Chương 8: Death and Life
When Xu Jing walked down the steps and entered the living room, he saw his mother sitting at the sofa reading a stock of business document.
Probably hearing his steps on the stairs, Mrs. Xu asked without turning her head around, "So, have you talk to that stubborn wife of yours?"
'From the fire into the boiling skillet,' thought Xu Jing but on the surface, he replied with a smile, "Of course, mother."
"As I have told you many times, you are way too lenient on her," Mrs. Xu commented.
"Of course, mother."
"And that is why she conducts herself in such a manner that she thinks she is the master of his household while that person should be you," Mrs. Xu added.
"Of course, mother."
"If you continue to be so happy-go-lucky, and do not treat this as seriously as you should, you will just end up having her walk over you."
"Of course, mother."
"A man of the family should not be treated like that, wouldn't you agree?"
"Of course, mother."
"Xu Jing, are you even listening to me?"
"Of course, mother."
"You are going to answer to everything I say with an 'of course, mother', aren't you?"
"Of course, mother," Realizing that he had been caught, Xu Jing quickly tried to salvage it by saying, "I mean, I really did talk to Joann about this, mother. She promises she will be more cautious and considerate of mother's condition in the future."
Xu Jing expected more argument out of his mother but Mrs. Xu did not say anything. After about half a minute of silence, Mrs. Xu placed the document down on the table and turned to look at Xu Jing.
She then sighed and patted the empty space on the sofa beside her, signaling for him to sit down.
Xu Jing obeyed her order and as he got closer, he realized how tired his mother looked. The events in the past month must have taken a greater toll out of her than he expected.
Before his mother got married, she was also a rising star among the business world. For a woman to be able to make it among the men's world, it was truly quite impressive. It was also how she had attracted the attention of his father, Xu Pin.
After their whirlwind romance and marriage, like most women in Chinese society, Mrs. Xu chose to retire from the spotlight and focus on her work as a wife, mother and homemaker.
However, after his father's sudden departure a few month ago, his mother was forced back into the forefront as she took over the presidential role of the company. Xu Jing tried his best to assist her but with the unfamiliar new environment, the workers' unrest from the changing leadership as well as the imminent threat to the company, the pressure on his mother must have been immense.
Xu Jing was pulled out of his thought by a sudden apology from Mrs. Xu, "Xu Jing, I am sorry."
Recovering from his initial surprise, Xu Jing asked, "Mother, why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden? You have done nothing wrong. Emotions were high, I understand that. There is no need for apology."
"I am not talking about that," Mrs. Xu took Xu Jing's palms into hers and said, "I am sorry for dragging you into our constant argument, for forcing you into this uncomfortable position."
Xu Jing was surprised, "Mother, why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Plus, I do not mind being the middleman. If you two are still willing to put down your differences because of me then it means that I still have a place of value in both of your hearts, right? If anything, I feel cherished."
Mrs. Xu smiled, "You and that slimy mouth of yours." But few seconds later, she turned serious and said, "However, sometimes, I hope you will take certain things more seriously…"
Xu Jing did not know what to say but utter a "Mother…"
"In any case, I appreciate what you have done. With regards to your question earlier, about why I bring this up is because of how all of you have been acting around me lately. The workers and even you are overly cautious like you are navigating a landmine like you are afraid you might accidentally trigger some mental breakdown in me.
"Xu Jing, I admit the world has been rather bleak since your father, Xu Pin passed away but I am not as fragile as most of you think. I am grieving but I am still alive.
"I too understand the futility of being too caught up in the past. Those who have passed away cannot be brought back again, so the only thing we can do is to look forward.
"Which is why I suppose, in spite of myself, I like to argue with Joann. While everyone is acting all cautious around me, that woman and that feisty temper of hers cannot be suppressed for any occasion.
"Having her challenge me reminds me that I still have a fight left in me. It reminds me of old times… So I suppose I should not only thank you for what you did but also thank her as well.
"Some of these days, I really should talk to her about this and apologize to her sincerely…"
"Mother…" was again all Xu Jing could say. However, he knew as much as Mrs. Xu did that the apology would not come to be. For a mother-in-law to apologize to the daughter-in-law? That was practically unheard of especially in Asian culture where family values like respect the elder was upheld and practiced.
Even though they were not a huggy type of family like most Chinese families, Xu Jing had half a mind to give his mother a hug right then.
As he tried to lean in, Mrs. Xu parted herself from him and cleared her throat to change the subject, "Enough sentimentalities for one day. How is the company doing? Are we prepared to face the challenge ahead?"
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