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Chapter 600: Leisure Time
Chapter 600: Leisure Time
The sky was a brilliant blue, mirrored by the vast expanse of the ocean, with the occasional brown schooner sailing along the horizon where the two met. On the beach, the sand was littered with seashells, and jellyfish crawled across the shore.
Zong Shimeng admired the beautiful shells scattered on the beach and said, "It's a pity I didn't bring Yin Yin. That girl loves colorful things the most."
Lu Jiaxin, lounging in a beach chair, smiled and said, "Then let them collect some to take back home."
Zong Shimeng nodded. "I wonder if that girl has been well-behaved at school. If not, the teacher will call us again."
Lu Jiaxin, sensing her worry, said, "Sister Shimeng, you and Brother-in-law are partly to blame for the situation you're in."
Zong Shimeng turned to look at her. "What responsibility do I have?"
At home, she had to take care of her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law, manage the household, entertain guests, and look after several children. It wasn't just about providing for their basic needs; she also had to educate them and plan for their future.
Lu Jiaxin smiled. "You need to learn to be a detached manager. For example, if Yin Yin is naughty and the teacher wants to see a parent, why does it have to be you? Your brother-in-law can go too."
As Zong Shimeng opened her mouth to speak, Lu Jiaxin waved her hand. "Don't tell me he's busy. Who isn't? My Ah Zhan is also very busy, but he still makes time to help me with the company when I'm on vacation."
"You feel bad for his busy schedule and don't want to trouble him with family matters. But the problem is, he's not as busy as you think, or else how would he have time to spend with other women?" Zong Shimeng swallowed the words that had reached her lips.
Lu Jiaxin, noticing her expression, said, "Sister Shimeng, what I'm saying may be unpleasant, but it's true. Stop always thinking about him and feeling bad for him. Let's not talk about the past, but from now on, if Yin Yin's teacher calls, let him go. Also, Da Bao and San Bao are learning golf and horseback riding, right? Tell him in advance, and as long as he arranges his schedule, he can make time for them. This way, he won't have time to spend with other women, and he'll be able to build a better relationship with the children."
Since divorce wasn't an option, they had to maximize their benefits. For a family like theirs, it would be foolish to let the children resent their father in his prime.
Zong Shimeng fell silent. No wonder Jiaxin could live so freely; look at her level of awareness. In contrast, she always felt bad for her husband's hardships and managed the household so well that he didn't have to worry about anything. As a result, he felt entitled and started feeling bad for the other woman.
"Jiaxin, thank you."
Lu Jiaxin smiled. "Your mother-in-law received a traditional education, but she knows the difference between public and private matters, and she loves her grandchildren. I'm sure she'd be happy to see your husband spend more time with the children and build a stronger bond with them. If you can get her on the same page as you, it'll be much easier."
Zong Shimeng beamed. "Jiaxin, thank you."
The reason she enjoyed spending time with Jiaxin was that this girl didn't think women should always be virtuous, tolerant, and devoted to their husbands and children. Jiaxin believed in putting herself first and living comfortably before considering others. Although Zong Shimeng couldn't do the same, she admired and respected Lu Jiaxin for it and was willing to learn.
Lu Jiaxin shook her head. "It also depends on whether you can take my advice. Some people might even think that I'm going against traditional norms! But life is only a few decades long; it passes in the blink of an eye, and we shouldn't wrong ourselves."
"You're absolutely right," Zong Shimeng agreed.
Lu Jiaxin removed the bath towel from her body and smiled. "Sister Shimeng, let's go for a swim."
Thanks to Lu Jiaxin's advice, although Zong Shimeng missed her children, she resisted the urge to call home. On the other hand, Hu Zhifeng called Nie Zhan multiple times every day.
Nie Zhan answered with a headache. "Brother Hu, I really don't know when Sister-in-law will be back."
"Then where did they go? Give me their phone numbers, and I'll find her myself," Hu Zhifeng demanded. He had found out that Zong Shimeng and Lu Jiaxin had gone to Bali and even sent people to inquire at several major hotels there, but to no avail. Obviously, they weren't staying in a large hotel but rather in a private villa area.
Nie Zhan dared not say that he couldn't give them the address and phone number without Jiaxin's consent, or he would have to sleep in the guest room: "Brother Hu, please don't make things difficult for me."
Hu Zhifeng was frustrated. "Kai Kai asked me if I was going to divorce his aunt. If they divorce, he wants to live with her. Yin Yin has been misbehaving at school and was called in by the teacher the day before yesterday and again today. Xu Xu keeps calling for her mother and refuses to go to school."
The problem was that his grandmother and mother didn't care, leaving him to deal with the mess. His father even gave him time off, and now he was facing three children on his own, which was a huge headache. Fortunately, the younger ones had a nanny and a babysitter, so he didn't have to worry about them, or he would have gone crazy.
Sometimes, what you think about comes true. That night, Xiao Bao developed a fever. Hu Zhifeng first called the family doctor and then took the child's temperature.
The family doctor advised against medication as the temperature hadn't reached 38 degrees Celsius yet. They used traditional methods to bring the child's temperature down and gave him sips of water from time to time. In the early hours of the morning, the child's high fever broke, and Hu Zhifeng, exhausted, went back to his room to sleep. However, the next day, he was scolded by Mrs. Hu.
Hu Zhifeng was depressed. "I only went to sleep after 3 a.m. when the child's fever broke. Mom, I'm really tired and can't take it anymore."
Mrs. Hu said, "You're tired after taking care of him for one night, but Shimeng took care of Wei Kai and Yin Yin when they were sick, often staying up all night without ever complaining of tiredness."
Hu Zhifeng fell silent.
At that moment, San Bao's teacher called, saying that he had gotten into a fight at school and asking him to come over. Hu Zhifeng quickly changed his clothes and rushed to the school.
That evening, Hu Zhifeng called Nie Zhan. "Ah Zhan, I really can't take it anymore. Please ask your sister-in-law to come back soon."
Hearing the fatigue in his voice, Nie Zhan was surprised. "Brother Hu, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
He wasn't sick yet, but he felt like he would break down if things continued like this. Before, he had thought that his wife was just taking care of the three children and that it wasn't tiring, especially since the younger ones had a nanny and babysitter, and the older one had a private tutor. Now that he had taken over, he realized it wasn't so easy.
Listening to his complaints, Nie Zhan said, "Brother Hu, you're just taking care of the children. Sister-in-law also has to take care of Grandma and go out for social events. It's not easy for you at the company, and it's not easy for her at home either."
This time, Hu Zhifeng truly understood how difficult it was for his wife. Although he didn't have to worry about the eldest, the second and third were a handful... He was so angry that he wanted to hit the two children, but he dared not, or Mrs. Hu would scold him to death.
"Ah Zhan, help me persuade your sister-in-law to come back soon. The children miss her. Yin Yin had a nightmare last night that her mother didn't want her anymore, and she cried half the night."
"I'll pass on your message to her," Nie Zhan said.
(End of Chapter)
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