Lin Xiaoyu stared blankly at her mother.

In the past, her mom always said that reading too many books was useless for girls; they should be diligent, capable, and have an eye for work to marry into a good family.

Why, then, today did she not want her to work but instead to focus on her studies?

“What are you still standing there for? Hurry up! If you don’t make it into the top twenty in your grade by the end of this term, I’ll spank you!” Old Madam Li, trying to keep her daughter focused on her studies, scolded her angrily and even slapped her on the backside.

She remembered that her daughter’s grades had always been around the top twenty in her grade.

Lin Xiaoyu covered her slapped backside and, instead of being scared, smiled.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I definitely won’t fall out of the top twenty.” Not only would she stay in the top twenty, but she’d also make it into the top ten.

Since her mom always said that reading too many books was useless for girls, and that doing well in school wouldn’t earn their praise, Lin Xiaoyu never felt particularly motivated to study.

Even so, her grades were still pretty good.

If she put in more effort, making it into the top ten would be a sure thing.

Lin Yongnian looked at Old Madam Li with confusion.

Had she suddenly changed?

She was actually telling Xiaoyu not to do housework and to study?

When had she ever cared about Xiaoyu’s studies before?

Seeing her husband look at her, Old Madam Li rolled her eyes.

“…“ Lin Yongnian widened his eyes in anger, “You’re rolling your eyes at me?”

Old Madam Li rolled her eyes again.

Lin Yongnian was even angrier, “You’ve beaten me like this, and I’ve lost face enough to not go out, but I haven’t even said anything to you, and you’re rolling your eyes at me!”

Old Madam Li glanced at his face, which was covered with scabbed scratches, and muttered two words, “Deserved it.”

She had actually been too late in doing that.

She should have fought back the first time he hit her when they were young.

She remembered once discussing her past with an elderly woman in the neighborhood about how her husband used to beat her.

The woman had said she was too weak.

“You should’ve fought back the first time he hit you, even if you couldn’t win. If he uses his hands, you should grab a knife. No matter how strong a man is, he sleeps eventually. If you’re ruthless enough, he’ll be afraid.”

The woman had said that was what she did when she was young.

After hitting her husband twice, he never dared to hit her again.

“…“ Lin Yongnian was so angry that he threw his head back, clutching his chest and taking a few deep breaths.

He looked at Old Madam Li seriously, “You scolded me, hit me, and I’m letting it go. But you made things difficult for Liu Qin yesterday, which caused her embarrassment. When she and Jian She come back, you should apologize to her. Our family needs to live in harmony.”

There was nothing more important than a peaceful and harmonious family life.

Old Madam Li laughed in anger.

Oh, now she wasn’t supposed to apologize to Liu Qin’s younger brother, but she was supposed to apologize to Liu Qin?

After everything that happened yesterday, he still expected her to apologize?

How ridiculous.

“If you want to apologize to Liu Qin, go ahead, do it yourself. Kneel, bow, whatever. If you want me to apologize, maybe in my next life.”

“You…” Lin Yongnian was speechless, and Lin Xiaoyu, sitting at the bedside with a book in her hand, was worried that her parents might start fighting again.

“This is for the sake of family harmony! So that our family can live well together!” Lin Yongnian pounded on the long table in front of him, feeling frustrated that she didn’t understand him.

He was the traditional type of patriarch—if the children lived well, he didn’t mind enduring some hardship or inconvenience.

Old Madam Li replied, “Oh, for family harmony, to live well together, I should swallow my pride and apologize to my daughter-in-law, right? Am I just a doormat?”

Lin Yongnian snapped, “Why are you speaking so harshly? We’re all one family now, living in the same house, seeing each other every day. You can’t just apologize and let this pass. How can we live like this? Why keep things so tense?”

It really was true—she was getting worse with age!

“I’m telling you outright, your actions yesterday have already made Jian She resent you. You better be careful, or he won’t be filial to you in the future,” Lin Yongnian said sternly.

“Hahaha…” Old Madam Li tilted her head back and laughed, “I’m hoping for his filial piety? I might as well hope for the wild dogs on the street to be kind to me.”

Lin Yongnian scolded, “If the second son hears this, it will really hurt his feelings! Do you think you can only rely on the eldest son in the future?”

Old Madam Li thought of the eldest son’s laughter from yesterday, shook her head, and said, “I don’t rely on him. A son who sees his own mother being humiliated and laughs along with it, or sees her being beaten and does nothing—how can I rely on such a son?”

Lin Xiaoyu clenched the book in her hands.

She hadn’t expected that when their mother was humiliated and her father hit her, none of her brothers had said a word to defend their mother.

If she had been there, she would have protected her mom—not for anything else, just because she was her real mother.

When she was little, she couldn’t help much, but now that she was older, she would no longer just cry like when she was a child.

Lin Yongnian felt that she had a wrong mindset.

Fortunately, the eldest and second sons weren’t home; otherwise, he felt their hearts would be hurt by her words.

“Can you not rely on the eldest or second son? Can you rely on Xiaoyu?” Lin Yongnian pointed at his daughter.

Old Madam Li looked back at her daughter, shaking her head, “I don’t rely on Xiaoyu. I only rely on myself.”

In this second life, she understood—relying on others is useless.

Mountains fall, people scatter; nothing is more reliable than relying on yourself.

Lin Xiaoyu felt a pang of sadness.

Did her mom think she couldn’t be relied upon?

But soon, she regained her resolve, her eyes shining with determination.

Since her mom thought she couldn’t be relied upon, she would study hard, get into a good university, find a good job, earn lots of money, and show her mom that she was a child her mom could count on.

Lin Yongnian found Old Madam Li’s words laughable.

She thought her children couldn’t be relied upon, so she relied on herself?

She was an old woman with no job; how could she rely on herself?

“You’re relying on me to support you now, and you’re still saying you rely on yourself? You’re not afraid of people laughing when they hear that?” Lin Yongnian laughed as he spoke.

It had started from this point.

Since she had given up her job to the second son and couldn’t work to earn money anymore, Lin Yongnian had started to think she was relying too much on him, and he grew more and more dissatisfied with her.

Lin Yongnian said, “I advise you to be nicer to the sons and daughter-in-law. Otherwise, you’ll be the one suffering in the future.”

He wasn’t worried—he treated his children well, worked a job earning over a hundred yuan a month, had a pension when he retired, and even if he did nothing, his children would still treat him well.

“The house is a mess. Hurry up and clean up. There’s a pile of things in the kitchen waiting for you. Don’t delay making lunch,” Lin Yongnian said as he picked up a newspaper.

Old Madam Li clenched her fists, her chest heaving with anger. “Are you dead? Can’t you clean up the house?”

Lin Xiaoyu’s heart tightened.

Were they going to argue again?

Lin Yongnian’s eyes widened like a cow’s.

Who was calling them “dead” and speaking so harshly?