"Really?" A happy smile lit up Laura's face when she heard Peggy praising Anthony.
Through the years, she prided herself for having Anthony as her son. She always felt that Anthony was so outstanding and so perfect that no ordinary woman could easily match him. That was why if other people openly expressed admiration towards her son, her heart was unfailingly brimming with overwhelming happiness.
"Of course," Peggy happily replied wearing a smile on her face. "When I first saw Anthony, I believed he is such an outstanding man, indeed a far cry from my son, Allen. He looks strikingly impressive. Honestly, my daughter Sue is so lucky that she can be with your extraordinary son. I don't worry about my daughter any more when she became Anthony's girlfriend," Peggy kept buttering Laura up.
Laura put on a big smile and pretended to be humble. "You are flattering me. My son is not so much good as you say. He is just worse off than some but better off than many."
Then Peggy stared at Laura and spoke out her confusion. "In-laws, what are you coming here for today…"
Hearing Peggy's question, Laura gave a wry smile and tentatively answered, "I come here because… I heard that they broke up with each other. Well, is that true? I want to know what on earth happened. All I know is that they're getting along just fine. Why did they suddenly break up? It is really quite confusing."
Peggy replied in a reassuring voice, "They just fall out with each other over something. I think they didn't break up at all. Don't worry." She then added, "But as you said, these two are young and always impulsive. They are more inclined to be aggressive when it comes to their misunderstanding. They don't know yet how to take family responsibilities at all. I guess, they should learn how to be calm or they should mellow out to work things out."
"Yes, that's true…" Laura said as she readily agreed with a deep sigh. "I came here today to ask Sue about what happened. If they don't have any intention to break up, why don't we just make arrangements for their marriage as soon as possible? A long delay means trouble. What do you think of it?" Laura explicitly suggested in a tone laced with excitement.
"I definitely agree," Peggy enthusiastically said while grinning. "Sue is my only daughter. I will truly be happy if she can get married to her Mr. Right and get accepted to your respectable family." Peggy nodded her head.
"Fine, we have made a deal. Actually, I really like Sue. She is not impulsive like other girls. And she also has good manners," Laura praised Sue with a happy smile on her face.
"Oh! That's right. My daughter is a good girl," Peggy answered in a happy voice as she beamed at Laura. Peggy and Laura had been chatting for a while when Sue was rushing back home. Surprised to see Laura sitting on the sofa, she stopped where she was standing. She then furrowed her brows and asked in disbelief, "Aunt, why… why are you here?"
"I had called you up, but you didn't answer my call. I couldn't help worrying about you, so I decided to come here to see you. By the way, I also want to visit your family. So here I am. And I think you will be glad to welcome me here, won't you?" Laura blissfully replied with great joy etched in her face.
Long before Sue could speak, Peggy had already chimed in excitedly, "Of course you are most welcomed here. And we are so happy that you have come."
Peggy then strutted her way towards Sue and whispered earnestly to her in a discreet manner, "Just cheer up. How could you show a poker face to your future mother-in-law?" Then she started to threaten Sue, "I am warning you, I will teach you a harsh lesson if you try to drive Laura away."
With a sarcastic smile, Peggy continued in a low voice, "If you still want to keep your baby, just behave yourself well and treat Laura properly. If you refuse to obey my words, I will beat you up until you suffer a miscarriage. Mark my words, you can try if you don't believe me."
Sue glared at Peggy in utter disbelief. She had never imagined that her mother would say such vicious words.
"Why are you still standing there? Just come here and accompany your future mother-in-law," Peggy pulled Sue as she urged her amiably as if nothing happened between them a moment ago. She was still all smile at Laura when she instructed Sue, "You just entertain her here. And I'll go to the kitchen first to cook our dinner."
Then she glanced back at Laura, still wearing that big smile and insisted kindly, "Mrs. Xiao, stay here for a little while and then have a meal with us. We can sort out other details during dinner time. What do you think of it?"
"That's right. Sounds good to me," Laura nodded her head and replied appreciatively.
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