CHAPTER 317: CHAPTER 317: CHENG GUANG PUSHED HER

Mrs. Song thought about Wang Qinghua giving birth, and she would have a C-section, which would definitely require hospitalization. Mrs. Song would surely need to go to the hospital to take care of her. But what about the three children at home? Xu Xiuxiu pondered and planned to find time to return to Song Family Village, but tonight was the burning of the last offering of paper money for her mother’s first seven days after death. She had to stay up all night to see if her mother’s spirit would come back home for a visit, for this was the only chance for her spirit to enter the home since she had died away from home. Xu Xiuxiu and her sisters also agreed that the rituals of tonight’s first seventh night must be taken seriously.

Although Xu Xiuxiu didn’t quite believe in these things, as someone who had been reborn, she couldn’t help but believe that there were indeed many things in this world science could not explain. It was just that we lived in a rather ordinary realm, so we couldn’t reach those things, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.

After the rites for her mother ended on the seventh day, as the funeral was drawing to a close, Xu Xiuxiu returned to Song Family Village early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, to see the three children.

"Mom, I’m back." Xu Xiuxiu walked into the Song Family home and saw Mrs. Song plucking a chicken in the courtyard; she smiled and greeted her.

"Xiuxiu is back! How did things go? The in-law’s funeral must be over now! I’ve been busy these days too, haven’t had the chance to visit again. Your elder sister-in-law gave birth to a plump baby girl the night before last through C-section, and I’ve been so busy that I’ve hardly touched the ground. Don’t mind me ha!" Mrs. Song put down the old hen she was plucking, wiped her damp hands on the apron in front of her twice, and looked at Xu Xiuxiu with some guilt.

"That’s okay, mom, you have a lot to attend to, and you’ve had to take care of my sister-in-law since she gave birth. Our family’s funeral had relatives to help out; it ended yesterday with the seventh-day service, so I came today to see the kids. You keep busy! I’ll help you out later when I’m free." Xu Xiuxiu exchanged a few pleasantries with Mrs. Song and, after knowing which room the three children were in, went directly inside.

Mrs. Song, watching Xu Xiuxiu walk into the house, thought of her grandson Song Chengguang, who had a high fever yesterday. Although he took traditional medicine and the fever had subsided, her heart still felt uncomfortable.

"Mama." Song Chengguang was in the room using a small spoon to feed the boy and girl twins chicken egg custard. Normally, he might even spill his own food, but now he fed his younger siblings skillfully. However, the little lad’s eyes turned red the moment he saw Xu Xiuxiu.

"Wow, our Chengguang is really amazing, already knows how to feed his little brother and sister?" After entering the room, Xu Xiuxiu saw how Song Chengguang was feeding the twins the custard and couldn’t help but admire him.

"Mama..." Song Chengguang’s eyes reddened as he looked down.

"Mom..."

"Mom..."

Little Baby and Little Moon heard Xu Xiuxiu’s voice. Being able now to sit up, they saw Xu Xiuxiu holding their brother and immediately started calling out to her, even pronouncing their words much more clearly than before.

Xu Xiuxiu looked at her children who, having not seen her for four or five days, were exceptionally affectionate. Her emotions were a mix of feelings. "Don’t cry, Mommy is back. What’s wrong? Did you miss Mommy?" Xu Xiuxiu was holding Song Chengguang, then kissed the boy and girl twins sitting on the bed.

"Mommy, Chengguang and the little brother and sister missed you so much!" Song Chengguang was now able to express himself, so unlike the twins’ excited jumping and dancing, Song Chengguang clung to Xu Xiuxiu’s neck, unwilling to let go for a long while, "Grandma wasn’t home the day before yesterday, neither was Grandpa, and Sister Niuniu bullied Chengguang and the little siblings, saying she would throw them to the wolves. Chengguang was scared, wanted to take the little brother and sister to find Mommy, but Chengguang couldn’t find Mommy and also couldn’t carry the little siblings. Chengguang couldn’t protect the little siblings well. The elder aunt wanted to bully the little brother, I wouldn’t allow it, so the elder aunt scolded Chengguang. The little siblings were hungry, Chengguang made formula, but yesterday Chengguang felt so dizzy..." He cried, "Mommy, Chengguang was so scared at that time! I thought I was going to die." Song Chengguang rambled as he spoke but managed to explain the situation nearly completely, then tears started streaming down his cheeks like rivers.

Of course, feeling young and not brave enough and unable to fulfill Mommy’s task to protect his little brother and sister was the most defeating thing for Song Chengguang these past two days. The little guy had even packed up things ready to look for Xu Xiuxiu, but he couldn’t carry his little siblings, only suffering through the headache, but now upon seeing Xu Xiuxiu and thinking of the grievances he faced at home these days, Song Chengguang felt helpless and sad. For the first time in his life, he desperately wished he could grow up fast to be tall like Dad, to protect his little brother and sister.

"Chengguang, don’t be afraid, Mommy is back. Mommy will protect you!" Xu Xiuxiu hugged Song Chengguang, knowing the child might have been under a lot of pressure these past few days. The boy and girl twins were still too young to understand anything, but Song Chengguang was already able to discern right from wrong, which made him even more frightened.

"Wuuu..." Song Chengguang cried out loudly, releasing his emotions, and seeing their brother cry, the boy and girl twins also started crying loudly.

Xu Xiuxiu struggled for a long while to calm the three children down, not until they cried themselves to sleep did Xu Xiuxiu leave the room. Mrs. Song was in the kitchen making old hen soup, sitting in front of the old-fashioned stove, occasionally adding a stick of firewood.

"Mom, how is my sister-in-law doing after giving birth?"

"She’s okay." Seeing Xu Xiuxiu enter the kitchen and inquire, Mrs. Song’s emotions were extremely complex. "It’s just, that day I wasn’t in the room either, your sister-in-law wanted to give birth herself, she’s particularly emotional towards the children, usually she doesn’t leave the room, but somehow knowing that the boy and girl twins were in the room, she went in to take a look, maybe thinking Little Moon looked pretty and wanted to touch her. Chengguang didn’t agree and accidentally pushed her. Unfortunately, she had a reaction right there because the baby inside her was too big, she had a cesarean section, and the doctor said she can’t have children anymore. Yesterday, after finding out, she threw a temper tantrum in the hospital and cursed, not acknowledging her own daughter." Mrs. Song sighed every time she mentioned Wang Qinghua, truly believing she must have sinned in a past life to end up with such a daughter-in-law. Thinking back on how she cursed Song Chengguang, and recalling the sudden high fever Song Chengguang had yesterday, Mrs. Song felt that his sudden illness was all because of Wang Qinghua’s curses.

"Chengguang pushed her a bit?" Xu Xiuxiu furrowed her brows and pressed further.

Xu Xiuxiu knew Song Chengguang’s temperament better than anyone, and there might have been some unclear circumstances, but the incident with Wang Qinghua happened just too conveniently at the time of the push; this indeed felt strangely coincidental and was indeed a serious issue. If Wang Qinghua insisted that it was the push from Song Chengguang that led to the premature birth, this situation could become much more complicated. Besides, since she can’t have children anymore, Xu Xiuxiu got an uneasy feeling, almost as if Wang Qinghua, the ’mad dog’, was shamelessly trying to pin everything on her.