Chapter 191: Headache Subscription Ah 2
After hearing about what had happened from Song Yuanhuan, Xu Xiuxiu felt a deep sense of disgust towards Wang Qinghua for instigating Niuniu to steal on her behalf. What a piece of work this woman was, teaching her daughter to steal for her. What on earth was she thinking?
But after finding out that Wang Qinghua was two months pregnant, Xu Xiuxiu couldn't help but click her tongue in wonder again. It was true that ugly behaviors tend to be oddly prolific—a perfect example of calamities that last for a thousand years. Creating havoc time and again, yet each time, things would twist and turn favorably. It was undeniable; Wang Qinghua was indeed a lucky person.
"I have prepared another set of New Year's money for Cheng Guang," Song Yuanhuan said as he arranged the bedding under the dim light, not looking at Xu Xiuxiu, as if he was afraid she would be unhappy.
Xu Xiuxiu knew what Song Yuanhuan meant by his words. She understood that he had no intention of dwelling on the issue of the New Year's money, and she didn't mind. Turning her head to look at the three children sleeping closely together in the wooden bed, she nodded, "As long as our Cheng Guang is happy, that's all that matters to me. However you want to handle it, I have no objections." Xu Xiuxiu wasn't someone who would cling on to issues indefinitely. After all, with Wang Qinghua causing such a scene, if Xu Xiuxiu insisted strongly, it would make it difficult for the Song Family to face others.
"How's Yuanyao doing?" Xu Xiuxiu finally asked about her sister-in-law's condition.
Today, that girl clearly had a falling out with Wang Qinghua. It looked like difficult days lay ahead. The plays of sister-in-laws picking on their sisters-in-law were all too common, feeling nothing like a dream at all!
"Not too well," Song Yuanhuan shook his head.
Because of his young age and sensitivity, Song Chengguang, while not fully understanding the family events, was still very unsettled. Thus, he fussily called for his mother. Seeing that Song Yuan Yao was also not in a good state and that he had no way to calm his noisy son, Song Yuanhuan had no choice but to take Song Cheng Guang back to his room. However, he also knew his sister Song Yuan Yao's condition was quite worrying.
"Yuanyao has to go to the city for school after the New Year is over. She won't be home much anyway, so even if the eldest sister-in-law wants to cause trouble, she won't be able to find Yuanyao," Song Yuan Yao had already finished her junior high last year and was accepted to a key city vocational school for teachers. After studying for a few years, she would be assigned a job, so her future looked pretty good. Unless Wang Qinghua was foolish, she wouldn't go out of her way to antagonize her sister-in-law.
"Mhm." Xu Xiuxiu's obviously comforting words made Song Yuanhuan feel much better. Of course, Song Yuanhuan wasn't too worried about it either, but he feared the events of the day had too great an impact on the young girl. The image of Wang Qinghua crashing into the wall would undoubtedly leave a shadow in her heart, "Are the kids asleep?" Song Yuanhuan thought about getting the bedding ready, but his gaze lingered enviously on the three children in the wooden bed who could cuddle with their mother. It had been a few days since he last held his wife.
"Asleep!" Xu Xiuxiu smiled and nodded, gazing at the three sleeping children next to her. The harmonious scene of them lying together was so beautifully serene: "Look, Cheng Guang really looks the part of the big brother, doesn't he?" Even his sleeping posture seemed to protect his younger siblings.
"Mhm." Song Yuanhuan leaned forward to take a look and nodded, "As the brother, he should be like that." Song Yuanhuan said, and his gaze softened as he looked at his little daughter, it was almost sweet enough to melt someone.
On New Year's Eve night, the Song Family all went to bed quite early. In the past years, they would usually cook some midnight snacks in the early hours, but this year that tradition was omitted. After bringing chicken soup to Xu Xiuxiu, who was in her postnatal confinement, Mrs. Song retired to her room early.
The couple whispered to each other for a while before Xu Xiuxiu finished a small bowl of chicken soup and then finally turned off the light to go to sleep. In the middle of the night on New Year's Eve, the firecrackers boomed relentlessly, resounding from midnight until daybreak with a ceaseless crackling.
The next day, on the first day of the lunar new year, Song Chengguang was woken up early by the sound of firecrackers. It was only four or five o'clock in the morning when Song Chengguang started tossing and turning restlessly on the wooden bed. As soon as the sky began to brighten, he immediately got up energetically, put on his new clothes, and went outside, all on his own. From the lesson of losing his New Year's money previously, he didn't dare to arrogantly carry all the New Year's money on him this time; before leaving, he reluctantly gave Xu Xiuxiu the New Year's money to keep safe.
"Mom, you have to give it to me when I come back," Song Chengguang instructed uneasily, his gaze glued to the red envelope with the New Year's money for quite some time.
"Don't worry! I'll give it to you when you come back. If you really don't trust your mom, then just don't go out and play!" Xu Xiuxiu said, amused, while she spoke leisurely.
"I trust Mom," Song Chengguang immediately puffed out his little chest with conviction.
"Mom, I'm going out now," Song Chengguang said as he fixed his appearance in front of the mirror on the cabinet inside the house, tidying up his cotton hat as well.
"Alright! Go on! Come back early if you're tired," Xu Xiuxiu replied.
She then saw Song Chengguang shoot out the door like a little rocket, followed by several older kids from the neighboring houses, who took him to pay New Year visits.
This was the first time Song Chengguang went to pay New Year visits. Xu Xiuxiu didn't really want the little guy to go at first, but thinking that it was a local custom for the older kids to go around and wish households a prosperous new year during the village's celebration, and to receive a little red envelope in return, it seemed like a joyous occasion. She was apprehensive but ultimately let Song Chengguang go.
Song Chengguang was full of energy and ran around all morning. It was nearly noon when he leisurely returned home, his sweater soaked with sweat, bringing home more than a dozen red envelopes. Xu Xiuxiu meticulously counted and found that Song Chengguang had collected less than 50 cents from running around all morning. Besides that, the little guy had brought back a backpack full of fruits and snacks.
"Mom, these are for you to eat," Song Chengguang offered the contents of his little backpack to Xu Xiuxiu, overflowing with excitement and novelty after tagging along with the neighboring Second Aunt's grandson, Pang Shitou, through the entire village.
"That's very impressive," Xu Xiuxiu said, not really caring about the snacks or the pennies in the red envelopes in Song Chengguang's bag. Instead, she was more concerned about the effort he had put in running around all morning. Seeing his happiness, she couldn't bear to disappoint him and so praised him with a compliment.
Song Chengguang immediately lit up, as if invigorated, and even planned to give some seeds and peanuts to the boy and girl twins, but Xu Xiuxiu quickly talked him out of it with good words.
The rural atmosphere was full of the New Year spirit. On the second day, the married women would traditionally return to their parents' home. Since Xu Xiuxiu had not yet completed her postpartum confinement, Song Yuanhuan had not agreed to let her go out. After a discussion, they decided that Song Yuanhuan would take Song Chengguang to visit the Xu Family elders. The New Year gifts had already been sent and there was no need to make another trip. However, Xu Xiuxiu was worried about Xu Jingjing, so she asked Song Yuanhuan to take Song Chengguang for another visit.
But when Song Yuanhuan returned from his mother-in-law's house, he brought news that Xu Jingjing planned to get married on the tenth day of the lunar new year and to have the wedding banquet then.