3

That night, I was immersed in a dreamless sleep, enjoying the rare relaxation in recent years. However, a sudden phone call ruthlessly broke my tranquility. The caller ID showed that it was Rachel's mother. I hesitated for a moment, but still answered the phone. Before I could say anything, she bombarded me with a series of instructions: "Eric, Zhenzhen's grandmother is about to have a birthday. Don't forget to prepare the gifts, and remind Zhenzhen to arrange time to go home. Don't drink at the birthday party, and send all relatives and friends off after the party..."

When I heard her mother's voice, my head was buzzing instantly. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I interrupted her: "Auntie, you can call Zhenzhen directly, we..."

" Zhenzhen works so hard, unlike you who stay at home all day. You have to arrange these things for her and don't let her worry. My Zhenzhen wants to make a lot of money!"

Before I could finish my words, I was scolded. I really didn't want to listen any more, so I said in a more serious tone: "Auntie!"

"What? Eric, what did you call me?"

"Auntie, Zhenzhen and I are divorced. If you have any questions, please call Rachel directly."

After that, I hung up the phone. I didn't want to hear her mother's harsh voice anymore, nor did I want to be harassed by phone calls anymore. So, I turned my phone to airplane mode.

For so many years, in Rachel 's mother's eyes, I have always been a gigolo who was supported by her daughter. Their whole family has always been arrogant to me and never had any respect for me.

When Rachel fell ill, her mother wiped her tears and praised me as a "good son-in-law", saying that I was responsible and willing to stay at home to take care of Zhenzhen. Thinking about it now, it is really ironic.

I grinned at myself, put these unpleasant memories behind me, and went back to sleep under the covers. After so many years of being on call 24 hours a day, taking care of Rachel, I could finally get a good night's sleep.

As soon as I turned on the signal, I received several text message reminders, all from Rachel . I was too lazy to reply, and just when I wanted to order food, she called again.

" Eric , where are you?"

I remained silent and did not answer. Rachel continued, "Go home quickly, your parents are here."

I snorted coldly and said, "We are divorced. What does your parents' coming have to do with me? You are a family reunion, and I, an outsider, will not disturb you."

"Your parents are here too!" Rachel said and hung up the phone.

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't hide anymore, so I had to face it bravely. It was good this way, some things had been kept in my heart for too long, it was time to speak them out.

As soon as she entered the house, Rachel's mother greeted her warmly: "Hey, little Eric is back."

I looked at her expressionlessly and didn't say anything. Her mother is really a master of changing her expression. She was cold as ice one second and passionate as fire the next.

Seeing that I ignored her, her mother's face changed and she began to say in a sarcastic tone: "Young people are hot-tempered. Didn't young couples have to go through bumps and bruises in their lives? Little Eric , you stay at home every day and don't work. You don't like to interact with people. It's good to go out and relax when you have time."

Her mother's nature is really hard to change. She seems polite and says everything she says is for your own good, but in fact, she is a ruthless person.

" Little Eric , you should know when to stop throwing tantrums. Zhenzhen is tired enough from working to support the family, and your parents are so old, it's not good to ask them to come all the way to worry about you."

Her mother put the blame on me in just a few words. I looked at Rachel , she acted as if she didn't hear anything, I couldn't help but laugh at myself: Eric , Eric , it's already this time, and you still have fantasies about her!

I know that I will never see the day when Rachel speaks for me. Her mother has always been snobbish. She treated Rachel's first love more like her own son and was satisfied with him in every way. Later, when we were together, her mother looked down on me and made things difficult for me. She always felt that it was my appearance that delayed Rachel from marrying a rich man. Although my parents are civil servants and have a good family background in the second-tier city of their hometown, in their eyes, I am still an outsider from the countryside, not in the same league as the rich people in Shanghai.

I still remember that when I changed my mind at the wedding, her mother scolded me in front of all the relatives and friends, and then she arrogantly took the tea. In her mind, I was a scheming outsider who somehow managed to get close to Rachel and made her lose an excellent son-in-law.

Later, my cousin told me that my mother was wiping tears on the way home. At that moment, my heart was broken.

Actually , after we got married, Rachel and I had a honeymoon period. She also wanted to get along with me and manage this marriage well. We also planned to go to Mauritius for our honeymoon, but her mother insisted that I pay for her to take all my relatives with me. I didn't want to agree, but I couldn't stand her mother's weirdness, so our honeymoon trip turned into a family gathering.

I simply don't want to recall that time. It was a mess, not at all the sweetness we imagined.

Her mother must have hated me very much. She always smiled at me on the surface, but secretly tried every means to make me feel bad. For example, I am allergic to peach hairs. When she didn't know, she never brought peaches to our house. After knowing that, no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, she would definitely buy peaches and ask me to wash them. When I told her that I was allergic, she said that I was too hypocritical as a grown man. I could only wear a mask and rubber gloves to wash them, but even so, my whole body would still itch.

Once the anti-allergic medicine at home was used up, and I scratched and bled on my body in a short while. Rachel not only didn't care about me, but also moved to the guest room to sleep in disgust. And her mother likes to call me to be a driver and errand boy for any of the aunts and uncles in the family when there is something going on. It's nothing for the younger generation to do these things, but after I ran around, I heard her say to the relatives: " Eric is no match for your son-in-law, he is only this useful."

Whenever she came to live in our house, she would watch me do the laundry and housework. She would yell that Rachel's clothes were all big brands and must not be washed in a washing machine. As a grown man, it was useless to use a washing machine and dryer to wash a few pieces of clothes.

I really couldn't say anything about these trivial matters, so I could only digest them by myself, not wanting Rachel to be upset. As time went by, I became more and more depressed. Rachel had noticed it in the past few years, but if I didn't say anything, she would pretend not to know.

After all, her father played cards and drank alcohol, and it was not easy for her mother to raise her. She worked several jobs to support her through college, so she repeatedly told me how grateful and guilty she was to her mother, asking me to be more considerate.

These little things, one after another, consumed the relationship between us. This time, I don't want to endure it anymore.

I looked at her mother coldly and said, "You know it's not easy for my parents to come all the way here, why did you ask them to come?"

Her mother didn't expect me to fight back, her eyes widened and she said, " Eric , you..."

I continued to retort her, "You keep saying that Rachel works to support the family. Do I not have a job? I quit my job to work for her company because Rachel asked me to accompany her. Rachel worked so hard for a promotion that she had stomach bleeding, so I quit my job to stay at home to take care of her. She has to eat small meals frequently, and I have to prepare three meals a day plus afternoon tea and midnight snacks. Washing clothes, mopping the floor, and cleaning are all my jobs, and I also have to work part-time as an errand runner and driver for your whole family. How much do you charge to hire people to do these things? How come she works to support me? Without me, would she not work?"

Rachel couldn't stand me talking to her mother like that: " Eric , what's your attitude? How do you talk to your mother?"

" That's your mother, we're divorced! Can you stop using moral kidnapping? I'm not her child, nor am I raised by her. I've never spent a penny of her money on my studies since I was a child! I used to call her mom for your sake, but now she's nothing!"

Rachel wanted to say something with a dark face, but I interrupted her directly: "You are good at reasoning with me, but where were you when your mother forced me to wash peaches? Where were you when I had an allergy and had no medicine to take? When your mother dragged relatives to disrupt our honeymoon trip? When she ordered me around like a dog to do work for your relatives? You don't even give me a flattery! And you still have the nerve to say what my attitude is? What's wrong with my attitude? Who the hell are you, and that's how I treat you!"

I vented all the grievances and anger I had felt over the years, and the more I talked, the more I felt wronged. I yelled like a madman with red eyes, and Rachel and her mother were frightened by my madness.

Her mother stared at me with wide eyes, her mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. Rachel had a complicated expression, and she seemed a little guilty. Haha, at this point, I still had fantasies about her, how cheap!

At this time, my mother couldn't hold back her tears and ran over to hug me. My father looked grim and sighed with his head down. "Son," my mother cried inconsolably.

I felt so sad when I heard this. I touched my face and found that I was already in tears. At this moment, I finally knew who I felt guilty about. It was my parents who had been proud all their lives but were ridiculed by Rachel 's mother. They were afraid that I would be embarrassed, so they never stayed at home for a night. Every time they came to see me, they stayed in a nearby hotel.

I am unfilial. I humiliated myself and brought trouble to them!

"My dear in-laws, what's the matter? Aren't these just trivial matters? Why are you crying while talking?" Rachel's mother started her performance again: "Little Eric is resentful towards me, blaming me, all of me! People become useless when they get older. Mom sometimes has a bad memory, but Mom didn't mean it. They say a son-in-law is half a son, and I have always treated little Eric as my own son..."

I just wanted to laugh when I heard her words. My son is so ignorant and has a bad temper. She is old but doesn’t know how to persuade him. She is adding fuel to the fire. How can a mother be like this?” I was so angry that I was about to scold her back, but my mother grabbed me and said, “Let’s go home. Now that you are sober and not stupid, your parents will be relieved. Let’s not worry about other things.”

My dad stood up from the sofa and said, "Your mom is right, son, let's go home!"

Rachel saw our family of three leaving as soon as they said they would, and she hurried over to stop us:

"Mom and Dad, these are all misunderstandings. Eric and I just need to make things clear, you..."

My mom shook her hand away: "Zhenzhen, I didn't agree with you two being together in the first place. It's not that you're not good, but you don't like my little Eric . But little Eric likes you and won't marry anyone else, so we as parents can only agree. We can't compare to the wealthy families in big cities, but we bought the diamond ring and wedding dress according to your wishes, and we paid for the 500,000 betrothal money, the wedding money, and the travel money, even if we have to borrow money, we can't let you down. It's all for you two to live a good life and be happy. But how have you treated Eric over the years ?"

Rachel was speechless after what my mother said. She stood aside with her head down, looking pitiful.

I have never seen my mother like this. In my impression, my mother has always been gentle and has never had any quarrels with colleagues and neighbors.

As a man in his thirties, I still need my mother's protection, and I feel mixed emotions.

However, due to disputes over the cooling-off period and property division, I was unable to return home with my parents. They were too busy with work to take long leave, so they transferred money to me before leaving, and comforted me by saying, "Life is full of twists and turns, so don't worry too much. Don't get upset when things happen, because you still have us, your parents, to rely on."

Recently , I have been able to sleep well every night, and sometimes I even feel that I am not getting enough sleep. Thinking back to the long period of insomnia before, I was often in a state of tension, fearing that I would miss something and disappoint Rachel.

I was afraid that she would regret marrying me, so I was careful and thoughtful in everything. I would carefully prepare different menus every week, take care of every piece of her clothing, and keep the house clean and tidy. Whenever she needed me, I would be there for her: when she drank, I would be her designated driver; when it rained, I would be her umbrella carrier.

There was a time when I felt that my life was extremely humble and meaningless, and I didn't even know the purpose of my existence.

After going to the hospital for a check-up, the doctor diagnosed me with moderate depression and prescribed me medication. However, even lying in bed at home, I still tossed and turned all night.

But now, I am in a foreign land, but I can sleep peacefully until dawn. This feeling is really good.