Thinking back, I was so naive then.

I thought that since Rogan and I worked during the day and went out to play at night, by the time we got home around 8 or 9 pm, my in-laws would surely be asleep. Even if there were conflicts, they wouldn't be too serious.

But the very next day after Rogan and I went out, my mother-in-law went ballistic. She unleashed a tirade at Rogan, ranting and raving.

"You shameless hussy, finally decided to come home! Didn't even call once, and you think I'm your mother? Remember when you were little, you always called to report back to me? Now that you're married - who told you not to tell me? Who taught you that? I haven't eaten a single meal to this day, starving here. And you don't even care!"

"What's the use of raising a son? Just ended up with an ungrateful wretch."

My mother-in-law angrily threw the packages on the floor, "Treating me like a nanny, receiving packages at home. Don't you know it costs money to eat out? Deliveries every day, no concept of saving. Is Rogan's family money just blown in by the wind?"

Rogan stayed silent, and I didn't dare say anything.

After that, Rogan was forced to come home earlier every day, from the initial 8pm to eventually 6pm.

If he ever felt like going out for a bite, his mother would return with passive-aggressive remarks.

What's even more infuriating is that my mother-in-law doesn't cook at all. When Rogan and I got home after a long day at work, it's impossible to say we weren't tired. Yet we still had to arrange dinner and serve my in-laws.

2

My father-in-law is well aware of my mother-in-law's excessive behavior, but he feels powerless to do anything about it.

He has tried to speak up before, but every time he opens his mouth, my mother-in-law berates him, accusing him of being disloyal and saying that if he can't bear to part with his daughter-in-law, he should just go live with her.

Such comments are quite harsh, and neither I nor my father-in-law can stand to hear them.

Eventually, my father-in-law stopped speaking up altogether. He has lost his authority in the household over the years and has become almost invisible.

My mother-in-law takes this for granted, saying, "Rogan, I've taken care of you for half my life. Now that you're married, you should take care of your mother."

Everyone knows she means that I should take care of her, not Rogan, but Rogan doesn't seem to realize that his mother is talking about me.

During meals, she makes passive-aggressive remarks, saying things like, "Rogan is so foolish; he's completely tied to your apron strings. Our family is too kind-hearted."

Behind Rogan's back, she often gives me the cold shoulder, saying things like, "These days, all the loose women outside are just trying to stir up trouble between mother and son. You haven't even taken charge yet."

Whenever Rogan works late, I find myself in a terrible situation.

My mother-in-law starts criticizing me for the smallest things. If I cook a little extra rice, she'll accuse me of being wasteful. If I receive a couple of packages, she'll make snide remarks like, "City folks really can't compare."

"I usually can't even afford to eat a little more meat; I wonder who benefits from it in the end."

If I buy some ribs, pig trotters, or shrimp, she'll just put them away until Rogan comes home to eat.

"People who don't earn money don't deserve to eat these things."

You can imagine how infuriating that is! I'm the one earning money here.

Rogan is gentle and generally obedient to his mother, viewing these issues as trivial and usually siding with her.

What's even more outrageous is that in our three-bedroom apartment, Rogan and I share a room, but my mother-in-law doesn't allow us to close the door at night.

"Who are you trying to emulate by closing the door? What, do you think there's gold in there? Are you afraid we'll sneak in at night? This place is so small, what could we possibly hide? You've grown quite clever! Rogan used to be too afraid to close the door when he slept. Now that he's married, he can't even leave the door open? It's fine to have the door open for ventilation; what's wrong with that?"

I was left speechless. You can imagine how awkward it is for a young couple to do anything without being overheard.

Just for this issue, Rogan actually listened to his mother and thought that opening the door for ventilation would prevent the room from being stuffy.

Over this issue, Rogan and I had our first argument.

After that, Rogan finally confronted his mother.

This made her furious, and she sulked for several days, claiming her son was unfilial and only cared about his wife.

Eventually, Rogan grew tired of the arguments and decided to ignore whatever his mother said, closing the door at night regardless.

If we happened to be home on a holiday and were playing around a bit too loudly, my mother-in-law would rush in, yelling, "What are you two making such a fuss about? Look at you! Is there not enough room for both of you here?"

Even more amusingly, she insists on inserting herself into our lives, wanting to tag along wherever we go or eat.

She often says, "Rogan, wherever you go from now on, you have to take your mother with you, just like when I took you around as a child."

She even sits in our room and tells Rogan, "You used to be so obedient as a child, following me everywhere like a little shadow. Why aren't you like that anymore?"

She gives us no privacy or freedom at all.

This was still a relatively peaceful time, but soon, everything changed—I found out I was pregnant.

3

My life was a constant struggle, and because my days were filled with work, I didn't have the energy to deal with it all.

However, once I became pregnant, the conflicts reached a breaking point.

Let me introduce my mother-in-law.

She is the perfect example of someone who never lets go of a grudge and excels at emotional manipulation. Her words can leave you feeling upset for days.

She is undeniably a shrew, yet she has a myriad of justifications for her behavior.

Whenever she goes out, if anyone dares to roll their eyes at her, she will chase them down and berate them for days without repeating herself.

And when I became pregnant, my severe morning sickness left me unable to eat or move.

My mother-in-law would stand over me, scolding, "Are you trying to harm my grandchild? You're not eating at all; how will the baby grow? Our Rogan family has a reputation to uphold, and you're just trying to embarrass us, aren't you? Don't think Rogan will protect you; you can't step over me!"

Is morning sickness a crime?

I was utterly exhausted from the constant nausea.

My mother-in-law would criticize me, saying, "Young people today can't put down their phones or computers. When I was pregnant, I worked in the fields with a big belly; no one was this delicate, asking for time off every few days. Besides, moving around is good for the baby. Nowadays, everyone just wants a cesarean section, avoiding any hardship."

Hearing her words made me lose my appetite even more.

In the early stages of my pregnancy, I kept losing weight until I was throwing up blood.

To catch up on sleep, I took a few sick days from work. My mother-in-law would vacuum the house at dawn, blast the TV, and once Rogan left for work, she would demand I get up to do laundry and wash underwear.

The worst part was that she dumped all the family laundry on me.

The doctor had specifically warned me against bending over to hang clothes, as it could lead to a miscarriage, but my mother-in-law ignored this completely.

I was fed up with her relentless belittling and criticism.

I complained to Rogan about her behind her back. He said, "My mom is getting old; just ignore her. Pretend you didn't hear her, as if she's talking nonsense. You need to take care of yourself during your pregnancy."

Rogan also expressed his frustrations about his mother, calling her a petty, self-centered person. But what could he do? Even if he wasn't a mama's boy, he couldn't hit or scold her.

Rogan had a point, but I was close to losing my mind from the oppression.

If this continued, I feared for the baby's well-being.

I thought it wasn't sustainable, so I suggested to Rogan, "We should move out. I have some savings, and I can borrow a bit from my mom. We don't need to keep relying on your parents."

Rogan was tired of my complaints and agreed.

However, when he brought up the idea with his mother, she erupted in anger.

"You don't want your mother anymore! I know what you're planning; you want to move out and abandon us! Your father and I are in our fifties; are you going to leave us to die alone? I raised a thankless child! You'd be better off if I just died!"

Then she turned her wrath on me.

"Before you came along, my son listened to me. Now that you're here, he's doing everything against me! This is all your doing, isn't it? You think I don't see through your schemes? You just can't stand me, can you? Fine, I'll let you have him! Let's see how you ruin him!"

My mother-in-law made such a scene that the whole neighborhood found out.

Everyone said I shouldn't treat my mother-in-law this way, that no matter what, I shouldn't push her out, even if I was pregnant.

I felt trapped and isolated.

Rogan couldn't handle the pressure either. He had always been a dutiful son, but now it seemed like he was abandoning his mother.

He is a person who cares a lot about his reputation. He thought that since his neighbors said so, there must be something wrong with him. He thought that he was the one who did not handle the matter well.

In the end, Rogan started to have a problem with me.

He said to me, "My mom is fragile; she was abandoned by my grandmother when she was young, and it left her with scars. She can't handle the thought of us moving out. I can't just ignore her."

Moving out was no longer an option.

After all this drama, my mother-in-law and I had completely severed ties.