I Became the Mother of His Child

"Your eldest sister has learned her lesson, that's enough," Mr. Xu glanced at Xu Fangfang's swollen face, his heart heavy as he shifted his gaze towards Xu Jingjing and then turned to Xu Xiuxiu. "Third Girl, you should stop too." Mr. Xu spoke with deep earnestness.

Xu Xiuxiu frowned slightly. "Jingjing doesn't think it's enough," she said calmly, without a hint of personal grudge, as if merely commenting on the nice weather, oblivious to the fact that her words would lead to Xu Fangfang suffering more slaps from Xu Jingjing.

"You..." Mr. Xu clearly hadn't expected Xu Xiuxiu to remain unmoved. He seldom meddled in his daughters' affairs, watching silently as the fourth daughter hit the eldest because he knew Si Ya harbored resentment, and as a father, he couldn't blatantly side with anyone to prevent it.

But Xu Jingjing had vented enough already, he thought Third Girl Xu Xiuxiu would soften towards her elder sister. How could her heart be so stone-hard?

"Heh!" Xu Jingjing laughed triumphantly upon hearing this, looking at Mr. Xu with mocking eyes. "Dad, do you know? The more you and mom try to speak well of Xu Fangfang, the more I want to torment her to death. I was about to be satisfied after a couple more slaps, but now I'm not quite satisfied. If I don't slap her another dozen times, how could I honor your deep sympathy for her?" Xu Jingjing said, and backhanded Xu Fangfang another slap.

With a smack, Xu Fangfang couldn't hold on and was sent sprawling to the ground by Xu Jingjing's slap.

"Xiuxiu." Knowing the nature of his fourth daughter and that her mind was hard to change, Mr. Xu immediately turned to Xu Xiuxiu, fully aware that only the Third Girl could stop Si Ya's wicked actions.

"Let Jingjing hit until she is pleased," Xu Xiuxiu did not comply with Mr. Xu's wishes, firmly supporting Xu Jingjing to let her vent completely, to hit to her heart's content.

"Third sister, you're really nice," Xu Jingjing smiled ingratiatingly at Xu Xiuxiu, then bent down to look at Xu Fangfang who remained sitting on the floor. "Xu Fangfang, can you still get up? I won't make it difficult for you—just stand up and let me slap you five more times; then I'll ask my Third Sister to help you, how about that?" Xu Jingjing knew this was what Xu Fangfang wanted, thus lightly throwing out the temptation.

Sure enough, Xu Fangfang immediately gritted her teeth and stood up from the floor, showing no signs of the earlier weakness.

"Hmph," Xu Jingjing scoffed as she raised her left hand and unapologetically continued the slapping.

Slap after slap, Xu Jingjing used all her strength, not stopping until she felt satisfied. Xu Fangfang bore it stiffly, enduring all five slaps, and felt a relief afterward. Then, with a swollen and painful face, she looked towards Xu Xiuxiu. Although she didn't speak, her eyes clearly conveyed her plea.

"Third sister, please help her! If not for her sake, then for Doudou, as he's our nephew! It would be such a pity if he got sold off cheaply!" Xu Jingjing leisurely blew on her slender fingertips and then slowly spoke, still looking disdainfully at Xu Fangfang.

"Alright," Xu Xiuxiu agreed without hesitation. "I can lend you 3,000 yuan, but you'll need to write a promissory note." Xu Xiuxiu knew that Xu Fangfang couldn't repay the money anytime soon but didn't plan to just give it away. A promissory note was necessary to avoid creating resentment from the loan. Having suffered greatly today, Xu Fangfang didn't seem the type to forget; the world had too many cases of repaying kindness with ingratitude, and Xu Xiuxiu had to be cautious.

"Okay," Xu Fangfang whimpered, enduring the pain as she nodded vigorously.

"When do you need it?" Xu Xiuxiu asked calmly in response.

"I need it now." Xu Fangfang couldn't be at ease until she had the money in hand; only then would she be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You really are in a hurry," Xu Xiuxiu remarked coldly after hearing this, and turned her gaze to Mr. Xu, "Dad, you can write the promissory note for us! Could you please prepare two copies of a 3,000 yuan promissory note, and have Jingjing and my second sister act as witnesses by signing it."

"Okay," Mr. Xu solemnly agreed, turned and walked towards the bedroom he shared with Mrs. Xu, took out his long-used fountain pen and two pieces of blank paper, and began to write the promissory note at the small table in the hall.

"Song Yuanhuan," Xu Xiuxiu looked toward Song Yuanhuan at this moment, her eyes filled with uncertainty—she was afraid that if she agreed to lend the money to Xu Fangfang, Song Yuanhuan might overthink it.

"It's fine." Seeming to understand Xu Xiuxiu's concerns, Song Yuanhuan gently shook his head in reassurance.

"Yuanhuan, could you go back home and bring my passbook from there to the county and withdraw 3,000 yuan? The password is the same as when you gave it to me; I haven't changed it." Xu Xiuxiu discussed with Song Yuanhuan, who should recognize the passbook—it was the private money he had given her.

"Okay." Song Yuanhuan nodded, took Xu Xiuxiu's hand, and led her to sit in a chair nearby, "I will go withdraw the money, and you sit here and rest while waiting for me." Song Yuanhuan seemed very reluctant to have Xu Xiuxiu out of his sight.

"Mm. Hurry back, I'm missing the children," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, acting as if Song Yuanhuan would be gone for a long while.

"Otherwise you come back home with me, and I'll bring the money back after I withdraw it." Song Yuanhuan was really reluctant for Xu Xiuxiu to stay at her parents' home; he could not feel at ease about this place.

"Let's not, I'll wait for you to come back, and then we can go home together." Xu Xiuxiu turned and glanced at Xu Fangfang, who seemed uneasy about her absence, shook her head, and decided it was better to resolve everything once and for all! Otherwise, the trouble-maker in her really couldn't handle any more problems.

"Alright, then you sit here, I'll go get the money." Song Yuanhuan adjusted Xu Xiuxiu's clothing and then stood up to leave.

After Song Yuanhuan left, the atmosphere in the Xu Family's home became tense; nobody spoke much until Mr. Xu had finished writing the promissory note which broke the silence. following Xu Xiuxiu's request, Xu Qingqing and Xu Jingjing also signed the promissory note to reassure her, with Mr. Xu also adding his signature.

Xu Fangfang, having limited education, could only write her name; she felt reassured as the promissory note was written by Mr. Xu. After everyone had signed, she scribbled her own name and then the Xu Family fell silent once again.

Song Yuanhuan was quick, returning in just over an hour with 3,000 yuan wrapped in a yellow paper bag, "Here is the 3,000 yuan." As Song Yuanhuan walked into the hall, he knew they had already signed the promissory note, placed the money on the small table in the hall, and then took Xu Xiuxiu back to the Song Family's home.