"Mom, those doctors at the hospital just love to scare folks. Dad’s just getting old, his body’s wearing out a bit, that’s all. They can check him from head to toe and still not find anything real. All they’ll do is burn through your savings!"
"Exactly, Mom. There are so many scammers these days! You two can't just believe everything people say. They know older folks are scared of dying and easy to fool!"
"If something really went wrong, we’ve got a big family here. You think we’d all just turn a blind eye?"
Margaret Harrison’s tears streamed down uncontrollably as she fumbled with her phone. Her fingers trembled as she uploaded a photo of Richard Smith’s swollen stomach—bloated like a balloon from liver issues—to the family group chat, “One Big Loving Family.”
There was a few seconds of silence in the group. Then came David Smith’s message: "Thomas, we all live far away, but you're the one living nearby. How could Dad be this sick without you noticing? When's the last time you even checked in on them?"
Thomas Smith fired back immediately: "Don’t act all high and mighty! You’re the oldest and been overseas all these years. Ever come back even once to look in on them?""And you, Matthew Smith! You were always the favorite! Back then, when the family needed cash, you and David took the biggest share—one went abroad and the other started a business! Don’t play dead now!"
Matthew snapped back right away. "Oh, cut the big-brother act! Why did we take more? Didn’t you take over Dad’s job?"
"You went through a divorce, messed around, had a bunch of daughters, and dumped everything on Mom and Dad! You think they raised your kids for free all these years? And don’t pretend I don’t know—you live close, and you’ve cleaned out whatever savings they had!"
David chimed in, "We made our own way, alright? Didn’t rely on anyone! You just got the benefits and still play the victim!"
One message after another flew by in the family group chat. At first it was all ‘don’t get tricked by Mom and Dad,’ then spiraled into finger-pointing and shouting. The dinging of messages felt like death knocks.
Margaret Harrison’s chin trembled as she blinked back tears. She patted Richard Smith’s hand, took a deep breath, and dialed her third son, Beresford Smith.
But his wife’s voice came through first, full of annoyance and blame.Margaret Harrison could tell Thomas was really ticked off. She waited until the shouting between him and his wife died down before speaking softly, “Tom, I know work’s been tough for you… We wouldn’t bother you if your dad wasn’t seriously sick. It’s just…”
“Enough, Mom! You just want money, right? I’m your son, sure, but I go to work every day getting bossed around, got my wife and kid and the whole family counting on me! Do you even get how much stress I'm under?”
“I can give money, but I'm not doing it alone! I’ve got siblings too, why should I be the only one footing the bill? Let them figure it out together and let me know once they do. I’m not moving 'til then!”
He hung up, clearly annoyed.
Margaret sank down against the corner of the old bed, helpless. Just then, her daughter Emily’s call came through.
She could hear the baby crying and her mother-in-law screeching in the background, all tangled up in noise. A meek little voice squeezed through, “Mom… I’ll come over and see you and Dad as soon as I get a break…”
Before she could finish, her husband’s voice cut in, cold and firm, “That’s enough! Not even the sons are helping — you think a daughter can step in and play hero?”
Then the line went dead, leaving only a cold, endless busy tone echoing in the room.The old couple sat in silence for a long while before Richard Smith rasped out, “Margaret… I’m done. The doctor already said it—treatment or not, I’ve got three, maybe five years left at best. At this age, I figure that’s more than enough...”
That one phrase, "more than enough," broke Margaret Harrison completely. She burst into tearful sobs. “How did it get like this?”
They’d raised six children, worked themselves to the bone their whole lives—paying for school, weddings, houses—helping to raise their grandkids too. Grocery runs, laundry, cooking, childcare… she’d spun like a top every single day, giving every last ounce of herself for the kids, short of handing them her bones to chew on.
And now that they were old and sick, suddenly they were just useless burdens in their children’s eyes.
“Don’t talk nonsense like that!” she cried out. “Tomorrow morning, I’m taking you to the hospital. I’ll sell my own blood if I have to—you will get treated. I’ll beg the doctors on my knees if I must…”
Richard Smith was just skin and bones now, his ribs sticking out while his belly bulged unnaturally. He kept his eyes closed, saying nothing.
In the middle of the night, Margaret dozed off for a bit. When she woke again, the smell of alcohol filled the air.
Heart thumping, she rushed to Richard’s side. He was already cold.
…
“Comrade Richard Smith was a kind, humble man—an outstanding husband and father. All his children are upstanding, respectful, and driven…”
The funeral crew, paid upfront, made sure the ceremony was as lavish as could be. They praised the devoted children from head to toe.While enjoying the wedding meal, the neighbors and relatives couldn’t stop throwing compliments around.
“Old Rich and Margaret really did something right—raised all those kids well! Except Anna, who married into the village, the rest turned out quite decent.”
“Exactly! Now Old Rich can rest easy! Margaret’s life from now on should be nothing but comfortable…”
Just as they were chatting, a loud “bang!” interrupted the conversation—Margaret slammed straight into the dark wooden coffin with her head!
Gasps and cries filled the place, and the once-sorrowful suona music gradually shifted into something oddly festive.
“You disgusting animal! On my wedding day, and your brother tries to mess with my sister?!”
“So you want two brides for one betrothal gift? Your family’s got some nerve! What kind of scam is this? If people hear about this, how can our Liu family ever show our faces again? Boohoo…”
Dizzy and confused, Margaret recognized her new daughter-in-law’s angry voice. Thinking maybe she hadn’t really died, she opened her eyes—only to see a much younger Richard staring down at her with worry written all over his face.
“Margaret! Are you okay?”
She shuddered and sat bolt upright.
Outside, the wedding banquet was in full swing.
Inside, her fourth son was trapped under a blanket—with the bride’s younger sister.Off to the side, the groom, Matthew Smith, complained, "Mom, has James lost it? I'm his brother, and he goes after my sister-in-law at my wedding? People will laugh at me till I die!"
"And you too! Jasmine saw trouble in the room and stopped you from going in ‘cause she didn’t want it to blow up. Why’d you still push your way in? If you hadn't, she wouldn't have shoved you either..."
Margaret Harrison glared at her youngest son in his white shirt and red flower, and then gave her much-younger, healthy husband a sharp pinch.
When he yelped in pain, her heart thudded like crazy.
She was back!
August 12, 1983. The day Matthew got married... and the day James got blamed for a death!
Thinking about how unfair that was for James, Margaret shot up from the ground and smacked Jasmine Black right across her bright-red face—twice, fast and hard.
Jasmine was knocked off balance, spun around, and landed on the floor with a thud.
"Jasmine!" Matthew shouted, his face twisting in anger. "Mom! What the heck are you doing?"
Outside, guests waiting for food had already noticed the commotion. When Margaret struck her new daughter-in-law, necks stretched longer than geese's.
"What’s going on in there? Why’s the new daughter-in-law getting slapped right after walking through the door? Is she already pulling the 'bossy mother-in-law' move?"Even the most notorious neighborhood mother-in-laws were shocked—clearly, they still had room to grow.
“Did you hear? The Smiths gave Jasmine from the Black family a dowry of 380 bucks. Besides the usual radio, bike, and watch, everything from clothes to bedding was brand new! They must've blown over 800 in total. The bride even said her family raised her with difficulty, so the stuff should stay with them. Margaret’s been swallowing her anger this whole time, probably couldn’t stand it anymore!”
Jasmine Black was fuming as she listened to folks gossip outside, her chest rising and falling with rage. With two fresh handprints on her face, she stormed toward Margaret Harrison. “You’re just trying to bully me! Forget it—I’m not marrying into this family!”
But Margaret wasn’t having any of that—she kicked Jasmine hard, sending her sprawling flat on her back.
“Not getting married? Fine by me! The Smiths don’t need a daughter-in-law like you! Richard, cancel the banquet—we’re calling the Blacks to return the dowry!”