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Yaling ran along the corridor, her bared feet making almost no sound against the carpeted floor. Barging in her mother’s room, she stilled, for Mei Ping was standing in the middle of the room, a velvet black trousers and a red bra that she just finished hooking on, facing three tops each accompanied by its matching long cardigan with belt sprawled on the bed, the choice, apparently having yet to be made.
Hearing the door, she turned around with a slight frown on her face. The servants knew better than to enter without knocking and her own daughter rarely came up here; still, it was Yaling.
Mei Ping genuinely didn’t hear so she lift her head to give her daughter her whole attention,
No matter how close she looked, be it the receptionists, the passing workers, or even the janitors, Yaling couldn’t really see the faces of the people she was supposed to meet ten years from now. Those were all strangers, none she could pinpoint or remember. Maybe those people had yet to come?
Accepting her new reality with a bit of pessimism still at the back of her head, Yaling tried to order in her head what was supposed to happen and if possible, chronologically. Guoying would come and never go -that was by the start of the new year in about a month and three weeks approximatively for it was still November right now-. With relatively shaking fingers, she wrote it down in her textbook. And though she tried to concentrate, the only following things that pop into her mind were that following that arrival, she and her mother would be chased out some years later. And after that, she wouldn’t be able to find work due to Tu Yinjun’s influence and a nightmarish life would start for them both, mother and daughter pair. When they would be miserable enough to think that it couldn’t get any worse, her mother’s cancer would be discovered and-
The cancer!
Bolting down her bed, she yanked the door open, not bothering to put on her slippers or her shoes or changing out of her pajamas for that matter. She had to find her mother right now!
After she compromised and promised to go to school the next day, swearing that everything was alright with her –it took promising to let herself be seen by a doctor if she failed to honor the first promise-, Mei Ping had returned to her room to prepare herself for she was about to head out.
Yaling ran along the corridor, her bared feet making almost no sound against the carpeted floor. Barging in her mother’s room, she stilled, for Mei Ping was standing in the middle of the room, a velvet black trousers and a red bra that she just finished hooking on, facing three tops each accompanied by its matching long cardigan with belt sprawled on the bed, the choice, apparently having yet to be made.
Hearing the door, she turned around with a slight frown on her face. The servants knew better than to enter without knocking and her own daughter rarely came up here; still, it was Yaling.
The teenager tried to catch her breath and forced herself to finish the lasts steps separating her from her mother in steady motion, not forgetting to close the door behind her before advancing.
“Yes?” Mei Pring inquired seeing as her daughter walked closer only to stand motionless and wordless in front of her.
“I’m going to check something," answered the teenager with the expression of having made her mind. Yaling lifted her hands, took off Mei Ping’s bra, and tried massaging her left breast.
Her mother gasped, trying to extricate herself but the daughter struggled too. It was quite weird but apparently, the younger woman found nothing strange with what she was doing and even said,
"It's important please, let me"
Seeing the seriousness on her daughter's face, Mei Ping was more than puzzled. Forget it, teenagers these days. If she wanted to compare her breasts with her mother, it was alright too. Saying such in her mind, Mei Ping lifted her hand to give her child access to her bosom. It was really... embarrassing. The older woman was flushed red. A discomfort that the younger one didn't share for her face was completely blank.
Yaling was trying to remember how to do it. A home check. Actually, it was supposed to be done by the person herself but that would be quite hard in this situation. Mentally dividing each breast in quater she palpated them carefully and lifted her face to see her mother's expression. The other had turned around, her cheeks flushed red, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Are you finished now?"
Her mother gasped, trying to extricate herself but the daughter struggled too. It was quite weird but apparently, the younger woman found nothing strange with what she was doing and even said,
"It's important please, let me"
Seeing the seriousness on her daughter's face, Mei Ping was more than puzzled. Forget it, teenagers these days. If she wanted to compare her breasts with her mother, it was alright too. Saying such in her mind, Mei Ping lifted her hand to give her child access to her bosom. It was really... embarrassing. The older woman was flushed red. A discomfort that the younger one didn't share for her face was completely blank.
Yaling was trying to remember how to do it. A home check. Actually, it was supposed to be done by the person herself but that would be quite hard in this situation. Mentally dividing each breast in quater she palpated them carefully and lifted her face to see her mother's expression. The other had turned around, her cheeks flushed red, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Are you finished now?"
Yaling couldn’t feel any rigidity. She frowned.
“Does it hurt?”
“Why would it?” answered the mother with a question of her own, finally turning to her child. "Do your breasts hurt? We should immediately go to-"
But the teenager was already shaking her head.
“No... I... I just thought… that you hurt yourself.”
Was it too early to detect? At that time when the doctor told them about it, she was twenty-five. So, eight years from now.
“What exactly are you doing?” asked the puzzled Mei Ping while putting back on her bra.
“... It sounded like you fell... and I... It doesn't matter anymore..."
"Really?"
Since her daughter refused to talk, Mei Ping could only let it slid and turned to her bed, finally settling on the white clothes and put them on. Yaling looked at her while she was changing, her eyes still on her mother's breasts, the frown still on her face.
"Mom," she suddenly said, the moment Mei Ping was done, "about the hospital, I changed my mind. Take me there."
Mei Ping gave her a side glance, while opening her drawer, "you sound fine to me now. Are you sure it's not actually in school that there is something wrong? You know if someone is-"
Yaling appeared beside her, touching the bag her mother was checking,
"I really want to go to the hospital, mom."
Seeing the rare determination in her child's eyes, Mei Ping sighed,
"Really?"
Since her daughter refused to talk, Mei Ping could only let it slid and turned to her bed, finally settling on the white clothes and put them on. Yaling looked at her while she was changing, her eyes still on her mother's breasts, the frown still on her face.
"Mom," she suddenly said, the moment Mei Ping was done, "about the hospital, I changed my mind. Take me there."
Mei Ping gave her a side glance, while opening her drawer, "you sound fine to me now. Are you sure it's not actually in school that there is something wrong? You know if someone is-"
Yaling appeared beside her, touching the bag her mother was checking,
"I really want to go to the hospital, mom."
Seeing the rare determination in her child's eyes, Mei Ping sighed,
“Fine," she conceded, "Just let me tell the girls I won’t be with them today. Go take a bath and let’s meet downstairs.” Shooed her mother.
Yaling had a wry smile at those words but still said nothing and slowly exited the room to give her mother the privacy to make her call. Her mother's group of friends, at this very moment, she couldn't say that she was fond of them. None of these women lifted a hand for them. Considering who Yaling offended, that was alright. What she couldn't accept, however, was that some cursed at them and made things more difficult.
The temperature was getting lower. Yaling thus wore warmly, an aquamarine skinny rib jumper with roll neck accompanied with black jeans. Though she had always preferred heels, she went for flat shoes, mindful of the last time she was in a hospital, the newly swept floor let her slipped and hurt herself badly. But this maybe, had yet to happen in this timeline.
***
The chauffeur took them to the hospital, not the closest from home but the one Mei Ping managed to have a reservation in one hour and thirty minutes from the moment. The charleston’s memorial. Yaling had wanted to do a full check and wouldn't settle for anything less and in the end, Mei Ping had complied.
In the car, they were sitting side by side but her mother was in a world of her own, completely engrossed in her phone, Yaling couldn’t help but ask,
In the car, they were sitting side by side but her mother was in a world of her own, completely engrossed in her phone, Yaling couldn’t help but ask,
“Mom, have you ever thought about working?”
“What did you say?”
Mei Ping genuinely didn’t hear so she lift her head to give her daughter her whole attention,
“Working isn’t half bad, you could be at your own charges, and it would be your own money.”
Meu Ping chuckled a bit and lightly said,
“Our family already has money more than we can dream of spending. Why would I need to work? Don’t think about such boring and uninteresting things.”
Judging her words enough, she returned to typing her SMS and Yaling could only sigh internally, dropping the subject for now. She wasn’t really in the mood to try to convince the woman otherwise for she was way too anxious at this moment.
***
The Charleston’s memorial was a university hospital. Though Yaling's memories of it weren't pleasant, it couldn't be changed that it was one of the best hospitals around here. Closing her eyes, Yaling could still hear the rude voices saying that they couldn't help them for their insurance cards weren't valid anymore. Opening her eyes and extricating herself from her night demons, Yaling let her sight roam around, looking left and right. They were currently sat in the waiting area with some other people and her mother was still on her phone. They were early by one quarter-hour after all.
No matter how close she looked, be it the receptionists, the passing workers, or even the janitors, Yaling couldn’t really see the faces of the people she was supposed to meet ten years from now. Those were all strangers, none she could pinpoint or remember. Maybe those people had yet to come?
As she thought along these lines, a familiar voice came to her ears. Searching for its origin with her eyes, she saw the scene of a middle-aged man cursing at a young woman. The woman looked in her twenties and had her head bowed as the other kept on venting on her with harsh words that were drawing more and more attention. Having said his piece, he turned to the onlookers and shouted, asking if he was their tv, before turning around in a huff and going away, his silhouette disappearing in the turning of a corridor.
The woman had her shoulders trembling and took a run in another direction. Looking at that familiar silhouette, Yaling couldn't help herself but get up and followed her, all the way to the toilets.
Pushing the door, she could hear, coming from the middle of three stalls, the soft sounds of sniffing. Without seeing the person closer she really couldn't be sure but, while the woman was talking, she thought she heard Dr. Shao Dong's voice.
Though the woman couldn't be called her friend, the latter was still not a foe. The doctor in her memories was the one who diagnosed Mei Ping's cancer previously and also the one who promised them that should they collect the money, she would help them secure an operation. Well, it wasn't her fault that the day of that operation never saw light.
Yaling softly knocked on the door. The sniffing stopped.
"Are you alright," she inquired. Silence responded.
Though she wasn't sure she was talking to the one she had in mind, she still felt that it wouldn't be bad to console this person a little. She had spent so many days crying, hoping that someone would come and tell her that it was going to be alright. Even if it had been lies, she would have been ready to hear. But no one ever came for her.
The woman had her shoulders trembling and took a run in another direction. Looking at that familiar silhouette, Yaling couldn't help herself but get up and followed her, all the way to the toilets.
Pushing the door, she could hear, coming from the middle of three stalls, the soft sounds of sniffing. Without seeing the person closer she really couldn't be sure but, while the woman was talking, she thought she heard Dr. Shao Dong's voice.
Though the woman couldn't be called her friend, the latter was still not a foe. The doctor in her memories was the one who diagnosed Mei Ping's cancer previously and also the one who promised them that should they collect the money, she would help them secure an operation. Well, it wasn't her fault that the day of that operation never saw light.
Yaling softly knocked on the door. The sniffing stopped.
"Are you alright," she inquired. Silence responded.
Though she wasn't sure she was talking to the one she had in mind, she still felt that it wouldn't be bad to console this person a little. She had spent so many days crying, hoping that someone would come and tell her that it was going to be alright. Even if it had been lies, she would have been ready to hear. But no one ever came for her.
“I don't know what happened but... it wasn't easy coming here right. They say medical fields are one of the hardest but you're still here today so keep doing your best and things will get better."
The person still kept quiet and Yaling thought that maybe what she wanted was really to be left alone. She resolved to do so after just some last words,
"Believe in yourself and with that determination that let you come here today, but sure to tackle every obstacle and you'll definitely become an amazing doctor some years from now.”
Not really having experience when it came to consoling people, she thought her own words not bad and left the quiet girl to her own privacy.
When the toilets' room opened and closed, Shao Dong softly turned the knob and looked at the door. Her tears had long stopped falling.
The person still kept quiet and Yaling thought that maybe what she wanted was really to be left alone. She resolved to do so after just some last words,
"Believe in yourself and with that determination that let you come here today, but sure to tackle every obstacle and you'll definitely become an amazing doctor some years from now.”
Not really having experience when it came to consoling people, she thought her own words not bad and left the quiet girl to her own privacy.
When the toilets' room opened and closed, Shao Dong softly turned the knob and looked at the door. Her tears had long stopped falling.
Why i can't see the next chapter
ReplyDeleteAre there ch 4 and 5? Since there’s a link but no chapters. Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a schedule for updating The Stepmothers daughter?
Huh. There is no next. Probably under drafting stage... b-but I want to read the next chapter. UwU
ReplyDelete- munchiedi