Husband's Secrets

In the first year of my marriage, my mother-in-law seldom intruded on our private space, except to occasionally bring us gifts or encourage us to have a child. Out of gratitude for her kindness, despite not planning to, I quickly bore her a grandson. To my surprise, she showed her true colors during my confinement period after childbirth, planning not only to expel me from the house but also to become my husband's "invisible girlfriend".

On the day I met my husband at our arranged date, he was a man of few words. His mother, however, appeared much younger than her actual age, at least a decade less. Despite raising her son single-handedly, there was no trace of hardship on her face. Instead, she was enthusiastic and outgoing, taking my hand and declaring her intention to break traditional mother-daughter-in-law relationships and become my best friend. The main reason my family and I agreed to this marriage was the prospect of a pleasant mother-in-law.

After marriage, my husband was reliable and competent, always listening to me. My mother-in-law wasn't controlling as others often complained about their own in-laws. She gave us enough private space and even helped foster our relationship. Seeing how my mother-in-law often envied others who could play with their grandchildren, I felt guilty. So, I took the initiative to have a child ahead of our original plan.

During my pregnancy and childbirth, my mother-in-law and my husband cared for me meticulously. This made me feel extremely secure, and I often told my parents and friends how lucky I was to marry into such a harmonious family. However, what I didn't expect was that this was the calm before the storm.

A week after the birth of our child, my mother-in-law and I returned home for the confinement period. Before I could propose going to a postnatal care center, my mother-in-law said that she had specially trained as a confinement nanny and could take care of me well. In my understanding, it was not a given that a mother-in-law should take care of her daughter-in-law and grandchild, but I didn't want to disappoint her, so I canceled the booking of the confinement center.

On her first day of caring for me, her actions chilled my heart. In the morning, she served me a bowl of plain rice porridge, and for lunch and dinner, we only had vegetables and tofu with barely any oil or salt. That night, I had no milk to feed my baby, who cried uncontrollably despite our attempts to soothe him.

"I know some young girls fear breastfeeding will affect their figures, so they deliberately avoid eating food that promotes lactation. But to stop breastfeeding a week after birth, isn't that too cruel for the child?" My mother-in-law suddenly made a sarcastic remark.

Stunned, I stared at her and wondered if this was the same woman who wanted to be my best friend. "Mom, it's not that I don't want to breastfeed, it's just that the food you cooked today was too plain, and I can't produce milk," I replied helplessly.

She looked at me in disbelief, then pouted and said, "I specially made carp soup for you today, but you didn't drink it and even poured it away. How can you blame me?"

Just as I was about to argue with her, she brought over the garbage bin that indeed contained an untouched carp. The soup was thick and white, and it seemed a waste to discard it.

"Penny, I don't object to you wanting to keep your figure, but we need to feed the child first, right? And my mom put a lot of effort into this soup. Even if you don't want to drink it, you can't waste it!" My husband suddenly became cold, clearly holding back his anger as he blamed me.

I suddenly realized that my mother-in-law was deliberately setting me up. Just as I was about to defend myself, my mother-in-law held my hand tightly and looked at me with a kind and compassionate face. "It's understandable if you're irritable after giving birth. I'll make the carp soup again tomorrow and coax her into drinking it. Let's not quarrel because of me."