I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 89 - 88: Going Back to Hometown for New Year

Lu Xiangxiang was always fearless, but Lu Jianhang was one of her invincible weak points. As soon as Yan Molin mentioned his name, Lu Xiangxiang deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle, her arrogance vanishing instantly.

It seemed true that every mean person has their match.

Yan Molin, seeing Lu Xiangxiang’s expression, gave a disdainful snort, and then, pulling the silent Xu He Ping, she turned and left.

After they had walked a good distance from the Military District rehearsal, Yan Molin instantly freed herself from Xu He Ping’s grasp with a huff, both moved and heartbroken at this foolish man who had stood up to take the scolding for her. "Xu He Ping, are you an idiot? Why did you just stand there and let her, Lu Xiangxiang, point at you and curse?"

Seeing Yan Molin furious, Xu He Ping, with his thick eyebrows, hurriedly defended, "Moli, no matter what, she is your sister. I was afraid she would hit you. Even if she curses me, it’s not like it would cost me flesh. I just listened, and it doesn’t affect me." Having always been good-natured, Xu He Ping didn’t bother about trivial matters with women; besides, he did feel somewhat guilty for his past misdeeds towards Lu Xiangxiang.

Hearing this made Yan Molin’s anger grow even stronger. Normally unflappable, Yan Molin’s face darkened, and after glaring at Xu He Ping for a long time, she finally suppressed the tightness in her chest. "Xu He Ping, next time if you dare to naïvely block me and stupidly take abuses from Lu Xiangxiang, beware, I might not let it slide. Remember, Lu Xiangxiang is like a mad dog, biting anyone she can. Don’t foolishly always give in to her reckless behavior." Yan Molin softened her tone as she spoke.

"I know, I just can’t stand to see you get scolded." Xu He Ping smiled appeasingly at Yan Molin. "Don’t be upset, I promise I won’t stand in front to take the scolding anymore, okay?" He earnestly promised to heed Yan Molin’s request.

With that promise, Yan Molin, despite her temper, calmed down. "You better remember what you said." She reiterated uneasily.

"Remember, definitely remember," Xu He Ping earnestly nodded.

...

Xu Xiuxiu was busy at Sichuan Pavilion until it was dark before she returned to her rented place in the city. Since it was too late and there were no vehicles going to the Military District, Xu Xiuxiu decided to stay in the city with Song Chengguang.

The house had been unoccupied for some days, and dust had settled on the pots and pans. Xu Xiuxiu, who was particularly obsessive about cleanliness, couldn’t stand the sight of dust, gritting her teeth as she dragged her tired body around to clean.

Song Chengguang, the little guy, was especially sensible. Even though he was tired from playing all day, he picked up a small bucket in the house and huffed and puffed trying to help, albeit more of a hindrance, for he had just brought water from a large basin outside into the house, soaking his clothes completely.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuxiu was so annoyed she almost twisted his ear, but ultimately, she suppressed her temper, lit the stove in the old kitchen at the back, skillfully boiled a large pot of bathwater, scrubbed the little guy in the tub, then tucked him into bed.

Xiuxiu had originally thought that it would take some effort to coax the little one to sleep, but to her surprise, the lively child had nestled into bed and drifted off into dreams quickly, even letting out a few soft snores of exhaustion.

Once the little one had fallen asleep, Xiuxiu once again immersed herself in cleaning. After a busy session, the clock was nearing midnight when Xiuxiu, unable to resist the invasion of fatigue, finally put down the broom and cloth and hurriedly took a quick shower before going to bed.

Xiuxiu was very sensitive to the cold. As someone with a frail constitution, her hands and feet would start to feel icy as soon as winter arrived, and even after warming up in bed for a long time, the sheets and blanket would still feel cold. Initially, Xiuxiu thought of just snuggling up with Song Chengguang to sleep, since the little one’s body was warm all year round and would make the bed comfortably warm in winter. However, considering Song Chengguang’s young age, she feared her own coldness might affect him and thus abandoned the idea, shivering alone under the blanket. It took her almost half an hour of self-soothing before she managed to fall asleep.

During the night, the sleeping Xiuxiu felt warm, as if surrounded by a fire, which was quite astonishing since it was the first time that winter she had woken up from the heat while sleeping alone. In her groggy state, Xiuxiu opened her eyes slowly, returning to her senses to find herself lying on a chest as warm as a stove, even encircled by a pair of strong arms.

"Song Yuanhuan?" Xiuxiu immediately woke up in fright and then asked tentatively.

Xiuxiu expected no reply, but as soon as she spoke, the person behind her head bumped into her neck, "Why are you awake?" His voice, muffled with sleepiness, was especially calming on this winter night.

"..." After confirming that it was indeed Yuanhuan behind her, Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, she suddenly grabbed Yuanhuan’s arm, brought it to her mouth, and bit it hard out of frustration. After letting go, she immediately burst out, "You scared me to death." She had gone to sleep alone, but had woken up in the middle of the night to find herself enveloped in someone’s embrace, which nearly made Xiuxiu scream in panic.

"Hehe!" Instead of getting angry about being bitten, Yuanhuan, upon hearing Xiuxiu’s complaint, laughed heartily, "It’s still early, close your eyes and sleep a bit more." After laughing, he tightened his hold, authoritatively pulling Xiuxiu closer to his chest.

Seeing this, Xiuxiu, amused, curved her lips and obediently closed her eyes, feeling much more secure as she fell asleep.

...

Time passed quickly; just after New Year’s Day had passed, the traditional Lunar Chinese New Year was approaching, and the weather was becoming colder, even having snowed twice recently. Song Chengguang, being very young, was experiencing playing in the snow for the first time. He was so fascinated by the fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky that he dragged Yuanhuan out and cheerfully made a small snowman in the courtyard of the city before stopping.

As the end of the year approached, business at Sichuan Pavilion was still booming, but Xiuxiu planned to go back to her hometown with Yuanhuan for the New Year. After all, they spent most of their time in Z city throughout the year, and their elderly family members were longing for their grandson but had not dared to mention it. They were waiting eagerly for the New Year when the family could reunite and celebrate together. Naturally, Xiuxiu and Yuanhuan couldn’t bear to refuse.

After planning to go home for New Year, Xiuxiu thought of just temporarily closing Sichuan Pavilion for half a month. They couldn’t earn all the money in the world, and it wouldn’t be bad to open for business again after the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. However, just before New Year’s, many regular customers had phoned Sichuan Pavilion just to inquire whether it would be open during the New Year period, saying they would make reservations in advance if it was open; the number of bookings just on New Year’s Eve had already reached capacity.

Seeing that there were quite a few advance reservations, Cai Qiufen and Su Juan, as the managers, were somewhat undecided, so they brought up the matter with Xiuxiu, hoping she could arrange for the business to continue operating during the New Year period.