Chapter 3

I linked my arm with my wife’s.

But she instinctively pulled away.

Then she explained beside my ear, “With an elder here, I’m not used to it.”

But when my mother-in-law linked arms with her, my wife naturally offered her arm.

My heart sank lower and lower.

Along the way, the two of them spoke dialect back and forth and had a great time.

I was like a servant tagging along, bored out of my mind.

Fortunately, the mall had new clothing styles, and they caught my attention.

We got separated in the clothing section.

Only after I had tried on more than a dozen new outfits did my wife appear in front of me with my mother-in-law.

They had already picked out clothes and paid.

They were carrying big and small bags, waiting for me to go home.

I picked out three pairs of pants and asked my wife for her opinion.

“These pants are all ones I like, what do you think?”

My wife nodded perfunctorily and said, “They’re okay, buy them if you want.”

But my mother-in-law glanced at the pants a few times and started muttering in dialect again.

My wife immediately changed her mind.

She advised me, “Ethan, these pants aren’t practical, choose something else.”

I stared at the two of them and gave a mocking smile.

“It’s Mom who doesn’t like them, right?”

“I only asked for your opinions, but the final decision is still mine.”

As I spoke, I took out my bank card and told the clerk, “Pack up these pants, I’m buying them.”

My mother-in-law muttered something to my wife again.

Her tone grew more and more agitated, and she even started crying.

My wife hurried to comfort her, then turned and shouted at me angrily:

“Do you have to go against my mom?”

“She has never said one bad word about you, you’re the one being paranoid.”

“I already said the pants aren’t practical, but you insisted on buying them just to upset her!”

“This was my idea, and it has nothing to do with my mom!”

I carried the clothes and turned to leave.

“Fine, you two can take your time shopping, I’m done.”

My head hurt badly, and my chest felt clogged, so I had to hurry home and take my medicine.

After getting home and swallowing two life-saving pills, my emotions finally calmed down.

I was too tired, so I slept for a while.

When I woke up, I heard lively dialect coming from the living room.

Someone was singing the birthday song.

I put on my pajamas and came out to see what was going on.

I saw my mother-in-law sitting in the main seat, blowing out candles on a cake.

More than a dozen family members were dressed neatly and gathered around my mother-in-law.

Even my wife’s younger brother, who worked out of town, had rushed back with his family.

Only I knew absolutely nothing and appeared in the living room wearing only pajamas.

Everyone’s laughter stopped abruptly.

I apologized instinctively, “Sorry, I interrupted.”

After saying it, I felt it was absurd.

My wife coughed once and broke the dead silence.

“Ethan, Mom thought you were tired, so she didn’t wake you.”

“Since you’re awake, come eat some cake.”

I nodded and sat beside my wife.

Everyone let out a breath of relief.

Then the lively chatter and laughter resumed.

My mother-in-law did not spare even the corner of her eye for me.

She only focused on laughing and chatting with my wife, her son, and her other daughter.

The chattering dialect made my head ache.

Lucas saw how lonely I looked and walked over to me.

He looked at me with a bit of pity and said, “Ethan, don’t take it to heart, they’re just saying things casually and don’t mean anything by it.”

I froze and asked, “What are they saying?”

Lucas lightly patted his mouth, as if blaming himself for talking too much.

Then he comforted me and said, “Nothing, just some things you wouldn’t want to hear.”

“It’s better that you don’t understand.”

I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, wondering what those things I would not want to hear could be.

I quietly threw away the cake in my hand and found an excuse to leave.

Then I went into the convenience store downstairs and started picking out snacks.

Just as I was about to go to the counter to pay, my mother-in-law’s and Mia’s voices suddenly came from behind me.

“Mom, wasn’t it a little too much not to tell Ethan about your birthday?”

My mother-in-law scolded her softly and said, “Why are you helping an outsider?”

“Look at that gloomy face he drags around all day, I feel uncomfortable as soon as I see him.”

“I’ve been messing with him for three years, and he still refuses to leave.”

This time, they were speaking standard English.

I understood every word.