“Hey Ma.” dropping his utensils in his plate, Jason went outside the diner and greeted a middle aged Chinese lady wearing simple casual clothes but with a neatly groomed hairstyle.

“Jie, you look thinner than last timer.” Jason’s mother said to Jason in Mandarin as she accompanied Jason into the diner, “Didn’t the boss treat you well?”

“Ma, he treats me well.” Jason smiled as he sat his mother down, “I look thinner because I work out - I actually weigh heavier than last time since I gained muscle.”

“Don’t overwork. You know your father and I care about you.” Jason’s mother put her right hand onto Jason’s left: “Do you need money? Your boss gives you a fair pay right?”

“Don’t worry Ma, I am doing well.” Jason leaned forward a bit to try to comfort his mother: “I get a place to stay rent free, Boss provides the food, also free. We have WiFi and all the essentials. If you think about it I am living well above the average.”

“Is the food good? He couldn’t have given you just bread and water right? What did you have for lunch?”

“We had venison steak, with vegetables and berries. Bi-weekly special. We get this kind of big lunch on Wednesday and Saturday.” Jason laughed and showed his mother the empty plate in front of him, “You just missed it, if you came earlier you would have tasted it.”

“Do you cook here? I remember you hate cooking. You love your drawings but you HATE being anywhere around uncooked food.”

“No, I just do check-in check-outs, take dining orders and wash the dishes. I don’t even have to do the cleaning, Boss changes the sheets and cleans the room.”

“Oh, do you change your sheets everyday? ”

“No, just everytime the guests checkout or when they get dirty. Most guests here don’t stay for too long. ”

The mother and son catch up chat continued till there were a couple of out of town guests at the reception’s table waiting to be checked in. Jason’s mother tried to give him some cash, but Jason gently refused.

“No need for me. I am doing well, just save it for little Yan, for her college fund.” Jason smiled as he pushed her mother’s hand back, “If I’ll ever need money, I will tell you, okay? Don’t worry Ma. I can totally handle myself.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t forget to call if you need anything!” Jason’s mother held Jason’s hands tight and close before she let go, “Oh, before I forgot, your uncle will come here next Month for your cousin’s wedding, we’ll have a family gathering. You are coming right?”

“Right, of course. I already told Boss and he said he will cover my shifts.” Jason reacted with a miniscule sense of reluctance, but managed to still sound happy and willing.

“Yo dude, any place you recommend us to check out before the film and arts festival?” as Jason was helping the guests check in, one of the male guests wearing a colorful buttonless t-shirt asked, “It’s our first time here, and we are from New York. So we are dying to see something different.”

“You guys are here early, there’s another two weeks till it starts. I recommend the XGen studio before they shut it down to prep for the festival. It’s new and not fully built yet. But there are a lot of things to see. ” Jason smiled and handed a brochure to the guest.