Dark Purple Rose [YiZhan FF]

Chapter 44

After spending the rest of the evening in harmony around the campfire, they all retired around midnight to their rooms to sleep. Zhan and Yibo cuddled with each other for a while and then fell asleep too. In the morning, shortly after 6 am, Yibo woke up to the noise from the kitchen that he had been used to since childhood. Zhan was still asleep, so he carefully got out of bed, tucked Zhan in properly and crept out of the room and then downstairs to the kitchen, where Yibo's mother was trying to make breakfast but was far too busy wiping away her tears.

"Mother?" Yibo asked, joining her in the kitchen.

His mom slowly turned to him and looked at him questioningly. "Mother? Is that what you call me now? Not mom anymore?"

"Yes. Because right now I'm pretty mad at you."

"I know. Unfortunately, I still remember very well what I did last night."

"And that's all you have to say about it? You're just upset because your secret slipped out?"

"God no. Yibo, I'm upset because I didn't try to explain it to you. I just slammed the information that you have a six year older brother on your head and tried to talk my way out of it instead of explaining it to you."

"Then explain it to me now. Dad's still asleep. I heard him snoring when I passed the guest room. No one else is here. So tell me now."

"Come here and sit down son." She said, pointing to the empty chair next to her. Yibo sat down next to her, handed her a pack of tissues and waited for her to start talking. But before she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Yibo and asked: "You know how much I love you, don't you?"

"Well, I think I do." Yibo replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. Because he and his family were not huggers! They only hugged on certain holidays or birthdays. But never just like that. And now that she was clinging to him, Yibo felt really awkward. But he didn't say that. Which he didn't have to. Because she felt it, because Yibo stiffened.

She gently placed her hand on Yibo's hand, stroked it briefly and said: "When I got pregnant with your brother, I was only 18 years old, had just finished school and had been married for three months to a man I didn't even actually know."

"You were even married?" Yibo was shocked.

"Yes. It was like that back then. It was rare for girls from simple families to even have a high school degree. Only very few of them went to university. Most girls dropped out of school to get married and support their families. I was at least able to finish school before my parents married me off to a young man I didn't know. I only met him twice before our wedding. Once when his family came to meet me and the second time to discuss the wedding. Three months after I finished school, I was married, had to leave home and move into my in-laws' house, where I had to work in the household. Just like women did back then. Three months after the wedding, I didn't feel well for days and after an examination we knew I was pregnant. My husband and my in-laws were delighted. But even then I was completely overwhelmed by being married, no longer living with my family and now expecting a child."

"I can well understand that."

"Shortly before our son was born, my husband and I moved into a small house that belonged to the in-laws' property. The house only had two rooms, no bathroom, no kitchen and was leaky. I gave birth to my son in my in-laws' house. And while everyone rejoiced because it was a son, I cried because I didn't know what to do with a baby."

"So you were completely overwhelmed."

"Yes, very much so. I was a wife, housewife and mother and had no life of my own, no plans for the future. Simply nothing. I wasn't doing well, but neither my husband nor my in-laws were interested. And when I went to my parents to talk to them about my problems, they immediately sent me back to my new family. Only my older brother gave me a sympathetic ear and advised me to think about what I wanted and then leave. And that's what I did. I thought about what I wanted and I wanted to study. I wanted to become a lawyer. I wanted to have my own life. And when I realized that, I knew that I had to run away if I wanted to fulfill these wishes. So I secretly packed my things and left in the middle of the night. My brother drove me to a friend in the city. She helped me find a job so that I could earn money to go to university. I started studying and met your father. I really fell in love with him straight away. He asked me to marry him six months later and I accepted after his parents promised me that I could continue studying and that they would even finance my studies. At this point, I was already divorced from my husband. Because just a few months after I ran away and he found out where I was, he divorced me and married another woman. I married your father and had you a year and a half later. And unlike with your brother, I was ready for you. I had help from your dad and my in-laws. I went to law school, became a lawyer, and became the proud mom of an absolutely amazing son."