"According to grandma, it is about something that can't wait. She seemed insistent on talking to you, mom." Sylvia paused before adding, "And she did not look all too happy when she told me so I don't think you should make her wait, mom."
'What could mother possibly want to talk to me about?' was the first question that entered Joann's mind but the answer came soon after. 'Of course, it is about that damn picture. She is probably going to lecture me on how to conduct myself like a proper, married woman. I mean, what else could it be?'
To be honest, that was also exactly what Sylvia thought when she first heard her grandmother want to talk to her mother. As much as she loved her grandmother, Sylvia knew her grandmother could be quite prudish, a result of her traditional upbringing. She hated to see her two family members argue.
Sylvia reached out to hold Joann's arm. "Mom, do you want me to come with you?"
Whenever Sylvia was in the room, Mrs. Xu would not lay it in thick on Joann. It did not feel right to lecture Joann in front of her daughter and Sylvia had helped defuse many a tension-filled situation before.
Joann was touched by her daughter's concern. She held her daughter's hand back and squeezed it as a sign that she had received the love. "That will be fine, Sylvia but thank you."
Joann did not want to involve her daughter in the drama between herself and her mother-in-law. Joann did not think it set a good precedent for Sylvia to see how volatile their argument could get. In other words, she did not want her daughter to follow in her footsteps. From this angle, one could discern that actually Joann knew it was wrong to argue with Mrs. Xu but the woman could not help herself. She refused to silence her principles and not stand up for what she believed was right even if the person she was facing was her mother-in-law.
"But mom..." Sylvia began to argue but Joann stopped her, "It's okay. I'm sure mother just wants to talk to me, it'll be fine."
'Yes but those talks between the two of you often lead to shouting and I'm afraid this time it might even lead to a fisticuffs,' Sylvia thought but didn't say.
Joann patted Sylvia's hand twice to reassure her daughter that she would be fine. Joann left her luggage in the living room and headed for her mother-in-law's office with a stern expression on her face, not unlike a warrior ready for war.
Joann knocked and pushed the door to Mrs. Xu's office open. "Mother, I'm home. Sylvia said you wish to talk to me..."
Joann stopped because she saw that her mother-in-law was talking on the phone, it would be rude to interrupt. Mrs. Xu also turned towards the door when she heard it open, she made a signal to Joann, informing her to let her finish her phone call first. Joann was glad to oblige.
Joann stood at the door and looked around the room. The walls of the office was lined with bookshelves, it would not be wrong to call the place a home library. Most of the shelves were filled from the ceiling to the floor with books. While most of the books were on the topic of business, some of them were quite eclectic, ranging from language to philosophy. A majority of them had a thin layer of dust on them because they belonged to Xu Jing's father who had already passed away and no one had touched these tomes ever since his passing. They were left on the shelves to gather dust.
In the middle of the room, surrounded by the book shelves was a sizeable office table. Upon it sat a home computer where Mrs. Xu did most of her work. Normally, she could found working at the table, typing away on the computer. However, that day she was standing beside one of the bookshelves with the phone in her hand.
Mrs. Xu used words like liquidation, recovery of asset in her conversation. These were business terms that Joann did not understand but she did know her mother-in-law was not in the good mood from the pointed and exasperated tone she used in her conversation.
'Great, I have to return when mother is in such a sour mood.' Joann grumbled to herself.
The phone call continued for another several minutes before Mrs. Xu put the phone away while shaking her head. A frown was heavily creased between her brows. The woman seemed to be heavily disturbed by something.
As highly individualistic people tended to think, Joann thought Mrs. Xu's trouble was because of her.
Instead of waiting for Mrs. Xu to start the lecture and thus dominate the conversation, Joann decided to strike first. "Mother, about that picture in the tabloid, I promise you, it is all a concerted attack by an unknown party determined to ruin my name."
When Mrs. Xu turned to look at Joann, the latter realized how tired her mother-in-law was. There were heavy dark circles under the older woman's eyes. This was sign that her mother-in-law probably had not slept for days already to have her dark circles become so heavy.
Mrs. Xu looked at Joann like a child coming across something new, she had no idea what Joann was talking about. Then, it dawned on Mrs. Xu. She replied, "Oh, the picture. Xu Jing has already explained that to me. Those people at the tabloid sure are horrible. Don't worry, I understand the situation." It was practically a verbal equivalent of a shrug.
Joann was so baffled by this that she blurted out in confusion, "Huh?!"
"Then, if this is not about the picture, why did you ask to see me, mother?" Joann asked.
Mrs. Xu took deliberate steps towards Joann and when she was standing before her, Mrs. Xu did something that was completely unexpected.
"According to grandma, it is about something that can't wait. She seemed insistent on talking to you, mom." Sylvia paused before adding, "And she did not look all too happy when she told me so I don't think you should make her wait, mom."
'What could mother possibly want to talk to me about?' was the first question that entered Joann's mind but the answer came soon after. 'Of course, it is about that damn picture. She is probably going to lecture me on how to conduct myself like a proper, married woman. I mean, what else could it be?'
To be honest, that was also exactly what Sylvia thought when she first heard her grandmother want to talk to her mother. As much as she loved her grandmother, Sylvia knew her grandmother could be quite prudish, a result of her traditional upbringing. She hated to see her two family members argue.
Sylvia reached out to hold Joann's arm. "Mom, do you want me to come with you?"
Whenever Sylvia was in the room, Mrs. Xu would not lay it in thick on Joann. It did not feel right to lecture Joann in front of her daughter and Sylvia had helped defuse many a tension-filled situation before.
Joann was touched by her daughter's concern. She held her daughter's hand back and squeezed it as a sign that she had received the love. "That will be fine, Sylvia but thank you."
Joann did not want to involve her daughter in the drama between herself and her mother-in-law. Joann did not think it set a good precedent for Sylvia to see how volatile their argument could get. In other words, she did not want her daughter to follow in her footsteps. From this angle, one could discern that actually Joann knew it was wrong to argue with Mrs. Xu but the woman could not help herself. She refused to silence her principles and not stand up for what she believed was right even if the person she was facing was her mother-in-law.
"But mom..." Sylvia began to argue but Joann stopped her, "It's okay. I'm sure mother just wants to talk to me, it'll be fine."
'Yes but those talks between the two of you often lead to shouting and I'm afraid this time it might even lead to a fisticuffs,' Sylvia thought but didn't say.
Joann patted Sylvia's hand twice to reassure her daughter that she would be fine. Joann left her luggage in the living room and headed for her mother-in-law's office with a stern expression on her face, not unlike a warrior ready for war.
Joann knocked and pushed the door to Mrs. Xu's office open. "Mother, I'm home. Sylvia said you wish to talk to me..."
Joann stopped because she saw that her mother-in-law was talking on the phone, it would be rude to interrupt. Mrs. Xu also turned towards the door when she heard it open, she made a signal to Joann, informing her to let her finish her phone call first. Joann was glad to oblige.
Joann stood at the door and looked around the room. The walls of the office was lined with bookshelves, it would not be wrong to call the place a home library. Most of the shelves were filled from the ceiling to the floor with books. While most of the books were on the topic of business, some of them were quite eclectic, ranging from language to philosophy. A majority of them had a thin layer of dust on them because they belonged to Xu Jing's father who had already passed away and no one had touched these tomes ever since his passing. They were left on the shelves to gather dust.
In the middle of the room, surrounded by the book shelves was a sizeable office table. Upon it sat a home computer where Mrs. Xu did most of her work. Normally, she could found working at the table, typing away on the computer. However, that day she was standing beside one of the bookshelves with the phone in her hand.
Mrs. Xu used words like liquidation, recovery of asset in her conversation. These were business terms that Joann did not understand but she did know her mother-in-law was not in the good mood from the pointed and exasperated tone she used in her conversation.
'Great, I have to return when mother is in such a sour mood.' Joann grumbled to herself.
The phone call continued for another several minutes before Mrs. Xu put the phone away while shaking her head. A frown was heavily creased between her brows. The woman seemed to be heavily disturbed by something.
As highly individualistic people tended to think, Joann thought Mrs. Xu's trouble was because of her.
Instead of waiting for Mrs. Xu to start the lecture and thus dominate the conversation, Joann decided to strike first. "Mother, about that picture in the tabloid, I promise you, it is all a concerted attack by an unknown party determined to ruin my name."
When Mrs. Xu turned to look at Joann, the latter realized how tired her mother-in-law was. There were heavy dark circles under the older woman's eyes. This was sign that her mother-in-law probably had not slept for days already to have her dark circles become so heavy.
Mrs. Xu looked at Joann like a child coming across something new, she had no idea what Joann was talking about. Then, it dawned on Mrs. Xu. She replied, "Oh, the picture. Xu Jing has already explained that to me. Those people at the tabloid sure are horrible. Don't worry, I understand the situation." It was practically a verbal equivalent of a shrug.
Joann was so baffled by this that she blurted out in confusion, "Huh?!"
"Then, if this is not about the picture, why did you ask to see me, mother?" Joann asked.
Mrs. Xu took deliberate steps towards Joann and when she was standing before her, Mrs. Xu did something that was completely unexpected.
