I Became the Mother of His Child

Song Yuanhuan really hadn't felt that Xu Xiuxiu was not doing well enough; on the contrary, he felt she was doing too well—so well that it made him feel guilty. As a man, he hadn't been the strong backbone behind his wife when she needed him, nor had he been there to support her when her mother-in-law passed away. All these things, especially after finding out about his older brother's divorce, made Song Yuanhuan feel that he had to treat Xu Xiuxiu even better.

With this mindset, when he returned home and Xu Xiuxiu had spent some time preparing to cook dinner, Song Yuanhuan rolled up his sleeves and volunteered, "I'll make dinner; you go play with the kids."

Xu Xiuxiu was somewhat surprised by his words. Song Yuanhuan doted on her immensely, but deep down he was a traditional man. Except when she gave birth or when she was unwell, he rarely entered the kitchen—a place he considered meant for women. Moreover, it had been years since he had last stepped into the kitchen to cook a legitimate dinner for Xu Xiuxiu and the children.

Stunned, Xu Xiuxiu stood at the kitchen door, watching the man walk in, gather some meat and vegetables, and busily and focusedly prepare the meal. She watched him skillfully scale the fish and carefully wash the green vegetables as her heart thumped wildly.

"Mr. Song, I never knew you could cook so well." Xu Xiuxiu smiled, her eyes crinkling, and her tone was gentle but filled with deep emotion. This strong man was making her fall even harder for him; what was she to do!

"I've cooked meals you've eaten before." Song Yuanhuan had previously cooked while he was in the Tiger Wolf Military Region in Z city, but it had indeed been a long time since he last entered the kitchen. "It's smoky in here. Go and play with the kids. I'll call you when dinner's ready." Song Yuanhuan turned to glance at Xu Xiuxiu, a hint of awkwardness flickering in his eyes before he planned to shoo her away.

He felt that having his wife standing at the kitchen door watching him cook made him less efficient, even stiff in posture, just for fear of not performing well enough!

Xu Xiuxiu noticed Song Yuanhuan's discomfort and grinned mischievously as she shook her head, refusing to leave. "No! I want to stand here and watch your handsome back as you cook." Xu Xiuxiu said sweetly, her voice laced with a coquettish tone.

Song Yuanhuan just glared at her disbelievingly; a man entering the kitchen to cook surely didn't have a handsome back. After all, the beliefs instilled by his parents from a young age made him hesitant. Even though the Song family's circumstances were modest, he had never entered the kitchen before. The skills he knew now were ones he acquired in the military. Yet, the initial thought of sending Xu Xiuxiu away came to a halt, and he turned back to continue working on a piece of pork belly.

"Daddy is so handsome." Song Chengguang, who had been in the living room playing with his siblings, ran to the kitchen door as he caught the aroma wafting through the air and watched Song Yuanhuan handle the spatula and ladle with flair, his expression one of admiration.

Xu Xiuxiu glanced down at her son who was drooling and lightly poked his forehead, her tone playfully jealous. "What about mommy who cooks?"

Song Chengguang scrunched up his little nose, looking seriously jealous. "Mommy looks even more handsome when she cooks." He clenched his little fists as if trying to sound more convincing. Even though Song Chengguang's words carried a hint of flattery and a childlike helplessness, Xu Xiuxiu was still pleased.

Xu Xiuxiu laughed and turned to head toward the living room couch, planning to join the boy and girl twins and then wait to enjoy the meal.

In the kitchen, Yuanhuan saw Xiuxiu walk away and turned his head toward his son, who was looking at him with admiring eyes. He quietly nodded and then cleared his throat, "Come in, help wash the vegetables." He couldn't bear to see his daughter-in-law busy, but when it came to ordering his son around, Yuanhuan felt no pressure at all.

Yuanhuan's cooking skills were quite good, even better than Xiuxiu had expected.

After dinner, Yuanhuan continued to order Chengguang to clean up the dinner table and, incidentally, wash the dishes, under the guise of fostering the child's independence. Watching Chengguang stand on a small stool, with his sleeves rolled up, washing dishes, Xiuxiu felt an unbearable heartache. The pitiful sight of his exploited figure filled Xiuxiu with a sense of guilt; she turned her head to Yuanhuan with a look of reproach.

"Should I wash the dishes instead?" Xiuxiu asked worriedly.

"No need, he's not that young anymore, washing dishes is good for him," Yuanhuan said with particular firmness.

He's not that young, but how old is he, really? He's just a child under five, letting him clean the kitchen and wash dishes, isn't this just deliberately tormenting the son?

Yet, Yuanhuan didn't think there was anything wrong with making his son wash dishes. He sat on the sofa playing with Xiuxiu and the twins, holding his darling little daughter and laughing foolishly for a while.

Crash, Chengguang, being young, had just finished cleaning the dishes and was attempting to put them back in the cupboard. Because of his short stature, the little one struggled and failed to secure the dishes, which led to the sound of dishes shattering in the kitchen.

Since the children were young, Xiuxiu had equipped the three children with child-appropriate, durable plastic bowls. But now, the clear sound of porcelain hitting the floor—either plates or Xiuxiu and Yuanhuan's dinner bowls—made Xiuxiu's heart clench. The couple quickly entered the kitchen, only to see Chengguang standing on the stool with his sleeves rolled up, staring blankly at the porcelain fragments on the floor, his face full of helplessness.

"Chengguang, are you scared, are you hurt?" Xiuxiu quickly picked up Chengguang from the stool, her eyes scanning the shattered porcelain on the floor, clearly seeing from the 'corpses' of the pieces that they were undoubtedly her and Yuanhuan's dinner bowls. Thinking about it, Xiuxiu felt both angry and amused—Yuanhuan had intentionally tormented their son, and now their dinner bowls were smashed by their son.

"Mom, Chengguang is okay, but Chengguang broke the bowls, and now you and dad can't eat," Chengguang said, both upset and timid, his arms around Xiuxiu's neck, his words filled with distress, and his little eyes dared not shift in the direction of his dad, Yuanhuan.

"Broken bowls can be replaced. It's okay as long as my Chengguang is fine," Xiuxiu kissed Chengguang on the cheek. She didn't mind that the little guy had gotten his clothes and pants all wet from washing. Holding him, she walked out of the kitchen: "Mr. Song, you deal with this mess!" Xiuxiu commanded Yuanhuan as she left the kitchen, her voice cold, even carrying a hint of her displeasure at him for bullying their son.

"Alright." Yuanhuan touched his nose, looked at the porcelain fragments on the floor, and then looked at his eldest son, still dripping water on the floor, and could only shake his head helplessly.