Chapter 437: 437 Not suffering from scarcity but suffering from Inequality

Chapter 437

In the dead of night, the Liu family's daughter had returned to her maternal home, her eyes still red. Liu Father and Liu Mother could naturally see that something was wrong.

The old couple exchanged glances. Liu's Father turned around and left the room while Liu Mother had her go wash up and lie down in bed before asking her, "Did you have a fight with Zhiqing? What happened? It's rare for him to come back for a visit, and you've only gotten to spend time together like this a couple times this past year. What issue couldn't be talked through properly?"

"Mom!" Liu Ling hugged her mother tightly, choking up as she spoke, "I don't even know if I did something wrong myself, but I just feel suffocated by these days, even though dividing up the family assets was supposed to be a good thing. Why do we feel worse off now than when we had nothing?"

Liu Ling was closest with her mother out of anyone, and would usually not hide anything from her, instead seeking her advice and looking for solutions from her.

After quietly listening to her daughter's words, Liu Mother sighed helplessly, "So you feel that Zhiqing should have no secrets from you at all, or that he should hand over everything for you to manage?"

"I'm not demanding that everything has to be placed in my hands, but aren't spouses supposed to be honest with each other? Isn't that the bare minimum?" Liu Ling said, "If even the closest married couple has to play games and can't be frank, then what's the point of being together?"

Liu Ling's thoughts weren't exactly wrong, but they were still quite naive.

"What if he insists on not telling you? Do you plan on still staying with him?"

"I..."

Liu Ling fell silent. She just felt stifled in her heart, but had not thought about getting a divorce or anything.

Seeing her daughter's hesitant expression, Liu Mother understood her thoughts.

After that, she never gave those items to her sisters-in-law again. As for the snacks Zhiqing gave her, those were all homemade treats that all her nieces and nephews enjoyed, so she wouldn't begrudge sharing those little things, right?

But that only happened a few times, because Zhiqing stopped giving her more. Her nephew Wen Qing would sometimes say Auntie made this or that delicious thing when he stayed over at her house, but he was never told to bring any back anymore. Yet she had always felt Zhiqing was only superficial generosity.

"If you really feel close with them and want to give them something, spend a little money, even just a few tens of yuan, to pick out a couple items at the mall. Try looking at it from another angle - those were things they risked their lives to keep back in the day, yet you gave them away so casually. If it were me, I wouldn't feel assured leaving my things for you to manage either, fearing you'd give handouts to your maternal family behind my back." Liu Mother had never actually said such blunt words to her before, as she hadn't known the An family's attitude about this matter, thinking it was just some trinkets they casually gave away.

But now it was obvious they took note of things even if they didn't speak up about it.

"And demanding rent from your second sister-in-law for those two shops, when you originally refused to accept any rent from her, and now so bluntly asking for it, how could you open your mouth to say that? After letting her use them for free for two years, now with one request you've offended her." If this wasn't a child she herself gave birth to, Liu Mother would look down on her.

There were proper ways to handle matters, yet she went and caused trouble for herself.

"Mom, I didn't intend to ask Sister-in-Law for shop rent either. You absolutely can't bring this matter up. She's my own sister-in-law. It doesn't matter if the property sits unused, she can use it, it doesn't cost much." Back then, Liu Ling had felt too embarrassed to even accept rent, so how could she possibly broach the subject of wanting money now? She could never open her mouth to say that.

Liu Mother sighed, "And that's why I say you're my silly daughter! It would have been better if you collected the rent back then. How well or poorly people live depends on their own ability entirely. Rather than blaming others now for not having earned money."

From Eldest Sister-in-Law's perspective, it was the same. Both were daughters-in-law and sisters-in-law of the family, yet Little Sister basically gave Second Household over a hundred yuan every month for free. How could her heart not feel unbalanced?

As mother and daughter continued talking, dawn broke. Only now did Liu Ling realize there were so many issues at home, with the two shops even causing so much conflict between Eldest and Second Sister-in-Law.

She had never heard any of this before, and assumed the family was quite harmonious.