“Poor Mr. Harper, working alone overseas.”
“His wife gave him a ‘daughter.”
Downstairs, Mrs. Lee added,
“At her age, she’s shameless. In our day, she’d be punished severely.”
“Dressing up all the time, trying to seduce wild men.”
Many people agreed.
“Yes, Mr. Harper is a good man.”
“Unlucky to marry her, and she had the nerve to bring the child back.”
Truly outrageous.”
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Hearing this, my mother–in–law’s face turned white, unable to argue. My husband’s face
was grim too.
Aunt Lydia refused to back down, and my husband had no choice but to secretly send my
mother–in–law to the old home.
Otherwise, Aunt Lydia wouldn’t allow her there either.
I could imagine the chaos when she returned to the village with the child. And with Aunt
there, life wouldn’t be easy for her.
Without my
mother–in–law’s interference, my postpartum period was peaceful.
I named the baby Sunny Harper, hoping she would have a new beginning and bright
future like the rising sun.
Countless times, I dreamt of falling down the stairs, desperately trying to see what that familiar thing was.
The dream was always hazy.
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I felt like I was missing something important.
Half a year passed, and my mother–in–law secretly returned with the child.
The child had been sick for days, and she feared something might happen, so she brought her back.
Looking at my daughter from the past life, the nearly 7–month–old child seemed about the size of Sunny at four months. Her cries were weak.
My mother–in–law, self–righteously, told me:
“Phoebe, this child is sick. Take her to the hospital.”
I looked at her, speechless.
“Mom, I have to care for my child. You should go.”
My mother–in–law gazed lovingly at the child in my arms. Her motherly love was almost palpable.
Hearing my refusal, she looked at me disapprovingly, mumbling.
“I told you to take her to the hospital. Don’t blame me if something happens.”
I pretended not to hear.
“Mom, what are you saying?”
Mother–in–law: “Nothing. If you won’t go, don’t go. That girl is tough. She’ll survive.”
I thought, with a mom like you, isn’t that a tough fate?
When my husband came home, seeing his mom back, his face fell. Noticing the child had
a fever, he quickly took her to the hospital for medicine.
The maternal instinct was almost overwhelming.
When I mentioned I wasn’t going, my mother–in–law looked at me with displeasure,
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muttering to herself.
“I told you to take that girl to the hospital, so don’t blame me if anything happens.”
I pretended not to hear her. “Mom, what did you say?”
Mother–in–law: “Oh, nothing. If you don’t want to go, then don’t. That girl’s life is trivial; she’ll get through it.”
I thought to myself, having a mom like you isn’t trivial?
When my husband came home from work and realized my mother–in–law was back, his expression turned sour.
He also noticed our child had a fever, so he quickly took her to the hospital for medicine.
Upon returning, he looked at my mother–in–law with dissatisfaction.
“Mom, weren’t you supposed to stay at the old house? Why are you back?”
My mother–in–law retorted unhappily, “I was being talked about every day at the old house. How could I stay there?”
Husband: “You’ve done such disgraceful things; of course, people are going to gossip about you.”
Her expression changed.
But what I didn’t expect was that my mother–in–law had a big surprise in store for us.
