The workers finished installing all the furniture by 1 o'clock and left after Evelyn gave them a hefty tip.
Mingxi had hired a few maids to come in to wipe down and vacuum the floors. After 3 o'clock the apartment was spotless.
Chloe went out to pick up some lunch and Mingxi helped Evelyn start setting things up.
They set up the computer in the study as well as the laptop. She would have to ask Zain to show her how to connect the two things later so that she could take her laptop with her and still have her files saved.
When they finished, Chloe was back with food. She brought back some Korean BBQ and a few small containers of rice and vegetables. The three girls dug in like they were starving.
After their late lunch, they had about an hour before John was supposed to show up.
So the Mingxi went to get the towels washed and Chloe helped Evelyn set up the place a bit more. Zain had helped mostly with the electrical stuff like the lamps. He left the kitchen to her after she claimed it was her domain.
"Should have bought coffee grounds," Evelyn muttered under her breath as she took the deluxe coffee machine out of the box.
"Did you say something?" Chloe asked as she was figuring out how to use the blender. Because Chloe had always lived at home, she was the most pampered of the three siblings. But she was smart and a fast learner when she applied herself.
"Nope, nothing," Evelyn replied keeping her back to her. She didn't want to get lectured about her coffee habits again.
When they figured out the appliances they finished some other things around the kitchen.
Evelyn donned a pair of rubber gloves and washed the plates and cups. She could have easily put them through a dishwasher but she liked the idea of washing them by hand for the first time. Chloe decided to dry and put things onto the cabinets.
"Since when do you do dishes?" Chloe asked. Evelyn thought for a moment before answering.
"Probably when I was living with Ben in America." She answered.
"But you hate doing dishes." Chloe commented.
"I hated it when mom used to use chores as a form of punishment. But after a while it felt nice to do them. It made me feel a little bit closer to her." Evelyn said more than she would have liked. Chloe stopped moving for a second. Chloe was usually able to talk to Evelyn about anything except their mother.
When they were younger it used to make Evelyn mad and she would refuse to talk about it.
"Jie Jie, can I ask you something?" Chloe asked tentatively while drying a plate.
"Sure, what's up?" Evelyn relied while washing a cup.
"What was mom like?" Evelyn's hands froze. She was fourteen when their mom passed away. The twins would have been nine years old. She took a breath feeling the familiar tremble in her body when she thought of her mom's passing.
"What do you want to know?" Evelyn asked. Chloe was surprised that Evelyn didn't snap at her. She decided to tread carefully.
"It's just that I was so young. Sometimes I feel like I'm forgetting her." Chloe answered. Evelyn rinsed off the cup and handed it to Chloe to dry. Luckily it was the last thing they needed to wash.
Chloe took it from her to dry. Evelyn moved passed her and headed toward the couches in the living room. Chloe sighed when Evelyn didn't answer her. Her reaction was expected but he was still hurt by the reaction.
"Dry the cup then come with me. I'll tell you what I remember." Evelyn said surprising her. Chloe quickly dried the cup then placed it in the cabinet then bounded toward her sister. When she sat down on the couch next to Evelyn, Evelyn pulled her legs up tucking her ankles under here.
"What do you remember about mom?" Evelyn asked turning to Chloe. Chloe turned to her mimicking her sister's position.
"Well, I remember mom was very strict. She always made me eat all of my vegetables and made me practice the piano for hours. She let Ge Ge get away with everything. She let you do whatever you wanted." Chloe answered. She frowned recalling these things. Evelyn watched her sister. Evelyn recalled all of these things as well but the memory wasn't as bitter as Chloe recalled. But then, Evelyn knew things that Chloe didn't.
"You say that like those were bad things." Evelyn said in a soft tone. Chloe looked up at her but Evelyn was looking off into the distance as if recalling a memory.
"Mom loved music. She loved listening to it, she loved playing it, and most of all she loved making it. It's why she made all three of us learn how to play the piano. She used to play with us but she ended up spending more time mentoring you instead of playing with you. Every night she used to sing us to sleep. Do you remember that?" Evelyn's voice was steady but emotional. She didn't glance at Chloe though. Chloe thought about it.
"I remember she would sing to us, but I can't remember how she sounds." Chloe replied closing her eyes as if she was trying to remember it.
"Well actually, when you sing, you sound a lot like her." Evelyn turned back to Chloe when she said that. Chloe's eyes opened wide.
"Really?" Chloe asked her. Evelyn gave her a small smile.
"Yes, it's why dad and I look at you when you start singing. It's not because we think you sound bad but because you remind us of her. It makes us miss her, but it makes us feel like there is a part of her still with us." Evelyn said. Chloe's eyes became a little misty.
"Well, you look like mom. You have her hair, her eyes, her nose, her mouth." Chloe said. Evelyn smiled again.
"Yes," she said simply. Sometimes it made it difficult to look in the mirror.
"The point is though, mom always wanted the best for us. She wanted us to be people that didn't allow wealth and privilege to be all that we were. She taught me that we have to work hard or else it all means nothing. She wanted us to be able to survive in case there was a day we lost our wealth and privilege." Evelyn said. Chloe thought about that.
It was true that Evelyn rarely tried to do things the easy way. She didn't exactly reject her birthright. But she never used it as a short cut. Chloe never understood that. She always thought that Evelyn was making things more difficult for herself than she had to. This gave her a new perspective. Chloe had never felt a sense of great achievement. She began to think that maybe it's because she never had to really work hard for it.
It was 5 o'clock and the door bell rang. Evelyn got up from the couch. On the security screen, John's face could be seen. Evelyn opened the door for him.
"Hi, Ms. Wei." He greeted her. He had come dressed for an interview. He had on a perfectly ironed black suit with a white button down shirt as well as a pressed red tie. Evelyn on the other hand was wearing her comfortable jeans and a hoodie. The contrast was almost comical.
"Hi John. Please you can call me Evelyn." She waved off the formal way he addressed her.
"I couldn't," he said. He changed his shoes then handed her a bag of her favorite coffee grounds.
"These are for you, a little house warming gift," he said. Evelyn accepted them with a big smile on her face.
"Coffee? You shouldn't have," she said.
"I know they're you're favorite." He said. Chloe had come to join them.
"Oh no, not you too." She said to John. John looked at her.
"I'm sorry. You are?" He asked. She pouted at him.
"This is my sister, Chloe. Chloe this is John Ru." Evelyn put an arm around her sister.
He held his hand out to shake hers and she placed her hand in his after a moments hesitation. He gave it a firm yet gentle shake then released her hand.
"Shall we?" Evelyn gestured toward the direction of the study. He nodded. They walked passed Chloe and headed toward the study.
Evelyn held the door open for him. She closed the door behind him.
"Have a seat," she said as he walked passed her. He took a seat in front of her desk. Evelyn went to sit behind her desk. He took out his resume and handed it to her. Evelyn smiled. She did mean for this interview to be more of a formality but she liked that he was taking this so seriously. Her impression of him rose.
She took the resume from him and glanced at it. It was what she remembered it to be when he gave her his resume almost two years ago. There was one difference, "proficient in web designing."
"Proficient in web designing?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. He nodded.
"In the past two years I've taken some courses at the local college." He answered.
"Why?" She asked. He made eye contact with her before he continued.
"Well you know that these past two years I've been taking care of my mom in between working at the manor." He started. Evelyn nodded in reply but didn't interrupt him.
"At night I took online courses. I thought that it might help me if I got to go into the business world." He answered her.
"I see, and how is your mother now?" Evelyn asked. John didn't flinch at her question. He was emotionless when he responded.
"She passed away about a month ago," he replied. Evelyn's eyes widened in shock. She remembered that he had asked for time off about a month ago. She didn't think anything of it as he occasionally took time off.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize." She said to him. He shook his head.
"Thank you," he replied. Maybe the idea of her mom was so fresh on her mind but she felt a sort of kindred spirit between them.
"Is that why you decided to join me?" She asked him. He shook her head.
"No. I know that you would make a fair boss. If there was a chance for me to dive in, it would be with you. I've already lost my chance to start with the rest of my peers." He answered truthfully. Evelyn nodded.
"Well I've seen your resume and I know that you would have done well in the field. But you haven't done things business related in quite some time. What makes you think that you have what it takes?" She asked him.
"My tenacity, my enthusiasm, and I'm willing to put in the work to make up for the time I've lost." He answered her with firmness. A small smile tugged at her lips. It was exactly what she wanted to hear.
"Well then John Ru. Do you have any questions for me?" She asked him. This part was just as important as anything.
"What responsibilities will I have." He asked her. It was a fair question.
"You will shadow me for at least the first week. I may give you other tasks that involve research and finalizing certain documents. That yet remains to be seen." She answered. He nodded.
"What will my official title be?" He asked her.
"My assistant, temporarily. I'm going to see how you do in different areas. See where your strength is. After three months, we will access again." She replied. She knew this position would be demanding and she knew he did as well.
But instead of being afraid his eyes burned with determination.
"I accept those terms." He said to her.
"In that case, welcome to Wei World Organization, John Ru." She said standing up and extending her hand. This was something she's seen her father do countless times before. It always brought her a sense of pride to do so as well.
"I won't let you down," he said giving her a firm handshake giving her a little smile of his own.