The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 864 Go To School

"Doris, don't panic. Please, breathe," Allen told Doris in what seemed like a whisper, gently caressing her back as he spoke. It did not take long before the panicked woman's breathing slowed down into regular breaths. This was when the concerned man's duality conveyed itself; Allen turned to Sue and went from a soft voice to using a harsher, more confrontational tone. "You should know who you are and where you stand around her. Yesterday, we were already on the verge of snapping because you showed no manners. You were being so rude to Anthony and to us, even when we were already being so considerate to you. Now, don't tell me you expect us to have any more patience for you because we have no more energy to condone your bad and unethical behavior. If you dare speak to Doris in such a disdainful manner ever again, you will not know what will hit you."

"Alright, alright," Peggy intervened. She felt that her son had said too much to her daughter already, so she did the only thing she could to put the situation to a halt. "Go and accompany Doris back to the room so that she can rest. Let me talk to Sue," Peggy ordered Allen.

The frustrated man shot Sue a condemning look but could do no more than glare at her. Left with no other choice, he did as his mother said and went into the other room with Doris in his arms.

Now, the mother and her daughter were alone. Peggy sat next to Sue and said, "Sue, I am your mother. Now that everyone else is gone, why don't we talk about it? Can you please tell me the truth?" Although Peggy really held no regard for her daughter, she figured that if she acted like she was a caring mother then Sue would open up to her. "Is there really nothing between you and Anthony?" she asked Sue, who was staring into the void.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Anthony is just a friend and nothing more?" Sue said, obviously annoyed being asked the question for the nth time. All the young woman ever wanted was to keep Anthony away so that she could eliminate all the burdens of having him; all she wanted was peace to be restored, without anyone else constantly asking her the same questions over and over again. She was especially tired of her mother's impositions, so she finally confessed, "Here's the truth: I do have feelings for Anthony. But, we all know I stand no chance, especially not against Sheryl. I can never be as beautiful as she is and I don't have a strong family background as firm and as rooted like she has. All I'm left with is this family dragging me around. How am I ever going to stand a chance against Sheryl? Why would Anthony ever choose me over her?"

Sue took a second to scoff sarcastically and added, "This is all the truth I can tell you. Are you happy now?"

Obviously, there was no way for her mother to be satisfied with such a disappointing answer. Sue's answer was the complete opposite of what the mother had hoped for. The only reason why she kept her daughter around was for her dream of developing a relationship between her daughter and the rich man so that she could profit and benefit from. She was very upset about replaceing out that there was no fulfilling her dreams because of Anthony's love for Sheryl. She disguised all the disappointment with concern for her daughter, saying, "I just wish you can be with him so that I can be secured that you will have a full life in the future since I'm sure he can take care of you."

With fake concern written all over her face, she continued, "Don't get mad at me for being so stubborn. I'm just looking out for you like any mother would."

"Well, I think your primary concern is the money and not me, so take everything that you said back," Sue sneered at her mother. She couldn't care any less that she pointed out her mother's agenda without fea for the consequences of her words.

The forceful mother was rather insulted than angered. She then threatened her own daughter and said, "Well, now that you're saying that Anthony is 'just your friend', then don't expect him in helping you aid your debt to Sheryl and pay her yourself."

The maiden's heart was crumbling inside her, but she did her best not to physically project the pain.

Her mind automatically prepared for whatever argument Peggy was going to throw at her, mentally preparing herself for the blow. Sue acted like she knew nothing in order to counter her mother's suspicions. "Money?" Sue innocently asked, "What money?" Still keeping the confused persona, she questioned her mother in doubt, "What am I paying back to Sheryl? Can you be more clearer as to what you're talking about?"

"Nothing," Peggy replied in a cold voice. The mother then clarified herself, "I believe you're aware that your younger brother is about to get married soon. We have to pay Doris' family a sum of cash, we have to pay for the wedding, and we have to pay for the expenses of the coming baby as well. We are running fast out of cash, so I..."

"So you borrowed money from Sheryl?" Sue said, cutting her mother off before she could finish. Peggy hesitated to answer the question that was being asked by her daughter who then said, "Peggy Li, please. When are you ever going to stop hurting me?" The maiden's eyes were starting to tear up when she added, "How can you involve even my friend in our personal troubles?"

The mother became defensive and said, "The fact that she is your friend is the reason why I decided to ask for some help from her. This is better than loaning. We won't have to pay for high interests, right?"

"You..." started Sue who was struck speechless. She paused for a brief moment until she angrily questioned her mother again, "So why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with me? You borrowed the money yourself, so pay the money back yourself."

"Well, Sue, of course you're the one paying," Peggy replied as if it was no uncommon fact. Then she even stared blaming her daughter, "You should ask yourself why you aren't earning any money. You're pathetic. If buying a house is too challenging for you, then why don't you start us off with some of your savings? You don't even have money left and yet you have the guts to refuse marrying the man in Zhang family. What else am I supposed to do? At this point, I'm solving your own problems for you."

"There is one thing I don't understand here. I'm not the one getting married, but Allen is. Why am I the one paying for him?" Sue scoffed, "I'm also your child. Why can't you be as considerate to me as you are to Allen? Do you ever think about how difficult my situation is?"

"How dare you? Just look at the other families," Peggy said, enraged. She pressed back at Sue with the distorted societal expectation, "In all the other families, the older sisters would get some money back from their husbands' families in order to support their younger brothers. Look at you. You're so useless! We get nothing from you!"

"Haven't I given you enough money all these years?" Sue asked. "If you really want me to do a quick rundown on how much money I've spent on this family, then I will. How about you? How much money did you spend raising me? I'm guessing not much. Even if you include the interests, I still should have paid you everything that I owe you, right?" Sue was beginning to become aggressive.

"How can you measure my love for you with money?" Peggy rebutted in disbelief.

She was surprised to see Sue being so cold to her now that their relationship was compromised by money. However, her daughter was not buying into her schemes. "Okay, since you brought it up, let's talk about money now. Whatever I say, you're just going to defend yourself so that I will be the one to pay for you, right?" asked Sue. She was saying all these things fearlessly before her mother.

"This money... is supposed to be your duty anyway," Peggy argued. "I thought you had a relationship with Anthony, so it wasn't going to be a big deal for you to pay the loan. Anthony is rich, isn't he? If you want to replace a person to blame, get in front of the mirror. I wished that he would become your husband and even invited him to eat here, but you drove him away yourself. Who else can you blame?" "How much did you borrow?" Sue asked Peggy with a sneer.

"Nothing... Nothing much," Peggy hesitated. She averted her eyes, not daring to look at Sue in the eyes. Though Sue knew what the answer was, she still pushed her mother into her trap. She had now acquired the same skill her mother had -- acting, and used it as a weapon against her own professor. 'What's it like having a taste of your own medicine, ' Sue thought to herself, slightly allowing herself to feel victorious.

A rare timidness struck Peggy, who knew that she had gone too far herself. However, her guilt was quickly overcome by her selfishness. Looking down, she murmured, "Not much, just... 500, 000." "500,000?" Sue exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Mom, are you kidding me?" The young woman now had her hands on her head.

"I'm not," Peggy replied. Trying to redeem herself, she then proceeded to explain the number, "Doris wanted a house in Y City, but we were unable to deliver. As a compromise, we raised the sum that we needed to pay for her family. Plus, the money for the wedding, I still feel that it isn't enough."

She hoped her daughter would understand her because they were expecting a new member in their family in a matter of months. "When the baby is born, the expenses will escalate. We'll need to buy milk, clothes, and diapers. You know, Allen still doesn't have a job, but he's trying very hard. As a caring older sister, you should be able to help him out.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I heard that Sheryl's kid just started schooling at a well-known school. They have the best resources, teachers, and facilities. Can you ask your friend to do us a small favor if she can one day help Allen's kid to get in?"

It was unbelievable to Sue that her mother already had a plan for the future at the expense of her friend.

"You like that school?" the stressed woman asked with derision in her tone.

"Of course," Peggy replied. "I hear that the education there is bilingual. No wonder parents nowadays are keen to send their children to good schools in the cities. The quality of education in these schools is way better than the quality in those within villages. If I never came to Y City, I would not have imagined that lessons nowadays could be discussed in English."

"Mom, do you have the slightest idea how much that school would cost us? I would have to work three consecutive years without spending a cent on my living expenses in order to save just enough money for the school fees for only a year. You talk about it like it's so easy to get it paid! You're being ridiculous!" Sue mocked her mother.

"It's too expensive... It's so expensive," said the maiden. Peggy was shocked to hear the words of her daughter. Not only was quality education unimaginable to her, but also the school fees. She thought over it for a while. Not long after, her selfishness brought her back to stubbornness. "Even though it's expensive, we can send the kid to school, right? Sheryl's family is so powerful. There must be a way. Ask Sheryl if she can help us today," ordered the ambitious mother.

She heaved a sigh and continued, "He will be my only grandson so I have to do everything I can to raise him. I want to provide him with the best education and I want him to never be deprived of anything. I want him to have what other kids have, and to have what even other kids don't."