817 Buddhist-Style Mother (2/2)

”Snowball shedding its hair has nothing to do with you? If you comb it every day, would it still shed this much hair? …Forget it. You're heading to the pet shop today, right? While you're there, cut Snowball's hair shorter!” her mother ordered.

”No,” Snowy immediately refused. ”It's a long-haired cat. Cutting it short would make it look ugly.”

Huff! Huff!

Snowball made some weird groans under the table. Crouching on the carpet, it squirmed around like it was feeling discomfort.

”Snowball, what's wrong?” Snowy threw her half-eaten bread to the side and wanted to pick it up.

Snowball opened its mouth and threw up a pool of disgusting things. There were even bunches of hair in there.

It seemed to be much more comfortable after throwing up, but it also seemed to be disgusted with the thing that it threw up. It then used its claws to pull the food bowl away and ran to a different place to have its breakfast.

Snowy suddenly realized something. ”This is the so-called hairball, right? I've gained knowledge!”

She hurriedly jumped out of the dining chair and wanted to sneak away, but she was caught on the collar by her mother, who said coldly, ”It's the cat that you brought back, so you're responsible for clearing this puddle of mess. You're not allowed to push it to the cleaning auntie.”

”Such bad luck!” Snowy sullenly looked for a mask, gloves, paper towels, disinfectant, and other things from the storage room. She then started to clear the puddle of vomit with her eyes closed.

Ding dong!

When she heard the doorbell, her mother, who had been supervising her work, went to open the door.

Snowy wrinkled her nose at Snowball. She then followed her mother's actions and said, ”This is what you threw up. You're responsible for clearing this mess!”

Unfortunately, Snowball was indifferent and continued to eat its canned cat food.

Her mother walked back in with a bunch of flowers. She stuck her nose deep into the flowers and took a deep breath. ”En, that's a nice fragrance!”

”Where did the flowers come from?” Snowy asked curiously. ”What special day is today?”

”I bought it myself, and I'm learning about flower arrangements from our neighbor's wife.” Her mother softly hummed a song and walked into the kitchen to take a vase, then sat on the coffee table and pulled out a flower from the bouquet and stuck it into the vase. She carefully adjusted the angle and, if she felt unsatisfied, she would pull it out and replace it with another one.

Snowy went closer to take a look. ”What a beautiful flower. What flower is this?”

”Tulips.” Her mother glanced at her and asked without holding any expectations, ”Do you want to learn together with me?”

Flower arrangement was an art for women to show off her femininity. It was basically an art exclusive to women. If you just listened to the name, it gave people a feeling of calmness and elegance. A long-term study of flower arrangement could cultivate temperament and enhance artistic accomplishment. It could also allow one to decorate their home warmly and beautifully, and to better express one's feelings to another.

She obviously hoped for Snowy to cultivate her nature from learning how to arrange flowers––even if she couldn't be as quiet and gentle as a real lady, at least she could be like an ordinary girl.

Unsurprisingly, Snowy shook her head with no hesitation. ”Not learning! Flower arranging is not my thing!

”…If you don't try it, how would you know if it's not suitable for you?” her mother asked angrily.

”Aiya! Anyway, it's really not my thing! We're not compatible, our birth dates don't match, everything just doesn't match!” Snowy feared that her mother would continue to pester her, so she hurriedly looked at her watch and said, ”It's almost time. I'm leaving! Everyone is waiting for me!”

She threw the dirty paper towel into the trash can, placed the glove, mask, and disinfectant back to their original position, and ran back upstairs to change her clothes.

”It's really… making me mad! This foolish girl is just too wild!” Her mother was really angry. She used too much force with her fingers and bent a bunch of beautiful looking tulips.

”No! This is not right! The world is so beautiful, yet I'm so irritable. This is not good! I have to calm my heart! I want to go Buddhist-style! From today onwards, I want to be a Buddhist-style mother! Be it happiness or sadness, I shall remain indifferent!”

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes slightly, and sat quietly without looking around. A smile appeared on her face and it shined with buddha's light. One hand was supporting the vase, and she pinched her fingers with the other. She looked just like the Guanyin Bodhisattva who didn't involve herself with the earthliness––also like the pure Virgin Mary.

”With or without, both are fine. Don't fight or snatch; remain indifferent to wins and losses. All the troubles are but an illusion. The various unhappiness levels are but fleeting like clouds. Marriage and childbirth are like illusory dreams. However my daughter messes around, I shall remain steadfast. Buddhist-style rearing, all are cheering. Amitabha, praise and praise.”

Muttering words from her mouth, and under constant self-suggestion, her mood gradually became more cheerful. All the previous negative emotions were swept away, and her body felt light as if she was floating in the clouds. She even had a feeling that there should be buddha's light emitting behind her, and a halo above her head…

Snowy grabbed her phone and carried the cat bag, running and jumping her way downstairs.

”Mom, I'm heading out!”

After she ran out two steps, she turned around and saw the tulip on the table that had bloomed beautifully. She thought to herself that it wouldn't be nice to go to the opening of the aquarium empty-handed, and there should be no problem in giving a few tulips, right?

”Mom, I'll be taking a few flowers. Anyway, there's still so much so it shouldn't matter,” Snowy said casually, taking a few golden colored tulips from the bouquet and running out the door.

Her mother suddenly opened her eyes and saw Snowy leave with all the golden tulips, leaving her with only the red, pink, and white ones. How was she going to arrange the flowers now?

”Come back right now! Put the flowers back! Buy some yourself if you want to give it away!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Unfortunately, Snowy had already run far away so she couldn't hear her mother's roar.

Sure enough, she was still unable to be a Buddhist-style mother.