To My Dear Mr. Huo

“You look good.”

“Yeah?” Su Qingsang glanced at her sweater and said, “I agree.”

No machine-made sweater could compare with a hand-made piece like that. The sweater made her feel especially warm. She didn’t regret her decision at all.

“Mom will be happy to see you wearing it.” Huo Jinyao was glad to know that she had thought through it.

Blood was not the only important thing. Huo Jinyao didn’t 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 wasn’t Su Qingsang’s 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. “I’ll make you another one if you like it.”

“Mom, don’t,” Su Qingsang hurriedly said. “You wouldn’t have been injured if you didn’t need to shop for yarn.”

“Oh, I will be careful. I’m fine now. Don’t worry. I can still work. I will make sweaters not only for you but also for my grandchildren.”

Seeing Xiang Caiping’s happy face, Su Qingsang once again felt that she had made the right choice.

She wasn’t Xiang Caiping’s 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 Caiping’s 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 didn’t give Xiang Caiping a specific explanation, and the latter didn’t 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 couldn’t eat those yet. She didn’t 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 wasn’t able to move freely. Her rehabilitation would start in ten days. In the recent couple of days, she felt a little stiff, but she didn’t mention a word about that to her daughter.

“Xiao Ning, please get me some water,” she heard someone came in but didn’t 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, wasn’t as chubby as Xiao Ning’s hands.

She raised her eyes and saw Su Chenghui.

“What are you doing here?” Her expression changed immediately.

“I’m here to see you,” Su Chenghui felt deep guilt toward Xiang Caiping. He held the glass of water, wearing a painful look.

“Thank you, but I don’t need this.” Xiang Caiping was extremely angry. She, of course, wouldn’t be friendly to him. “I’ll recover sooner if you didn’t show up. Seeing you makes me feel as if I’m dying.”

That was mean. Su Chenghui didn’t look happy to hear that.

“Caiping, why did you say that. We…”

“It’s you and me. There is no ‘we’,” Xiang Caiping made it very clear. “And you are not welcome here. Please leave.”

Su Chenghui put the glass closer to her. As Xiang Caiping didn’t seem to want it at all, he put it aside helplessly.

“Caiping, I’ve sent Peizhen abroad.”

“That’s your business. I don’t need to know.”

“I told her not to come home for the New Year this year. I told her to stay there alone.”

“You think that’s proper punishment?” 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 didn’t want Su Peizhen to take responsibility for what happened. However, when the man said those words to her, she felt disgusted.

“Peizhen has never been abroad alone during the New Year,” Su Chenghui looked at Xiang Caiping. He, somehow, had an urge to let Xiang Caiping know more.

“Em,” Xiang Caiping smiled coldly. She felt as if her heart was twitching and aching. “Su 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?”

“That’s not what I meant.” 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 didn’t celebrate the New Year with the Su Family for a few years.

“Do you really see her as your daughter? Have you ever given her any thought during all those New Years? Have you?”

“Caiping, calm down.”

“I am calm,” Xiang Caiping didn’t lie. “If I were not, I’d have killed you and died together with you.”

Xiang Caiping was so angry. She touched her own chest and said, “Leave. I don’t want to see you.”

“Caiping, listen to me. I haven’t finished telling you what I began talking of last time. Caiping, Qingsang really isn’t your…”

She really wasn’t her daughter.

A ringtone was heard from the outside. Su Chenghui paused briefly and didn’t finish his words. He turned and saw that Su Qingsang was standing at the door, looking at him and Xiang Caiping.