Chapter 602: Chapter 602



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Jasmine frowned as she skimmed the menu intently. An appetizer plate of bean curd cost fifteen dollars. It had a fancy name, like Jade Emperor’s Ice Cream in thick broth. But it was still bean curd. It seemed like a rip-off to him. He kept looking at the menu and the rest was the same.

The mashed cabbage was just cabbage and cost $20.

The French roast duck was $55 each.

The sweet and sour pork ribs were $18 a plate.

Jasmine couldn’t go on and felt it was clearly a scam. The dishes had fancy names and the ambiance was upper class, but that was no reason to have such outrageous prices.

He closed the menu, handed it back to the waiter and said, “We’re not ordering.”

Boyce was startled and asked, “You don’t like it?”

Jasmine nodded, “There’s nothing here I like. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Boyce stood up and said, “Fine, let’s go somewhere you like.”

Jasmine smiled. The waiter was silent, as Boyce was wearing his uniform and was obviously someone in authority. He also noticed the age difference between Boyce and Jasmine, so he figured Jasmine would be pampered by Boyce.

Once outside the restaurant, Jasmine spoke bluntly, “That was a rip-off! How could a bowl of beans cost $15? What kind of bean curd could cost that much?”

Boyce didn’t expect Jasmine to be upset that it was expensive and laughed, “That was your only chance to have a fancy meal with me. You won’t get another chance.”

Jasmine looked at him and scoffed, “Lucky for you, my loss.”

“You can still change your mind,” Boyce said. Boyce meant it. He wanted to give her a good deal.

“Fine, I’ll pick the place.” Jasmine dragged him to the car and continued, “I know a place that serves delicious food. Drive.”

Boyce glanced at her hand as she clutched his. He could feel that her palm was calloused. She must have been used to the physical labor. He knew she was struggling to pay her way through college.

“Remember to look me up if you need anything. I promised your mother I’d take care of you.” said Boyce.

Jasmine’s smile faded as soon as she remembered her mother.

Boyce immediately realized her reaction and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

Jasmine shook her head, “It’s okay.”

She wrung her hands and said, “My mother was very pitiful. I was hoping that once I could earn some money, I would save her from that house, but…” His mother was jailed for murder.

“My father liked to gamble. When he won, he would spend extravagantly with those hooligans, but when he lost, he would demand money from my mother. If my mother didn’t give him the money, he would beat her. My mother was a housewife and the family income depended on the several acres of iris. She could only do some menial jobs to earn meager amounts. The family savings had been squandered by my father for a long time. He forced my mother to earn money to feed his gambling habits and beat her when she lost money. I saw this over the years and wanted so badly to get my mother away from him. When I got into this college, I thought I could hang on for a few more years and I could get her out, but he didn’t wait for me.”

He shuddered as he remembered the way his father beat his mother. Once he picked up a wooden stool and slammed it into his mother, who collapsed to the floor and lay motionless for a long time.

On another occasion, her father pinned her mother to the floor and slapped her repeatedly until her mouth bled profusely. She tried to push her father away, but he kicked her.

“My father is worse than an animal. He deserved death. I never felt sorry for him and this was too easy for him. Sometimes I hate the law. My father was clearly the aggressor, so why should the law punish my mother?”

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