I Became the Mother of His Child

"Can the baby be registered under grandfather's name?" Xiuxiu thought, furrowing her brows with a trace of concern. If her grandfather really had been married and his lover had died in battle without having children, the Family Planning Bureau might indeed handle it leniently. Who would object to registering a revolutionary martyr?

The old man always kept to himself, busying himself with trivial matters every day. Would he be willing to help them? As a veteran of the revolution, he probably wouldn't want to get involved in these trivial matters.

Yuanhuan nodded and reassured Xiuxiu, "Don't worry, grandfather has agreed. But let's try to keep it low until you start showing. Then I'll move to the city with you. As soon as the baby is born, I'll return to our hometown to register the birth. I will arrange everything in advance, so don't worry too much." This was the only way and it should work, given grandfather's unique status; the state provided special privileges for old revolutionaries.

"Mr. Song." Listening to Yuanhuan's soothing words, Xiuxiu looked at him gratefully, reaching up to circle his neck, "Thank you," she said and gently pressed a kiss to his well-defined lips.

Yuanhuan gladly enjoyed Xiuxiu's rare initiative, his large hand moving from her slender waist to cradle the back of her head before deepening the kiss until Xiuxiu could hardly breathe.

...

After becoming pregnant, Xiuxiu experienced severe morning sickness every day when brushing her teeth but was otherwise spared much trouble by the baby, who seemed very considerate, allowing her to relax as usual, only a bit more sleepy than before.

Therefore, Xiuxiu's daily routine became quite relaxed. She would wake up at seven every morning for breakfast, then take a walk outside with Chengguang and Si Ya before returning home for a morning nap. She'd get up again for lunch, watch some TV, read some books to pass the time, and then take another nap. Nearly her entire day was spent sleeping. Only after dinner would the couple, as if by unspoken agreement, leave Chengguang and Jingjing at home and go out for an evening walk hand in hand.

Clearly, the arrival of the child had warmed up the couple's slightly distant relationship. Indeed, children are key to maintaining a marriage.

The top-grade orchid entrusted to Xiuxiu by Mr. Deng bloomed beautifully as expected. When Xiuxiu, along with Chengguang and Jingjing, visited Mr. Deng's home carrying the beautifully blossomed orchid, Mr. Deng, initially wearing a stern face, immediately brightened up at the sight of the splendid orchid Jingjing was holding. He excitedly took the flowerpot and rushed out the door.

When Mr. Deng returned with the top-grade orchid, his face was radiant, suggesting that he had won the flower competition between the officials.

"You sure are capable, girl! And quite good at taking care of flowers too, not bad, not bad." Mr. Deng sat on the sofa, looking at Xu Xiuxiu with great satisfaction, praising her, then his face showed pride and relief.

This girl has a bright future! The top-grade orchid was plucked of two flowers and was on the verge of withering for a long time, by the time it recovered, those two original buds would have withered without blooming. Unexpectedly, this girl actually managed to keep it alive; the two buds not only bloomed but looked even better than the original flowers. Remembering Ma Tianlong's dark face just earlier, he couldn't help but be immensely pleased.

Mr. Deng stared at Xu Xiuxiu for a long time, his mind starting to churn with numerous ideas.

Thus, after the top-grade orchid incident ended, Xu Xiuxiu thought she could breathe a sigh of relief, but little did she expect that the next day Mr. Deng forcefully gave her several almost dying orchids, saying she should help take care of them for a couple of days. The request wasn't high—just to keep them alive if possible, and it wouldn't matter if she couldn't. His words seemed casual, but seeing his expression that entrusted her with a heavy responsibility, Xu Xiuxiu knew that Mr. Deng was pressuring her. If she let the orchids die, she feared her future days would be tough!

Xu Xiuxiu, feeling utterly overwhelmed, took on the responsibility of caring for the flowers, then secretly rolled her eyes at Song Chengguang and Xu Jingjing, who had brought her this trouble. After watering the plants with some Space Spring Water, she left the orchids on the balcony to fend for themselves.

The aunt and niece duo were particularly in sync now. If Xu Xiuxiu gave them a single wrong look, they would immediately find an excuse to escape prudently. Initially watching TV in the living room, they saw Mr. Deng unabashedly bring several pots of flowers to their home, then stealthily sneaked to the door and slipped out while Xu Xiuxiu was too busy dealing with Mr. Deng.

Having sent Mr. Deng away, Xu Xiuxiu saw it was time for a nap. Feeling somewhat tired and sleepy, she decided not to bother settling scores with the aunt and niece—after all, "You can't run away from the monastery." With that thought, Xu Xiuzi shut the door and leisurely went to take her nap.

Since learning about Xu Xiuxiu's pregnancy, Song Yuanhuan no longer allowed Xu Xiuxiu to enter the kitchen to handle knives or even touch a spatula. He would meticulously prepare breakfast for her, and Xu Xiuxiu just had to wait to eat. If he couldn't make it back for lunch, he would have the fourth daughter, Xu Jingjing, fetch meals from the military canteen, firmly keeping Xu Xiuxiu away from any kitchen fumes. Although Xu Xiuxiu only had morning sickness and was otherwise in good health, Song Yuanhuan remained worried, especially seeing Xu Xiuxiu's chin getting noticeably sharper these days, which pained him greatly.

Xu Jingjing, tasked by her brother-in-law to fetch meals, went about it quite enthusiastically. The lively girl, despite Ma Xiaohua from the military canteen being rather unfriendly upon learning of her relationship with Xu Xiuxiu, chose to ignore Ma Xiaohua. Instead, Xu Jingjing established good relations with the other members of the cooking staff, ensuring that every time she brought food home, it was always plentiful.

Just as she finished packing the meals into a specially prepared basket and was leaving the canteen, she encountered a man in his twenties walking towards her. The man, whose skin was somewhat dark, immediately beamed a bright smile upon seeing Miss Jingjing, showing his white teeth: "Miss Jingjing, here to fetch meals again? It's so hot, can you manage it, or do you need my help?" Solicitous, the soldier in green military fatigues reached out to help carry her basket.

"Ah! Brother Chu, it's you! Have you finished training and are here for lunch? Go on in and eat; they've made braised pork today, it looks really appetizing." Xu Jingjing smiled in response yet did not plan to let him carry her meal basket.