I Became the Mother of His Child

At that moment, Song Yuanhuan, who had been singing Xu Xiuxiu's praises, seemed to have completely forgotten that Xu Xiuxiu was not much better than Wang Qinghua back in the day, and even treated them worse!

"Yes, yes, your second sister-in-law is good, everything about her is good. As long as you understand that, there's no need to bring it up all the time. Would your eldest sister-in-law be happy to hear these things? She might just find an excuse to give you a hard time," said Mrs. Song with a chuckle, seeing that he was indeed sorted out nicely, she decided not to worry further and turned to leave the room for her daughter's bedroom.

"Yuanyao, have you packed everything properly?" Mrs. Song inquired, "Did you bring everything you should have?"

"Don't worry, Mom! I've got everything packed securely," replied Song Yuanyao. Having already attended a normal school, she did not feel much pressure about traveling far, but instead, she was somewhat excited.

She wondered if her little nephew, Song Chengguang, had grown up a bit, and whether the boy and girl twins had become even prettier. The siblings, who looked exactly alike, plus the perfect genetics from their second sister-in-law, were undoubtedly adorable.

"Yuanying is insisting on going to Z City with you. I couldn't say no to him, so I agreed. Make sure you both stay alert when you're on the train tomorrow. Kids are inexperienced and can easily fall prey to bad people. Yuanying has never traveled far from home before, and he's quite careless. As his older sister, you need to keep an eye on him to make sure he stays out of trouble, understand?" said Mrs. Song as she handed Song Yuanyao US$ 100, "Your second sister-in-law is generous, and when you siblings visit Z City, she will surely take you out for food and fun. But you shouldn't let her spend money carelessly. I know she's willing to spend on you two, but you can't just take it for granted. Keep this money on you, you might need it in the big city, and it's always good to have something for self-defense."

"I understand, Mom," Song Yuanyao carefully took the US$ 100 and hid it safely.

"Ah, you and Yuanying are usually at school, and our home is so quiet without you. It's finally summer vacation, and you haven't even spent much time at home before heading to Z City. I just feel so empty and uneasy thinking about it," Mrs. Song confessed after Song Yuanyao stashed the money securely.

A mother's concern travels a thousand miles with her children. Tomorrow, when her daughter and son took the train to travel afar, she would be worrying all day long! Yet, as much as she hated to see her daughter and son travel, she preferred that they stay in Z City rather than endure the unhappiness caused by Wang Qinghua at home.

"Mom, Yuanying and I are grown up now. Leaving home is inevitable sooner or later, and you'll have to get used to it. Besides, Yuanying's middle school exams are over. Whether he goes to vocational school or high school, he won't be able to come home every week like before. I'm attending a normal college, and once I graduate, the school will arrange a job for me. It's still uncertain where exactly I will be placed. If it's close, it'll be nice to come home and see you. If it's far, you might not see me very often," Song Yuanyao said, herself feeling a touch of melancholy and sorrow.

"You ungrateful kid, I can't believe you're aware of all this. I thought once you went to the city for school, you'd be as free as a monkey out of the mountains!" Mrs. Song playfully slapped Song Yuanyao's arm and chuckled. The child had grown and would have to leave the parental nest eventually, something Mrs. Song had long realized: "But Yuanyao, you're not getting any younger. Look at Aunt Qian's Chunmei, she's your age and already has a child. Even though you're still studying, that doesn't mean you can't start looking for a partner. If you meet someone suitable, give it a try. If not, when you're in Z City, let your second sister-in-law help you out. She's capable, and she might find you a city guy!" Mrs. Song considered for Song Yuanyao, but also worried about her being shy, so she gently reminded her.

"If you marry a city man, and once you get placed in a job, life will be more comfortable for you. A happy marriage is much better than our village's dependence on the weather for farming and the hard work of mountain farming," Mrs. Song thought ahead, her ideas in line with the typical rural mentality of marrying above one's station and looking down when taking a wife.

"Mom, I'm not in a hurry to find a partner. Either way, I should wait until I graduate and see where the school places me! Otherwise, if I find a partner and then get a job far away, being separated isn't good," Song Yuanyao gently turned down the idea, her face blushing.

"Why aren't you in a hurry? If you don't start dating now, what will you do if you become an old maid? Waiting for a placement, the school won't arrange it for a year or two! By then you'll be twenty, and at that age, girls are considered 'leftover.' Even if you have an education, men will still be the ones choosing. Women depreciate with age," Mrs. Song chided, frowning and shaking her head at Song Yuanyao's short-sightedness.

"Oh, Mom, I've got this under control, don't you worry. What, aren't there enough things for you to worry about at home?" teased Song Yuanyao.

Mrs. Song gave Song Yuanyao an exasperated look, "I'm serious. Don't dismiss what I'm saying, be mindful." Having said that, she tidied her clothes and stood up to return to her own room. Tomorrow her daughter and son would need to get up early to catch the train to Z City, and she would have to wake up to make them breakfast before they left. It was better to go back to her room and rest early.

After Mrs. Song returned to her room, Song Yuanyao sat at her small desk, holding a diary in her hand. The fair and lovely lady wrote down her secret thoughts in the diary, accompanied by nightfall. After a long while, she closed the diary and placed it in her suitcase.

...

Meanwhile, far away in Z City, Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan were also discussing who would go to the train station to pick up the guests the next day. Xu Xiuxiu was busy supervising the construction at Soup City, part of which was nearing completion and about to open. At this critical time, she could not afford any distractions or carelessness. Moreover, she had to monitor the construction of a luxury shopping mall. Although it was an imported project, it was a major investor and had to be handled with utmost care.

The three children at home were well taken care of by Aunt Luo, so Xu Xiuxiu had no worries. However, with Song Yuanyao and Song Yuanying, the sister-brother duo, coming to Z City, one of the spouses needed to make time to pick them up. The problem was, Song Yuanhuan had military exercises and a march the next day; he had no time to go to the train station either.

The couple were both conflicted, "How about I let Jingjing go pick them up?" Xu Xiuxiu felt that Xu Jingjing was the best choice, other than them, to pick up the siblings since they knew each other, which would make things less complicated.

"Alright," replied Song Yuanhuan, who lacked the sense of carefulness a big brother should have towards his younger siblings. Song Yuanyao and Song Yuanying were not young anymore, and with company, they would be fine. Even if he and his wife couldn't spare the time to pick them up, as long as they didn't lose the siblings, having someone else pick them up was acceptable.