I Became the Mother of His Child

Ye Hua was so desperate to invest money, he went all out. Xu Xiuxiu, the one putting in the effort, naturally did not dare to slack off. She gritted her teeth and decided to mortgage Sichuan Pavilion to the bank, taking out a loan of over 2 million yuan, including the family's real estate. Even to quickly raise funds, Xu Xiuxiu swiftly set up a series of Sichuan Pavilion franchises.

The revenue of Sichuan Pavilion had already caught the eye of some in the catering industry, and many were interested in franchising. In order to quickly raise capital, Xu Xiuxiu gave appropriate benefits to the franchisees. Nowadays, the catering industry isn't as vast as it would be in twenty or thirty years, where even hot pots have dozens of varieties. The rise of Sichuan Pavilion had its reasons.

Although Xu Xiuxiu was vigorously raising funds, she also did not dare to relax and let any franchisee choose a location randomly. Xu Xiuxiu's demands on the franchisees were high, and the contracts signed were very strict. Effort would indeed pay off. Xu Xiuxiu managed to open over thirty Sichuan Pavilion franchise stores in just over two to three months, spreading across eight provinces and two municipalities, including ten each in the Capital and Shanghai. The bold reforms in franchising were very powerful, and Xu Xiuxiu was endlessly busy once she started.

However, the outcome was pleasing. Ye Hua and Xu Xiuxiu's efforts were not in vain.

Although Xu Xiuxiu was incredibly busy, Xu Jingjing was very supportive. Ever since Xu Jingjing learned about Xu Xiuxiu's hardships, she seemed like a completely changed person, becoming calmer and more persistent. She helped Xu Xiuxiu oversee everything related to Sichuan Pavilion. Seeing Xu Jingjing transform, Xu Xiuxiu confidently entrusted her with the matters of the franchise stores and franchisees.

Initially, Xu Xiuxiu was somewhat worried about Xu Jingjing not performing well. However, Xu Jingjing didn't disappoint Xu Xiuxiu at all. All franchisees and franchise stores were meticulously inspected by her personally. Even to resolve issues about the location of franchise stores, Xu Jingjing went around carrying luggage herself, striving for perfection in every task, almost winning over even the trains with her diligence.

After being tested by reality and life, Xu Jingjing successfully transformed from a naive young girl who panicked while traveling by train and didn't even know when her money was stolen, to now being the general manager of the Sichuan Pavilion franchisees. Xu Jingjing's actions and capabilities allowed Xu Xiuxiu to let go, and her growth was what astonished Xu Xiuxiu the most.

Despite being so busy every day, Xu Xiuxiu also did not forget to send parcels back home, but now the parcels Xu Xiuxiu sent also included things for her older sister Xu Qingqing's family.

And upon learning that her older sister Xu Qingqing was pregnant, the younger sister Xu Jingjing was quite excited. She traveled around various provinces and, in her spare time, bought loads of little toys and clothes for her nephew and niece. She even bought gifts for Xu Xiuxiu's three children more diligently than Xu Xiuxiu herself, the mother. Naturally, the parcels sent to Xu Qingqing were quite substantial.

Xu Qingqing received another call from the county post office, so she knew another package had arrived for her. As soon as her husband, Cai Senlin, finished his work and came home, she urged him to go to the county to fetch it.

At this point, Xu Qingqing was already more than five or six months pregnant. She drank the maternity milk powder and supplements mailed by her younger sisters each month, which did not cause any post-pregnancy bloating. On the contrary, she looked radiant.

This time, the large package did not only contain supplements for her but also included three sets of cute, delicate baby clothes, two soft cotton baby wraps, and, of course, new clothes and shoes for Cai Tou, along with a toy car. Xu Qingqing even bought some loose maternity clothes suitable for pregnant women from Shanghai, totaling a hefty bundle of items that wore Cai Senlin out.

"These younger sisters of yours, always buying things just for you and your child. I, as your brother-in-law, didn't get anything," Cai Senlin, having carried the heavy package all the way home from the county, complained after realizing everything in it was for his wife and child.

"How funny you are, who else would they buy for if not for me? Just think about it, they are my younger sisters. Would it be proper for a younger sister to buy gifts for her brother-in-law? Besides, they are my sisters, so it's natural for them to buy things for me. If you're jealous, why don't you get your sister, Cai Taohua, to buy something for you!" Xu Qingqing, carrying the title of the family's queen due to her pregnancy, was usually pampered by Cai Senlin. However, she wasn't really trying to make trouble; she acted this way because Cai Senlin's sister had recently been stirring up issues.

"I was wrong, it was my fault for speaking thoughtlessly." As soon as Cai Senlin heard his wife mention his sister Cai Taohua, he quickly held his tongue and covered his mouth, then continued, "Praise be, your younger sisters really do treat you well! They send such a bunch of stuff home every month. Just looking at the fancy maternity clothes, I can tell they must have cost a pretty penny!" Cai Senlin was clever enough to recognize that the gifts his wife received were no ordinary items.

"They are all tender-hearted, like cotton. Even though Si Ya used to be stubborn and prideful, acting like everyone owed her something, when push came to shove, she still valued the sisterly bond. That girl is not foolish; if it wasn't for her deep feelings, Xu Fangfang wouldn't have been able to deceive her. Despite everything Xu Fangfang did to ruin Si Ya's life, she still couldn't help but lend her a hand. Xiuxiu is the same; otherwise, for others, not even 3,000 yuan, even 300 yuan would be enough to tear sisters apart." Xu Qingqing saw things clearly—Xiuxiu was kind to her because they had always shared a good sisterly bond. Jingjing was so generous towards her partly because she had stood up for Jingjing earlier in the year, and Jingjing was grateful, alongside seeing Xiuxiu's example to follow.

"That's true." Considering this, Cai Senlin had to give a thumbs-up in admiration. His wife's sister, Xu Xiuxiu, was a truly admirable person, and her husband, Song Yuanhuan, an unassuming man on the surface, was also a not-so-simple character; otherwise, how could he have risen from a mere private to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel? There are so many talented people in the military!

"Why don't you stop fussing with these things and tell me whether you went to the Family Planning Bureau deputy director's house with two pounds of sugar and a carton of Daqianmen as I asked?" Now, with the country enforcing family planning, although they weren't civil servants and theoretically shouldn't have more than one child since their first was a boy, having no official job meant only facing a fine for additional children. Since their financial situation was good, they were not worried about fines. However, before the child arrived, it was still crucial to maintain good relationships with people at the Family Planning Bureau.

"I did, I did! How could I not take that seriously?" Cai Senlin chuckled and then bent down to help sort out the big package on the floor.