Chapter 59: The “Kidnapped” Maternal Love

Meanwhile, at Wen Yue Yuan, Xiao Wen, who was playing with Yuanyuan, suddenly sneezed.

“This weather is easy to catch a cold. Jia Jia, could you put an extra jacket on Xiao Wen?” Liang Sisi said, looking at Zhu Jia.

“No need, feel him, he’s sweating on his back,” Zhu Jia said, touching Xiao Wen’s back and placing a sweat towel under it.

Today was the first day of the spring term at Wen Yue Yuan, which had enrolled 45 children aged one to three years. Zhu Jia had divided them into three classes based on their age.

Xiao Wen and Yuanyuan were in the youngest class, Class 1, while the older children were assigned to Classes 2 and 3.

There were fewer children under two years old signing up for the spring term, with more coming for early education classes.

The majority of the children in the spring class were over two years old, more than thirty of them, so they were split into two classes.

The first day of class was slightly better than Zhu Jia had expected. The children in Class 1, who were under two years old, performed better than the older kids in Classes 2 and 3.

The one-year-old children were still confused, some didn’t even understand separation anxiety, and could be easily distracted by toys or picture books. As long as someone interacted with them, they could momentarily forget about their parents.

But the older children in Classes 2 and 3 were much more astute. It was like they had a tracker on their parents; the moment their parents stepped away, they became alert.

Two-year-olds couldn’t understand reason and had to rely on the teachers to keep their attention with various tricks.

They also had excellent memory. After a while, they would remember their parents, and if one child cried, the rest would follow suit, creating a scene of collective crying.

Therefore, during the first two weeks, full-day class children could only attend half-day classes to adjust to life there before transitioning to full-day attendance.

“Jia Jia, I’m leaving. I need to go for a hydrating injection,” Liang Sisi checked her watch. “I’ll pick up Yuanyuan at noon.”

Zhu Jia nodded. “You go ahead. We’ll take care of Yuanyuan.”

Zhu Jia and the teacher of Class 1 took Xiao Wen and Yuanyuan to their classroom on the second floor, where there were already eight children, all a little over one year old.

“Hello, little friends, I’m your good friend Teacher Sherry. This is a place where we’ll play games together…”

Zhu Jia quietly left the classroom. She planned to check on the kids in Classes 2 and 3 next.

Just then, there was a commotion downstairs. Zhu Jia frowned and hurried downstairs.

She saw a woman in her fifties, with short curly hair, standing with her arms crossed, pouting, looking very angry. Carol was awkwardly smiling beside her.

“If you can’t handle this, then call your boss out here!” the woman said.

“What’s going on?” Zhu Jia walked up.

“President Zhu, this lady wants a refund and wants to take her child home,” Carol said with a furrowed brow.

“Are you in charge here?” The woman gave Zhu Jia a suspicious glance.

“Yes, ma’am. Is there something about our services you’re unhappy with?”

“My grandson is only two years and four months old, and he doesn’t need to attend a daycare.” The woman’s gaze was sharp, her voice full of authority.

“What’s your grandson’s name?”

“Zhao Mingchen.”

“Chen Chen? I remember his mom dropped him off this morning.”

“Hmph, his mom is really heartless, sending such a young child to daycare.”

“Isn’t his mom working? After dropping Chen Chen off this morning, she went to work.”

As soon as the grandmother heard this, her voice immediately rose by an octave. “Working? Are we short on food or drink at home? Why isn’t she at home taking care of the child? What’s she working for?”

“Chen Chen is still so small, and Mrs. Wang from next door kept her daughter at home for seven years! Look at how well her child turned out—she’s already speaking fluent English before even going to elementary school.”

“Grandma, this…”

Before Zhu Jia could finish, the grandmother interrupted her. “How much can she possibly earn at that job? A few thousand yuan at most, right? What’s the use of earning that little money? The daycare fee is probably higher than that every month!”

“My son works hard every day to support the family, but she can’t even manage the household. Now, she’s not even taking care of the child.” The grandmother’s voice grew louder with each sentence.

“Grandma, please sit down.” Zhu Jia guided the grandmother to the circular sofa in the parents’ rest area. There were two parents from early education classes nearby, curiously watching them.

Zhu Jia poured the grandmother a cup of tea. “Grandma, are you saying that your daughter-in-law didn’t discuss this with you and just sent the child here?”

“Yes…”

“Then, who takes care of Chen Chen at home?”

“Of course, it’s his mother. That’s what she should do. What woman doesn’t stay at home to take care of the child?” The grandmother took a sip of the hot tea, her tone softer than before.

She spoke earnestly to Zhu Jia: “Men work outside, women manage the home—that’s been our tradition for thousands of years. My son works so hard outside, giving her living expenses every month, so she can stay at home with the child and give him a happy childhood. But look at her, instead of staying at home, she’s working. What’s her job going to lead to? It’s not like she’s a civil servant; she’s just a small company employee. If she has time for that, she should be at home with the child. She could save on nanny fees and daycare costs.”

“This isn’t just my opinion, this is what the experts say. When a mother spends little time with the child, the child’s psychological development will have big issues. Which mother is so heartless to abandon her child?”

The grandmother even brought up experts, which made Zhu Jia smile bitterly. She calmly explained: “Actually, Chen Chen performed very well today. He adapted easily to group activities with other children. Plus, we offer a variety of activities and courses here, which are more engaging than staying at home.”

“Our early education teachers may not be as good as a mother’s care, but they are professionally trained, so you can rest assured leaving your child here.”

Zhu Jia added more tea to the grandmother’s cup. “If you’re still worried, you’re welcome to check on Chen Chen anytime, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the other children’s lessons. We keep the center open to parents.”

Just as the grandmother was about to speak, a tall, thin man hurriedly approached them, running over. “Mom, what’s going on?”

He smiled apologetically at Zhu Jia.

“What are you doing here? I’m taking Chen Chen back today. How can Chen Chen go to daycare?”

“Mom, don’t be upset. It was my decision to send Chen Chen here. I made the choice.”

The man hurriedly sat next to the grandmother. “Chen Chen is already over two years old, not that small anymore. Xiaoling has been taking care of the child for over two years. She’s got a university degree, higher than mine, and almost got promoted to supervisor at her company. It’s good for her to go back to work now.”

“Good? You give her ten thousand yuan a month for living expenses, isn’t that enough? Why does she have to go work and spend money here?”

“Mom, let’s talk about this at home. It’s not what you think.” The man apologized to Zhu Jia. “Sorry for the trouble, we’ll come back to pick up Chen Chen at noon.”

Zhu Jia nodded with an awkward smile. “Alright, if you need any help, feel free to let us know.”

As they were leaving, Carol walked over. “President Zhu, how did it go?”

Zhu Jia frowned, feeling helpless. “They said they’ll discuss it at home first.”

“Actually, Chen Chen’s mom was introduced by me.” Carol glanced at the mother and son walking away. “She’s a senior from our academy. I remember she was very popular in school—beautiful, smart, and even the vice president of the student council. After graduation, she got an offer from a big company, but she resigned after having the child.”

Carol sighed deeply. “I’m glad I’m not married or have kids yet.”

Zhu Jia silently sighed as well. This wasn’t an isolated case. It’s something common in countless families, reflecting society’s stereotype of motherhood.

Sometimes, “motherly love” can suffocate a mother, because everyone expects her to be self-sacrificial and put everything else aside for her child.

When a mother chooses work over her child, she’s often criticized for being “heartless” and “not a good mother.”

Zhu Jia shook her head. Does being a mother mean she cannot think of herself and must sacrifice everything for her child?