Chapter 529: Chapter 529: A Son Is Never Ashamed of His Mother
Su Shuochi held his breath, waiting for his parents to answer. His throat felt a little dry from the discomfort.
A smile immediately spread across Mr. Su’s face, but his expression was strained. "Chi, are you blaming your mother and me for embarrassing you?"
Su’s mother’s joyful expression instantly froze. Looking at her son’s serious gaze, she couldn’t help but choke back a sob. "Chi..."
’Have Mom and Dad really embarrassed you!’
’No wonder our daughter-in-law bought us so many clothes before she left, and even gave me so many face masks.’
’But I didn’t use a single one. Instead, I secretly sold them to Aunt Song.’
’Looking at Aunt Song’s face, which had so few wrinkles, I was secretly envious.’
’They said her hair turned white from worrying about Song Zijie’s illness back then, but now she’s radiant and glowing.’
’And my hair also turned white from anxiety over my son’s disability, but after our family married Jiaojiao, everything turned around in an instant.’
’We quit our jobs to make money with a street stall, and for a while, we were full of vigor. My husband and I both looked healthy.’
’But since when did we start seeing only money, working the stall day and night, just trying to earn more and more?’
’We completely forgot about the dignity of our son and daughter-in-law!’
’If only I had listened to Jiaojiao and kept to a regular schedule with the stall, not been so greedy for money, eaten well to maintain a balanced diet, and properly used the face masks she left for me.’
’Then would my face be as wrinkle-free as Aunt Song’s? Would my old man be as hale and hearty as Uncle Song?’
The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt. Su’s mother was so ashamed she didn’t dare to look up at her own son.
Su Shuochi looked at his own parents. They were in their fifties, yet their faces were covered in wrinkles. A complex light flickered in his eyes.
’He desperately wanted to tell his parents plainly that he and Jiaojiao were clearly working so hard to earn money too.’
’And they were earning quite a bit. They themselves were looking more and more stylish and bright, but what about his parents?’
’They had made themselves look so worn and haggard. He really wanted to demand what on earth they were thinking.’
But he remembered his wife’s advice not to blame his parents. So, he patiently said in a soft voice, "Dad, Mom, I’ve never thought that way."
"Your son just feels heartbroken to see you looking so worn-out. You know how soft-hearted Jiaojiao is. If she saw you like this, she would be so upset she’d cry!"
"When I was disabled at home for two years, you two supported this family. Dad aged a lot, and Mom got more wrinkles."
"Back then, there was no other way, because our family depended on you. It broke my heart to see you hunched over with exhaustion, but there was nothing I could do."
"But ever since Jiaojiao married into the family, we haven’t had to worry about food or clothing. We were all so much more relaxed and happy then."
"Logically, shouldn’t you be living even better lives now?"
"Why, in just over two short months, have you let yourselves become even more worn-out than before?"
"This isn’t a matter of saving face or not. It’s that it’s just painful for others to see. It was Chun Ni who called me, crying, to tell me about all this."
"I was so upset after hearing it that I rushed back here. Jiaojiao doesn’t know about this yet. If she found out, I can’t imagine how heartbroken she would be."
"Looking at how old you look now... there’s a saying, ’a son doesn’t find his mother ugly.’ We don’t look down on you, but our hearts ache for you."
"If you keep on like this, I won’t even dare to bring Jiaojiao back for the New Year!"
After listening to his son’s speech, the forced smile on Mr. Su’s face froze, then turned bitter.
Su’s mother was also embarrassed, but she remained relatively calm as she softly tried to reassure her son.
She cleared her throat and said gently, "Chi, don’t blame your father. It was us. We didn’t consider your and Jiaojiao’s feelings."
"That’s why things ended up this way. Now that you’ve said something, we’ll try to change. We won’t ruin our health working the stall anymore."
Hearing his mom’s words, Su Shuochi felt a warmth spread through his heart. He knew better than anyone how much his parents loved him.
Growing up, his parents had almost never laid a hand on him. Every time they saw he’d made another family’s child cry,
his mom would go over with eggs to apologize. It was a bit pathetic, but she truly loved him.
His wife was right. His parents were just soft-hearted and easily manipulated and exploited by his second sister.
’To soothe his feelings, his mom had actually promised to work the stall less in the future. Even if it was just to placate him...’
’...Su Shuochi still felt incredibly lucky to have such a gentle, kind, and loving mother.’
Having thought it through, Su Shuochi stopped dwelling on it. But his parents’ health was very important.
He could only try to guide them patiently. "Dad, Mom, actually, we don’t need you to change anything. We just want you to be happy and live joyfully."
"Earning money isn’t something you should be worried about. Why don’t you come live with us in the Imperial City?"
"Second Sister’s family may not be well-off, but people from our hometown have lived like that their whole lives."
"Instead, you’re the one giving them lots of money and buying so many clothes that her kids feel superior to other children."
"This will only make them more arrogant and undisciplined. Think about it, what would a few well-dressed kids look like in front of a bunch of grubby children?"
"You’re not loving them by doing this; you’re harming them. If you let them enjoy the fruits of labor without working for it from a young age, will they still study hard?"
After hearing their son’s words, Mr. Su and Su’s mother were silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Chi, hearing you put it that way, we were really wrong. Starting today, we’ll do as Jiaojiao said. You should bring her home for the New Year."
Mr. Su said this with a sigh of emotion. They should have been living that way all along. A smile returned to his face.
An expression of yearning also appeared on Su’s mother’s face. She reached out and patted her son’s arm.
She said softly, "Chi, your father and I won’t go to the Imperial City for now. Looking like this, we’ll only make Jiaojiao upset."
"Dad, Mom, you really don’t have to worry. After you come to the Imperial City, Jiaojiao and I will take good care of you," Su Shuochi invited, unable to bear seeing his parents look so sad.
’He had originally come home this time to send his parents back to their hometown and take back the house his second sister had forcibly occupied.’
’He was going to have his parents go back to their hometown and let them and his second sister’s family be locked in a death grip, hurting each other. But when he saw how his second sister had worn his parents down to this state, he was truly furious.’
’He wanted to give up on his second sister completely, take his parents and younger sister far away, and escape that menace for good.’
Su’s mother knew her son’s heart ached for her, but she still wanted to take good care of herself first, so as not to disappoint her daughter-in-law.
She said again with determination, "Chi, it was Mom and Dad’s fault before, but it won’t happen again. The New Year is only a month away. We will definitely take good care of ourselves and wait for you and Jiaojiao to come home."
Sheng Shiwu inwardly admired Su. He had persuaded his parents in just a few words, whereas Su Qinchun had cried to her parents every day and still couldn’t convince them.
Song Zijie was also moved by Su’s filial piety. "Su, do you want me to change your family’s phone number?"
