Tradition (2)

"Mother, I should have been more careful and alerted you that I have just mopped the stairs and they would be slippery. That was my mistake. I would do everything within my power to look after you until you're nursed back to health. I'm so sorry." Xiu Ling said with a repentant look.

Mrs. Lin was caught off-guard. Xiu Ling was volunteering to take up the job that Mrs. Lin saw as a punishment. Mrs. Lin was prepared for a fight, she was ready with the arguments and threats she was going to levy at Xiu Ling if the girl dared to say no but when Xiu Ling owned up to her mistake and volunteered to take responsibility, there was nothing Mrs. Lin could say but a weak, "Okay…"

And that brought us back to how it was in the present…

Xiu Ling unwrapped the bandage over her mother-in-law's ankle. Before she laid them in the water, Xiu Ling warned, "Mother, the water might be a bit hot so be prepared."

Mrs. Lin nodded.

The warm water was to improve the blood flow so that the swelling could recede faster. Xiu Ling might lean towards modern medicine but it did not mean that she looked down on the traditional way either. In fact, she still remembered some of the knowledge her mother once taught her when she was young.

It was just that she found western medicine had a more instant effect compared to Chinese medicine which was used to slowly nourish and balance one's body. Each served their purpose but since her mother-in-law preferred one over the other, Xiu Ling did not mind going along with it. After all, her mother-in-law was the patient.

Mrs. Lin's feet soaked into the water and Xiu Ling used the cloth to wipe the earlier poultice off her mother-in-law's ankle. As she did so, Xiu Ling washed Mrs. Lin's feet and gave it a quick massage.

When Xiu Ling caught out of the corner of her eyes the grimace on her mother-in-law's face, she grabbed the fresh bandage off the nearby table. She tore out a small part to wipe the water off Mrs. Lin's feet. She threw it away and tore another section out from the roll of bandage. Then Xiu Ling proceeded to wrap the bandage around Mrs. Lin's sprained ankle.

When she was done, Xiu Ling raised her mother-in-law's feet gingerly off the floor and laid it gently down on the fluffy bed.

Xiu Ling then turned to Mrs. Lin and smiled. "Mother, is there anything that I can help you with?"

Mrs. Lin shook her head wordlessly.

Xiu Ling nodded to herself before bending down to pick up the basin of water. "Mother, then I shall go throw away the used water." Xiu Ling straightened herself and looked around the room. She noticed even though just one day had passed, a thin layer of dust had fallen on the surface of the furniture in the room.

"Mother, how about I come back later to help you clean the room?"

Mrs. Lin looked at Xiu Ling as if studying her for a long time before nodding. Still she said no word.

Xiu Ling turned to head towards the bathroom. She threw the water down the sink, washed the basin, deposited the used bandages in the sanitary bucket and rinsed the cloth. Then, she came out with the same set of equipment.

Xiu Ling placed the basin at the vanity table and used the cloth to start wiping down every surface. While Xiu Ling bustled about the room, Mrs. Lin studied her. It was difficult to tell what the elder woman was thinking because she did not voice her thought and her face was expressionless.

When Xiu Ling was wiping the mirror of the vanity table, Mrs. Lin finally opened her lips to say, "You have been busy for quite some time already, why don't you sit down and take a rest for a while?"

Xiu Ling was surprised but she smiled and moved to oblige. She pulled out the chair next to the vanity table and sat down. After some time, she could not help herself but ask the question that had been troubling her, "Mother, if you don't mind me asking, what is the history with this vanity table? It doesn't seem like it fits the decorating ideals for the rest of the room."

Xiu Ling was being tactful because in reality, the vanity table stuck out like a sore thumb.

After a moment of silence, Mrs. Lin sighed and explained, "The table belonged to my mother-in-law, it was the only thing of hers that I kept after she passed away."

Well, that answered the question in Xiu Ling's mind although it did lead to another question, 'Why did Mrs. Lin keep this particular piece of furniture behind as keepsake? What is the significance?'

Before Xiu Ling could ask any question, Mrs. Lin continued, "You can take a look at her if you want, she's in the framed picture on the table."

Xiu Ling turned her attention to the object in question. The picture was a framed family photo. Xiu Ling could recognize her mother-in-law not by her outfit because she was wearing a simple dress in the picture but by her looks. Other than a few wrinkles, Mrs. Lin did not look that much different compared to when she was young.

Standing next to Mrs. Lin was Elder Lin in his youth. In his suit, he looked sharp and ready to take on the world. Standing between them was a young Lin Kang. Xiu Ling could not help but smile looking at the boy version of her husband.

In the picture, he was not yet the powerful man that he would one day become but a boy with an unsatisfied pout on his face because he was forced to put on the uncomfortable suit to take the picture. Xiu Ling was charmed by how much Lin Xi looked like the young Lin Kang. The resemblance was uncanny.