Chapter 373: Spiritual Sustenance

Mrs. Taylor behaved very cautiously. Thus, both of them became even more curious as to where they were going.

When James got into the car, he could not conceal his curiosity and quickly turned around to ask, "Mom, where are you taking us?"

Mrs. Taylor and Yvonne were sitting in the backseat. Mrs. Taylor paused momentarily after hearing his question and answered, "You’ll know when we get there."

That put an end to James’ questions.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of a temple in the suburbs.

James looked out the window and noticed that besides the temple, there were mountains surrounding them. He was a little confused. What were they doing here?

"Mom, what’s going on...?"

Mrs. Taylor paused for a moment before saying, "Before you two got married, I came here to pray. Now that I’ve got what I wanted, I brought you two here to repay our gratitude to the gods."

James was shocked. "Mom, why do you still believe in this?"

After all, Mrs. Taylor was from a reputable family and had received a good education. James could never have imagined that his mother would believe in these things.

However, Mrs. Taylor glared at him. "What’s wrong? What’s wrong with believing in these things? I didn’t steal or rob anyone of anything, why are you against it?"

James received a scolding. Just as he was about to say something, Yvonne stopped him with a glare.

Only then did he stop talking.

Seeing that Mrs. Taylor was a little upset, Yvonne quickly comforted her. "Mom, don’t be mad. That’s not what he meant. You’re right. We should come and repay our gratitude. Let me help you down."

Mrs. Taylor nodded in satisfaction and followed Yvonne out of the car.

James became speechless as he saw them get off the car, but he still followed them.

The three entered the temple.

Mrs. Taylor lit the incense and bowed sincerely.

Although Yvonne did not believe in all these, she still followed.

After she finished bowing, she saw that James was still standing at a side, rooted to the spot. She quickly glared at him, and he stepped forward reluctantly and bowed.

After the three of them were done, Mrs. Taylor headed to the backyard to pray and asked the two of them to wait at the front yard.

After she left, James said to Yvonne with a helpless look, "My mom’s too lonely, which is why she turned to this for some spiritual sustenance. There’s no need to care too much about it."

He felt a little awkward.

However, Yvonne looked at him and replied, "I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Instead, you should find out what you did wrong."

"Me?" James was confused. "What did I do wrong?"

He frowned.

Yvonne replied, "You just said that Mom turned to this as a spiritual sustenance because she was too lonely, right?"

"Yes?"

James nodded as he followed along.

Yvonne snorted and asked, "Then why does Mom feel lonely?"

James was stumped by the question. He thought about it carefully and asked, "Is it because of someone?"

Yvonne felt a little helpless. She paused for a moment and said, "As far as I know, you only returned recently, didn’t you?"

James nodded.

"What about before? How long has it been since you last returned?" Yvonne continued asking.

James thought about it for a moment and said, "It hasn’t been too long. I come back almost every year for a few days."

Hearing his words, Yvonne shook her head helplessly. It was impossible for him to figure it out himself.

She pointed out, "You’ve been overseas since you were a teenager, and it’s been more than 10 years since then. During this time, you’ve only been back for a few days each year. Do you think these few days will be enough to satisfy an old lady’s longing?"

...

James shook his head.

Yvonne continued, "So, this is the problem lies! If you stay abroad all year round, it’s inevitable for Mom to feel lonely. That’s why she would turn to this kind of thing. At the end of the day, it’s because her kids are not accompanyaccompanying her enough."

Yvonne heaved a helpless sigh.

She had seen many of such instances during her residency. Some elderly people even lied that they were sick and stayed in the hospital all year round just so that they could talk to the medical staff. As compared to them, Mrs. Taylor believing in these things was already considered nothing.

James stared at Yvonne suspiciously. He found that when she talked about these things, her gaze was particularly hollow. Her expression was full of the vicissitudes of life, and her words inadvertently revealed her emotions, which made it seem as if she had experienced the same loneliness before.

But she was clearly only in her twenties!

Where did that feeling of age come from?

Was it just his imagination?

Yvonne turned her head and realized that he was staring at her. She was surprised and touched her face.

"What’s wrong? Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

James came to his senses and shook his head. "Nothing."

He looked away.

With just one simple glance, Yvonne already knew that he did not listen to what she was saying at all.

However, she could understand him. After all, he had lived abroad all this while, so it was understandable that he could not figure it out.

She paused for a moment before saying, "When Mom comes out later, put away that attitude of yours."

"Then what should I do?" James leaned towards him.

Yvonne frowned and said helplessly, "Talk less, do more! Try to keep your mouth shut."

Hearing this, James chuckled and cupped his hands together.

"Yes, my dear wife!"

He put on an indecent smile on his face.

Yvonne was also amused by him. She looked at the time and said, "Let’s go, Mom should be out anytime now."

With that, the two of them returned to their original location.

As expected, Mrs. Taylor was already walking out of the backyard. She walked up to them and said, "Come on, let’s go back home."

Mrs. Taylor did not look great. At least, she was not in high spirits.

Both of them noticed it, but they did not say anything.

On the way back, Mrs. Taylor did not say a word throughout the entire ride.

Yvonne and James knew better and tactfully remained silent.

It was very quiet in the car.

However, not long after, James broke the silence.

He looked at his mother and asked, "Mom, what’s wrong? You were fine before. Why didn’t you say anything after you finished praying?"

Mrs. Taylor did not reply. Instead, she turned to look out of the window.

Ignored by his mother, James did not know what to do. He turned to Yvonne for help.

Yvonne paused for a moment before speaking.

"Mom, what else do you want to do today? We will accompany you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Taylor turned around, looked at her, and said, "No, you youngsters should go out and play. I’m tired and I want to go back and rest."

"Then... we’ll go back with you," replied Yvonne.

Mrs. Taylor shook her head. "Don’t do that! It’s the weekend. You guys should go out and play."

Mrs. Taylor did not say another word after that.

Seeing this, Yvonne could not say anything else.

When they arrived at a bustling street in the city center, Mrs. Taylor asked the driver to stop the car and let them off.

...

James and Yvonne had initially wanted to accompany Mrs. Taylor back home, but they were let off halfway.

The two of them could only find temporary entertainment for themselves. "Do you want to take a look over there?" Yvonne made a suggestion.

James followed her gaze and saw that she was referring to a snack street. He frowned and asked, "What’s interesting over there?"

Yvonne glanced at the time and said, "It’s almost time for dinner. Don’t you think we should fill our stomachs first?"

James responded, "Don’t tell me you’re thinking of eating there!"

He was confused.

Yvonne nodded her head.

"No way, you are a doctor!" James did not understand.

"What’s wrong with being a doctor?""

Yvonne frowned.

James asked, "Aren’t doctors clean freaks? Look at how dirty it is over there. It’s so unhygienic. There are bacteria all over the place!"

Hearing his words, Yvonne was a little speechless.

She said, "Doctors are also normal people. Doctors will also eat the snacks on the street. Also, let me teach you some simple medical facts. Humans live with bacteria and diseases to begin with, so don’t look down on the roadside stalls."

After saying that, she turned around and walked toward the opposite side of the road.

James took some time to register and ended up following her.

"Sir, give me a big bowl of wonton, "Yvonne sat down at a wonton stall and ordered.

"Okay," the boss replied and began to prepare.

James walked over and sat down next to her. He then glanced at the boss’s stove and asked Yvonne, "What’s there to eat here?"

Yvonne replied sarcastically, "I thought you look down on streetside vendors?" She scoffed.

James’ expression was a little unnatural. He then smiled and said, "That’s not what I meant. Don’t get mad."

Yvonne glanced at him and said, "I’m not that stingy. There’s nothing else here except for wonton."

"Then I want a bowl too."

Yvonne then asked for another bowl. She turned around and met James’ gaze. She frowned and said, "Why are you always looking at me like that?"

It made her feel a little embarrassed.

James blinked and said, "I found that you have been much better recently."

"What do you mean, much better?"

Yvonne did not understand.

James replied, "You’re becoming more and more...you."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Who else would I be?"

Yvonne was still speechless.

James smiled and said, "That depends on which stage you’re talking about. For example, before you got married."

"Before getting married?" Yvonne seemed to have understood something. She asked, "You’re saying that I’ve changed?"

He nodded. "To be more exact, you became the old you."

Hearing his words, Yvonne roughly understood what he meant.

Indeed, she had felt awkward in front of him when they first got married.

Since she could not change her identity, she did a lot of awkward things.

However, she gradually realized that she had been thinking too much.

She could actually get along well with James. Even if they could not be as intimate as a normal wedded couple, they should not be as awkward as strangers around one another.

They could trust and support each other, and stand shoulder to shoulder like friends.

As for how things would develop in the future, instead of being conflicted about it now, it was better to let nature take its course.

Thinking of this, she said, "Do you think the current me is good?"

"Of course." James nodded vigorously.