Truly, Madly, Deeply

Chapter 7

Jin Ling knocked on his mother's door. Yan Li opened the door and smiled in surprise at her son.

"A-Ling! Come in," she said, with a pleasant smile.

"Were you sleeping? I hope I didn't disturb you, A-Niang," he replied, apologetically.

"Of course not! You can never disturb me," she said with a frown. "Even if you knock on my door in the middle of the night, I would never be disturbed."

"Can I sleep here tonight?" he asked her, fidgeting on his feet.

Yan Li was taken aback by the sheer vulnerability in her son's voice. It had been years since she had last held her son against her as she slept.

"Of course A-Ling!" she replied happily. "Your mother's room and your mother's arms will always be open to you."

She tucked Jin Ling into her bed wrapping the blankets around him just like she did all those years ago and settled next to him.

"What brought this on?" she asked, curiously.

"Nothing! Do I need a reason to come sleep in my mother's arms?" he asked.

"No you don't. But something is bothering you," she replied.

Jin Ling stared at the ceiling in silence, thinking of the best way to start this conversation.

"A-Niang," he began.

"Hmm," she turned to give her son her complete attention.

"Zewujun is a nice man," he said.

"He is," she replied, feeling a little uncomfortable at the direction where the conversation was heading. She did not want to talk about it but her son was troubled and she could not bring herself to stop this conversation.

"He likes you," Jin Ling added, still staring at the ceiling. He was as uncomfortable as his mother.

"He likes everyone," his mother replied.

Jin Ling's eyes snapped to his mother and he just stared at her. "Are you seriously oblivious to his feelings or are you just pretending?"

Yan Li sighed and looked away. She was honestly feeling very embarrassed to look her son in the eye. "Pretending," she replied softly.

"You like him back," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"Everybody likes him," she replied weakly.

"But you like like him," he added, watching his mother squirm. Never in his almost sixteen years of existence had he seen his mother squirm. He was quite enjoying it.

"Can we not speak about this now?" she asked meekly.

"Oh no. I am leaving tomorrow. So we're definitely speaking about this now," he said.

"Tomorrow? Why? Can't you stay for a few more days?" she cried out, turning to look at him.

"I can't, A-Niang. I have been here for a long time already. I need to get back to my duties," he said. "Now, don't change the topic. I know that you like Zewujun. And I also know that Zewujun likes you."

"Was it that obvious?" she asked, her ears turning red.

Jin Ling chuckled. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable with this conversation, A-Niang. I just want you to be happy. And if Zewujun makes you happy, then go for it," he said as his mother stared at him with unshed tears. "You deserve to be happy and so does Zewujun. Both of you have been through a lot. And if there's any man out there that I can trust to keep you safe and happy, it's Zewujun."