On a sunny afternoon, a phone call shattered the silence. The young mother picked up the phone, and her face turned pale in an instant. The mother-in-law took her one-year-old daughter out to play, but she didn't return for a long time, and the phone was not answered.
Panic spilled in, and the parents immediately launched a search. They roamed the streets, asking neighbors, calling the police for help, and even posting missing person's information on social media.
Time passed minute by minute, and every moment was torment. Finally, a few hours later, they found the little girl lying alone in a remote meadow. The mother-in-law claimed that it was just a momentary negligence.
This thrilling disappearance has uncovered the long-standing contradictions of this ostensibly harmonious family. More than a year ago, the young couple welcomed their first child and were basking in the joy of becoming parents for the first time.
However, this joy was soon replaced by waves of spawning pressure. The mother-in-law seems to have suddenly changed into a person, and her desire for a second child is almost persistent. Every morning, the phone rings on time, and the mother-in-law's voice comes from the earpiece, and the content always revolves around the second child.
"A child is too lonely and needs a playmate." She's always going to be a good one. At lunchtime, she would "just happen" to pass by, bringing all sorts of supplements and baby products. "Now the national policy is good, take advantage of the youth to have a few more.
She tried hard to persuade her. After nightfall, WeChat messages kept flashing, all of which were links to articles about raising a second child. "Look at the old Wang family next door, the second child is in kindergarten.
"She always compares other people's homes. At first, the young couple was able to cope with it with a smile, but gradually, the smile disappeared and was replaced by exhaustion and helplessness. They tried to explain that they were busy at work and financially stressed, but none of these reasons seemed fragile to the mother-in-law.
"I can help with the children, you just need to concentrate on your work." Mother-in-law swears by it. "Don't worry about money, your dad and I can support it." She said generously.
Under this constant pressure, the couple's relationship also began to crack. The husband is torn between his wife and his mother, and the wife feels that her wishes are completely ignored.
Sometimes, they would argue about it in a whispered late at night, but in the end, it always ended up being fruitless. Finally, on a physically and mentally exhausted night, they made the compromise decision to have another child.
This decision is like opening a Pandora's box, and the mother-in-law's enthusiasm is even higher. She began to buy baby products on a large scale, prepared all kinds of supplements, and even began to decorate the baby room.
Seeing the mother-in-law busy before and after, the young couple's hearts were full of mixed emotions. There is both anticipation for the future and helplessness about this forced decision. They looked at each other and smiled, bitter with a glimmer of hope, hoping that this decision would bring more joy to the family, not more stress and conflict.
However, they have no idea how this decision will change their lives and the challenges they will face in the future. Ten months of anticipation finally came to fruition, and a baby girl was born in the world.
When the nurse hands the baby into the mother's arms, all the tiredness and anxiety seem to melt away. The little girl has a round face, big eyes, and a small nose, like a delicate porcelain doll.
"She's so lovely," the mother whispered, tears glistening in her eyes, "welcome to this world, my little princess." However, what was supposed to be a moment of joy for the whole world was broken by an untimely sigh.
The mother-in-law stood in the corner of the ward, her face full of disappointment. "It's another girl," she muttered in a low voice, "there's already one in the family, and this time there should be a boy." This sentence was like a basin of cold water, which extinguished the joy of the whole family.
The young parents exchanged a complicated look and were speechless. The nurse sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere and exited the room in acknowledgment. From that moment on, the mother-in-law's attitude towards the little girl has been cold.
When choosing a name for the little girl, she not only did not participate, but also scoffed at the name chosen by her parents. "What is it called, Xiao Linglong, it's too childish. It should be called Da Zhuang, how magnificent! The mother-in-law said half-jokingly, but the dissatisfaction in her tone was obvious.
The parents insisted on their choice, but this became another fuse for family conflicts. As time went by, her mother-in-law's dissatisfaction with Xiao Linglong became more and more obvious. She always compares Xiao Linglong to her sister, and her words are full of longing for boys.
"Look at her, she doesn't look like a boy at all. Even walking is unsteady, like the grandson of the old Zhang family next door, who can run all over the yard when he is only one year old. These words are like a knife that keeps piercing the hearts of young parents.
They looked at their little daughter, and their hearts were full of guilt and distress. Although Xiao Linglong is young, she seems to be able to feel the indifference from her grandmother, and every time she sees her mother-in-law, she will unconsciously hide behind her parents.
This atmosphere makes what should be a family full of laughter and laughter heavy and depressing. Young parents begin to question their decisions and think about how to protect their two daughters in this environment.
They know that there is still a long way to go, and this is just the beginning. As time passed, Xiao Linglong gradually showed her innate intelligence. At just two years old, she was able to speak simple sentences clearly; By the age of three, he was already able to recite some simple ancient poems.
Her innocent smile, like a ray of sunshine, warms everyone's heart. However, in the eyes of the mother-in-law, these lovely qualities seem to have become a reason for criticism.
"Twittering all day long, like a little sparrow, not ladylike at all." The mother-in-law often commented like this, and her tone was full of disdain. Whenever Xiao Linglong proudly displayed her newly learned verses, her mother-in-law always poured cold water: "What's the use of memorizing a few broken poems?" It's better to learn how to do housework.
Such remarks make young parents feel like knives in their hearts. They struggle to find a balance between their mother-in-law's criticism and their children's upbringing, but each confrontation deepens the rift in the family relationship.
Once, Xiao Linglong learned a new song in kindergarten and happily went home to perform it for everyone. She stood in the middle of the living room, and sang "Little Rabbit Girl" in a childish voice.
The parents laughed and applauded, but the mother-in-law frowned. "What do you sing, it's like a duck's voice." The mother-in-law said disdainfully, "If it were a boy, the voice would definitely be much better than this."
Xiao Linglong's smile froze instantly, and tears glistened with tears in her big eyes. The mother immediately stepped forward to hug her daughter and comforted her: "The baby sings very well, and the mother likes it very much." My father stood awkwardly in the middle, not knowing what to do.
He tried to mediate: "Mom, Linglong is still young, and she sings very well." But the mother-in-law did not relent: "Isn't what I said wrong?" You're always used to her like this, how did you get it in the future? "Scenes like this happen almost every day.
The small family is filled with the invisible smell of gunpowder, which can detonate at any moment. The mother began to become reticent, and the father often used the excuse of working overtime and returning late, as if trying to escape the suffocating family atmosphere.
Contradictions continued to accumulate and finally erupted in one weekend. That day, the mother-in-law once again commented on Xiao Linglong's dress, saying that she "didn't look like a girl at all". The mother finally couldn't take it anymore and started a fierce argument with her mother-in-law.
"What do you need to be satisfied?" The mother's voice was full of grievance and anger, "Linglong is your own granddaughter!" "Satisfied?" The mother-in-law sneered, "If I were satisfied, I wouldn't have let you have a second child!" This sentence was like a hammer that caught everyone off guard.
There was a terrible silence in the room, save for the confused sobs of Little Linglong. The father finally stood up, but his words made the situation worse: "Mom, you can go back and calm down first."
We'll come back to that later. The mother-in-law slammed the door in a huff, leaving a mess in her wake. At this moment, everyone realized that the family relationship was on the verge of collapse.
However, no one could have predicted that an even bigger storm was coming. That Sunday afternoon should have been as calm as usual. With the sun shining and the breeze on your face, it was supposed to be a great time for the whole family to have fun together.
The mother-in-law proposed to take Xiao Linglong out to play, saying that she wanted to buy some snacks and toys. Although the young parents were a little uneasy, they thought that they could take a breath, so they agreed. "Don't play too long, come back early.
Mother admonished, her eyes full of reluctance. Rest assured, we'll be back soon. The mother-in-law replied with a smile, took Xiao Linglong's hand and left the house. However, time passed minute by minute, half an hour, an hour, two hours passed, and the mother-in-law and Xiao Linglong still did not return.
The parents became anxious and kept calling their mother-in-law's phone, but no one answered. Panic poured in, and they rushed out of their homes and split up to search the neighborhood. Parks, supermarkets, playgrounds, all possible places were searched, but there was no trace of my mother-in-law and Xiao Linglong.
"Have you ever seen an old lady with a little girl about three years old?" They kept questioning passers-by, but all they got was shaking their heads and apologetic glances. The sky is getting dark, and the hearts of my parents are sinking to the bottom.
They called the police, sent missing person notices, and asked for help on social media. The entire community mobilized to help find the missing grandparents. Just when everyone was about to despair, a piece of good news came.
Someone found Xiao Linglong on a meadow not far from her home, and she was sitting there alone, her little face covered with tears. The parents rushed to the grass like crazy and picked up Xiao Linglong.
"Baby, are you alright? What about grandma? They asked eagerly. Xiao Linglong cried breathlessly, "Grandma... Grandma said she was going to buy me ice cream... And then... And then it was gone..."At this moment, the mother-in-law came running in a panic.
"Oh, I've found it!" She panted and said, "As soon as I turned around, the child was gone." I've been looking everywhere, but I'm in a hurry! The parents looked at their mother-in-law with disbelief and anger in their eyes.
"How can you do that?" The mother said in a trembling voice, "Do you know how worried we are? The mother-in-law seemed a little disapproving, "Isn't it just playing and getting separated?" Isn't the child all right? You've been overreacting.
This sentence completely ignited the anger of the parents. The grievances and grievances that have accumulated over the years erupt at this moment. They questioned why the mother-in-law didn't answer the phone, why she didn't contact them in time, and why she left the child alone in a strange place.
The mother-in-law was overwhelmed by this sudden questioning, and she couldn't give a complete explanation. The farce ended with her mother-in-law fleeing, leaving a broken family.
At that moment, the parents realized that they could no longer trust their mother-in-law. This is not just an oversight, but a total explosion of problems that have accumulated over the years. They looked at the frightened little Linglong in their arms, and their hearts were full of guilt and distress.
In the aftermath of the disappearance, the family is in an unprecedented crisis. Trust is completely destroyed and relationships are on the verge of collapse. The young parents began to reflect on everything that happened during this time, from the forced birth of a second child, to the prejudice of the mother-in-law against Xiao Linglong, to this shocking negligence.
They realized that a change had to be made. First, they decided to keep a certain distance from their mother-in-law and reduce her intervention in family affairs. At the same time, they begin to pay more attention to Xiao Linglong's feelings, trying to make up for the damage she suffered in the process.
The father also began to take a more active role, no longer avoiding family conflicts, but confronting problems with his wife. They try to communicate rationally with their mother-in-law, expressing their positions and feelings, hoping to reach some kind of consensus.
This path to rebuilding family harmony is bound to be difficult and tortuous. Sometimes, they feel overwhelmed, but seeing the innocent smiles of the children will help them rediscover their motivation to move forward.
They understand that for the sake of their children's future, they must continue to work hard to create a loving and understanding family environment. Although there is a long road ahead, they believe that with perseverance, they will eventually usher in a new life for their families.