The next day after breakfast, the Jiang Couple thought of talking to their daughter before she would leave for work.
"Can't you take a few day's leaves from work, dear?" Mo Ruolan asked calmly as she smiled pleasantly at her daughter.
"I already took a long break, mom. There is a lot left to finish now," Jiang Yuyan replied.
"Fine, fine. At least sit for a while. Your father and I want to talk something with you," Mo Ruolan insisted.
Jiang Yuyan listened to her mother and sat on the sofa to know what her parents wanted to talk about.
"What did you think about coming with us to the USA?" Mo Ruolan asked.
"Mother, I will but not now. Still, there are things I need to take care of," Jiang Yuyan replied.
"You mean once Lu Lijun becomes president?" Mo Ruolan asked.
"Well..mother...I can't suddenly leave everything on him..and...family... it won't be easy," Jiang Yuyan replied, not sure about what she felt about it and what exactly she wanted to say. Or she couldn't find a convincing reason.
"We talked with them," informed Mo Ruolan.
Jiang Yuyan looked at her mother surprisingly. "Mother..how can you talk to them without making it sure with me?"
"We talked with you that day, and you didn't seem to oppose it," Mo Ruolan replied.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJiang Yuyan closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Mother, they are my family, and if you suddenly ask them if you can take me with you, how bad they must have felt, and it's when I, myself, am not sure about it yet. That day I said it just for the sake of agreeing with you as you two are here after so long."
"You don't want to come with us….?"
It annoyed Jiang Yuyan. "I need time to think about it, mother, but coming to the USA doesn't mean I'll always be there. I have my family to look after. Grandpa, grandma...and..others."
All she could think was about her family, those people who were her true family now, and she cared for them only.
"So we are not your family?" Mo Ruolan asked.
"You all are my family mother...but..." Jiang Yuyan paused for a while and said that she didn't wish to; something that pained her. "If Lu Qiang was still alive, would you have asked me to come with you, mother? Just because he is not alive, do you think that's not my family now, and I am free to leave them whenever I want?"
"It's not like that, dear…."
"Mother, you should have asked me first," said Jiang Yuyan as she felt hurt, thinking how it must have hurt others in her family.
"I..I am sorry dear," Mo Ruolan felt guilty.
"It's not your mother alone. I was also with her and talked to them," Jiang Peizhi, who calmly heard their talk, finally spoke.
"Calm down, Yuyan," said Jiang Yang, who came downstairs, ready to go to work, heard the conversation between his parents and sister.
"What did they say?" Jiang Yuyan asked worriedly, looking at her parents.
"They would be happy with whatever you decide," Mo Ruolan replied.
Jiang Yuyan felt even worse as she mumbled, "How can I face them? They must think I don't consider them as family and was there only to fulfill Lu Qiang's responsibilities. It must have hurt them." Her eyes turned moist.
"No one thinks like that, Yuyan," Jiang Yang sat beside her to console. "They didn't think our parents were wrong, and they didn't think anything was wrong with it. They care for you, want you to be happy, and do what you want. And It's because you are their family."
"I know; that's why I am feeling even worse," she said.
"You think too much." Saying, Jiang Yang gave her a light finger flick on her forehead.
"Aooch! It hurts," she whined, rubbing her forehead.
"Woh, finally, you are feeling pain. I thought your sensory receptors were dead for a long time," Jiang Yang commented.
It surprised Jiang Yuyan too, and she looked at her brother, feeling puzzled.
"Let's try again," Jiang Yang did the same again without giving her a chance to save her forehead.
"Ahhh..you…" she whined and looked in more pain.
Jiang Yang didn't feel guilty about hurting his sister and said, "You are getting back to normal. It's a good sign."
Jiang Yuyan was surprised. Her body had stopped reacting to normal pains like these finger flicks. For her, it used to be like a slight sting which was not a big deal to bear with, but now she felt the real pain that her body should feel.
The parents looked at the two, not knowing what they were talking about.
"What do you mean?" Mo Ruolan asked her son.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Nothing much. Your cold daughter's mind and body had turned so cold to feel the normal pain, but it seems like she is turning normal now," Jiang Yang replied.
Jiang Peizhi looked at his daughter worriedly, and she replied, "It's nothing, father. I had been so busy even to pay attention to the little pains," she assured.
"When one's body is used to bearing the worst pain, such small pain feels like a little sting," Jiang Yang commented sarcastically.
"There is nothing like that," she stopped him from saying anything further in front of her parents, not willing to worry them. "My tolerance level is kinda good, and I am not whiny like you. By the way, aren't you getting late for the hospital?" Jiang Yuyan asked hurriedly.
Jiang Yang sighed, knowing his sister's efforts to silence him, and nodded. "Leaving!"
"I'll take leave too," said Jiang Yuyan.
"You are returning home, right?" Mo Ruolan asked.
"I'll be here till both of you are in China," she replied.
"We are here for a month," Mo Ruolan replied.
"Well...good..I'll try to be here then..," Jiang Yuyan said hesitantly and left with her brother.
Once the younger ones left, Mo Ruolan looked at her husband. "I'm scared to bring the topic of that boy to her."
"Hmm, I understand, but we have to," said Jiang Peizhi.
She is with us, so we can take it slow. Let's not hurry," Mo Ruolan suggested.
Jiang Peizhi nodded, agreeing to his wife.