My nephew had disappeared.

The snack shop was three stops away from his home. Worried about him, I braved the scorching heat and searched for him along the way, but couldn't find him.

Finally, I texted my mom, "Mom, is Ramon home yet?"

It took a while for my mom to reply, "He's home!"

My heart finally settled.

But when I got home with my daughter, a teacup flew towards me.

I couldn't dodge in time, and it hit me on the head. The pain was intense, and blood rolled down my forehead.

It was my nephew sitting on the sofa. My brother had gone to pick up my sister-in-law from work, and my mom was cooking in the kitchen.

My nephew came home and couldn't find anyone to complain to, so he took out his pent-up anger on me, who had just arrived.

My daughter was terrified: "Mom, does it hurt?"

Then, with a clenched fist, he rushed over to my nephew and asked, "Why did you hit my mom?"

My nephew grabbed my daughter's hand and bit her wrist.

"This is my house. You, a little girl, don't get to yell at me!"

"She's not my aunt. She's just a meanie!"

"My mom said you and her are both worthless little brats!"

I was furious. I rushed over and covered my daughter's ears to stop her from hearing these words.

At the same time, I sternly scolded my nephew:

"That's enough! Who taught you to talk like that? I think you need a lesson!"

With that, I let go of my daughter and sat on the sofa. I grabbed my nephew and pinned him to my lap, ready to spank him a couple of times to teach him a lesson. Unexpectedly, before I could even lower my hand, my mother shoved me hard from behind.

My head hit the coffee table. The pain so intense I saw stars.

My mother, however, held my nephew, who had jumped from my lap, in her arms and yelled at me with an annoyed look:

"Marjorie, why are you, as an adult, arguing with a child?"

"He's your nephew, can't you just give in?"

I covered my head, endured the dizziness, and stood up to confront my mother:

"He just called Sherry and me worthless little brats!"

My mother glared:

"I heard it!"

"Children's words are innocent, you're just taking it too seriously!"

I was stunned.

My mother's words pierced my heart like a sharp knife.

She heard it?

So, she had been secretly observing the living room from the moment I walked in? She saw my nephew hit me with a teacup, heard him scold me and my daughter, and pretended to be oblivious the entire time. But just when I was about to teach my nephew a lesson, she suddenly stood up and pushed me from behind, slamming me against the coffee table.

I gasped, but continued to stare at my mother in disbelief, pointing at the bloody hole in my forehead.

"Mom, he hit my forehead like that, and you're really not going to do anything about it?"

My mother said, "Why did he hit you? Don't you know why? You promised to take him to buy snacks, and what happened?"

My mother narrowed her eyes and looked at me with a determined expression:

"Marjorie, you're actually quite nitpicky!"

"Because your brother didn't give you the money reimbursed by his medical insurance, you're angry and deliberately not buying snacks for your nephew! Am I right?"

"You're my child, don't I know you?"

"Your brother and sister-in-law will be home soon. I advise you to put away your petty thoughts!"

As I spoke, the doorbell rang.

My nephew immediately ran to open the door.

It was my brother, who had taken my sister-in-law home for lunch. As soon as my sister-in-law walked in and saw my red eyes, she immediately started to panic:

"Marjorie, are you crying? Do you know it's unlucky for a married daughter to return to her parents' home and cry?"

"Do you want our whole family to suffer with you?"

My brother's face darkened. Just as he was about to speak, my nephew threw himself into his arms, aggrieved.

"Dad, Aunt Sherry is a big liar! She promised to buy me snacks, but didn't want to pay!"

"Not only did she come to our house and eat and drink for free, she also pinned me down and spanked me!"

My brother was furious. Without a word, he rushed over and kicked me in the stomach:

"You're outrageous! I can't even bear to spank my own son, so how could you, an outsider, do that?"

He kicked me and sent me to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my lower back. I must have broken a rib. The pain made me gasp.

"Mom, Mom, are you okay?"

My daughter rushed over, hugging me and crying. I raised my head and argued, "He was the one who scolded me and Sherry first!"

My mother quickly came to support me: "Tell me, what are you angry about with your brother?"

"No wonder your brother hit you. Don't you know Ramon is the lifeblood of our family?"

"Even if he scolded you and Sherry, so what? It won't cost you anything. Why make such a fuss?"

It turned out that my daughter and I held absolutely no weight in my mother's heart.

I pushed her hand away and staggered to my feet. I just wanted to take my daughter and leave. I didn't want to stay here even a minute longer.

But before I could take two steps, my mother stopped me:

"Hey, let's eat first. You're grown up, and you're still angry?"

For some reason, I was simmering with anger, and I wanted to see if my mother had any place for me and my daughter.

But the moment the food was served, I completely gave up. My mother filled a bowl of shrimp for my nephew. Seeing me staring at her, she reluctantly shared one from his bowl with my daughter.

My daughter looked at me awkwardly, unsure whether to speak.

My mother then said to my brother, "Hurry up and eat your favorite braised pork ribs!"

I asked my mother, "Mom, didn't you promise to make me boiled fish?"

My mother was stunned for a moment, then said confidently, "We already have so many dishes for lunch today. Do you have to have boiled fish?"

"Sherry can eat shrimp, but you can have something else?"

I said calmly, "Sherry is allergic to shrimp. I can't touch ginger. Don't you remember that?"

My mother looked at me strangely, "Why are you and your daughter being so pretentious?"

My brother slammed the table and said, "If you want to eat, eat. Suppose you don't, get out! You're eating and drinking for free, and you're complaining!"

The last shred of hope in my heart collapsed. I closed my eyes, stood up, and said, "I'm taking Sherry home first!"

My mother curled her lips and said nonchalantly, "Okay, go back. I'm cured now. Next time you come, be more sensible. You only have one brother and one nephew. Why don't you use your money to help them? Are you saving it for an outsider?"

When she mentioned the word "outsider," my mother glanced at my daughter, intentionally or not.

I finally couldn't stand it anymore:

"How can my own daughter become an outsider? So I've always been an outsider in your eyes, right? Okay, then I'm leaving. Don't even think about coming back to this house!"

With that, I grabbed my daughter and slammed the door, leaving without a backward glance. While driving, I called my husband:

"Cancel the card I used to transfer money to my mom every month!"

"And don't worry about my nephew transferring schools next semester!"