There was a saying that “three women would make a noisy market.” When women were together, they gave each other the motivation to exchange ideas and communicate; it was like they could gain energy from the process, then produce their dose of endorphins that fueled their happiness. This was the advantage of women.
Today, there were eight women in the big house. It was as though they were an entire tribe in the house.
Sum Ting, Gou Jing and Wing Tung had just arrived at the house. They were stunned as they looked around every corner of the big house.
Sum Ting exclaimed, “Is this a home or a hotel? Damn!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth!” All the ladies warned her.
Sum Ting gulped and said, “Your parents must be pretty smart.”
Walking into the living room, Tony’s mother brought refreshments for everyone. However, they didn’t really notice her, because the scenery outside the window mesmerized them. The blue sky and green fields were clearly separated at the horizon. There were also several wild deers running out of the jungle, which made them exclaim in excitement.
Tony’s mother said happily, “Our house hasn’t been so lively for a long time.”
“We’ll be troubling you for some time, aunty,” all the girls said gratefully.
“I’m glad you girls came over. The next time things could get this lively would be when Anne and Emma get married.”
They were Tony’s younger sisters, and Anne was the elder sister. She had blonde hair, big eyes, and thick eyelashes; she even wore emerald green contact lenses, which made her look almost like Anne Hathaway.
Her sister Emma dressed like a Japanese aesthete, and with her two pigtails, she seemed like a full-fledged farmgirl. She sat at the side and looked on at the group of women with sparkling eyes, like a cute and naive child.
“No way Mom, you’ll just have to wait until Emma gets married. I don’t like marriages. Married life is too restrictive,” Anne answered with a typical ABC tone.
“You’ve always said you’ve wanted to be a Liberalist, and that’s exactly what happened when you went to college. You should all go to L.A.!” Her mother said.
“Mom, Anne’s the only one. I don’t agree with her at all. I’ll get married in due time!” Emma’s pretentious voice, surprisingly, had no American accent.
“Emma’s the best!”
“You always suck up to mom!”
“No you!”
The two sisters made faces at each other.
Cin Heung and the others only smiled quietly.
“You know, as long as it’s true love, we don’t need to rely on a piece of paper to prove it. Even if I have a partner, we should have our own spaces and not interfere with each other’s lives.”
“Sister, what kind of love is that? There’s no communication between the two! There’s no communion with each other when there’s no communication.”
“Love is love, life is life. They’re separate but can be shared! You just don’t know me!”
“If you want to love each other, you need to know each other. You’ll definitely regret it when you notice his bad habits,” Emma said like a philosopher.
“That’s the point! I won’t hate it, if I don’t see it. That’s why I said it’s separated!”
They made faces at each other again.
“Please don’t act the fool in front of the guests. You girls are just teenagers, stop acting like you have a lot of experience! The ladies are probably laughing their socks off.”
Manman wrapped her arms around Anne’s shoulder and said, “Anne and Emma will surely grow up to be fine ladies.”
“A fresh way of thinking.”
“See mom! Sister Manman and Gou Jing know us well!”
The mother laughed and said, “Of course! They’re not preaching you two because they’re being polite!” She pinched Manman’s cheek, then continued, “You girls are still insisting on not marrying? Do you girls wish to be married off to someone you don’t know like the ancient times?”
“No way!” The two girls replied in unison.
Cin Heung saw how the girls who were barely adults had their own opinions and values; not only were they bold in discussing their ideas with their mother, they were also not limited by traditional ideas. It seemed their thinking was even newer compared to her generation.
Cin Heung’s own way of thinking was also being subtly challenged.
Enjoying the conversation, Sum Ting said with excitement, “You girls are still young and beautiful. Look at us, we are happy without a boyfriend. There’s nothing to worry about!”
Cin Heung and the others were annoyed with her broad labelling.
Gou Jing chimed in, “You don’t represent all of us! Wing Tung already has someone, and I too have someone I’m interested in…” She suddenly stopped.
Curious, Sum Ting asked, “So Gou Jing is interested in someone too! Tell us who it is!”
When Anne and Emma heard that Gou Jing had a love interest, their ears stood up. Teenagers around that age were all excited by the subject of love. Like a virus, this mindset seemed to be instilled in all teenagers as they spent their days thinking about who loved who.
Everyone in the room looked at her. With more than a dozen eyes waiting for her to speak, Gou Jing got nervous and said, “Nothing! Nothing! We haven’t started dating yet.”
Everyone was eager to hear her story.
Anne then said, “Big sister, don’t be shy. It’s very common, liking someone and being liked. If you two like each other, then just go out. If you don’t like them, then just don’t see them anymore. Just move on and find someone else.”
All the girls gaped in shock, thinking that this girl was truly open-minded. Perhaps growing up in the states really made her different.
“How rude of you! This is nothing to joke around with!” Her mom said.
“Alright!” Suddenly Gou Jing yelled, “Anne, I like your bold thinking!” Gou Jing took a bite of the cookie and said, “Because of what you said, I’ll talk about it!”
Anne ran over to Gou Jing with joy and gave her a high five.
“Well... we met by accident. He has an honest appearance.” Gou Jing had a fond look.
Sum Ting interrupted her and said, “You don’t mean Tony, do you!”
Everyone laughed, but Gou Jing was annoyed and threw the half-cookie in her hand at Sum Ting. She somehow caught it and ate the cookie.
Gou Jing twitched her nose and continued, “The first time I saw him, I was attracted by his muscles!”
When Anne and Emma heard her mention an important quality of a man, their eyes lit up and exclaimed, “Wooo!”
Manman said, “Do we know…” Before she could finish her sentence, the two girls gave a unison, “Shush.”
Manman had no choice but to stop speaking.
Batting her eyelashes, Gou Jing continued, “I just feel that he’s brave and resourceful. When I am with him, he really, definitely, and absolutely makes me feel safe! Because…”
“Because of what?” The two girls asked nervously.
“Because…” Gou Jing suddenly stretched and yawned. “I’ve been travelling for so long, I need to rest now. I’ll tell you girls tomorrow! Stay tuned until next time! Haha!” She then walked to her room leisurely.
The two girls gasped and said, “No! Keep going!”
Not giving up, the two girls went to her room and asked for more of the story; there was no way the girls were letting go of a real love story. After they entered the room, the three talked for a whole day, leaving the others behind.
Sum Ting said, “Trying to be mysterious.”
Cin Heung said, “Still thinking about her story? You girls better go rest after the long journey. The coming week is going to be packed with activities.”
Wing Tung said, “We should.” ‘Taking out some souvenirs and delicacies, she continued, “Auntie, we’ll be troubling you for the time being! This is just a little something we brought, please accept it.”
Tony’s Mom replied, “Oh, you’re welcome here! You are all Manman’s friends, just make yourselves feel at home!”
In this warm afternoon, up in the blue skies, the stars lingered silently in the sky. The sunlight had overwhelmed the faint starlight. Even though they couldn’t be seen or heard, the stars and the planets were connected by mysterious forces of gravity quietly behind the scenes.640Please respect copyright.PENANAWYORWgVczl