It was a normal weekend, and I was preparing lunch in the kitchen, when I suddenly heard my mother-in-law's roaring voice coming from the living room: "Lili, you unfilial thing! Haohao is only three years old, you don't raise it? Do you forget who single-handedly brought you up?"
I was startled by my mother-in-law's sudden accusation, and quickly put down the kitchen knife in my hand and walked into the living room. I saw my mother-in-law's eyes glaring at me, her face flushed, her teeth clenched, and she looked like she could burst into flames at any moment.
"Mother-in-law, what do you mean by that? When did I say I wouldn't raise Haohao?" I asked quizzably.
My mother-in-law's words hit me like a hammer on my heart. I did discuss with my husband about letting my brother-in-law live on his own, but I didn't mean to chase anyone away. But my mother-in-law completely misinterpreted our original intention, and we had to be portrayed as villains who scavenged the wool of our relatives.
I was in a state of great confusion and helplessness. Why did my mother-in-law have such a prejudice against us? Are we so unkind to my brother-in-law? I was so entangled in my heart that I couldn't say a complete defense for a while.
The appearance of my husband gave me a little more confidence. I organized my language and calmly said to my mother-in-law, "Mother-in-law, listen to me, things are not as you imagined. Since the birth of my little brother-in-law, you and my parents have been very fond of him and regarded him as the little emperor of the family. He grew up carefree and did not even have the most basic ability to take care of himself. "
"Later, when my parents died, my brother-in-law was only 15 years old, and Lei Lei and I had to take him to our house to live together. But over the years, in addition to being idle, he has never contributed to the family's expenses. We worked hard to earn money to support our family, but he was carefree, had no desires, and did not even have the most basic respect. "
"What we discussed last night was just that we hoped that my brother-in-law could live independently and make some plans for his future, instead of relying on us forever. Is there anything wrong with that?" I looked at my mother-in-law and said in a very sincere tone.
My mother-in-law seemed to be touched by my words, and her anger eased slightly. She glared at her brother-in-law, but the brother-in-law still looked indifferent, sitting leisurely on the sofa and playing mobile games.
"Haohao, are you so useless? The mother-in-law sighed, her tone full of disappointment.
The little uncle didn't raise his head and said, "Hey, what are you worried about, aren't I having a good time now?"
Hearing the uncle's nonchalant answer, the mother-in-law suddenly became furious, stood up, pointed at his nose and scolded: "You useless thing, you know how to eat, drink and have fun if you have nothing to do all day long! Your sister is so kind to you, do you have a little heart to repay your kindness? If you continue like this, sooner or later your sister's family will be dragged down!"
The little uncle was taken aback by his mother-in-law's reprimand, and was stunned and at a loss. I saw it in my eyes, and my heart was very uncomfortable. As an elder, her mother-in-law's approach is certainly stricter, but after all, she is for the good of her brother-in-law. But the uncle's reaction made me completely disappointed in him.
The more the mother-in-law spoke, the more excited she became, her tone became sharper and sharper, and she even made some gaffe movements, such as punching the table and pointing at the uncle's nose. Seeing this scene, my fire was gradually ignited, and the anger in my heart accumulated little by little.
Although he was severely reprimanded by his mother-in-law, the little uncle was still expressionless and looked indifferent. He stood up slowly and said to his mother-in-law, "Hey, don't be angry, I'm still young, and I still have time to work and make money in the future." "
With that, he sat back on the couch as if nothing had happened, lowered his head and played the mobile game again. I looked at his idle, desireless appearance, my eyes were black for a while, and my chest seemed to be firmly pressed by a thousand pounds of weight, and I couldn't breathe.
How many years have my husband and I put in so much hard work and sweat to support our family, have my brother-in-law ever experienced it? He only knows how to take endlessly, but he never thinks of reciprocating. My disappointment in him has reached the extreme.
Looking at the little uncle's appearance, my anger finally exploded. I stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar and asked loudly: "Zhang Hao, what kind of people do you think of us? We are so good to you, do you have the slightest heart to repay your kindness? Even if you don't think about us, what will you do in the future? Do you plan to idle like this for the rest of your life?"
"Not ready? You're 25 years old, how much more do you need to prepare?" My anger is getting stronger and stronger, "If you continue like this, we will kick you out sooner or later!"
As soon as the words fell, I suddenly realized what I had said, and I couldn't help but be stunned. Although I did have this thought in my heart, I still felt a wave of guilt and self-blame when it actually blurted out.
After all, my brother-in-law is also our flesh and blood, so how can I say that I will drive him out? However, if he is always so virtuous, how can our family afford it? I have fallen into unprecedented contradictions and entanglements, and for a time I could not distinguish between right and wrong.
The contradiction in my heart was quickly covered up by the bombardment of my mother-in-law. She pointed to her brother-in-law's nose and gritted her teeth, "Did you hear what your sister said? If you don't change your virtues, their family will kick you out sooner or later! Then you will be a complete homeless orphan, and I will see where you go!"
The little brother-in-law was enraged by his mother-in-law's words, he stood up, clenched his hands tightly into fists, and looked very angry: "Mother-in-law, do you look down on me like this? Although I don't have a job yet, I will definitely have a good job in the future! When the time comes, I will make a lot of money so that you can live a better life!"
"Fart!" The mother-in-law didn't buy his account at all, "What do you have to do? You have nothing to do all day long, you can't do anything but eat, drink, and have fun! If you really have the determination and ability, how can you be reduced to this point?"
"That's how you underestimate me! Okay, wait and see, sooner or later, I will get ahead one day, and then I'll see if you are convinced!" The little uncle's eyes widened angrily, and his hands waved wildly in the air.
At this moment, my husband finally couldn't hold back and shouted: "Stop it! What kind of attitude do you have? Mother-in-law, Haohao is our relative after all, you shouldn't talk about him like that." Haohao, you shouldn't talk back to your elders, it's too unreasonable!"
The room was silent, and everyone was startled by the husband's shouting. The mother-in-law and the brother-in-law stared at each other like two bears, and neither of them wanted to bow their heads first. As I watched the scene in front of me, I felt nothing but helplessness and despair that I had never felt before.
Our family used to be happy, but ever since my brother-in-law grew up, the atmosphere at home has been shrouded in a dark cloud. My brother-in-law's carefree attitude to life put too much of the mental and financial burden on my husband and I. And the mother-in-law always connived and spoiled the brother-in-law, which made the contradiction more acute and difficult to reconcile.
We are like a volcano that has been slowly consumed and finally erupted today. The three of us said a word, and the scene was out of control for a while, and no one could convince anyone. I felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, tears rolling in my eyes. At this juncture, an unexpected person suddenly spoke.
"Shut up!" The little uncle suddenly shouted, startling all of us. He glanced at each of us, and the expression on his face was extremely serious: "I know that I have indeed caused a lot of trouble to everyone over the years. My sister was very good to me, but I never did my best, I was too selfish. "
"Mother-in-law, you're right, I'm an incompetent waste. I was wasting my life by doing nothing all day and not having any plans for my future. I've let you down so much. Speaking of this, a trace of tears flashed in the little uncle's eyes.
Hearing the words of the little uncle, we all fell silent. Even the mother-in-law, so impressed by his determination and sincerity, could not say a word of rebuttal. A warm current rose in my heart for the first time in a long time, and tears were rolling in my eyes. I believe that my brother-in-law will be able to start a new life, and I will fully support him!
The uncle's solemn words extinguished the anger in my heart like a clear spring. The mother-in-law was also impressed by his determination, and her face finally relaxed a little. She stepped forward to take her brother-in-law's hand and said earnestly: "Haohao, you have finally come to your senses, I am happy for you." However, you have to put today's words into action, and you can't give up halfway. "
The little uncle nodded vigorously: "Mother-in-law, don't worry, I will definitely keep my promise and reform from now on." "
After hearing this, the mother-in-law showed a look of relief. She turned around and said solemnly to me and my husband, "Lili, Lei Lei, I'm sorry, my previous actions were too drastic and broke your hearts. But you also have to understand that the reason why I am so harsh is purely for the sake of Haohao's good. Seeing that he has achieved nothing for so many years, I am really worried about him. "
Speaking of this, the mother-in-law's eyes also moistened: "Now that Haohao finally has the determination to work hard, you must encourage and support him and give him a chance to be a new person." I believe that as long as he works hard sincerely, he will be able to find a way out of life again. "
I nodded again and again, and a few tears overflowed from the corners of my eyes. My mother-in-law's words touched my heart very much, and of course I am willing to give my brother-in-law this opportunity, and I will do my best to help and support him.
Seeing the transformation of my mother-in-law and brother-in-law, my heart also ignited new hope and determination. I solemnly said to my brother-in-law, "Haohao, I heard everything you said today. I'm glad to see that you've finally made up your mind to turn over a new leaf and take responsibility for your future. However, you have to prove yourself with practical actions. "
"No problem, sister, I will definitely speak with action!" The little uncle agreed without hesitation.
"Okay! I will definitely abide by all the rules you have made, sister!" The little uncle's eyes were firm and spirited, revealing a bit of heroism.
I looked at him and couldn't help but feel emotional. From childhood to adulthood, we have always spoiled our brother-in-law as a baby in the family, but neglected the guidance of his conduct. It is precisely because of our doting that he is hanging today. But now that he finally has the determination to move forward, I'm really happy for him. I believe that as long as he works hard with sincerity, he will be able to find the direction of his life again.
As his closest relative, I am willing to give my brother-in-law full support and help, as long as he is willing to put in the effort. Our family needs to be in the same boat, work together to tide over the difficulties, and use actions to help him get back on the right path. I am full of confidence and anticipation for this!