Mother and Daughter Grow Closer

Four dishes and a soup, plus a big bowl of wontons.

When Bai Ruo heard the noise, she immediately got up and went to the kitchen. Passing Li Xian, she didn’t even glance at her; she carried the dishes over and set them on the coffee table. Li Xian pressed her lips together and followed her to the sofa.

Yan Yue looked at the dishes being arranged in front of her, a faint trace of loneliness in her eyes.

“Try our Chef Su’s handiwork; it looks, smells, and tastes amazing. It’s practically perfect!” Su Yan said carefully as she set down the chicken soup.

Steam rose in soft curls; the fragrance filled the room.

Bai Ruo sat on the carpet and straightened her back. “I have to say, the cooking really is good. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were actually a chef. Then I won’t be polite.”

“Wait!” Su Yan reached for her phone and turned on the camera. “These took hours to make; of course I need to record it.”

“I’ll count down. Three, two, one!”

In the filming tent, while the crew was adjusting the camera, Qin Qingyan noticed a message pop up on her phone. She opened it, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

After looking at it for a long while, she saved the photo.

“Qingyan?” someone called softly.

She turned off the screen, slipped the phone into her pocket, and smiled at the senior she was working with. “Yu Teacher.”

Yu Shuran smiled. “It’s been a pleasure working with you. Director Liu’s treating everyone to a late-night snack after we wrap; are you going?”

“I am. I haven’t even had dinner yet; I’m almost starving. How could I pass up free food?”

“You haven’t had dinner? I still have some bread over there. Do you want to eat a little first and pad your stomach?” Yu Shuran asked.

Qin Qingyan said, “It’s fine. If I get full now, I won’t be able to eat later. Since Director Liu is being generous for once, I’d better take full advantage.”

“True. Looks like we should be done in another half hour or so; it’ll be quick.”

Qin Qingyan looked at her, hesitated, then asked, “Yu Teacher, do you have any confidence in the betting agreement?”

“No.”

“No?”

Yu Shuran smiled. “Which is why I can only keep taking roles and working myself to the bone. Regardless of whether things go well or badly, at least I’ve stayed active on screen all these years, and the audience hasn’t forgotten me. I don’t want to be a bird caged up. If there’s a chance, of course I can’t let it slip away.”

“Mm, I believe in you,” Qin Qingyan said.

On Weibo, Qin Qingyan’s studio had posted a few photos. One person’s face was covered by a sticker, but everyone knew who it was.

【Teacher Qin, someone hacked your account and posted your wife! Your assistant is way too bold now. You need to replace her; let me do it.】

【The censor bar didn’t cover enough. Look at those hands; heh heh heh.】

【Is the one next to her now Bai Ruo’s girlfriend? She’s so pretty.】

【No, it’s the previous one! I’ve seen her before.】

【Didn’t she get married? What’s going on?】

【Look at the part I circled. Isn’t that obviously a bump? My God, how can they still sit there eating together?】

...

The online uproar came late, and Bai Ruo didn’t notice it at all. After eating and drinking her fill, she went back to her room and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

Deep into the night, everything was quiet; only the lamp in Yan Yue’s room still glowed with a warm yellow light.

Her phone by the bed kept chiming with messages. She didn’t look at who was sending them, nor could she afford to.

After her legs stopped working, the bed had been lowered considerably so she could transfer more easily from the wheelchair.

A fine layer of sweat had broken out on Yan Yue’s forehead. Breathing hard, she gripped the wheelchair and tried to stand. If only she could feel even a trace of strength in her legs, that would be enough; but the result was the same as before. She fell again.

That sense of helplessness made her afraid and resistant.

On the day of the car accident, after a brief loss of consciousness came agonizing pain so intense she lost consciousness again. That experience had left a deep impression on her, something she never wanted to go through a second time.

But now, compared with pain, this blank, senseless weakness terrified her even more.

Yan Yue’s mother had once planned to buy a machine that could help her stand upright and live normally. She had refused, saying she was already mentally prepared and didn’t need those things; it would be fine if she spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

But only she herself knew that more than anyone, she wanted to recover as soon as possible. She had hope; that was why she did not want to treat herself as someone who could never rehabilitate.

At dinner, to accommodate her, all the dishes had been placed on the coffee table in front of her. She wanted to say there was no need, that they could eat at the dining table like before. But once she said that, she would only make things more troublesome for them.

She had always thought she was strong, able to do anything well. After the car accident, because of that belief, she could not accept becoming a burden.

Seen that way, all those countless people who could calmly accept a fate of helplessness were far stronger than she was.

After recovering a little strength, Yan Yue tightened her grip on the wheelchair armrest and tried once more to stand.

The lower half of her body still offered only powerless support. That sensation was maddening.

She forced herself upward, trying to stand like a normal person. For just a brief moment, she straightened up and was suddenly dazed, almost convinced she really could stand. A spark of joy rose in her heart, but the next second, her body lurched forward again, crashing down heavily.

This time, Yan Yue did not try to get up again. Her shoulders began to tremble faintly.

Not a single sob escaped.

The night remained silent.

A few days later, the Yan family came to Jingsheng again to visit Yan Yue.

At first, it was only because Yan Huan wanted to see how her sister was doing. But after Song Shuxiao heard about it, she quickly insisted on coming too. She had long wanted to make a trip to Jingsheng, but had never found a suitable reason.

When they arrived, Yan Yue happened to be downstairs in the sun with Su Yan.

Yan Huan came running over with a big bag of fruit. Song Shuxiao nervously smoothed down her clothes and walked up as well.

“Sis, is your leg any better?” Yan Huan asked worriedly.

“Not that fast,” Yan Yue said with a smile. When she saw her mother standing behind Yan Huan, that smile gradually faded.

Su Yan kept staring at Song Shuxiao, admiration all over her face. As expected of a matriarch from a prestigious family—her features were dignified, her temperament gentle; she was truly incomparable to ordinary people.

Yan Huan looked around. “Where’s Qingyan jie?”

“She went out to buy something.”

Su Yan immediately looked at Yan Yue, who remained calm, and quickly understood what she meant. Qin Qingyan was filming right now; if only Yan Huan were here, there would naturally be no need to lie, and they could just tell the truth.

But Song Shuxiao was different.

“Then tell Qingyan jie to buy less. Look, this big bag of stuff is enough to last ages,” Yan Huan said, lifting the bag in her hand.

Then, as if something occurred to her, she changed the subject abruptly. “Sis, Su Su and I are going upstairs to put the things away first. You and Mom can talk.”

Yan Huan shot Su Yan a look; Su Yan immediately understood that this was to create some alone time for the mother and daughter, so she hurried off with her.

Of course Song Shuxiao understood what her younger daughter was thinking, and she also knew Yan Yue understood too.

“I’ll push you around for a bit.”

It was a rare sunny day in early winter, and quite a few people in the neighborhood had come downstairs to take a walk, chatting and laughing in small groups.

The mother and daughter moved slowly along the gravel path.

“Were you two having a little spat?” Song Shuxiao asked gently.

She waited quite a while. Just when she thought Yan Yue wouldn’t answer, Yan Yue finally spoke. “Not really.”

“That girl is good,” Song Shuxiao said. “You can tell she cares about you very much.”

“Mm.” Yan Yue’s voice was low.

“Nothing serious, right?” Song Shuxiao asked again.

Yan Yue replied, “Nothing serious.”

“Just looking at you, I can tell she’s usually the one who takes the initiative more. She’s a girl too; you should take the initiative once in a while and give her some response.”

Yan Yue’s gaze shifted slightly.

How had she almost forgotten? Qin Qingyan was only about twenty-three. So much younger than her, and yet she somehow made her feel steady and dependable.

Wasn’t she often the one being silly and improper in front of her?

Leaves rustled as the wind picked up.

Though the sun was bright, the breeze still carried the chill of early winter.

Song Shuxiao took off her coat and draped it over Yan Yue. “Don’t catch cold.”

Through the fabric, Yan Yue felt the warmth of the coat; warm, reliable, safe.

She drew in a deep breath, and her eyes stung slightly.

The mother and daughter spent nearly an hour alone together. They didn’t talk much, but both could feel that their relationship had grown closer.

From a distance, Song Shuxiao spotted Qin Qingyan and smiled faintly, pushing Yan Yue toward her.

Qin Qingyan saw them too and quickly walked over.

“Auntie..."

Song Shuxiao smiled and nodded. “It’s getting late. I’m going to call Huan’er and head back with her first.”

She called Qin Qingyan over; Qin Qingyan stepped forward, and Song Shuxiao handed the wheelchair over to her before turning to leave.

Yan Yue looked after her mother’s back. Only after she had gone far away did she look away and lower her gaze to the coat on her body.

“Qin Qingyan,” Yan Yue called to her. “My shoe is loose.”

At her words, Qin Qingyan crouched in front of Yan Yue, lifted the coat that was blocking her view, and looked at her feet.

The shoe wasn’t loose at all.

Then she understood; with Yan Yue’s current condition, how could she possibly tell whether it was tight or loose?

She had done it on purpose.

Qin Qingyan looked up and happened to meet Yan Yue’s smiling eyes.

Her heart seemed to skip a beat.

She forgot to breathe, forgot herself, forgot this moment. She also completely forgot all about the plan to stay angry; instead, she gave her whole heart to the woman she loved.

Yan Yue reached out and touched Qin Qingyan’s face. “Qin Qingyan, I..."

Before she could finish, Qin Qingyan leaned forward and hugged her. Yan Yue’s faint, clean scent quickly wrapped around her. Qin Qingyan closed her eyes and rubbed her face against Yan Yue’s neck.

At ease, and satisfied.

Yan Yue forgot what she had been about to say, but it seemed no longer important anyway.

When they got home, they could hear Su Yan arguing with Bai Ruo from the doorway. After listening closely, it turned out they were only arguing over a piece of candy.

“What do you mean, ‘just a piece of candy’? If you can buy it, it’s candy; if you can’t, it’s a treasure. I haven’t had a single piece, so it has to be given to me!” Bai Ruo shouted.

“You didn’t eat a piece, and you think I did? There were only two candies in total; one was for Yan Yue, and whoever got this one first gets to eat it,” Su Yan said, hiding her hand behind her back.

Seeing Yan Yue return, Bai Ruo hurriedly said, “Yan Yue, your sister brought these things. You decide who gets to eat it.”

Su Yan also turned to look at Yan Yue.

Qin Qingyan thought for a moment, then walked over and took the candy from Su Yan’s hand. It was a very small one, wrapped especially elegantly.

Before Yan Yue could give an answer, Qin Qingyan unwrapped it and ate it without a care in the world.

“Qin Qingyan! You’re dead today, I’m telling you!”

Su Yan stormed over in anger, but before she could lay a hand on her, Qin Qingyan said something. The two of them paused at once; their hostility vanished immediately. Their expressions turned oddly knowing as they glanced at Yan Yue standing by the door, then each returned to her own room.