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.

I arranged a month-long leisure trip for my mother-in-law and her friends, and they set off the next day.

She explained all the household chores to Emma, who quickly adapted and worked hard.

By the end of the afternoon, the house was tidy, and the dining table was set with six dishes and a soup, looking delicious.

Nina, ever the enthusiastic cheerleader, exclaimed, "Auntie Emma's food looks so fragrant!"

For a moment, I thought we had made the right choice with this nanny.

But what happened next left us all dumbfounded.

As we sat at the dinner table, nobody had touched their chopsticks when James suddenly grabbed a handful of corn nuts and stuffed them into his mouth.

Then, he plunged his dirty hand into the rib soup, fishing out goji berries one by one.

Throughout this, Emma merely gave her son a token admonition, continuing to watch him affectionately.

We were all too embarrassed to say anything, but Jeremy slammed the table. "Emma, how are you raising this child? This is such bad behavior; he's going to suffer for it later!"

Emma finally looked a bit awkward. "James has been spoiled by his grandparents. I can't control him; he was quite well-behaved in kindergarten back in town, but now, there's just no discipline."

Jeremy looked disgusted. "I'll find him a kindergarten soon, and in the meantime, I'll take some time after work each day to teach him properly; this is unacceptable!"

From that day on, Jeremy's first action upon coming home was no longer to kiss and hug Nina or read storybooks with her.

Instead, he took out the early childhood education materials and behavioral habit books he had meticulously prepared during the day to teach James.

But this child was simply not bright; even simple knowledge had to be repeated many times before he grasped it.

Our home, which used to be filled with laughter and joy, was now replaced by Jeremy's harsh reprimands aimed at James.

Emma kept bustling in and out of the study, busy with chores.

If I assigned her anything, she would ignore me, focusing entirely on Jeremy and James.

One moment she'd be serving tea, the next bringing fruit, happily attending to the two of them.

It seemed like they were a family of three.