Every year, my sister-in-law’s family of three would expect a free ride back home for Christmas in my car. This year, when I asked her to chip in for gas, she turned around and posted about me online. “Help! My sister-in-law is demanding gas money, what should I do?” “Hey everyone, do you have to pay when riding in your brother’s car?” When some commenters called her a “freeloader”, she retaliated by reporting my car as “stolen property”. She nearly got me fired from my job. My in-laws said I was being petty and told me to apologize to my sister-in-law. I exploded and flipped over the Christmas dinner table. Did they really think I was such a pushover? Just after Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Sophia sent a message asking for another free ride. “Hey Lily, we’ll be riding with you guys again this year. When are you leaving?” “Eric said you’re departing on the 23rd, I wanted to check if that works for you.” Seeing this message, I felt a wave of irritation. The thought of giving them another free ride this year made me wish the car would break down. I replied curtly: “Why don’t you just buy plane tickets? It only takes two hours.” Sophia sensed my reluctance and quickly tried to smooth things over: “It’s so hard to get tickets during the holidays. I’m really sorry to trouble you, sis.” I scoffed internally. Before Sophia got married, it wasn’t a big deal to bring her along. But after she got married, her family of three plus several large suitcases crowded the car so much that I barely had room for my own luggage. To make matters worse, her husband had no sense of social graces. He’d be glued to his phone the whole ride, only looking up to complain or ask for bathroom breaks. They treated us like free chauffeurs and their kid was a nightmare, leaving dirty footprints all over the back of the front seats. During rest stops, they’d shamelessly ask me to buy snacks and drinks for their child. And of course, they conveniently ignored all the gas and toll costs for the trip. I’m not totally against giving them rides, but once or twice is enough. Doing it every single year, and acting so entitled about it? My money doesn’t grow on trees, you know?
When my husband Eric got home from work, he cautiously asked: “Honey, did you have a fight with Sophia?” I glared at him, feeling even more annoyed. Although we didn’t live with his parents, having a tattletale sister-in-law was still frustrating. These siblings may each have their own families now, but they still couldn’t get their priorities straight. I sat on the couch with my arms crossed: “Every year we drive back for Christmas, and your sister’s family always expects a free ride. Can’t they just buy their own plane tickets?” Eric scratched his head and tried to placate me: “Honey, you know how hard it is to get tickets around the holidays!” “Be the bigger person, it’s not a big deal to bring them along.” Just then, my coworkers were sharing links in our work group chat to help each other score plane tickets. “Help a colleague out! My kid’s chances of getting home depend on you guys.” “Just need two more people, thanks everyone!” … I opened a private chat with a coworker heading to roughly the same destination as us: “Hey John, did you manage to get tickets back home?” John quickly replied: “Got them, Lily! Tickets were easy to get this year, they even added two new flight routes to my hometown.” “I’m so jealous you can drive back, Lily.” I opened the airline booking app and searched for tickets to my in-laws’ place. There were seven flight options, with three still having available seats. I immediately took screenshots and sent them to Sophia, telling her to buy tickets right away. “These flights still have seats available, you can buy tickets now.” “Three tickets together cost less than the gas for driving, and it’s safer too.” The last time we drove back, her son accidentally bumped his head on the car door and got a huge lump. It scared me to death. If anything serious had happened, selling my car wouldn’t have been enough to cover it. I’ve always suggested she take a plane with her child for convenience and safety, but she never listens. After some thought, I forwarded an article about child car safety awareness. The post emphasized that children must use car seats when riding in vehicles. I kindly reminded her: “Sophia, I don’t have a car seat. It’s fine for adults, but really dangerous for kids.” Sophia didn’t reply, and I wasn’t sure if she’d seen my message. Then I received a $50 transfer from her, labeled “gas money”. I replied with a “?” Sophia still didn’t respond, but she posted a screenshot of our chat in the family group. “Having to pay gas money to ride in my own brother’s car, I’ve really learned something new.” “Sis-in-law, don’t be so petty, I’ve paid for the gas.” “Calculating everything so precisely between family members, haha!” That “haha” stung my eyes. I was about to type a response when Eric came out of the shower. He wrapped his arms around me and started groping my waist: “What are you looking at, sweetie?” I angrily pushed him away and showed him what his dear sister had said. “Look at what your sister is saying. How am I being calculating?” “I’m just being considerate. If anything happened, your whole family would tear me apart.” “Besides, we’ve been married for five years and they’ve gotten free rides every single year without contributing a penny. Why should they?” The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I stood up and started counting off grievances on my fingers. But Eric just frowned and looked at me with disdain. “Why can’t you be more generous? Why are you always nitpicking about these little things?” “Are we really so hard up for a few bucks in gas money?” “How are we supposed to face my parents when we get back if you act like this?” Seeing his aggressive expression, I was stunned. So in the eyes of his whole family, I was just a petty shrew? It wasn’t enough that his sister’s family took advantage of me, I was supposed to bow and scrape to her, always at her beck and call? I reminded him: “This car was a wedding gift from my parents. It’s not your family’s public property.” As soon as I said that, he exploded. He angrily threw his towel at me, his face contorted with a rage I’d never seen before. I dodged the towel, but he lunged forward and grabbed my arm, snarling: “How long are you going to harp on about that stupid car? Do you look down on me?” I was just trying to remind him that the car belonged to our little family unit, and I had the right to decide who could use it. But he took offense again, thinking I was looking down on him. Having such an immature and sensitive husband was exhausting. When we were dating, I was attracted to his ambition and didn’t pay attention to his family background. My parents gave me enough confidence that I wouldn’t have to tiptoe around as a daughter-in-law. But after marriage, his true nature was gradually revealed. His paranoia and sensitivity left me constantly having to defend myself. Seeing his enraged expression, it seemed like he might hit me at any moment. I was frightened and quickly shook my head: “No, you’re overthinking it. I’m just stating facts.” Just then, a shrill phone ringtone broke the tension. He let go of me and answered the call: “Hello, Mom. We’re driving back on the 23rd.” “No, no, that was just a joke. How could we ask Sophia for gas money?” “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” After hanging up, he coldly looked at me: “Lily, behave yourself when we go back for Christmas. Don’t cause trouble.”
The next day at work, my boss called me into his office. “Lily, have you met with anyone unusual recently?” I was confused. As a low-level employee, who could I possibly meet? But I answered honestly: “Just a few clients to discuss next quarter’s collaboration.” My boss poured me a cup of water and gently reminded me: “Well… did they give you any gifts?” I suddenly realized what he was getting at. In our line of work, improper relationships with clients were strictly forbidden. Getting caught taking bribes would be career suicide. I immediately stood up to defend myself: “Boss, all my client meetings are on camera. I can prove my innocence!” Seeing how agitated I was, my boss quickly told me to sit down. That’s when I learned someone had anonymously reported me for taking bribes, even claiming my recent promotion involved some shady dealings. The whistleblower seemed very familiar with my financial situation, specifically mentioning my $40,000 Mercedes. “How could a low-level civil servant afford such an expensive car?” “I have evidence of her accepting bribes. I hope the leadership will thoroughly investigate this bad apple.” The evidence was a blurry video taken in a hotel. In the video, I was seen taking a delivery at a hotel room door. The packaging was from a luxury brand. The whistleblower zoomed in on the packaging. I watched the video a few times before remembering what had happened. I was on a business trip in my aunt’s city a while back. She was in a rush to catch a flight abroad, so she had someone deliver a gift to me. That scarf is still hanging in my closet. How did this turn into a bribery accusation? Although I had evidence to clear my name, my boss decided to put me on leave for a while due to the bad optics. “Why don’t you use up your annual leave? Come back when this blows over.” “Don’t overthink it. Just relax and maybe start trying for a baby.” My boss patted my shoulder, seeing how dejected I looked. It sounded nice, but it was basically a temporary suspension. If I got pregnant during this time, I might as well not come back. After working here for so long, I understood the office politics. I felt utterly disheartened, both about my family and my career. To make matters worse, Sophia was still stirring up trouble in the family group chat. She shared a video about a college student being asked to pay for gas when riding in his uncle’s car during the holidays. The comments section was full of freeloaders supporting the student: “I give my uncle a couple hundred when I ride with him, he won’t take more than that.” “My uncle leaves me $10 for a haircut after Christmas.” “Make sure to tell your mom about this.” “I can totally relate, my sister would kill me for this.” But there were a few comments calling out the poster as a “freeloader”. … Combined with the $50 she sent me earlier, it was clearly a dig at me as the “aunt” in this scenario. In the family group chat, my mother-in-law was the first to attack: “What’s this nonsense about paying to ride in your uncle’s car? Where’s the logic in that?” My husband’s aunt chimed in: “It’s just a car ride, why be so petty? What, does the car not use gas when they’re not in it?” Sophia played the innocent victim: “Maybe it’s because we ride with them too often and my sister-in-law is upset.” My mother-in-law immediately retorted: “Even if you rode with them every day, your sister-in-law has no right to complain. Are you not family anymore?” They didn’t mention me by name, but everyone knew they were talking about me. I was beyond frustrated and typed out: “So just because someone calls you ‘aunt’, they’re entitled to free rides?” “Freeloading and feeling righteous about it, what kind of upbringing is that?” “When parents lack social graces, children learn by example.” I don’t know the full context of that video, but judging by the poster’s reaction, they had probably never offered to pay before. In these situations, it’s usually about the relationship between the older generation, not the kids. The poster’s mom and uncle/aunt likely don’t have a great relationship. Otherwise, why would the aunt give her nephew such a hard time? From the aunt’s perspective, I could understand her frustration. Both the older and younger generations seemed to think she should be a free chauffeur, and asking for gas money made her the bad guy. The kids were unhappy, the adults were clueless, and everyone felt entitled. How many times can so-called family ties withstand this kind of strain? Seeing me push back so hard, Sophia replied sarcastically: “Oh, having a car makes you so great? Now you’re lecturing us on manners?” “It’s just a stolen car anyway, what are you so proud of?” My eyes caught the words “stolen car” and something clicked in my mind. I seized on her words and demanded: “What do you mean by that? What ‘stolen car’?” “My parents bought me this car as a wedding gift. Watch your mouth!” Provoked by me, Sophia didn’t hold back anymore and started ranting. “Your parents are just ordinary workers, where did they get that kind of money?” “You have an older brother, why would they buy you a car?” “That car was obviously a gift from someone else. You must have done a lot of ‘favors’ to get it!” Seeing her so brazenly admit to the accusations, I was furious. To become a civil servant, I had locked myself at home for three solid months studying, barely leaving the house. After getting the job, I worked diligently and cautiously, terrified of making any mistakes. To double-check accounts, I practically lived at the office. Among the new hires in my cohort, I worked the most overtime and was the only one without connections. After six months, my performance spoke for itself and I was promoted without question. All my financial transactions and personal interactions could withstand scrutiny. Now just because I didn’t want to be taken advantage of, she was trying to smear my reputation. With this accusation, my record would be tarnished and I’d never be promoted again. I was shaking with rage and lashed out: “My parents bought me a car because they love me. If your parents don’t love you, take it up with them!” “This year I’d rather wreck my car than give you freeloaders a ride.” “Get lost, moochers!”
When I got home, I was so angry I couldn’t sleep. I thought about driving the car back to my parents’ house and just taking a plane to my in-laws’. But when I got to the garage, it was empty. Eric hemmed and hawed, saying a good friend had borrowed the car to impress a date. “My buddy’s a great driver, nothing will happen.” “He’s just taking it out for dinner with a girl, it’ll be back soon.” I felt a stab of pain in my chest. How many times had this happened? Five years ago when Eric and I got married, my parents gave me a $40,000 Mercedes as a wedding gift. From then on, it seemed like the car became public property. Whenever Sophia’s family had even a minor issue, they’d come borrow the car. During holiday visits to the in-laws, any relative could order Eric to be their chauffeur. For weddings, funerals, or other big events, friends and family would ask to borrow our car. I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I kept quiet. But the car would always come back filthy. Traffic tickets, toll fees, gas – we had to pay for it all out of pocket. A few times, someone even threw up in the car. I’d gag while paying to have it cleaned. Halfway through cleaning once, the car wash guy found used condoms in the back seat. I checked the dashcam footage and nearly threw up. On the car mats I’d carefully chosen, Eric’s cousin was going at it with some strange woman. I lost it and cursed out his cousin in the family group chat. Eric’s aunt accused me of being petty, saying young couples need their romance and I was making a big deal out of nothing. I laughed coldly and posted screenshots from the video in the chat. “Auntie, look closely before you speak. That’s not your daughter-in-law in there.” “If you want to fool around, get a hotel room. Do you have to be so disgusting in my car?” In the end, the cousin and his wife nearly divorced over this, and Eric blamed me. “Look what you’ve done, making such a big deal out of nothing!” “Now my cousin’s family is falling apart. Are you happy?” That Christmas was a disaster, with relatives gossiping and laughing at us. What annoyed me most was that the cousin and his wife didn’t end up divorcing. His wife even passive-aggressively attacked me in the group chat: “Some people get a little money and look down on everyone else.” “Doing such awful things, it’s karma that you can’t have children.” I was about to fire back at her when Eric jumped in to defend me. “No one’s borrowing our car anymore, so don’t even ask.” “Every time you borrow it with a full tank and return it empty. We’re not suckers.” One time his cousin borrowed the car to go party and returned it with barely any gas left. I was in a rush to go out and didn’t notice the fuel gauge. I ran out of gas halfway and was stranded on the highway for hours. The car blocking traffic caused a huge jam, and I missed an important contract meeting. When I finally made it back to the office, my boss chewed me out. After that, I strictly forbade Eric from lending out the car behind my back. I even threatened divorce over it. But people treated it like background noise, still secretly borrowing the car. Now Sophia wanted another free ride, and all the old resentments came flooding back. I was firmly against it. As a result, she nearly got me fired. Not only that, she seemed determined to ruin my reputation and get me kicked out of the civil service altogether.
After I spoke up in the family group chat, Sophia quieted down for a while. I went ahead and bought two plane tickets, saying we wouldn’t be driving back this year and everyone should fly. My mother-in-law called me, hinting none too subtly about having children. In our five years of marriage, I’d been too focused on work to think about kids. Eric and I had agreed before marriage to wait until my career was stable before discussing children. The workplace is already challenging for women, and pregnancy is an unavoidable hurdle. Many capable women enter the workforce with the potential to climb the ladder into leadership or even higher decision-making roles. But because of childbirth, they’re forced to give up promotion opportunities. I didn’t want that. I wanted to reach the top, to make all my years of hard study worthwhile. With Sophia’s stunt, it felt like all my efforts had been reduced to a joke. My mother-in-law was very direct: “You’ve been married for five years now. If you don’t have a child soon, where will my son show his face?” “People in the neighborhood are calling him infertile. You may not care about face, but I do!” I couldn’t help but wonder if she and Sophia had planned this together. One tries to get me fired, then the other pushes for a baby. Back and forth until I’m a full-time homemaker preparing for pregnancy, completely removed from my career. Even my boss was tentatively asking if I was planning to have a child. I was at my wit’s end, wondering if I’d been cursed. What on earth had possessed me to marry into this family? I snapped and cursed at my mother-in-law: “Nag nag nag, is nagging all it takes to have a baby?” “If you’re such an expert, why don’t you go work at a fertility clinic? Apparently you can make babies just by talking!” It was the first time I’d ever talked back to her like that. She immediately burst into tears. She called her son right away, saying I was bullying her and had cursed her to die. She even claimed I looked down on their family for being poor and said they weren’t good enough for me. I listened to her twisting my words, feeling a surge of satisfaction. You didn’t expect this, did you? Your son was standing right next to me the whole time. What a brilliant performance! Eric’s face cycled through various shades as he placated his mom and hung up. I’m sure being called “infertile” by his own mother didn’t feel great. But he’s so obsessed with saving face that he refuses to get checked at the hospital, insisting the problem must be with me. I’m happy to play dumb. After all, I don’t want kids anyway.
On December 23rd, I was ready to leave with my suitcase when Eric just stood there not moving. I urged him: “Hurry up, we need to queue for security checks at the airport.” That’s when he finally told me he’d lost his ID. “Not sure when I lost it, but I can’t find it anywhere.” “Let’s just drive back instead.” I put down my suitcase and stared at him expressionlessly. He avoided my gaze, looking guilty. After sharing a bed for over five years, how could I not know what he was up to? But the flight was leaving in an hour, and it would take about 30 minutes to drive from our place to the airport. There definitely wasn’t time to get a temporary ID. And that’s not even counting traffic jams and queuing time. I said coldly: “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You’re that desperate to drive back?” He gave up the act and sat down, dangling the car keys: “We have a car, why not use it? Everyone in the neighborhood envies my Mercedes. It’ll be convenient for visiting relatives during the holiday too.” I was about to explode when my phone rang. Sophia’s family was already waiting downstairs, urging us to hurry up and leave. Looking at my shameless husband, I felt utterly disappointed in this family. Eric grabbed the suitcase and pushed me towards the door: “Let’s go, we’ll hit traffic if we wait any longer.” Once in the car, Sophia apologized and voluntarily offered another $50 for gas. Seeing my sour expression, she even bought me an energy drink. “I’m really sorry, sis. We just couldn’t get tickets.” Her husband snorted and plopped down, immediately starting to scroll through TikTok. That’s when I realized that after our big fight, she’d found out all the tickets were sold out. She’d tried several scalpers but couldn’t score any. She even looked into rideshares, but when people heard it was a family of three with lots of luggage, they quoted her a private car price. She balked at the cost and crawled back to ask me for a ride. I was furious at how these siblings had manipulated me, just praying nothing else would go wrong on the trip. Next time this happens, I swear I’ll sell the car. Then no one can covet it. We soon got on the highway, and Sophia’s son started whining in the backseat. “Mommy, I need to pee! I need to pee!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295492”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply