Chapter 195 Umbilical Cord
At eight o'clock in the evening, Su Xia finally checked into the Aman Resort that she had been dreaming of all the way, although she was with her mother.
She and Su Xiaojuan are very atypical mother and daughter. Her mother gave birth to her too early and is younger than the mothers of her peers. They have been together day and night since they were young. In many cases, she is more like an older sister:
When they were quarreling, they would not talk to each other for three days. Su Xia would be shy and hug her, but the temper would calm down. The woman would pinch her face and arms, and play with Su Xia like a clay figurine, venting her anger in a pretentious way.
Two years have passed since the special talent examination.
After meeting with the parents, Su Xiaojuan finally relaxed, waved her hand and said she didn't care, it's up to you.
After the meal, he childishly took his daughter's hand, pretending not to see through her careful intention of dressing up for the date, and insisted on keeping her by his side, competing with her at this critical juncture to see who was superior.
Back at the hotel, the lights in the spa room were dim, and the air was filled with the scent of tuberose and sandalwood.
The massage beds for mother and daughter were placed side by side, one on the left and one on the right. Su Xiaojuan had drunk some wine before and was lying down to relax with her eyes closed, her curly hair fluffy like clouds.
She didn't speak, and Su Xia didn't dare to speak either.
After a long while, he whispered, "Is the air conditioner cold?"
Su Xiaojuan moved her head and asked instead of answering, "How is Xiao Xu's head injury recovering?"
Su Xia was slightly startled, "...It's okay."
"The treatment was timely and there were no sequelae."
Su Xiaojuan asked again, "Where are your hands?"
"What hand?"
She subconsciously pretended not to understand.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Su Xiaojuan closed her eyes. "Back then, I was standing face to face with him. He kept his right hand behind his back, clearly not wanting me to see him. So I went to check."
Su Xia glanced at the back of her head and said, "Hand is fine now."
The water falls from the lotus leaves, dripping.
Su Xiaojuan was silent for two seconds before speaking, her tone somewhat stiffly showing weakness, "It's been a long time since then. Mom has always owed you an apology."
"Regardless of whether Xiao Xu is the boy you like, you ran so far without telling me. Putting aside the fact that you were injured, you risked your life to save someone else's life. After returning to Beijing, you were able to remain calm and get into such a good school."
"Your mother didn't receive much education, so she doesn't have many nice and elegant words to praise you. I was terrified at first, but after I recovered from the shock, I kept thinking that my daughter..."
Su Xiaojuan paused, as if she also felt that such words were too sour and unfashionable. "He is both intelligent and brave. Really amazing."
The room was very quiet. The woman's nostrils twitched. "I've never said anything soft in my life."
"Sometimes I think your grandma was right. I'm a hard-hearted person, tough on my words, stronger than anyone else, and more stubborn than anyone else. I couldn't see him crying secretly when you woke up from the hospital. I was in such a bad state in my senior year of high school. I was sent home for a week to correct math papers with a red pen, and tears would come out while I was writing. I felt bad."
"Sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong. If I hadn't used such drastic measures and just let you two children be together, would my daughter be much better off than she was then?"
"But life isn't limited to those few years in school."
Su Xiaojuan's voice was distorted by the alcohol, and she sighed softly, "If a girl chooses the wrong person and takes the wrong path, it's all over in her life."
"When you were seventeen or eighteen, I held you in my arms and felt I had to make sure you wore nice clothes and went to a good school, where you could live a happy life, protected from the elements. But then you turned seventeen or eighteen, and my heart hardened."
"Just two years of happiness and laughter is not enough. As the old saying goes, a poor couple has many sorrows. I am afraid that you give more and get less, that you will end up like me. When our love is worn away by the livelihood, your mother will no longer be able to see or protect you. My baby will have to go out to make a living in the cold winter and scorching sun."
"Mom is a worldly person," she said. "Working hard to get rich is fine. That's how I got here. But when it comes to my daughter, I just want you to live a life of worry-free, effortless gain, and ideally, without even a mosquito bite."
"Xia Xia," Su Xiaojuan spoke slowly, trying to control her emotions, "You are my whole world."
Dark light gives people a mood to confide in.
Time quickly turned the page, and Su Xiaojuan, under the influence of alcohol, turned back to the original page and poured out the words that she could not say over the years.
"No matter how harsh the words are, they're just words. You can't drive away someone who truly loves you. Mom has been hiding this from you. Xiao Xu signed an agreement with National Tsing Hua University to lower your admission score by 60 points. If he's capable and willing to make progress, this test won't be a test. It'll be a chance for him to get closer to you."
"I can't say too much in front of him, but I'm relieved that he's doing well now."
"I feel a little guilty about him back then, but your mother wouldn't bow to an outsider, so I've included it in my apology to you. Don't tell him. His share transfer agreement is in my bag. When I return to Jiangcheng tomorrow morning, you will return it to him for me."
"How can a tech company hire a women's clothing store owner as a consultant? If it gets out, people will laugh at me. I really want to give a different excuse next time, and not charge such a high price. Your mother isn't short of money, she wouldn't sell out her daughter."
Su Xia didn't say a word for a long time.
"What do you think?"
Su Xiaojuan was getting impatient with being left out, so she turned her head and opened her eyes and called out to her, "I've been sitting here for so long, Su Xia, if you fall asleep I'll..."
He just glanced to his side and swallowed the second half of the sentence back into his throat.
Su Xia didn't know when she had covered her head with the towel. She was crying so hard that her whole body was shaking. Her exposed ears were red and her hair was wet with tears.
"...You're not afraid of getting hurt."
Su Xiaojuan wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Before her daughter showed her head, she raised her hand to wipe her eyes and said, "Take the towel. Let me see if you have turned into a pig's head."
Su Xia pulled the towel under her neck. Her eyes were red and swollen but bright, and she couldn't stop hiccuping when she spoke.
"Where, where is I? I'm such a pretty little pig head."
"I don't think there's anyone as narcissistic as you, little pig."
Su Xia's nose and throat felt extremely sore.
She took a deep breath, sucked back the snot bubbles that were ruining her image, and calmed herself down. "Then I apologize too. I didn't do well either."
This sentence is for Su Xiaojuan in the previous life and also for Su Xiaojuan in front of me.
The awkwardness I felt when she dragged me here had long since disappeared.
The night went from thick to light, so beautiful, so many regrets and grievances melted away with tears, like an untied ribbon, gently floating in the night breeze.
Su Xiaojuan turned her face away and said, "I was your age too, how could I blame you?"
Su Xia looked at her and tried to smile, "Then I will soon grow to be as big as you. I don't blame you."
"Don't imitate my speech."
Su Xia said, "Oh," and moved towards her. She stretched out her arms, which were hanging at her side, so that they were level with the bed. "I want to hold my mother's hand."
"That's enough. How old are you this year?" Su Xiaojuan sneered at her.
The room was filled with warm fragrance, and the two hearts that were once connected by an umbilical cord responded to each other from afar.
Su Xia waved her wrists back and forth, wishing she could turn into a flapping chicken.
The woman closed her eyes awkwardly and raised her hand to the side, which was immediately held by another younger and softer hand.
Su Xia shook it and continued to push, "You want to sleep with mommy?"
Su Xiaojuan snorted, "I'll squeeze you to death."
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