CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER 304: DON’T WANT TO LEAVE

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the start of the school year. Song Yuan Yao and Song Yuanming had been in Z city for over a month now, their growth witnessed by everyone. The summer vacation was nearly over, and there was an overwhelming sense of reluctance to part as the siblings prepared to return to their schools.

After all, they had genuinely lived together for over a month—a shared rhythm peppered with the occasional friction and even the involvement in rescue operations during Z city’s largest rainfall in ten years, which all culminated in deeper bonds.

At the train station filled with farewells, Song Yuan Yao and Song Yuanming were exceptionally unwilling to let go of Little Moon and Little Baby, both siblings wearing gloomy expressions.

"I’ve been so comfortable here, I really don’t want to leave," Song Yuan Yao managed to say through her choked voice. Girls tend to be more emotional, and given her different experience working in Z city—more fulfilling days than she ever had in decades—her attachment was understandable.

"It’s fine; your vocational school is close to Z city. You can come visit during holidays," Xu Xiuxiu soothed her.

"Okay," Song Yuan Yao thought about it and managed to pull herself together. Her vocational school was just a little over two hours away from Z city by car—a manageable distance for visits.

"Jeez, it’s nice that your school is so close," Song Yuanming lamented. His high school was back in their hometown, and short holidays wouldn’t allow for visits to Z city. Thinking about this made him especially downhearted. "Sis-in-law, I’ll miss you too. Take good care of yourself, don’t push yourself too hard at work. If there’s heavy lifting in Soup City, just call out, the worker brothers are always happy to help. Don’t strain yourself."

Song Yuanming, who was more outgoing, would speak his mind without much concern for propriety. He genuinely thought highly of his sister-in-law, so as they parted, his concerns simply spilled out.

"Of course, you can’t focus solely on work either. You have to take care of Little Cheng Guang, Little Moon, and Little Baby. And also take good care of my second brother. He hasn’t recovered from his leg injury, and won’t have much income after joining the military academy. Don’t despise or reject him because of that." Song Yuanhuan wasn’t initially meant to be the topic of this conversation, but he couldn’t help but frown deeply as he heard Song Yuanming express his concern for Xu Xiuxiu. Those sharp eyes of his immediately showed a lack of trust as he chimed in with further admonishments to Xu Xiuxiu. His face grew even darker when he spoke.

"Uh!" Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t help but laugh, seeing Song Yuanming seemingly teasing Song Yuanhuan. She shook her head, "Don’t worry! Your brother holds a tall image in my heart. I will never despise him."

The boy was really something, making her seem like a wicked stepmother. Although she could be whimsical and unreliable at times, wasn’t she generally dependable? Was all this worry really necessary?

Xu Xiuxiu spoke with humor and seriousness, while Song Yuanhuan listened equally intently.

He, who had once been a towering figure his wife could rely on, now found himself dependent on her. The disparity wounded his pride, though he constantly told himself to work hard to become someone she could rely on once again. Yet, as a man, he couldn’t help but feel insecure at times. Now, hearing his wife’s sincere words, he realized any gap he felt was a figment of his imagination.

She said she’d never despise him! Thinking about it, Song Yuanhuan felt fireworks of joy in his heart. With a wife like her, what more could he ask for? To be a kept man, a pretty-boy husband—nothing could be more agreeable.

Song Yuanming had intended to comfort his second brother—who looked worryingly dark and stormy—but his reassuring words seemed only to worsen his brother’s scowl. Internally panicking, Song Yuanming mulled over his words, unable to find any fault. But then, thanks to his sister-in-law’s simple sentence, his brother’s mood visibly lightened, and Song Yuanming quietly sighed in relief, patting his chest. Thank heavens for his kind-hearted angel of a sister-in-law, else he dreaded to think what might have happened at the train station—Song Yuanhuan could have ended up pummeling him.

"Little Moon, Uncle will miss you. You must remember Uncle, okay? Don’t forget me, I’m the one who changed your diapers and fed you milk!" If you asked Song Yuanming what his greatest gain from his stay in Z city was, he’d undoubtedly say it was Little Moon. The bond between the uncle and nephew was strong, with Little Moon especially fond of following Song Yuanming around—aside from Xu Xiuxiu, Little Moon probably liked his Uncle Song Yuanming best.

Now that it was time to leave for his high school in his hometown, Song Yuanming was almost in tears at the thought of being away for months. He feared that by the next time they met at New Year’s, Little Moon might not even recognize him, and it weighed heavily on his heart.

"Ma..." Little Moon, not understanding what his uncle was saying, reached out towards Xu Xiuxiu with his little hands, sometimes nibbling on them, then happily extended his wet fingers to converse with Xu Xiuxiu. Even though it was baby talk and Xu Xiuxiu didn’t respond, the little guy was still beaming.

Song Yuanming felt a pang not receiving a response from Little Moon.

After a moment of silence, Song Yuan Yao, holding onto Little Baby and fighting back tears, spoke up, "Sis-in-law, you’ll come home for New Year, won’t you?" She was going back to school now and feared it would be New Year before she saw them again—if Xu Xiuxiu and the others didn’t return home for the holidays, a reunion might be difficult.

"We will," Xu Xiuxiu assured. Despite the chaos of returning home resembling a battlefield, they were bound to go back for the holidays, especially since this year Wang Qinghua was having a baby and her second older sister was due to give birth. She had to go back to see them. Such occasions were major events back home, and moreover, New Year was about family reunions—it was an obligation they couldn’t escape, no matter their desire.

"That’s good," said Song Yuan Yao, visibly relieved.

"Come on, let’s not dwell on the sadness. It’s just a few months away, and before we know it, it’ll be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and after that, it’s almost New Year," Xu Xiuxiu brightly consoled them.

"Uncle, Aunt, I’ll miss you too. Be good at school, okay? Be good and listen to the teachers, alright?" Today happened to be the weekend, and with Song Chengguang not going to daycare, he had insisted on coming to say goodbye knowing his aunt and uncle were leaving. Now he piped up, vying for attention.

Song Chengguang’s adult-like consoling prompted everyone to burst into laughter amidst the sadness, taken aback by how the small child’s words and actions could be so endearingly heartwarming.