The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 444 - 415 Bai Qiongyu, He Jinming_1

Chapter 444: Chapter 415 Bai Qiongyu, He Jinming_1

This was her son!

He had been just over a year old when she left; by the time they met again, he was almost forty.

He Jingyu didn’t know why, but upon seeing Bai Qiongyu, he recognized her immediately and walked up to her, knelt down and said, "Thank you for giving me life!"

What followed were three deep kowtows!

Regardless of the issues between her and his father, the woman before him had carried him for ten months, and for that, he couldn’t deny his indebtedness.

He Jingyu had been involved throughout his wife’s pregnancy and knew the hardships of carrying a child.

He couldn’t deny this indebtedness just because Bai Qiongyu hadn’t raised him!

When Bai Qiongyu saw her son kneel and kowtow, she too knelt on the ground, hugged He Jingyu’s head, and said, "Oh, my son!"

At that moment, everyone felt a sourness in their noses and a warmth in their eyes.

After a good while, Bai Qiongyu and He Jingyu’s emotions settled a bit.

"May I have a private talk with you?" He Jingyu choked out. Even if his mother had lied to him, he wanted to hear her reasons.

Bai Qiongyu nodded and replied, "Okay, let’s talk."

It was her fault, so she owed him an apology.

She didn’t want to lose her son again. She was old now and didn’t have much time to waste or run away.

He Tiantian opened the door to let her grandmother and father talk in her room.

This was a matter between mother and son, and it was better no one else be present.

In the room, Bai Qiongyu said, "Jingyu, I know what you want to ask. Why did I leave back then?"

"Yes," He Jingyu nodded.

Hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Bai Qiongyu’s face as she replied, "Alright, I’ll tell you everything now. Right or wrong, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Back then, your father and I went against my father’s wishes and returned to Country H from Country M. Your father worked as a teacher at a school while I struggled to find a job. A few times, I had to quit due to harassment from my boss. I’m not someone who can stay idle, so I quickly grew restless at home, and disputes with your father started to arise. Your grandmother was conservative in her thinking, and she didn’t approve of my behavior, but she begrudgingly accepted me because your father liked me. Fortunately, I got pregnant, and our arguments stopped temporarily due to your arrival. I was at home, peacefully expecting, while your father worked. But this was just the beginning of a nightmare. Without my knowledge, your grandmother brought a girl of sixteen or seventeen to our home, claiming that since I was pregnant and couldn’t look after her son, this young girl should become your father’s concubine. Later, I found out that the girl was a distant cousin on your father’s side. I disagreed. Your father had promised not to take a concubine, but given that the girl was his cousin and your grandmother was involved, the disputes only intensified. Even after you were born, the arguments didn’t cease. To avoid the quarrels, your father spent his days at the school and only came home late, while I stayed at home with the child. I knew this wasn’t right, so I tried to adjust my mindset. On a day with beautiful weather, I took you with me to see your father at the school, only to see him laughing and chatting with a female student under the long shady path of trees."

Recalling the past brought more pain to Bai Qiongyu’s heart.

It was a torturous affliction.

He Jingyu handed her his handkerchief and said, "Wipe away your tears."

"Thank you!" Bai Qiongyu took the handkerchief, dabbed away her tears, and composed herself before continuing, "It had been a long time since I saw your father laugh like that. He used to reserve that smile for me, but now, it was for someone else. When your father saw me, he appeared flustered, making it clear that our love had soured, not as pure as it once was. My arrival brought disputes to his life, not sweetness. Just then, the people from Country R invaded, and the school closed. Life became difficult. Yet, the real nightmare was just beginning. Through friends from Shanghai City, I learned that Nan City was about to be attacked, so I insisted on taking the child and leaving Nan City to seek refuge elsewhere. But your grandmother refused to leave, adamant about staying. Hence, I, along with Xianglan, took you to Suzhou, where one of my college classmates lived. Your father, afraid something might happen to us after we left without telling him, followed us there. By the time we reached Suzhou, we received news of the horrific massacre conducted by the invaders. I stayed with the child in Su City, while your father returned to Nan City only to find your grandmother had passed away and his cousin had stolen all the valuables from home and run away. When I returned with you from Su City, your father was even colder, our relationship had worsened. After yet another argument, your father claimed that your grandmother’s death was my fault. I realized that his guilt over her passing caused him to distrust my feelings. So, I asked for a divorce. Your grandfather agreed but on the condition that you were left behind. I didn’t want that and after many discussions with no resolution, it just so happened I received a telegram about my father’s critical illness. I planned to secretly leave with you, but your father found out, leaving me no choice but to leave with Xianglan alone. I must say, part of me wanted to escape because my relationship with your father had broken, and the other part, the poverty-stricken life was something I couldn’t bear, so I chose to go to Country M and left you behind. Later, because of the war and my own reluctance, I didn’t come looking for you. Afterwards, I placed an ad, and applied to the court, and two years later, your father and I were legally separated."

"My father wronged you," He Jingyu said after hearing Bai Qiongyu’s story. He understood that for a woman to leave her homeland and follow her husband to a faraway place was not as simple as Bai Qiongyu made it seem.

Bai Qiongyu shook her head and replied, "Your father did not wrong me. It was our relationship that had problems. We were young and impetuous, always arguing instead of trying to solve the problems, which eroded the deep love we once had. If anyone is to blame, it is both of us. We brought you into this world but failed to provide you with a complete home."

Bai Qiongyu didn’t hold any resentment towards her ex-husband; she felt that she too was at fault in their failed relationship.

"When I was old enough to remember, I often saw my father silently staring at a photo. Eventually, I bravely asked him, and that’s when I found out it was your picture. Everyone had a mother, but I didn’t, so I asked my father where mine was. He always told me that he had hurt you. Once, when I persisted, he got angry and said you had died, and I never dared to ask him about my mother again. My father and I relied on each other for survival, and when he passed away, he told me about you, expressing his regret," He Jingyu said. "He was the sinner, having wronged you, me, and grandmother."