“I’m sorry.” Xiang Caiping sniffed. She pulled out a napkin to dry her tears. “I’m sorry, this was not intentional on my part. I just…”
“Please don’t panic. You can speak slowly.”
Much time had passed since the events Xiang Caiping was talking about; the grievances which Su Qingsang used to have deep down in her heart had almost dissipated.
“Your father had wanted to marry Li Qianxue and I had had no means to intervene. I was pregnant and initially planned on having an abortion. I could not bear to do so. Then, the doctor informed me that I was not in good health. If I were to have an abortion, I might not be able to get pregnant ever again. I also did not have the courage to go through with an abortion. After giving birth to you, your father had already married Li Qianxue. I was devastated and angry with him for marrying someone else. I left you with him. I thought that at that time, he had better means in bringing up a child than me. I assumed that for old times’ sake, he would take good care of you.”
Su Qingsang remained silent. Xiang Caiping was visibly worked up and her words were repetitive; her verbalized account of the past lacked fluency.
“Qingsang, I am honestly not some third party. Your father and I… we met each other before his marriage. This is true. In the end, however, he…”
“Why did he want to marry Li Qianxue?” Though Su Qingsang was not regularly present in Su Mansion, she had still witnessed many happenings and events there when she was growing up.
Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue were only husband and wife on the surface. They put on an act of mutual respect in front of others, but they did not get along in their private lives.
Su Qingsang was aware of this because she had witnessed their private interactions a few times during her childhood. Li Qianxue was snappy and guarded towards Su Chenghui. As for Su Chenghui, he was the complete opposite of how modest and gentlemanly he behaved in public. He was extremely cold and unfeeling, to the point where it was discomforting.
Whenever Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue got into an argument with each other, Li Qianxue would look at Su Qingsang with increased hostility.
“Since things had reached such a hopeless point, I chose to walk away from it all. I was too ashamed to face you after the choice I had made. Little did I know that I would hear your name in a television program. Before I could decide whether or not to look for you, I ran into you on the road.
“Qingsang, I know that it will be difficult for you to accept me at the moment. You might even think that I am a liar and a bad mother, but I really am your mother.”
Xiang Caiping had spoken a lot and her pitiful demeanor had struck a chord in Su Qingsang’s heart.
Su Qingsang pulled out a piece of napkin and handed it to Xiang Caiping, motioning for her to stop crying. “Alright, I believe you are my mother.”
“Then, then…” Xiang Caiping instantaneously looked hopeful. “You, you believe me? So you are willing to acknowledge me?”
“Please give me some time.” Su Qingsang glanced at the time on her watch. “I need to get back to work. Are you staying in a hotel or…”
“Hotel. I’m staying in a hotel nearby.”
“Do you know your way around? How about you return to the hotel and when I am done with work, we can talk about everything?”
“Sure, sure.” Xiang Caiping speedily dried her tears. She was crying and smiling at the same time; she looked very emotional.
Su Qingsang’s empathy towards Xiang Caiping deepened. Faced with such a fragile character, she did not want to reprimand or blame her further.
Without insisting on Xiang Caiping going back to the hotel, Su Qingsang left for work first.
In the afternoon, Su Qingsang had to perform two surgeries. Even though they were minor surgeries, they had successfully distracted her from Xiang Caiping and she temporarily pushed the matter to the back of her mind.
When she was almost done with work, she remembered Xiang Caiping’s existence. When she was still contemplating whether to go to the hotel where Xiang Caiping was staying, she spotted Xiang Caiping sitting on a bench at the entrance of the hospital.
“Qingsang, you have finished work?”
Xiang Caiping stood up, slightly blushing. It was not clear how long she had been waiting.
“Have you been waiting here the whole time?”
