I Became the Mother of His Child-Chapter 494: Easy to Solve Troubles

"Okay! You think about it tonight, and rest up quickly now! It gets very cold here at night, I need to go back and rest in my own room." As soon as Xu Xiuxiu conveyed her message, she immediately looked for an excuse to leave, citing the cold as a pretext, but being frozen like a dog was also a fact.

"Okay, sister-in-law, take care." Song Qian politely stood up to see Xu Xiuxiu out of her room.

"Alright, you get some rest early too!" Xu Xiuxiu waved her hand as she left and gently closed the door behind her.

Actually, when Xu Xiuxiu went to speak with Song Qian, Mrs. Song was already in the main room, craning her neck to probe the situation. Seeing Xu Xiuxiu come out, she immediately came over, her face filled with tension and curiosity: "Xiuxiu, what did Qianqian say? Is she willing to take our family name? Was she unhappy?"

Mrs. Song was genuinely worried, hoping all her children would be well, but felt that she could not break the rules. She knew in her heart that the girl must be uncomfortable, yet she still was not planning to make an exception. At that moment, although she was happy that Song Yuanming was finally going to start a family, there was also a sense of regret within her.

If the bride-to-be was not from outside but from a nearby village, such difficulties wouldn't arise, as adapting the mother's surname would be automatic due to custom. But because Song Qian was a girl from another place, it made her head hurt worrying that the girl might harbor grudges.

"Mom! Qianqian said she needs to think it over and will call her parents tomorrow to see what they say. After all, as someone's daughter, there's no reason to change her surname without informing her parents," Xu Xiuxiu, holding Mrs. Song's hand, said while walking towards the fireplace in the main room.

"That's only right, only right." Mrs. Song wasn't surprised by this answer at all; she nodded in agreement, then sighed helplessly, looking at Xu Xiuxiu: "It's not that I want to meddle unnecessarily. Truth be told, I don't wish to be a busybody old woman at all. I'd like to be a mother-in-law who just lounges and doesn't concern herself with anything, just like in other families. But Yuanying is my youngest, and I want him to have a good life. These old customs of our family have been passed down from generation to generation; we can't just disregard them and become gossip fodder!"

This is the difficulty of being a mother; what she thought and did was actually in line with local traditions and was appropriate. However, not everyone might accept it. Mrs. Song was a person with a sense of propriety and had a clear idea about many things. It was only her concern for Song Yuanming's well-being that she couldn't resist.

"I understand, Mom. You've always wanted the best for us. Don't worry. I think Qianqian is a respectful girl; she should agree to take the family name," Xu Xiuxiu comforted Mrs. Song again.

Whether Song Qian would agree, Xu Xiuxiu wasn't sure herself; but if she didn't, Mrs. Song's happy mood might significantly drop. These days, when parents meddle, it can make it very difficult for a couple to have a good relationship.

"Sigh! There's no one else I can talk to about what's on my mind. Da Fang is pregnant, and Qianqian has not yet joined the family. At home, it's either the children or the adult men, so there's no one I can speak candidly with. I'm grateful to have you around. You've always been the least of my worries," Mrs. Song said with a smile, then pulled Xu Xiuxiu to sit beside the stove in the main room to warm themselves.

"Mom, you've had your share of worries over me in the past few years," Xu Xiuxiu joked, then looked at the family gathered around the stove, including Song Yuanhuan and his children: "What are you guys doing? Yuanhuan, it's already eight o'clock at night; why haven't you taken the kids to sleep yet? It's so cold at night!"

"Exactly! Oh dear! Hurry up, both of you take the kids to wash up and go rest in your rooms. It's gloomy outside, and it might snow heavily tonight. Go back to your clean rooms and rest." Mrs. Song immediately echoed Xu Xiuxiu's words. Noticing Xu Xiuxiu's three little rascals still gathered around the fire stove, craning their necks with faces full of anticipation.

Because of this furnace, the Song Family's main hall was warm and cozy. Despite Song Yuanhuan being a leader in the military, the moment he returned home, he would play and frolic with the three children, father and offspring alike surrounding the stove, earnestly waiting for the roasted sweet potatoes to be perfectly done.

"Grandma, Mom, Dad's making roasted sweet potatoes for us! We'll wait until the sweet potatoes are ready and eat them before we sleep." The speaker was Little Baby, the little girl in Imperial City, who had surely eaten roasted sweet potatoes before – plenty were sold on the streets – but her saliva was flowing just the same.

"Glutton," Xu Xiuxiu said as she walked over to fasten the little scarf around Little Baby's neck. Because they were in the main hall, it was warm, and the little girl felt hot, so she had loosened her scarf. But Xu Xiuxiu wouldn't allow the girl to do so; the cold wind outside was blowing fiercely – how could she not feel cold?

"Dad? Are the sweet potatoes ready yet?" Little Baby didn't object to Xu Xiuxiu calling her a glutton. Her little face was rosy, and after Xu Xiuxiu had fastened her scarf, she turned her head to ask Song Yuanhuan the question she had already asked five times that night.

"Almost ready," Song Yuanhuan replied with great patience once again.

"Yay! Soon I can eat the sweet potatoes Dad roasted. Little Baby is so happy!" Little Baby ran to Song Yuanhuan and hugged his legs, swinging them joyfully.

Although the little girl had grown up, she still had the habit of hugging people's legs and acting coquettishly. Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan found this habit the hardest to resist. But the girl, cute and well-behaved, coupled with her refined "Flattery Skills," made it impossible for Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan to resist her.

"Then Daddy will roast sweet potatoes for you tomorrow too," Song Yuanhuan promised another round of sweet potatoes for the next day within minutes.

"Thank you, Daddy," Little Baby looked up, nodding with a satisfied, beaming smile.

"Just spoil her! Be careful she eats too much and gets heaty, and ends up with a face full of pimples that'll worry you in a couple of days," Xu Xiuxiu teased Song Yuanhuan with a laugh. This wasn't an unfounded concern; Little Baby had beautiful skin, but sometimes eating too many heaty snacks, unable to control her appetite, would result in a pimple or two on her face. The girl was so vain! Seeing even one pimple, she would cry a river, and Song Yuanhuan would end up feeling the most heartache.

At Xu Xiuxiu's words, a sense of regret and conflict immediately appeared on Song Yuanhuan's face.

Little Baby, apparently still haunted by the last pimple incident, looked at Xu Xiuxiu with a dazed and adorable expression. Fortunately, Mrs. Song chimed in with a laugh, smoothing things over, "Roasted sweet potatoes can indeed cause heatiness. We'll have some today and that's it. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and Grandma will make you a pile of delicious things. Our Little Baby will eat so much, you won't even remember sweet potatoes." Mrs. Song stroked Little Baby's head, soothing her.

"Mm-hmm!" Hearing this, Little Baby's eyes immediately sparkled. It has to be said, the troubles of a glutton are easily solved.