Chapter 382: Chapter 382 - Ill Think Of You When I Have Time

“That’s more like it,” Su Qingsang laughed. When she did, the corners of her eyes lit up with joy. It wasn’t hauntingly gorgeous, but it did make her already beautiful features stand out even more.

Huo Jinyao inched over and gave her a peck on the lips.

“Remember to think of me.”

Su Qingsang blinked. “Let’s see. I’ll think of you if I have time,” she teased.

Huo Jinyao pressed on the accelerator. He gave her a sideways glance, and his voice was flat as he spoke. “Don’t worry. I’ll have ways to make you think of me every day.”

Su Qingsang let out a gentle snort, expressing her disbelief. However, she could not hide the smile on her face even if she wanted to.

The winter sun outside of the car windows was perfect. She stretched out her arm and watched as it basked in the golden sunlight.

What a blessed life. She had a man she liked as her husband and a mother who loved her. If it was possible, she hoped that this wonderful life of hers would last forever.

She was thinking, there’s no reason for things to change, right?

...

Su Qingsang only found out when she was on the plane that besides her, Zuo Hongchen was among the doctors participating in this study exchange.

The moment she saw Zuo Hongchen on the flight, her first reaction was relief at the fact that Huo Jinyao didn’t know about this. Her second reaction was this: When Huo Jinyao does know about this, will he be mad?

He won’t be, will he? Even if he wanted to be mad, she was already on the plane. Right. That settles it.

“Junior, you’re here?” Zuo Hongchen stood up and stretched out his hand the moment he saw her. “Come, let me help you with your baggage.”

“Thank you very much, Senior Zuo.”

“You’re being too polite.” Zuo Hongchen was a man — he easily lifted Su Qingsang’s luggage and placed in in the overhead compartment.

“Did you rest well?” When Su Qingsang was about to sit, she found out that not only Zuo Hongchen had shown up — they were also supposed to sit next to each other.

This really wasn’t Zuo Hongchen’s arrangement, right?

As if he could see through her hesitation, Zuo Hongchen offered an explanation. “I approached the general office the moment I got the news about the exchange program and had recommended you to join too. Perhaps that’s why got adjacent seats.”

“Not a problem at all,” Su Qingsang waved him off. “It’s fine to be seated together. I have some questions to consult you about.”

“It’s way too formal to call this a consultation. If there’s anything you’d like to know, just ask.”

“Thank you, senior.”

Su Qingsang took her seat. The entire journey that followed became a professional exchange with Zuo Hongchen.

As for how Zuo Hongchen had tagged along for the exchange program, there was no need to tell Huo Jinyao.

When she thought about that man’s jealous streak, Su Qingsang’s lips curved upwards as she smiled with joy.

At the same moment, Zuo Hongchen had just emerged from the washroom when he saw the smile on Su Qingsang’s face. That was the kind of smile that would appear only when a lover or a dear one was missed.

His expression darkened as he sighed secretly. He was, as expected, too late. Su Qingsang must be having a very blessed life now, right?

...

Xiang Caiping started to busy herself the moment her daughter left.

The sweater was almost complete. It was only missing its two sleeves. She intended to finish knitting it before Su Qingsang returned.

Her daughter was craving smoked sausages and bacon and dried beef slices. That wasn’t too complicated. The weather in Lin City has been good recently. She had already thought it through — first, smoked sausages.

Seeing that she had something to do every day, Huo Jinyao noticed that Xiang Caiping seemed to be in good spirits.

The effects left from Su Chenghui’s visit were nowhere to be seen anymore.

He couldn’t help but marvel — sure enough, moms knew their daughters best. Su Qingsang and Xiang Caiping had only gotten to know each other as mother and daughter for the past two months, but their relationship was already so deep-rooted.

As she busied herself for the sake of her daughter, there was no need to worry that Xiang Caiping would feel bored.

He told all this to Su Qingsang. Su Qingsang felt slightly guilty, yet she was incredibly touched. It was a simple suggestion, but Xiang Caiping’s eagerness had truly left her speechless.

She secretly decided that she would treat Xiang Caiping better when she returned to Lin City — even better than before.

...

Xiang Caiping didn’t want anything in return for treating Su Qingsang well. She just wanted to make up for the motherly love that she had been deprived of giving over the years.

In the next whole week, besides making smoked sausages, bacon and dried beef slices, which all happened to be Lin City’s new-year specialties, Xiang Caiping had completed knitting the two other sleeves on Qingsang’s sweater.

The white sweater looked crisp and clean. Xiang Caiping even stitched a few mulberry leaves on the front of it — the stitching looked fantastically intricate. After completing it, Xiang Caiping thought that it was missing something.

The sweater didn’t have a high collar. She was afraid that her daughter might still be cold when she was in Rong City.

Giving it some thought, Xiang Caiping decided to buy some wool the next day and knit a scarf for Su Qingsang. Not just for her — she could make one for Huo Jinyao too.

Huo Jinyao has treated her well all this time. Xiang Caiping wasn’t someone who would take that for granted.

Huo Jinyao was very nice both to Su Qingsang and to her. Besides treating Su Qingsang as her daughter, she also treated Huo Jinyao as her son-in-law wholeheartedly.

Knitting a scarf was easier — she had her mind set on doing it. Xiang Caiping left the house early in the morning the next day to buy some yarn.

Lin City had undergone a massive change compared to the time when she left twenty years ago. If Su Qingsang hadn’t brought her to shop around for a few times in the past, Xiang Caiping was afraid that she might not have been able to find her way.

Xiang Caiping planned to head home after she purchased the wool. However, when she walked past a very popular mall, she stopped short.

She was looking at a display item in a grand-looking jade store located next to the mall.

It was a jade Buddha. Men would usually wear the Guan Yin, and girls would usually wear the Buddha. She thought about how her daughter was always in the hospital — if she wasn’t around sickly patients, she would be around pregnant women.

She was also constantly socializing and on the move. Making up her mind, Xiang Caiping decided to buy the jade Buddha for her daughter as a gift.

She entered the store. It was big. The jade accessories were organized by type and exhibited on a few counters.

There were jade bangles, jade pendants, and jade décor items.

Xiang Caiping’s eyes swept across the store. Then, she made a beeline for the counter specifically displaying jade pendants. She requested the shop assistant to bring out the jade Buddha.

The shop assistant gave Xiang Caiping’s attire a once-over, hesitating for a good few seconds. “Ma’am, this piece is the most treasured and expensive item in the store. Its price isn’t affordable at all.”

Xiang Caiping stared back at the shop assistant, unfazed. “Miss, at my age, I might very well be your mother. Do you think I’m just wasting your time?”

“Ma’am, it all depends on how you see it. I didn’t mean it in that way.”

The shop assistant was a little embarrassed after Xiang Caiping’s statement. She turned around meekly to retrieve that jade Buddha, still a little reluctant.

The jade Buddha wasn’t big at all — it was just slightly bigger than a pigeon’s egg. It was a two-faced Buddha — a Buddha with a big heart. This piece of jade was quite well done in terms of quality and its intricacy of design.

As she was inspecting it, the shop assistant placed her hands on the counter in an untrusting manner. Soon she thought that she was being too obvious with her actions and proceeded to clear her throat.

“Ma’am, please handle it with care.”

Xiang Caiping ignored her and flipped the jade piece from front to back repeatedly. She had seen her fair share of luxury items when she did some business during her youth, and she knew that this jade piece was the real deal. “How much do you ask for it?”