Chapter 31: Earnest Advice

The phone was slammed shut, leaving Liu Zhuyin feeling so frustrated she could practically cough up blood. Just as she was hesitating about whether to ask me for help again, Ning Yuanzhou volunteered himself.

"Would Mrs. Liu like to eat some fish?" he asked. "I can cook! Shall I go and make it for her?"

Even though Mrs. Liu disliked him, he didn't care. As long as Liu Zhuyin believed he was being good to her, that was enough.

"You?" Liu Zhuyin looked troubled. She had naturally considered the fact that her mother didn't like him.

"I can do it. Don't worry, I know Mrs. Liu doesn't like me, so I won't say anything unnecessary. Besides, I'm mainly doing this to help you." Ning Yuanzhou looked at her with soulful, gentle eyes. Liu Zhuyin couldn't read the hidden meaning in his gaze, naively believing it was just help between friends.

"But your health..."

"I'm fine! How tiring can cooking a meal be? Don't worry."

Ning Yuanzhou persisted, and Liu Zhuyin, finding no other way, took him to buy fish and returned to the old Liu family residence. When Mrs. Liu saw them arrive together, her nose twisted in irritation. She was about to erupt, but she held back, thinking that her daughter would surely accuse her of looking for trouble—and she didn't want to give that wretch a chance to act the victim.

"Oh, if it isn't Yuanzhou? Are you here to visit me?" Mrs. Liu asked, a cold, insincere smile on her face. This eased Liu Zhuyin’s mind; she had been terrified her mother would curse them out the moment they walked in.

"Yes, Mrs. Liu. I heard you wanted fish, so I'm here to cook it for you," Ning Yuanzhou replied, acting incredibly diligent. He didn't even let his backside touch a chair before heading into the kitchen. Mrs. Liu knew exactly what he was up to.

Before long, Ning Yuanzhou had finished. The meal was passable, though certainly far inferior to mine. Mrs. Liu didn't say much, but Liu Zhuyin couldn't stop showering him with praise.

"Ah Zhou, I never expected your cooking to be this good."

Ning Yuanzhou smiled in response. "When I was abroad, I always craved home-cooked food. If I didn't learn to cook, I would have starved to death. Mrs. Liu, if you think my cooking is decent, I can come over and make it for you every day."

Mrs. Liu sneered inwardly. She was only feigning illness to help her daughter and son-in-law reconcile; she wouldn't let this scoundrel take advantage of the situation. "I'll consider it..." she said with a smile, taking a few small bites before setting down her utensils.

"Mom, are you full already?" Liu Zhuyin asked, surprised. This was hardly her mother's usual appetite.

"Yes... I've had enough. You two go ahead and eat." With a slight smile, she turned and headed upstairs.

In truth, she wasn't full at all, but she couldn't bring herself to nitpick in front of them for fear that Liu Zhuyin would think she was making trouble. She knew that if she ate little and appeared disinterested, her daughter would surely notice. Liu Zhuyin frowned, indeed sensing something was off—and not just with her mother, but with Ning Yuanzhou as well.

"Mrs. Liu... she doesn't seem to like my cooking," he said, masking his internal fury with a face full of grievance.

"She probably just doesn't have much of an appetite today," Liu Zhuyin dismissed, seeing him out after he finished eating.

Upon returning home, she confronted Mrs. Liu. "Mom, you did that on purpose, didn't you!" She had felt something was wrong vaguely before, but after Ning Yuanzhou’s visit today, she was certain.

"What do you mean, on purpose? What are you talking about?" Mrs. Liu naturally wouldn't admit it.

"You're just trying to force a reunion between me and Gu Yichen! You criticize my cooking, you criticize Ah Zhou, but you never say a word against Gu Yichen. You want me to be grateful to him and get back together, don't you?" Liu Zhuyin was furious. This was exactly what she didn't want. Relationships should be natural; being pressured like this made her deeply resentful. She even began to wonder if Gu Yichen had orchestrated this whole thing. "Tell me the truth, did Gu Yichen ask you to do this?"

Liu Zhuyin's face turned cold, and Mrs. Liu jumped up from her bed in a rage. "You foolish girl, don't you know who Little Chen is? Would he do something like this? He's currently doing everything he can to divorce you! I did this because Little Chen is a good kid, that's why I put in so much effort!" Mrs. Liu didn't dare hide it anymore, having suspected her daughter would figure it out eventually.

Liu Zhuyin was even angrier. "You did all this just to get us back together? Don't you know that doing this only makes me hate it more! I'm divorcing him tomorrow!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Mrs. Liu, beside herself with anger, raised her hand as if to slap her, but it froze in mid-air. Liu Zhuyin was stunned; she had never imagined her mother would ever strike her. In all these years, her mother had never once laid a hand on her. That she would do so for the sake of an outsider... her eyes reddened instantly, and tears of grievance welled up.

Mrs. Liu’s heart softened. After a moment, she sighed and sat back down. "Ah Yin, Mom has lived for over half a century, and all my heart's efforts have been poured into you. I only want you to live well. As for the monsters and demons out there, I've seen plenty in my time. My eyes are like a mirror that reveals true forms; how can I not see these ghosts and snakes for what they are? Yet you... alas..." Mrs. Liu had said everything she could, but her daughter was clearly blinded.

"Mom!" Liu Zhuyin cried. "You... you've said so much, isn't it just to tell me that Ah Zhou isn't a good person? Can you stop saying that! Do I not know whether he's a good person or not?" Liu Zhuyin felt that the subject had been exhausted. Why wouldn't her mother just believe her?

"You don't know a thing!" Mrs. Liu snapped. "Fine, I don't care to argue with you about Ning Yuanzhou anymore. If you think he's good, then he's good. But I really am sick, and only Little Chen can take care of me properly. As for your Ah Zhou, don't let him bother me."

Mrs. Liu pulled Liu Zhuyin down to sit beside her, her tone turning earnest. "Daughter, you've seen it yourself—Little Chen is very filial. He handles things well at the company and takes good care of you at home. You know how you've lived these past five years. You think it's tiring to take care of me for even a day, yet Little Chen has served you for five years without a single complaint! And look, even now that you're divorced, he treats me so well. What does that tell you? It proves he’s a kind-hearted boy. Besides, after five years of marriage, you have already let him down. Whether he truly wants this divorce or is just acting out, as a wife, you should learn to be tolerant and patient. Isn't that what a marriage is about?"

Liu Zhuyin fell silent; she couldn't deny it. Recently, she had been reflecting on the little details, noticing many things she had previously overlooked. Life and work—I had never let her worry about those. Back then, no matter how late she worked, she was always eager to go home. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, simply believing that since she was married, home was where she should be.

But now, things were different. After work, when she thought of that house... she realized the feeling of wanting to go home was gone. She finally understood: it wasn't just a house she wanted to return to. She craved warmth, a place without worries, a place where she could be herself. And that place was what I had given her. It was our home.