Chapter 17 Confession
A very light breathing sound came from outside the door, resonating strangely with the heartbeat in her chest.
Su Nian curled up on the floor, hugging her knees, and suddenly she smelled a faint fragrance at the tip of her nose - it was the hand cream that her mother often used, citrus scent with a hint of sunshine.
"Click", the door lock moved slightly.
Su Nian suddenly held her breath and watched the doorknob slowly turn. Dim light squeezed in from the crack in the door.
The door opened a crack, and my mother's voice drifted in from outside, soft as freshly cooked porridge: "Niannian, the floor is cold, get up quickly."
Su Nian raised her head, tears still hanging on her eyelashes, and saw her mother standing at the door.
"Mom..." She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse as if it had been sandpapered.
Outside the door, my mother whispered, "Mom knows that 'good classmate' is actually you, right?"
Su Nian's hands trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and finally opened the door.
Ms. Su Hong stood at the door, holding a cup of hot milk, her eyes slightly red, but with a gentle smile: "When did our Nian Nian learn to beat around the bush with mom?"
At this moment, Su Nian could no longer hold back and tears burst out of her eyes.
She threw herself into her mother's arms, smelling the familiar warmth with a faint scent of laundry detergent, and finally choked out the words hidden in her heart: "Mom, I was wrong..."
Ms. Su Hong patted her back gently, just like when she was a child, coaxing her to sleep: "Silly child, Mommy guessed it."
It turns out that a mother's love never needs to be tested. It is always there, silent but firm, like a lamp that is always on for her.
Su Hong reached out and smoothed her daughter's hair, wiping her tears with her fingertips. "Have you cried enough? If you've cried enough, let's talk properly."
Su Nian sniffed and hugged the cup of milk in her arms, the warmth creeping up her palms to her heart. "Mom, don't you blame me?" Her voice was still muffled, as if she were holding a piece of wet cotton.
"That's strange," Ms. Su Hong answered flatly. Seeing her daughter's shoulders hunch suddenly, she smiled, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes piled up, like small pits filled with starlight. "It's your fault for hiding it for so long. You must not have slept well last night. Look at the dark circles under your eyes, they're almost as big as a panda's."
Su Nian was stunned. She had thought that she would be met with a storm, questioned, scolded, and even prepared to be kicked out of the house. However, she did not expect to be met with such heartache and anger.
All the prepared excuses, apologies, and pleas were now stuck in my throat and turned into even more violent tears.
She bit her lower lip, tasting the faint smell of blood. Tears threatened to well up again, but her mother gently wiped them away with her fingertips. "Silly child, tears are pearls. Don't shed them so worthlessly."
"But I..." Su Nian wanted to say, "I'm still in college," wanted to say, "I'm sorry for your expectations," but the words turned into suppressed sobs when they reached her lips, "I'm afraid you'll think I'm embarrassing."
"What are you ashamed of?" Su Hong took her daughter's cold hand, wrapped it in her own palm, and patted it gently. "You are my flesh and blood. Let alone the difficulties you are facing now, even if you really make a huge mistake in the future, this door will always be open to you."
She paused, and her eyes suddenly became distant.
"When I was pregnant with you, I was two years younger than you and working as an apprentice in a garment factory. Your grandmother was so angry that she chased me for three blocks with a broom. But in the end, she gave me the cloth coupons she had saved for six months and said, 'No matter how hard it is, I have to make clean clothes for the child.'"
Su Nian's eyelashes were still covered with tears. When she heard this, she suddenly smiled, with a tearful tone, like a bell wet by the rain: "So my mother was also a 'problem girl' back then."
"Go away." Ms. Su Hong tapped her forehead, her force as light as a feather. "But Mom has to tell you the truth. Pregnancy is no joke, especially when you're still in school. But things have come to this. We can't just focus on the word 'wrong'. We have to think about how to move forward."
She took a sip of the boiled water on the table, moistened her throat, and gradually became serious: "Who is the father of the child? Is it Li Yuan who broke up with you a while ago? Does he know about this?"
"It's not Li Yuan." Su Nian's voice lowered.
Su Hong was originally still thinking that if it was Li Yuan, she would have to carefully consider whether to keep the child.
Hearing that it wasn't, she paused holding the water cup, frowned slightly, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes: "Niannian, you..."
"Mom, I told you not to be angry." Su Nian interrupted her hurriedly, her fingers turning white from the force.
For the next half hour, Su Nian explained the whole story—including Si Yan's attitude after the accident...
She spoke very quickly, like pouring out beans, revealing all the details. By the time she finished, a layer of cold sweat had already appeared on her back.
Su Hong never interrupted, but just listened quietly, her fingers gently stroking the wall of the cup.
After her daughter finished speaking, she was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "You make your own decision on this matter. Mom can't make the decision for you."
She took her daughter's hand, and the warmth of her palm passed through her skin, bringing a reassuring strength: "If you want to give birth to the child, Mom will help you raise it. It will be hard, but you can get through it."
Su Nian suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with disbelief, like a deep pool where a stone had been thrown, rippling with ripples: "You... don't you think it's too early? I haven't even graduated yet."
"It's a little early," Su Hong said frankly, gently tapping the back of her daughter's hand with her fingertips. "But the arrival of this little life is fate. Your grandma always said, 'It's natural for ripe melons to fall, but if you pick them prematurely, you'll only hurt yourself.' But you have to think it through. If you feel you can't handle it right now, Mom will go with you to the hospital and make all the arrangements for you, from the examination, surgery, to post-operative care. I won't let you suffer any injustice and I won't let you face it alone."
She tightened her grip, as if wanting to share half of her courage with her daughter. "But there's one thing. No matter which path you choose, as your child's father promised, he has to take responsibility. This isn't just your problem. If he dares to be a coward, Mom will confront him. Even if he's the king of the world, he has to give us an explanation."
Su Nian burst out laughing, tears mixed with laughter flowed down her face like a small river, salty with a hint of sweetness.
She buried her face in her mother's arms and said sullenly, "Mom, do you think I can be a good mother?"
"Do you still feel like a child?" Su Hong patted her back gently, her movements as gentle as coaxing a baby in a cradle.
"Yeah," Su Nian nodded heavily, her voice muffled, "I felt like I couldn't even take care of myself, but since I got pregnant, there's a baby in my belly. This feeling is so wonderful!"
"You need to think carefully about it and make a decision as soon as possible, okay?" Su Hong said gently, "Because the baby will grow bigger day by day in your belly."
Su Hong continued, "If you've considered it, why don't you make an appointment with the child's father? What's his name? Si Yan, right? Let's talk and make things clear."
Su Nian nodded.
The anxiety, fear, and entanglement that had been lingering in my heart for so long now melted away little by little in the gentle gaze of my mother, like snow melted by the spring breeze.
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