The Tea

While Mrs. Lin had no qualms about bullying her daughter-in-law, she was apprehensive of leading a bad example before her impressionable grandson, after all, Lin Xi was the future heir of Lin family. If she had accidentally left a psychological or physical scar on the boy while she was dealing with the mother, this was an error that she would not be able to survive or undo.

This was how Xiu Ling was saved from her mother-in-law's wrath. However, this only meant that the elder woman's pent up angered that was directed at Mrs. Xiu was all the more serious.

Nonetheless, Mrs. Xiu managed to hold up on her own quite well. Unlike her daughter, she was not that much of a pushover. In terms of combat power, she was no less impressive than her in-law, which was evidenced by the following interaction of note.

It was a warm afternoon. Xiu Ling and Lin Xi were in their bedroom resting while Mrs. Lin sat in the large living room alone, enjoying the afternoon tea. Mrs. Xiu stood beside the sofa, ready to attend to Mrs. Lin's every needs.

Mrs. Lin picked up a blueberry scone from the steel multi-tiered dessert stand. She slathered it with a generous amount of butter before taking a bite out of it. She nodded with satisfaction before placing the half-eaten pastry down on an empty dessert plate.

In the same motion, she cleared her throat and Mrs. Xiu took the cue to shuffle silently forward. The elderly maid picked up the tea pot off the table and poured a cup of flower tea for Mrs. Lin to go with her scone. After all, what was afternoon tea without… well, actual tea?

As Mrs. Xiu placed the tea pot back down on the table, Mrs. Lin picked up the cup of tea to take a sip. Then, her brows creased with a frown. The cup clinked against the saucer and Mrs. Lin demanded, "Why is the tea cold? How do you expect me to enjoy my afternoon tea time with the tea being as cold as ice?"

Of course, Mrs. Lin was exaggerating. Both she and Mrs. Xiu knew she was merely creating trouble for the sake of creating one.

"Of course, Madam. I will go change for you a new pot," said Mrs. Xiu in a respectful tone.

"Then, why are you still standing here? Are you waiting for the tea to brew itself?" needled Mrs. Lin.

"Of course not, Madam. I am sorry, Madam. I will be right back." Mrs. Xiu picked up the tea set and entered the kitchen. She did not let Mrs. Lin get to her, she treated the other woman like an unruly child throwing a tantrum. She knew Mrs. Lin was purposely being difficult so she did not take the offense to heart.

After boiling the water and steeping a new pack of tea, Mrs. Xiu returned to the living room. She poured Mrs. Lin another cup and as the rim of the cup touched the other woman's lips, she yelped, "That is so hot! Are you trying to scald me?!"

The cup went flying from Mrs. Lin's hand and landed with a loud clutter. The hot tea splattered perhaps a bit too accurately at Mrs. Xiu but the elder woman barely even flinched. She took the nearby table cloth and started to wipe down the water stain, adding calmly, "In that case, Madam should let the tea rest for a while first drinking it, or should you prefer it, I could go grab a glass of water for Madam to balance out the temperature."

"You…" Mrs. Lin wanted to say something but the elderly maid had technically done nothing wrong. Unable to vent her anger, she stood up and fled the room. As she left, she harrumphed harshly, "You have completely ruined my mood for afternoon tea! Clear away the mess, I want to see the place clean when I return!"

"Of course, Madam," Mrs. Xiu said to the woman's retreating shadow. To be honest, she did not quite understand the other woman's sudden outburst. However, she had gotten used to the woman's recalcitrant nature so Mrs. Xiu simply shrugged it off.

Mrs. Xiu picked up one of the delicate pastries and popped it into her mouth. The buttery taste melted in her mouth instantly. She had always thought afternoon tea was a waste of time but with food as delicious as these, she would not mind attending such an event once in a while. She swept the rest of the pastries into the plastic bag she retrieved from the kitchen and cleared the whole tea set away. She would share the pastries with Xiu Ling and the maids later, there was no reason for good food to go to waste, right?

The reason behind Mrs. Lin's unfettered anger was Mrs. Xiu's lack of reaction. She expected a scream or even a yelp like the one she made when she purposely dropped the cup from her finger. Where was the satisfaction if your victim just took the punishment you dished out indifferently and stoically?

The ball of fire that Mrs. Lin sought to release only grew bigger in her chest.

…

Having a son had changed Lin Kang, or at least, parts of him. For example, he had returned from his business trip earlier than scheduled and he had returned alone, without the accompaniment of Elder Lin.

The first thing he did after rushing through the door was to greet and play with his son. Lin Xi evidently had missed his father as well, he laughed and gurgled happily in Lin Kang's arms.

He played with the boy until the sun fell under the horizon, then Lin Kang handed the boy over to Mrs. Xiu to be taken care of while he returned to his bedroom to rest. Xiu Ling was reading in bed when he entered.

Lin Kang glanced at his wife appreciatively before entering the bathroom.

Later, he came out with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes locked onto Xiu Ling hungrily and he said, "Xiu Ling, do you still remember the promise you owed me when you were pregnant?"