I Became the Mother of His Child

"Apparently, Song Chengguang, who had his own ideas and could run and jump to the annoyance of dogs, had reached the age where he was challenging Xu Xiuxiu's willpower and reason. Watching him pull out new clothes and put them on as soon as he got home, swaying in front of Xu Xiuxiu like a shiny little bok choy, Xu Xiuxiu couldn't help but twitch her lips, restraining herself from spanking him.

"Chengguang, you don't look good dressed like that," Xu Xiuxiu reminded him with a heart full of reluctance.

…" Song Chengguang's boastful expression froze. He looked down at his green jacket, green pants, and green shoes, thinking they looked especially good, as handsome as his father in a military uniform: "Looks good." He stubbornly adhered to his unique aesthetic.

Xu Xiuxiu felt a headache coming on, "Chengguang, let's compromise, okay? Wear the green jacket today, the green pants tomorrow, and the green shoes the day after tomorrow." Honestly, seeing just one green item a day was enough; if this brat made her see shiny bok choy every day, she would definitely spank him.

"Why, mommy? Chengguang wants to wear them all together," Song Chengguang said with an innocent and stubborn expression.

"Fine." Xu Xiuxiu compromised in defeat, doing her best to ignore Song Chengguang, who was particularly prominent in his green outfit in the living room.

As a lot of items had been bought, the next day Xu Xiuxiu dragged them all to the post office to be mailed one by one.

When the large packages arrived at the family's old home, a frozen mood finally saw Mrs. Song revealing a slight smile. Although her eldest son had divorced Wang Qinghua, that woman was shameless, coming over with her daughter every few days to make a scene. The child, due to diabetes, would cry incessantly, and who knows if it was Wang Qinghua who deliberately pinched her. These issues gave Mrs. Song a headache, and with the significant family changes, the usually twisted Song Tianxin became even more unreasonable. The little girl acted as if the world owed her something, and even Mrs. Song, her grandmother, sometimes couldn't stand her eldest granddaughter's temper.

These days, the atmosphere at home had kept Mrs. Song anxious, and the packages from her daughter-in-law were undoubtedly the most pleasing thing in the past month and a bit.

"These are the things our daughter-in-law bought at the big mall in Imperial City! The fabric feels comfortable, and the patterns are pretty," Mrs. Song said as she took the thermal jackets picked out by her daughter-in-law from the package. The patterns suited her age, and one could tell from the touch that the quality was good. She was so delighted that she almost didn't want to wear it outside, preferring to keep it in the cabinet and take it out occasionally just to look at it.

"Enough, enough, stop showing off," Father Song commented as he puffed on his cigarette, dousing Mrs. Song's enthusiasm, yet his eyes stayed fixed on the packages, knowing there was a new jacket for him as well.

"Look at yours. Oh, there's embroidery on the pocket!" Mrs. Song took out Father Song's and looked it over. Seeing that the color was suitable for middle-aged and elderly men and that the simplicity and monotony were alleviated by the embroidery on the pocket, the overall piece definitely moved up a few notches in class.

Father Song glanced at the clothes in Mrs. Song's hands, saw the patterns were to his liking, nodded his head, and was about to ask Mrs. Song to keep it for a festive occasion in the village to wear. On normal days, he still had to work in the fields and the mountains, and wearing it then would just be a waste!"

Mr. and Mrs. Song went joyfully to pack clothes, which pained Song Tianxin's eyes. Standing at the doorway of the main house, she turned and rushed into the kitchen. From a still-burning stove, she pulled out a burning stick and hurried back to the main house. Before Mrs. Song could put away the clothing, Tianxin used the stick to poke two new jackets, instantly burning two large holes in them. Everything happened so quickly that it caught everyone off guard.

"I don't have new clothes, so neither should you," said Song Tianxin, righteously, a smug smile curling her lips as she looked at the jackets she had pierced.

The provocative and righteous expression on Song Tianxin's face shockingly alarmed Mr. and Mrs. Song. They gazed at the two new yet ruined garments and glanced at the smoking firewood still in Tianxin's grip.

"What a sin!" Mrs. Song exclaimed, covering her chest in disbelief.

"Niuniu, how could you do such a thing? You are utterly lawless," said Mr. Song sternly, putting down his pipe and calling his granddaughter by her nickname.

"Hmph," Song Tianxin disregarded her grandparents, tossed the stick she held, snorted, and turned back to her bedroom.

Mr. and Mrs. Song looked at each other, both deeply shaken.

Later that evening, when Song Yuantao returned home from the fields and saw his parents' austere faces, he first thought that Wang Qinghua had caused more trouble. However, upon inquiring, he was stunned to learn that his daughter was the culprit and, understanding the extent of her shocking act, felt as if he had been slapped hard. Furious, he marched into Song Yuan Yao's bedroom. Seeing his daughter sit there, showing no sign of remorse upon his arrival, he burst out in anger, "Song Tianxin, let me tell you, if you dare to follow in your disgraceful mother's footsteps and engage in such vile acts, I'll kick you out of the house!" Song Yuantao was truly furious.

Although he had divorced Wang Qinghua, that shameless woman had never stopped troubling the Song family. Now, his daughter was causing problems too, even ruining the clothes sent by their parents, something truly corrupt. He felt it was imperative to discipline her before she got completely out of control.

"Why doesn't Xu Xiuxiu buy clothes for me? Why buy for Grandma and Grandpa but not for me? Since she won't buy for me, I'll just burn what she buys for them. If I can't have new clothes, neither can anyone else," Song Tianxin declared defiantly and indignantly, seeing nothing wrong with her words.

"It seems I need to teach you a lesson, or you'll never learn," Song Yuantao raised his hand and struck Tianxin with a slap.

Usually, he had a good relationship with Tianxin, but Wang Qinghua had clearly created a rift between them. Yet, she was still his daughter, and he cared for her. However, today she had dared to damage her grandparents' clothes; what wouldn't she dare do next? As a simple rustic man, Song Yuantao couldn't imagine what she might become if not properly disciplined, and in his fury, he slapped her.

Yet, as pain spread across his palm, he was jolted to realization. He looked down at his hand, then at the red marks on Tianxin's thin cheeks, seeing her defiant, unyielding gaze. He felt only a headache.

"You better reflect on yourself, and until you acknowledge your mistake, no dinner for you today," Song Yuantao, feeling somewhat embarrassed under Tianxin's intense gaze, still managed to drop a stern word before leaving, unaware of how deep and ominous Tianxin's stare was as she watched him go.