just minor stuff, but..."

Third Brother Zhou looked at his own second brother with a sense of helplessness. ’He usually seems so smart,’ he thought. ’Why is it that whenever he’s around our second brother-in-law, it’s like he doesn’t have a brain?’ Cutting his brother off, Third Brother Zhou looked at Li Xiu and said, "Second Sister was angry just now! Shouldn’t we take this opportunity to..."

Understanding the unspoken implication in his third brother-in-law’s words, Li Xiu raised an eyebrow. ’Of his three brothers-in-law, this youngest one is the cleverest,’ he thought. Glancing at his other brothers-in-law standing not far away, Li Xiu’s lips curled into a slight smile as he said, "You have a point. My Bao’er was quite upset just now! It really broke my heart to see."