Chapter 66: Mother-in-law Appreciates Lin Xiangyi

When they first started discussing the marriage, Xie’s mother truly thought Lin Xiangyi was too opinionated and too spoiled, and not a good match for Xie Qingxiao. She was afraid that after marriage, neither of them would yield and their life would be a mess.

Now, looking back, she realized she had misjudged her!

If Lin Xiangyi wasn’t so decisive, how could she have made her incompetent son so ambitious?

Now, her incompetent son was diligently working without a moment’s rest. He went out to get goods early every morning, worked until the afternoon, then went out to sell them. He was the most tired, yet he never complained.

Moreover, after the couple started making money from their business, their family not only had meat to eat every day, but they also hired someone to help with the work. Even she and her old man benefited from it.

This was something they never dared to dream of before!

Xie’s mother knew it was all thanks to Lin Xiangyi.

As for being spoiled, Lin Xiangyi was indeed spoiled.

She wouldn’t lift a finger to carry heavy objects, and she always had Xie Qingxiao fetch her bathwater. When she was lazy, she would even ask Xie Qingxiao to wash her clothes. She wouldn’t wake up until eight o’clock every day…

In short, she didn’t care about anything except her business. Even cooking depended on her mood.

Xie’s mother had never seen such a free-spirited woman.

However, while she was spoiled, she wasn’t really spoiled.

She could clean up the internal organs, even though they were stinky. When she couldn’t stand it, she would just wear a mask.

In Xie’s mother’s generation, women were expected to dedicate their lives to their families, husbands, and children. She had never seen anyone like Lin Xiangyi, someone who was free-spirited yet knew her limits.

The more she got to know her, the more she admired her.

Yes, admired, a feeling stronger than liking.

A mother-in-law liking her daughter-in-law is like treating her as a junior, putting herself in a position of seniority, and feeling obligated to educate her.

But a mother-in-law admiring her daughter-in-law is like ignoring her junior status and treating her as an equal.

For example, when facing a problem, she wouldn’t lecture Lin Xiangyi, her junior, but would rather discuss it with her.

…

Lin Xiangyi made a pot of bone broth, chicken stewed with mushrooms and vegetables, and spicy potato shreds.

In hot weather, when she had no appetite, she loved to eat something sour and spicy.

Just as she brought the dishes to the table, Sun Lanjun, who was sitting in the main hall with Xie’s father, frowned and asked, “Why did you put chili peppers in? Neither I nor Xiao Ni can eat spicy food.”

“Then you can eat something else,” Lin Xiangyi said, pointing out that the other three dishes were all without chili peppers.

But what if she wanted to eat the potato shreds?

Sun Lanjun hesitated, but didn’t say anything. She thought Lin Xiangyi was too selfish. Just because she wanted to eat it, she completely disregarded others’ feelings.

Lin Xiangyi didn’t care about her. She, Xie Qingxiao, Xie’s father, and Xie’s mother could all eat spicy food. As for Sun Lanjun, if she couldn’t eat it, she could eat something else. It wasn’t like every dish had chili peppers.

She didn’t help with anything, but expected everyone to cater to her taste? It was good enough that there was food. Did she think she was the boss?

Xie’s father silently glanced at Xie’s mother, who shook her head at him.

They had been tolerating Sun Lanjun for a long time. It was good for Xiangyi to teach her a lesson.

They figured Xie Qingxiao would be back soon, so Xie’s father, Xie’s mother, and Lin Xiangyi didn’t rush to eat. They always waited for Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi to come back before eating together.

Seeing this, Sun Lanjun naturally didn’t pick up her chopsticks either.

But children couldn’t wait. And she didn’t need to wait.

“Mommy, I want to eat chicken, I want to eat chicken,” Xiao Ni climbed onto the chair, half her body leaning on the table, reaching out to grab the chicken.

“Xiao Ni, use a spoon to eat, don’t grab it with your hands,” Xie’s mother quickly said, taking a spoon and bowl for Xiao Ni. But after Xiao Ni took the spoon, she started stirring the food.

Xie’s mother said again, “Xiao Ni, don’t stir the food like that. The elders haven’t eaten yet. It’s rude to stir it up like that. You can eat from your side. Do you understand? Okay, what do you want to eat? Grandma will pick it up for you and put it in your bowl. Do you want a chicken leg? This meat is the most tender and delicious.”

“No, I want to pick it myself!” Xiao Ni pushed away Xie’s mother’s hand, glared at her with dissatisfaction, and continued stirring the food with her spoon.

She didn’t like this piece, so she threw it back. She stirred it, then picked up a piece she liked and put it in her bowl. She stirred it again, then threw down a piece she didn’t like… Juice splashed onto the table, making a mess.

Lin Xiangyi saw her temples throbbing. She realized that she wasn’t liked by all children. For example, she had the urge to spank this child.

She glanced at Sun Lanjun, who hadn’t even disciplined Xiao Ni yet, but was looking at her with helplessness, as if to say she couldn’t do anything about her daughter.

Unbelievable.

“Enough!” Lin Xiangyi shouted, directly grabbing Xiao Ni’s spoon, picked out a few pieces of meat for her and put them in her bowl, and said rudely, “Eat these! Tell me when you finish, and I’ll pick up more for you. Don’t touch the food on the plate anymore!”

“……” Xiao Ni stared at Lin Xiangyi blankly, her lips trembling. She cried out, “Wah,” her cry shook the heavens.

“Xiao Ni!” Sun Lanjun finally stopped being deaf and dumb, quickly hugging her daughter to comfort her. “Be good, don’t cry, don’t cry. Sister-in-law, you’re too fierce!”

The latter half was addressed to Lin Xiangyi. Sun Lanjun was clearly suppressing her anger.

“It’s not that I’m fierce, it’s that I can’t control her if I’m not fierce,” Lin Xiangyi said. “Just now, Mother wanted to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“She’s still a child! Can’t you be more patient?”

“Big sister-in-law, you’re a teacher. Don’t you understand that children need to be taught from a young age?” Lin Xiangyi retorted. “Of course, Xiao Ni is your daughter, how you educate her is none of my business. But in front of me, she’s being disrespectful. If you don’t teach her, then I have to do it myself.”

“You!” Sun Lanjun was so angry that her chest was heaving.

“Okay, okay, eldest daughter-in-law, just say less. It’s really Xiao Ni’s fault,” Xie’s father tried to ease the tension.

Xie’s mother sighed beside him. It was her fault for not being assertive, making Xiangyi the bad guy.

At this moment, the door opened, and Xie Qingxiao and Xie Guoqiang came back. They asked before even entering, “Why is there a child crying?”

“You’re back?” Lin Xiangyi saw Xie Qingxiao and went to greet him. Xie’s father and Xie’s mother saw this and followed them out. They wanted to ask Xie Guoqiang how he felt about going out to do business today.

Sun Lanjun was in the main hall, coaxing Xiao Ni, her eyes slightly red.

She thought Xie’s father and Xie’s mother didn’t welcome her back at all. Why did she even come back? She just wanted these three days to pass quickly so she could go back to the city!