AMRWFA -Chapter 364 The Invisible Man

Mother Ling was not some malicious stepmother. At most, she cared more about her biological daughter, Ling Qinxue. That “care” mainly showed in strict academic discipline—she never relaxed her expectations for Ling Qinxue’s studies.

But when it came to Bian Yuhan, she couldn’t be so strict.

One reason was that when she married Father Bian, both children were already in elementary school—not very small anymore. If she disciplined too harshly, the girl would complain to Father Bian that she was “mean.”

Mother Ling didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble. Since the child refused her discipline and often caused friction, she would simply tell Father Bian and let him handle it himself.

As for Father Bian…

He didn’t have any major flaws. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, worked honestly, and came straight home after work—he was the “good man” in most people’s eyes.

Yet even such a “good man” didn’t particularly like his stepdaughter. It was just that Ling Qinxue got good grades and won awards, which made him feel proud, so he would praise her everywhere he went.

As for his own biological daughter…

At first, Father Bian was definitely dissatisfied. He thought: if Ling Qinxue could do it, why couldn’t his daughter?

He didn’t even demand that Bian Yuhan be as multi-talented as Ling Qinxue—studying and dancing at the same time. Couldn’t she at least manage one of them?

If she couldn’t?

Then she must not be working hard enough. She must be lazy.

As expected—stepmothers really were stepmothers. She only cared about her own daughter and not his.

Gradually, Father Bian grew somewhat dissatisfied with Mother Ling, feeling she was biased.

Mother Ling: “……”

I go to work too. I come home and still have to do laundry, cook, and clean, taking care of the entire household.

My daughter listens when I talk to her, but your daughter ignores me completely. If I say anything, she calls me “mean” and runs to you to complain. Then you also get unhappy and suspect I’m secretly mistreating her.

What am I supposed to do?

So of course—I stop interfering.

And now that I’ve stepped back completely, you blame me for your daughter’s poor grades, saying I didn’t help you raise her properly?

Still, the marriage was already done. There were no major conflicts between them, so life just carried on like that—barely getting by.

Until later, when the plot of “True Love” began.

……

The inexperienced Liang Shishi said, “Auntie Xu, someone like Father Bian can be called a ‘good man’? Isn’t everyone’s standard for a good man way too low?”

“Low?” Ruan Yaoyao replied. “He earns money to support the family, doesn’t drink, doesn’t gamble, doesn’t mess around—how is that not a good man? If you add more conditions, most men wouldn’t even qualify.”

“And honestly,” she added, “even the ‘lust’ part alone—well, even my husband can’t meet that.”

If it weren’t for the fact that the man could earn money, she definitely wouldn’t have endured him for so many years.

Liang Shishi was shocked.

If Father Bian already counted as a “good man,” then why did their lives turn out like that?

Was marriage really that scary?

“You don’t know where the problem is, do you?” Ruan Yaoyao saw the confusion in the two young girls at a glance. “Actually, the problem is right here.”

She asked Liang Shishi and Ruan Zhihe: from ancient times to now, hasn’t the standard for men basically been just one thing—can they provide for the family?

As long as a man could earn money, didn’t drink, didn’t gamble, didn’t cheat, and came home on time, he was considered a good man.

Then what about the standard for women?

They must be able to bear children, be filial to the husband’s parents (note: specifically the husband’s parents, not their own), handle all domestic responsibilities, and let the man focus on earning money outside. If the man couldn’t earn enough, then the woman must step up and earn money too.

So what does “domestic responsibilities” include?

Besides laundry, cooking, cleaning, and housework, it also includes outsourced “filial duties,” and children who, once born, are entirely the mother’s responsibility—everything from feeding, daily care, education, and academic tutoring.

“See?” she said. “A woman, after marriage, not only has to give birth, she also has to take care of her husband’s parents. Then after the child is born, everything about the child—daily life and education—is hers to handle. If the child turns out well, it’s the father’s credit. If the child turns out badly, it’s the mother’s fault for being incompetent.”

“A woman has to be a superhuman—able to socialize, cook, fight off intruders, be filial to elders, raise children, take care of her husband, and even provide emotional value.”

……

Ruan Yaoyao continued: The Bian family was a typical example. Father Bian only needed to earn money, while everything else fell on Mother Ling. If she were the biological mother, even if she didn’t do a good job, people would still say, “She’s the biological mother,” and there would be less criticism.

But because she was a stepmother, if she didn’t “properly educate” Bian Yuhan, then all her previous efforts became meaningless. It would even seem like Bian Yuhan’s lack of excellence was because she was biased.

“But she was a stepmother. Isn’t bias normal?” Ruan Yaoyao said sarcastically. “The father himself doesn’t even care about his own daughter, only wanting to sit back and enjoy the results. Why should he expect someone else to fully invest themselves and raise his daughter into someone like Ling Qinxue?”

“Even if Mother Ling wanted to, Bian Yuhan might not cooperate. Dragons give birth to nine different sons—all different—let alone children raised in completely different households.”

Ruan Zhihe immediately thought of her own sisters. It was hard to say. Same parents, yet they were different—what could be done about that?

Even if her parents weren’t biased toward sons, they still couldn’t change that fact.

Liang Shishi: “……”

My brother and I are different too!

It’s not just because he’s a boy and I’m a girl, right?

Of course not. She and her brother were both excellent in academics, but his brain was sharper, so he eventually joined the Academy of Sciences. She took after her father with an exceptionally strong physique, so she joined the military.

But when it came to their parents…

Sorry, both of their parents were extremely busy, hardly ever home. In fact, Liang Shishi was basically raised by her grandparents, only seeing her parents occasionally.

So while her parents might be “excellent,” strictly speaking, they were not “good parents.”

Her gaze unconsciously fell on Ruan Yaoyao.

In some sense, Aunt Xu was more qualified than her own parents. Because she was never absent during her children’s growth.

Ru Anzhi’s case was an “accident,” but from what she could tell from Xu Chengyan’s occasional spoiled young-master attitude, he had been raised very well by Aunt Xu. His “young master temperament” was just because he grew up in comfort—but he wasn’t incapable of hardship. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone into entrepreneurship.

He clearly had ability, otherwise he couldn’t have built his own company.

And his worldview was sound too. The children raised by Aunt Xu all seemed to have very healthy values.

Sometimes they were even a bit childish, competing for attention with their siblings. Even in their twenties, even as CEOs outside, they would still get jealous of each other at home.

Who wouldn’t sigh at such a warm family atmosphere?

If it weren’t for that accident, Ru Anzhi’s brother might have turned out exactly like that.

Still, Liang Shishi didn’t think the current Ru Anzhi was bad. Raised with love by Ru’s father and mother, he was upright and morally sound. Compared to Xu Chengyan, he was just more mature and steady, with less of that pampered “young master” vibe.