Chapter 1

One day, I heard some strange noises coming from my mother-in-law's room. I thought my father-in-law had come home.

Little did I know, my mother-in-law was actually having an affair!

My mother-in-law was confident I wouldn't dare reveal this, and continued to treat me rudely!

But a few days later, my mother-in-law was suddenly diagnosed with AIDS!

And her affair partner had died...

It was the height of summer, and the cicadas were chirping loudly outside.

I rolled over groggily in bed, but was jolted awake by a stinging pain in my fingertip.

Feeling irritated, I finally woke up fully. Today had been such an unlucky day. In the afternoon when I went grocery shopping, some mischievous kid had apparently stuck a needle in the seat of the shared bike I used. I got pricked when I sat down. Then when I got home, my mother-in-law criticized me for not buying the right groceries. In my flustered state, I accidentally cut my hand while cooking.

The cicadas outside were getting louder and louder. Having lost all desire to sleep, I decided to get up and use the bathroom.

As soon as I stepped out of my room, I heard intense female moaning coming from my mother-in-law's bedroom. I could even faintly make out the sound of flesh slapping against flesh.

I was startled. Looking more closely, I saw an old pair of men's leather shoes in the entryway. The shoes were quite worn, with traces of dirt still on them.

It must be my father-in-law who had come home.

My father-in-law was often away on business trips. Even though my mother-in-law lived alone, she always kept up her appearance. She even had a more complete collection of makeup than I did. It was understandable that my father-in-law couldn't resist her charms.

Not wanting to linger, I quickly ducked into the bathroom. When I came out, my mother-in-law's voice hadn't quieted down at all. In fact, it had become even more uninhibited. Too embarrassed to stay outside any longer, I hurried back to my room without even getting a drink of water.

Looking at the pitch-black room, listening to the moans that even the closed door couldn't fully muffle, I suddenly felt a strange emptiness inside. I also couldn't help but wonder - Daniel and my father-in-law both worked at the same research institute. They usually came home together from work trips. Why had only my father-in-law returned this time?

The warmth on the other side of our double bed was long gone. Outside, the cicadas gradually quieted down. I drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, I purposely woke up extra early.

Sometimes my father-in-law had to leave in a hurry for work. Worried he might have another urgent assignment, I specifically got up early to make breakfast.

Although my mother-in-law and I didn't get along well, my father-in-law had always been kind to me. The relationship between my mother-in-law and me was largely mediated by my father-in-law and Daniel. I was very grateful to my father-in-law.

After I had set all the breakfast dishes on the table and turned to get my mother-in-law's soy milk, I heard her start yelling from outside again.

"Other people's daughters-in-law are frugal homemakers. But look at you, making such an extravagant breakfast! People from the countryside really have no sense!"

My anger instantly flared up.

I was abandoned at an orphanage as a baby and adopted by a kind couple in the countryside when I was 10. After graduating college, I came to work in the city and married my husband Daniel.

After marriage, Daniel and my father-in-law were often away on business trips. My mother-in-law used the excuse of poor health to force me to quit my job and be a full-time housewife.

I gave in to her wishes, but her criticisms didn't stop there. In the years since, things were okay when Daniel was home. But whenever he went away for work, my mother-in-law would find endless faults with me at home, saying I just ate without doing any real work no matter what I did.

I walked out of the kitchen and set down the milk forcefully, about to argue back. But then I caught sight of my wedding ring, and the anger slowly dissipated.

Although my mother-in-law had always looked down on me, I could see how much Daniel cared for and loved me over the years.

Moreover, before he left last time, he told me to wait just one more month. Once he finished his current work, he would take me to move out and live on our own.

I took a deep breath and patiently explained: "I didn't mean to make so much food. I just heard Father-in-law come home last night, so this extra portion of breakfast..."

Before I could finish speaking, my mother-in-law suddenly stood up, grabbed the glass of milk I had just set on the table, and splashed it in my face.

"You little hussy! You haven't even given our family a child yet, and you're already trying to manipulate me? Let me tell you, you'd better behave yourself. Otherwise, I'll make Daniel kick you out of this house sooner or later!"

Over the years, my mother-in-law had inexplicably given me a hard time before, but she had rarely been this directly aggressive. I stood there stunned for a moment. My mother-in-law sat back down smugly, picking at the breakfast as if she had just won a victory.

I gritted my teeth and swallowed my anger.

Forget it. In just one more month, Daniel would take me to move out. There was no point in burning bridges with my mother-in-law now.

I suppressed my anger and went back to my room to change clothes. Behind me, I heard my mother-in-law let out a cold snort, as if she was certain I wouldn't dare do anything to her.