âYou look good.â
âYeah?â Su Qingsang glanced at her sweater and said, âI agree.â
No machine-made sweater could compare with a hand-made piece like that. The sweater made her feel especially warm. She didnât regret her decision at all.
âMom will be happy to see you wearing it.â Huo Jinyao was glad to know that she had thought through it.
Blood was not the only important thing. Huo Jinyao didnât see it as a big deal at all. Sometimes, the ties of blood might not even be as important as the actual close relationships between people.
Xiang Caiping wasnât Su Qingsangâs real mother, but she sincerely saw the latter as her daughter.
When Su Qingsang showed up again in the hospital room, Xiang Caiping found that she was in a very good mood. She looked closer, then recognized the white sweater that she made for Su Qingsang.
She grinned, believing that it was the sweater that made her daughter happy. âIâll make you another one if you like it.â
âMom, donât,â Su Qingsang hurriedly said. âYou wouldnât have been injured if you didnât need to shop for yarn.â
âOh, I will be careful. Iâm fine now. Donât worry. I can still work. I will make sweaters not only for you but also for my grandchildren.â
Seeing Xiang Caipingâs happy face, Su Qingsang once again felt that she had made the right choice.
She wasnât Xiang Caipingâs daughter, but did that even matter? She decided to remain her daughter, at least for now.
Another week passed. There were only a few days left until the Chinese New Year. The streets were turning noisy.
People started shopping for festival goods. The festival atmosphere was overpowering. Still, however, the hospital was still full of patients.
Su Qingsang was still busy every day. Most of the time, she moved between her clinic and Xiang Caipingâs room. The doctors who left for communication studies had all returned. Zuo Hongchen had come to visit Xiang Caiping.
Not only he, but almost everyone from the gynecology and obstetrics department had visited her. Xiang Caiping sighed with pride, feeling that her daughter was such a popular person.
She liked Zuo Hongchen very much. In her eyes, he was a nice young man. Once, she attempted to introduce him and Shi Mengwan to each other, yet Shi Mengwan shied away.
Su Qingsang told her that she could talk about everything she wanted with Shi Mengwan, except romantic relationships. She didnât give Xiang Caiping a specific explanation, and the latter didnât ask.
All in all, everything was going for the better. The smoked meat and sausages that Xiang Caiping made for Su Qingsang before were ready to be served on the holiday table.
Sadly, Xiang Caiping couldnât eat those yet. She didnât mind, though. She kept telling Su Qingsang to ask Sister Lu to make some good dishes for her and her husband.
Xiang Caiping had been healing quickly during the past fortnight. Currently, she was able to eat some light-flavored food. However, naturally, it was still inconvenient for her to use the bathroom. Normally, she would need help from a caregiver.
However, as Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao took good care of her, and Shi Mengwan visited her a lot, she was always energetic. She already felt a lot better than before.
Recently, Su Chenghui had returned from the United States. The first thing he did was visit Xiang Caiping.
Unfortunately, Su Qingsang was at work that day. Xiao Ning left for a while to fetch water. No other people were in the room, so Su Chenghui pushed the door open and came straight in.
Xiang Caiping was awake at that time. She always took a nap after lunch, but the nap was usually short.
Her waist was injured, so she wasnât able to move freely. Her rehabilitation would start in ten days. In the recent couple of days, she felt a little stiff, but she didnât mention a word about that to her daughter.
âXiao Ning, please get me some water,â she heard someone came in but didnât open her eyes to see who that was.
Su Qingsang was at work and Shi Mengwan was busy too. Therefore, only Xiao Ning was keeping her company.
She was leaning on the bed. A glass of water was brought to her. She reached out a hand to take it but noticed that the hand, which was holding the glass, wasnât as chubby as Xiao Ningâs hands.
She raised her eyes and saw Su Chenghui.
âWhat are you doing here?â Her expression changed immediately.
âIâm here to see you,â Su Chenghui felt deep guilt toward Xiang Caiping. He held the glass of water, wearing a painful look.
âThank you, but I donât need this.â Xiang Caiping was extremely angry. She, of course, wouldnât be friendly to him. âIâll recover sooner if you didnât show up. Seeing you makes me feel as if Iâm dying.â
That was mean. Su Chenghui didnât look happy to hear that.
âCaiping, why did you say that. We...â
âItâs you and me. There is no âweâ,â Xiang Caiping made it very clear. âAnd you are not welcome here. Please leave.â
Su Chenghui put the glass closer to her. As Xiang Caiping didnât seem to want it at all, he put it aside helplessly.
âCaiping, Iâve sent Peizhen abroad.â
âThatâs your business. I donât need to know.â
âI told her not to come home for the New Year this year. I told her to stay there alone.â
âYou think thatâs proper punishment?â Xiang Caiping looked at Su Chenghui. She had foreseen that Su Chenghui would send Su Peizhen away long ago.
She had said herself that she didnât want Su Peizhen to take responsibility for what happened. However, when the man said those words to her, she felt disgusted.
âPeizhen has never been abroad alone during the New Year,â Su Chenghui looked at Xiang Caiping. He, somehow, had an urge to let Xiang Caiping know more.
âEm,â Xiang Caiping smiled coldly. She felt as if her heart was twitching and aching. âSu Chenghui, maybe Su Peizhen never had a New Year alone. But what about your other daughter, Su Qingsang? Do you know that she worked at the hospital during the New Year? Do you think that Su Peizhen is suffering so badly now?â
âThatâs not what I meant.â Su Chenghui seemed to be a little embarrassed. She was right. He never cared about where Su Qingsang was at the New Year. He vaguely remembered that she didnât celebrate the New Year with the Su Family for a few years.
âDo you really see her as your daughter? Have you ever given her any thought during all those New Years? Have you?â
âCaiping, calm down.â
âI am calm,â Xiang Caiping didnât lie. âIf I were not, Iâd have killed you and died together with you.â
Xiang Caiping was so angry. She touched her own chest and said, âLeave. I donât want to see you.â
âCaiping, listen to me. I havenât finished telling you what I began talking of last time. Caiping, Qingsang really isnât your...â
She really wasnât her daughter.
A ringtone was heard from the outside. Su Chenghui paused briefly and didnât finish his words. He turned and saw that Su Qingsang was standing at the door, looking at him and Xiang Caiping.