I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 11 - 10: An Incident on the Train

Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang truly adored Song Chengguang, not only because he was her first grandchild, but the little guy's cuteness alone made her yearn to cuddle him every day. Xu Xiuxiu had previously neglected Cheng Guang, so it only seemed natural for her to show him some affection, but now Xu Xiuxiu was so devoted to Song Chengguang that she held him in the palm of her hand, which made her own affection seem less noticeable.

Now that Xu Xiuxiu was about to leave to visit the military unit, if she could be persuaded to leave the grandson for her to care for a few days, Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang reckoned she would wake up giggling in the middle of the night.

"Mom, don't worry! I'll take good care of Cheng Guang, and I absolutely won't let anything happen to him," Xu Xiuxiu said, having no real concept of what trains were like at that time and unsure whether they were as chaotic as Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang had described. However, there was no way she would leave Song Chengguang at home; she wouldn't compromise on matters concerning him.

"Xiuxiu, child, why won't you listen! The train is so dangerous! There are so many human traffickers and pickpockets; a woman traveling with a child becomes an easy target," Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang had never taken a train, but she had heard plenty of exaggerated stories from villagers who had, which made her ideas about trains rather terrifying.

She certainly did not want Xu Xiuxiu to take her little grandson to such dangerous places, especially since the trip would take seven or eight hours!

"Mom, the train isn't as dangerous as you imagine," Xu Xiuxiu patiently tried to convince Mrs. Song, her tone revealing her steadfastness.

"You..." Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang was somewhat displeased, glancing at her gleefully bouncing grandson in Xu Xiuxiu's arms, and then helplessly nodded, "You handle it then! I'll go back and pack some dry goods from home for you." Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang left the room, clearly unhappy.

Watching Mrs. Song's departing figure, Xu Xiuxiu felt a twinge of guilt, but still, she had no intention of compromising on Song Chengguang.

Although she couldn't quite understand her own thoughts, she truly had no intention of yielding where Song Chengguang was concerned; after all, the little guy had suffered enough before, so now she wanted to take care of him personally whenever possible.

Three days after receiving a letter from Song Yuanhuan, Xu Xiuxiu visited her parents' home to inform them of her plans to visit the military unit, and on the fourth day, she set off for the military location.

Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang, though not thrilled about Xu Xiuxiu taking her grandson away, had still prepared plenty of dry goods and food for her—a few bags worth. Xu Xiuxiu found it overwhelming, and since she couldn't carry anything while holding Song Chengguang, she had no choice but to ask her uncle Song Yuantao to help take her to the train station in the county.

The train stations of the '80s were bustling with activity, likely because there were so few trains; the stations were teeming with people from everywhere. Anyone with claustrophobia would likely fall ill from staying there too long; it was no wonder Mrs. Song Liu Shuxiang had said trains were incredibly chaotic!

Uncle Song Yuantao was worried about Xu Xiuxiu traveling alone, so he personally escorted her to her train seat and made sure the bags of dry goods were properly settled before getting off the train. Soon, with a whoosh, the train slowly started to pull away from the station.

Xu Xiuxiu, holding Song Chengguang and sitting by the train window, watched as the little guy, excited by the novelty, joyfully looked around at the people sitting nearby and the scenery outside the window, babbling to Xu Xiuxiu for a long time—"look," "tree," "mom," "Duoduo"—his words were just a single or double syllables popping out, making Xu Xiuxiu laugh nonstop.

In fact, she could probably guess the meaning of the little guy's energetic words; he wanted her to look at the flowers and trees outside the window, and "Duoduo" was directed at a robust little boy sitting across from them, who, along with a woman, had boarded the train at the last station.

"It's 'big brother.'" Xiuxiu saw Song Chengguang talking to the little boy across from him and corrected him.

"Duoduo." The little one kindly repeated the word, which was noticeably more precise this time. Xiuxiu couldn't contain her joy, "Your little brother is learning to speak; he's calling you 'big brother'!"

"I know, little brother is so cute." The little boy was very spirited and didn't make a fuss after boarding the train; he sat obediently in his seat and only started talking when he heard what Xiuxiu said.

"You're also very cute." Xiuxiu had a bit of a bias for appearances and quite liked the earnest little boy before her, instinctively praising him.

Upon hearing the compliment, the boy's face immediately turned as red as a little apple. Then, he bashfully murmured a thank you, clearly not accustomed to Xiuxiu's praise.

"You've raised your child really well." Xiuxiu said to the woman sitting next to the little boy, guessing she must be his mother, as they seemed to share some resemblance, though the little boy had a noticeably more delicate appearance.

"The child's been clever since he was young." The modestly dressed woman affectionately patted the little boy's head, then fell back into silence.

Xiuxiu understood that the woman wasn't too keen on continuing the conversation and didn't insist, thus turning her attention to her own son. Watching the little guy's eyelids gradually get heavy and fall asleep, she massaged his head as he leaned against the train window.

As the train journeyed on, several hours passed in a blink, and Song Chengguang woke up when it was time for lunch. As people on the train began to eat, Xiuxiu, glancing at the time, opened her bag and took out the sweetened condensed milk she had prepared before leaving the house to feed Song Chengguang, while she slowly nibbled on a steamed bun, occasionally tearing off a small piece for Chengguang to gnaw on.

The woman sitting opposite, noticing that people on the train had started their lunch, glanced at the quiet boy beside her and then took out a flatbread from the bag near the window, tearing it in half and giving one piece to the little boy, who slowly began to eat once he took it from her.

After lunch, Song Chengguang was full of energy but, with Xiuxiu's gentle coaxing, drifted back to sleep. Meanwhile, the train stopped, and many more people crowded on, some with standing-room-only tickets, making a noisy commotion in the aisles and suddenly giving the train a mix of scents, making Xiuxiu feel overwhelmed and turning her head towards the window.

"Little brother, your big brother is really tired. You're small and won't take up much space, so why don't you give some of your seat to your big brother?" Suddenly, a rough-looking man approached the little boy opposite them and spoke, his shamelessness laid bare.

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The boy's face darkened, but he remained silent, while the woman beside him panicked at the sight, looking worriedly at the newcomer and then at the little boy, her eyes full of hesitation and concern, clearly debating whether to refuse or agree.

"This train is nothing like home, everybody is really tired, but what's up with you, a young, strong guy like you? The elder gentleman standing beside you hasn't even complained about being tired!" Most people on the train just watched without saying a word; perhaps they didn't want to trouble themselves or get involved, adopting an indifferent attitude.

Xiuxiu, watching the boy trying to endure, pursed her red lips then spoke up. Perhaps it was because she'd been single into her thirties in her last life, but her maternal instincts overflowed greatly, and she couldn't bear to see a child being mistreated.