Xiang Caiping saw how well Huo Jinyao was taking care of her daughter and felt gladdened by it.
She sat on the sofa opposite Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao. Her posture was pencil straight and she placed her palms on her knees. For a moment, Su Qingsang thought that she was looking at someone from the olden days.
“A…Aunty, you don’t have to be so formal.”
She saw Xiang Caiping turn pale after being addressed as ‘Aunty,’ but she could not bring herself to address the older woman as ‘Mother’.
Huo Jinyao grabbed hold of Su Qingsang’s hand and she glared at him. He stubbornly held onto her without any intention of letting go.
When Su Qingsang was about to wrestle her hand free, Huo Jinyao suddenly looked towards Xiang Caiping. “Aunty, may I ask why you waited so long to acknowledge Qingsang?”
Su Qingsang had already asked this question, but Huo Jinyao’s tone and demeanor were completely different from hers.
His manner was imposing and his stare was penetrating. Although he did not explicitly declare his meaning, his protectiveness of Su Qingsang was clearly reflected in his eyes.
Su Qingsang forgot to wrestle her hand free. Xiang Caiping did not expect such a critical attitude from Huo Jinyao, but she still did her best to explain herself.
“I… I felt that I have let her down. I did not want to disrupt her life.”
“Then why have you come to disrupt her life now?” Huo Jinyao placed his hand on Su Qingsang’s shoulder, his other hand still holding hers tightly.
“I heard Qingsang’s name in a television program and I just wanted to see her.” Xiang Caiping shifted her line of sight to Su Qingsang. Her tone was fervent. “I wanted to see her and find out if she is doing well. I wanted to…”
“You have already seen her, so what now?”
Huo Jinyao rudely interrupted her. Su Qingsang was a little surprised at his sharp attitude, but she did not speak up to stop him.
“I…” Xiang Caiping’s lips trembled slightly. She had wanted to see if her daughter was doing well; she just wanted to find out for herself and then leave.
After spending some time with her daughter, however, she started to feel that this was not sufficient for her.
She wanted to reunite with her daughter, spend more time with her, and shower her with motherly love, which she had not received for more than twenty years. Perhaps Su Qingsang did not need it anymore, but she wanted to give it all to her.
Though she did not speak, Huo Jinyao was able to read her intentions. His expression remained unchanged. “Aunty, forgive me for the harsh words I’m going to say. Perhaps you have painted a rosy picture in your imagination, but have you ever thought of how Qingsang feels?”
“I…”
“Qingsang was doing well. Even in your absence, we are happy. Your sudden appearance in her life undoubtedly reminded Qingsang that she is an illegitimate daughter, the daughter of a mistress. Am I wrong to say that?”
“I don’t… I didn’t…” Xiang Caiping was flustered and she gazed anxiously at Su Qingsang. She had not stopped to ponder the meaning of the term ‘illegitimate daughter.’
“I was not a mistress. Qingsang, you have to believe me. I really wasn’t a mistress. Your father and I knew each other before he got married. Li Qianxue came into his life later. We…”
Xiang Caiping was incoherent. She tried to explain herself as clearly as she could, but she did not know where to begin. Her story was too long and she felt summarizing it would cloud its accuracy.
There was silence. Su Qingsang was indeed very curious about what had happened in the past. What Huo Jinyao had said made sense too, though.
“Aunty,” Huo Jinyao said. “What happened in the past is not important at all. What’s important are the grievances Su Qingsang has suffered all these years due to her being an illegitimate daughter.”
Su Qingsang could forget about it, but Huo Jinyao would not allow the matter to rest easily.
