Chapter 23 Conversation between mother and daughter

The wife of the Fifth Hospital’s president—who was also one of Mother Zhou’s mahjong partners—acted with impressive speed; she got back to them within ten minutes of Mother Zhou’s call, telling them to bring the person straight over. She had already contacted Dr. Li, and various examinations could be scheduled for that very afternoon.

The situation had taken a dramatic turn. Just an hour ago, Lin Li’s parents had been grilling her and her partner; yet now, they were already at the hospital, sitting in a room that had been hastily arranged for them, waiting for the upcoming tests.

Lin Li’s parents sat in the hospital room, while Lin Li and Zhou Han went out to handle the necessary paperwork. Mother Zhou did not come along, as she had to look after Xiao Bin.

Lin Li’s parents sat side-by-side on the room’s sofa, their brows furrowed in deep thought.

After a long silence, Mother Lin spoke first: "Lao Lin, what do you make of this?"

Although they didn't spell it out, they both understood implicitly that they were discussing Lin Li’s sudden marriage.

Father Lin remained silent; without turning his head to look at her, he simply shook his head slowly.

Mother Lin also fell silent, appearing to ponder the matter for a while, before nodding and speaking earnestly: "I think it’s a good idea."

Hearing this, Father Lin turned to look at her, frowning as he asked, "You think it’s a good idea? Let me ask you—after meeting him just this once, what could you possibly tell?"

"I can see that he treats our Xiao Li well. Didn't you hear what he said? He promised to give her a lifetime of happiness. What do we want for our daughter, after all? We just want her to be safe and happy. If there’s someone willing to treat her well and make her happy, what grounds do we have to object?" Mother Lin said. 

"That’s just a woman’s perspective. You say he’ll give Xiao Li a lifetime of happiness, but that’s exactly what that boy from the Cheng family said back then, too. And in the end? What did he actually give her?" Father Lin spoke with a stern edge to his voice. 

He was heartbroken for his daughter; he had witnessed the deep pain the situation with Cheng Xiang had caused her. He had cherished her for over twenty years, hoping that after marriage, another man would step in to treasure, pamper, and care for her—not cause her sorrow and tears.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

"It’s different!" Mother Lin didn’t take offense at his tone but stood her ground. "This Zhou Han is not like Cheng Xiang. Just look at the way he speaks to us and his attitude—it’s completely different. Cheng Xiang was too mild-mannered; he lacked decisiveness in his speech and was always ambiguous in his stance. Look at how firmly Zhou Han spoke to us just now—he was so resolute. And he’s so efficient; the moment he heard we wanted an examination with Dr. Li, he arranged it immediately. He’s treating us this well because of Lin Li, and I truly believe he’ll treat her well, too."

"He’s been married before and has a child—how good could it really be? I won’t let my daughter settle for that kind of situation." Father Lin’s stance was firm.

"Actually, what Zhou Han said makes sense. Even though he’s been married before—well, as he put it, having that experience means he knows how to cherish a marriage and understands the dynamics of living together better. He’s a few years older than our Xiao Li, too, so he’s more capable of being considerate and taking care of her. There’s nothing wrong with that."

Mother Lin remained steadfast in her view. She, too, wanted what was best for her daughter, but she didn’t believe that clinging to conventions about "first marriage" versus "second marriage" was the right way to look out for her child. Back then, they had all thought Cheng Xiang was good for their daughter, yet after ten years with him, she had ended up emotionally scarred. 

Now, she didn’t care about a man’s assets—whether he had money, a prestigious job, or a beautiful house. As long as his kindness toward Lin Li was genuine, she wouldn’t object; she would fully support it.

"What do you know? Can you read people? All you know is that he is not the second Cheng Xiang!" Father Lin snorted coldly.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

She was a little confused by what Father Lin said. It is true that judging people is not that simple. At first, Cheng Xiang did not look like he would be such a person. After thinking for a while, she looked up at Father Lin and said, "Then I will ask Lin Li later, okay? Lin Li can always feel it herself."

Father Lin glanced at Mother Lin, and was about to say something, "You——" But before he could say this, the originally closed door was pushed open at this moment.

Outside the door, Lin Li and Zhou Han pushed open the door and came in. A series of procedures that needed to be completed had been completed. Lin Li smiled and said to Father Lin and Mother Lin: "Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?"

Father Lin and Mother Lin exchanged glances. They turned to look at his daughter with a tacit understanding and said with a smile: "No, it's nothing."

As expected of being a couple for nearly thirty years, they even speak at the same speed.

Lin Li didn't mean to get to the bottom of it. She just nodded and said, "All the procedures have been completed. Doctor Li has also come over. Let dad go directly for the examination."

Father Lin nodded quickly, stood up and prepared to go over.

Lin Li stretched out her hand to help her father over, but was stopped by Mother Lin, who took her hand and looked at Zhou Han standing beside her, saying: "Well, Zhou Han, you accompany Lao Lin there, I have something to say to Lin Li."

Hearing this, Lin Li hurriedly said: "Mom, I'd better accompany Dad there. If you have anything to say, we'll talk about it later."

“No, no, no, just stay here and talk to me for a while.” Mother Lin grabbed Lin Li’s hand and didn’t let go, and then said to Zhou Han: “Zhou Han, is that okay?”

Zhou Han smiled lightly, nodded and said, "No problem, I'll accompany uncle there." After that, he turned to Father Lin and said, "Uncle, let's go there."

Father Lin glanced at Mother Lin, turned around and left the ward without speaking.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

After Zhou Han and Father Lin both left the ward, Mother Lin pulled Lin Li to sit on the sofa.

Lin Li looked at her mother in confusion and asked, "Mom, what do you want to say to me?"

Mother Lin took Lin Li's hand, put it on her leg, patted it gently, then looked up at Lin Li, her brows suddenly furrowed, she reached out to hold her face, and said in distressed: "Why are you so much thinner than before? You can only feel the bones."

Lin Li chuckled, not wanting her mother to worry, so she just said coquettishly: "How can I be so thin?" She stretched out her hand to cover her mother's hand, and quietly pulled her hand down.

Mother Lin sighed softly, "Alas~"

Lin Li looked at her worriedly and said with relief: "Mom, are you worried about dad? Don't worry, not necessarily. Dad will be fine. It's said that lucky people have their own destiny, don't worry."

Looking at her, Mother Lin nodded, patted her hand gently, and when she looked up at her again, she asked seriously: "Xiao Li, tell mother, why do you want to marry this man?"

Lin Li was stunned for a moment. She couldn't understand why this topic suddenly jumped to her. She really didn't know how to answer it for a while.

Seeing that she was silent, Mother Lin's face slowly became serious. She looked at her and asked tentatively: "You didn't marry out of anger, right?" 

In fact, this is not impossible. She was hurt so deeply by Cheng Xiang. After all, she was her own daughter, and she could feel her negativity and insecurity.

Lin Li shook her head quickly and explained: "No, Mom, don't think too much. I have not given up on myself. I know what I am doing. Don't worry, I will be responsible for my own life."

"Really?" Mother Lin was still somewhat unsure. She only had one daughter, and naturally, she wanted her to be happy; seeing her daughter in that state previously had been just as agonizing for them as parents—they had been heartbroken, too.

Lin Li nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm, really."

"That's good, that's good..." Mother Lin nodded, then held her daughter's hand and asked, "So, is he good to you? Does he cherish you?"

Lin Li paused for a moment before realizing that the "he" her mother referred to was Zhou Han. She nodded with a hint of awkwardness, simply saying, "He... he treats me quite well." 

In truth, considering their professional partnership, Zhou Han really did treat her well; she had no complaints about their collaboration so far. Seeing the expression on her face, Lin’s mother assumed she was simply shy or embarrassed; a smile played on her lips as she continued, "So, what is his temper like? He doesn't fly off the handle at the drop of a hat, does he? And do you know what happened with his previous marriage? It didn't fall apart because of his temper or anything like that, did it?"

Lin Li hurriedly shook her head and explained, "No, no—his previous marriage wasn't his fault; the issue lay with his ex-wife."

Hearing this, Mother Lin finally set her mind at ease and nodded. "That’s good." 

Then, another thought occurred to her, and she asked with lingering concern, "Do his family members treat you well? And does his child resent you or anything?"

Recalling Mother Zhou’s care and affection, as well as little Xiao Bin’s quirky personality, Lin Li smiled gently and shook her head. "The Zhou family treats me very well. Xiao Bin is a well-behaved child; he doesn't harbor any hostility toward me—really, they are all very good to me."

Mother Lin studied her face intently, as if trying to discern whether Lin Li was merely reassuring her to keep her from worrying. After a long moment, seemingly convinced that the smile was genuine, she finally let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

Feeling a pang of guilt, Lin Li clasped her mother’s hand tightly and said apologetically, "Mom, I’m sorry. I’m all grown up, yet I still make you worry about me."

Mother Lin looked at her and smiled. "Silly girl, what parent doesn't worry about their child? No matter how old you get—even when you have children of your own—I’ll still be worrying about you."

Lin Li smiled too; she leaned forward to give her mother a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "Mom, thank you."

Mother Lin chuckled softly and patted her back. The two of them held each other like that for quite a while. Just as Lin Li was about to pull away, she heard her mother ask softly, "Lin Li, do you love this man?"

Lin Li froze, remaining silent for a long moment; by the time she was ready to speak, her mother had already let go of her.

Looking at her mother, Lin Li didn't want her to worry and started to explain, "Mom, I..."

Her mother raised a hand to gently cover Lin Li's lips, shook her head, and said, "You don't need to tell me; it's enough if you know the answer in your own heart."

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

TN: It's so rare to see such conversation between a mother and her daughter in c-novel setting. So heartwarming 😊