Xue Jnxu covered her gaping mouth with her right hand. She was completely shocked. It was an understatement.Chen Linyun pushed for a little bit more. After this day, it would be difficult to open this topic again.
"How did you… How did I meet you, guys? Do you know my… my parents?"
"It"s so awkward to say it without referring to you, guys." It was more of a whisper.
Chen Lingfang rubbed her face roughly with the palm of his hand. At this point, he couldn"t answer him. "Biyu…"
"Son, can we talk about it some other time? Your mother doesn"t seem too well to talk about it any further."
Chen Linyun"s lips pursed into a tight line.
Xue Jinxu wrapped her arms around her husband indulgently as she rearranged some of his hair in disarray. "Honey, is that okay? I think it"s a good idea to cut the discussion right here. Mother…"
"Am I too selfish if I want to know more about my ident.i.ty?" Chen Linyun fought back with such intensity.
Xue Jinxu could sense the swelling emotions inside his chest. She wanted to give him what he wanted but she was afraid that too much information to be revealed tonight would not only satisfy his curiosity but would also destroy his sense of stability.
She tightened her hug and closed her eyes for a bit as she leaned her head on him.
Jiang Biyu tried to compose herself. She took deep, sharp breaths, sat up straight and paused the crying. With renewed strength, she gasped, "I will tell you. You deserve to know, my son."
She ironed the knots on her dress with her hands as she constructed her statements inside her head.
"A friend of mine left you in my care one day. She said she just needed some time alone to take care of some things. She would be going far and she couldn"t take you with her."
"She was in a hurry. I wasn"t able to ask any more questions. She didn"t even tell me when she would be back."
"I waited for months but she never came."
"I had this crazy but wonderful idea in my head - to take you as my son. I allowed myself to believe that she would not come back for you. Thinking that I lost my son, and you lost your mother, we seemed perfect company for each other…"
"So…"
"I took you in as my son…"
"But the paperwork…"
"So I had sought your father"s help."
"I didn"t think that he would also take you as if you"re his own son, but he did. For that, I"m simply grateful." She glanced at Father Chen.
"Honey, please don"t think that I just wanted you to take my baby"s place. It"s not that. You have your charms which captivated my heart."
"Not once did I think that the two of you are one and the same. It"s always clear in my head that he"s gone and you"re not him."
"But your growth reminds me of him and what could have been and what could have happened if he was… still around…"
"You give me unparalleled joy, Linyun. And during the first few months, you were able to lift my spirits up. I vowed to myself that I would make sure that you, too, will live in happiness and love. I had so much love to give, but without a recipient. I gave it all to you."
Chen Linyun opened up what"s in his heart as he retorted, "I have always felt your genuine love, Mother. I grew into who I am now because of your upbringing. Now, that I know the truth… I am all the more thankful to you for all your sacrifices and love because it turns out… You are not obliged to do it yet you did."
"What would have become of me if you didn"t take me in?"
"You said that my real mother is your friend?"
"May I… Can I… Can I get her name?"
Mother Chen wetted her lips first. It had become more parched from the past emotional outbursts.
"My friend"s name who left you in my care… Her name is…"
Mother Chen"s eyes mellowed as she closely watched her son"s pale face.
"Han Lan."
Chen Linyun"s eyes widened in utter disbelief. Was the universe conspiring against him? Or for him? Was the whole world joking him?
"Han Lan, Mother?"
"Yes."
He covered the lower half of his half with his right hand as he turned towards his wife.
"Why, what"s wrong, darling?" Xue Jinxu asked, full of concern.
"N-Nothing. It"s nothing."
The name did ring a bell. Lots of bells.
He had just encountered that same name a few days back. "Is she the same woman? Is she my mother?"
"Maybe they just share the same name? How many women are named Han Lan?"
Chen Linyun"s eyes glistened with... antic.i.p.ation? Hope? Perhaps both.
"Wait, do I want to meet my biological parents?"
"But I have to unravel this, for Sola"s sake."
Mother Chen continued, "We had not seen each other for a long time when she came to me. We had lost touch for years. That friend usually preferred solitude. I didn"t even know that she had a son. She also didn"t attend my wedding and all the birthday parties of my baby boy."
"We had lost contact for years so… I was surprised that she just turned up one day, at my doorstep, and even more surprised that she just left a few minutes later, and left a boy with me. I thought that she must have trusted me enough. It was flattering in that sense."
"At the time I had moved to the house where I spent my younger years. Perhaps she remembered the address and gave it a try. What luck she had that I was actually in there the day she came."
"But I"ve somehow felt guilty over the years for… for stealing her son from her. You didn"t even grow up knowing her…" Mother Chen sniffed. Chen Lingfang maintained a close distance from her and comforted her. She didn"t seem to mind.
Chen Linyun didn"t hear quite clearly what his mother said after the name. He was already drowning in his thoughts. "Is she the same woman we"re talking about?"
He remembered how he pitied the lady in the hospital. He felt her helplessness and sadness. He thought there was a connection.
"Nothing"s sure yet." He sadly thought, not wanting to put his expectations up.