Chapter 7 — Gardenias After the Rain

With no other options left, I decided to play my final card. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered,

Then... shall I handle it myself? If it feels wrong, I will stop right there.

Never expecting me to be so brazenly direct, Liang Hao Chi froze completely in place. His expression was so endearingly stunned that it made me chuckle, and I leaned up to plant a soft, playful kiss on his cheek. Taking advantage of the moment before he could gather his wits, I deftly slipped open a few buttons of his shirt. And just like that... under the relentless bombardment of Comrade Tong's sweet artillery, Dr. Liang finally surrendered unconditionally, waving a white flag in defeat.

By the time the pregnancy reached the eighth month, I temporarily stepped away from my duties at the law firm to rest and focus on the upcoming birth at home. My responsibilities were handed over to my assistant to manage. Meanwhile, Liang Hao Chi remained swamped, busier than ever. He handed his mother a spare house key so she could easily drop by and look after me. His parents had accepted our whirlwind romance and equally whirlwind pregnancy with astonishing grace, offering not a single word of reproach or opposition.

My own mother, however, harbored a deep sense of guilt toward me. She had scolded Liang Hao Chi severely, accusing him of lacking proper manners and failing to show me sufficient respect. I had hurriedly intervened, not daring to confess the truth that it was actually I who had seduced him first. Afterward, my mother began visiting our home frequently to cook for me. Although she rarely spoke to either me or Liang Hao Chi, she quietly observed every subtle shift in my changing palate as well as Liang Hao Chi's dietary preferences.

That particular evening, Liang Hao Chi was scheduled for a night shift at the hospital. Anxious and uneasy, my mother ultimately decided to stay the night with me. I had urged her countless times to move to the city permanently, but she always steadfastly refused. It was always the same routine: she would cook a meal, clean up meticulously, and then rush back to her quiet village.

In the dead of night, I woke up needing to use the restroom. To my surprise, I found that my mother was still awake, sitting quietly in the bathroom as she hand-washed my undergarments. With my belly now heavily rounded, even a single step was an arduous struggle. Normally, this chore was handled by Liang Hao Chi immediately after his showers. I had tried to refuse him at first, but after I nearly slipped and fell in the bathroom one day, he grew so stubbornly upset that he refused to speak to me for days, forcing me into inevitable submission. With him away tonight, I had completely forgotten about it, never expecting that my mother would notice and quietly take it upon herself.

As I stepped closer, a sudden realization struck me: the threads of silver in my mother's hair had multiplied far beyond what I remembered. Why had I never noticed them before? At what point had she quietly lagged behind the rapid pace of my growing up?

A sharp, aching wave of sorrow welled up inside me, and tears blurred my vision once more. Hearing movement, my mother turned her head and caught sight of my swollen, tear-streaked eyes. She panicked, scrambling to her feet to steady me.

What is it? Is your stomach hurting? Sit down quickly... Heavens above, why didn't you make a sound if you were in such pain?

Acting just as I used to when I was a little girl, I threw my arms around her waist and buried my face against her abdomen.

Mother, I am so sorry... I was disobedient and made you worry.

My mother froze for a beat, then let out a long, quiet sigh.

It was my fault... I had no right to say those harsh things to you. I take every single word back... Hao Chi is truly wonderful to you. Your judgment in choosing a life partner is far better than mine ever was.

My tears fell like a string of shattered pearls, tapping softly against the floorboards.

Please do not say such things, Mother... I know you only wanted what was best for me. If I ever blamed you in the past, it was only because I was foolish and immature. Come live with us in the city... let me take good care of you from now on.

She remained silent for a long, heavy stretch. I began to fear she would say nothing more at all, when a choked, trembling sob suddenly broke the quiet stillness of the room.

Tny Hien... it was my fault. I know now how terribly wrong I was. That is precisely why I never dared to accept or enjoy the comforts of this city. When you were little... every time I scolded you, I would viciously wish that you had traded lives with your younger brother... I knew how cruel it was, I knew how wrong I was...

The truth is... I never truly meant it. Whether it was you or your brother who was lost, the pain in my heart would have been the same. It was only my own helplessness, my failure to keep him safe, that made me lash out and place the blame entirely upon your shoulders. I know... every hardship I endured was of my own making. Because I misjudged the person by my side, I ended up forcing you to suffer alongside me...

After all these years, I had finally heard an apology from my lips to my mother's ears. Yet, inexplicably, I felt no sense of relief or vindication. Forcing my mother to confront two decades of her own wretched misery was never something I wished for. The torrential storms of our childhood had long since passed. The time had come for us to shed our damp, clinging garments, step out from the shadows of the tempest, and walk bravely into the warm sunlight, using its gentle heat to heal a past drenched in tears.