Chapter 97 A Good Person A Good Teacher
"I Never thought she'd go this far! How dare she order you to do so many chores? What does she take you for?"
Rachel spoke in a low mumble angrily. He was the treasure that she valued so much. She was loath to let him do those routine chores. She was extremely angry that Jane treated him as her servant.
"Well, what do you take me for?"
Something inside Henry snapped. He asked in a low voice.
The light was dim in the car. Rachel looked at him sideways and said, "You are my son! What do you think I take you for?"
Henry lowered his eyes and said, "You treat me like your pet. Even if I were a dog, you should take me out for a walk, right? You're almost as bad as putting a leash around my neck!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. By the time he reached his last sentence, his voice had risen sharply.
Rachel was brought up short by his outburst. The driver in front of them was even more embarrassed, not knowing what to do.
It was not known how long it took in silence. Then, Rachel asked with clear astonishment in her voice, "How can you talk to me like that?"
Henry replied, "I'm at the end of my patience. Dad is busy with work and is away from home all the time. Brother said I'm the only one at home to keep you company. He told me that you do everything for my own good and not to make you angry. But have you really thought about what I want?"
Rachel said, "I pander to all your wants, don't I? You said you want to come out for the day and not let anyone follow you. I agreed. We've arranged that you should be back at eight o'clock in the evening. I didn't bother you before, right?"
"Well, you didn't bother me. But from the moment I left the house, there were at least three people watching on my every move outside. If you hadn't seen Justin and another male tutor around, would you have allowed me to go upstairs?"
Rachel didn't know how Henry had discovered it. Now that she was exposed, she said frankly, "Do you think Justin could go outside alone as he wants? Many people hope to gain from the troubles or sufferings of the family like ours. If I don't ask someone to keep an eye on you and you are kidnapped or something bad happens, I can do nothing. I'll feel extremely guilty. How can I explain this to your dad and your brother?"
"Okay, fine, I'm used to having someone watching me everywhere I go, but I don't want to keep my door open when I have class or worry about your call at any time when I'm with my friends. I just want to make a few friends and stay with them, talk, and play games. I'm happy to be with them even if we're asked to do some household chores such as washing vegetables and peeling garlic!"
"What I have done offended you? You'd rather do some chores at others' house than keep my company at home?"
Rachel was totally mystified from the bottom of her heart. She was unable to hide her sadness and her voice trembled slightly.
Henry's eyes turned red, and he whispered, "I don't know. Miss Cooper said that all parents love their children, but some may express their love in a wrong way. We don't know how to love each other in the absence of the effective communication. Either you or I need to take the first step."
"Miss Cooper took us to the supermarket today and let me and Justin work for her. I know she did it for our own good, otherwise she could have invited us to a restaurant like others. She could have pleased us with delicate food and good drink. I said I wanted to eat steamed prawns with garlic. Then she made me peel garlic. When I said I wanted to eat roasted pork with scallions, she made me peel the scallions. She said that others would laugh at me in the future for not knowing what scallions and garlic looked like."
"She also asked me what you like to eat and asked me to list out six dishes you like. She said you would be extremely happy if I could learn and cook for you on your birthday. But I could only name two dishes you like. She said I was not a qualified son. If she asked you, you must be able to list out ten or twenty dishes that I like."
"At that moment I was genuinely remorseful. I was always thinking that you didn't understand me and complaining why you always annoyed me. But I didn't really care about you either. I wasn't a qualified son."
Rachel's face was wet with tears. Sitting next to Henry, she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.
Henry took out tissues from the storage compartment and handed them to Rachel, saying in a warm voice, "Don't cry, if my brother knows I make you cry again, he'll definitely scold me."
Rachel took the tissue and said after a long time, "Maybe I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."
Henry said, "I'm sixteen. I may not be able to distinguish right from wrong at once, but I know what is good and what is bad. Don't have bias against Miss Cooper. She's not a bad person, I promise."
Rachel nodded, "Don't worry! I won't talk about this to her."
Then Henry said, "You don't have to worry that I will like her either. I have someone I like."
Just one second before, Rachel was immersed in emotion. She immediately looked at Henry with an unexpected look that made people want to laugh the moment she heard his words.
Henry said, "I like someone else. The kind of feeling from a boy to a girl. Miss Cooper said I don't trust you, so I don't tell you anything. That's why you're always nervous. Now I'm telling you about me and my things. What do you think?"
Rachel was shocked. Henry was very well behaved when he was a child. She had no idea of when he started to be rebellious. He became closed and irritable. When it came to his privacy, he would definitely turn against others. This was the first time he bared his heart to her in several years, not to mention such big privacy.
Rachel asked, "Who is she?"
Henry said, "A student in school, with good character and academic performance."
Rachel said, "As long as you like her."
A hint of surprise crossed Henry's eyes, "No objection?"
Rachel said, "You've grown up, and I can't decide everything for you. I think you can distinguish right from wrong."
This time it was Henry's turn to be emotional. If the driver hadn't been there, the mother and son would have cried on each other's shoulder.
Rachel felt guilty and even took the initiative to ask, "Do you want the driver to turn around and take you back?"
Henry was a little confused, "Uh?"
Rachel said, "Send you back to Miss Cooper's house. I guess Justin is still there."
Henry said, "Forget it. It's quite wired if I suddenly go back."
"Then do you still blame me?"
"No. Anyway, we can play football together every week. And if Justin does well in his exams, Miss Cooper will invite us to dinner again."
Rachel said, "Only the good performance in exams is eligible for dinner? Can't you have a meal on a regular basis?"
Henry shook his head seriously, "Miss Cooper said she is very busy. We're willing to help her, but she may not have time for cooking. She'll cook for us only on an important occasion. That is a reward, not a daily routine."
Hearing this, Rachel felt a little jealous, not knowing whether to praise Jane for being so tactful or "compliment" her for being so condescending.
On the other side, the free-range kid Justin had finished a sumptuous meal. He was washing the dishes in the kitchen with Jane when the call came from Edward.
"Finished?" Edward asked.
Justin said, "There are still six plates and three bowls to wash."
Edward paused for a moment, and said calmly, "I'm outside. Come down after washing. Don't disturb Miss Cooper for too long."
"Got it."
Jane asked after Justin hung up, "Your uncle?"
"Yeah."
"He's rushing you home?"
"He told me to wash up and come downstairs."
Jane said, "Never mind. I'll send you down."
Justin didn't move, "I lost the game, so I must do this."
He played games with Aaron. The loser had to wash the dishes. And at this point the winner Aaron was sitting in the living room, eating fruit, and playing games.
Jane also thought that was fair. So, she watched Justin wash the dishes and follow him downstairs.
Edward was not in the car. He was leaning against the side of the car outside and smoking. Jane greeted him. He handed her a bag, which made Jane surprised.
He said, "Some snacks. Thank you for looking after him."
Jane smiled and said, "You don't need to stand on ceremony..."
"Take it."
Since it was just some snacks instead of something precious, Jane took it with a smile, "Thank you Mr. Smith."