I Became the Mother of His Child

Cai Bo's wife at the dinner table also felt that Guo Cuiping's words were somewhat inappropriate. The other military wives also showed cheery expressions, and after exchanging glances, no one picked up the conversation. It was quite obvious that Guo Cuiping was deliberately causing trouble!

"Little Cheng Guang has always been a good boy, and this child looks quite fine too." Just as no one at the table took up the conversation, Aunt Lai looked at Song Cheng Guang and smiled as she took over, then she also used her chopsticks to point at Zhao Nan, complimenting Song Cheng Guang and, by the way, praising Zhao Nan too.

"Grandma, Cheng Guang is the best behaved, right?" Song Cheng Guang chimed in, baring his little pearly whites and lifting his head in a plea for praise, completely unaware that a storm was brewing at the dinner table.

Xu Xiuxiu had given birth to boy and girl twins, and both Aunt Lai and Aunt Wei knew this. Both elders sent congratulatory gifts to Xu Xiuxiu, and today was supposed to be the twins' full-moon celebration. Xu Xiuxiu had invited the two aunts over. Aunt Wei couldn't come due to something at home, but Aunt Lai did come. However, perhaps because Aunt Lai rarely went out, aside from Yan Molin, who probably knew Aunt Lai's identity, the others at the table had no idea, since they were all wives of Song Yuanhuan's comrades-in-arms.

Guo Cuiping, though somewhat annoyed, didn't speak after glancing at Aunt Lai for some reason.

"Are you from Zhao Jian Country's family?" Aunt Lai continued to eat the dishes on the table, and then she raised her eyebrows to ask Guo Cuiping, who was sitting a few seats to her left.

"Yes, Auntie," Guo Cuiping nodded in response: "Are you a relative of the Song Family, Auntie? I heard Cheng Guang call you 'Grandma' just now?" Guo Cuiping pressed for an answer, curious about Aunt Lai's identity.

"Um." Aunt Lai didn't plan to elaborate further to Guo Cuiping, just nodded in response as acknowledgment to Guo Cuiping's question: "Cheng Guang, don't talk while eating; eat your meal properly and then take Grandma to see your brother and sister afterward." Lai Huajiong had seen the boy and girl twins; as an elder, she naturally felt joy and was also interested in the twins Xu Xiuxiu had given birth to. But when she arrived, the children were asleep, and she didn't have the heart to wake them.

"Okay." Song Cheng Guang happily agreed to Aunt Lai, and then, with his little mouth greasy from eating, he turned his head to look at the silent Zhao Nan beside him: "Brother Nan, you haven't seen Cheng Guang's brother and sister yet, right? They're really cute, but they're sleeping now, so I'll take you to see them when they wake up, okay?" Song Cheng Guang said with a gleeful tone, obviously showing off.

"Okay." Zhao Nan responded quietly.

Everyone at the table seemed to sense Cheng Guang's pride in his siblings and smiled kindly without saying much, but there was still someone who spoke up amid Song Cheng Guang's boasting.

"Right, I heard that Lieutenant Colonel Song's family is blessed with another son and daughter. I haven't seen them yet! How are they, nice and chubby? I must say, the couple is really fortunate! But what puzzles me is, isn't the country implementing the one-child policy? How can Lieutenant Colonel Song's family have a second child? Does the national policy allow it?" Guo Cuiping said, sounding quite surprised but also with an undertone of provocation, as she continuously picked at the meat dishes on the table, especially the pig's trotter.

"..." Silence fell upon the dining table as several people glanced at Guo Cuiping for a moment, but nobody picked up the thread of her conversation.

This was a banquet at Xu Xiuxiu's home, celebrating both their new housewarming and the full month of their boy and girl twins—a truly joyous occasion. Although everyone found it strange that Lieutenant Colonel Song's family was allowed to have a second child, the policy had been approved by the higher-ups, and as military wives, they naturally turned a blind eye. Moreover, even if they were curious, they would only grumble in private. Who would say such things at this moment, clearly looking for trouble?

Aunt Lai knocked on her chopsticks, giving Guo Cuiping a long look before speaking with an unhappy tone, "Zhao Jian Country, you better just eat your food! Why are you needlessly broadening the scope of your concerns?" Her words could be seen as nothing less than a direct slap in the face.

"Auntie, I'm just curious!" Guo Cuiping said with a smile, then picked up another piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and handed it to Shi Tao beside her: "Can't I ask out of curiosity? What I'm saying is, Lieutenant Colonel Song is an officer, and officers aren't allowed to have a second child, right? Isn't that the national policy we're all supposed to be upholding? Even I, coming from the countryside, understand what's going on! Isn't it inappropriate for Lieutenant Colonel Song to do this? Haven't the higher-ups said anything?" Guo Cuiping spoke resentfully, her tone growing sour.

Although Zhao Jian Country already had a child, Zhao Nan, and she herself had a son, Shi Tao, the couple had come together midway through their lives and certainly needed a child to maintain their marital bond, right? So she had wanted to give Zhao Jian Country another child. As a soldier, he earned a decent salary each month and could afford the fine for having an additional child.

But when she broached the subject with Zhao Jian Country, he had angrily told her that it was strictly forbidden for the military personnel to exceed the birth limit, otherwise he could lose his military rank. She had believed him at the time, but then she turned around and Song Yuanhuan's second child was already born and crying out. Even though Song Yuanhuan's military rank and position were somewhat higher than Zhao Jian Country's, having twins was still exceeding the limit! Yet, there seemed to be no consequences for their family.

Thinking about this, Guo Cuiping felt wronged and displeased. In her view, national policies also seemed to vary from person to person—who knows what kind of shady dealings were involved? It was only Zhao Jian Country with his naive integrity who clung to principles, failing to see how others were bending the rules.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Aunt Lai coldly threw out the saying, her face clearly displaying her displeasure: "Is it your place to question how the higher-ups conduct their affairs, as a military wife? If I remember correctly, your husband, Zhao Jian Country, is a political commissar, right? What rank does he hold again?" Aunt Lai feigned a forgetful expression.

Guo Cuiping might not be adept at many things, but she was capable of reading people's expressions; otherwise, she would have offended countless people during her year and a half following the military unit. Not everyone had the patience or temperament to tolerate her blunt, presumptuous nature!

Now, seeing Aunt Lai speak up—after all, she was someone Little Chen Guang would call 'grandma,' and Song Yuanhuan held a higher position than her own husband Zhao Jian Country—Guo Cuiping decided it was better to restrain herself. Despite her inclination to stir up trouble, she knew better than to cross the line.

"Auntie, please try the braised pork cooked by Lieutenant Colonel Song's family; it's delicious and not too fatty! You should try it right away." Guo Cuiping forcibly changed the subject, then solicitously smiled and picked a piece of braised pork for Aunt Lai.

Aunt Lai was older and didn't fancy greasy meat. Looking at the braised pork in her bowl, she felt her stomach turn and moved it to the side with her chopsticks, "Too greasy," she disdainfully said, then busied herself with picking vegetables with her chopsticks, completely ignoring Guo Cuiping.