AWB Chapter 55 Virtue and the Way
Chapter 55 Virtue and the Way
Lin Yue said to the old man Huoyun Immortal Cauldron, "Grandpa, why does my state of mind always fluctuate? Sometimes I feel that I have improved, but other times, just because of someone else's words or a certain scene, my state of mind will be greatly affected. I once heard the old man say that once your state of mind is elevated, sometimes you will be immersed in another dreamlike scene when you encounter certain things. That is about human emotions."
The old man of the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Child, the cultivation of one's state of mind is not something that can be achieved overnight. The turmoil of this world and the warmth and coldness of human relationships will all touch the strings of our hearts. The fact that your state of mind is affected by other people and things shows that you are still on the path of cultivation. Only by experiencing more and understanding more can you find peace and steadfastness in this turbulent world."
Lin Yue nodded thoughtfully, her eyes revealing a complex expression of confusion mixed with determination. She knew that the path to cultivating one's state of mind was long and arduous, but she was determined to constantly break through her own limitations and pursue inner peace and strength.
In this secular world, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seems to be an unsolvable problem that has existed for thousands of years. It's not that Lin Yue is a bad daughter-in-law, nor that her mother-in-law is deliberately making things difficult for her; it's just that they seem to live in different worlds.
Everyone has a unique lifestyle, which leads to different mindsets and vastly different ways of handling and viewing problems.
Lin Yue prefers a simple and carefree life, while her mother-in-law is particular about rules and regulations; Lin Yue believes that small things don't need to be taken seriously, but her mother-in-law believes that details determine success or failure. These differences accumulate and clash in daily life, like sparks hitting dry tinder, triggering one conflict after another.
However, if both sides could put themselves in each other's shoes and show more understanding and tolerance, perhaps this age-old problem could be solved one day. However, in reality, changing one's ingrained beliefs and habits is not easy, so the adjustment period between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law remains long and difficult.
Lin Yue pondered to herself. As for the villa, it wouldn't be a problem if the elderly couple wanted to move in, but she figured their beautiful courtyard would be turned into a complete mess. For example, her tastes were completely different from the old woman's; she might say one flower was pretty, while the old woman thought another wild vegetable was better. Therefore, Lin Yue didn't want her efforts to be wasted. She couldn't imagine what the house would look like after she went out to buy groceries—something would be destroyed, something would be disturbed. A house can only have one mistress; more than that would definitely lead to endless arguments.
Thinking about all this, Lin Yue frowned, her heart filled with worry. She knew that handling these family relationships would not be easy, but she didn't know what to do. She could only pray silently, hoping to find a proper solution.
After much deliberation, Lin Yue decided to leave it to Gong Yong to handle his parents' affairs. She believed it was best for her parents to resolve their own issues, without interference or disturbance. However, reality proved otherwise.
Gong Yong's parents, staying with Gong Qiang, felt that their eldest daughter-in-law, Lin Yue, didn't respect them and wouldn't let them stay at the villa, even wanting them to stay elsewhere. As for Lin Yue, to be honest, she genuinely didn't want them to go. The villa was decorated with arrays, spirit beasts, and spirit flowers, herbs, and fruits. These were probably all treasures, all money, in the old woman's eyes. She might very well do something underhanded behind Lin Yue's back, even resell them. It's obvious that an old woman from the countryside has a very limited perspective and limited experience.
Lin Yue shook her head helplessly as she thought about all this. She knew this idea might be somewhat biased, but her past experiences made it difficult for her to fully trust her mother-in-law. Gong Yong, caught in the middle, was also in a dilemma, unsure of what to do. The relationships in this family were like a tangled mess, impossible to unravel.
That evening, after the family of five had dinner, Lin Yue and Gong Yong returned to their room. Their son, Xiao Bao, was already fast asleep. Lin Yue said to Gong Yong, "Let's see how much cash we have left. I'm thinking of looking at the high-rises behind our complex and see if they still have any units available from last month's sales on the top floor. I'd like to buy another one." Gong Yong asked, puzzled, "Why are you buying another house?" Lin Yue replied, "Aren't your parents coming to visit?" Gong Yong asked, "Is this one for your parents to live in?" Lin Yue said, "No, this one is for me to live in. We live in this house now, but since half of it belongs to you, after I move out, this house will be for your parents to live in."
Gong Yong sat bolt upright in bed, surprised. "What do you mean?" he asked. Lin Yue replied, "Nothing much, just wanting to avoid interfering with each other. It's convenient for you to take care of them here. We live in the same complex, just in different buildings. This three-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment is enough for them. Your brother Gong Qiang can stay here occasionally. Think about it, maybe after we move out, your parents will invite Gong Qiang to live here. It's quite possible." Gong Yong suddenly realized that his wife's heart had probably grown cold. After ten years of marriage, the once gentle and considerate wife's love for him had likely dwindled considerably. Whether they were rich or poor now, their lives were on completely different levels.
Gong Yong remained silent, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that all these changes hadn't happened overnight, and he might have made many shortcomings in handling family relationships. Lin Yue didn't say anything more either, turning her back and closing her eyes, but a tear silently slid down her cheek. A somber atmosphere filled the room, their thoughts drifting to the beautiful memories of the past and the unspeakable reality of the present.
The morning was clear and sunny. Lin Yue arrived at the hot pot restaurant, found Lao Xiao, and asked, "Lao Xiao, have you moved here yet?"
Old Xiao replied, "We've already moved into the residential complex."
Lin Yue then asked, "When is the housewarming party?"
Old Xiao said, "Forget about housewarming parties. We're all good friends. Come visit sometime. Are you free lately?"
Lin Yue said, "I'm not very free." Lin Yue then asked Lao Xiao, "How did that agency you found last time go?"
Old Xiao said, "Not bad." Lin Yue said, "Okay, then introduce me to the agency."
Old Xiao asked curiously, "Lin Yue, what are you going to do?"
Lin Yue said, "I'm planning to buy another apartment, right behind this complex. I'm looking for a top-floor apartment that was available last month."
Old Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "Don't you already have a house to live in? Why are you buying so many more? With the economy declining now, there's no need to buy so many things."
Lin Yue said, "Gong Yong's parents are coming to stay with us."
Old Xiao said, "You buy them?"
Lin Yue said, "No, I bought it for myself. After I bought it, my child and I moved there. We live in this apartment now, but we plan to leave it to Gong Yong's parents."
Old Xiao said, "Are you stupid? Why should we leave it to them?" Lin Yue said, "You all know about my relationship with Gong Yong. After all, he is also their parent. The house is in the same neighborhood. Let the two old men live there."
Old Xiao said, "You're letting a wolf into the house."
Lin Yue asked, "Where did this wolf come from?"
Old Xiao said, "I guess not long after Gong Yong's parents moved in, Gong Yong's younger brother, sister-in-law, his children, his sister, and all sorts of other relatives came over."
Lin Yue said, "Old Xiao, how come what you said is so apt?"
Old Xiao said, "Look, when you first bought that house, wasn't their family like this? And now you..."
Lin Yue said, "Because his parents know that we bought a villa here and want to live in the villa."
Old Xiao said, "Wasn't your villa renovated specifically to accommodate patients? You only stay there occasionally, but it's mostly for those patients, right?"
Lin Yue said, "Yes, Gong Yong and I both know that I'm using this to do business. But the old couple didn't think that way. They thought their son was successful and wanted to live in a nice house."
Old Xiao said, "He probably thought that since your villa is so big, and there are so many rooms, he could bring Gong Qiang's family in with him. Maybe he came up with some kind of crooked idea."
Lin Yue said, "Old Xiao, don't think so badly of people."
Old Xiao said, "That's just how it is. People are just that bad."
Lin Yue fell into deep thought. She knew there was some truth to what Lao Xiao said, but she didn't want to think so negatively of people. However, thinking about her past experiences, she felt uncertain and didn't know if her decision was right or wrong.
Lin Yue quickly contacted the real estate agent recommended by Lao Xiao. The agency was located behind the garden at the back of Lin Yue's building, in a small villa of about ten or eight or nine stories. The agent took Lin Yue to see the apartment. Upon entering, there was a balcony to the left, an openwork passageway to the right of the entrance, a large living room, followed by the kitchen and a utility balcony.
In this large, single-level apartment, further in is a large master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms. A staircase on the side leads to a master suite, and above that is the rooftop, which can be transformed into a private garden for growing vegetables and flowers. Lin Yue thought about it: with three children, one room per child, at least five rooms would be needed. With one room for each of the three children, and one room for her and Gong Yong, if the elderly couple wanted to stay, then five rooms would be necessary. Downstairs is a large master bedroom with two bedrooms, and upstairs is another large master bedroom plus a study, and a balcony—it's quite spacious. After some consideration, she decided against leaving a room for the elderly couple and instead decided to buy the apartment.
Lin Yue plans to add a bathroom to each room downstairs. There are three rooms downstairs, originally with two bathrooms. She intends to split the shared bathroom in the master bedroom between the two girls' rooms into one bathroom for one of the rooms, and divide the large master bathroom into two, one facing inwards and one outwards. This way, both rooms will have a bathroom. The remaining room, plus a shared bathroom, will become a small suite. Upstairs, there will be a large master suite plus a study, and the balcony will be used for growing flowers and plants. The entire rooftop will be used for growing vegetables for their own consumption. After finalizing the plan, Lin Yue negotiated with the real estate agent, and the transaction was completed three days later. Once the property management office processed all the certificates, renovations could begin.
Lin Yue hired the same renovation team that had worked on her villa before. The team assured her they could finish the renovation within a month of the blueprints being completed, so Lin Yue waited patiently. During this time, Gong Qiang called Gong Yong several times, saying he wanted to send his elderly parents over because his place only had two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom, which wasn't enough for him, his wife, and their son and daughter. Furthermore, he said their lifestyle differed from Gong Qiang's wife's, leading to conflicts, so he urgently wanted to send them to Gong Yong's place.
Finally, the renovation of the other house was completed. After Lin Yue asked the renovation company to leave, she quickly put those magical flowers and herbs into the room to reduce formaldehyde.
Lin Yue took a weekend and quickly brought her three children to the furniture store. The furniture store in Chengdu was huge. According to the children's requests, they each chose their favorite furniture and had their dimensions measured. Afterwards, they returned to the furniture store with the measurements and a designer. The children were responsible for choosing colors and styles, while the designer provided data and suggestions. In just one day, all the soft and hard furnishings for the house were finalized. Custom-made items like beds, wardrobes, bedside tables, and bookshelves were included, as were non-custom-made items such as sofas, coffee tables, projectors, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. In short, everything was selected in one day.
The plan was for all deliveries to be made the following day. The next day, Lin Yue and the designer waited at the new house, receiving the goods, watching the workers assemble them, and placing them in their designated locations. Then, Lin Yue hired a cleaning lady to do the post-renovation cleaning and tidying. Lin Yue gave all the cardboard boxes to the cleaning lady and paid her wages; the cleaning lady was overjoyed and thanked her profusely.
Lin Yue changed the door she had originally ordered, adding an iron gate to the hallway outside. This gate was openwork, allowing people inside to see out, but making the view from outside less clear. She simply locked the hallway. Since it was a two-unit-per-floor building, and the apartment across the hall had been unfinished and unoccupied, they were concerned for their child's safety. Therefore, when no one was around, they locked the hallway. Anyone exiting the elevator had to pass through this iron gate to enter the hallway, and then through another door to reach Lin Yue's home.
Everything was ready, and Lin Yue looked at the brand-new house with anticipation in her heart.
The house renovation was completely finished, and Lin Yue hired two cleaning ladies to give it a thorough cleaning. With the children in school, Lin Yue started packing, especially clothes and books. She packed several boxes. She also took out the camping cart, and her little one was enrolled in an early childhood education class.
She moved everything by herself, slowly and steadily, taking a whole day to collect all the books, children's clothes, and other miscellaneous items from the house. She bought new pots and pans, leaving none of the old things behind.
The busy day left Lin Yue exhausted, but looking at the gradually emptying old house and the increasingly full new house, her heart was filled with anticipation and longing for the new life.
Finally, Lin Yue returned to the three-bedroom, two-living-room, one-bathroom, and one-kitchen house. Her family of five had lived here for a full 10 years. Lin Yue slowly walked through each room, seeing every blade of grass and every flower. This was her home, which she had carefully cherished for 10 years; the house was very well maintained.
Lin Yue took all the cotton quilts her parents had given her when she got married. These quilts had been used for 10 years and were no longer very warm, but considering they were part of her dowry and made with care by her parents, she put them all into her spatial storage. At the same time, she took out several brand-new cotton quilts from her spatial storage, carefully spread them out, and placed them on the bed.
She packed away all the little things she used in her life. When she arrived at the master bedroom, everything was gone; it was empty. She simply laid out new bedding and took the computer that had been with the couple for years. Thinking of the cherished photos inside, she worried that if she didn't take the computer, she might lose everything in the future, so she finally put the computer away in her personal space. She also packed away all her old cosmetics, needles, and thread from the drawers into her personal space.
Moving to the second bedroom, Lin Yue noticed many English learning sheets pasted on her daughter's wall. She calmed herself and carefully collected all the certificates and sheets, storing them away. Next, she removed all the old quilts and replaced them with several new ones and bedding sets. A fish tank, unused for years, sat on the windowsill, which Lin Yue also put away. A potted spider lily on the windowsill was also removed. Looking at the desk, she removed all of her daughter's books and some miscellaneous items, taking them all with a wave of her hand. She also removed the child's shoes from under the bed. Finally, she checked all the cabinets in the second bedroom to make sure nothing was missing.
Going to the study, Lin Yue noticed a bunk bed. After a moment's thought, she removed it. She didn't want the elderly couple to bring Gong Qiang's two children to live with them so soon, nor did she want her house to be ruined. At the same time, she took her daughter's guzheng practice pieces and some award certificates from the wall and put them in her storage space, freeing up the study. Lin Yue had bought a fireplace online, intending to install it there, thinking that the elderly couple might be sensitive to the cold, making it convenient for them to keep warm.
Lin Yue went to the living room and checked the cabinets, coffee table, and all the drawers, making sure there was nothing left behind. She also cleaned up the clutter on the balcony.
Lin Yue went to the kitchen and looked inside the refrigerator. It was full of chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables, rice, flour, and cooking oil, and all kinds of pots and pans were also there. These were all left by Lin Yue on purpose, while some of the small appliances she used frequently had been taken away, and most of the kitchen utensils had been left behind.
Afterwards, Lin Yue hired a cleaning lady to do a thorough cleaning. Once she made sure nothing was missed, Lin Yue slowly walked out of the house.
She stood at the doorway, glanced back, and sighed softly. This door closed not only on the past ten years of her life, but also on all the memories, both joyful and tearful. But she knew that a new life awaited her, and she had to bravely move forward.
Lin Yue took a deep breath, turned and left. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her, casting a long shadow. This home, once filled with memories, was now empty. Lin Yue took one last look, closed the door, and stepped into a new life.