Chapter 284 - 282: Relationship Expert?

Chapter 284: Chapter 282: Relationship Expert?

After hearing what Zhou Lian said, the other three people in the office looked at her thoughtfully. Just as they were about to speak, they heard a knock on the door. Someone had come to announce that all afternoon classes were canceled. The school was organizing a patriotic education event for the students. Aside from the counselors and department heads, teachers were free to choose whether or not to attend.

The four of them looked at each other and smiled. None of them planned on going. Talking with Zhou Lian was far more interesting!

"Xiao Zhou, if you do something wrong, do you apologize to your husband?" Mr. Zhang glanced at Zhou Lian, a little embarrassed, and said awkwardly, "I’m just asking casually. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it!"

Zhou Lian knew Mr. Zhang meant no harm and wasn’t the gossipy type, just a bit assertive. She smiled and said, "Of course. I often say ’thank you’ and ’I’m sorry.’ I can be a little headstrong at times. My mom even says my husband has spoiled me rotten!"

"Sometimes I only realize I was wrong after I’ve already done something, so I just apologize. Even though my husband says he doesn’t mind, people still have feelings and desires. I can’t just take advantage of his kindness and keep pushing my luck. I’ll say I’m sorry to let him know that I care about his feelings and that I cherish him. That’s perfectly normal. In a marriage, there shouldn’t be so many ’shoulds’ and ’should nots.’ Of course you should be grateful for and reciprocate what others give you!"

"Besides, I don’t think a couple needs to fight over who’s weaker or stronger, or who’s right and who’s wrong. Mutual understanding, compromise, and support aren’t just empty words. My husband is a very dominant person out in the world, but with me, he has no temper at all. My mom used to worry about that, but my husband told her that he couldn’t bear to see me upset, much less see me cry. But by the same token, I can’t bear to make him upset either!"

The three of them stared blankly at Zhou Lian. Among the four people in their office, Zhou Lian was the youngest, not to mention she had once been their student. Yet when it came to understanding the ways of the world, the three of them were leagues behind her. No wonder she was living a life everyone envied!

"So you don’t nag your husband often? Like if he does something wrong? You don’t keep bringing it up?" Mr. Xie asked, looking at Zhou Lian cautiously.

Glancing at Mr. Xie, Zhou Lian held back a laugh and said, "Nope. I don’t think my husband has ever really done anything wrong!"

"What about, say, getting drunk occasionally, or showing some favoritism toward his own parents and siblings?" Mr. Xie pressed gently.

"He wouldn’t," Zhou Lian said with a smile. "My husband is very fair to both sets of parents. They’re all parents, so why should he treat them differently? He once told my mom and dad he was grateful they let him marry their precious daughter. He said I married him and risked my life to bear his children, and for that reason alone, he would always be a good, filial son to my parents. As for drinking, my husband has never been drunk. He says you can never be sure of people’s intentions, so why would he ever let himself lose his senses in front of outsiders? He says that’s a terrifying thought."

Mr. Xie was speechless. ’That’s right,’ he thought. ’My wife is the apple of her parents’ eye, too. She married me and had my children, but what about me? Ha. I really am selfish. I complain that she nags, complain that she’s let herself go. But look at what I’ve done. Let herself go? I’m sure she’d love to take care of herself, but she probably has neither the time nor the extra money. Look at Zhou Lian, and then look at my wife...’ Mr. Xie felt a pang of indignation on his wife’s behalf. ’How did she end up marrying such a selfish bastard?’

Glancing at the dejected Mr. Xie, Teacher Fan’s eyes lit up as she looked at Zhou Lian and asked, "Xiao Zhou, how do you handle your relationship with your mother-in-law? Do you get along well with your in-laws?"

Looking at Teacher Fan’s shining eyes and then at the attentive Mr. Zhang, Zhou Lian couldn’t help but sigh silently. ’Are they treating me like some kind of relationship expert?’ she wondered. Still, these teachers were all very good people. They had looked out for her when she was a student in their classes, and after she became their colleague, they had often given her advice on how to teach and how to handle student relationships.

"I don’t have any mother-in-law problems because I’ve basically never had to interact much with my in-laws. The ones I do see now are all very good to me. Right after we got married, my husband said that since I hadn’t eaten a single grain of their family’s rice, I had no obligation to put up with any grief from them. My husband handles anything and everything related to his family. He doesn’t let me get involved at all!"

Staring at Zhou Lian, the other three were once again stunned. ’Where on earth did she find such a perfect man?’

"It’s actually quite normal. Take me, for example. I wouldn’t let my husband get involved in my family’s affairs either," Zhou Lian said, looking at them with a faint, amused smile. "I’m their daughter by blood, so whether I do a good job or not doesn’t matter; no one can really say anything. But if my husband were to do it, he’d be nitpicked to death. Why would I want to put him through that kind of hassle?"

"So what if your family needs something?"

"If I can help, I help. If I can’t, I turn them down directly. It’s no use for them to ask my husband—when it comes to my family, I have the final say! It’s the same for my in-laws. If they need something, they have to ask my husband. It’s no use asking me—when it comes to his family, he has the final say!"

"So that’s how you handle your respective families? But what if they need help and it’s difficult for you to provide it?"

"Exactly. Being filial to your parents is normal, but you have to do it within your means. If you can’t even support your own family, how can you talk about being filial? As for siblings, they’ve all started their own families. If you can help, you help. But if you can’t, you can’t just tear your own family apart to help them, right? People are realistic and selfish. It’s normal to help others when you yourself are doing very well. But if you’re not, what about your own children and spouse? You have to know your own limits. You’re not a savior, and other people won’t die without your help. Don’t think of yourself as being so indispensable!"

Last semester, Zhou Lian had heard that Mr. Zhang was having marital conflicts, supposedly over issues with Mr. Zhang’s side of the family. It seemed the problem still wasn’t resolved. Zhou Lian didn’t quite understand. ’If you really can’t help, just say you can’t help,’ she thought. ’Tearing your own family apart to help others... Are they not thinking straight?’

For a moment, the entire office fell silent. The atmosphere was heavy. Everyone understood such simple principles, but when faced with the actual situation, they always found themselves at a loss, and things would inevitably develop in a way they least wanted to see.

A rhythmic knock broke the silence in the office. As the door opened and a man with a deep voice entered, the others finally snapped out of their daze. They exchanged bitter smiles, but when they looked up, they saw the dominant, cool-faced man gazing with lowered eyes and a gentle smile, his face filled with endless tenderness, at Zhou Lian, who was resting her chin in her hands and smiling sweetly back at him. In that instant, the three of them felt like they had taken a million points of critical damage straight to the heart.

’Zhou Lian has been married for ten years. What about us, ten years into our own marriages? We were pretty much where we are now. The tenderness and sweetness of the newlywed days were long gone, thrown who knows where! But look at Zhou Lian and her husband... it’s truly enviable! Maybe... just maybe... we could change things a little at home, too?’