Ming’s words made me want to laugh. I looked up at him and said, “I don’t need anyone to protect me. I
can protect myself.”
I finished and turned to leave.
As soon as I stepped, I heard him ask, “what about Lester?”
His words stopped me at once.
Ming’s words alarmed me.
When I left him, I bet he didn’t inject Lester with anything, but even now I was not sure.
After all, he was Ming.
He was too insidious, and what he had done showed that he was not kind.
I stood there and clenched my hands.
I didn’t speak. Ming asked me, “how’s Lester doing? Is he in good health? Does he have a fever?”
I chewed my lips with my teeth and advised myself not to be impulsive for many times before I said,
“Lester is in good health. Thank you for your concern.”
“All right.” He replied lightly, “if he has a high fever, you can come to me. Maybe it’s not late.”
What did he mean?
His tone was firm!
He was sure Lester would have a high fever!
I couldn’t bet on Lester. I thought about it and asked, “you said Lester would get sick at the age of
seven or eight. He is not yet six years old.”
“Everyone is different.”
Ming responded.
I didn’t look back and I couldn’t see his face.
I got flustered, but I was afraid Ming said it on purpose and wanted me to beg him.
I couldn’t get involved with him any more.
But in case Lester...
When I was flustered, there was footsteps outside, and soon I saw Margaret coming. She looked at me
and then Ming and said, “Laura.”
“Mom, why are you here?”
I got nervous when I saw Margaret.
I knew Ming wouldn’t do anything in front of me, but I couldn’t help being nervous. I was afraid he
would hurt my family.
He would threaten me with my family.
When Ming saw Margaret, he said in a soft and close voice, “Hello, auntie, I’m Laura’s friend.”
He was very good at it. He immediately followed Margaret to call me Laura.
I turned and said unfriendly, “Mr. Jessop, please don’t call me that. Only my mother can call me Laura.”
“Oh, I‘m sorry.” Ming was not angry and smiled, “Auntie, why haven’t you slept yet?”
Ming looked kind. Margaret was in her fifties, but she had spent most of her life in a lunatic asylum and
hadn’t seen many people.
She immediately smiled kindly, “Hello, you’re Laura’s friend, aren’t you?”
“No.” I grabbed Margaret and said, “I’m not friends with him. Let’s go back.”
After that, I turned to Ming and said, “Mr. Jessop, I’ll go back to rest with my mother first, and I won’t
see you off.”
“Becky.”
“Mr. Jessop, good night.”
I ignored him and took Margaret and left.
I really didn’t want my family to have anything to do with Ming.
I regretted having had such a relationship with Ming.
Ming didn’t say much.
I sent Margaret back to her room. Margaret didn’t let me go but pulled me and said, “does Mr. Jessop
like you?”
“No.” I wanted her to leave me alone, but to be honest, it seemed that no family other than Sherry
cared about me so much.
I said, “the man I like is in York. I’ll take you to see him later.”
“OK.”
Margaret nodded and didn’t go on.
I left her room and went to the main hall again. Fortunately, Ming had already left.
The next day, I took Margaret with me to buy clothes. The trade of Sceaux was not very developed.
Even so, Margaret was happy as a child.
We went into a mall. She looked around and was curious about everything.
There was no escalator in the hospital. Margaret was a little scared. At first she dared not take the
escalator. Later I took her by the hand, so she reluctantly took the escalator.
We went into a shop. I asked her to try on a dress. Margaret liked it and took it into the dressing room.
But soon she came out of the dressing room.
She wanted to take me away.
“What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?” I couldn’t help worrying.
This time I took her out alone. I was afraid she was suddenly ill and I couldn’t control her alone.
Margaret shook her head and took my hand and said, “that dress costs thousands of dollars. It’s too
expensive.”
I was stunned by Margaret’s words.
Her ideas came from thirty years ago.
At that time, the per capita income was only a few hundred dollars.
I took her and said, “Mom, I have money. You can try it.”
“No, I can’t.” Margaret waved.
I dared not force her. I frowned and said softly, “Mom, don’t worry. Now our income has increased. We
can make millions of dollars a year. Thousands of dollars is nothing. Don’t be afraid.”
When I said it, Margaret was a little scared.
She looked up at me and said, “can you make so much money?”
“Yes, so you can try it.”
After listening to me, Margaret was relieved.
It was a much smoother day than I thought. Margaret bought seven or eight clothes with my advice.
We two carried our clothes and went for coffee.
She was not used to coffee, so I ordered black tea and ice cream for her.
Margaret never seemed to eat anything so delicious. She was smiling when she ate it.
I took out my cell phone and photographed these moments.
I stayed at Sceaux for three days and was ready to go back.
When I packed my bags and told them I was going back, Margaret didn’t speak and grabbed my sleeve
with one hand.
I knew she didn’t want me to leave. I said, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be back later.”
Margaret shook her head and said nothing.
She was abnormal. I couldn’t help getting nervous. Was she ill?
Murray also advised her, “Laura has to work in York. Her son is there, too. She has to go back.”
Margaret still shook her head and said nothing.
Murray and I looked at each other and didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t get rid of Margaret.
Margaret grabbed me for a while and said, “can you take me with you?”
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