Chapter 119 — Mother Su Comes Visiting

Desperate, Jiang Philip wanted to ask her mother for help, but Su Qianhua weakly begged him not to. One word of it and her mother would be at her house to drag them to the altar. A grandchild from Su Qianhua has been her mother's biggest wish for the past five years.

So Jiang Philip kept experimenting, coming up with different foods to try and entice her to keep something more nutritious than bread down. He had even been crashing at her place for the past few days, scared to leave her alone.

They were at the beach today because he finally succeeded in making something she could eat this morning.

At his wits end, he had been browsing on the internet when he saw a blog for expectant mothers. Someone had requested help for a friend that had serious morning sickness and the blog owner had posted a recipe.

Sweet and sour fish soup. Just reading the ingredients for this particular version made Jiang Philip's teeth ache. Tart tomatoes, lemons, limes, vinegar and ginger were all in abundant portions.

But surprisingly, Su Qianhua was able to tolerate it well. She finished a full bowl of soup with some bread without vomiting, for the first time in days. Jiang Philip was so happy that he carried her up and danced around the living room.

The short nap she took afterwards did wonders by making her feel well rested and rejuvenated, so he suggested they go out.

Since she really had not gone out in days, Su Qianhua happily agreed, hence the beach outing. Walking along the seashore and feeling her feet sink into the warm sand was doing her mood a world of good.

From her position, she could see Jiang Philip bending down and searching for seashells. She sighed, lost in thought.

He had done so much for her in the past few weeks, more than she had ever imagined possible. Did he really like her that much? Or was he just doing things out of a sense of responsibility?

For some reason, she felt the answer to that was very important to her. But what that would change, she wasn't sure. Tired, she let the thought drop and focused on enjoying the day.

They took some more pictures and even asked a kind passer-by to take pictures of both of them, before heading back home.

On getting home, Jiang Philip rushed to open the car door, gently supporting her. The walk at the beach must have tired her out, because she looked a bit pale. Both of them were so intent on walking that they didn't see the figure by the door.

"Qianhua, what happened to you?"

Startled, Su Qianhua jerked her head. As the middle-aged woman spoke, she hurried forward to hold her daughter.

"Mo-Mom." For the first time in a while, Su Qianhua stammered. Why was her mother here?

She tried to keep calm, "Nothing happened Mom."

Mother Su wasn't buying that. "What's wrong? Won't you tell me? You look sick. Did you get injured at work?"

Jiang Philip decided to speak, "Good evening Auntie. We just went out for a date and she was feeling a bit tired, that's why."

Mother Su relaxed, though she still felt suspicious. How tiring was the date that her daughter looked like this? Or were these children overindulging?

She decided to believe them for the moment. "You were so busy dating that you haven't spoken to your old mother in more than a week. So I decided to check up on you, and also bring you some things. Let's go inside and talk."

When her mother turned, Su Qianhua breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe, at least for the moment. She looked at Jiang Philip and noticed he had the same expression. Both were hoping Mother Su would leave quickly.

But luck wasn't on their side.

As soon as they got in, Mother Su started unloading the things she bought while Su Qianhua stood with her. "I brought you some fruits from your grandma's orchard—she sent them yesterday. And your brother asked me to give you this book. I don't know why that brat won't come home regularly. You need to talk sense into his head. Oh, and here's the pickled crabs I brought for you. See, they're very plump and—"

She could not complete her sentence because Su Qianhua gagged, holding her mouth and running to the bathroom. Even as she retched over and over, she had one thought in her mind.

Busted! There was no way her mother's suspicion won't hit the roof.

Taking her time to rinse her mouth and wash her hands, she walked slowly to the living room, thinking of what to say.

When they were both seated in front of her, looking like a pair of schoolchildren caught doing something mischievous, Mother Su gave both of them a look. "Start talking."

Su Qianhua pretended not to understand, "What Mom?"

"Don't play dumb. What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just felt like throwing up suddenly, that all."

"Really? Okay, get up let's go."

"To where?"

"To the hospital. Let's find out why you would "suddenly feel like throwing up"."

Su Qianhua's face became even paler.

"Qianhua, don't waste my time. Would you go with me willingly or should I drag you?" Mother Su threatened.

"I'm pregnant." The words came out in a rush.

"You're what?" Mother Su sat down in shock. So what she suspected was true after all. After some moments, she spoke.

"Are you the father?" The question was of course, directed to Jiang Philip, who nodded.

Mother Su stood up and grabbed her daughter. "Mo-Mom, I've just told you the truth. Wh-where are you taking me to now?"

"To the Civil Affairs Bureau. Philip, do you have your household registration book here? If you don't, let's go to your place and get it first."

"Mom! We are not going to get married!"

"What? Are you joking with me? Why not?" Her tone was distinctively incredulous, as if she could not understand —for the life of her— what was going on in their heads.

Su Qianhua could not answer. Just as Mother Su raised her hand to hit Su Qianhua, Jiang Philip stood in front to shield her.

"Sorry Auntie, it's my fault. I told her I don't want to be tied down by marriage!" In his panic, he shouted whatever came to his mind in a hurry.

Mother Su exploded in fury. She was a petite woman, much like Su Qianhua, but just like her, she had quite a bit of strength.

"What do you mean? How dare you say that? Is my daughter not good enough for you? Where is she lacking? And what do you mean by "tied down"? You really deserve a beating. My precious daughter is not to be used and dumped. You have to take responsibility..." and on and on she raved.

Each sentence was punctuated by a strike with the palm of her hand. Within a few seconds, Jiang Philip had received several smacks on his shoulders and back, but he did not budge.

Eventually, Su Qianhua recovered from her shock and shouted at her mother,

"Stop it. This is the 21st century. Why do we have to get married just because I got pregnant? We are adults and we can make our own decisions, so don't meddle! Leave us alone!"