CHAPTER 306: CHAPTER 306: DON’T CRY ANYMORE

"The wife is responsible for making money to support the family, and I’m responsible for being a pretty face living off you, so Mr. Song works hard to understand his lady, trying his best not to hold his wife back," Song Yuanhuan said, pecking her red lips gently before he spoke slowly.

...

Xu Xiuxiu glared at him, "What kind of nonsense are you talking? You don’t look like someone who could live off someone, and I don’t have the capability to support your pretty boy face! I’m still waiting for you to rise through the ranks so that I could be the lady of a colonel, a major general, a vice admiral, or an admiral!" Xu Xiuxiu said, dreamily, "Mr. Song, would that be nice?" Xu Xiuxiu then clung to him coquettishly.

The lady of a colonel, a major general, a vice admiral, an admiral... It seemed his wife had quite the appetite and a long-term vision!

"Alright, I will try hard," Song Yuanhuan replied under great pressure as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Hmm, not bad, promising, I like it," praised Xu Xiuxiu with a smile, then she tip-toed to initiate a kiss, of course doing so by taking the initiative to hold his face and entice him.

Xu Xiuxiu was a typical case of having a clean exterior but a naughty interior, like an peeled egg, yet she had a particularly awkward and twisted disposition in marital life. It was usually Song Yuanhuan who took the initiative, with her going along half-heartedly until she was consumed utterly. However, once she felt guilty inside, she would become a completely different person, enthusiastic, unrestrained, and bold.

So, on this night of parting, with the moonlight even more beautiful, the conjugal life in the main bedroom was even more harmonious.

...

The next day, Xu Xiuxiu saw off Song Yuanhuan. Originally, she wanted to personally accompany him to the Imperial Capital School, but he was joined by a comrade-in-arms, and Song Yuanhuan also worried about leaving the kids at home without Xu Xiuxiu, plus his leg, though not good for walking, bore the deep mark of over a decade of military life. So, he stopped Xu Xiuxiu and took the train to Imperial City by himself.

After sending off Song Yuanhuan and returning home from the train station, it was already nine in the morning, and the twins were awake, taken care of by Aunt Luo. Upon seeing Xu Xiuxiu, the little ones started babbling as if they were trying to converse with her.

"Mommy, sister must be missing daddy," Song Chengguang said as he wriggled his small hand free from Xu Xiuxiu’s grip and ran to Little Baby’s side, "Sister, don’t be scared, even though daddy went to Imperial City, brother is still here! Don’t be afraid!"

Song Chengguang had accompanied Xu Xiuxiu to the station and probably understood the significance of going to the train station, that it meant separation, so he felt quite down on the way home. The little guy even asked a bunch of questions. Why is daddy going to Imperial City? Why does daddy have to take the train? How long will daddy be gone? When will daddy return? He’s going to miss daddy a lot, and so on, incessantly questioning.

Xu Xiuxiu herself was initially in good spirits and had mentally prepared for a temporary separation from Song Yuanhuan. After all, he was a soldier used to being dispatched on missions every now and then, and she had gotten accustomed to it. Moreover, she was also busy with her Soup City business lately and basically had no time to think about him. However, on the way home, incessantly queried by Song Chengguang, she herself almost felt like crying. She hadn’t expected that Song Yuanhuan’s departure would make the home atmosphere so dull and strange.

"Dada," Little Baby responded to Song Chengguang’s words, hearing her brother calling for daddy. Immediately, she opened her wide, clear eyes and scanned around the room. Failing to find him, she looked at her mother, Xu Xiuxiu, with a puzzled and forlorn expression, "Dada?" She was asking for her daddy.

"Daddy’s not here, oh! Little Baby needs to be good, be very good, and soon we can go see Daddy," said Xu Xiuxiu, trying hard to suppress her emotions before coaxing Little Baby with a smile.

"Pull?" Little Baby continued stubbornly calling out, her lips pursed in an expression of grievance.

"Ma!" Little Moon, hearing her sister call out, also ran out to make her presence felt.

Xu Xiuxiu looked at the boy and girl twins, realizing that only Aunt Luo was left at home to take care of the two children. The twins were not the type to cry and fuss, so the house was fairly quiet. Xu Jingjing had already gone out to Sichuan Pavilion early this morning, and suddenly Xu Xiuxiu felt uncomfortable herself. The house had been bustling with noise until yesterday; she had grown accustomed to it and was now uneasy with the sudden silence.

"Be good, Mommy will try to take you to find Daddy soon, okay?" Xu Xiuxiu thought as she considered resolving things quickly to move to the Imperial City.

"Really? Can Chengguang also go to the Imperial City? Can we visit Grandpa Mao?" Song Chengguang, who attended nursery school and had begun learning to count, also remembered the names of several major cities. Though the little fellow had never been to the Imperial City, he still wore an eager expression.

"Mm, Chengguang is so smart, you already know about Grandpa Mao. Alright, Chengguang will go to the Imperial City, and brother and sister will go too. Shall we all go to the Imperial City together?" Xu Xiuxiu rubbed Song Chengguang’s head.

"Yay! We’re going to see Grandpa Mao!" Song Chengguang celebrated happily, wiggling his bottom while standing on the sofa.

Suddenly, the firmly locked front door burst open, and in the next moment, Xu Jingjing ran in with red eyes, looking rushed and panicked: "Sis." Xu Jingjing had lost her usual calmness; her whole being seemed frantic and helpless.

"What happened?" Xu Xiuxiu wondered as she saw Xu Jingjing crying and throwing herself into her arms. "Si Ya, can you stop crying for a moment? Tell me what happened?" Xu Xiuxiu softly stroked Xu Jingjing’s hair.

"Sis!" Xu Jingjing sobbed uncontrollably, the second time Xu Xiuxiu had seen her like this. The first was back at their hometown when she had decided to seek revenge at any cost, and now this was the second, signaling to Xu Xiuxiu that the situation must be far from simple.

"Si Ya!"

"Wah, Auntie, don’t cry, please stop crying? When you cry, Chengguang wants to cry too." Song Chengguang had been happy about the idea of the whole family going to the Imperial City when Xu Jingjing came in crying. The little guy had never encountered such a situation before; Xu Jingjing usually cheered him up with her hearty laughter. Now, with Xu Jingjing crying uncontrollably, Song Chengguang was scared and bewildered. After staring at her for a long while and seeing her emotions still wildly fluctuating, he was at a loss for how to comfort her and ended up crying himself.

Song Chengguang had long eyelashes, and when he cried, they clumped together, but despite this, the little guy still stretched out his chubby hands, imitating Xu Xiuxiu’s actions, climbed up on the sofa, and gently patted Xu Jingjing’s back.

"Auntie, don’t cry. Chengguang will protect you," he said with his little mouth puckered up, his attempt at comforting quite effective.

"Good, Auntie won’t cry." Song Chengguang’s efforts did help, as Xu Jingjing’s emotions calmed down slightly. She reached out and pulled Song Chengguang into her arms. "Sis, something has happened to Mom," Xu Jingjing choked out, struggling to hold back her tears, but as soon as she finished speaking, they started to fall again, drip by drip.