"Yes, Mom thinks some of what he said makes sense."

"What couple doesn't argue? Don't they always fight at the head of the bed and make up by the foot? Staying at her parents' house for a bit helps both sides cool down."

"But they shouldn't be apart for too long, otherwise the feelings will fade."

Ruth said with a chuckle, "Aside from that, the neighbors, relatives, and friends are definitely discussing it privately."

"Mom, do you think he is right?"

Nancy knew her father-in-law was worried she was still angry, which was why he had called her mother directly.

Ruth nodded and said, "Of course. Recently, quite a few neighbors have been asking me why you have been staying at home for so long, wondering if you are divorced."

"So many bitches!"

Nancy muttered, feeling baffled.

"If you were really divorced, I would say so openly. But you aren't, and staying here for so long inevitably leads to gossip."

Ruth laughed generously and said, "My dear daughter, I think it's perfectly understandable if you are still angry with Daniel. However, you still need to show your father-in-law some respect."

"I know!"

Nancy wasn't actually very resistant to the idea.

After all, even though her father-in-law felt somewhat distant, he had always been genuinely good to her.

"Also, I told your father about Lily's pregnancy."

Ruth mentioned it casually.

Instead, Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Mom, you hadn't told Dad until now?"

"I couldn't be bothered to tell him. But on second thought, I should inform him. After all, he is your biological father."

Ruth spoke very seriously this time, "After thinking it over, I decided that old bastard still needs to be told."

To be honest, the mother-in-law was not an intellectual; she was an uncultured shrew, but she was not stupid. On the contrary, amidst the chaos of life, she was particularly clear-sighted and wise.

No matter how broken her relationship with Arthur was, it did not change the fact that Arthur was the biological father of her three daughters.

In the mother-in-law's eyes, ten stepfathers could never compare to one biological father. That was an unchangeable fact.

No matter how much of a womanizing bastard Arthur was, or how much he favored sons over daughters, he had at least never shortchanged his three daughters. He had almost never delayed their living expenses or tuition fees.

Even now, when his own finances were so tight, he still sent over the living expenses. For that reason alone, he qualified as a decent biological father.

"Dad, what did he say?"

Lily sounded a bit nervous.

Unlike the eldest sister, who was the cherished firstborn, Lily, like her younger sister, had grown up with their parents separated. Their meetings always ended in fierce arguments, so it was impossible to claim they had deep feelings for him.

Perhaps she harbored some degree of father complex, which was why she cared so much about her father's opinion.

"Him? He finally came around. No matter what, the child in your belly is his grandchild."

"He said he would arrange a visit to the ancestral hall to make offerings and pray for the ancestors' blessings. He told you to focus on resting well and taking good care of your pregnancy."

"Also, he mentioned he's asking a friend to source some good, older wild fish maw for you, to help you build up your health. He warned you not to buy any randomly outside, as you could easily be cheated."

Ruth's expression softened into a smile, "He also said he would come to see you in a couple of days. So, I told him, no matter what, he is still your biological father."

Hearing this, Lily smiled happily.

Luis smiled and said, "Well, that's really strange."

"Strange, my ass. I don't want to run into him then. If we start arguing, it will be really ugly again."

Ruth rolled her eyes and said, "He came to see me two months ago, and I cursed him out so fiercely he probably doesn't want to see me again."

"You argued again? What was it about this time?"

Nancy asked with concern, "Mom, didn't you say you didn't care about that vixen anymore?"

After all, so many years had passed. Arthur and that vixen had a son together and were living as a family. Compared to this nominal marriage of theirs, that side was the real family life.

Ruth had now grown indifferent to it. Out of sight, out of mind.

Back in the day, her stubborn refusal to divorce was partly because her three children were too young for her to raise alone, and partly out of sheer spite, to prevent that vixen from taking her place.

Ruth had once cursed, saying she would only agree to divorce once Arthur became penniless, so they could be a pair of suffering lovebirds. One had to admit, although it was born of spite, the mother-in-law was quite shrewd and calculating.

"Not that. What does that vixen even matter now? If I saw her on the street, I could greet her calmly."

Ruth said, half amused and half exasperated, "The main issue was your father asking to borrow money from me. Where would I find 10,000 dollars to give him?"

"Dad wanted to borrow money from you?"

Nancy seemed to have some idea about the situation.

But Nancy was still a little surprised. While Arthur wasn't exactly wealthy, he was, after all, a small-scale contractor who should never have been short of money.

Ruth nodded and said, "I don't know what trouble he's gotten into, but I just told him I had no money. He even suggested I mortgage one of my properties to get 10,000 dollars for his cash flow..."

"That's absolute bullshit. I told him to mortgage the vixen's place instead. But he said it's still under loan and mortgaging it would be too troublesome."

Ruth grew more agitated as she spoke, fuming with anger, "I don't give a damn about his problems. When he makes money, I don't see a cent of it. The living expenses he provides are for raising his own children, it's none of my fucking business."

"Mom, please calm down."

Luis quickly tried to soothe her.

"Let me tell you all, I'm actually very happy that my eldest daughter has come home to stay this time. I've suffered many wrongs, and I know exactly how many."

"That's why we absolutely cannot touch this house. If you face any injustice, you will always have a parental home to return to. It's not like me and your aunt; when we suffered, we had to endure it for the children's sake, with nowhere to turn for protection."

Tears glistened in Ruth's eyes as she said, "I'm telling you, I will definitely protect this family. Only when you have a parental home do you have the confidence to stand tall."

Touched by her words, tears welled up in the eyes of the mother and her three daughters.

Nancy, being particularly understanding, hugged her mother and said, "Mom, please don't be angry. I'll listen to you. I definitely won't disrespect my father-in-law."

"I've made my decision too."

Ruth wiped her tears and said with a serious expression, "The apartment under Old Bard's name is in my eldest daughter's name. I will transfer the two properties under my name to my second and youngest daughters. We'll go through the procedures this week."

"Mom, there's no need for that!"

Lily quickly tried to dissuade her.

This time Ruth was not acting on a momentary impulse, but her expression was extremely serious. "No, Mother has genuinely thought this through carefully this time."

"Before, we only had two properties, and Mother did not know how to divide them among you three sisters. Mother is indeed incapable and does not know how to earn another house."

"Now that there are three, it's perfect, one for each of you three sisters."

"Mother has thought it through clearly. If your father and I end up getting divorced, handling these properties would be very troublesome. If each of you three sisters has one, then this is our home."

Ruth said with a determined expression, "Mother has always been incompetent and without much achievement, but she at least knows that home is where the children are."

"I have never said your father is a bad person, but ultimately, that vixen whispers in his ear by the pillow. One can never be sure when his brain might suddenly go crazy."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.