The 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.

Speaking 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?"

When 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.