Chapter 28. There's no more possibility.
Before treatment even began, Yang Shuhua didn't want to be hospitalized tonight. Qin Qiao couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had to ask Chen Jiashu to handle her discharge, while she drove Yang Shuhua home.
Yang Shuhua watched TV with the children for a while, then felt tired. She went back to her room, sat on the edge of the bed, and made a long-distance call to her eldest sister. Her eldest sister and third sister knew that she hadn't been feeling well lately, but she hadn't told her brother yet. They were all very worried about her.
This is just to let you know I'm safe. The doctor said there's a 90% chance of a cure. Yang Shuhua also checked herself, and breast cancer is considered a mild case compared to other cancers.
They all wanted to visit her, but the eldest sister had high blood pressure and the third sister had arthritis and often had leg pain. Traveling more than a thousand kilometers would be too tiring, so Yang Shuhua told them not to come and to wait until she went back to see them during the Chinese New Year.
After hanging up the phone, Yang Shuhua walked to the side cabinet, opened the drawer, and took out a family photo of more than 20 people taken three years ago, holding the edge of the frame with both hands.
Her nieces and nephews, arm in arm with their spouses, smiled so sweetly; her brother, eldest sister, and third sister also radiated happiness. With their children by their side and grandchildren surrounding them, this is the wish of so many parents.
More than a thousand kilometers... Before Qiaoqiao prepared to return to China, Yang Shuhua had a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter. She wanted to return to Jiang City where she had relatives and a familiar environment, but Qiaoqiao said that her starting point was in Lanchuan, where her teachers, friends and all her resources were. In addition, the interview style was very different between first-tier and third-tier cities... Qiaoqiao said a lot, much of which Yang Shuhua did not understand, but in short, she made a well-thought-out decision to return to Lanchuan.
Yang Shuhua heard footsteps stopping at the door. She put the photo frame back in the drawer, gently pushed it closed, and as she turned her head, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Yang Shuhua sat down by the bed.
The door opened, and Qin Qiao walked in. Her dark, slightly wavy collarbone-length hair shimmered under the light, and a light jasmine scent filled the room; she had just taken a shower.
Qin Qiao sat on the two-seater sofa next to the bedside table. Yang Shuhua stared at her for a few seconds, then walked over and sat down next to her, the sofa sinking in.
"Qiaoqiao, although Dr. Du is not good-looking, he graduated with a doctorate just like you. He is only thirty-six years old and is already the deputy director of the Department of Neurology at the First Municipal Hospital. I have inquired about it. The reason why Dr. Du got divorced was because his ex-wife wanted to go abroad to develop her career. All the nurses said that Dr. Du is a good person."
Yang Shuhua was about to repeat the same old tune. Qin Qiao took Yang Shuhua's right hand, which was resting on her lap, and kneaded her fingertips. She turned her head and asked, "Mom, didn't you say before that single women have an advantage in the workplace?"
Two months ago, Yang Shuhua invited Dr. Du to her home without any prior notice, saying that she wanted them to get to know each other. Qin Qiao was shocked. The person who had encouraged her to be an independent woman after her divorce was now actively helping her find male friends.
Yang Shuhua curled her fingers and held her daughter's hand tightly: "Look at me now... I don't know how much longer I can stay with you. I'm just thinking, how wonderful it would be if my daughter had someone to rely on."
Her eyes turned up, and her fine lines deepened: "People's thoughts are different at different times. Back when your father was healthy, he often said, 'Qiaoqiao isn't in a hurry to get married. I want to stay by my side for a few more years.' Later, when his health declined, he couldn't wait for you to find a home. I gradually came to understand your father's thoughts."
Her slender, pale fingers gradually stiffened. Yang Shuhua gently stroked her daughter's hand: "We never imagined our daughter would marry into some wealthy or powerful family. When Jia Shu came to our house, your father said that this young man seemed honest and reliable, and that our daughter would definitely make a good choice marrying him. For the first two years of their marriage, Jia Shu was truly wonderful to our family..."
“But people always have to look forward. I never told you because I was afraid you would feel guilty. In the years since your divorce, I haven’t been able to sleep well at night. I keep thinking, if we had been more careful back then, would Qiaoqiao have not suffered so much?”
Qin Qiao opened her mouth again, wanting to say a few words in defense of Chen Jiashu, but Yang Shuhua interrupted her with a forced smile: "Let's not talk about this... That Dr. Du is the same age as you, and he's from Jiang City like us. He said he can go back to Jiang City to develop his career anytime, anywhere."
She withdrew her right hand and slowly clenched it into a fist, her pupils flickering slightly. She really couldn't understand why her mother insisted on forcing her to find a man. This had nothing to do with Chen Jiashu; rather, it was because Yang Shuhua's behavior was too inconsistent.
In Qin Qiao's eyes, the gentle Yang Shuhua actually had an independent personality and vision, but she was trapped by that era. Because she did not get what she wanted, she and her father had already saved up for her future studies abroad when she was just born.
When she was 21, she showed her this savings book with over 700,000 yuan in it, so that she could go abroad without any psychological pressure.
“When I graduated from vocational school, only one person in my class was assigned a foreign exchange certificate position. It’s not necessarily better for you to go abroad than to stay in China, but I just want you to go and see the world.”
Those words are still ringing in my ears, yet now they're rushing her to find someone to marry.
Qin Qiao didn't want to have an unpleasant argument with Yang Shuhua, so she went back to her room, changed her clothes, and went out.
The car drove smoothly on the road, the city's neon lights alternated, and colorful beams of light pierced through the windshield, shining on Qin Qiao's face, with light and shadow changing rapidly.
During the years of the city's most rapid economic development, the city has changed dramatically in the past six years. The rows of earthen shops that used to line the street have been replaced by towering buildings with curtain walls that shimmer like shooting stars and giant billboards that illuminate most of the sky.
While waiting at the traffic light, Qin Qiao turned her head. At the intersection, the "Qiaoshu Smart Living Home" store on the corner had three floors and a bright and eye-catching billboard. Qin Qiao remembered that there used to be an internet cafe there, where she met Chen Jiashu.
Ten minutes later, the white Audi pulled up by the river. Qin Qiao looked up at the sky, which was always colorful at night. She remembered the day Yang Shuhua first came to Lanchuan. She and her mother strolled along the riverbank, her mother surrounded by neon lights, her hair fluttering in the wind.
"No matter how far Qiaoqiao goes, home will always be your safety net. Keep pushing forward."
Her hometown, Jiang City, is only a third-tier city with fewer opportunities than big cities. Her parents always encouraged her to go out and explore. Influenced by them, she stayed in Lanchuan, more than a thousand kilometers away from Jiang City, after graduation. Here, she found her mentors, friends, and her lover, and it gradually became her second hometown.
After wandering around outside for more than an hour, Qin Qiao returned home exhausted. Yang Shuhua's illness, her words, and her demands weighed heavily on her heart.
Still unable to sleep, she went to the large balcony outside the living room to get some fresh air.
Her phone vibrated again in her pocket. Without even guessing, she knew it was Chen Jiashu. He had called her, but she hadn't answered; he had also sent her WeChat messages, but she hadn't read them.
Right now, her head felt like a tangled ball of yarn with no end in sight. She didn't know how to reply to him and could only think of running away. She needed to sort herself out before considering what to do next.
Exhaling a breath of hot air, Qin Qiao raised her hand, swiped the screen, turned on the screen, found Chu Yutong's WeChat, and made a voice call.
Chu Yutong was astonished upon hearing this: "Is Aunt Yang trying to force me into marriage? Wait, isn't she supposed to be very open-minded?"
Qin Qiao rubbed her forehead: "People...can change."
"Aunt Yang is pressuring you to get married, so why doesn't she pressure you to go find Chen Jiashu? Look at you and Old Chen, you have feelings for each other and you have a child. In essence, what happened back then was to protect you."
Qin Qiao gazed at the tallest 101-story building in the distance, its curtain wall covered with countless LED lights that seemed to descend like a meteor shower.
More than ten years ago, she and Chen Jiashu were just ordinary friends. They even ate wontons together at a wonton stall downstairs in this building. Things have changed. Back then, there was no building like this; there was only a row of three-story shops.
She smiled helplessly: "My mother thinks about the suffering I've endured and hates Chen Jiashu on my behalf. It's hard to explain... Sometimes I can understand her, and sometimes I can't."
"Aunt Yang is just too immersed in your role, and then there's her illness, so she tends to overthink things," Chu Yutong said bluntly.
Qin Qiao gripped the still-warm iron railing, the slight heat seeping into her palm. Ms. Chu, who was good at analyzing problems, cleared her throat on the other end of the phone and said, "You're facing three troubles right now: Chen Jiashu keeps bothering you; Aunt Yang is starting to pressure you into marriage; Chen Jiashu's eyesight is failing, and you want to send the child back so he won't have any regrets, but Aunt Yang disagrees. Am I right?"
She hesitated for a moment: "The most difficult part of the plan is sending both children there. Aunt Yang would probably be hard to agree to, since she raised them... How about we take a step back and send one of them first?"
Qin Qiao chimed in, "Both are my children. Giving one to the other would be unfair."
They wouldn't understand why her brother and sister could live with their father, but she couldn't. This was the root cause of her hesitation in making a decision.
With a light tap of his fingertips on the railing, making a crisp "knock knock knock" sound, Qin Qiao looked up again into the distance, where the city lights were shrouded in a hazy night fog.
"Qiaoqiao, have you noticed? You and Chen Jiashu are like the idiom 'unbreakable yet connected,' inseparable." Chu Yutong raised her voice a few degrees, overflowing from the receiver.
Qin Qiao silently repeated "lingering attachment" several times, and Chu Yutong continued without stopping: "You said you can't go back to the past... and you can't separate the children, but the most unfair person is Old Chen. His eyes are like this, and he doesn't have any children by his side."
"The most pitiful thing is that when the day comes that you can't see your child, you won't even know what your child looks like... If the children ask you about it in the future, how will you explain it? Will you say, 'Mom deliberately doesn't let you see Dad'? And what if Old Chen finds out the truth one day and does something impulsive in a breakdown... To be honest, if this matter goes to court, he will have a share of custody."
Her fingertips pressed deep white marks, and a surge of hot liquid welled up in her eyes. Qin Qiao dared not blink, raising her chin and gazing intently at the not-so-round moon.
The liquid slowly flows back.
Chu Yutong: "I'm not forcing you to forgive him, I just think... at least let the child know he exists. As for whether or not to acknowledge him, we'll talk about that later."
Feeling a pair of eyes staring at the back of her head, Qin Qiao turned around and saw Yang Shuhua standing three steps away, having been there for an unknown amount of time.
"Tongtong, I have something to do, I'll hang up now." She pressed the hang-up button and held the phone tightly in her hand.
Yang Shuhua turned around and walked towards her room, and Qin Qiao followed her.
She closed the door, turned around, stared at her mother on the bed for a few seconds, and then walked away.
Qin Qiao pulled up a European-style chair and sat down opposite Yang Shuhua.
“Zhaoye can be sent there, but Xixi can stay with us.” Yang Shuhua’s first words were: “The two children can see each other often in the future, but Qiaoqiao, you must break off all contact with Chen Jiashu. In the future, I or your aunt will send the child to see you. Can you do that?”
Yang Shuhua's quick agreement surprised Qin Qiao, who was certain that she had heard Chu Yutong's words and been moved by them.
The phone in her hand rang at an inopportune moment. Qin Qiao glanced at it; it was Chen Jiashu again. She swiped to hang up and then pressed and held the power button to turn off the phone.
"My mother has raised two children for over five years, and I think I have the right to make this decision." Yang Shuhua's eyes were glistening with tears as she pleaded in a low voice, "Can you break up with Jiashu?"
Qin Qiao looked up at her mother and softened her tone: "Mom, Chen Jiashu and I can't completely sever ties because of the child... I know you feel sorry for me, but we need to analyze this rationally... I went abroad while pregnant, and an accident happened at work. The accident caused my baby to become unstable and I had to stay in bed. The premature birth that followed was also caused by an accident, including severe bleeding that almost killed me on the operating table. Moreover, going abroad was my own decision. At the time, Chen Jiashu didn't want me to leave."
This is not to defend Chen Jiashu, but rather to be realistic.
This enraged Yang Shuhua, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes. She said sharply, "You're talking to me about rationality now? How could I be rational when I saw you with tubes in your body receiving blood transfusions? Where was Chen Jiashu then? He was playing the hero, taking the blame for his good brother, going to great lengths for insignificant people, and divorcing his wife. Did he think that giving you six million would make up for the harm he caused you?"
The words "unimportant" hit her like a boulder, causing a sharp pain in her chest and an immediate surge of bitterness into her eyes and nose.
Tears streamed down her face, wiping away her cold cheeks. Qin Qiao retorted hoarsely, "Zhang Shuang isn't an insignificant person. When Chen Jiashu was down on his luck, he was willing to give all his savings to help him rebuild his life; when he learned that Chen Jiashu had been harmed, he was willing to avenge him regardless of the consequences, even if it meant going to jail; he even risked his health to drink for him, risking his life until he got stomach cancer. He's been Chen Jiashu's brother for over twenty years... Mom, I'm not speaking for Chen Jiashu. Zhang Shuang is still my good friend. If Chen Jiashu had discussed this with me that day, I would have supported his decision!"
“Chen Jiashu was wrong. He was wrong for not respecting my right to know and my right to choose. I will not forgive his arrogance. But Mom, we need to distinguish between facts and emotions, instead of being driven by secondary emotions.”
Yang Shuhua's eyes reddened with anger. If it weren't for her usual patience, she would have already slapped him: "You're still speaking up for him... But have you thought about it? If he's really as loyal and righteous as you say, why is he so heartless to you? He'll go to jail for his brothers, he'll divorce for his brothers, but what has he done for your safety, for your health? You almost died, Qiaoqiao!"
Yang Shuhua's gaze hardened, her cheek muscles and lips trembling slightly from her outburst of anger.
"Stop arguing like this. Rational analysis has nothing to do with whether I forgive him or not. Mom, you're too anxious. You need to rest."
Dragging her heavy steps back to her room, Qin Qiao kicked off her slippers, lay down on her side on the bed, tears streaming down her nose and into her temples from her left eye, and a few drops soaked the yellow pillow.
"Qiaoqiao... is there really no chance for you and Lao Chen?"
"No... Tongtong, you can help me 'convince' my mom later. She's more likely to listen to outsiders."
"knew."
In the latter half of the night, a light rain began to fall, and under the streetlights, it looked like thousands of silver threads.
A black Bentley was parked across the roadside parking space. Xiao Jun stood in front of the driver's side door, holding an umbrella, his posture upright, a result of years of military training.
Chen Jiashu had been sitting on the flower bed outside the main gate of the [Manhe Jiuli] residential area across the street for almost two hours, his slightly hunched back resembling that of a trapped, lonely beast.
"Qiaoqiao, she almost died from severe bleeding while giving birth to your child... Jiashu, should I hate you?"
"Promise me you won't come looking for Qiaoqiao anymore, okay? Your relationship has come to an end."
"impossible!"
He didn't understand before, but now he finally understands why Yang Shuhua hates him so much. He always felt that he had suffered a lot in his life. When he was twenty-two, that girl appeared in his life. On a rainy night, she held up an umbrella and sheltered him under it. The surroundings were dark and hazy, but she was the most beautiful color.
My life has been unlucky for most of the year, until I met you, my Qiaoqiao, my benefactor.
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