Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 358: Ultimately Compromised

"Look at you all, now that you’re doing well! You’re all a family, wanting to drive me away!" Old Mrs Niu cried, collapsing on the floor. Mi Hongwei knew she was just stalling and hoisted her up to carry her outside.

Old Mrs Niu finally realized he was serious, not something she could easily manipulate with her usual tricks. She cast a pleading glance at Fang Xuewei, hoping she would speak up for her. After all, Mi Hongwei had always defended his wife over the years. If Fang Xuewei just said a word, he would relent.

But Fang Xuewei couldn’t wait for Old Mrs Niu to leave; she wanted to celebrate with firecrackers afterward. If Old Mrs Niu stayed, her incessant nagging would disrupt her daughters’ studies. If they failed to get into college, Old Mrs Niu would blame it on her daughters’ lack of ability rather than her own interference.

"Mom, it’s just two choices. Hurry up and choose, or I’ll pack up the family’s things and we’ll part ways today," Fang Xuewei said, tearing down Old Mrs Niu’s arguments.

Old Mrs Niu felt anger and hate, but more than that, urgency and fear. "I choose the first option! I’ll go back myself!" she shouted, realizing that if Mi Hongwei retired to farm, her future would consist of pickled vegetables and sweet potato porridge.

Mi Hongwei frowned and set her down. "Choosing the first means you can never come back. If you fall ill, I’ll take leave to care for you. If it’s a long-term illness, I’ll have to ask the neighbors to help."

Old Mrs Niu’s eyes flickered; she hadn’t expected her plan to be so transparent. But she had to choose the first option—she could never let her son resign and farm, or she would have to face the Mi ancestors in shame.

"Ten yuan isn’t enough; I want twenty!" Old Mrs Niu tried to bargain, demanding more. "And you’re eating seafood here every day; I want two-thirds of your meat ration."

"Do you have the nerve to ask for that? Are we supposed to starve?" Fang Xuewei scoffed.

Old Mrs Niu stood tall, "You want to throw me away like a burden and won’t even give me a little more money? Then I won’t leave."

"Then I’ll resign and take you with me," Mi Hongwei was nearly at his breaking point. He understood this was about more than just money; his mother was testing their limits. If he agreed now, she would keep coming back for more.

Old Mrs Niu fell silent, glaring at Mi Hongwei like an enemy. He met her gaze with unwavering resolve. The village’s labor points were worth about six cents each, and with an average of ten points a day, a worker made only eighteen yuan a month. It was more than enough to support a family of three. For one person, ten yuan was sufficient. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Old Mrs Niu knew this was true but finally conceded. "Fine, ten yuan it is! But you have to visit me once a year!" she demanded.

Mi Hongwei didn’t argue. "Then you sit here while I pack. We’ll leave together today." He shot a glance at Fang Xuewei, who understood and followed him inside.

As Mi Hongwei packed a bag, he said, "I plan to rebuild the house when I return—kitchen, living room, bathroom, and your room. Last time I left in a hurry, it wasn’t fixed. I need about two or three hundred yuan for that. Also, I’ll give the neighbor two yuan a month to check on you and help if anything comes up. I’ll reimburse them for any phone calls. My uncles and aunts can be troublesome, so I need to keep an eye on them too."

"Sounds good!" Fang Xuewei quickly agreed. Spending some money to send her mother-in-law away was worth it. She couldn’t believe her long-held wish was finally coming true. She almost wanted to thank Commander Qin and Comrade Weiguo for their support.

They finished packing without pause, braving the storm to send Old Mrs Niu out the door.

Su Yijia peered through the window, watching Old Mrs Niu struggle against the wind and rain. "Are they really sending her away? I thought Commissar Mi would transfer back," she muttered, sarcasm evident in her tone.

Qin Kaize wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Choose mom over wife and daughters? He wouldn’t do that."

Everyone knew that while many had suffered under Old Mrs Niu’s hand, Commissar Mi’s family would never truly be harmed. She only dared to complain a little, but if she went too far, Commissar Mi would definitely be angry.

"So he’s not unable to manage, just feeling wronged. The people he cares about aren’t the ones making him unhappy," Su Yijia said, her disdain evident.

After some thought, Qin Kaize nodded in agreement, "There’s some truth to that. But it’s also because people before didn’t dare to cause trouble; everyone just let their family members endure. If Commissar Mi really manages his mother, she’ll just cry and cause a scene, claiming he’s unfilial. That’s when he wouldn’t have the upper hand."

Besides, there’s a saying in Chinese—there are no parents without faults. In the end, those who had suffered before would feign magnanimity, saying he shouldn’t treat his parents poorly, arguing that Old Mrs Niu was just old and stubborn, not truly malicious. If it escalated, these people would turn the blame on Commissar Mi.