"Disregard the advice of the elderly, and regret will be at your doorstep. If you ignore my words and persist in your own way, there will certainly be no good outcome!" Mother Mu was somewhat irritated. She was accustomed to controlling everything in the household. Her love for her child was genuine, but so was her strong desire for control. The moment her child didn’t act according to her wishes, she would forcefully intervene and steer everything back.
"Listening to you my whole life, being the obedient girl—does that guarantee a good outcome? A happy ending?" Mu Yuting scoffed. Hadn’t she been obedient her entire past life? And what was the result?
"Mom, I’ve grown up. I have my own life, and I’ll take responsibility for it."
"You can offer advice, but you can’t make decisions for me. Because this is my life."
"My life, my choices."
Mother Mu was stunned. Apart from yesterday’s demand to call off the engagement, her daughter had almost never spoken to her in such a tone and manner. It took her a while to react. "You’re still young and inexperienced. How can you make decisions?!"
"When I was little, I envied other girls who wore colorful clothes and had cute little braids. But you always took the easy way out—cutting my hair short like a boy’s and dressing me in dark colors like black and brown, just for easier washing."
"Their clothes were gaudy and tacky! What I gave you was a high-quality leather jacket!"
"But I didn’t like leather jackets."
Mother Mu choked up.
"Other kids could go out to play with friends or watch TV after finishing their homework. I was always locked at home, endlessly doing exercises. Even the TV was locked in a wooden cabinet, and I was only allowed half an hour of cartoons a day."
"That was for your own good, so you could focus on studying and get into a good university. Ever since you started middle and high school, your father and I didn’t watch TV for six years—all for you!"
"Then, did I get into a good university? I was average in talent, yet you insisted on locking me up at home, stripping away all hobbies, interests, and social interactions, expecting me to teach myself and become some prodigy. Was that even possible?"
Mother Mu’s lips trembled, but no words came out. Indeed, in the end, she only got into an ordinary university.
"As a child, you always wanted me to be obedient, stay home, and study hard. When I grew up, you wanted me to choose schools and majors according to your preferences, and pick jobs based on your likes. After I started working, you decided it was time for me to marry and picked a 'reliable, honest man' for me. You always insisted it was all for my own good."
"Wasn’t that planning your life for you, for your benefit? Using my life experience to help you avoid pitfalls—was that wrong? Now that housing prices have doubled, I even spent over 400,000 from my savings to buy a fully paid-up apartment in a prime urban location and decorate it, just so you wouldn’t have to bear a mortgage and compromise your quality of life. I’ve given everything for your sake—isn’t that maternal love? Is that wrong too?" Mother Mu truly couldn’t understand.
"Yes, you’ve given everything for me. Maternal love is great. But is this the life I wanted? Were all the choices you made for me in planning my life the right ones?" Finally, Mu Yuting voiced the words she had buried in her heart for years, emphasizing the word "all."
"Let's not talk about distant matters, just the recent ones. Du Dawei, the man you chose for me to marry—did you thoroughly investigate his character and family background? I did, and found him unsuitable. I didn't want to marry, yet you forced me for the sake of face. If my marriage turned out unhappy, would you keep throwing money to sustain it? If I had children, would you advise me to endure a lifetime for their sake? If one day your savings ran dry and Du Dawei insisted on divorce, would you still tell me to prioritize custody over assets? Would you continue using maternal love to emotionally blackmail me into sacrificing everything for my children like you did, wallowing in moralistic self-sacrifice?"
Mother Mu was speechless, staring blankly at this familiar yet strange daughter whose sharp words made her break into cold sweat mid-winter. She pondered—would she really do these things? Had she remained unaware of Du Dawei's true nature, perhaps she would...
Every scenario Mu Yuting described mirrored her previous life's trajectory. Without change now, history would repeat.
"For years, you've controlled my life like I'm your marionette. Is this truly for my good, or just maternal coercion?" Mu Yuting's words struck like hammer blows.
After a long silence, Mother Mu wearily massaged her temples. "You're grown now. I can't control you anymore."
The restaurant owner emerged apologetically: "Ladies, we're closing. Could you settle the bill and take the leftovers?"
As Mu Yuting reached for her wallet, her mother paid first—a lifelong habit. Even after her daughter's marriage in their past life, Mother Mu had always insisted on paying during family outings, terrified of burdening the young couple. She believed her greater earnings should ease her daughter's financial strain, never realizing this only fueled her son-in-law's greed.
Fumbling through pockets containing mere dozens in change, Mu Yuting remembered: though she'd worked two years, her mother confiscated her monthly salary, leaving only 500 yuan spending money. For the wedding, Mother Mu had bought the apartment outright, furnished it completely, and gifted 50,000 yuan dowry—lavish displays of maternal devotion.
Finishing their congee in silence, each clutching a steamed bun, they walked slowly back toward the hospital.
Snow came early this year, arriving in late December. Flakes drifted like willow catkins through the night air, melting before touching ground.
Mu Yuting caught one on her fingertip—a fleeting coolness that dissolved into a droplet sliding away. Unholdable, untouchable.
She glanced at her 49-year-old mother, whose black hair caught sparse snowflakes at the temples that vanished instantly.
There was still time. Time to change everything.
"You'll always be my mother," Mu Yuting said. "I just need control of my own life."
Understanding seemed to dawn on Mother Mu.
"Let's walk faster, Mom."
"Don't walk too fast, you have a concussion and your head still hurts, right?" Mother Mu quickly unwrapped her own scarf and gently wrapped it around her daughter's head.
Mu Yuting had her own scarf around her neck, and now her head was wrapped in her mother's large, warm scarf, making her whole body feel cozy.
That night, the detention center was especially cold. Du Dawei sat in the empty cell, filled with resentment.
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