I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 23 - 22: Cheng Guang’s Dependence

Sichuan Pavilion opened promptly at ten in the morning, and Xu Xiuxiu had been busy all morning until around noon or one o'clock when she finally took a break. Just as she had a moment to sit at the cash register, Cai Qiufen brought Song Chengguang to the Sichuan Pavilion.

When Xu Xiuxiu saw who had arrived, she was incredibly thrilled. She rushed forward and embraced Song Chengguang, who was reaching out his little arms towards her.

"Chengguang, did you miss mommy?" she asked, unable to stop herself from leaning in to kiss the little guy's cheek, radiating uncontrollable maternal love. After kissing him, she looked up at Cai Qiufen and Sister-in-law Cai. "Sister-in-law, how did you end up at Sichuan Pavilion?" Xu Xiuxiu inquired, holding the now teary-eyed Song Chengguang in her arms and then leaning down to kiss his little head again.

"Mommy, Chenchen missed you," the little guy said, wrapping his hands around Xu Xiuxiu's neck and planting several kisses on her cheek. He clearly missed his mom immensely.

"Mommy missed you too," Xu Xiuxiu replied, holding Song Chengguang, her voice tinged with pain.

Seeing Song Chengguang rush into Xu Xiuxiu's arms and the quick change to a livelier expression on his face made Cai Qiufen look at Xu Xiuxiu helplessly and complain, "This son of yours! He's missed you so much these past few days that he's lost all appetite." She spoke sternly as she looked at Song Chengguang, who she had catered to meticulously, yet without a half day of peace, only to have him become clingy the second he saw his mother. As she finished speaking, she raised her hand and tenderly touched the little guy's head.

She really liked Song Chengguang; on ordinary days, she thought he was very well-behaved when Xu Xiuxiu was with him. Still, she realized just how attached he was to Xu Xiuxiu only when she started caring for him herself. Song Chengguang behaved and listened only in Xu Xiuxiu's presence. If he couldn't find her, he would begin to get anxious, initially just turning his head and calling for his mommy, but then becoming silent and withdrawn when he couldn't find her. Today, he even began refusing food, and there was no convincing him otherwise.

And so, the normally plump cheeks that Xu Xiuxiu had nurtured had thinned in just a few days, and seeing this genuinely broke her heart. Thus, she got the address of Sichuan Pavilion from Song Yuanhuan and brought Song Chengguang on the military transport vehicle, determined not to inadvertently cause any harm while trying to help care for the child for a few days.

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"Sister-in-law, I am so sorry for the inconvenience these past few days," Xu Xiuxiu started with a touch of guilt in her voice. She truly hadn't anticipated Song Chengguang's deep dependence on her.

"It's no trouble at all! I'm too fond of him to worry. But how are we to manage if Chengguang refuses to eat without you?" Cai Qiufen felt somewhat exasperated; surely they couldn't let the child starve!

Feeling the weight in her arms and seeing the little rebel proudly knock his chin against her shoulder, Xu Xiuxiu began to ponder Cai Qiufen's question. Sichuan Pavilion temporarily couldn't function without her, but she couldn't bear to ignore Song Chengguang's misbehaving and refusal to eat, either. The best course of action seemed to be pushing up the recruitment of a head chef.

"Sister-in-law, could you possibly take care of Chengguang for a few more days, just until I hire a head chef to manage Sichuan Pavilion?" Finding a chef capable of managing the Sichuan Pavilion honestly wasn't a matter of a day or two, but with the recent opening of the Pavilion, she couldn't leave it unattended, so she reluctantly thickened her skin once more to ask Sister-in-law Cai for help.

"I don't mind looking after Chengguang, but he just won't eat!" Cai Qiufen replied, frowning, clearly somewhat unhappy with Xu Xiuxiu for neglecting Song Chengguang because of her business. As a traditional woman who had raised her son at home until he entered middle school and gave her some relief, she believed that women should stay home to care for their husbands and children and leave the money-making to the men. Plus, with Song Yuanhuan's capabilities and conditions, Xu Xiuxiu wouldn't lack food or drink even if she didn't open Sichuan Pavilion.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you also come work at the store? The business is booming, and we are short on staff. Sister Zhao and Su Juan are a bit overwhelmed. If you're willing, you could help with the cash register and also keep an eye on Cheng Guang for me," Xu Xiuxiu looked at Cai Qiufen with hopeful eyes.

This was the only solution she could think of; if Cai Qiufen was unwilling, she'd have to ask Yuanhuan to call his mother, Liu Shuxiang, to help out for a while.

"Help with the cash register?" Cai Qiufen looked at Xu Xiuxiu in surprise, hesitating before saying, "Xiuxiu, your sister-in-law here isn't that capable. What if I make a mistake?"

Managing silver coins was no trivial matter; even a small error could affect their relationship. But she thought about her daily life, which was just cooking and washing dishes, often eating alone. Helping out at Xu Xiuxiu's store seemed like a good idea; at least it would give her life some purpose.

"Sister-in-law, running the cash register is just about tallying up the accounts. The prices are all listed on the menu. You just need to settle the bill according to the order Su Juan makes. You can definitely do it." Xu Xiuxiu had faith in Cai Qiufen. She had heard from Yuanhuan that Sister Cai, when she was young, was a junior high school teacher in the city, and only left her job to marry Chief Han and take care of their family. She didn't believe that a former teacher couldn't handle running the cash register.

"Really?" Cai Qiufen was clearly tempted.

"Really, try it, Sister-in-law!" Xu Xiuxiu thought that if Cai Qiufen agreed, she could see her son every day and also lighten the workload for Sister Zhao and Su Juan, a win-win situation.

"I..." Cai Qiufen pondered for a while, "I should go home and discuss it with Han Xu's father first!" Han Xu was the only child of Cai Qiufen and Chief Han, fourteen years old, attending junior high in the city.

"Sure, no problem." Xu Xiuxiu readily agreed, thinking that since Sister-in-law Cai wanted to discuss it, there was still hope, "I just thought, if you were willing to help out at the store, it would be convenient to see Han Xu too."

Cai Qiufen thought about it, and Xu Xiuxiu's words did make sense. Her son Han Xu was now in junior high and usually stayed at school, only coming home on weekends. Though she didn't say much, as a mother, she did miss and worry about her son. Helping out at Xu Xiuxiu's place seemed not a bad idea at all.

"But what about accommodation? Your courtyard only has two rooms; am I supposed to cram in with you?" Cai Qiufen had visited Xu Xiuxiu's rented cottage, which had just two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. If she came to help, where would she stay since it was a bit far from the military base?

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about accommodation at all. I've actually been thinking of moving to a larger place." Xu Xiuxiu wanted to move because she felt it wasn't nice to always have Sister Zhao and Su Juan share a room, even though they didn't mind. But she thought it would be better if possible for everyone to have their own room.

After all, Sister Zhao was single and it was fine for her, but Su Juan had a man, and it occasionally became inconvenient. He would come to visit and feel embarrassed to enter the room, unable to exchange a few private words or show concern for each other.

"I'll go back and discuss it with Han Xu's father." Cai Qiufen seemed like she'd made up her mind; this time, the talk of discussion sounded more sincere than before.

This time, the discussion seemed genuine, and Xu Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and nodded.