"Do you have any idea how sad Tom is? He was crying for his grandmother in the middle of the night."
I let out a cold laugh.
Before I could respond, Ivy's mother approached me and sighed. "In-law, no matter how upset you are, you shouldn't abandon your child and run back like this. That's terribly irresponsible.”
“In other families, parents and elders do everything they can to support their children. But you? You just throw tantrums and drag them down.”
“In-law, I must say, I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”
I replied coldly, “Do you want to support them? So, why haven't I seen you washing clothes, cooking meals, or caring for the children at their home?”
Ivy's mother immediately became anxious and shouted, “What? Do you need others to watch your grandson while you care for him?”
“In-laws, is that how you show affection to your grandson?”
Frank's second uncle stepped over, pulled me aside and sighed helplessly. “Sister-in-law, you really did handle this poorly.”
"Frank had kindly brought you to stay with him in your old age. But you beat him and refused to do anything. How could you act like this?”
My anger flared. “Did he say why I hit him?”
Frank's uncle replied, “Yes, he did. Wasn't it just about the air conditioner?”
“Actually, it's your fault. How can you turn on the air conditioner in autumn? You're being too wasteful. I, myself, have never turned on the air conditioner in autumn all my life.”
“No wonder the young couple had issues. Aren't you just looking for trouble and wasting electricity?”
I suppressed my anger. “They live in the north. Do you think it's the same as in the south?”
Frank's second uncle chuckled. “Sister-in-law, it doesn't matter whether it's north or south. When we were kids, didn’t we live through all kinds of hardships?”
“There was no air conditioning back then and we still managed to eat three meals a day.”
“Now that you've moved in with your son, but suddenly can't bear to live without AC? That's just being overly sensitive.”
From the crowd, a young distant relative muttered, “Exactly. Sure, children are supposed to take care of their parents in old age, but that doesn't mean they should be treated like suckers.”
This remark unexpectedly drew nods of agreement from many.
I retorted angrily, “What do you know? Go on, try living it."
Just then, an elderly man stepped forward. According to seniority, I have to call him uncle.
Acting the role of a peacemaker, he said to me, “Alright, enough. Stop arguing. We’re family after all. This is just making us a laughingstock."
“Let me, as the elder, settle this matter once and for all.”
"Frank … will take you back in and continue to care for you. From now on, no one’s allowed to complain about water, electricity, or gas bills.”
"Do you and your wife agree, Frank?"
Frank and Ivy nodded vigorously.
Uncle smiled in satisfaction and said to me, “You too need to compromise.”
“The child is really under a lot of pressure. Since they’re taking care of you, you should show some consideration.”
“I've made the decision. Today, you'll transfer the house to Frank.”
“Whether he rents it out or sells it is entirely up to him. It'll lighten his load a bit. After all, the place is just sitting empty. There is no point in letting it go to waste.”
I looked at my uncle, then at the room full of relatives and my heart sank. Suddenly, I understood.
Frank had gathered them here to force me to hand over the house.
I stared at my uncle in disappointment. “How much did Frank pay you to come here?”
My uncle's old face turned red and his gaze shifted nervously.
But soon, he coldly retorted, "Harriet Thornton, don't argue with me. This house belongs to the Wright Family's name, so it's the Wright Family's property, not the Thornton Family's."
