Chapter 8 Different Eyes
Auntie Song looked like she had expected this—like it was the most normal thing in the world for her son's ex-girlfriend to come talk about him.
Then again, she had left with me, so this wasn't exactly a big deal.
"What do you want to know?" she asked, smiling warmly.
I finally asked the question I had held back at the dinner table:
"How did you used to celebrate Jiang Song's birthdays?"
Her smile faded slightly.
I hurried to add, "If it's too personal, you don't have to answer."
She laughed softly. "No, it's not personal at all."
"Well… both his dad and I were always busy with work. Jiang Song grew up pretty independent and understanding. When we got caught up, we barely noticed anything else. So our family never really made a big deal out of birthdays."
"I'm really grateful to you. All these years you've been by his side.
I still remember your first birthday with him—he ate the cake, got allergic, and ended up in the hospital.
I never blamed you for a second. He knew about his allergy.
That time, I realized how much he liked you.
Later my assistant showed me his Moments post, and I saw you'd made him noodles too.
He was so happy—he told his dad and me about it many times. "
The same thing could carry such different meanings depending on who looked at it.
"Auntie Song, I think I did something really wrong."
Maybe breaking up wasn't the right choice.
She smiled gently and reached out to ruffle my hair.
It felt a little like the way Mom used to do it.
I missed her so much.
"No, you're a good kid. Auntie really enjoys being with you. The decision you made back then must have felt like the best one after weighing everything."
She tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ear, her voice soft.
"Don't blame yourself."
"Auntie, am I a little abnormal? Getting so confused over such small things."
She teased, "Childish."
"Good child, think about it. Girls in this world come in all different colors. We can't expect them to be only one shade—like saying girls should be quiet or seek stability. The same goes for how one thing affects different people."
"So how could that be abnormal? I like you a lot, and so does Jiang Song. If you're abnormal, then Auntie and Jiang Song are abnormal too?"
Suddenly I wanted to cry.
After Mom passed away, I rarely cried anymore. I became the sensible child everyone praised.
But that was only because I knew no one else would feel heartache for my tears.
Being loved made me so afraid.