Mai Qi covered her lips with her hand and coughed. She said to Jing Ni, “Nanxing is becoming more and more like an old lady. She’s always worried about people and matching them together.”
Jing Ni turned towards the direction where Auntie Lan and Auntie Bai Rui left, “So you’re saying my mother and Grandma Lan are old?”
Mai Qi hurriedly said, “No, of course not. Why would I say something like that?”
Jing Ni giggled because her joke succeeded.
I looked at them and sighed. “There’s something I don’t understand. Ladies, can you please explain it to me?”
They looked at me in unison, waiting for me to continue.
I sighed again.
They slammed the table. “Well, what is it?”
I pretended to be shocked and batted my eyes sadly. I began. “Mr. Tong Le is rich and handsome. You can say he is the dream husband for millions of young girls. I once thought my little aunt would be one of my two best friends. But the choice of one would harm the other. On the one hand, I’d be happy for my little uncle, but on the other hand, I’d be so sad for the one not being chosen.
“But before that situation could happen, the world suddenly changed. My two best friends suddenly decided to give up on Mr. Tong Le. Overnight, he became an unwanted product. Ladies, can you please explain this to me? Give me a reason so that Mr. Tong Le can die in peace!”
Mai Qi and Jing Ni looked at me like I was crazy.
Jing Ni told Mai Qi. “Grandma Lan sure is courageous.”
Mai Qi nodded. “She has to be to choose Nanxing as her daughter-in-law. I mean… her heart must be huge to pick Nanxing willingly!”
“Hey! What do you mean by that?” I threw the napkin beside me at Mai Qi’s head.
Mai Qi plucked the napkin out of her hair. She continued in an unchanged expression. “Auntie Lan is very wise and is very compassionate. She wants to save the rest of humanity. So instead of allowing Nanxing to terrorize the world, she decided to keep her in the family to save the rest of the world. Auntie Lan is Buddha Incarnate.”
Jing Ni fell over laughing. I stood up to grab at Mai Qi. Once Mai Qi had given up her identity as the princess, she had picked up the habit of mocking others. It was very annoying!
All the laughing and chasing around got us to unwind. The pressure on our shoulders was very heavy recently. Jing Ni’s escape from death and Mai Qi’s transformation were big events in their lives. We were all survivors. We were no longer who we were.
Eventually, we collapsed from tiredness. We sat down in the backyard and leaned against each other.
Auntie Lan and Auntie Bai Rui were toying with their orchids down the distance. We waved at them, and they smiled happily back at us. As mothers, they just wanted us to be happy.
I asked lazily, “Hey, so neither of you is willing to be my little aunt?”
They didn’t answer. I nudged Mai Qi.
Mai Qi asked, “Jing Ni, you were Tong Le’s official fiance, so why did you give him up?”
Jing Ni chuckled, “Because I don’t love him! There is no love between us. He gave me a sense of security because he found me when I was injured. I was very clear about what I felt. I knew that it is not love. Moreover, I knew that he didn’t love me. But you, Mai Qi, you fell in love with him at first sight! So why did you give him up just like that? Don’t tell me it’s because of me? I’ve already extricated myself from the race.”
Mai Qi sneered, “Hah, as if. I will never give up on someone I’ve decided on. Even if he belonged to you, I would do everything to steal him away! Do you think I am someone who gives up that easily?”