My husband, Jeremy, wanted to transfer the ownership of the school district house under my name to the nanny, Emma, so her son, James, could go to school.
Our daughter, Nina, had a fever and is vomiting, but he was busy taking Emma and James to visit an expensive private kindergarten.
I didn't understand why he cared so much for a child who was not even likable, even ignoring our once-beloved daughter.
Until I accidentally heard him crying and scolding that child. "You're useless, and it's your mom who suffers. I pity your mom, so I have to be strict with you. Do you understand?"
***
"Daddy, please wake me up early tomorrow! I can't wait to bring the baby birds home!"
Nina's eyes sparkled with excitement for the next day's plans.
A month ago, Jeremy promised to take her to the pet market to buy a pair of birds for Children's Day.
But now he looked troubled.
"Nina, I need to help James with his studies tomorrow. Can Mommy take you?"
James was the son of the nanny I hired, Emma.
"No, Daddy! We promised to go as a family and welcome our new members together! You're breaking your promise!"
When she heard Daddy was backing out, her expression immediately dulled.
"Honey, it's not right to break promises to a child. Let's go early and come back in time to help James, okay?"
"Ugh, I've planned out his entire day with poems, English, and math. If we delay, he won't finish."
Nina's face crumpled with sadness, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Does he need to learn so much when he hasn't even started elementary school? You've hardly spent time with Nina this past month, focusing only on his son!"
Seeing my daughter's drooping face ignited a wave of anger in me.
"Ava, James is struggling. If I hadn't hired Emma, he wouldn't have gotten into kindergarten. Do you need to argue with me about this?"
"What are you talking about, Jeremy? They stay here without paying for food or rent, and I'm paying Emma much more than market price. Is this what you want, to turn your daughter's father into their private property?"
Nina finally broke down, crying.
"Wah— I only have one daddy. Mommy, don't give Daddy away! I can't bear to lose him!"
Jeremy snatched her from my arms, grumbling as he walked out, "Ava, what nonsense are you saying? Look how scared Nina is!"
"Kids' matters are serious; can't you see what's important? Why argue with a child for affection?"
I stood there, stunned and furious.
Chapter 2The next day, I took Nina to the pet market by myself.
We played with puppies and kittens, fed fluffy rabbits, and saw scary lizards and snakes; we had a great time.
In the end, Nina chose a pair of silly little birds.
One was snow white, and the other was silver gray; she named them "Little White" and "Little Gray."
As soon as we entered the house, Nina shouted excitedly, "Daddy, come look!," carefully cradling the cage, afraid to shake them.
Jeremy also came out, excited.
But he was holding James' hand.
"Daddy, look at my Little White and Little Gray! Aren't they cute? They can even eat sunflower seeds and..."
Nina eagerly introduced her new friends, but Jeremy interrupted her.
"Nina, James did a great job today; he memorized a poem this afternoon. Impressive, right?"
"James, quickly recite it for Auntie and your sister!"
James stuttered through the poem.
"Thousands of mountains, birds fly away, ten thousand paths, no one... trace... that, that..."
"Lonely boat, straw hat man, fishing alone on the cold river. Daddy, this poem is so simple; isn't it just a few readings?"
"You don't know how much fun I had with Mommy today! We saw so many interesting animals, and..."
"Nina, who taught you to be so rude?"
"James is reciting; how can you interrupt someone speaking?"
Nina had never seen her daddy be so stern; her joy faded immediately, leaving her looking shocked at the father who usually doted on her.
Jeremy had insisted we'd never be "killjoy parents" , always careful to protect our daughter's innocence, but now...
"Jeremy, isn't it you who keeps interrupting Nina?"
"Doesn't Nina deserve respect too?"
James' mother, Emma, heard the commotion and came out to mediate, "The kids are here; let's keep it down."
Then she immediately turned to me, "Sister, it's men who educate kids; we women shouldn't interfere. You should soften your stance; he's quick to anger but gets over it fast, and he won't hold grudges..."
I was extremely annoyed and didn't let her finish; I took my daughter and pushed past her, stomping back to my room.
Chapter 3Speaking of which, it was actually my idea to bring Emma and James to live with us.
Emma was the daughter of Jeremy's childhood neighbor, who had moved away over a decade ago.
My mother-in-law met her when she returned to her hometown recently; Emma was being forced out by her sister-in-law.
Her husband had a drinking problem, and he died from a drunken fall into a ditch, yet my in-laws blamed her for "killing" him, and they kicked her and her son out.
They kicked her and her son out.
"Emma used to be so capable, but she married a man who beat her. Finally, she outlived that terrible man, but now she has nowhere to go; it's so pitiful."
My mother-in-law lamented.
After hearing that, I felt a stirring in my heart.
My mother-in-law had been tirelessly taking care of our family, but as she ages, I didn't want her to keep working so hard.
Recently, I had been considering hiring a nanny.
I had always been generous towards women in temporary difficulties, and since Emma was a pitiful person I knew well, I thought it would be good to give her a chance. It would also provide her and her son a place to stay.
When I brought it up, my mother-in-law agreed, but Jeremy frowned.
"I saw that woman's son a couple of years ago; he seemed silly and impolite. If he moves in, Nina will definitely feel uncomfortable. You always want to be the good person!"
Jeremy rarely spoke harshly to me, so I was a bit taken aback and said, "I just feel sorry for them being a single mother and son; why are you being so harsh?"
My mother-in-law then criticized Jeremy. "Ava has a good heart; she's just trying to help. If it doesn't work out, she can find another job and leave. Why are you so upset? I see you're just itching for trouble."
Jeremy came back to himself, adopting his usual warm and calm demeanor. "Hey, babe, I was too harsh. You're kind-hearted, so let's follow your arrangement on this, okay?"
Chapter 4When I first saw Emma, she appeared to be the most ordinary person, with dark, rough skin and a small frame.
Her weathered face still showed signs of past beauty.
As soon as we met, she held my hand tightly, tearful with gratitude.
"Ava, if it weren't for you, James and I would probably be homeless now."
However, her son, James, wasn't very likable.
He had a round, puffy face, wide-set triangular eyes, a flat nose, and a dull gaze.
Even after entering the house, he didn't say a word for a long time.
Following my prior instructions, Nina warmly greeted James, inviting him to play with toys.
But James just stared blankly, showing no response.
Next to me, Jeremy furrowed his brow, his expression darker than I'd ever seen.
Chapter 5I arranged a month-long leisure trip for my mother-in-law and her friends, and they set off the next day.
She explained all the household chores to Emma, who quickly adapted and worked hard.
By the end of the afternoon, the house was tidy, and the dining table was set with six dishes and a soup, looking delicious.
Nina, ever the enthusiastic cheerleader, exclaimed, "Auntie Emma's food looks so fragrant!"
For a moment, I thought we had made the right choice with this nanny.
But what happened next left us all dumbfounded.
As we sat at the dinner table, nobody had touched their chopsticks when James suddenly grabbed a handful of corn nuts and stuffed them into his mouth.
Then, he plunged his dirty hand into the rib soup, fishing out goji berries one by one.
Throughout this, Emma merely gave her son a token admonition, continuing to watch him affectionately.
We were all too embarrassed to say anything, but Jeremy slammed the table. "Emma, how are you raising this child? This is such bad behavior; he's going to suffer for it later!"
Emma finally looked a bit awkward. "James has been spoiled by his grandparents. I can't control him; he was quite well-behaved in kindergarten back in town, but now, there's just no discipline."
Jeremy looked disgusted. "I'll find him a kindergarten soon, and in the meantime, I'll take some time after work each day to teach him properly; this is unacceptable!"
From that day on, Jeremy's first action upon coming home was no longer to kiss and hug Nina or read storybooks with her.
Instead, he took out the early childhood education materials and behavioral habit books he had meticulously prepared during the day to teach James.
But this child was simply not bright; even simple knowledge had to be repeated many times before he grasped it.
Our home, which used to be filled with laughter and joy, was now replaced by Jeremy's harsh reprimands aimed at James.
Emma kept bustling in and out of the study, busy with chores.
If I assigned her anything, she would ignore me, focusing entirely on Jeremy and James.
One moment she'd be serving tea, the next bringing fruit, happily attending to the two of them.
It seemed like they were a family of three.
Chapter 6Back in my room, I tried hard to lift my spirits and cheer Nina up, hoping she wouldn't be affected by the earlier events.
She played and cried today and was very tired, quickly drifting off to sleep.
I loved watching her little face when she was fast asleep, chubby and cute, always filling me with endless happiness.
But today, looking at her sleeping face, I felt a weight in my heart, making it hard to breathe.
Late into the night, I could still hear Jeremy teaching James in the study, punctuated by occasional thuds and shouting.
When Jeremy and I were dating, his patience and emotional stability attracted me the most.
My parents were in business abroad and had entrusted me to relatives, seldom returning home.
I had long grown accustomed to living independently, feeling as though there was nothing I couldn't handle on my own.
In my sophomore year, during a New Year's Eve gala, I was the lead dancer, but before going on stage, someone intentionally bumped into me and twisted my ankle.
I performed through the pain, surrounded by applause and flowers, but only Jeremy noticed my injury.
On that cold, snowy night, he carried me step by step to the school gate, turning to say softly, "If you ever feel wronged, don't hold it in; I'm here for you."
But now, the grievances of me and my daughter felt trivial compared to the "children's issues" in someone else's house.
How much longer must we endure these days?
Chapter 7As midnight approached, the bedroom door finally creaked open.
I turned away, but Jeremy wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin in the crook of my neck.
"Baby, are you still mad? I was wrong; please don't be angry, okay? I know you're the bigger person."
He leaned in to kiss me with a hint of aggression, his long fingers caressing my waist.
Yet, the familiar scent that once made my heart race now brought no excitement.
I turned my head away, looking for an excuse to refuse him. "Nina is still here; please don't wake her."
Jeremy gently picked Nina up and took her to his room.
Our married life has always been harmonious.
But this time, I couldn't fully immerse myself due to my resentment; for the first time, it felt like I was just going through the motions.
He, however, seemed oblivious to any abnormality.
Once things settled down, he held me close, gently stroking my forehead like before.
"James is such a stubborn child; no matter how I teach him, he just doesn't get it. I lost my temper for a moment and took it out on you and Nina. I promise I won't let that happen again."
I wanted to fiercely blame him, but as I opened my mouth, tears uncontrollably spilled out.
"Baby, I know I've been a bit off, and you've been wronged. It's because... sigh, Sister Emma shouldn't have to suffer like this."
"When I got into college, my dad passed away. My family went into debt to pay for his treatment, and finding money for my tuition was already difficult."
"I considered giving up on college, thinking it might be better to start working early to earn some money."
"But in the end, it was Emma and her husband who covered my tuition and encouraged me to continue my studies."
"I later learned that Sister Ping married that abusive man for a dowry of thirty thousand dollars, which came from my tuition."
"She sacrificed her entire life for the good life we have now."
"That's why I want to do something for her; maybe teaching her child could help repay my debt to her."
Jeremy slowly recounted the past, his eyes reddening.
I sighed.
"Honey, Emma indeed has it tough, and I don't oppose your gratitude; perhaps we can offer her some financial assistance."
"But right now, my life with Nina is being significantly affected."
"Don't worry, I've thought of a solution."
"It's more suitable to send James to kindergarten. If he could attend the same kindergarten as Nina, that would be perfect; Emma could then pick up both kids together."
Nina's kindergarten was a provincial model, with top-notch facilities and teachers, and parents across the city competed to get in.
But without a house in the district, there was no way to squeeze in.
He spoke as if it were easy.
"Babe... the unit in your name next door is still vacant; how about letting James use it? This way, we can solve our family's problem, and everything can return to normal."
I sat up straight, staring intensely at Jeremy.
"What do you mean? You want me to transfer the house to her and her son?"