Because of childcare, I had to pay my mother-in-law an extra 300 dollars a month for living expenses. I clearly didn't have to give this money. According to the AA system in marriage, I could have shared childcare responsibilities with Jackie. Each of us could have taken care of half, and we could have easily managed the workload.

But he insisted on having my mother-in-law come, under the pretext that she could help me with the housework and relieve my stress. Truth was, I didn't feel any relief.

On the contrary, her arrival caused a significant increase in living expenses, and the house became messy and dirty. My mother-in-law always wanted to eat and drink the best. She bought bird's nest and abalone every day.

Since living expenses were monitored by the system, Jackie and I split the bill. Not only did I not get to eat a single bite of the food, but I had to pay for half.

Several times, when I came home from get off work, I'd catch my mother-in-law and Jackie sneaking around enjoying delicious food. The garbage bag at the door was filled with leftover crayfish and barbecued steak.

I had assumed our family wouldn't make such a fuss, and I'd never mind. But today, because I took an extra piece of meat, my mother-in-law got so angry that she told Jackie to divorce me!

How could I tolerate this? I sneered at Jackie.

"As your mother wishes, I can't live like this! You want me to pay for a month's living expenses? Why don't you just take it from my pocket?"

Seeing I wouldn't give in, my mother-in-law sarcastically said, "Look at how much weight Lilian has gained in the past two years. She must have been eating well without us."

"Or maybe she's found another man. Two mouths to feed two families. Otherwise, why haven't you gained weight, Jackie? Look at her, she's gained so much weight."

When Jackie heard this, his face darkened. He stared at me.

That questioning look made me feel insulted. I glared at Jackie angrily. He knew full well that I was overworked.

After giving birth, Jackie never helped me a single day. He immediately returned to his lazy, low-paying job. The pressures of life and the expenses of the child were overwhelming, leading to a period of depression.

Because of the hormone medication, I also gained a lot of weight. Every night, after coming home from work, I was so exhausted that I could only rely on food to relieve my fatigue. But Jackie actually allowed my mother-in-law to spread rumors about me.

He waved his hand, his tone tolerant, "Alright, no matter what the reason, I forgive you this time. But you have to apologize to my mother. She's doing this for our own good. Just cover the family expenses this month. Eat a few more slices of meat, and my mother won't say anything."

"Are you crazy, Jackie? I didn't do anything that deserves your forgiveness?" I couldn't take it anymore and slapped him hard.

"System! I'm getting a divorce!" I exclaimed in the air.

"You're so evil, Lilian. Bitch!" My mother-in-law was even more agitated than Jackie.

She jumped up and down, pointed at my forehead, and spitted, "Divorce then. Spit out everything you've done to my son all these years."

[Divorce intention detected. Host, do you confirm the divorce settlement?]

I was about to confirm my intention to divorce with the AA system when the magnanimous expression on Jackie's face suddenly turned to panic.

He rushed over and covered my mouth tightly! "Honey, calm down. It's just an extra piece of meat. Just apologize to Mom and it'll be over. Why are you being so aggressive?"

"Look how angry Mom is. What will happen if she gets really angry?"

I fiercely threw Jackie's hand away from my face and glared at him.

"That's your mom. She spread rumors about me! What kind of mother-in-law is she? What's wrong with eating a piece of meat? Do I have to get down on my knees to apologize to her? I'm getting a divorce today!"

Jackie's face darken, "Lilian, have some conscience. I fell for you and married you because you and I get along, and we have similar lifestyles. Even though you ate an extra piece of meat today because you were greedy, I wasn't really angry. I just wanted you to give Mom a way out by taking the initiative to cover her living expenses for a month to calm her down. Is that a really unreasonable request?"

Looking at Jackie's slightly red eyes, I was furious. Unexpectedly, my mother-in-law got angry.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Is one month's living expenses enough for you? Lilian, you have to pay for all this year's living expenses and mortgage. And you have to buy me a house."

I stared at my mother-in-law in disbelief.

She didn't care at all. Instead, she spoke confidently, "Ever since you gave birth to a useless girl, not only does my son have to raise another useless thing, but he also has less money to spend. It's all been squandered by you two."

"My son originally promised to buy me a retirement home, but now, you've spent it all! You should give me some compensation!" she shouted again and again.

I just found it ridiculous. Having a child was clearly a joint decision, as was raising one. We signed the AA marriage agreement at the City Hall. We both had the AA spending system ingrained in our minds.

When did I ever spend more of her son's money? Originally, our family's monthly living expenses were only 500 dollars. But since her arrival, she's been constantly playing tricks.

She'd often buy seafood and durian without my knowledge. She'd frequently go out to restaurants under the pretext of taking care of the kids, and she'd always watch those deceptive live streams and buy useless health supplements for the family.

Our family's living expenses have skyrocketed from 500 dollars to 1000 dollars. The monthly mortgage is still 500 dollars, and Jackie only earned 700 dollars a month. His income wasn't enough to support us in the first place, and for years, I've been the one paying the most.

Now, my mother-in-law wanted me to support the entire family alone. And she was even using my savings to buy her an apartment. She seemed crazy! Jackie actually wanted to keep things quiet.

He pulled me aside and, in a low voice, advised me, "Lilian, you know, my mom originally came to the city so she could provide for my retirement. Don't get angry, listen to me. I've already gone house hunting with her. A small apartment isn't expensive, only a few hundred thousand."

Jackie smiled at me, as if I understood, "Didn't you just get a 3000 dollars year-end bonus this year? It'll be enough to make up for it. It sounds nice to say this house is for Mom's retirement, but won't I inherit it after I buy it? What's the difference between that and not spending any money?"

"Just agree to Mom's request. A harmonious family brings prosperity!" He said as he held my hand. I was completely shocked by his shamelessness.

"Not spending any money?" I slapped his hand away.

"Since you didn't spend any money, why don't you buy your own mom a house? It's all our money anyway, it's the same as if we didn't spend any money at all."

Jackie was a little furious, "Here you go again, and you’re going after me! How much do I make? If you hadn't been so greedy and insisted on having that extra piece of meat, Mom wouldn't have been so angry, you know?"

"You should reflect on this!" he said to me.

"Come on, Mom, let's go out for a walk."

He grabbed his coat, grabbed my mother-in-law, and slammed the door. They were out.

Half an hour later, the AA system suddenly reminded me.

[Household expenses: 500 dollars.]

I looked at the details. Jackie had actually taken my mother-in-law to a hotel for dinner. They ordered a table full of ridiculously expensive dishes and even opened a bottle of vodka. He was deliberately teasing me.

I sneered. I went to pick up my daughter from kindergarten and started cooking for her. But while we were eating, my phone suddenly started ringing like crazy.

My best friend who lives in the same neighborhood as me sent me a bunch of screenshots.

"Lilian, has your mother-in-law gone crazy?"

I took a closer look and saw that she had posted a long advertisement in the neighborhood group chat.

[Seeking a second-married wife for my son. His current wife is lazy and greedy, and is about to be divorced. My son's requirements are as follows: attractive appearance, able-bodied, no bad habits, kind-hearted, and stable income. I'm looking for a single woman under 25 with a monthly income of 2000+ dollars, who must be able to cook and clean the house, can bear a son, and take the initiative to cover the household expenses each month. Thanks in advance!]

Meanwhile, a gossipy neighbor asked, "What's wrong with your daughter-in-law?"

She actually started badmouthing me in the group chat.

"My daughter-in-law isn't honest. My son caught her taking advantage of me today. Maybe she's having an affair..."

My mom was also in the neighborhood group chat, so she naturally saw it.

A few minutes later, someone called.

"Lilian, what's wrong with your mother-in-law? Why is she suddenly slandering you in the neighborhood group chat?" My mom and dad have always loved me, but seeing these things made them even angrier than me.

After I told her the reason, my mom slammed the table in anger, "Divorce! Your dad and I strongly support your divorce!"

My income was already higher than Jackie's, and after all these years of being married to him, not only had my quality of life not improved, but my expenses had actually increased. I had thought our family wouldn't care, but I didn't expect my mother-in-law to slander me so much over a piece of meat. With my mother's support, I became even more certain of my decision to divorce.

Looking at the room full of health supplements, I sneered as I accompanied my daughter. Since she's so concerned that I ate an extra piece of her son's meat, we'll have to settle the bill later to see who spent whose money.

After comforting my mom, I looked at the AA system before me, which kept coming up. I woke up.

[Joint account debit: 1,200 dollars]

It turned out Jackie had taken my mother-in-law to the mall and bought a bunch of clothes.

[Joint account debit: 800 dollars]

Jackie had bought game cards on his own.

[Joint account debit: 400 dollars]

The mortgage was supposed to be paid this month and he was spending so recklessly.

My face darkened as I clicked on the details. I almost fainted. This money was from Jackie, who met his first love at the supermarket, and paid for her son's milk formula.

When I saw this expense, my blood boiled. I asked the system immediately, "System, check for similar expenses!"

I checked carefully. I had no idea that Jackie had paid for his first love—hundreds of them, big and small—this year!

Suppressing my anger, I asked the system, "Will these funds be divided up during the divorce settlement?"

[Of course, expenses not considered marital will be separately allocated and compensated to the other party.]

Thanks, the government!