I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 19 - 18: Cold and Careful Heart

"Mommy..." Song Chengguang played on Yuanhuan's neck, his little hands originally wrapped around Yuanhuan's head were suddenly spread open and waved enthusiastically when he saw Xu Xiuxiu walk through the door, clearly missing her a lot.

"I'm back, I've prepared your meal and left it on the table. Eat it while it's still warm," she said as she set Song Chengguang down from her neck.

"Thank you," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, her expression unable to hide her disappointment as she sat at the small dining table.

Yuanhuan, holding Song Chengguang, stepped forward and sandwiched the little guy between his knees, letting him bounce with his hands around his thighs. Seeing Xu Xiuxiu's expression, he guessed her situation. "Couldn't find the right shop?"

He had some experience in business and knew that although the country was supporting private enterprises, not many people were brave enough to venture into business. Most feared losing their hard-earned money, so what seemed like simple business opportunities weren't easy to act upon, especially since Xu Xiuxiu wanted to enter the restaurant business.

"Yeah!" Xu Xiuxiu opened the lunchbox and nodded in response to Yuanhuan's question. "I've been out all day, checked quite a few places, but the suitable ones are too expensive, and the cheaper ones aren't suitable." At that moment, Xu Xiuxiu realized she had oversimplified the situation. Even though she knew about many opportunities and how almost everyone who started businesses in the eighties had succeeded, reality told her it wasn't as easy as she had imagined, probably just securing a location would wear her out.

This dampened Xu Xiuxiu's spirits, who had already imagined how to decorate the place, how to innovatively attract customers, and how to make her dishes extremely popular.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to see a shop. It's about fifty square meters, bought by one of my subordinates. It's in a good location, and a little refurbishment should do it nicely. The rent shouldn't be too high either," said Yuanhuan, holding onto Song Chengguang's little body, irritation evident as he watched his son trying to wobble over to Xu Xiuxiu and had to pull him back.

He had never realized how lively and clingy his son was towards Xu Xiuxiu.

Xu Xiuxiu, seeing Song Chengguang trying to walk toward her, knew the little guy wanted to be held, "Chengguang, be good. Mommy will hold you after I eat, okay?" Xu Xiuxiu soothingly pinched the little guy's upturned nose, then turned back to Yuanhuan, "Did you really mean what you just said?" She thought Yuanhuan didn't like the idea of her opening a restaurant, but why was he still helping her?

Was he trying to make her feel guilty by being both cold and a gentleman?

"Yeah, really," Yuanhuan nodded. "I'll take him to wash up first." He picked up Song Chengguang and headed straight for the bathroom.

Xu Xiuxiu looked up at Yuanhuan's fleeing figure, feeling the tightness in her heart gradually easing. At that moment, she faintly felt a little tree sprouting in her heart, and the idea of possibly having a nice life with Yuanhuan as a married couple freely fermented.

After dinner, Yuanhuan and Xu Xiuxiu silently stayed in the room for a while. When the clock struck ten, Yuanhuan got up in his military uniform, "I'm going to the barracks to sleep. Make sure to lock the doors and windows well. If you need anything during the night, you can call out; He Jingzhi and his wife live next door, and they are quite friendly." Worrying Xu Xiuxiu might feel uneasy staying alone in the house with the child, Yuanhuan explained before leaving.

Xu Xiuxiu's heart jolted, "Why don't you stay and squeeze in? Didn't you sleep well last night too?" The tolerance of Song Yuanhuan made Xu Xiuxiu feel somewhat guilty—she could not act recklessly just because she had occupied the original owner's body or because of her subtle feelings towards Song Yuanhuan.

She and Song Yuanhuan were husband and wife, an unchangeable fact. She knew very well how difficult a military divorce was; if she didn't want to ruin Song Yuanhuan's future, her only option was to continue living with him.

"The bed is too small," Song Yuanhuan frowned as he responded.

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

Although he was a soldier, he wasn't a fool. He could feel Xu Xiuxiu's resistance over the past few days, and he didn't want to force her, even though he didn't understand the reasons behind her resistance.

"Alright then!" Xu Xiuxiu didn't say much, just nodded and followed Song Yuanhuan to the door. She waited for Song Yuanhuan to descend the stairs and walk away before she closed the door.

That night, Xu Xiuxiu did not sleep well, perhaps because of the hard bed underneath her.

Life in the military was very regimented. Each morning, Xu Xiuxiu was promptly woken by the wake-up call. After cuddling with Song Chengguang in bed for a while, Xu Xiuxiu finally got up to start her day.

"Major Song's family, are you up yet?" Just as Xu Xiuxiu had finished getting ready and was about to wake Song Chengguang, there was a knocking at the door.

"I'm here, just a moment." Xu Xiuxiu abandoned the idea of waking Song Chengguang, turned around, and opened the door. She was greeted by a simple-looking woman a few years her senior. "Hello, may I ask who you are?" Xu Xiuxiu hadn't spent much time in her room these last few days and naturally did not know who lived next door, although Song Yuanhuan had mentioned it briefly the night before.

"I live in the room next to yours, He Jingzhi's wife, Ma Xiaohua. I've recently joined the military with my husband. You can just call me 'sister-in-law.'" People in the military seemed to have an inherently hearty and enthusiastic spirit. "Last night when Yuanhuan went to sleep in the communal dormitory, he stopped by our room to say that the dormitory was a bit far, and since he had to lead his men for a five-kilometer cross-country run in the morning, he wouldn't be able to bring you breakfast. He asked me to call you in the morning and show you the way to the cafeteria," Ma Xiaohua explained, her gaze sweeping over Xu Xiuxiu's figure, secretly thinking that Major Song was really fortunate—although she had heard his wife was from the countryside like her, she hadn't expected her to be as stunning as a TV actress.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll grab my lunchbox and come to the cafeteria with you," Xu Xiuxiu said with a smile, turning back into the room to pick up her lunchbox. She had initially wanted to take Song Chengguang with her, but seeing the little guy sleeping so soundly, she didn't have the heart to wake him. She gently moved him deeper into the bed before following Ma Xiaohua to the cafeteria.

Ma Xiaohua had been in the military with her husband for three months, and had seen many military wives of all sorts, but she had never seen one like Xu Xiuxiu, who wore long dresses and had skin as soft as tender tofu. This made her somewhat cautious around her.

"You've been here visiting your husband for a few days, right? How is it? Are you getting used to it?" Ma Xiaohua curiously asked as they walked to the cafeteria.

"Quite used to it, and quite interesting," Xu Xiuxiu replied. The allure of the military was something only those who truly understood it could appreciate—a charm that other places could not compare.