I Became the Mother of His Child

"Uh! Look! Going back to our hometown from Imperial City by train would take almost thirty hours, which is way too long. Since we're not short on cash and we can afford it, I was thinking why not just buy a car, huh? Driving home is a long bumpy ride too, but at least it cuts the travel time by more than half! If we're tired, we can stop at a motel along the way and rest for the night, how about that?" Xu Xiuxiu excitedly described the benefits of having a car.

Unfortunately, trains in this era just have that one flaw! Due to the limited number of starting trains, there are many stops. During end-year spring travel, a twenty or thirty-hour train ride wastes a lot of time at these stops—it's enough to drive anyone insane! Xu Xiuxiu, having experienced the long train rides to Imperial City and the expensive, yet quick flights, thought buying a car was necessary.

"Do we have enough money?" Song Yuanhuan asked coldly.

"We absolutely do." Xu Xiuxiu held her head high, immensely proud, "With such a big investment in the early stages of Soup City, I even mortgage our house and Sichuan Pavilion. Now that it's operational and making money, earning enough to buy a car in two months would be way too mediocre if we couldn't!"

"Then let's buy it!" Song Yuanhuan knew that his wife was now very good at making money. Soup City's profitability was known to even ordinary people, considering it was the largest resort in the country, featuring a zero-pollution natural hot spring estate. Despite being in Imperial City, he paid attention to his wife's business and even heard about the illustrious resort during conversations among his military academy peers; it made him immensely proud.

Moreover, Song Yuanhuan always made decisions based on Xu Xiuxiu's preferences. Whatever Xu Xiuxiu wanted to buy, he never worried about whether they had enough money or whether it was worth it. If his wife wanted to buy a car, all he needed to know was if they had enough money for it; if not, he'd chip in. Other than that, he unconditionally followed her lead.

"Thank you, Mr. Song." Xu Xiuxiu wrapped her arms around his neck, flipped over and landed on top of Song Yuanhuan, "I just love how you spoil me unconditionally—it's incredibly sexy." As she spoke, Xu Xiuxiu softly blew air into Song Yuanhuan's ear.

"My dear, after sparking the fire, you are responsible for putting it out. Be good, let's sleep." Song Yuanhuan, having just been through a bout of activity, was confident he could go another round, but he wasn't sure Xu Xiuxiu could keep up. Out of love for her, he helplessly grabbed her hand to stop her from moving. This little lady wasn't great at putting out fires, but she definitely had a knack for starting them.

"Oh! But I want to drive a tank now!" Xu Xiuxiu playfully complained, wrestling her small hand from his grasp and boldly sliding it across Song Yuanhuan's solid chest, where her smooth little hand instantly sparked fireworks.

"My dear, what did you just say?" Song Yuanhuan raised an eyebrow and asked, feeling like a flame was being fueled by gasoline in his chest, burning intensely high. He inhaled deeply, desperately trying to stay calm.

"I said I want to drive a tank, is that a problem?" Xu Xiuxiu steadied her shy feelings, looked up annoyed at Song Yuanhuan, and her pretentiously cute demeanor instantly crushed his last bit of rationality.

"Sure, why not?" Song Yuanhuan's hands were scorching hot as they held Xiuxiu's slender waist firmly. His large palm gripped her waist and imperiously lifted her from his chest, "Lady wants to drive a tank, then we'll drive. But you must not ask to stop until dawn, okay?" Song Yuanhuan playfully bit her tender neck as he made his threatening statement.

Xiuxiu's eyes narrowed slightly, and although she was somewhat vexed by Yuanhuan's threats, she hummed and did not utter a word.

...

After a night of battling with the tank battalion, Xiuxiu fell into a deep sleep just before dawn. In contrast to Yuanhuan, who was still energetic after fighting all night, Xiuxiu didn't get out of bed until noon. If she had not remembered that it was the weekend and her family was at home, she might have continued sleeping obliviously well into the evening.

Xiuxiu had little knowledge about the cars of the '80s, but when the 1984 Hongqi brand became hugely popular—for weddings among other things—having a Hongqi sedan was quite a status symbol. Additionally, as Yuanhuan was a military man with a special affection for anything related to the country, Xiuxiu went ahead and bought a Hongqi sedan for more than forty thousand Yuan.

In her previous life, Xiuxiu knew how to drive, but in this life, her body's original owner had never been to the city and was just a country girl. The fact that she was so capable was already frightening enough, and since she was completely unfamiliar with 1980s cars, Xiuxiu decided it was best not to touch them at all for now. She planned to learn driving properly after returning to the Imperial City later that year.

Once the car purchase was settled, Xiuxiu eagerly awaited her trip home for the New Year. She packed and repacked her luggage, extraordinarily anxious. Her excitement for her first trip home for the New Year stemmed from a call from Jingjing, who planned to return home with Wei Jiaqiang over the New Year to get their marriage license and hold the wedding. The date was set for the sixth day of the first lunar month in 1986. Since Mrs. Xu had died less than three years ago, Jingjing and Wei Jiaqiang planned a modest wedding. However, they needed to host a dinner to inform the relatives and neighbors. The Xu Family had been quiet since Mrs. Xu's passing, which made the upcoming buzz even more special for Xiuxiu.

To be honest, Xiuxiu was happier than anyone else about Jingjing and Wei Jiaqiang's upcoming marriage. So much so, that she even dragged the family's kids and her brother-in-law, Yuanying, who had just finished his English tutoring classes, to buy a large color TV set for Jingjing as a wedding gift. Needless to say, Xiuxiu didn't forget her in-laws on the other side.

Now that money was no longer an issue, having bought a car and a grand TV for her sister's wedding, Xiuxiu aimed to keep her in-laws content when returning home for the New Year, buying not one but two color TVs, planning joyful times around television.

Back in her hometown, those with some capabilities only had black-and-white TVs. Xiuxiu's gift of a large color TV was the first for the Song Family Village and was sure to delight Father Song and Mrs. Song.

The days passed with Xiuxiu eagerly awaiting Yuanhuan's leave from the military.