I Became the Mother of His Child-Chapter 497: It Should Be Shen Qian

Song Yuanming and Song Qian, oh, no, I should say Shen Qian, changed her surname to her mother's after marriage — the two got married on the 16th of the first month after the New Year had passed. Both sets of parents were present, and the wedding was quite lively. Of course, at the same time, Wei Dafang also gave birth to a chubby son weighing six jin in early March after the New Year, finally allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief and giving Song Yuantao a son.

This year felt like a year when many good things happened; everyone seemed satisfied with life, and among these people, Mrs. Song was undoubtedly the most content. In one fell swoop, her eldest son's issue of lacking an heir was resolved, and her younger son's marriage was settled. Didn't that mean there were no worries left?

But people are such that they rarely feel content.

"I just hope that Qianqian can hurry up and give Yuanming a child, and then I'll be satisfied," Mrs. Song said with a tone of headache and worry after sharing the joy of Wei Dafang having a son with Xu Xiuxiu on the phone. However, she then spoke about Song Yuanming's matters.

Xu Xiuxiu felt dizzy as she listened on the other end of the phone, and couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth. Parents are always worried about their children, and once one worry is resolved, they move on to another. This never-ending cycle was amusing and vexing to Xu Xiuxiu.

However, Xu Xiuxiu was also a mother herself, and to some extent, she understood Mrs. Song's feelings. Shen Qian did not disappoint Mrs. Song's expectations and successfully became pregnant about half a year after the wedding. Because it was her first pregnancy, Mrs. Song was quite worried and hurried over to Imperial City early on, claiming she wanted to take care of Shen Qian. She even started persuading Shen Qian to quit her job and stay home to take care of her pregnancy after accompanying her to the hospital.

Shen Qian, however, was somewhat reluctant to leave her job. After all, in today's times, finding a suitable job was not easy, and layoffs were becoming more and more common. She was still in the early months of her pregnancy, and the various pregnancy symptoms were also quite mild. After inquiring about the company's benefits for pregnant women and learning she could start maternity leave at eight months, with a full three months of paid leave, Shen Qian was not willing to give up her work at all.

This very issue left Mrs. Song and Shen Qian at odds. Mrs. Song thought that today's women made a big fuss about childbirth, not like their generation, who would just find an experienced midwife at home. Once the baby was born, they would simply cut the umbilical cord, and that would be that. If the baby was tangled in the umbilical cord, there was no chance for a cesarean section — if the baby couldn't be born, they just had to blame their bad luck. Even though cases where both the mother and baby died were not unheard of in that era, they were, overall, rare.

But that was the norm driven by the circumstances of the times. Now that the family's situation was good, and her son Yuanming had the earning capacity to provide for Shen Qian and her unborn child. Although Shen Qian's job was nice, with good salary and benefits, and secured the so-called "iron rice bowl" of the state, every child in the family was either working or engaged in some business. Especially with Xu Xiuxiu, a legendary figure for comparison, Mrs. Song felt that Shen Qian's job was not essential. Plus, although Shen Qian's pregnancy symptoms were not pronounced, the doctor had said that she needed to rest in the first three months, because her childhood malnutrition made her pregnancy precarious.

Mrs. Song was horrified when the doctor expressed concern and believed she was urging Shen Qian to rest at home for Shen Qian's own good. She didn't even consider Father Song; she hurriedly packed her things and went to Imperial City, hoping to take care of Shen Qian. Yet, when her good intentions were rejected by Shen Qian, Mrs. Song was frustrated and turned to Xu Xiuxiu to vent.

"Xiuxiu, tell me if she's being reasonable. Why is she still so set on her job? It's just a hundred-some yuan a month, and our family isn't lacking that money. Why does she insist on going to work and tiring herself out? Back when we were pregnant, if we could rest well at home, we would have been so grateful! But as I was nearing childbirth, I still had to go up to the mountains to gather pig fodder, carrying back baskets and baskets of it, how tiring and tough it was. Now that she has the conditions to rest, why is she still being so stubborn and not listening to advice?"

Mrs. Song was talking in front of Shen Qian. At that moment, Shen Qian was just over two months pregnant and was sitting on the couch in Xu Xiuxiu's living room, with a speechless expression, as Mrs. Song scolded her. Her lips moved from time to time, and eventually, she couldn't help but speak up to justify her insistence on working.

"Mom, I understand your good intentions, and I know you're doing this for me, but everything is going well for me right now, and I don't think it's necessary to quit my job. Plus, our company treats pregnant women quite generously, with a full three months of extended leave! That's more than enough for the maternity period and everything." Shen Qian listened to Mrs. Song's rebuke with displeasure but still spoke up patiently, explaining her point. She didn't want to give up her job lightly, but she also could not ignore Mrs. Song's good intentions, even if Mrs. Song was not unreasonable. It was just that yesterday's check-up at the hospital revealed that the baby in her womb wasn't doing very well.

She wanted the baby to be healthy, but she also did not want to give up her job. She was determined to be extra careful with the baby in her womb. Wasn't that enough?

"Why won't you listen to reason? Have you forgotten what the doctor said? Is the child in your belly or your job more important? I think you've lost your sense of priorities," Mrs. Song was annoyed, feeling that Shen Qian was being too headstrong. After all, Shen Qian's condition wasn't as robust as Xu Xiuxiu's had been, and Xu Xiuxiu had also had the strength and ability. Plus, back then, Mrs. Song didn't want to leave a home without someone to take care of it to look after Xu Xiuxiu — a regret that persisted to this day. Now she had the time, and with Wei Dafang dutifully taking care of the household, she had happily rushed to Imperial City to take care of Shen Qian. But to find that her baby might not be in good condition, yet Shen Qian still insisted on going to work, Mrs. Song couldn't see the sense in it.

Heaven knows that when she heard the hospital's doctor say yesterday that the baby might not be well and couldn't be guaranteed to survive, her heart jumped to her throat. How could Shen Qian still be so set on going to work? What if something happened at work, then what would they do?

"Mom, I'll be careful. Also, I don't need to do any heavy work at my job. Most of the time, I'm just sitting in the office, just doing some accounting. It's not tiring. You want me to quit and stay at home, but I've only just become pregnant. Sitting idle at home would be such a waste!" Shen Qian continued to insist.

"It seems I can't get through to you," Mrs. Song said with a deep breath and a look of exasperation. After arguing with her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Song turned to Xu Xiuxiu, "Xiuxiu, talk to her, please. I'm only thinking of her best interests." With that, Mrs. Song sought to pull Xu Xiuxiu onto her side as an ally.