I Became the Mother of His Child

Xu Xiuxiu, fearing that the little one would reject a brother or sister, had not dared to tell him. After secretly instilling the idea of a sibling, Song Chengguang's reaction relieved Xu Xiuxiu. The little one was very accepting of the idea of a brother or sister, and upon learning that he was going to be a big brother, he was quite excited. Every day, before meals, upon waking, after meals, and before sleeping, there was a new ritual: he would lie on Xu Xiuxiu's belly and talk to the Little Baby for a while.

It was apparent that Song Chengguang truly welcomed the Little Baby in her womb, and her little treasure was eagerly anticipated.

Song Yuanhuan, though a stoic man on regular days, showed great interest in Xu Xiuxiu's pregnant belly. The composed and collected man became somewhat childish and endearing. Every night before sleep, he would gently rub Xu Xiuxiu's belly with his calloused hands, claiming it was a way to bond emotionally with the baby girl inside.

Xu Xiuxiu no longer minded Song Yuanhuan's constant talk about having a baby girl. After all, with the baby's birth, she, as the mother, was in charge, and whether it was a boy or a girl mattered little to her. She wasn't afraid that Song Yuanhuan would show preference or disdain toward a boy. With her around, she doubted that Song Yuanhuan would dare to favor one gender over the other.

"Xiuxiu, do you think our baby might be too large? It's only been over five months, but it's already so big," Song Yuanhuan's actual concern was Xu Xiuxiu's abnormally large belly. He had seen many military wives and expectant mothers in the Military District, and he thought that the size of those pregnant women who were about to give birth was not much different from his Xiuxiu's belly!

"Yes, I also think it's a bit large," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, her head aching with worry. Without a proper birth permit, Xu Xiuxiu couldn't go to the city hospital for a prenatal checkup openly; she could only fret about the baby inside her. Her belly was extremely large now, and to avoid drawing attention, she had even cut off most social ties. Although she could feel that the baby inside her was healthy, she was still anxious about its unnaturally large and round belly, which was somewhat frightening.

"That won't do, I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow," Song Yuanhuan said with furrowed brows, not at ease with letting Xu Xiuxiu continue like this. Even if it risked being discovered and losing his position, he had to take her for examination. Only upon hearing the doctor declare all was safe would he be able to relax; otherwise, he was constantly on edge, unable to concentrate at work, always fearing something might go wrong with Xu Xiuxiu.

"Is that possible?" Xu Xiuxiu asked, furrowing her brow while her delicate, fair fingers gently circled her abdomen. They stopped as soon as she felt a stir from inside, and a smile unconsciously rose on her lips.

The little one inside her belly seemed to be quite energetic, having just greeted her. Xu Xiuxiu quickly grabbed Song Yuanhuan's hand to feel the baby's movements together.

Song Yuanhuan felt the baby move as well, his usually placid and deep eyes suddenly brightened, "Alright! I'll find a way. We must get you checked out," he determined after his initial surprise, his brows knit seriously. He was resolute that he had to take his wife to the hospital for examination; that was beyond any doubt.

Song Yuanhuan was never one to dawdle in his affairs. Having decided to take Xu Xiuxiu for a prenatal check-up, Song Yuanhuan made all the necessary arrangements the very next day to take her to the city hospital for the examination. Song Yuanhuan's preparations were very thorough, wrapping Xiuxiu up tightly, allowing her to doze off comfortably during the ride. Only when they arrived at the hospital for the check-up did Xu Xiuxiu make an effort to keep her eyelids open.

Throughout the entire process of accompanying Xiuxiu, Song Yuanhuan's expression was stiff with worry. In contrast to Song Yuanhuan's nervous excitement and fear, Xu Xiuxiu remained far more composed, mainly because she was in a groggy, sleepwalking state throughout the check-up. She was simply too sleepy. Normally, she would spend three hours eating, one hour watching TV, one hour gardening, and one hour reading to pass the time during a day, with the remaining eighteen hours devoted to sleep. Although she had slept all the way to the city hospital, she was still extremely drowsy.

It was only after the check-up, as Xu Xiuxiu emerged with the report in hand, that Song Yuanhuan, who had been anxiously waiting outside on a chair, immediately went to greet her. With both arms, he embraced the petite woman who was pregnant with no other noticeable changes, her belly notable in its growth, "How did it go? What did the doctor say?" Song Yuanhuan asked in a deep voice, laden with tension.

Xu Xiuxiu's eyes were bleary as she mustered a bit of energy, before continuing to speak in a sleep-heavy tone, "The doctor said both babies are very healthy." Xu Xiuxiu rested her head against Song Yuanhuan's chest, feeling so sleepy that she thought she could fall asleep standing up.

"Very healthy." Song Yuanhuan latched onto the key phrase he had hoped to hear, "That's good, that's good." He sighed with relief, nodding his head and repeated the words twice as his stiff expression finally eased. Then, having already forgotten the word 'twins' that Xu Xiuxiu had mentioned, he bent down and carefully lifted her in his arms, walking out of the hospital.

Despite being pregnant and having gained weight, it seemed to have concentrated on her belly, so Song Yuanhuan had no trouble lifting her. Protecting her gently, he opened his own jacket to wrap around her and continued to hold her carefully in his arms as they got into the car, with Xiuxiu sleeping soundly all the way back to the Military District without showing her face.

In the Military District, actually, many people had seen Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan go out but they simply conjectured that Xu Xiuxiu was probably feeling unwell. After all, it had been a long time since Xu Xiuxiu was seen by everyone, and Song Yuanhuan was always seen with a furrowed brow and a concerned expression, looking quite somber. Therefore, everyone instinctively thought it was because Xu Xiuxiu was seriously ill.

Honestly, this was a beautiful misunderstanding, one that invisibly spared the couple, who intended to keep the pregnancy a secret for a while, quite a bit of trouble. Otherwise, living in the Military District, to have a calm period up until the birth would be a troublesome matter.

Fortunately, the approximate due date was set around the New Year, which would allow them to return to their hometown for the festive season, where the babies could be born, and their household registrations could be conveniently sorted out. Everything was running so smoothly it was astonishing. However, this meant that Xu Xiuxiu had to endure the inconvenience of not being able to go out easily. Not that she minded, her sleepiness made the days fly by, and before long, her belly had become noticeably larger in her drowsy state.

Meanwhile, as Xu Xiuxiu remained housebound, the days zipped by, with summer giving way to autumn, and autumn yielding to winter. The searing heat from outside was gone, replaced by a season of frost and snow. Despite staying indoors, clothing shifted from light shirts to sweaters and padded jackets.