I Became the Mother of His Child

"It's no problem! I'm not too hungry right now anyway, and with the weather being so hot, I might as well help you carry the food back. You're a slender girl, carrying things like this in the scorching sun wouldn't do at all." Saying this, Chu Tiangu casually took the little basket from Xu Jingjing's hands without further discussion.

"Really, Brother Chu, there's no need. I'm quite strong, you know? A bit of sun won't hurt me, it's just a walk of a few minutes." Xu Jingjing felt a bit embarrassed trying to take the basket back, but seeing Chu Tiangu's insistent attitude, she gave up on the idea of pulling back and forth and could only say thank you to him. In her heart, she admired the warm enthusiasm of the soldiers in this unit.

"Let's go! I'll walk you home first." After Chu Tiangu said this with a smile, holding the basket, he took the lead in stepping out.

Xu Jingjing gave a grateful glance to the solicitous Chu Tiangu, nodded, and followed his pace. Along the way, amidst light-hearted chatter and laughter, they arrived at the base of her apartment building, where Chu Tiangu finally handed the basket back to Xu Jingjing.

"Go on up, Miss Jingjing! If there's any heavy or tiring work that you need help with on any normal day, just let me know. Our squad's training field is just ahead, at the second playground. If you come by and ask, you'll find me. If you need help, I'll bring the guys over to lend a hand. Remember this! I have to head off now." Chu Tiangu enthusiastically paved the way for himself, reasoning that as a man, it was always good to be a bit extra attentive.

"Alright! Thank you so much, Brother Chu." Xu Jingjing replied with a smile, nodding in agreement.

"You're welcome, hurry on up now!" Chu Tiangu waved to Xu Jingjing and then turned around to jog towards the large dining hall.

Xu Jingjing stood still for a while, watching Chu Tiangu disappear into the distance before carrying the basket upstairs. She had initially thought that Chu Tiangu was just a warm-hearted person by nature and that it was just a coincidence he helped her out. Soldiers are known for their helpfulness, so naturally, Xu Jingjing didn't think much of it.

But the next day, and the day after, she kept running into him when getting meals, and occasionally he would even insist on giving her some fruit he said he couldn't finish. Xu Jingjing began to feel unsettled. Could it be that he had taken a liking to her? The young lady had gotten quite familiar with Chu Tiangu over these days and had vaguely guessed the reason behind his attentiveness. She wasn't repulsed but instead decided to take a closer look at his character.

As her brother-in-law was a soldier, Xu Jingjing had a good impression of military men and felt that finding a caring and considerate partner on the base might not be such a bad idea. After all, he was a soldier, and he had a rather refined appearance, much better than the burly farmers back home who did nothing but farm.

Today, like usual, Xu Jingjing had her meals brought home by Chu Tiangu. As soon as she entered the house, she placed the small basket on the table and quickly darted to the small balcony, stretching out her head and sneakily peering outside. Seeing that Chu Tiangu was no longer in sight, she puffed her cheeks and walked back into the living room, her face tinged with a hint of disappointment.

"Si Ya, what are you doing? Why do you look so guilty when simply bringing back the rice?" Xu Xiuxiu noticed Xu Jingjing returning with the prepared meal, so she put down her book, washed her hands, and began to set the food on the table. Seeing Xu Jingjing's slightly excited demeanor, she curiously asked.

"Third sister, what are you talking about? Who's done something guilty!" Xu Jingjing puffed her cheeks and huffed, her face, which had turned fairer over time, was noticeably tinged with a blush of guilt.

Xu Xiuxiu glanced at Xu Jingjing's love-struck expression and immediately made the connection with the army, where men were aplenty. Isn't there an old saying, three years in the military, and even a sow becomes Diao Chan? Her Si Ya, Xu Jingjing, had a pretty little face with fine features, and lately, she had grown even fairer. Even though there was still a faint scar on her forehead, it couldn't hide the youthful vibe of the young girl. Surely, she hadn't caught the eye of some lad in just the few days she had been serving meals!

Xu Xiuxiu thought and instantly felt uneasy, like a good cabbage about to be ruined by a pig. And indeed, Xu Xiuxiu's guess was not wrong; Xu Jingjing really had caught the attention of a soldier, who was quite solicitous to boot.

The next day, after confirming that something was up with Xu Jingjing, Xu Xiuxiu specially waited on the balcony for her to go out to buy groceries. Using the excuse of loosening the soil and weeding a few pots of top-grade orchids, she watched Xu Jingjing walk back from the direction of the cafeteria, accompanied by a young man in his twenties who was chatting with her, making the young girl laugh happily. The young man was also holding the vegetable basket that Xu Jingjing had taken with her when she left.

Well, well! This girl really dared to stir up trouble the moment you stopped paying attention. So much for peace of mind.

Lost in thought, Xu Xiuxiu calmly walked back into the house and sat on the couch, pretending to watch TV with Song Chengguang. She saw Xu Jingjing enter the house, her face flushed, holding the vegetable basket, and in her other hand, she carried a small bag of fresh lychees.

"Jingjing, aren't lychees just coming into season? Did the army welfare shop get some in stock today? I didn't see any lychees for sale when I went there yesterday," Xu Xiuxiu began to help set the table, and upon seeing Xu Jingjing turn her head to carry the lychees into the kitchen, carefully place them in a large fruit bowl on the coffee table, she casually asked.

"The welfare shop doesn't sell lychees! These were sent by Brother Chu Tiangu, whom I met while serving meals these past few days. His hometown in Fujian has an abundance of lychees and longans, so he sent quite a lot. He couldn't finish them all, so he brought some over to treat me. Third sister, try some and see if they're good. If so, I'll ask him to bring more after these are gone. He said his parents sent him a whole box!" Xu Jingjing said cheerfully, not really hiding anything, showing that there was nothing sneaky going on between the two, but the abnormal flush of shyness on the girl's face made Xu Xiuxiu internally cry out that something was amiss.

"His hometown has plenty of lychees and longans. Then he must be from Fujian, right? How did you meet?" Xu Xiuxiu went to the sofa and patted Song Chen's head. "Chen, turn off the TV and come eat."

"Got it, Mom." Song Chen reluctantly agreed, nodding obediently, then turned and wriggled off the sofa towards the bathroom to wash his hands with the basin Xu Xiuxiu had prepared on a small stool.

"We met while serving food. You know the cafeteria has a wide variety of dishes, and you know I can't decide, nor do I know which dishes taste good. I was hesitating in line, and that day he was right behind me. Seeing me hesitate, he gave me a few suggestions, and then enthusiastically helped carry things back. Gradually we got to know each other..." Xu Jingjing honestly shared how they had met, placed the lychees on the coffee table, and turned around to head toward the dining table.