I Became the Mother of His Child

Xu Xiuxiu had specifically observed Wei Jiaqiang, due to his apparent acquaintance with Xu Jingjing, but after her scrutiny, she concluded that there was absolutely no chance for romance between Wei Jiaqiang and Xu Jingjing. This man was merely a simple, honest, and hardworking fellow. Although Xu Jingjing had seemingly grown from her past experiences, when it came to choosing men, many women, driven by their deep-seated preference for attractive features, kept making the same mistakes over and over again without changing.

Despite this, Xu Xiuxiu found herself quite fond of this simple man, which is why she urged him to take a break.

"Alright, boss lady, I'll finish moving these bricks and then call it a day!" Wei Jiaqiang replied with a smile, yet his hands didn't stop moving. He was much more experienced than Song Yuanming, wearing gloves and handling several bricks at a time quite effortlessly, not suffering from scrapes on his palms, backs of his hands, or arms from moving bricks like Song Yuanming had.

"You must be exhausted from today! Go ahead and rest for a bit!" Wei Jiaqiang said politely, continuing his work while giving Song Yuanming a friendly suggestion.

"Okay, Brother Wei, I'll head off then," Song Yuanmin replied wearily, bidding Wei Jiaqiang farewell, then despondently followed Xu Xiuxiu home.

Due to frequent trips between the suburbs and the city, Xu Xiuxiu had arranged with Old Li, who drove a small tricycle taxi, for daily pick-ups in the morning and evening. Thus, the ride back to the city was not too tiring. Now, with the sun set and a gentle breeze blowing, it felt quite pleasant riding in the tricycle, nothing like the bone-chilling cold of winter.

Finally, as the tricycle swiftly made its way to the city, Song Yuanming got off feeling muscle soreness in his hands and legs. Climbing the stairs, he even felt a sense of instability, as if he was stepping on a mountain of cotton.

"Yuanying, what's wrong with you? Why are you so dirty?" Song Yuan Yao, who had adapted quite well to her job at Sichuan Pavilion, seemed in high spirits after a day's work. But now at home, while playing with the boy and girl twins in the living room with Xu Jingjing, she noticed Song Yuanming drooping his head as he entered the house, then silently heading to his room without a word. Worried, she asked him a question.

Song Yuanming glanced at Song Yuan Yao then sorrowfully chose not to respond, coldly returning to his room and closing the door.

Xu Jingjing, however, guessed the reason for Song Yuanming's behavior: "Yuanyao, better not ask. That kid is probably furious now, feeling deceived by my elder sister. Don't go stirring up his wounds."

"Deceived?" Song Yuan Yao repeated, puzzled.

"Yes! Didn't you know? Construction sites are tough and dirty. It's his first day at work; it's strange if he didn't feel like his skin had been peeled off! The way he walked in just now, he looked like a frostbitten eggplant, obviously too exhausted to speak. But yesterday, in front of everyone, he thumped his chest, promising he'd definitely make it. After experiencing the harsh reality of the construction site today, he's probably feeling sad and regretting speaking too boldly." Xu Jingjing said with a chuckle, her gaze turning toward her elder sister.

Her elder sister was becoming more and more wicked.

Hearing what Xu Jingjing said, Song Yuan Yao also looked doubtfully at Xu Xiuxiu.

"Si Ya is getting smarter," Xu Xiuxiu remarked with a nod and a smile, not denying Xu Jingjing's words.

"Jingjing, from now on call me Jingjing, not Si Ya anymore," Xu Jingjing frowned and complained, "Si Ya sounds so inept. I am determined to be a strong businesswoman of the new era, holding up half the sky in the business world." She set lofty goals for herself and then thumped her chest in assurance.

"Sure, Mr. Xu!" Xu Xiuxiu couldn't help but smirk and responded, "The title 'Mr. Xu' is efficient enough, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

"..." Xu Jingjing's cheeks turned red from Xu Xiuxiu's teasing.

Seeing this, Song Yuanyao also felt much relieved, sighed, and then remembered how Song Yuanming had come into the house all dirty. "Yuanming, why don't you come out and take a bath first to ease your fatigue?" Although Song Yuanyao's words were easy to accept, deep down, she was genuinely worried that Song Yuanming might just roll into bed with his dusty clothes, causing trouble for Aunt Luo.

"No need." In the bedroom, Song Yuanming lay sprawled on the floor, feeling incredibly despondent yet extremely unwilling, staring at the ceiling for a long time.

The events of the day and his own capacity for endurance had pushed Song Yuanming to his limits, but he was still unwilling to admit defeat. The construction workers on the site worked far harder and faced more dangers than he did; they persevered, so why couldn't he? Questioning himself, a stubborn resolve surged in Song Yuanming's heart.

When Yuanhuan got home from work, Song Yuanming was still lying dead in the bedroom. Xu Xiuxiu felt somewhat helpless, hence she gave Yuanhuan a signal: "Go get Yuanming out; dinner is almost ready. He got injured today and hasn't applied any medicine yet!" Saying this, Xu Xiuxiu handed Yuanhuan a box of ointment mixed with Space Water.

"Okay." Yuanhuan agreed, yet he didn't put down Little Baby as he called out, "Yuanming, come eat and apply your medicine." Yuanhuan walked to the bedroom door, knocked, and then plainly stated the purpose of his knocking.

Xu Xiuxiu had thought that Song Yuanming, feeling upset, might hide in the room a bit longer before coming out, but unexpectedly, when she turned around, the bedroom door opened, and Song Yuanming, still in his work clothes from the construction site, walked out. "Second brother," he faintly called Yuanhuan.

Xu Xiuxiu keenly observed him for a moment, noticing no signs of crying hidden away in his room, and although his face looked the same as it did in the morning, he did appear a bit more fatigued. She then relaxed and arranged the utensils.

"Go wash up quickly, then apply the medicine after dinner." Knowing Xu Xiuxiu's slight obsession with cleanliness, and since he himself holding Little Baby was also pretty fussy about cleanliness, Yuanhuan instinctively kept a distance from Song Yuanming before tossing him the ointment.

"Got it," Song Yuanming answered dejectedly, unfazed by his brother's overtly disgusted expressions, then briskly went downstairs to the bathroom to clean up.

However, during his wash, the abrasions on his body that had scraped off his skin touched water, causing him sharp pains. He sucked in cold air as he washed, but once he was refreshed after finishing his shower, the sounds of his sharp intakes of breath had quieted down. Song Yuanming looked at the family in the living room waiting to eat together and then cheerfully smiled.

"Second brother, I'm exhausted today, but I moved almost 3,000 bricks, huh? Impressive, right?" Song Yuanming boasted, making a face that sought praise.

"Mhmm. Not bad," Yuanhuan wasn't stingy with his praise, probably noticing that Song Yuanming was forcing a smile.

But as soon as Song Yuanming heard his brother's compliment, he got pumped up like he had been injected with adrenaline, and he started to boast for a while longer; everyone saw this, yet no one tried to burst his bubble, creating a very harmonious atmosphere!