Chapter 31
Aurelia went downstairs with her colleagues. Before meeting with the so–called mother–in- law, she heard a familiar voice from the crowd.
“What can you say
1 you say about this? Yes, we didn’t lend her money, but she turned around and threatened my son with marriage.”
“All my son thinks about now is her. He can’t even focus on his work. He tried to ask to get back together with her several times, but she even blocked his number!”
“That’s why I came here to beg her shamelessly. I only hope she can forgive the fact that we’re only a normal family. We can’t afford her high expenses, but I hope that she can live a good life with my son in the future. Everyone in our family likes a smart and capable daughter–in- law like her.”
Aurelia followed the voice and nudged her way through the crowd. Then, she saw Rosa with reddened eyes.
Rosa was wearing a black, cotton midi dress. She was holding a small and exquisite bag in her arms. With an embarrassed look, everyone would think of her as an honest lady with a decent
manner.
In a bustling city like Seacaster, a decent old lady was much more favorable to the young people than an old lady in a T–shirt.
When Aurelia showed up, Rosa quickly went up and grabbed her wrist before she realized the situation.
“Aurelia, finally you’re willing to see me. I want to apologize for Seth. He is a straightforward person and I know you were upset. Can’t you forgive him for my sake?” Rosa sounded very sincere. It made her look like a normal mother who was always worried about her children.
But Aurelia knew that Rosa wasn’t just a normal mother.
After Seth had proposed to her, he told her that he wanted to introduce her to his mother. She thought Seth was taking her seriously, so she prepared some fruit and a cashmere scarf as gifts for Rosa.
But when Rosa saw her gifts, she threw the scarf on the couch with a cold smile on her face. Her voice was dripping
With sarcasm as she said, “There was a boy in our town who married a girl from the big city. The girl gave her mother–in–law a gold bracelet. And a few days later, she gave her another gold necklace. Everyone was so envious of her.”
When Rosa finished, she even rubbed her empty wrist.
Aurelia was too smart not to understand the implications. Rosa thought what she had given her was too cheap.
Unfortunately, she was still silly enough to think that Rosa might not know much about branded products. So she tried to explain, “Mrs. Martinez, the scarf is…”
“It’s a thoughtful gift. I know that. But a cashmere scarf is not very useful to me. I prefer silk scarves more. Look at the floral print, isn’t it beautiful?” Rosa said as she pointed to the floral silk scarf on the chair.
“Mrs. Martinez.” Aurelia was about to explain that the cashmere scarf she bought was a branded product. It was light but warm at the same time, and it was more expensive than her polyester scarf.
But Seth chimed in, “Mom, I’ll ask Aurelia to return this if you don’t like it. She’ll buy you a gold bracelet tomorrow. We’ll definitely pick one that suits you best in the jewelry shop.”
He tried to give a hint to Aurelia by shooting her a glance.
Aurelia was upset, but she didn’t want to sour her relationship with Rosa on their first meeting. So she smiled but didn’t explicitly agree with Seth.
Yet, Rosa seemed very pleased. So, she invited Aurelia to sit down and eat.
Aurelia assumed to only have a meal with them peacefully and leave a good impression on
each other.
But, the food Rosa prepared was all spicy. Seth knew that she couldn’t eat anything spicy. But when Aurelia looked at Seth, he was eating more happily than anyone else.
“Mom, the food you made is so delicious.”
“You can have more if you think it’s delicious. Come on, Aurelia. Taste this.” Rosa lifted at spoonful of spicy soup to Aurelia’s lips.
Aurelia knitted her brows and refused. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Martinez. I can’t eat spicy food.”
Rosa clicked her tongue and complained, “Seth loves spicy food the most. How are you going to cook for him if you don’t like it? You’re just not used to eating spicy food. You’ll be good if you get used to it. Come on, I’ll feed you.”
Aurelia was stunned when Rosa suddenly stuffed the spoonful of spicy soup into her mouth. She even pulled Seth’s arm and laughed, “See? I knew that she could eat spicy food. The city girls are all so pretentious. Whether it’s spicy or not, they’re all the same once you get used to it.”
