Mama Lu

Jade remembers clearly the day she met her paternal grandma. She was 3 years old at that time and her mother had just delivered. She was very agitated because she can't stand her younger brother who was a difficult baby that cries almost every minute. She could not stand the cries that she started rocking herself back and forth and sometimes for release she bang her head against the wall because she just wanted the noise to stop. Her parents were exasperated for help.

On one hand, they were delighted that their son was a NORMAL baby and on the other hand, Jade who was usually quiet and in her own world is acting out. They thought she was jealous of the new addition to their family and became more disgusted with her. They started screaming at her which made the matters worse. Finally, they decided they have to remove Jade or else they might just go crazy. They thought of sending her to an orphanage and pay the orphanage a large sum of money so that they would keep this matter a secret but then they realised that people knew about the existence of their child and it won't be easy to fool others if she were to suddenly disappear to an orphanage.

Lu Zheng Tong, Jade's father decided to ask his mother, Matriach Lu the matriarch of Lu to pay a visit and give her opinion on his situation. Matriach Lu, now a 60 year old woman, lost her husband when she was only 35 years old, managed to handle her late husband business and brought up two children on her own. It was unsure if she brought them up successfully or not because her son Lu Zheng Tong was a little small minded and her daughter after marrying a foreigner abroad refused to return to Beijing. People called her the female version of Mao Zedong after they witnessed how she solidify her position in the company after her husband passed away and how she fends off all the sharks that wants to take advantage with their scheme. Those events shaped her to who she is today. Her face is hardened and devoid of any emotions.

It was a chaotic day, the day she met her Mama Lu, Jade was knocking her head against the wall until it was bleeding because her little brother Chris Lu was wailing while her mother was screaming and the five hired nannies were trying their best to pacify the young master, calm their madam and stop their eldest miss from banging her head. Mama Lu entrance was perfect, all it required for the commotion to stop was a loud knock of her wooden cane on the marble floor. Suddenly, it was a dead silence that even a pin were to drop it should be audible to all ears. Mama Lu chased everyone all out of the nursery and stared at her eldest granddaughter.

Jade glad because of the sudden silence stopped all her antics and stared at the wall in front of her without blinking. Mama Lu then left her alone and walked out. Jade for the first time felt that someone understood that she just wanted peace and quiet. Mama Lu then made some arrangements to take her away and stay with her instead and only to visit her parents during holidays and sometimes on weekends.

Her parents were happy with the arrangements and glad to have Jade out of their hair. They did not understand what Matriach Lu saw in Jade. Truth be told, Mr Lu was not really close with this mother of his and he grew up in the hands of hired nannies and private tutor while his mother was busy expanding and surviving the nasty business world dominated by men.