62 The Persuasion 4 (2/2)

...

Sitting in Spring Leaf Cafe, Xiu Ling watched how slumped Sylvia's back was as she left the cafe. It was like a weight of a thousand mountains were on her shoulders and a twinge of regret started to curl around Xiu Ling's heart.

'Perhaps this was the wrong decision to make,' thought Xiu Ling. Maybe she should not have involved Sylvia in this adult business especially considering the amount of pressure it had put on her. Furthermore, Sylvia was stuck in the same position as she was. Even though she knew about it, she did not know what was the most correct way of approaching it, and now she was sharing that conundrum with Sylvia. Sweet, innocent Sylvia who had no business being embroiled in her parents' dirty business.

Xiu Ling started to second doubt herself. However, like water that had left the bowl, the words could not be taken back anymore.

In her distress and desire to share this secret with others, she had placed that burden of knowledge onto Sylvia. Now, Xiu Ling realized that might not have been the cleverest thing to do. However, she had made her bed and now she was going to lie in it.

Xiu Ling finished her tea and she departed, her heart praying for the best because what else was there for her to do?

...

After the talk with Xiu Ling, Joann realized how rashly and selfish she had acted. She wished to mend the bridge with her daughter but her pride as a mother deterred her from doing so. To make her admit to her own flesh and blood that she had committed a mistake was a tough pill to swallow.

Therefore, she waited for Sylvia to make the first move. However, she underestimated how stubborn her daughter could be and she did not expect Sylvia would have something else on her mind.

Sylvia did not have time to deal with this occupation issue so she placed it on the back burner. In other words, she did not want to deal with it, and the best way to do that was to ignore both the issue and the people who caused the issue. She gave her mother the cold shoulder.

Thus began the cold war at Xu family. Both parties had the intention of seeking peace but both had their own reason not to reach out first, some reasons more stupid than the rest.

In any case, Xu Jing found it difficult being stuck in the middle as he tried to mediate for a period of peace but little did he know, he was one of the main causes of the problem that hung over the Xu household like a stubborn mist.