Tips

“Just Three Days After My Wedding, My Mother Was Hospitalized: I Asked My Mother-in-Law for the Wedding Money Back and Was Stunned by the Balance”

Hearing my mother-in-law explain the reason behind the account balance, my eyes welled up with tears.

14 November, 2025

That day, I was tidying up the house, folding our freshly scented wedding quilt, when my phone rang. On the other end, my father’s voice trembled:

“Your mother has fainted and is in the district hospital. The doctor says she needs emergency surgery.”

I froze, my heart clenching tightly. All the joy and excitement of a newlywed bride vanished in an instant. I hastily threw on my coat, preparing to rush back to my hometown. But as I opened my wallet, I suddenly remembered I had no money left.

After the wedding, all the cash gifts from guests and the gold from both families were handed over to my mother-in-law. She had said:

“You two are still young and don’t know how to manage money. Let me keep it for you. Whenever you need it, just ask. Holding onto too much money might make you spend it recklessly.”

At the time, it seemed reasonable. We had just gotten married, with so many things to worry about, and I was known to be careless with money. Little did I know that just three days after the wedding, such an urgent situation would arise.

Just three days after our wedding, I received a call from my father, informing me that my mother had been hospitalized. (Illustrative image)

My husband and I reluctantly explained the situation to my mother-in-law, hoping she would return the wedding money so we could cover my mother’s surgery fees. After listening, she fell silent for a long moment, then opened the cabinet, took out a bank card, and gently placed it in my hand:

“Here’s the money, take it and take care of your mother.”

I tremblingly took the card, my heart in turmoil, and packed my things to return to my hometown. But when I went to the ATM to withdraw the money, tears streamed down my face as I saw the balance.

The amount in the account was perfectly intact, even a few million more than what we had given my mother-in-law. I was stunned. It meant she hadn’t used any of the money we gave her to pay for the wedding; all the expenses had been covered by her own efforts and borrowing.

I knew that for our wedding to be so complete, my mother-in-law must have shouldered an immense burden. She worked as a garment factory worker, earning less than 6 million VND a month, while my father-in-law was ill, and the family had few assets. Yet, our wedding was dignified, warm, with all the necessary gifts and gold.

On the wedding day, I saw her smiling constantly, only sitting down and sighing deeply after all the guests had left. Now, I understand that smile carried both happiness and exhaustion, along with her worries.

After hearing my explanation, my mother-in-law immediately gave me all the wedding money to take care of my mother. (Illustrative image)

By the time I arrived at the hospital, my mother’s surgery was over. My father had borrowed money to ensure she received timely treatment. I gave him the money to repay the debt. Over the following days, I stayed by her bedside, watching her slowly regain consciousness, eat, and speak, my heart finally at ease.

Once my mother stabilized, I returned to my in-laws’ home to resume work. Along the way, I couldn’t stop thinking about that bank card. The numbers on the screen represented more than just money—they symbolized the heart of a mother.

As soon as I stepped into the house, my mother-in-law rushed out, warmly inquiring about my mother’s health and asking if I was tired from the journey. Looking at her concern, I choked up and said:

“Mom, my mother is out of danger now. Thank you so much. But why didn’t you use the wedding money to pay for the wedding expenses? And you even added a few million to it?”

She simply smiled:

“Who would use your wedding money to pay for the wedding? I can still work and earn money, so I’ll manage, no matter how hard it is. As long as you two are happy, I’m happy.”

Hearing this, my eyes welled up with tears. I realized she cared not only for her son but also for me, her new daughter-in-law of less than a week. A woman who worked so hard, earning less than 6 million VND a month, had borrowed money to give us a perfect wedding and kept every single gift intact.

That night, sitting in my room, I heard my mother-in-law’s slippers outside in the yard, and my heart felt strangely warm. If not for this crisis, it might have taken me much longer to truly understand her heart—a mother who didn’t give birth to me but loved me as her own daughter.

I silently vowed to treat her with all my sincerity, so she would always know that her love had been sown in the right person, in the right place.