"Okay," Jean responded. She nodded and walked towards to the dining room.
"Sean, why did you agree to Zed and Jean going to the resort? It's dangerous out there, and Jean is pregnant. I will be so worried about her safety," Jade said to Sean.
Hearing her tirade, Sean paused the game and looked at Jade. He shook his head and said,"Jade, you worry too much. Zed and Jean aren't kids. Going out and hanging out with their friends is really not a big deal. Do you really want to keep them with us, two elders, every single day? On top of that, Moore is going too. Two grown-up men are going to be with Jean. What else wouldn't they be able to handle?"
Sean said.
Jade thought over Sean's words. She couldn't argue at this point. But somehow, she couldn't shake off her worries with Sean's argument.
"For some reason, I have a bad feeling about their trip. I will try to talk Zed out of this weekend resort idea, when he is home," said Jade. She mumbled and walked away from Sean.
Sean sunk in his chair without saying a word to Jade. He flashed a wry smile at Moore and said,"I apologize for this. She usually doesn't act like this. She is just too much worried about Jean and the baby."
Moore smiled back and replied,"Uncle Sean, there's no need to apologize. I think you are very glad to have her as your wife."
"Oh? How so?" Sean asked curiously.
"I can see Aunt Jade is a very caring and detail-oriented woman. With her by your side, you can let go of a lot of worries," said Moore with a big smile.
"That's true. With Jade's company for all of these years, she has taken care of a lot of things for me," said Sean. He gave Moore a nod to show his agreement and continued,"In fact, she did a lot of things way better than me."
"I knew she is an amazing woman when I first saw her. That is why I think you are glad to have her by your side! With Aunt Jade's help, your life must be so much easier." Moore smiled and added.
"You are right. I am glad. If my daughter had not been killed in that incident, my life would have been perfect," said Sean.
"Uncle Sean, let's not think about the past. We have played chess for hours now. Sitting for too long is not good for your health. May I have the pleasure to take a walk in your beautiful garden with you?" Moore put down the chess pieces in his hands on the board, and requested Sean politely.
"Did I lose again?" asked Sean. He took a close look at the chessboard, and noticed that the Black pieces were losing.
"I have to admit you are way better than me on this game. I have lost five times in a row now," said Sean. "Alright then, let's go for a walk."
Moore stood up and started walking by Sean's side.
Today, Jean had a very good appetite. After eating two big bowls of minced pork congee with preserved eggs, she finally felt full. She rubbed her stomach and looked at Jade with satisfaction in her eyes. "Mother, the congee you cooked was so delicious. My stomach is too full for anything else," said Jean.
(*TN: Minced Pork Congee with Preserved Eggs is a name of a common Chinese dish.)
"Silly girl," Jade smiled and said,"if you like it, I will cook it more often for you." Right after uttering those words, her smile froze on her lips. She thought, 'I am going to leave next week. I don't know when she will get to taste my cooking next.'
Suddenly, Jade was overcome by sadness.
It was not hard for Jean to guess what was on Jade's mind.
Jean could tell that Jade didn't want to leave as Jade stood there in confusion.
"Mother, if you don't mind, I would like you to stay here for more days," said Jean.
On the weekend, Jean held her guilt and went in Zed's powerful SUV with Moore on the insistence of Sean and Jade.
Looking at Jade waving her goodbye in the side mirror, Jean became low-spirited. She could no longer hold the guilt that had been gnawing from the inside. It showed clearly on her face.
"What's wrong?" asked Zed. He was driving the car and had just glanced at Jean. Seeing her frown deeply, he felt compelled to ask.
"Zed," Jean suddenly uttered his name. "Do you know father and mother will go back to the Imperial Capital next Monday?" Jean looked at Zed and asked.
"Yeah, I know! So?" said Zed. Right after he replied, Zed realized why Jean was acting so strange. He gave Moore a look and hinted at him to help as their eyes met in the rear view mirror.
"Very well then. Since you did know, can you tell me why you agree to go to the resort with me this weekend? I agreed to Maranda's plan, not knowing when they planned to leave. When I did, Mother stopped me from changing the plans," said Jean. She pouted and continued,"Why didn't you tell me? If you had, I wouldn't have made such a reckless decision."
Zed signalled Moore again, but Moore gave him a smile and smugly sat in the backseat without uttering a single word. Zed smiled in resignation and said,"Moore, Jean doesn't look happy. Do you mind answering her question for me?"
"It's your marriage, and I'm not going to wet my shoes for it," replied Moore. Moore shook his head and laughed at Zed. Clearly, he was enjoying every bit of the moment and was in no mood to help Zed out.
Zed was on his own now. He faked a cough and smiled at Jean. "Darling, it's really not a big deal. They are my parents. We will have plenty of time in the future to spend with them. Just don't worry about it," said Zed.
"It's easy for you to say. They are your parents but not mine. Whatever you do, they will be okay with it. But for me, things are different. You know how tough it is to manage relations between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. What if mother disliked me for what I have done? It's obvious I didn't do the right thing! Oh God! I should have not dragged everyone out to have fun on their last weekend here," groaned Jean.
Giving voice to her thoughts upsetted Jean all the more.
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