I Became the Mother of His Child

Even though some children might be naturally unruly and might not mean any harm, Xu Xiuxiu had always been extremely tolerant with kids. But today, these children had crossed her line. Song Yuanhuan's leg injury was an honorable one, to be admired, and although it saddened her, she was proud of it. But these kids mocked her pride, laughing at her child. And these children looked older than Song Chengguang, some of them even six or seven years old. Boys at the age of six or seven should start to understand things, yet they egged on the boy and girl twins who couldn't walk to crawl for them. Were they treating her children like pets to be teased for fun?

Thinking this, Xu Xiuxiu's rage felt uncontrollable. If it wasn't for the last bit of reason reminding her she was still an adult, Xu Xiuxiu felt she might have gone up to them and slapped their faces, to teach them a lesson.

"Really?" Song Chengguang sobbed, blaming himself, deeply upset that he hadn't protected his brother and sister.

"Really," Xu Xiuxiu firmly nodded.

Song Chengguang's tears turned into a smile. The little guy reached to wipe the tears off his cheeks, then turned to the group of boys standing nearby and said, "My mom said, my dad's leg will get better, he's not a cripple..." His stubborn and serious little face made Xu Xiuxiu's heart soften immensely.

"Psst…" The response to Song Chengguang's declaration was a scoff from the leader of the boys, clearly unconvinced by Song Chengguang's words, "Idiot, believing anything adults say!" Clearly a rebellious child, skeptical of what adults say.

"Is your dad Shi Yan Ting?" Song Yuanhuan had been dark-faced throughout, looking at his heartbreakingly upset wife and then at the crying triplet children, the anger in his chest burning fiercely. If it hadn't been for his daughter sobbing in his arms, Song Yuanhuan's presence would have been far more intimidating.

"…" Faced with Song Yuanhuan's questioning, the leading boy was stunned, "Who are you?" Instead of answering Song Yuanhuan's question, he audaciously questioned Song Yuanhuan in return.

"Good, very good." The boy didn't respond, but Song Yuanhuan had already confirmed his identity, his face as dark as a furnace and with a dangerous edge, "I'll settle the score with your dad." As an adult, he couldn't vent his anger on the children, but if the son does wrong, the father is to blame. It was not wrong to think that he could relentlessly beat Shi Yan Ting to vent his anger.

"What?" The boy looked shocked, at the thought of Song Yuanhuan going to find his father. If his father found out, what awaited him would certainly be a severe beating and grounding.

"Let's go," Song Yuanhuan ignored the boy's shocked expression, held his daughter and turned to speak softly to Xu Xiuxiu, "Let's go home; I'll handle this." Song Yuanhuan was extremely confident, assuring that brat would regret his actions dearly.

"Mhm." Xu Xiuxiu never doubted Song Yuanhuan's words. She nodded, hugged Song Chengguang in her arms, and all she wanted was to comfort her three children, hearing their cries, she felt such heartache she could barely breathe.

"Hey, if you have the guts, hit me, what's the point of tattling to my dad?" The boy who had previously been punished but was now indignant, his fists clenched as he rushed up to Song Yuanhuan and raged, "A man should solve problems in a manly way. Losing a fight and calling for parents is pathetic, I look down on you." Obviously, the latter part of his declaration was directed at Song Chengguang.

Song Chengguang, upon hearing this, the little guy was clutching Xu Xiuxiu's collar, cheeks puffed, his face flushed with redness, and, having just cried, he appeared somewhat troubled.

"So you picking on the younger and weaker with your gang is what you call skill?" Song Yuanhuan looked at him coldly, disdain clear on his face, "Kid, don't put on airs in front of me, get lost and call your old man Shi Yan Ting." Song Yuanhuan spoke without much courtesy.

"..." Perhaps Song Yuanhuan's words had truly hit a nerve, the boy, clutching his head, was almost jumping with frustration: "The trouble I caused, I'll deal with it myself, it has nothing to do with my dad, and if you're unhappy, you can beat me up, I won't make a sound." He spread his arms, blocking Song Yuanhuan's way.

"You little brat." Song Yuanhuan's face darkened, "Scared now? Useless, I'll only settle the score with your old man." Song Yuanhuan was not one to change his mind over a few words from the kid; he had long decided there was going to be a reckoning with Shi Yan Ting, no room for negotiation.

Concerned about the three children being frightened, Xu Xiuxiu, upon returning home, did everything she could to soothe them. Once the three kids calmed down and fell asleep from exhaustion, Xu Xiuxiu then took out some ointment to rub on Little Moon's reddened cheeks. Seeing the mark on Little Moon's cheek, Xu Xiuxiu's heart twisted with guilt, having already blamed herself the last time Little Moon got hurt, and now it had happened again.

Children are often like this, growing up with bumps and bruises, and injuries and scratches are all part of the process, yet as Xu Xiuxiu looked at Little Moon, her heart was filled with an extraordinary amount of distress.

And Song Chengguang, because of the fight with several other children, had quite a few bruises in different shades of blue and purple. As Xu Xiuxiu applied ointment on him, she couldn't stop her tears, wishing she could take his pain away. Song Yuanhuan and his brother Song Yuanming remained silent, both naturally man of few words; seeing Xu Xiuxiu so upset, comforting was even further from their ability.

"Stop crying, I will settle things properly with Shi Yan Ting," Song Yuanhuan promised, wrapping an arm around Xu Xiuxiu's shoulders: "Besides, boys are tough, it's just some superficial wounds. You've always pampered this kid, and he's grown up all fair and delicate, that's why the bruises look so severe."

Song Yuanhuan, used to genuine battles and wounds, felt empathy for Song Chengguang getting bullied but being a man, he didn't fuss over such things as a woman would. He thought these injuries weren't anything serious, it was just that the child had been bullied, and as a father, he would take responsibility to help his son get even. With that in mind, there was no need to be upset.

"How can you, as a father, not be heartbroken? Look, these bruises will take days to fade," Xu Xiuxiu sobbed, holding up a bruised patch on Song Chengguang's arm for Song Yuanhuan to see.

Song Yuanhuan frowned, "I'll return the favor to Shi Yan Ting, double." As he spoke, his jaw clenched tight.

Song Yuanhuan's words were not an idle threat. After soothing his wife and instructing Song Chengguang to start morning runs with Song Yuanming from the next day, he returned to the military academy. Back at the academy, he didn't rush to his dormitory; instead, he went straight to the family quarters of the military school, his presence formidable.

When Shi Yu, the boy who had bullied Song Chengguang, saw Song Yuanhuan appear at his doorstep, his face went white as a sheet, as he was currently being punished by standing in the corner by Shi Yan Ting.

"Shi Yan Ting, come out and let's have a little sparring session," Song Yuanhuan declared authoritatively.