The Real Daughter’s Husband is a Top-Notch Boss

After Ruan Su bought the ring and returned home, she began to feel a little regretful.

Influenced by her foster mother, Ruan Su was someone who paid great attention to the sense of ceremony. Even when she lived alone in that narrow room, she would often go to the flower shop to buy a bouquet of flowers to put at home, which would make her feel very good. She always tried to make her days as enjoyable as possible, and this habit continued when she moved to Ji’s house. When she came back with a bouquet of baby’s breath, humming a song and placing it in a vase, Mother Ji came in from outside and took a few extra glances at the scene, which was rare.

Although it had only been two short days, Ruan Su had indeed brought more vitality to this household.

Every time she went out to buy groceries, she would bring back something, and there was a small pot of succulent plants on the balcony of the master bedroom.

After dinner, Ruan Su suddenly pulled out a jigsaw puzzle and handed it to Maodou, as if performing a magic trick.

Mao Dou asked with surprise, “Is it for me?”

Ruan Su smiled and shook her head, saying, “No.”

Mao Dou disappointedly exclaimed, “It’s not for me…”

Ruan Su continued, “I really like this puzzle and want to complete it and hang it in the bedroom, but it’s too difficult for me. Maodou, could you help me?”

Maodou regained his enthusiasm and said, “What’s so difficult about it?” He patted his chest and added, “Don’t worry, leave it to me!”

“If you help me finish the puzzle, then I’ll give you another gift, okay?”

Maodou looked at her and asked, “A gift? What kind of gift?”

“You can pick something you like as a gift,” Ruan Su knew that Maodou was very sensible and never made any demands. But the more he was like that, the more she felt sorry for him. She wanted to make this child as happy as other children, if possible. However, they weren’t very close yet, and always buying toys for Maodou might make him uncomfortable. It might also go against the principle of educating grandchildren set by Mother Ji. So she came up with this idea.

She was just Maodou’s aunt, and their relationship wasn’t particularly close. The responsibility of educating Maodou fell on Mother Ji. Ruan Su didn’t have the confidence to believe that she could educate a child well… She was well aware of her position. She could only be an aunt who cared about Maodou’s life as much as possible.

When she finished speaking, she deliberately glanced at Mother Ji. Mother Ji didn’t show any other expression on her face, as if she didn’t oppose the idea. Ruan Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Maodou couldn’t believe it and asked, “Really? Will I really have a gift?”

Ruan Su smiled and said, “Of course.”

Maodou was obviously very excited and couldn’t wait to start solving the puzzle.

Ruan Su was about to clean up the dishes and chopsticks when Mother Ji stopped her and said, “It’s better to have a clear division of labor at home. If you’re willing to cook now, I won’t stop you. But you don’t have to do the cleaning, I can still manage.”

Actually, in Ruan Su’s opinion, Mother Ji was far from being an evil mother-in-law. She had seen what a truly evil mother-in-law was like, and Mother Ji was not like that at all.

Although Mother Ji is not particularly caring to her, after spending these few days together, Mother Ji did not deliberately make it difficult for her.

On the contrary, Mother Ji is someone who pays great attention to boundaries.

Mother Ji had previously made it clear that she would personally bear all the living expenses in the house. She wouldn’t contribute a penny more than she should, and she wouldn’t contribute a penny less than she should.

It can be seen that rumors may not be true. Before Ruan Su came to Ji’s house, she had heard from others about how difficult it was to get along with Mother Ji, especially from the words of Ruan Man and Mother Ruan. According to them, Mother Ji was an extremely harsh person. But in reality, to put it bluntly, compared to her own biological mother, Ruan Su would rather be with someone like Mother Ji…

Although they haven’t spent much time together, Ruan Su also knows that Mother Ji is someone who sticks to her word. Ruan Su doesn’t insist and generously gives up her place in the kitchen.

Without having to clean up the dishes, Ruan Su simply returned to her room to take care of Ji Mingchong.

Before their meal, she had already fed Ji Mingchong some liquid food through a feeding tube. Taking care of a vegetative person is not an easy task. If they don’t hire a nurse, someone has to take care of him all day long. This room has been turned into a sickroom by Mother Ji, equipped with an oxygen monitor and various medical devices to monitor Ji Mingchong’s vital signs at all times.

She sat beside him, picked up a warm towel, and gently wiped his hands. She noticed that his nails were getting a bit long, so she took out a nail clipper from the bedside table and carefully trimmed his nails. His hands were well-formed, with long and distinct fingers. Looking at his hands, she naturally thought of the ring she bought today. After giving it some thought, she took out the men’s ring from her bag and solemnly put it on his finger.

The ring was slightly big, but it actually suited him. Since he had been bedridden, his fingers were prone to swelling, so it fit well when worn.

With both of them wearing the same style of ring, it seemed to imply a certain sense of being husband and wife.

The vacation period passed quickly. Ruan Su had become familiar with the surroundings and knew which supermarket had fresher vegetables and which fruit shop had better fruits. Mother Ji rarely initiated conversations with her, but Maodou was becoming closer to her every day. She found the slightly old and worn three-bedroom apartment quite cozy.

Ruan Su worked at a chain medical examination center, and the working hours there suited her well. She worked in the blood collection area and had one day off per week, not having to work on Sundays. However, the medical examination center also had specific time requirements. Blood collection would typically stop around ten o’clock. She could finish work before five o’clock in the afternoon, but she had to start earlier than others.

She and Mother Ji had also adjusted their schedules and reached a consensus.

While she was at work, Mother Ji took care of Ji Mingchong, and when she finished work, it was her turn to look after him.

For Ruan Su, her current life was a bit tiring, but she felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Maodou was still attending kindergarten, and there was a school bus to pick him up and drop him off every day. Currently, they didn’t need to spend too much effort taking care of him. However, when he starts primary school next September, their lives might become busier.

It was Sunday, and Ruan Su didn’t have to work. She woke up early and went to the supermarket to buy pork bones to be stewed for soup.

Mother Ji made plans with Grandma Wang from the neighboring house to go up to the rooftop together to sun the quilts. They were of similar age and temperament, and they got along well.

Grandma Wang exclaimed, “Your daughter-in-law is really a great girl!”

Living close to each other, Grandma Wang had long noticed the changes in the Ji’s house.

Mother Ji just smiled and didn’t continue the conversation. Ruan Su looks great now, but what kind of person she is on the inside is not something that can be seen in a month or two.

Grandma Wang was initially praising Ruan Su for being capable, but as they were about to go downstairs, she changed the subject and lowered her voice, saying, “Sister, I don’t consider you an outsider, that’s why I’m telling you these annoying words. Please don’t mind. It’s not easy for a young girl like Ruan Su.”

Mother Ji smiled, “I know what you mean.”

Grandmother Wang sighed in relief, “I was afraid you would misunderstand. We are all women, and naturally, we sympathize with this girl. I can’t stand those troublesome mothers-in-law, of course, those daughters-in-law who don’t respect their mothers-in-law are also not good. But between you and Ruan Su, you’re not really mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, right?”

Ruan Su and Mother Ji couldn’t be considered mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Although Ruan Su went through the wedding ceremony with Ji Mingchong, everyone knows that Ji Mingchong is a vegetative state. Ruan Su has never even interacted with him before. If Ji Mingchong wakes up, it would be fine, but if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Ruan Su, a beautiful young girl, to spend her whole life in this family.

Therefore, everyone knows that Ruan Su is currently Ji Mingchong’s “wife,” but nobody takes it seriously.

Mother Ji nodded slightly. She has lived to this age and knows that a forced relationship would not end well. Even if Ruan Su is a good person, and is willing to take care of her son for the rest of Ruan Su’s life, she wouldn’t agree to it. It would harm Ruan Su. And if Ruan Su has ulterior motives, keeping Ruan Su in the Ji family for a lifetime would eventually lead to resentment and possibly create trouble for her own family. The selfish desire to have someone take care of her son forever is ultimately unattainable.

She made a mistake once, but she can’t afford to make the same mistake again.

***

Ruan Su hadn’t even reached the entrance of the residential area after buying groceries when she saw her older brother, Ruan Shuyang.

When she was recognized by the Ruan family, she was already an adult and had grown accustomed to a life without parents. Therefore, she couldn’t develop a close relationship with Father and Mother Ruan, but she still had some affection for this elder brother.

Similarly, Ruan Shuyang was genuinely good to Ruan Su. He always wanted to make it up to his younger sister. He had been on a business trip for a while, and as soon as he returned, without even resting properly, he came to see Ruan Su.

Ruan Su was somewhat happy and wanted to take Ruan Shuyang upstairs to sit for a while.

However, Ruan Shuyang waved his hand and said with some embarrassment, “I didn’t even help the Ji family before, so let’s forget it. I’ll just talk a few words with you and leave.”

After saying that, he took out a card from his pocket and handed it to Ruan Su. “The password is your birthday. There isn’t much money inside. The family’s situation isn’t as good as before, and the company as well. I don’t have much cash on hand that I can spare, so you take it and use it. If it’s not enough, call me.”

Ruan Su quickly refused, saying, “No, no, I have money, and I also have a salary from my job!”

“It’s not just for you. The Ji family is in this situation now, and everything requires money. Aunt Ji is getting old, she can’t go out to work, and the whole family needs to eat. There will be even more expenses in the future.” Ruan Shuyang continued, “In fact, our family is where it is today because of Uncle Ji’s full support. Without Uncle Ji’s assistance, the Ruan family wouldn’t be doing so well. It’s just a pity that the Ji family’s situation was such that no one could have saved it unless Mingchong woke up. Susu, you didn’t have to get involved in this mess. Every member of the Ruan family has received kindness from the Ji family, the goodness of the Ji family, but you…”

If in the past, Ruan Shuyang had some sibling affection for Ruan Man, it had diminished significantly since Ruan Man insisted on pushing this engagement onto Ruan Su.

In Ruan Shuyang’s opinion, it was Ruan Man’s insistence that led to the engagement between Ruan Man and Ji Mingchong. After the engagement, the Ruan family also gained tangible benefits. Ji Mingchong became a vegetative, and the Ji family declined, but Ruan Man was unwilling to marry him. She could have fought for her own rights, but she didn’t. Instead, she pushed this unwanted marriage contract onto Ruan Su.

Initially, Ruan Shuyang disagreed and told Father Ruan that if Ji family insisted on the marriage, it should be with Ruan Man. If she didn’t want to marry, then neither should. The Ruan family could compensate the Ji family in other ways, such as providing substantial economic support or even helping the Ji family make a comeback. However, Ruan’s father did not agree. In his view, marrying off a daughter could settle the matter, so why use other means?

In the end, it was Ruan Su who voluntarily said she was willing, and that’s how the conflict ended.

Ruan Shuyang became disheartened, and he visited home less frequently. In recent years, he even had thoughts of starting his own business.

Ruan Su smiled and said, “How do you know I haven’t received kindness from the Ji family?”

She really wanted to tell her elder brother about what had happened to her back then, but she couldn’t. Her elder brother was a very sensitive person, and if he knew, it wouldn’t just make him unhappy, but it would also burden him.

So, she had no choice but to give up.

“Hey,” Ruan Shuyang naturally didn’t take her words seriously and continued, “Take this card. There’s not much money in it, but it’s a little something from me. When I earn more in the future, I’ll give you more. Don’t shortchange yourself, okay?”

Seeing her older brother insist like this, Ruan Su knew that he could be particularly stubborn about certain things, so she simply accepted the card and blinked, saying, “Then I’ll take it. If I have money in the future, I’ll pay you back. If I don’t,” she paused, and rarely made a joke, “then I’ll have to pay you back in my next life.”

Ruan Shuyang chuckled and reached out to pat her head, “Are you doing well here?”

Ruan Su turned the question around, “Brother, do you think I can make Ji family’s life a little better?”

“Of course you can, I never doubted it,” Ruan Shuyang looked at the residential building and thought of the once-admired Ji Mingchong, with a sad expression, “It would be great if Mingchong woke up. You and him would definitely be a good match and could live happily.”