To My Dear Mr. Huo - Chapter 629
Chapter 629: Did I Put You In A Difficult Position
When Su Qingsang woke up in the morning, it took her a long time to recover from her usual vomiting.
“Honey?”
Huo Jinyao hadn’t been to work for the past few days. Every day, he would ask Yang Wenchang to drop off his work at home. As soon as Su Qingsang arrived, he got up as well.
“How are you?”
Su Qingsang waved her hand, got up to wash up, and tidied herself up. She seemed to be in good spirits this morning.
“Are you hungry? You haven’t eaten properly these few days. Let’s go eat breakfast.”
Su Qingsang didn’t want to hear the word “eat” now, because she really didn’t have the slightest desire to eat.
“Honey, you might like the breakfast for today. Let’s go.”
Su Qingsang looked at him in bewilderment. After washing up, she followed him out of the room.
There were a few small plates on the dining table, and beside them was a pot of porridge. A bowl of porridge was placed in front of her in the middle.
Huo Jinyao motioned for Su Qingsang to sit down. She looked at the breakfast, and then at Huo Jinyao.
“Come, try it.”
She sat down and picked up her chopsticks. It was a bowl of extremely light shredded green vegetables and meat porridge. The green vegetables were cut into small pieces, and the shredded chicken was torn into small pieces. The porridge was soft, mushy, and it smelled very delicious.
She took a sip, and surprisingly, she didn’t feel like regurgitating. That familiar smell gave her a vague hunch.
She drank until the bowl of porridge was finished. She didn’t feel like vomiting, nor did she feel like regurgitating.
She scooped another bowl for herself. She served it with the side dishes on the table. There were pickled vegetables, pickled radishes, and also turnips.
She ate two bowls in a row, but she did not feel like regurgitating again. When the second bowl of porridge was bottomless, Su Qingsang’s eyes were a little hot and a little sour.
She blinked her eyes and suppressed the urge to cry.
“How is it?” Huo Jinyao looked at her nervously. “Is it good?”
It was very delicious and very appetizing. Indeed, she didn’t feel like throwing up anymore.
“Do you want another bowl? You haven’t eaten properly these past few days.”
Su Qingsang didn’t object and ate another half a bowl of porridge with the side dishes. Even half an hour after she finished eating, she didn’t feel like throwing up again.
Huo Jinyao breathed a long sigh of relief. It was fortunately, extremely fortunate. However, he was still a little worried.
“You’re not going to throw up now, are you?”
“Yes.” Su Qingsang nodded heavily. She looked up at Huo Jinyao and asked, “Where… where is she?”
“She went to buy groceries.” Huo Jinyao knew what she was asking and said softly, “She said that she would make some home-cooked food for you for lunch.”
Su Qingsang’s eyes started to sour again. Huo Jinyao sat down next to her, took her hand, and wrapped it in his palm.
“Don’t cry. It’s not good for the baby. Didn’t you say that you wanted to do prenatal education?”
After Su Qingsang became pregnant, Huo Jinyao kept asking her what he should pay attention to. He had too many questions, and one came to mind after another. Su Qingsang didn’t know how to answer them all. She went to the hospital and found two pregnancy manuals for him to read.
Huo Jinyao didn’t know anything in the past. It was only after reading the books that he found out that even when the baby was in the womb, it also needed prenatal education.
“I’m not crying.”
Su Qingsang sniffled. She just wanted to cry a little.
“You told her?”
“Yes.”
Su Qingsang didn’t ask further. She tasted the porridge on the table and knew that it was Xiang Caiping’s cooking. Back in Lin City, she had been cooking some of the local specialties for her.
At that time, Xiang Caiping thought that she wouldn’t like it, so she was worried for a long time.
Every time she wanted to help with the cooking, she would ask for her opinion first. Later, when she saw that she indeed wasn’t picky and really liked to eat, she slowly became emboldened, then cooked more and more.
Su Qingsang put down her chopsticks and glanced at Huo Jinyao.
“When did she come?”
“She came early this morning.” Huo Jinyao went to find Xiang Caiping last night and told her about Su Qingsang’s pregnancy.
Xiang Caiping was a little surprised that Su Qingsang was pregnant. She had mentioned it so many times in Lin City, but Su Qingsang hadn’t gotten pregnant. In the end, there was no relationship between them now, but she became pregnant.
She didn’t say anything, nor did she express anything. Huo Jinyao had no choice but to tell her about the situation. He said that Su Qingsang was pregnant and that she would vomit whatever she ate. She had lost weight and hadn’t eaten properly for several days.
At that time, Xiang Caiping only asked him to go back first. He thought that she didn’t want to come visit Su Qingsang, nor did she want to help. He didn’t expect Xiang Caiping to come early in the morning.
“She cooked the side dishes last night and brought them over. She cooked the porridge this morning.”
Su Qingsang looked up at him. “Why did you think of looking for her?”
She had always thought that Huo Jinyao didn’t want to see Xiang Caiping.
“It was all because of you. I really had no choice.”
Su Qingsang vomited whatever she ate. He had tried all kinds of methods. She was a doctor herself, but she couldn’t cure her pregnancy sickness.
When Liu Tongjia mentioned it yesterday, he remembered that Su Qingsang loved to eat the dishes cooked by Xiang Caiping in Lin City.
She especially liked the side dishes that Xiang Caiping had pickled. When Liu Tongjia mentioned it yesterday, he thought about how Su Qingsang was originally from Lin City. Perhaps she would want to eat Lin City’s specialty dishes?
Su Qingsang looked at the back of his tan hands. His joints were defined, slender, and strong.
“Did I put you in a difficult position?” She also put Auntie in a difficult position.
“No, it wasn’t difficult.” Huo Jinyao held her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Anything to make you eat will do.”
He was serious. Her reaction for the past week had really scared Huo Jinyao. He didn’t dare to think about what he would do if she was like this throughout the entire pregnancy.
Su Qingsang smiled and put her face close to Huo Jinyao’s shoulder. “Huo Jinyao, thank you.”
“Silly. What are you thanking me for?” Huo Jinyao’s hand caressed her abdomen. It had been three months. Perhaps because they were twins, he could already feel that it was slightly bulging.
When Xiang Caiping entered the house, she was carrying a large bag of groceries in her hands. Su Qingsang stood up and looked at her with an ambivalent expression.
“Auntie?”
“Yes,” Xiang Caiping replied softly. Behind her, Auntie Yu took the groceries from her hands and said, “I’ll go wash the vegetables first.”
Xiang Caiping didn’t object. She stood there and looked at Su Qingsang. Due to her pregnancy, her face was a little pale. She hadn’t eaten properly during this period of time, and she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
“How is it? Is your body still able to take it?”
Su Qingsang nodded. She was in good health to begin with, so there was naturally no such thing as being unable to take it.
“Have you eaten breakfast?” Xiang Caiping looked in the direction of the dining room as she spoke. Huo Jinyao answered for her, “Yes, she ate two bowls of porridge.”
Clearly relieved, Xiang Caiping nodded.
“As long as you can eat, I’ll make pickled bamboo shoots for you today. Also, pickled beans, how about it?” Xiang Caiping reported a few more dishes, all of which were Lin City’s local cuisine. In the past, when she was with Su Qingsang, she would often cook for her.
“Okay.” It wasn’t that Su Qingsang hadn’t thought about eating sour food these days, but every time she ate them, she still felt nauseous and vomited.
However, when she heard Xiang Caiping mention the list of dishes, she didn’t feel nauseous at all. Instead, she had quite an appetite.
“Then you should rest first.” Xiang Caiping went to the kitchen, and Su Qingsang wanted to follow her to help, but she was stopped by Xiang Caiping.
“The kitchen is smoky and greasy. You’d better not go. Have a good rest. Eat some meat for lunch to nurture your health. Look at you, you’ve lost weight.”
Su Qingsang’s nose was a little sore and she nodded heavily. “Okay.”
Xiang Caiping didn’t say anything and went to the kitchen.
After she left, Su Qingsang reached out to hug Huo Jinyao and rubbed her face against his chest.
“Auntie is really nice.”
“Yeah.”
No matter what, Su Peizhen was indeed sent to prison by him. However, now that Xiang Caiping was willing to come, even Huo Jinyao had to admit that he might have been a little petty before.
Liu Tongjia went to the old mansion early in the morning. Initially, she wanted to call Auntie Zhou over to help. However, when she brought her over, Su Qingsang was already sitting at the dining table.
Xiang Caiping was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to eat, so she made seven to eight dishes. They were all light appetizers. They were all very common dishes, but Su Qingsang’s appetite was huge. She ate two bowls of rice in a row.
She didn’t vomit after eating, so everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Tongjia didn’t know Xiang Caiping. She thought that she was the chef that Huo Jinyao had hired.
Xiang Caiping was wearing an apron, and her face, which had looked old and haggard because of Su Peizhen’s imprisonment, hadn’t recovered. It wasn’t Liu Tongjia’s fault for misunderstanding.
“Your cooking skills aren’t bad. Since Qingsang likes your dishes so much, you can stay.”
Xiang Caiping froze for a moment. Before she could say anything, Huo Jinyao spoke up.
“Mom.”
Without saying anything else, Liu Tongjia understood with a glance that Xiang Caiping’s identity might not be ordinary.
“Mom, you should eat first. After you finish, we’ll go buy some things. Qingsang will need them later.”
Liu Tongjia understood that her son had something to say to her, so she didn’t refuse. Under Su Qingsang’s invitation, she sat down and tried Xiang Caiping’s cooking.
To be honest, compared to the chefs at home, her cooking was only average. However, it was impressive that Su Qingsang was willing to eat them.
After dinner, using the excuse of shopping and sending Auntie Zhou home, Huo Jinyao led Liu Tongjia away.
Auntie Yu went to clean up the dishes. Su Qingsang looked at Xiang Caiping and said apologetically, “Auntie, sorry. Jinyao’s mother didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It’s fine.” Xiang Caiping had been through so much over the years, so she wouldn’t mind such a trivial thing. “It’s not a big deal.”
The two of them sat on the sofa, but had no words to say to each other. Xiang Caiping tried to find something to talk to her about.
“I went to see Peizhen again last month.”
When she thought of Su Peizhen, her expression finally looked better. “Her complexion looked good, better than before. I don’t know how she got over it. I heard that she’s doing well in prison. She’s well educated and capable. The school in the prison said that she could become a teacher and teach those female prisoners. I think she’s doing much better than before.”
“Really? That’s good.” To be honest, she knew how capable Su Peizhen was. After all, she was trained by Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui.
“I think that’s good too. She didn’t say these things. It was the warden in the prison who said it. She said that as long as Su Peizhen can keep doing this, it’s not impossible to reduce her sentence.”
Xiang Caiping lowered her head and clasped her hands together. “Actually, I don’t care about whether or not her sentence is reduced now. I just want her to be open-minded and do well.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Peizhen is a very smart person. She knows what’s best for her. I think she will perform well and try to reduce her sentence as soon as possible.”
Xiang Caiping remained silent. Su Qingsang took the initiative to reach out and hold her hand. Her hand was no longer fair and tender. There were already fine lines on it, and her heart ached a little.
“Auntie, thank you. Jinyao and I didn’t consider you when it came to Peizhen’s incident. Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Xiang Caiping had come to a realization after all these days. “Everyone should take responsibility for their own actions. It was Peizhen’s own fault. No one else can be blamed.”
“I’ve also come to my senses. If she didn’t go in, with her obsessiveness, she might have done even more extreme things. That was for the best.”
..
“So that’s how it is?” Liu Tongjia didn’t expect Huo Jinyao’s words to have such a meaning. “In that case, this Xiang Caiping is a magnanimous person.”
“Yes.” Huo Jinyao nodded. “It’s a pity that she had such a tragic life.”
As for Su Chenghui, he was an elder and Su Qingsang’s father, so he didn’t comment on him.
“But if that’s the case, your mother-in-law will be unhappy, right?”
Liu Tongjia immediately thought of this. “Your mother-in-law has been at odds with Xiang Caiping for so many years, and now you’re asking Xiang Caiping to take care of Qingsang. Isn’t that bad? For example, she’s taking care of Qingsang openly, but secretly –”
It wasn’t that she was being petty. In fact, she knew that if she were Xiang Caiping, she would never want to see Su Qingsang and her husband.
“Mom, Auntie isn’t that kind of person.”
“You can’t judge a book by its cover. Besides, even if she means well, what if your mother-in-law finds out? Haven’t you thought about it? Maybe there would be another conflict?”
“I’ve thought about it.” How could Huo Jinyao not have thought about it? “But there’s nothing I can do now. You’ve seen for yourself how Qingsang treats Auntie differently. Qingsang is willing to eat her food. I’m not in the mood to care about what my mother-in-law thinks right now. I just want Qingsang to have a good meal.”
That was true, but Liu Tongjia still felt that it was inappropriate. Fortunately, Li Qianxue was in Lin City and not in Rong City.
If she came to see Su Qingsang like last time, there would be drama. They might run into each other. Who knew what would happen then?
Liu Tongjia didn’t even have time to worry about what Li Qianxue would think after she found out because at night, she began to realize that something was wrong.
During dinner, Xiang Caiping cooked a few more of Lin City’s specialty dishes. The dishes were really ordinary, but Su Qingsang couldn’t resist them.
She hadn’t vomited much throughout the day and didn’t feel any nausea.
In the evening, Xiang Caiping specially made hot and sour soup, then stir-fried some minced meat with the leftover pickled bamboo shoots from lunch. Su Qingsang especially liked the two sour dishes.
When she sat down, she invited Liu Tongjia and the rest to eat together.
“Jinyao, let’s eat. Auntie, let’s eat. Auntie, you sit down and eat too.”
Liu Tongjia reacted the moment she called her ‘Auntie’. Su Qingsang had been calling her ‘Auntie’ for nearly a year because she was unwilling to acknowledge her previously.
Now that Xiang Caiping was here, and Su Qingsang was also calling her ‘Auntie’, who knew which auntie she was calling?
Su Qingsang realized it herself. She looked at Xiang Caiping and said, “Auntie Xiang, let’s eat.”
That could be considered a way of differentiating. However, Liu Tongjia’s expression wasn’t very pleasant. She looked at Su Qingsang and wanted to say something, but she hesitated. In the end, she could only eat in silence.
The atmosphere was a little awkward. After eating, Liu Tongjia wanted to go back to the old house.
Su Qingsang could eat now and didn’t vomit anymore. She didn’t have to worry so much.
“Auntie, are you going back?”
Liu Tongjia had taken good care of her ever since she became pregnant. Su Qingsang glanced at Huo Jinyao and said, “Send Auntie back.”
“No need. There’s a chauffeur. Let him stay and take care of you.”
Liu Tongjia didn’t leave immediately after saying that. She stood in the living room and stared at Su Qingsang.
Su Qingsang felt uncomfortable under her stare. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Liu Tongjia glanced around while Auntie Yu was cleaning up in the kitchen. Xiang Caiping moved into the guest room and returned to her room.
Only her, Huo Jinyao, and Su Qingsang were left in the living room. She cleared her throat and looked a little serious.
“You, you’re already three months pregnant. Don’t you have something to think about?”
“Think about what?” What was there to think about?
Liu Tongjia suppressed the awkwardness in her eyes and said in a stiff voice, “The issue of how to address the child after it’s born.”
The issue of how to address the child after it’s born? Su Qingsang didn’t quite understand. She instinctively looked at Huo Jinyao, but Huo Jinyao didn’t understand either.
Forcing herself to look like she didn’t care, Liu Tongjia clenched her fists tightly and then loosened them.
“The child in your belly is my grandson or granddaughter, right? After they’re born, they’ll call me grandma, yet you still call me Auntie. What do you want others to think?”
Su Qingsang blinked her eyes and looked at Huo Jinyao again.
“Why are you looking at him?” Liu Tongjia’s voice was a little cold. “You’re already giving birth to my grandson, so do you want to keep calling me Auntie?”
Su Qingsang finally understood. Her lips moved, and there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “But, didn’t you tell me not to call you Mom?”
“Then, then didn’t I also ask you to divorce Huo Jinyao? Why don’t you mention that?”
After saying this, Liu Tongjia felt embarrassed. She glared at Su Qingsang. “You’re so stupid. I don’t know what Jinyao sees in you.”
She was so dim-witted. How infuriating.
Liu Tongjia turned around and left angrily. Her expression didn’t look too pleasant. Su Qingsang’s expression appeared a little bewildered. Her lips moved and when Liu Tongjia stepped out of the door, she took two steps forward.
“Mom, take care.”
Liu Tongjia had already stepped out of the door. She was surprised to hear the word ‘Mom’, and she almost tripped over the door-sill.
She turned around and glared at Su Qingsang. Su Qingsang already said the first sentence, so the second sentence was said with much more ease.
“It’s getting late. Mom, go home and rest early.”
“Worrying over nothing. I don’t need you to worry about me. You should take care of yourself properly.”
After saying that, Liu Tongjia felt that her tone was too harsh. She didn’t even look at Su Qingsang and said, “Don’t depend on others if you want to eat something. Call me and tell me. I’ll get someone to make it for you.”
“Thank you, Mom. I understand. “Su Qingsang touched her nose. “Don’t worry. If I want to eat anything, I’ll tell Jinyao.”
Liu Tongjia looked at her with a look of disdain. “You’re so silly.”
Jinyao and her weren’t the same. How could they be the same? She was really dim-witted. How could she have such a dim-witted daughter-in-law?
Liu Tongjia walked away with a look of disdain. As she entered the elevator, she thought of Su Qingsang calling her mother, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up. At least she was perceptive and sensible eenough.
She wasn’t hopelessly dim-witted. If she was properly taught, she could still become the Huo family’s madam in the future.
Su Qingsang didn’t care about Liu Tongjia’s expression afterwards. She glanced at Huo Jinyao after the door closed. Her clear eyes had inexplicable mirth.
“Isn’t your mother saying one thing but actually meaning another?” Although she said that she didn’t like it, she actually accepted her in her heart, didn’t she?
Huo Jinyao looked at her silently for a long time. Then, he burst into laughter. He put his arm around Su Qingsang’s waist and leaned over to give her a kiss on the lips.
“Honey, you’re really impressive.”
“Of course.” Su Qingsang nodded and said calmly, “I’m definitely impressive. If I’m not impressive, how could I conceive twins?”
“Honey, I think I need to correct you on this matter.”
“What?”
“You got pregnant with twins because I’m impressive.” Huo Jinyao’s face was serious. “After all, if it weren’t for the fact that my seeds were good, how could you be pregnant with twins?”
Su Qingsang punched him in the chest. “Huo Jinyao, that’s enough. Prenatal education.”
“Don’t worry, they don’t have ears yet. They won’t be able to hear you.”
Su Qingsang couldn’t take it anymore. “They can’t hear you, but I can.”
Turning around to leave, Huo Jinyao quickly pulled her back. “Are you angry?”
“I’ll go check on Auntie.”
The guest room had just been cleaned in the afternoon. They didn’t know whether Xiang Caiping was used to it or not.
Huo Jinyao stared at her back and thought of what Liu Tongjia had said today. Xiang Caiping had come to take care of Su Qingsang with good intentions, but if Li Qianxue found out, drama would ensue.
No matter what, for now, all his focus was on Su Qingsang. He only hoped that she would be fine.
…
Xiang Caiping officially moved ito Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang’s house. Her cooking really wasn’t that good, but she put in a lot of effort.
Every day, she thought of ways to cook delicious food for Su Qingsang. In addition to Lin City’s various delicacies, she also made variations of Rong City’s local cuisine.
Besides taking care of three meals a day, she and Auntie Yu even started to bake pastries. They tested out all kinds of flavors and ingredients after asking the nutritionist if Su Qingsang could eat them, then gave them to her.
Su Qingsang went back to work after she stopped vomiting. Xiang Caiping was afraid that she would be hungry, so she made a lot of snacks that could be brought to her.
It was also strange. Su Qingsang couldn’t get used to eating the food outside now, but Xiang Caiping’s dishes and pastries were quite comforting to her.
After a week, Su Qingsang finally felt better after being nurtured by Xiang Caiping. Her complexion became more rosy and her weight increased a little.
Su Qingsang video-chatted with Li Qianxue every day. Under Huo Jinyao’s reminder, she didn’t mention anything about Xiang Caiping.
She also knew that this wasn’t a long-term plan, but Li Qianxue’s dislike for Xiang Caiping was deep-rooted.
She didn’t want Li Qianxue to be unhappy, nor did she want Xiang Caiping to be uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Xiang Caiping seemed to have a tacit understanding with Su Qingsang every day. When Su Qingsang was video-chatting with Li Qianxue, she would go back to her room and stay there.
It had been more than a week, but Li Qianxue didn’t know that Xiang Caiping had moved into Huo Jinyao’s apartment. Xiang Caiping also pretended not to know, and Su Qingsang deliberately hid it.
