B5SB -Chapter 346 Refusing to Serve Mother Lu

Father Lu glanced at Lu Huailin, somewhat pleased with his sense of loyalty.

As a parent himself, he didn’t want to raise another ungrateful child like Lu Huaixu.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Mother Lu on the bed, screaming “Ah! Ah!”

He couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth and casually remarked, “With your mom like this, she can’t be left alone.”

Lu Huailin let out a soft hum through his congested nose.

“Do you have any thoughts?”

Hearing this, Lu Huailin looked up at his expressionless father and pondered for a moment.

In a low voice, he said, “Dad, I’m the son Mom dislikes the most. I’m afraid that if I make decisions for her, they won’t please her and could affect her recovery.”

Before he could say more, Mother Lu, lying on the bed, even unable to move, twisted her face stiffly and wailed: “Xu… come… come…”

Father Lu looked at Lu Huailin in surprise. Finally, the boy had shown some wisdom regarding his mother’s care.

He understood that caring for a paralyzed patient wasn’t something one person could handle alone.

Let alone after discharge, she would need constant personal care—far from a simple task.

Anyway, he had divorced Mother Lu and had no intention of bringing her home for care.

Lu Huailin couldn’t just wash his hands of the matter—being her son, if he refused, the military would question his character.

And people in Beijing who knew both him and his mother would talk behind his back—he would be mortified by the gossip.

Thinking of this, he sighed and said, “True, your mom didn’t just give birth to you; she has your older brother and sister too.”

Lu Huailin walked to his mother’s bedside. Seeing her face tilted to one side, he felt a pang of sorrow.

He gently reassured her, “Mom, I know you care for my older brother. I’ll talk to Dad and send him a telegram to come back and take care of you.”

Mother Lu twisted her mouth and struggled to say, “Ah… come back…”

After a moment, Father Lu looked up at Lu Huailin and said, “Let your older sister come back too. That way, you three siblings can take turns caring for her, so none of you will be too exhausted.”

Hearing that Father Lu wanted to call back his older brother, Mother Lu excitedly shouted: “Xu… come…”

Lu Huailin didn’t speak, only lightly nodded in agreement.

His mother needed constant care 24 hours a day. Having his older sister return would also lighten the burden on him and his older brother.

After all, expecting him to care for a bedridden mother alone for long hours wasn’t realistic.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help; it wasn’t about the saying “no filial son at the sickbed.” His work was a constraint—he couldn’t be at her side every moment.

“Your older brother and sister can’t come immediately. Your mother can’t be left alone right now. How about having your wife come over for a few days to help?”

Lu Huailin was startled by his father’s sudden suggestion, and his momentary sadness instantly vanished.

What kind of joke was this?

His mother already disliked his wife. If she came to care for her, Mother Lu would deliberately pick fights and make things difficult.

He would feel distressed, and his wife would have no outlet for her frustration. In the end, he would suffer the most.

No, he had to find a way to refuse.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He looked up into his father’s eyes and said with concern, “Dad, it’s not that my wife can’t help, but Haohao is still young. If he doesn’t see his mom even for a day, he’ll cry.”

He didn’t believe his father could bear to let his beloved grandson cry.

Sure enough, upon hearing about Haohao, his father’s heart softened, and he immediately dropped the idea.

Shaking his head, he said, “That won’t do. Haohao is more important.”

Lu Huailin secretly let out a long breath and quietly said, “Dad, how about this: I’ll pay Aunt He at home to help take care of her for a few days. Then when my older brother and sister come back, we can discuss my mother’s long-term care.”

Father Lu glanced at him, a deep look flashing in his eyes. “Alright, let’s do it your way.”

After that, he glanced at his watch and said lightly, “It’s getting late. I’ll leave first. Tomorrow, I’ll have Sister He come over to help you.”

With that, he opened the door and left the room.

The next day, Gu Yihan was having breakfast with Haohao when Lu Huailin walked in, looking exhausted.

Gu Yihan quickly stood up, pouring water and helping him wash his face, worried: “Didn’t sleep at all last night?”

Lu Huailin took the towel she handed him and nodded softly.

The previous night, Mother Lu deliberately shouted and screamed. Even though she couldn’t speak complete sentences, she squealed word by word: “Ah… water… hungry…”

After carefully feeding her water and porridge, she fidgeted to go to the bathroom. Even the duty nurse was furious, cursing her like a pufferfish for being troublesome.

And that was only one day. Thinking about what it would be like if this went on for years made him shiver.

No.

He absolutely could not let his wife take care of Mother Lu.

After Lu Huailin finished washing up, Gu Yihan served him a bowl of millet porridge and reminded him, “Eat first.”

Haohao eagerly placed the peeled egg he had just eaten into his father’s bowl and said in his baby voice, “Daddy, eat the egg.”

Lu Huailin looked into the worried eyes of Gu Yihan and Haohao, and his heart warmed.

Such a thoughtful, clever, and adorable family—he cherished them dearly.

He would never allow himself to end up like his father and mother, old and resentful of each other.

After breakfast, Haohao didn’t need Gu Yihan to urge him. He put on his backpack, waved goodbye, and hopped off to school.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Huailin walked to the sofa where Gu Yihan was reading the newspaper and sat down beside her.

He reached out and held her hand tightly, showing a look of grievance: “Wife, why didn’t you ask me what I think?”

“What do you think?” Gu Yihan asked instinctively.

Lu Huailin held his wife close, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Softly, he said, “Wife, the doctor said Mom is paralyzed and will have to spend the rest of her life in bed.”

Hearing this, Gu Yihan’s heart skipped a beat. Before she could ask where Mother Lu would stay after discharge, he sighed helplessly and said, “Dad said to have my older brother and sister come back. The three siblings can take turns caring for Mom, and we can get a breather too.”

Gu Yihan pressed her lips together in silence. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to care for Mother Lu, but the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went both ways.

When she gave birth to Haohao, Mother Lu hadn’t taken care of her for even one day. She hadn’t helped care for the child either.

Although Grandma Gu’s thinking was old-fashioned, her care during the postpartum period and for the child was real and practical.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed without hesitation when asked for an increase in living expenses.

Now, being asked to personally care for Mother Lu, who had no blood relation to her and had never helped her, she was unwilling.