I Became the Mother of His Child

Song Yuanhuan searched around the house with Song Chengguang, leaving no stone unturned, searching very carefully. Seeing Song Chengguang crying so hard, Mrs. Song and Song Yuan Yao joined in the search, moved by his distress. Everyone shared the simple thought that since it was lost in the house, it could most likely be found.

"Auntie, stop looking; you definitely won't find the red envelope." Song Tianxin followed Song Yuan Yao, and after seeing her aunt bowing her head to check even the gaps in the corners of the walls, she casually remarked, not thinking too much, just wanting to dispel her aunt's intention to search for the New Year's money.

At first, Song Yuan Yao didn't take Song Tianxin's words seriously, simply reaching out to rub the little girl's head, "Chengguang hasn't left the house today, as long as the New Year's money is dropped in the house, we can definitely find it. Auntie will take a closer look." Song Yuan Yao spoke gently, comforting the little girl's feelings.

"Ah! Auntie, you should stop looking, believe me." Song Tianxin frowned, reaching out to grab Song Yuan Yao's hand, "Auntie, I'm sleepy, go to my room and tell me a bedtime story!" Song Yuan Yao was well-read, and in the past, when the little girl found it hard to sleep out of fear, Song Yuan Yao often slept alongside her, occasionally telling a bedtime story to coax her.

Initially, Song Yuan Yao didn't pay much attention to Song Tianxin's words, but seeing the certainty in the girl's tone, she started sensing the contradiction in Tianxin's words. Why would Niuniu know the New Year's money wouldn't be found?

"Niuniu, tell Auntie, have you seen your brother's New Year's money?" Song Yuan Yao bent slightly, reaching out to gently hold the little girl's shoulders, staring intently at her.

Song Tianxin, put on the spot by Song Yuan Yao's question, suddenly looked guilty as her eyes darted around, never daring to meet Song Yuan Yao's gaze directly, "Auntie, I haven't seen it." Song Tianxin shook her head in panic, her complexion extremely unnatural. After all, she was just a young girl, her attempts at lying not yet at the point of doing so without blushing or skipping a beat.

Song Yuan Yao could not miss Song Tianxin's strange behavior, a hint of concern crossing over her delicate eyebrows, trying to make her tone as gentle as possible, "Niuniu, will you tell Auntie the truth? Good kids don't lie, you know where Chengguang's New Year's money is, don't you?" After speaking, Song Yuan Yao looked at Song Tianxin full of expectation.

Looking at Song Tianxin's demeanor, it was clear she had either seen or picked up the money.

"Auntie..." Song Tianxin's defenses were crumbling, "I don't know where the New Year's money is!" She persisted with her guilty denial.

"Niuniu is a good girl, right?" Song Yuan Yao continued with a soft coax. Over the year, she was almost entirely responsible for taking care of the little girl, and their relationship was actually very good. The young girl's will began to weaken under Song Yuan Yao's gentle persuasion.

"Niuniu, will Aunt scold me if I tell the truth?" Song Tianxin had actually reached the age where she could discern right from wrong, so with Song Yuan Yao's gentle coaxing, she worriedly gave herself a precautionary warning. She was afraid that her Aunt, who had been the kindest to her, would end up disappointed and no longer treat her well.

"No," Song Yuan Yao assured her, speaking as if making a promise. To know one's mistakes and be able to correct them is most commendable, and besides, Song Tianxin was still just a child.

"My brother's New Year's money was secretly taken by me. I quietly took it when my brother put down his little backpack," Song Tianxin confessed, biting her right index finger nail, a gesture she always made involuntarily whenever she felt scared or guilty.

"Can Tianxin tell Auntie why you secretly took your brother's New Year's money?" Song Yuan Yao reached out to gently stop the little girl's habit, but inside, a storm of emotions was brewing upon getting the answer. Secretly taking the New Year's money, how was that different from stealing? Had Song Tianxin been corrupted by her sister-in-law? Song Yuan Yao started to feel unsettled.

"Mom told me to take it," Song Tianxin easily betrayed the instigator, Wang Qinghua.

"You're saying that Mom told you to steal your brother's New Year's money?" Song Yuan Yao could no longer remain calm at this moment; her delicate brows couldn't furrow any further, and her breathing became much heavier. How dare her sister-in-law do such a thing? During the festive period, to incite a child to steal her own nephew's New Year's money... How could an adult even think to teach and do such a thing? Had she lost all sense of shame and decency? Wasn't she embarrassed to do such a thing?

"Yes! Mom said that my brother is still young, he wouldn't know if the New Year's money was taken, and also, my brother's mom gives him a lot of money." Song Tianxin continued to confess candidly, with envy gleaming in her eyes by the end. All of her own New Year's money had been confiscated by her mom, and even if it hadn't been, she didn't receive as much as her brother did. The Auntie had given her brother as much as fifty yuan! Song Tianxin, who had never even handled ten yuan, truly envied her brother.

"Come on, Niuniu, let's go find your mom with Auntie," Song Yuan Yao said, taking a deep breath and standing up, intending to sort things out with Wang Qinghua privately. She planned to get the New Year's money back without affecting Song Tianxin and return it under the guise of having found it, all before the issue became public knowledge.

Song Yuan Yao's plans were quite thoughtful and not bad at all. For the sake of the family's peace, she felt this was the best way to resolve the issue for the moment. However, Song Tianxin, who was afraid of Wang Qinghua, hesitated while clutching her hand, "Auntie, can we not go find my mom? She will definitely hit me, I'm scared." Tears had already filled Song Tianxin's eyes, and she was genuinely afraid at that moment.

Her mother had warned her when taking the New Year's money stolen from her brother that if she ever spoke of it, she would be beaten to death. Her mother was so fierce; she didn't want to be hit again, it hurt so much!

"Auntie is here! Auntie won't let your mom hit you," Song Yuan Yao gently comforted the little girl, smoothing out her clothes, "Niuniu, Mom Xu treats you very well, often sending you food and clothes. The new clothes you're wearing now were also bought by Mom Xu. A good child should not steal, not bully, and most importantly, not be ungrateful, okay?" Song Yuan Yao had a straightforward view of Xu Xiuxiu; if Xu Xiuxiu was willing to genuinely care for and treat her family well, then she was also willing to treat her kindly.

"But mom will hit me, and it hurts so much when she hits..." Song Tianxin struggled internally, her tears falling as she showed the inside of her little floral cotton jacket, revealing her tender little arm, "Mom made Niuniu bully my brother, but I refused, so she pinched me until I turned purple. It hurt, but Mom wouldn't let me say anything. She said if I did, she'd pinch me to death." Song Tianxin poured out her grievances, exposing her little arm that made anyone wince at the sight.