I Became the Mother of His Child-Chapter 496: The Beauty of Love

Because she had followed Song Yuanming to spend the New Year with his family, Song Qian's parents back in her hometown had always been worried. Upon hearing her call home, both parents rushed to the phone and took turns asking how she was doing, and what the situation was like with the Song Family.

"Dad, Mom, you both can rest assured! Everything is really good here, Yuanying treats me well, and the Song Family is kind to me too. Back in my hometown, I always had to get up early, but today it snowed here, and I even slept in, I feel a bit embarrassed!" Song Qian said somewhat shyly, her gaze drifting towards Song Yuanming, who stood considerately at a distance.

When she thought about how everyone in the household was already up when she woke up, she felt especially embarrassed. As the future daughter-in-law about to join the family, her parents had drilled into her before leaving that she needed to be observant and attentive—how could she have slept so soundly! It must have made a poor first impression!

"Hey, you girl, when you go to someone's house, we told you to be more observant, how could you oversleep!" Song Qian's mother said, half-annoyed and half-amused, but through these few sentences, she could tell that the other family was easy to get along with. However, without deeply understanding them, one could never be sure, after all, everyone has their own thoughts behind a closed stomach, but if they were willing to be accommodating now, it was definitely better than being nitpicky and fault-finding from the start.

How a marriage and life together turns out, only time will tell. Anything else said is of no use.

"Mom, don't worry! I'll learn more from the two sisters-in-law here. But there seems to be a tradition, saying that men and women with the same family name can't get married? Mom, how can there be such a saying?" Song Qian said, her words carrying a hint of inquiry.

"Isn't that so! When you brought Yuanming home a few days ago, your father and I completely forgot about it. Although there's no such saying that people with the same surname can't marry here, most people still try to avoid it. Your father and I are aware of it, and we have been anxious about it ever since you left home. Tell Mom, what does Yuanming's family plan to do? You both have the same surname. What's their plan?" Song Qian's mother spoke, not particularly overreacting, just concerned about what the Song Family had said and planned to do.

"They didn't say much, just asked me if I'd be willing to change to my mother's surname, which means taking your surname, Mom. If I don't agree, they suggested that Song Yuanming could change to follow his mother's surname," Song Qian said without much confidence, bracing herself for her parents' bombardment and fury.

"You change to your mother's surname, huh? Fine! Your father and I have thought about it too, probably the only way to handle it. After all, Yuanming is your future man, your future sky, and there's no reason to have Yuanming, a grown man, change to follow his mother's surname. Qianqian, Mom tells you, it's all right, changing to your mother's surname is good," Song Qian's mother quickly agreed upon hearing this.

Song Qian had thought her parents would strongly oppose her changing her surname and had mentally prepared herself to persuade them. Unexpectedly, her parents had already considered this possibility. Although the rule that a couple should not share a surname wasn't a serious issue, they knew that some places were particularly taboo about it, much like how some people resolutely avoid eating any animal innards.

"Qianqian, your mother is right, we also support you in changing to your mother's surname. You tell the in-laws that we have no objections to you changing to your mother's surname, and from now on, you can call yourself Shen Qian. Ask Yuanming about the other arrangements on their end, and if they decide on a date, then we definitely need to find a time for both parents to sit down and meet. Actually! As long as their family is willing to treat you well, without resenting that after you marry Yuanying, you'll still look after your own family, we won't have much else to say," Mr. Song spoke on the phone, his tone serious and sincere, largely considering Song Qian's perspective.

"Dad, thank you. I thought I was going to upset you again over this!" Song Qian's eyes reddened on the other end of the line. She had practiced her plea over and over in her heart, waiting for her parents' anger, fearing they would be heartbroken and disappointed. To her surprise, their decision and capacity for acceptance were beyond her expectations.

"What are you talking about, girl? Changing to your mother's surname is not a big deal! No need for such a fuss," Father Song couldn't help but chide Song Qian lightly. Once married, a daughter becomes part of someone else's family, so whether or not she changes her surname is trivial. This was also one of the reasons why people in the '70s and '80s tended to favor boys over girls: they always felt that raising a daughter was like raising someone else's child until she grew up sensible, and then she'd marry and leave, leaving her parents without much of her care. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Okay! Thank you," Song Qian said, still wiping away tears, and her mood improved considerably after hanging up the call, her whole state relaxing.

"All done?" Song Yuanming saw Song Qian put down the phone and stepped closer with a smiling inquiry, "Are your parents okay on their end?"

"Yes, they're fine. I also told my parents about me following my mother's surname, and they agreed," Song Qian said, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Following your mother's surname?" Song Yuanming was also a bit surprised, possibly because he had heard someone mention the matter of sharing the same surname, and then he had an epiphany followed by a grateful look at Song Qian, "You've been put through a lot with this! Rest assured, I will be doubly good to you in the future."

"You've said it, so don't back out, okay!" Song Qian tilted her face up, her expression clearly showing, "I've heard it and taken it to heart; you can't just say things to appease me."

"Of course," Song Yuanming chuckled lightly, and then, hand in hand with Song Qian, they walked home through the deep white snowdrifts. The snow had made the outside particularly cold, and not many were willing to venture out, naturally affording the couple some intimate time together. Song Yuanming's large hand clasped Song Qian's small one as they moved along at an exceptionally leisurely and steady pace.

Perhaps it was because they had found the right person, the weather was exceedingly cold, yet their clasped hands were unusually warm, also filled with anticipation for their future life together.

"Song Yuanming, it's really nice to be able to walk hand in hand with you like this," Song Qian turned her head to look at the handsome profile of Song Yuanming by her side and spoke her heart's truth with deep affection.

"Yeah!" Song Yuanming just turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

Although he didn't say much, that warm gaze clearly told Song Qian that this man also shared the same feelings. On this cold day after the snow, two young people about to become husband and wife used their own unique language to express the beauty of love.