'No.' She couldn't lose her temper with her daughter yet. She still had to coax her.
Mrs. Tao suppressed her frustration, recalling the words her son had repeated to her several times: "What if you lose your temper with her and she gets angry and runs off without a second thought? She might be free if she runs, but our family will be utterly ruined."
Mrs. Tao lowered her head, digging her nails fiercely into her palm. Even as she remembered again how this shameless daughter had forced her and her son to kneel in humiliation before their in-laws, she had long since grown to despise her from the bottom of her heart. On the surface, however, she held her temper and followed her son's advice to persuade her daughter slowly. Softening her voice, she sighed and said:
