Chapter 37: Going Back Home
"Is my dad sick? Is it bad?" Su He asked anxiously.
"I didn't get into specifics, but when I went, your father was still bedridden. Your mom was the one who saw me. She told me that if I found you, I should ask you to come home. They really miss you," Xie Yunxin said with a sigh.
Su He didn't hesitate before replying, "Okay."
Xie Yunxin hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you going into the city? I came by car, so if you're heading there, you can ride with me."
Back then, having a car meant Xie Yunxin's family was loaded.
"Great!" Su He agreed without a second thought.
In a hurry, Su He threw some stuff together and took her two children with her as they rushed into Xie Yunxin's car.
Sitting in the car, Zai Zai asked curiously, "Mom, where are we going?"
"To your grandpa's house." The original Su He had cut off her parents when the kids were only one and a half years old, so the kids never knew them.
"Mom, is Grandpa's house in the city?" Niu Niu asked.
"Yes, Grandpa's house is in the city," Su He replied with a faint smile.
Original Su He, you really left me with a mess to fix.
Su He had lost her parents young, so suddenly having living parents again made her nervous—she didn't know how to act around them.
The drive from Shangyao Village to the city took about two hours—not too bad of a drive.
Xie Yunxin was nice enough to drop Su He and the kids right at the entrance of the alley where Su He's parents lived.
"I've got things to do, so I'll head back now," Xie Yunxin said as she parked the car.
"Alright, thank you," Su He replied. She got the kids out first, tossed her bag over her shoulder, thanked Xie Yunxin again, and then closed the car door.
As Xie Yunxin drove away, Su He stepped into the alley, her heart in knots.
Teachers didn't make much. Besides, he was honest—never took a dime from students. So despite living in the city, the Su family barely scraped by.
They gave the original Su He everything they had. The old couple slaved their whole lives and never caught a break.
Su He reached the courtyard she remembered, gently pushed open the gate, and led the children inside.
Hearing the noise, Wen Qing opened the door and stepped out, their eyes meeting.
She gaped at her daughter, right there in front of her. After a moment, she hurried over, reached out, and touched Su He's face. "You're so thin! Haven't you been eating?"
Su He hadn't expected Wen Qing's first words to be like this, and her eyes welled up.
"Mom," she called softly.
"Hey. You've finally come back, you stubborn child. Why'd you have to be so stubborn?" Wen Qing's tears spilled over at Su He's call, and she hugged her tightly, sobbing.
"Mom, I'm sorry." Whether it was because of the original Su He's memories or not, seeing Wen Qing cry made Su He's heart ache.
"Coming back is enough, coming back is enough. Your father and I have missed you so much. Especially your dad—he always doted on you the most. If he knew you were back, he'd be overjoyed."
Su He let go of Wen Qing, then turned her bright eyes to Zai Zai and Niu Niu. "Zai Zai, Niu Niu, say hi to Grandma."
During the car ride, Su He reminded the children to greet their grandparents.
Finally getting a chance to speak, the two kids said together, "Hi, Grandma!"
"Aww, such sweethearts," Wen Qing said, hugging Niu Niu and then Zai Zai, treating both equally.
Just then, a coughing sound came from inside the room. Hearing this, Su He quickly opened the door and saw Su Shiming trying to get out of bed.
"Dad," Su He hurried over to support him.
"Sweetie, you're back," her parents had always called her by this pet name at home.
"Yeah, I'm back. Dad, I'm sorry." As she spoke, Su He suddenly knelt on the floor.
Wen Qing, who had just entered the room, rushed to lift her up.
"What are you doing?" Wen Qing asked.
"Mom, I've failed you and Dad," Su He stayed kneeling, refusing to get up.
"With the kids watching, what are you doing? Get up quickly," Su Shiming said.
Hearing this, Su He hesitated for a moment before finally standing up.
"Sweetie, family forgives everything. You've always been so stubborn—you should change that," Su Shiming sighed.
"I understand."
"Mm, how's Ting Hua been?" Su Shiming asked.
"Ting Hua was deployed to the border with his unit over a year ago," Su He replied.
Wen Qing, who was handing candy to the children, immediately said, "Something this big, and you didn't even tell us. Raising two children alone for over a year—you must've suffered so much alone."
Their daughter was truly too stubborn, refusing to come home and ask for help even under such circumstances.
"I know I messed up," Su He admitted at once.
"Wen Qing, take the kids outside to play. I have something to discuss with Sweetie," Su Shiming said to Wen Qing.
Hearing this, Wen Qing gently said to the children, "Let's go see the flowers with Grandma, okay?"
The children looked to Su He for approval, and only after she nodded did they follow their grandmother outside.
Su Shiming observed everything and, seeing how well Su He had raised the children, sighed lightly. "You're a better parent than I was."
Su He understood the meaning behind his words and replied, "Dad, it wasn't me, not you. After this past year, I've learned how hard it is to raise children and now see how hard you worked."
"As long as you understand," Su Shiming sighed again before continuing, "Sweetie, do you really plan to spend your whole life like this with Ting Hua? Look at your mother and me—that's what real partnership is. You and Ting Hua are just going through the motions. What happiness can there be in a marriage like that?"
Previously, when Su He complained that Fu Tinghua was always away from home and asked Su Shiming, as a teacher, to reprimand him, Su Shiming had refused.
Instead, he had advised Su He to divorce Fu Tinghua, believing their marriage would never bring happiness—which was why Su He had cut off the family.
Su He hadn't expected Su Shiming to bring this up again now. She answered, "Dad, I've thought about what you said. The way things are now, it's basically like being single."
Seeing that Su He had actually come to this realization on her own, Su Shiming was thrilled.
"Good, good. You've really matured."
"Dad, what illness do you have?" Su He asked.
"Nothing major, just high blood pressure, so I get dizzy spells," Su Shiming said lightly.