I Became the Mother of His Child

"You pick it! Mom and Dad said you have good taste, and the things you buy are both good and practical." Xu Xiuxiu made it a point to send parcels home every month despite her busy schedule, and Cheng Guang knew this. His parents were quite happy about it too. Occasionally, during phone calls, they would mention how their daughter-in-law was "wasting money" again on things sent home, hinting at a disapproval of her liberal spending, but he could still hear the happiness in their voices.

In their village, only a few households received parcels all month, but their family always had announcements on the radio prompting them to hurry to the county to pick up items. The sight of them bringing home bags of goods every month was enough to make the neighbors green with envy. Plus, Xu Xiuxiu always bought practical things, specifically catering to the preferences and needs of the family members at home, which naturally won them over much more than the random assortment of things he bought.

"Alright!" Xu Xiuxiu yawned, nodding in agreement. By now, buying things for the family back home had become second nature to her, and she didn't see anything wrong with it.

"I'll take a day off tomorrow to go with you!" Yuanhuan readily agreed, but then felt it might not be quite appropriate. She was pregnant now, and though she didn't exhibit many symptoms beyond morning sickness, she was still a priority to protect. He felt truly uneasy if he wasn't there to look after her personally.

"Can you get the time off?" Xu Xiuxiu asked, squinting and fighting off sleepiness, her voice filled with anticipation, as she had never truly shopped with Yuanhuan before.

"Yes," Yuanhuan reassured her, "Go to sleep." His assurance was followed by gentle coaxing in a voice deliberately lowered, carrying hints of sleep-inducing allure.

Xu Xiuxiu had been resisting the urge to sleep for a while, and now, being cradled and patted on the back by him, the drowsiness surged. She did not fight it anymore, and surrendered, closing her eyes and falling asleep under his gentle coaxing.

Seeing Xu Xiuxiu asleep, Yuanhuan, who always waited for his wife to fall asleep before retiring himself, then quietly turned off the bedside lamp and closed his eyes to sleep.

The next day, as dawn broke and the sky was still dimly lit, Yuanhuan was already briskly out the door for his morning run, trying not to disturb Xu Xiuxiu. Timing it perfectly, he went to the canteen to get breakfast. Walking back home along the little path, shrouded in a thin mist, he hurried his steps after checking his Seagull watch.

He stepped indoors, placed the breakfast on the dining table, and then walked into the bathroom where he found Xu Xiuxiu clinging to the sink, retching painfully but unable to vomit, tears brimming in her large eyes from the distress.

"Wife, let's rinse your mouth first," Yuanhuan approached, gently massaging her slender shoulders, and cautiously helped her drink mouthwash from a cup.

Xu Xiuxiu took a gulp of the water, gurgled it, and then spat it out, only to start vomiting violently again, purging the acidic contents from her stomach until nothing was left. Completely exhausted, she relaxed, her legs too weak to stand. Yuanhuan then took a warm towel to wipe around her mouth before carrying her back into the room in a princess-like embrace.

"I'll call Mom tomorrow to see if she has any remedies for morning sickness, you can't keep throwing up like this every day." Yuanhuan frowned as he looked at Xiuxiu, whose face had turned pale from daily vomiting, giving her an empty, drained appearance. He felt a strong tug at his heart; the joy of having a child had been greatly overshadowed by the severe morning sickness. He really hadn't expected Xiuxiu's pregnancy reaction to be so intense; otherwise, he would never have considered not having a child.

"Okay." Xiuxiu responded weakly, having vomited quite badly. She lay in bed for a good half-hour before she finally regained her strength and then slowly got up to have breakfast.

After breakfast, Xiuxiu felt much better and the nausea had subsided. She had gotten used to it lately and began packing to head out. Considering the long trip to the city, which would take nearly two hours with all the shaking and swaying, she couldn't afford to waste time. She bent down to tidy up Song Chengguang's clothes. The little guy was now dressed entirely by his aunt Jingjing, who had quite an eye for fashion. The jacket she paired was particularly stylish. Xiuxiu checked and found nothing amiss, so she casually picked up a hat and placed it on the little one's head.

"Let's set off!" Xiuxiu declared with a wave of her hand.

Upon hearing his wife's command, Yuanhuan immediately grabbed their things and, on the way, picked up Song Chengguang who was toddling around.

"Brother-in-law, let me carry some of these things," Jingjing offered helpfully, knowing her older sister's husband would definitely not want her carrying things. Yuanhuan, who was already holding Song Chengguang—who was quite a handful—appreciated her taking some lighter items.

"Sure!" Yuanhuan nodded and handed a small bag containing snacks and towels to Jingjing, then securely held his son Song Chengguang in his arms and set off.

The asphalt road from the base to the city wasn't as rough and bumpy as the old dirt roads back home, but the smell of gasoline made Xiuxiu feel uncomfortable. Although she hadn't reacted much during the day, acid reflux churned in her stomach, causing her to lean by the car window, occasionally vomiting acid water. Seeing this, Yuanhuan, heartbroken, quickly handed Song Chengguang over to his little aunt and frantically took care of his wife, continuously offering her water and a towel, attending to her every need meticulously.

At that moment, he felt endlessly relieved that he had taken leave to accompany her; otherwise, how would she have managed alone, vomiting so miserably?

"Here, wife, lean on me, take a sip of water and close your eyes for a bit." Yuanhuan held Xiuxiu on his lap, protecting her like a child, and carefully helped her drink water.

Under Yuanhuan's soothing care, Xiuxiu eventually felt better. She quietly leaned against him and closed her eyes to rest.

Initially, Jingjing was also quite worried about her older sister, seeing her vomiting as if she would empty her stomach completely. However, seeing her brother-in-law's anxious care and his commanding way of positioning her sister comfortably on his lap and in his arms, Jingjing couldn't help but blush with envy.

The relationship between her sister and brother-in-law was truly enviable, almost to the point of making others jealous.