The old woman opened the letter and glanced at it before—SLAM!—she smacked it down on the table. Barely suppressing her rage, she said through gritted teeth, "This thing is so important, so why are you waving it around? Put it away properly, right now. If you lose it someday, what are you going to do about your job?" Her son had only just gotten home and he was already infuriating her. He knew perfectly well that an old woman like her couldn't read, yet he insisted on showing her a recommendation letter. 'Was she supposed to read the letter, or was the letter supposed to read her?' The anger made her chest ache.
Li Mubo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so he failed to notice his mother's mood. He obediently put the letter back in its envelope and tucked it into his inner coat pocket. He really was afraid of losing that recommendation letter.
The old woman took a deep breath to calm herself. 'My son just got home,' she thought. 'I can't lose my temper. I can't.'
