Chapter 71: The Shining Mother
Cecilia Sterling herself had never had French food in Veridia, so trusting the experts, she booked a two-star Michelin restaurant.
Unlike the dark and luxurious stereotype of The French Restaurant, this one was exquisitely and brightly decorated. The custom-made tableware glittered under the crystal chandeliers.
The restaurant had reserved a table by the window, offering a view of the Duvall River. The river’s surface reflected the magnificent crimson clouds of dusk, and in the distance, one could see the cluster of buildings on the opposite bank.
Having never dined in such a high-end restaurant before, Yvonne Sterling was a little reserved, yet also faintly excited.
"Rich people really know how to live. In a place like this, I feel like I could eat two extra bowls."
She looked at her sister and asked, "Sis, have you ever had French food?"
Jasmine Sterling appeared much calmer than her sister. After all, The Royale was an international five-star hotel, so the restaurants inside were also quite high-class.
But she had never actually had French food either.
She shook her head and said, "I haven’t, but French cuisine is widely recognized as the most expensive in the world. It’s like that at our hotel—even the French breakfast is a lot more expensive than the Chinese one."
Cecilia Sterling nodded in agreement. "That’s right. French cuisine is the cream of the crop in Western food. But tastes are local, and many Chinese people don’t take to it on their first try."
Just then, a waiter brought them glasses of water and presented them with bilingual menus.
Cecilia Sterling passed the menus to her mother and aunt. "Take a look and see what you want. Order whatever you’d like."
The moment they opened the menus, the two women were dumbfounded just by reading the names of the dishes.
Classic French Slow-Cooked Beef with Wild Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce.
French Mussels in White Wine with Fennel, Rapeseed, and Truffle.
Provençal Tomato Stew with Wild Veal Tenderloin.
Pullet and Cheese Tart with a Classic French Omelette.
"What is all this?" Yvonne Sterling’s mind was full of questions. She recognized all the words, but she couldn’t imagine what any of these dishes actually looked like.
There weren’t even any pictures on the menu.
Jasmine Sterling laughed, too, and handed the menu back to her daughter. "Cecilia, you order. Your aunt and I will go with whatever you pick."
Cecilia Sterling nodded, since she knew her mother’s and aunt’s tastes.
Cecilia Sterling ordered seven or eight dishes in one go before stopping, then chose a bottle of white wine.
"We’re drinking, too?"
Yvonne Sterling was a little surprised as she watched the waiter bring over the wine.
The beautiful and elegant bottle was stuck upside down in an ice bucket. Just looking at it, she felt the wine had to be good.
"A proper French meal is supposed to be paired with white wine. Auntie, I remember you love to drink, don’t you?" said Cecilia Sterling.
Yvonne Sterling smiled sheepishly. "I liked to drink when I was younger, but I’ve been drinking less in recent years."
"We’re celebrating today, so we should have a little," Jasmine Sterling said suddenly.
Cecilia Sterling and her aunt were both stunned for a moment, not expecting those words to come from their mother, who usually never advocated for drinking.
After snapping out of it, Yvonne Sterling nodded repeatedly. "That’s right! We have to celebrate you getting laid off!"
Jasmine Sterling didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Fine. We’re celebrating today anyway, so we can celebrate whatever you want."
As they talked and laughed, Cecilia Sterling felt happy from the bottom of her heart. Even though it was their first time dining in a place like this, her mother and aunt weren’t being spoilsports; instead, they threw themselves into enjoying the experience wholeheartedly.
But just as the atmosphere was getting lively, a commotion suddenly broke out on the other side of the restaurant.
It was a significant disturbance, immediately drawing the attention of all the guests. The once-harmonious dining atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Cecilia Sterling and the others also stood up instinctively, but since they didn’t know what was happening, they didn’t rush forward, choosing to watch from a distance.
Amid the commotion, panicked cries for help could be heard.
"Can anyone help? Is there a doctor?"
"Lawson, call 911, hurry!"
"I am, I am! President Lawson, what do we do?"
Several men in suits looked frantic, their panicked voices laced with fear.
On the floor lay a pale-faced man, now completely still, as if he no longer showed any signs of life.
The surrounding guests instinctively backed away at the sight.
Some whispered among themselves, their faces full of pity.
Others felt it was bad luck and quickly paid their bills and left.
The restaurant staff had clearly never encountered such a situation, and no one dared to rush forward to provide aid.
Even the manager only offered words of comfort. "Sir, please don’t panic. The nearest hospital is less than a mile from here. The ambulance will be here any second."
But seeing the man on the floor stop breathing, his chest no longer rising and falling, the faces of his companions turned even paler than his. They all looked completely helpless.
Just then, Jasmine Sterling, noticing something was wrong, walked over. Seeing this, Cecilia Sterling quickly followed.
Up close, a faint red rash was visible on the man’s exposed arms and neck. In an instant, something from her hotel training course flashed through Jasmine Sterling’s mind.
’The man isn’t dead yet. The rash confirms it—he’s in anaphylactic shock!’
’This is extremely dangerous. If first aid isn’t administered immediately, he could die at any moment!’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jasmine Sterling went straight to the man and knelt beside him. Under everyone’s shocked gazes, she quickly undid the top buttons of his shirt that were tight around his neck.
Then, she placed her interlocked hands on his chest and began emergency first aid using the standard CPR position.
Cecilia Sterling was also stunned. She never knew her mother could perform CPR. But seeing her calm demeanor and focused expression, she felt that in this moment, her mother was shining.
"Are you a medical professional?" someone asked gratefully upon seeing her actions.
Jasmine Sterling didn’t stop her compressions. "No, but I’ve been trained," she replied. "He’s in anaphylactic shock. We have to keep performing first aid while waiting for the ambulance, or his life will be in danger."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jasmine Sterling pinched the man’s nose, then tilted his chin to open his mouth slightly. After taking a deep breath, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.
She blew air into the man’s mouth—the standard rescue breathing technique.
Yvonne Sterling’s eyes went wide when she saw this.
Jasmine Sterling repeated the cycle of CPR and rescue breathing, not stopping even as a thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead from exhaustion.
Everyone around watched her tensely as she tried to save the man, no one daring to make a sound.
After what felt like an eternity, the man on the floor suddenly began to foam at the mouth, and then a white liquid started to pour out.
Jasmine Sterling’s face lit up at the sight. Completely unconcerned with how dirty the white vomit was, she immediately reached into the man’s mouth and cleared out the remaining fluid to prevent him from choking on it.
"He’s breathing! His chest is moving!"
Someone noticed the man had started breathing again and cried out in surprise.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the siren of an ambulance finally grew louder as it approached.
Exhausted, Jasmine Sterling collapsed onto the floor. The restaurant immediately erupted in thunderous applause, and everyone looked at her with eyes full of respect.