"Hmph... you sure picked a good time to come back. Come here, tell everyone if I'm wrong. How long have you been married to my son, huh? You won't let him come home and tie him to your bed every night. Yet, you still can't give me any grandchildren. How can you face the ancestors of the Jeon Family?"
Originally, Mrs. Jeon was fighting alone and almost ran out of the will to keep going...
However, Tzuyu's return to South Korea energized her like a stimulant to her heart.
...
She immediately felt alive and went back to making Lisa's life miserable...
Lisa ignored her and walked right up to her mother.
"Mom... are you alright?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. I would never stoop down to her level."
"What kind of level am I on, huh? Explain things to me... you're the one as poor as a hobo. Not only do you hate rich people, how do you have the audacity to look down upon me? I must've done something wrong my last life to become in-laws with you."
Mrs. Jeon became more agitated the more she spoke, and she began pointing her finger at Lisa's mother...
She completely disregarded how the people around her were going to see this and say things...
Lisa's mother had lived here for a long time, so she was pretty close with the neighbors.
Auntie Song couldn't take it anymore and pointed her finger at Mrs. Jeon, "So what if you have money? Poor people like us don't welcome people like you! Leave, right now!"
"Who do you think you are, and what gives you the right to talk to me like that? Do you know who I am?"
"I don't care who you are. Anyways... your words smell worse than farts... I don't even want to look at you anymore, I'm scared that I'll grow a sty."
Auntie Song was an ordinary citizen, so her words were somewhat crude...
However, it felt good to hear her say it...
"Yeah, leave, you're not welcomed here." Haruto took Auntie Song's side and ordered her to leave.
"Lisa... is this how you treat your elders?"
Mrs. Jeon was unwilling to back down, so she pointed her machine gun back at Lisa...
Lisa poured a glass of water for her mother, whose expression was a little pale...
Then, she turned around to look at Mrs. Jeon and said, "I've treated you with as much politeness as you deserve. I thought that you were someone who knew her place; after all, you received higher education and kept claiming that you were born to a prestigious family. That means you should be more careful of what you say and do... you shouldn't be yelling in front of other people like an old shrew."
"It's all because of you, you're just a chicken who can't lay eggs. You've humiliated our jeon Family."
Mrs. Jeon's words were vicious...
No normal human being could tolerate something like that...
Lisa wasn't a god, she felt awful too...
However, unwilling to admit defeat, Lisa clenched her teeth and said, "Come on... We don't even know what's really happening right now. How can you be so sure that I'm the problem and not Jungkook?"
"What? How dare you insult my son. He would never be infertile, you're definitely the problem."
"I wouldn't be so sure... I think that you've done more than enough evil as a person that even God wants to prevent you from having grandchildren... you should really watch yourself before you ruin yourself."
"How dare you try to teach me a lesson! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Mrs. Jeon was furious.
"It doesn't matter who I think I am, the important thing here is who you think you are... You keep telling others to look themselves in the mirror, but your husband ran away from you, and your son, he didn't even let you attend the anniversary party in fear that you would screw everything up... Your rich friends don't even visit you anymore... I've never seen anyone else who failed as gloriously in life as you did..."
Lisa didn't want to say anything too harsh, but if she didn't, Mrs. Jeon would never stop bullying her.
As expected, Mrs. Jeon's face turned as pale as paper upon hearing what Lisa said...
She pointed at Lisa with trembling hands, "Oh my god... I can't believe that a little vixen bitch like you... is trying to teach me a lesson."
"You should go, my family and I don't like looking at your face... Moreover, we don't want unhappy things to happen." Lisa was so done with this woman.
"Yeah, you should go. My head hurts when I see you."
This time Hatuto said this; he always wondered why his brother-in-law, who was such a great man, had a mother like her?
The neighbors were all on Lisa's side and pushed Mrs. Jeon out of the courtyard...
Mrs. Jeon's heels were too high, so she accidentally slipped on her way out...
She then crashed onto the ground...
To Lisa's surprise, the first to arrive was Tzuyu...
Mrs. Jeon wasn't in a hurry to call an ambulance; instead, she immediately called Tzuyu.
She was driving a white Audi Q5 and wearing a long coffee-colored coat.
"My Tzuyu..." Mrs. Jeon burst out in tears upon seeing Tzuyu, as if she was a child who had been wronged.
"What happened, Auntie?" Tzuyu's voice was gentle.
"Lisa hit me."
Mrs. Jeon pointed her finger at Lisa and began venting her anger...
Lisa was helpless, but she wasn't at all surprised by the way Mrs. Jeon was acting...
Tzuyu looked up at Lisa.
"Lisa, what happened? How did auntie end up on the ground?"
Tzuyu's questions sounded more like an interrogation.
"She tripped... it had nothing to do with my family... and she came picking and insulting on us. This isn't the first time she's done something like this. You guys should leave, my mom doesn't like seeing her, she might suffer from high blood pressure again later."
What Lisa implicitly meant was, "Get her the fuck out, right now. My mom goes crazy just by looking at her face''
"No, I won't go, I'm not leaving. If I die, I'll die here. Once my son gets here, he'll know how vicious you are. Do you want to kill me, you stupid uneducated woman?"
Mrs. Jeon sat on the ground and broke into curses...
Tzuyu held her up. "Auntie, let me take you to the hospital first, your ankle is swollen so you need to get an X-ray."
Mrs. Jeon didn't want to leave, but seeing how determined Tzuyu was to take her to the hospital, she had no choice but to follow her onto the car.
Before she left, Tzuyu walked up to Lisa. "I'm sorry, Lisa, Auntie has a bad temper and sometimes acts like a child. I would like to apologize for any inconveniences she may have caused."
Then, Tzuyu politely bowed down towards Lisa's mom...
"It's fine, it doesn't have anything to do with you, you don't need to apologize for her... After all, I'm her daughter-in-law..."
Lisa didn't understand; why was Tzuyu apologizing to them?
What did anything have to do with her?
There were only two explanations – one, she was a really polite woman who apologized about everything like the Canadians or Japanese.
Two, she was pretending to be magnanimous and appear to be closer to the Jeon Family than Lisa was, leading others to think that she was a better wife and daughter-in-law material than Lisa.
The answer was obvious – Lisa didn't think that a woman who lived in Italy for the better half of her life would have the temperament of a Canadian or Japanese person.
The only explanation was that she was trying to get others to sympathize and like her, so as to pull herself closer to the Jeon family.
This woman was indeed calculating and manipulative...
After Tzuyu left, Haruto quietly asked, "Noona, who was that woman? She seems really close with Mrs. Jeon."
"She's Mayor Han's daughter who met Jungkook when they were kids... Mrs. Jeon loves her and treats her like her daughter-in-law."
Lisa summarized everything into one short sentence.
Haruto's mouth opened wide in surprise.
"Really? How come I didn't know about it?"
"She just came back to the country. Even I just found out recently, so how would you have known?" Lisa smiled.
"How can you still be smiling? She's your top romantic rival."
"I trust Jungkook."
"Yeah... my brother-in-law doesn't seem like someone who changes his mind about women... But what if she keeps trying to seduce him? You know men, they think with the lower half of their body, what if... what if my hyung makes a mistake?"
Haruto was truly worried...
That woman was really pretty; plus, she was Mayor Han's daughter. Lisa's competitor was way too powerful.
"If he makes a mistake, then I'll let them be." Lisa smiled.
"Seriously, noona? Are you nice enough to do that?" Haruto couldn't believe what he heard and looked at his sister scornfully.
"Worse comes to worst, I'll just cut them up into pieces and feed them to dogs," Lisa then added.
Haruto, "-_-"
"That sounds more like my sister."
"Haha, what is your sister like in your eyes? A domineering iron-lady?"
"Nope, a creepy murderer," Haruto said as he ran away.
"Hey... you little scumbag, get back here! I promise I won't kick your head in! I can't believe you called me a creepy murderer, you sure have an imagination!"
After Mrs. Jeon left, the atmosphere lightened up significantly...
After the neighbors consoled Lisa's family, they all went back to their own houses...
"Lisa, come here."
"Mom..." Lisa walked up to her mother, whose face was pale from anger.
"That crazy bitch's words may be disgusting, but she has a point. You've been married for a while now, you guys should have a kid soon."
"I know," Lisa pouted.
"You work at a hospital, so it's easy for you to get a checkup. Go when you have the time. If there's nothing wrong with you... tell Jungkook to get a physical."
"Um..." Lisa felt awkward.
"Just get a physical, if there's something wrong, we'll treat it. If not, then great."
"Okay Mom, I'll go."
"Okay, people will talk about you guys if you don't have children... even normal families are like that, let alone rich ones... That crazy bitch made me really uncomfortable by coming to our house... I'm not blaming you, but I do hope that you can get pregnant soon as well... It's not about your status in their family, but you're not that young anymore... You'll have to have children sooner or later."
"I know."
Upon hearing her mother's earnest advice, Lisa nodded again and again, without a word of protest.
"Noona... when are we moving? I'm so sick of her... Once we move, she won't be able to cause trouble again, because she won't be able to find us."
"No time like the present, let's move today."
"Today? Are you crazy, the day's almost over." Haruto was shocked.
Then, Lisa contacted Seoul's biggest moving company...
Two trucks came, and down came dozens of workers. Everything was packed up and ready to go within an hour.
Her mother and Haruto kept turning their heads to look at the old house they had lived in for more than two decades...
"Mom... let's go, we have a new home now," Haruto said as he held onto his mother's hand.
Lisa's mother wiped the corner of her eyes. "I wish your father was still here, then we'll be one big happy family. Back then, he took out a mortgage to buy this place, just so I had a place to call home... When I was young, I was vain and thought that I would only be happy if I married rich. Then, I met that bastard from Oh family... Thank god I met your father in the end, whom I could rely on."
When they left the old house, Lisa's mother suddenly began to miss Mr. Watanabe, Haruto's father.
During times like this, Lisa felt the guiltiest...
Because she always thought that Uncle Watanabe died because of her...
"Mom... don't say that anymore, noona will feel bad," Haruto whispered in his mother's ear.
Lisa's mother immediately realized that she made a mistake; she wiped her tears and said, "Old people like to reminisce, let's go."
As they were leaving, the neighbors all came out to say goodbye...
"You have such a good life and daughter, who bought you a big house... Don't forget about us!"
"I won't, come and play cards with me when you have time." Lisa's mother smiled.
"We will, we will."
Just like that, Lisa drove her mother and Haruto in her car, followed by the two trucks.
The trucks were filled with everything Lisa's mother owned; the truth was, they didn't need to take anything with them. However, her mother didn't want to throw anything away, especially Uncle Watanabe's stuff. Therefore, they ended up bringing everything to her mother's new home at Sky Blessing Court.
Sky Blessing Court was Jungkook's gift to Lisa's mother; the decorations were luxurious, and Jungkook even prepared a garden for his mother-in-law to plant fruits and vegetables in.
It was almost dusk when they arrived...
Lisa hired a cleaner while she and her mother began organizing clothes.
After Jungkook got off work at JC, he was just about to call Lisa when he received a call from Tzuyu...
"Jungkook, I'm at the hospital. Auntie Jeon was admitted into the Asan Medical center, you should come to see her."
"What's wrong? Why was she hospitalized again?" Jungkook frowned.
Previously, his mother kept threatening him by staying at the hospital, so Jungkook was more or less a little annoyed by it...
The woman cried wolf so many times that no one believed her anymore.
The good thing was, Tzuyu was the one who called him this time. If it were the maid, he would've hung up immediately.
"Um... it's a little complicated, I'll tell you when you get here. I just helped her with X-rays... the doctor said it's a slight fracture."
"Slight fracture? Okay, wait there, I'll be right over."
Jungkook knew that Tzuyu wouldn't lie...
Therefore, he didn't think about it too much and drove straight to the hospital...
On his way there, he called Lisa.
Lisa was helping her mother move, so Jungkook told them to wait for him so he could join the housewarming.
Lisa nodded; she didn't say much about his mother getting injured.
Because she was super busy that she forgot...
"Mom... you should throw these old clothes away. They're so out of style, no one will wear them." Lisa chuckled.
"There's nothing wrong with these clothes, it's a shame to throw them out... You guys really don't know how to live..."
Then, Lisa's mother grabbed the old clothes from Lisa and put them away like they were some kind of treasure.
Haruto smiled and said to his sister, "Mom plans to store them like antiques – once she have grandchildren, these clothes will become really valuable."
"Hahaha..." Lisa burst into laughter.
"What are you guys grumbling about?" curious, Lisa's mother asked.
"No... nothing, Mom, you do your thing, haha." Haruto smiled playfully.
They were still trying to get used to the fact that they had just moved from an old shabby courtyard to a luxurious townhouse...
Haruto was now the brother-in-law of a rich heir – he had a sports car and lived in a big townhouse.
"Noona, does this count as us riding on your success? Like the saying, when one man achieves something, his poultry and dogs also go to heaven?"
"Seriously, where do you get all those sayings from?"
"Hey, Haruto..." their mother suddenly said
"What's up, Mom?"
"Since we moved into a big house, invite Wonyoung over for dinner when you're free."
Lisa could tell that her mother liked Wonyoung...
Compared with Mrs. Jeon, Lisa's mother would make for a much nicer mother-in-law...
"Um... okay," Haruto answered vaguely.
Upon mentioning Wonyoung; Lisa remembered that her and Haruto's problem was still left unsolved.
Therefore, she quietly pulled him aside, "Are you guys still like that?"
"It's worse than that, she doesn't talk to me anymore. A few days ago, she still occasionally replied to my WeChat messages." Haruto smiled bitterly.
"I got it. When I go to the Asan Medical center for my meetings, I'll look for her then."
"Never mind, noona... you're right, relationships are a two-way street. If she really fell in love with someone else, I won't be able to keep her."
Haruto seemed to have thought through a lot over the past few days...
Lisa lovingly patted his head. "Don't think about it too much, maybe something's really going on with her."
"Okay, things have gotten this far already, there's no point in my thinking too much anyways... I'll wait."
Haruto didn't seem to be obsessed over Wonyoung's sudden change in attitude anymore...
*
When Jungkook arrived at the hospital, Tzuyu had just finished with his mother's admission procedures and was heading upstairs.
"Tzuyu."
"You're here." Tzuyu smiled gently upon seeing Jungkook.
"How's my mom doing?"
"Not too bad, she dislocated her ankle a bit and endured a minor fracture..."
"She was fine, how did this happen? Did she slip at home?" Jungkook asked.
"No..." Tzuyu hesitated.
"Then where?"
Jungkook became suspicious at her hesitation...
"The truth is... you might not believe me when I tell you this, but she got hurt at Lisa's – oh, no, Lisa's mother's house."
Indeed, Jungkook was surprised by what he heard...
"How did she get hurt there?"
Jungkook was calm as he asked this question; he knew his mother well and didn't need to ask to know that she went to cause trouble at Lisa's house.
This wasn't her first time...
"I don't know what happened specifically, and I would never lie... but I think Mrs. Jeon went to Lisa's mother's house and they got into a fight. A lot of people were there... You know that a slum like theirs has a lot of neighbors and everyone came to watch, and I don't know what happened, but Mrs. Jeon fell to the ground as she was walking out the door. She kept saying that Lisa pushed her, but I don't really believe her... Mrs. Jeon is biased against Lisa, and I know that Lisa won't do something like that."
Tzuyu smiled...
In fact, that was why she was scary – she didn't insult the hell out of her rival, but rather tried her best to compliment them.
Jungkook's mood lightened upon hearing Tzuyu exculpate Lisa, because he hated those who falsely accused Lisa...
"How is she right now?"
"She's really agitated, and when she heard that she sustained a fracture, she said she was going to call the lawyers and media. I stopped her, so you should come in and see her."
Jungkook nodded; then, he walked into the VIP room.
Mrs. Jeon was eating a banana when her son came in; she immediately threw the unfinished banana onto the floor upon seeing Jungkook.
Then, she covered her injured foot with her hands and began wailing, "Kook, my foot is killing me."
"Mom... what did you do at Lisa's house this time?"
"I didn't do anything... I just dropped by to discuss some stuff with her, but their attitude was awful, and they got their neighbors to come and chase me out. Lisa's brother was especially rude... He kept swearing at me and telling me to leave... Lisa also said a lot of mean things, and in the end, her mother instigated her...and she pushed me to the ground."
"Mom... did Lisa push you?"
"Of course she did."
"Mom, I'm going to ask you again, and you'd better think before you answer... If you lie to me, I will never forgive you again... Technology is really widespread these days, slums have surveillance cameras as well."
Mrs. Jeon's expression changed drastically upon hearing what Jungkook said...
She fell silent...
"Mom... tell me, was it or was it not Lisa who pushed you?"
Jungkook interrogated with an icy tone...
He was so sick of his mother pushing all responsibilities onto Lisa...
There had to be a limit to slander, should there?
"It wasn't."
Mrs. Jeon finally told him the truth; she was scared that her lie would unfold, and that Jungkook would never forgive her.
After all, their relationship was quite tense already...
"I knew Lisa wouldn't have done that. I've known her for so long, so I know what she does and doesn't do more than anymore."
"Why isn't she pregnant yet then, huh? Tell me."
Mrs. Jeon brought up the topic of children again...
Tzuyu stood awkwardly by their side...
"People don't get pregnant that easily, and it takes time. You can't blame her for it, this is between the two of us."
"I bet that she's sick and can't have children. Let me tell you, I will not let the Jeon Family die with you."
"Mom... you're thinking too much." Jungkook looked at his mother hopelessly.
"I don't care, if she doesn't get pregnant... I will not tolerate her, no matter what."
Mrs. Jeon threatened...
"Even if she can't have children, I won't mind. I only want Lisa in this lifetime."
Jungkook wasn't trying to piss his mother off – those words came from his heart...
Standing not far behind him, Tzuyu's expression dimmed a little...
She felt uncomfortable by what she heard...
"What are you doing? Are you doing this on purpose? Jungkook... am I not still your mother?"
Mrs. Jeon shrieked... she didn't understand why her son would be so deeply in love with that woman that he couldn't even think right anymore.