I Became the Mother of His Child

At dusk, as the sun set in the west, splendid colors of sunset dyed the sky red, accompanied by a cool, gentle breeze, a bonfire barbecue party was about to begin. It was located near the mountain behind the military base, with mountains at the back and water in front, and a river flowing nearby. Rows of barbecue grills had already been lit with charcoal, and a group of cooks from the kitchen team was busy preparing various types of barbecued dishes.

Special household barbecues were also prepared for families interested in grilling by themselves.

Xu Xiuxiu was very interested in the barbecue party, especially since it was located near the mountain behind the military base. Grilling by herself brought the fun of camping outdoors, and Xu Xiuxiu, accustomed to being self-reliant, chose to do it herself, despite the smoky smell from the barbecue.

Song Yuanhuan fully revealed his lesser-known side that day. He attentively sat a little farther from the barbecue grill, in a spot where the smoky smell couldn't reach, playing puzzles with his son on the grass mat Xu Xiuxiu had brought, while also taking care of the boy and girl twins, who were whimpering and babbling.

The twins were growing well and occasionally managed to sit upright for a few seconds. Song Yuanhuan tirelessly amused them, watching them sit for a few seconds and then giggling as they fell back onto the mat, repeating this movement, which still made the twins very happy.

"Come on, have some roasted buns and vegetables to fill your stomach first," Song Chengguang pleaded to eat chicken wings, but since they took a bit longer to cook, Xu Xiuxiu had first prepared some buns and vegetables, and the chicken wings would be ready soon.

Both Song Yuanhuan and Song Chengguang were typical meat lovers. When they saw the buns and vegetables prepared by Xu Xiuxiu, father and son exchanged a glance: "Song Chengguang, eat it." Song Yuanhuan, without any mental burden, tossed this daunting task to Song Chengguang and then contentedly decided to wait for the meat Xu Xiuxiu was grilling.

Hmm! He could already smell the aroma of the lamb skewers floating in the air.

"Dad!" Song Chengguang called out to Song Yuanhuan with a heavy heart.

Song Yuanhuan glanced at his son with eyes just like his own and said, "Don't waste your mom's effort, eat quickly. Otherwise, if it gets cold, I won't let you off," Song Yuanhuan threatened brightly.

Song Chengguang, extremely helpless, glanced at his dad and then reluctantly picked up a piece of roasted bun, his expression as pained as could be.

"Song Yuanhuan, come and have a drink with us," Zheng Guohui and Fu Guanglei were sitting with a group of comrades, noisily enjoying the barbecue prepared by the kitchen team, accompanied by some alcohol. Everyone was having a great time, and Zheng Guohui, a bit tipsy, loudly called Song Yuanhuan, who was sitting on the mat taking care of his children and eating barbecue.

"I need to take care of the children," Song Yuanhuan gave a strong excuse for being busy.

"How can you be so spineless? Why don't you do some man's work? Taking care of children is women's work," Zheng Guohui pointed at Song Yuanhuan and was at a loss for words for a moment. Then he rushed up to Song Yuanhuan and scolded him in a low voice. Despite his fierce expression, it was easy to see his true thoughts.

"Since when is taking care of children spineless?" Song Yuanhuan raised his eyebrow and countered nonchalantly.

Zheng Guohui was cornered by Song Yuanhuan like this, leaving him no choice but to take deep breaths in frustration. "You're hopeless," he said, giving Song Yuanhuan an annoyed look before deciding to give up on persuading him.

Xu Xiuxiu grilled quite a variety of food all at once: enoki mushrooms, chives, chicken wings, lamb skewers, and more—enough for her and Song Chengguang to eat and drink their fill. Noticing that Song Yuanhuan hadn't had much freedom all day, constantly attending to the twins from morning till night, she couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. Was it too mean to leave the twins entirely to him? Especially when she saw the helpless expression on Zheng Guohui's face as he walked away, looking like he couldn't believe how Song Yuanhuan had let himself go.

"Yuanhuan, why don't you go join them and have some fun?"

"No need," Song Yuanhuan replied. He spent plenty of time hanging out with his military buddies, eating at the same table every day at lunch. He had finally gotten a chance to enjoy this barbeque evening with his wife, and he certainly wasn't about to join those bachelors in a drinking contest! Being with his wife and kids felt much more comfortable, even if he just sat and watched them, he felt immensely happy.

"Alright then!" Since Song Yuanhuan declined, Xu Xiuxiu no longer tried to persuade him.

Meanwhile, after Zheng Guohui had called on Song Yuanhuan and gotten frustrated, he went back to his seat and soon started boisterously drinking with a group of comrades. Xu Xiuxiu glanced at the lively group of drinking soldiers, then turned back and saw Song Yuanhuan, one hand soothingly stroking Little Baby in his arms, the other holding barbeque and occasionally tending to Little Moon, who lay on the mat kicking her legs and arms like a little turtle. An idea struck her.

"Mr. Song, let's have a few drinks too!" Xu Xiuxiu turned around to fetch some bottles of alcohol. The night was perfect, and what would be a lively barbeque without a little drink?

"I'll drink," Song Yuanhuan said, grabbing a cup of alcohol Xu Xiuxiu had poured and downing it cheerfully.

Seeing how straightforward Song Yuanhuan was, Xu Xiuxiu tried to drink from her cup but was abruptly stopped by him, "Don't drink."

It was then Xu Xiuxiu remembered she was still a nursing mother and shouldn't have alcohol. Thinking of this, she looked helplessly at the twins with a resigned expression. Being a mother was tough—unable to eat or drink what you wanted, truly pitiful!

Unable to drink, Xu Xiuxiu resorted to defiantly chewing on chicken wings. Originally, she had grilled them for Song Chengguang, but after the little guy managed only one wing—struggling mightily—she quickly finished the rest.

By the time Song Chengguang finally made it through his chicken wing and looked at Xu Xiuxiu with the bare bone in his hand, his face was one of painful grievance. "Mommy…" he whimpered pitifully, his eyes longing for the last chicken wing in Xu Xiuxiu's hand.

"Hmm?" Xu Xiuxiu raised her eyebrows in confusion, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had stolen the eagerly anticipated treat from her eldest son.

"Didn't Chengguang say he likes eating baked buns? Here, have some more, stop always bullying Mommy," Song Yuanhuan said as he handed a bun to Song Chengguang.

Trembling, Song Chengguang looked at the baked bun offered to him, feeling like crying. There were only three buns, and he had already eaten two. All he wanted was a little meat, yet his father had labeled it as bullying Mommy. He just wanted to eat another chicken wing; was that too much to ask?