The In-Laws New Year Ultimatum

Before she could utter another word, I hung up and video-called my husband.

His face filled the screenashen, hollow-cheeked. A weak cough rattled his chest. Our girl just talks harshly, honey. His voice was raspy, placating. She didn't mean it that way.

Besides, he wheezed, high-speed rail and plane tickets sold out ages ago. It's the in-laws' first visit. If you leave in a huff, it'll look bad. A pause. A sigh. "Think of the child..."

My heart twisted as I studied his gaunt face.

Seven years ago, I had finally retired. It was supposed to be *our* timetime to travel, to rest, to take care of each other. Instead, Jade's heart-rending sobs over the phone had dragged me here to become an unpaid nanny.

In all that time, I rarely went home. Every time I bought a ticket, some "emergency" would hold me back.

Two years ago, my husband retired too. I wanted to rush back to celebrate with him, but Jade had a business trip. She begged me, eyes red and swollen, to watch Savannah.

And my husbandjust like todayhad urged me to stay.

*For the family.*

Thinking of Jade's cruel words, tears finally spilled over.

"You always think of her," I choked out. "But in that ingrate's heartis there *any* room for us two old bones?"

He chuckled softly, trying to coax a smile out of me. "Don't say such angry things. Jade is our only daughter. How could she not love us?"

"She's probably just afraid her in-laws will think she's favoring her own parents," he reasoned. "She wants to stagger the visits. We should understand her difficulties."

He told me to swallow my pride. Host the in-laws properly.

"Isn't our greatest hope that our girl's family is happy?"

"Don't worry about me." His smile strained at the edges. "The village head is setting up a banquet in the courtyard tonight. It'll be very lively."

After we hung up, I stood in the silent kitchen, forcing my breathing to slow.

Only then did I notice the notifications piling up.

In the last half hour, Jade had called over ten times.

Seeing I hadn't answered, she'd switched to bombarding me on WeChat.

**Mom, why did you hang up?**

**Don't tell me I hit a nerveyou don't welcome my in-laws, do you?**

**I know what this is about. You think I didn't give you money for groceries, right?**

A notification popped up. She had transferred 500 bucks.

*Note: Grocery Money.*

**My father-in-law likes grouper. Buy a big one. My mother-in-law loves fish maw chicken soupget the high-quality yellow croaker maw, the kind you made during my postpartum confinement. Patrick and Savannah want hairy crabs and abalone. Just buy whatever looks good, ten pieces or so should be fine.**

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white.

A short, incredulous laugh escaped me.

500 bucks?

That wouldn't even cover the abaloneslet alone the premium fish maw.

Years of me subsidizing their lives with my own money had spoiled her rotten. She had completely lost touch with realityfirewood, rice, oil, and salt didn't come free.

I untied my apron and tossed it onto the counter.

Done.

I was *done*.

As I grabbed my phone to leave, my thumb grazed the screenaccidentally accepting the transfer.

I froze.

Before I could send it back, Jade's voice messages flooded the family group chat.

"Mom, you really are a retired accountantyou *sure* know how to calculate."

The sarcasm dripped like venom. "I transfer the grocery money, and you accept it instantly without a word. You're not *nearly* as generous as my mother-in-law. She sends New Year's gift money to me and Savannah every year."

To twist the knife deeper, she posted two screenshots: one of me accepting her measly 500 bucks, and another of a 1,000-buck transfer from her in-laws labeled "New Year's Gift."

The group chatpreviously buzzing with holiday greetingsfell dead silent.

Jade wasn't finished.

Another voice note. A light, mocking laugh.

"I'm just joking, Mom. You're not *actually* mad, are you?"

A pause.

"But I'm not wrong. For the past seven years, all of Savannah's gift money has come from her grandpa and grandma on Patrick's side. You? You're just... *stingy*."

Stingy.

The word echoed in my skull, stoking the fire in my chest until it roared.

My *entire* monthly pension of 5,000 bucks went into their mortgage and Savannah's tutoring classes.

My husband *did* send money for our granddaughterbut Jade always intercepted it. She claimed the child was too young, that easy money would spoil her. She insisted she would "save it for Savannah."

And now?

Now she weaponized that very logic to stab me in the heart.

Seven years of labor. Seven years of funding their lifestyle.

And I was worth *less* than the in-laws who showed up once a year with sweet words and superficial gestures.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

I didn't argue.

Instead, I transferred the 500 bucks back to herright there in the group chat.

Then, I snapped a photo of today's supermarket receipt: **0-0,527.30**.

I hit send.

**This pittance isn't enough to cover a fraction of today's groceries. Consider the extra 0-0,000 I spent as my New Year's gift to Savannah.**

**Since I am such a calculating person, I won't stay in the big city and ruin your family reunion.**

**From today on, you're on your own. Live well.**

I dropped the phone into my pocket, walked to the bedroom, and packed.

Seven years in this house.

And everything I truly owned fit into a single suitcase.

With no high-speed rail tickets available, I headed straight for the bus station. Even if I had to transfer five times and ride through the night, I had to leave.

This house had become an ice cavern.

I was freezing to death.

I had just climbed into a taxi when my husband called again.

This time, the gentle persuasion was gone. His voice shooknot with weakness, but with fury.

"Wife, *come home*! I support you!"

"From now on, let that unfilial daughter do as she pleases!"

The outburst shocked me. Immediately, I worried about his health. "What happened? Calm downwatch your blood pressure!"

Through jagged breathing, he explained. While I was packing, Jade had suffered a complete meltdown in the group chat.

I opened WeChat.

The family group had exploded.

After I'd announced my departure, the relatives had turned on Jade.

**Jade, how can you joke like that? Apologize to your mother immediately!**

**She only has you. She's given everything for you these past yearshow can you call her calculating?**

Humiliated and defensive, Jade lashed out.

**I was just joking! If she's that small-minded, whose fault is that?**

**You guys don't know her like I do. She loves calculating every penny!**

My husband couldn't take it anymore. He @-mentioned her, his text radiating anger:

**You bastard! How dare you talk about your mother like that? Apologize!**

Instead of backing down, Jade doubled down. She sent a voice messageshrill, disrespectful.

"Dad, you've lived apart from Mom for *seven years*. You have no right to speak! You don't know what she's like day-to-day."

"You haven't contributed to this household, so you aren't *qualified* to butt in!"

And thenthe notification that made my jaw drop.

*Jade Long removed Dad from the group chat.*

She kicked her own father out.

Then, she began airing my "crimes" to the entire extended family.

**You all think she's a saint? You don't know the half of it. We give her a 2,000-buck subsidy every month, yet she's so stingy she won't even buy breakfast for Savannah! She made the child go hungry until she almost fainted during morning exercises!**

The relatives were stunned.

**No way. Savannah is the apple of her eye. She wouldn't do that.**

But Jade came prepared.

She threw an old screenshot into the chata notification from the teacher about Savannah having low blood sugar.

Then, a voice message from Savannah herself popped up. Jade must have coached her.

"It was because Grandma wouldn't give me money for breakfast! I fainted because Grandma is *bad*!"

The group erupted. My eldest sister-in-lawwho had never missed a chance to undermine mepounced immediately.

**The child is only eightkids don't lie. Remember when Mom and Dad divided the family property? You were always calculating then, too. Now you're taking it out on your own granddaughter? Have you no shame?**

My vision blurred as I stared at the screen.

Back when the property was divided, this same sister-in-law had thrown a tantrumliterally rolled on the grounduntil she secured the 300,000 bucks cash inheritance, leaving us with nothing but a worthless, dilapidated house in the village.

Yet *I* was the calculating one?

I waited.

Hoping.

Praying my daughter would defend me against this slander.

Instead, she typed:

**Mom, it's fine if you count pennies in daily life, but my in-laws are coming today. I'm begging youdon't let me become a laughingstock!**

The relatives piled on, urging me to surrender.

**Yes, be the bigger person. It's New Year's.**

**Don't let outsiders see a joke.**

My sister-in-law added one final, venomous jab:

**You're already half-buried in the dirt. No matter how much you hoard, won't it all go to the kids eventually? Jade, your mom is just stubborn. Don't be mad at her. It's not worth it.**

Something inside me cracked.

Tears dripped onto the screen, distorting the cruel words into a watery blur.

The daughter I had cherished. The girl I had spoiled and sacrificed *everything* for.

A heartless ingrate.

That "2,000-buck subsidy" she bragged about? It didn't even cover a week of their groceries.

They demanded fish and meat at every meal. Jade insisted on imported fruits and premium milk. On weekends, they dragged me out to "enjoy myself" at fancy restaurantsonly to wait for me to pick up the check.

Every month, I had to ask my husband for money just to keep their fridge full.

I was *paying* to be their servant.

And why didn't I use my own pension for daily expenses?

Because Jade had cried poor.

"Mom, the mortgage and car payments are crushing us," she had sobbed years ago. "Can you help? Otherwise, I can't stay home and recover from the birth in peace!"

I felt sorry for her. I foolishly bound my salary card to their mortgage account.

For seven years, 5,000 bucks vanished from my account every month like clockwork.

And now she had the *audacity* to nitpick a 2,000-buck "allowance"?

As for Savannah's breakfast?

The child refused my home-cooked meals. She wanted grease-soaked street food pumped full of additives. When I refused to buy that garbage for the sake of her health, she threw the milk and eggs I'd packed for her straight into the trash.

I never expected my concern for her health to be weaponized as *abuse*.

Seeing I hadn't responded, Jade sent three quick messages.

**Forget it, everyone stop talking.**

**No matter how bad she is, she's still my mom. I was too worked up.**

**Mom, we're about to pick up the in-laws. For dinner, you really need to show off your skills. Let them see how good you are!**

She thought a flimsy half-apology would fix everything.

She thought I would come crawling back to the kitchen to save her face.

No.

My fingers flew across the keyboard.

**You can make the New Year's Eve dinner yourself. I'm already at the station.**

I hit send.

Left the group chat.

Blocked Jade on WeChat.

Dragging my luggage out of the taxi at the bus station, a strange lightness settled over me. The cold winter air bit at my face, sharp and clean.

But for the first time in seven years

I could breathe.

My phone rang. My husband.

"That white-eyed wolf," he spat, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "We spoiled her *rotten*, and she doesn't have an ounce of gratitude in her body!"

"Don't be mad anymore. Since there aren't any tickets home, let's book a flight to Hainan. We'll take a trip for the New Year!"

"From now on, we won't give her a cent of our pension. We'll spend it on ourselves!"

My throat closed. Tears blurred everything until I couldn't speak.

"Mm!" The sound scraped out of me.

Perhaps Heaven was finally watching over us. On New Year's Eve, seats opened up on flights from both North City and River City to Hainan.

We booked immediately. My husband's voice came through the phone, relaxed and warm. "Wife, I'll meet you at the Hainan airport tomorrow! I heard it's warm there. I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe when we arrive!"

"Okay."

A few more words of comfort, then the line went dead.

I stood, hailed a taxi to the airport, and printed my boarding pass. Departure: 1 a.m.

I was scanning the waiting hall for a quiet corner to rest when a familiar, grating voice sliced through the noise.

"Dad, Mom! Over here!"

My daughter, Jade, stood on her tiptoes, waving frantically toward the arrivals exit. Beside her stood my son-in-law, Patrick James, holding little Savannah Stafford in his arms.

The three of them wore radiant smiles.

Smiles I had never seen directed at me.

I turned to leave, but my granddaughter had sharp eyes. Her finger shot out, pointing directly at my chest.

"Bad Grandma!"

Heads swiveled. The crowd's gaze locked onto me like a spotlight.

Jade froze. She whispered something to her husband and in-laws, then stormed toward me, heels clicking against the floor like gunshots.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, her expression shiftedsmug realization spreading across her face.

"You knew I was coming to pick up my in-laws, so you came here on purpose to make a scene and embarrass me, didn't you?" She scoffed. "You quit the family group chat, blocked me, and now you show up here? What exactly do you want? It's New Year's Evedo you have to humiliate me?"

I pulled my hand from her grasp.

"You're overthinking it. I came to pick up my ticket. I'm leaving tonight."

A harsh laugh escaped her. "Stop trying to scare me, Mom. I already checkedthere are no flights to North City today."

Patrick approached with his parents.

"Mother-in-law? Where are you going?"

His mother, Zoey Lambert, let out an exaggerated gasp of surprise. Jade quickly looped her arm through mineher grip a viceand forced a smile.

"My mom heard you and Dad were coming, and she insisted on making a fuss and coming to the airport to welcome you. She even brought a box of local specialties as a gift!"

Patrick caught the look in his wife's eyes instantly. "Yeah, that's right. We couldn't talk her out of it." He reached for my luggage. "Mom, let me put this in the car for you. We can look at the gifts later."

He yanked the suitcase from my grip. I tried to protest, but Jade pinched the tender flesh of my arm.

Hard.

"Mom, stop being difficult, okay?" she hissed. "Even if I was wrong today, I'm begging yougive me some face. If you have a problem, we can talk about it behind closed doors at home."

I ripped my arm free, pulled out my phone, and hit record.

"Fine. Pay me back the money I used over the last seven years to pay your mortgage. Otherwise, don't speak to me."

I stared her down. "Since you keep calling me scheming, let's settle the accounts clearly."

The color drained from Jade's face. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you," I continued, my voice steady. "Rent is 0-0,500 a month. Food is 0-0,000. That's $30,000 a year. Over seven years, that's $210,000."

"I also paid $5,000 toward your mortgage every month. Rounding down, that's $60,000 a year. Seven years makes $420,000. You just pay me back the $210,000 for living expenses. Very fair, right?"

"As for being your live-in nanny all these yearscooking, cleaning, raising the kidI won't charge wages for that. Consider it a gift from your biological mother. Does that work for you?"

Jade looked like she might faint. Her voice rose to a shrill pitch.

"Mom! Do you have to do this here? I'm your only daughtertalking about money hurts our relationship! Besides, you and Dad will rely on me to support you in your old age. What's the point of calculating everything so clearly now?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but Patrick hurried over, urging us toward the car.

"Mom, Jade has a bad temper and speaks without thinking. I already scolded her. For my sake, please, let it go just this once?"

"That's right. Mom, are you really so heartless that you'd make me lose face in front of my in-laws?"

I studied my daughter's posturehalf-begging, half-manipulative. A thought crystallized.

*Fine.*

Since she insisted I was scheming, and since she claimed her in-laws were so wonderful, I would let her see the cruel truth.

"Fine," I said aloud.

We piled into the car. Savannah squirmed in Zoey Lambert's lap, kicking her legs.

"I don't want to sit with Bad Grandma!"

A bitter taste flooded my mouth.

Seven years ago, when Jade gave birth, her in-laws didn't even show their faces because Savannah was a girl. They had withheld the $20,000 confinement subsidy they promised. I was the one who raised this child from infancy, yet now she clung to the grandmother who had despised her existence and called me "bad."

The irony cut deep.

Jade had no choice but to sit in the middle, leaving me squeezed against the door.

From the front passenger seat, Patrick's dad, Alex James, spoke up. "Is tonight's New Year's Eve dinner arranged?"

Before Patrick could answer, Jade jumped in.

"It's all arranged! I specifically had my mom buy top-grade fish maw and fresh seafood..."

"I didn't buy it." My voice was calm. "I sent you the grocery list this morning. You forgot? The $500 you gave me wasn't nearly enough."

The atmosphere in the car turned to stone. Patrick scrambled to smooth things over.

"It's fine! Dad, Mom, you don't visit often. We'll book a table at Riverside Tower for New Year's Eve dinner. There's still time!"

Riverside Tower. One of the top three restaurants in River City.

I hadn't set foot in such a place in seven years.

Jade's face lengthened, but she couldn't flare up in front of her in-laws. She let her husband call and book a private room, which required an extra $2,000 rush fee.

The car pulled up to the restaurant. As the waiters guided us to a private room on the second floor, Jade grabbed my arm, hanging back.

"Mom," she whispered resentfully, "if you hadn't suddenly quit today, would we be here wasting money like suckers? You're paying for this meal. Consider it an apology for your immature behavior."

A short, sharp laugh escaped me. "You really do see me as a servant, don't you? If I don't cook, you and your mother-in-law are incapable of making a meal?"

"My mother-in-law isn't like you!" Jade hissed. "She's been pampered her whole lifehow could she do rough work? Besides, she's a guest who traveled a long way. How can we ask an honored guest to cook?"

My heart turned to ice.

For years, her mother-in-law's persona had been that of a noble, delicate lady, too fragile for labor. Meanwhile, in my daughter's eyes, I was born to be a rough-handed servant. Seven years of giving everything, and it was worth less than a few polite words from a stranger.

I shook off her hand and walked inside without a word.

Jade's eyes lit up. "Mom, since you didn't say no, I'll take that as a yes!"

At the dinner table, the family chatted happily about the past, effectively walling me out. An outsider at my own daughter's table.

Jade attentively ordered a bottle of Moutai to impress her father-in-law. Then, she ordered a serving of imperial bird's nest stewed with snow frog for her mother-in-law.

"Does your mother want one too?" Zoey asked politely.

Jade waved her hand dismissively. "My mom doesn't like that stuff. She says it's all marketing gimmicks and scams. She prefers snow fungus!"

She turned to the waiter. "Bring my mother a bowl of snow fungus and pear soup."

I sneered internally. Seven years ago, during Jade's confinement, Zoey had hypocritically sent a few boxes of bird's nest as an excuse for not visiting, claiming her "old ailment" had flared up. I had made one comment about the quality back then, and Jade had held a grudge ever since.

"You all eat slowly. If it's not enough, order more."

I stood. "I'm going to the restroom."

I walked out of the private room and went straight to the front desk.

"Waiter." My voice was clear. "Bring out your most expensive liquor."

Five minutes later, I strolled out of the restaurant, two bottles of vintage red wine worth $200,000 tucked securely under my arm. I hailed a cab and headed straight for the airport.

Back in the private room, the restaurant manager pushed the door open, beaming.

"Congratulations to our honored guests! Your spending today has exceeded $200,000. As a token of our appreciation, please accept this collector's edition zodiac commemorative liquor."

He presented the gift on a tray, alongside the bill.