116 Tradition (4)

She made it her personal mission to make her daughter-in-law's life as horrible as possible. Since her life was so miserable, she was going to make other people's life equally miserable so hers, in comparison, would feel less miserable. It was why they say misery love company.

She complained about the cleaning even though it was already spotless, she complained about how she would not smile around the house when they were alone, she complained about how she smiled too much when Elder Lin was home, she complained about how relaxed she was with Lin Kang's education, there was basically an endless string of perfectly fine things that the woman could complain about.

Life was understandably hell was Mrs. Lin. She had thought about retorting her mother-in-law many times but she did not dare to do it because she was not raised that way. Women of her generation were taught to listen to everything their mother-in-law say and follow their direction with no objection.

Mrs. Lin had sought help from her own mother but she would not intervene. The only advice she got could be summed up in one word, patience.

Such was the lot of women in their time, there was nothing they could do about it. Like a good daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lin suffered her mother-in-law's tyranny without complaint.

On the rare occasion when Elder Lin was home, she thought about broaching the subject with her husband but she always stopped herself at the last minute. This was an issue between women and so the men of the house did not need to be burdened with it. The gender roles were clearly delineated in a culture like theirs.

Thankfully, Mrs. Lin had a son to anchor her life onto during this period of deep despair. The amount of pressure on Lin Kang's shoulders since he was just a wee babe could not be understated. He was her mother's sole source of escape and hope.

Thankfully, Lin Kang grew up to be a brilliant man with a few flaws and misconceptions about the world that one could understand considering the environment that he was raised in. Bearing witness to the constant barrage of aggression his grandmother directed at his own mother and watching how detached his father was to the whole scene, it was little wonder that the man grew up with zero to no respect for women.

The fact that he did not grow up to be some kind of man-hating serial killer was already a miracle in and of itself.

In any case, Mrs. Lin's mother-in-law soon passed away and Mrs. Lin thought she was finally allowed a breather. However, not long after that, before she even managed to catch her breath, Lin Kang came back one day and announced to the whole family that he was getting married and the new wife was carrying his child. Mrs. Lin was not allowed to protest or do anything because that was her place at the house.

Naturally, Mrs. Lin had problem adjusting to this news. After all, Lin Kang was the anchor for the most part of her adult life and now a floozy was coming in to snatch him away from her. It was expected that she would react to the news badly.

Now that she had assumed the role of the mother-in-law, the role had been reversed. She only had one person to model her behavior after and that woman had only taught her how to be a critical and demanding mother-in-law.

Furthermore, she had been bullied for so long already, it was only fair that now it was her time to bully others, right?

After all, it was only part of the accepted tradition.

Mrs. Lin came back from her reverie and she saw how hardworking her daughter-in-law was at cleaning her room. Mrs. Lin then looked down on her freshly-bandaged feet. She asked herself, 'Would I have done something similar for my own mother-in-law without being asked or forced to?'

If she was being honest to herself, Mrs. Lin's answer would be no.

After everything the horrible woman had done, she was expected to nurse her back to health? She knew she would have to do it because that was what the society expected of her but she would not be willing to do it.

However, Xiu Ling had volunteered to take care of her.

Perhaps both of them deserved some slack in their lives. Alas, like most things in life, it was easier said than done.

To get Mrs. Lin to stop following the traditions that had been instilled in her for decades was not going to happen so easily. These things take time.

"Mother, I'm done." Xiu Ling called out at the door, holding the cleaning supplies in her arms. She had finished cleaning every spot in the room. She pulled the door open and before she walked out, Xiu Ling turned back to tell Mrs. Lin, "Mother, please have a good rest. I'll come back later with some tea and perhaps some reading materials so you wouldn't feel so bored."

Mrs. Lin once more nodded at her daughter-in-law with a blank expression. Xiu Ling smiled good-naturedly as she pulled the door close. Before the door shut completely, Mrs. Lin called out, "Xiu Ling!"

The door stopped before it creaked open again. Xiu Ling poked her head back into the room and asked with a patient smile, "Yes, mother?"

"It's nothing..." Mrs. Lin began before ending with a sincere, "Thank you."

Xiu Ling smiled like she did not expect this but was pleasantly surprised anyway. "You're more than welcome, mother."

As simple as those few words were, it marked an important shift in the relationship between Xiu Ling and her mother-in-law. The fact that Mrs. Lin was willing to admit appreciation to her daughter-in-law, whom she was taught to be of a lower status than her by the sole fact that she was her daughter-in-law was the first step to a more harmonious relationship between the two.