I usually work in Beijing. This weekend, I finally had time to fly back home.

I thought that after not seeing each other for a month, my wife would greet me happily as before.

But she acted differently this time, just sitting on the couch with a gloomy expression.

Our daughter, Hixi, had already fallen asleep. I embraced my wife's shoulder and asked her what was wrong.

As soon as my wife heard my question, her eyes immediately turned red.

It turned out that a few days ago, when my wife took Hixi to play in the community, they encountered Liangliang's mother, Hou Juan.

Liangliang was in the sixth grade and attended the same school as Hixi.

When my wife saw her, she immediately turned her head to leave, but Hou Juan caught up with her in a few steps.

"Oh, it's been a few days since I last saw Hixi. I really miss my future daughter-in-law!"

Hou Juan bent down and unexpectedly pinched Hixi's cheeks with her hand, causing several other mothers walking their children to look over.

Hixi's cheeks turned red from the pinching, and she cried in pain. My wife quickly pushed Hou Juan's hand away and held Hixi in her arms.

Seeing this, Hou Juan smirked and said, "Tsk tsk, she's so delicate. Crying from just a touch. Auntie likes you, we're just playing around."

My wife was already displeased, but she had good manners and a gentle nature. She rarely quarreled with others in public. She only said,

"Liangliang's mother, our child is still young, she doesn't understand being a daughter-in-law. It would be better if you didn't say such things in front of the children."

Hou Juan's volume increased even louder, and she fake smiled, "The more you study, the more problems you have. So what if I acknowledge her as my daughter-in-law? Isn't she your precious daughter? Besides, she matches Liangliang well. They make a perfect couple!"

As she spoke, she took a step forward and wanted to pinch Hixi's cheeks again, saying, "My dear girl, grow up quickly and marry your brother Liangliang."

My wife quickly pulled Hixi away, not letting Hou Juan have her way. With all eyes on them, my wife's face turned red.

This was not the first time Hou Juan openly said that Hixi should be her daughter-in-law. At first, my wife thought she was joking, but recently, every time they met, Hou Juan would bring up the topic. No matter what my wife said, it was futile.

We only have one daughter, and we have decided to have just one. We treat Hixi as a cherished only child, giving her all our love. She is like a precious gem in our hands.

On the other hand, Liangliang is dark-skinned and strong, and at such a young age, he already uses foul language. He has even been disciplined by the school for pulling girls' pants.

He has also caused trouble in the community by throwing bricks at people's pet dogs. The owner even reported it to the police.

Neighbors often say privately that Liangliang takes after his father, who works in construction. Not only do they look alike, but their characters are also similar.

Hou Juan doesn't know why she has set her sights on Hixi. Several times, she proposed to bring Hixi to her house to play.

When she said that, Liangliang stared at Hixi with intense focus and said that if his sister didn't go with him, he would snatch her away. After all, she would be his future wife.

My wife is not good at arguing, and she doesn't know how to refute Hou Juan. She also worries that confronting her would make her appear petty. So she can only endure it time and time again.

However, yesterday my wife went to pick up Hixi from school and arrived a bit late. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find her child. She hurriedly sought help from the homeroom teacher.

The homeroom teacher told her that Hixi had already been picked up by a middle-aged woman.

"She's not very tall, has short hair, and her son is in the sixth grade. She said she was your neighborand that you asked her to pick up Hixi."

My wife was shocked. She immediately knew it was Hou Juan. She rushed back home and found Hixi sitting on the couch, watching TV.

When my wife questioned Hixi, she innocently said, "Auntie Hou said that you asked her to pick me up from school today, so I went with her."

My wife's heart sank. She realized that Hou Juan's actions had crossed the line. Not only did she openly claim Hixi as her daughter-in-law, but she also took her without permission.

My wife couldn't hold back her tears anymore and vented all her grievances to me.

I comforted my wife and said, "Don't worry, I will talk to Hou Juan and make it clear that she should stop these absurd behaviors. Our daughter is not a commodity to be betrothed. We will protect her."

The next day, I went to Hou Juan's house to have a talk. I explained to her that our daughter's future is her own choice, and we will not tolerate any more interference.

Hou Juan was initially defiant, but when I mentioned her actions of taking Hixi without permission, she finally realized that she had gone too far.

She apologized and promised not to mention the topic of marriage again. She also agreed to respect our family's boundaries and not interfere in our lives.

Since then, Hou Juan has kept her promise. She no longer bothers us with the topic of marriage, and our lives have returned to normal.

We continue to cherish our daughter and provide her with a loving and supportive environment. We believe that she will grow up to make her own choices and find happiness on her own terms.