I Became the Mother of His Child

Xiuxiu had been out in the county for a whole day, and having gotten used to staying indoors during her postpartum period, she felt somewhat weary. Additionally, worrying about her children at home made her restless. After seven in the evening, the hospital became completely quiet, so Xiuxiu arranged for the elderly Xu family members to stay in a mid-range inn near the hospital. She and Yuanhuan made their way back to Song Family Village in the darkness.

All day long, Mrs. Song had been watching over the boy and girl twins in the house. Seeing that the night had deepened and neither her daughter-in-law nor her son had returned home, she informed Father Song, gathered a cotton quilt, and planned to spend the night in the children's room. As she carried the quilt across the central room, someone knocked on the wooden gate in the courtyard.

"Yuanhuan, Xiuxiu, is that you two coming back?" Liu Shuxiang called out towards the direction of the courtyard gate as she placed the quilt on a chair in the central room.

"Mom, it's me and Yuanhuan coming back," Xiuxiu replied gently.

Hearing her daughter-in-law's voice outside, Mrs. Song quickly walked to the gate and opened it, "Why have you come home so late? Have you had dinner yet? Are you hungry? Shall I make some midnight snacks for you?" Mrs. Song seemed immune to Xiuxiu's stubbornness and didn't get angry. Instead, she tenderly asked after the couple. Having spent the whole day with the twins, she had come to realize the importance of her daughter-in-law, as the little grandchildren couldn't be left alone: "I still have chicken soup warming on the stove. Xiuxiu, hurry inside and rest, and I'll bring you the chicken soup in a moment." Mrs. Song said, taking Xiuxiu's hand and giving her a once-over, as though she worried Xiuxiu had lost weight in just one day.

Seeing this, Xiuxiu couldn't help but chuckle silently. However, due to some blood stains on her jacket, and it being dark with her covered in a long green military coat, Mrs. Song actually hadn't noticed anything amiss with Xiuxiu, who naturally didn't dare linger in the main room and quickly accepted Mrs. Song's kind offer before hurriedly returning to her own room.

The room was much warmer than outside, closed off to avoid giving the newborns a chill. After entering, Xiuxiu swiftly changed out of her clothes and then turned her gaze to the children on the wooden bed. The twin brother and sister were sleeping soundly, heads touching, and little Song Chengguang was also lying on the bed, his little chubby hand resting on the twins—as if attempting to protect his siblings but, being asleep, his hand directly pressed onto them.

Little Baby, the girl, was naturally frail and delicate, and although most of Song Chengguang's arm's weight was on Little Moon next to her, who slept quite well nonetheless, Little Baby occasionally furrowed her brow, protesting in a low voice like a kitten mewing.

Xiuxiu, amused, looked at the children and gently moved Song Chengguang's chubby hand aside. Just then, creak! The door to the room was opened from the outside, and Yuanhuan, having washed up, also brought in a bowl of hot chicken soup.

"Have some chicken soup." Yuanhuan placed the soup on a small table and set it on Xiuxiu's wooden bed, drying his damp hair with a towel, "If it's not enough, I'll get you some more."

"Are you hungry? Do you want to have some too?" Xiuxiu asked while drinking the soup, eyeing Yuanhuan, who emitted a fresh scent. Xiuxiu, who hadn't bathed for many days in this cold winter, felt somewhat envious—ah, it would still be so long before she could bathe! She felt quite frustrated.

"I'm a grown man, why would I need chicken soup? I'm not the one in confinement," Yuanhuan said sternly as he saw Xiuxiu staring, also diverting her envious gaze. This woman with a bit of a cleanliness obsession must be suffering not being able to bathe for so long!

"Okay, then!" Xiuxiu withdrew her gaze and picked up the soup spoon to continue sipping her chicken soup.

Mrs. Song might have realized that Xu Xiuxiu didn't like oily or fishy foods, so the chicken soup was much lighter than before, yet the flavor was still strong, indicating it had simmered on low heat for a long time.

"Song Yuanhuan, do you think the way I treated my eldest sister at the hospital today was not very nice?" Xu Xiuxiu, while sipping her chicken soup, thought about the troubling issues at Xu Fangfang's house, and her hanging heart felt somewhat uneasy.

She was typically impulsive, and her resentment towards Xu Fangfang would definitely not dissipate in a short time. Regarding Doudou, although she never really liked him much, especially compared to Little Cai Tou from her second sister's house, he was still a child. If he really was sold to a remote mountain area because of the troubles Xu Fangfang and Song Guomin created, Xu Xiuxiu would also feel unsettled.

"It's neither good nor bad." Song Yuanhuan wiped off his wet hair and casually hung the towel in a corner of the room.

Everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions. Xu Fangfang and Song Guomin are no children; they are adults. Since they dared to borrow that money, they should be prepared to face debt collection and repayment.

"I don't want to help my eldest sister at all, but I also don't want Doudou to get into trouble; after all, he is an innocent child." Xu Xiuxiu expressed her true feelings. She knew her thoughts were contradictory. In this world, there are not so many perfectly ideal situations; living with regrets and imperfections was the most normal thing.

"Lin Erbiao is not a simple man." Song Yuanhuan saw the situation clearly; he had heard of Lin Erbiao. He was a well-known loan shark in the county area, lending US$100 and turning it into US$150 in a month, and you'd fear for your life half a year later because even selling oneself might not repay the debt.

Actually, Song Yuanhuan didn't want Xu Xiuxiu to get involved in this matter. If she had to intervene, he would rather she spend money to solve it, to mitigate disaster with money!

"If that's the case, then let it be. I didn't want to interfere in the first place." Hearing Song Yuanhuan's words, Xu Xiuxiu, who had just finished her chicken soup, immediately made her decision.

Song Yuanhuan always gave Xu Xiuxiu a sense of strength and confidence; it seemed like he was fully prepared for everything. The fact that even Song Yuanhuan was wary of this man meant he was indeed not simple. Xu Xiuxiu had no intention of risking her own well-being for Xu Fangfang; it wasn't worth it.

"Okay." Song Yuanhuan didn't persuade further, nodded, walked to the wooden bed, moved the table along with the soup bowl aside, then helped Xu Xiuxiu to slowly lie down and tucked in the blanket's corners for her. "Don't think too much, you've also been tired all day today. Sleep early, yes!" Song Yuanhuan coaxed softly and kissed Xu Xiuxiu's cheek.

"Okay." Xu Xiuxiu immediately blushed, nodded obediently, and closed her eyes.

Seeing Xu Xiuxiu obediently close her eyes, Song Yuanhuan turned, grabbed the quilt, and started to make a bed on the floor. But after turning off the light and lying down, Song Yuanhuan struggled to fall asleep for a long time.