The most painful thing in a marriage isn’t conflict with your mother-in-law. It’s when the person who promised to protect you for life is the one who pushes you onto the battlefield.
In their three years of marriage, Jiang Nian never managed to fit into her husband Lu Qingyang’s family. Her mother-in-law Wang Taohua was deeply rooted in her double standards: a daughter-in-law had to do all the housework, obey her husband, look after the whole family, and, most importantly, know how to earn money.
When Jiang Nian went out to earn money, her mother-in-law took that as proof that she “didn’t care about her family.” What broke her heart most was Lu Qingyang’s silence and capitulation.
Every time there was a conflict, all he would say was, “Mom’s getting old. Just let her have her way.”
When Jiang Nian suffered a miscarriage, her mother-in-law’s first words were, “How could you not even keep the baby safe?” Lu Qingyang’s response was still, “Don’t hold it against Mom.” At that moment, she finally understood that this family had never truly accepted her.
The divorce was more peaceful than she had expected. There were no tearful, earth-shattering arguments, just an agreement and the words, “Let’s go our separate ways and wish each other well.”
