Chapter 566: How Did It Become Like This Now
It was an extremely short and simple greeting, yet Xiang Caiping felt tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat.
Had she been well? No, she was not fine at all.
She had always wanted to be reunited with Su Peizhen. However, after the reunion, she realized that her daughter was not who she had thought to be.
She had thought of Su Qingsang more than once too, and the more she mulled over it, the more she hated Su Chenghui.
This was all Su Chenghui’s fault. If he hadn’t swapped the children around, why would her child be spoiled like this?
And why would her child be not close to her at all, even when she was the birth mother?
Xiang Caiping said nothing, but the look in her eyes said it all. Su Qingsang felt a little suffocated.
She couldn’t help but look at Huo Jinyao, who gently shook his head.
Su Qingsang did not ask any more, and she poured a cup of tea for Xiang Caiping.
“Aunt Xiang, drink this. I remember you said that you like black tea.”
Feeling like crying again, Xiang Caiping lowered her head to hide her emotions.
The time she had spent with Su Qingsang was almost the same as the time she was with Su Peizhen after they had reunited.
However, Su Peizhen still didn’t even remember what she liked to eat or drink. Yet, Su Qingsang remembered her preferences, from just a few months of interaction.
Even the foods were ordered according to her liking.
As it was not the time to be emotional, Xiang Caiping looked at Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang, who were both sitting opposite her.
“How are you recently?”
“I’m quite well.”
Their conversation was so polite and distant that it made Su Qingsang feel bad.
“You know that. Jinyao had always been nice to me.”
Xiang Caiping glanced at Su Qingsang, looked at Huo Jinyao, and finally nodded. “Yes. Your relationship had always been good.”
Did she still need to be concerned about how Huo Jinyao treated Su Qingsang? It was obvious that he was very nice to her.
There was another moment of silence, and no one said anything. Su Qingsang wanted to express her concerns for Xiang Caiping, but she also realized that it didn’t seem appropriate, no matter how she would do it.
Her words of concern were thus left stuck in her throat.
During the meal, the atmosphere was rather oppressive. Su Qingsang became increasingly concerned about Xiang Caiping. She wanted to ask if she was getting along with Su Peizhen, but she knew she couldn’t ask that.
A healthy herbal soup was served, and Su Qingsang gave Xiang Caiping a bowl of it.
“Aunt Xiang, is your lower back getting better?”
Xiang Caiping had received physiotherapy for her lower back when she was in Lin City, and it had already gotten better. However, it was not known if she had visited a doctor for it since she came to Rong City.
“It’s much better.”
Although it would hurt a little occasionally, she was able to bear with it. Xiang Caiping heard Su Qingsang’s concerns, and she thought about how Su Qingsang had taken care of her when she was hospitalized.
She knew very well that it was because it was Su Qingsang. If it was Su Peizhen, would she still be able to take care of her just as Su Qingsang had?
Xiang Caiping pondered about Su Peizhen, and she knew that she would be asking too much.
“That’s good! It’s much colder in Rong City, so you need to take extra care for your lower back. You must be careful, be sure to not carry heavy objects, and don’t tire yourself out!”
Halfway through her sentence, Su Qingsang realized that she was talking too much. She pursed her lips and did not say anything else.
Xiang Caiping felt sad again. Although her lower back had gotten better, in the months that she was in Rong City, she would still feel a little uncomfortable whenever there was a change in weather.
After all, she was badly hurt in that accident. Moreover, she was already quite old, and can’t be compared to a young person.
But Su Peizhen had only asked her about it at the beginning of these few months. Now, she didn’t even talk about it anymore.
Xiang Caiping was never jealous of Li Qianxue, even when her man was taken away by her. Now, however, she was extremely jealous of her.
What had she done so well to deserve such a good daughter? It was said that her son was an obedient child as well.
And taking a look at Su Peizhen…
Though she was staring at the dishes on the table, Xiang Caiping no longer had the appetite to eat.
After the meal, Su Qingsang glanced at Huo Jinyao, and she started speaking.
“Aunt Xiang, how did you get here? How about we give you a lift home?”
“I… I’ll take a bus back on my own.”
As she was getting old, she had nothing much to do anyway. Xiang Caiping did not want to trouble Su Qingsang.
“It’s alright. We don’t have to work today anyway.”
While speaking, Su Qingsang took the initiative and walked over to Xiang Caiping. She did not hold Xiang Caiping’s hand but kept a half arm distance from her instead.
“Aunt Xiang, just let us take you home!”
Huo Jinyao chimed in, “Yeah, let’s go, Aunt Xiang!”
Xiang Caiping was unable to talk her way out, and eventually, she got into Huo Jinyao’s car. Su Qingsang sat with her in the backseat of the car.
They used to be mother and daughter, but now they had nothing to say to each other.
After a while, the car stopped in front of Xiang Caiping’s house. Huo Jinyao scanned the surrounding environment and thought that it was quite a nice place.
The house was probably bought by Xiang Caiping beforehand. She had pretty good taste.
“Aunt Xiang, do you live here?”
“Yes.” Xiang Caiping nodded. “Would you like to come in for a while?”
“Maybe next time. We still have something on.” In reality, Su Qingsang did not want to meet Su Peizhen, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding.
What she was thinking about, Xiang Caiping had also thought of it. She had the intention to say that Su Peizhen would not be home in the morning, but she didn’t say it in the end.
She got out of the car, and when she was about to leave, she turned to look at Su Qingsang once more.
“Did you change your number?”
“No. I did not change my number, be it my phone or my Wechat contact.”
Su Qingsang was worried that Xiang Caiping would feel awkward about looking for her, so she continued, “Give me a call if you have any problems. And I’m working at Central Hospital now. You can look for me there when you are free!”
“Central Hospital?”
“Yes, the hospital at Zhengdong District.”
Xiang Caiping nodded and said nothing else. She waved her hand and left.
She was hobbling a little. Su Qingsang saw her, her heart was awash with sadness.
Huo Jinyao drove away from the front of the house. Su Qingsang glanced over at him and muttered, “Aunt Xiang must have been having a hard time.”
Of course, she was having a hard time, but Huo Jinyao did not say anything. Su Peizhen didn’t look like she wanted to acknowledge Xiang Caiping at all.
Su Peizhen had been busy with her matters since she came to Rong City. Even if she had the time, she would rather be thinking of ways to deal with Su Qingsang than to spend more time with her biological mother.
Su Qingsang bit her lips and turned around to peek at the house that was no longer in sight.
“What do you think about me visiting Aunt Xiang in the future?”
“You can visit her if you want to, but I don’t agree with that.”
“Why?”
“You truly have good intentions for visiting Aunt Xiang, and it’s alright if Su Peizhen doesn’t know about it. But what if she found out? What do you think would be on her mind?”
Su Peizhen already had prejudice and resentment towards Su Qingsang. Su Qingsang had reunited with Li Qianxue, and she was still trying to take Xiang Caiping away?
Based on Su Peizhen’s personality, she might do something crazy.
Though, she wasn’t having the best of intentions now.