CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 313: SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIS TROOPS

Xu Fangfang immediately flashed a toothy smile, "That, Xiuxiu, about the money for hiring the funeral band, could you cover it for now? After the funeral arrangements are over, we four sisters will split the costs. I’m a bit strapped for cash and can’t come up with much all at once. These past few days, spending on paper money, preparing the coffin, hiring the Yin Yang Master and so on have really added up!" Xu Fangfang’s expression was one of discomfort, and though she looked embarrassed both in her words and on her face, anyone with eyes could see what Xu Fangfang was really thinking.

"Sure! I’ll cover it!" Xu Xiuxiu didn’t plan to argue with Xu Fangfang too much; if a few hundred dollars could solve the issue, then it wasn’t a big deal. Better to have one less problem. As long as no one pushed things too far or made it too ugly, she would just turn a blind eye during this period of mourning.

"Thank you, Xiuxiu! I’m going to get busy then. If you’re tired, go have a rest. It’s going to be seven days and nights, and if we don’t find an auspicious day, it might even drag on longer. Don’t take it lightly and take care of yourself," Xu Fangfang, seeing how easygoing Xiuxiu was, couldn’t help but get a little too familiar, advising her with the tone of an elder sister.

Xiuxiu silently looked at her and remained quiet. Perhaps realizing that she had gotten carried away again, Xu Fangfang flashed a sunny smile and hurried off.

Though hiring the funeral band was expensive, it indeed made the event lively. During this time of grieving, being able to secure a funeral band was considered quite a prestigious matter. Initially, Father Song had stayed inside the house, but when he heard the funeral band, he finally came out, though he seemed to have aged considerably all at once.

And so, after another day of busyness, around six or seven in the evening, Xiuxiu finally received a call from Song Yuanhuan. He had first called from the Imperial City to Z City, and after not getting through, he called back to the family home. It seemed that Mrs. Song had briefly mentioned Mrs. Xu’s passing to him, so now the breaths of Yuanhuan on the phone were notably heavy.

"Xiuxiu."

"Uh-huh," Xiuxiu responded quietly.

"Are you upset?" I, as your man, wasn’t there with you in your time of need and can’t even return for your mother-in-law’s funeral. Are you upset? These three words actually contained much more meaning, but eventually, Yuanhuan condensed them into a single, sparse sentence.

"A little."

The phone call wasn’t as clear as it would be in later years, but at that moment Xiuxiu could still hear the heavy and guilty breathing on the other end, "I’m sorry."

Xiuxiu felt a twinge at the tip of her nose. She was being too sentimental. Yuanhuan already had his own worries over there, and here she was being willful. She wasn’t really that upset.

"Yuanhuan, it’s okay. You’re a soldier; Mom would understand you." Xiuxiu thought and didn’t really feel much about it. She realized she was quite detached. Sure, she was saddened by Mrs. Xu’s sudden departure, but compared to Xu Jingjing and the others, the true depth of her emotions fell short. Despite doing all that was expected and crying all the required tears, everything she did seemed obligatory rather than a reflection of deep sorrow.

After what may or may not have been a comforting silence on the phone, just when Xiuxiu began to wonder if the call was still connected, "I miss you." The desire to see you, to be with you, to protect you – these words came in a low, magnetic voice laden with an understated intensity. Even across the great distances, hearing these words of yearning made Xiuxiu’s ears feel as if they were burning.

This normally reserved man, when had he learned such a potent way of flirting? Humph! Humph!

Xiuxiu thought to herself with sweet delight, "Yuanhuan, this morning Little Baby got burned." Xiuxiu spoke with a hint of guilt. Yuanhuan doted on their daughter. If he found out his little darling had been burned, would he take back those words of longing he had just uttered?

"Mhm, Mom told me."

So Mrs. Song had already mentioned it, yet he was still so calm. Given how anxious he usually was about Little Baby, shouldn’t he have been fussing over them a bit?

"Are you angry? I didn’t take good care of the kids," Xu Xiuxiu said, trying to use a tone that suggested she was a pitiable little thing who had made a mistake.

"Not angry. You already did very well. I can’t expect anything more from you," Song Yuanhuan said very seriously.

"Really." Xu Xiuxiu believed him in her heart, but she still mumbled to confirm once more.

"Really."

Xu Xiuxiu immediately felt cheerful again. Her lips turned up to the sky, and if she weren’t conscious of being in the village store making a phone call, if it weren’t for the storekeeper Aunt Ye watching her like a hawk with gossip written all over her face, she might have laughed out loud despite it being a time for sorrow.

"Alright, no more talking, I need to go home. Anyway, everything’s good here with me; don’t worry. And remember to take care of yourself in the Imperial City. If you lose weight when I come to find you in the Imperial City and those cans of milk powder aren’t finished, you’re going to be in big trouble, you know?" Xu Xiuxiu warned, though she couldn’t help but sound a little threatening.

"Mhm." Song Yuanhuan responded heavily.

Only then did Xu Xiuxiu slowly hang up the phone.

"Xiuxiu, that was your man on the phone, right?" No sooner had she hung up did the gossipy Aunt Ye from the store stick her head out and ask with a smile.

"Mhm." Facing someone who obviously wanted to dig up some big gossip, Xu Xiuxiu really didn’t want to talk much, but since they were all villagers, it didn’t seem right not to answer, so she responded with a cool "mhm."

Even with her cold demeanor, Aunt Ye seemed immune to the chill, "Can your man make it back home? Was he calling to say he’s coming home? But from what you just said, it doesn’t seem like it!" Whether Song Yuanhuan was returning was a question many in the village were curious about. Although Song Yuanhuan was a military man, he was also Mrs. Xu’s son-in-law. It was difficult to justify his absence from his mother-in-law’s funeral.

But what could be done about it? Can things ever be perfect?

"He’s tied up with military duties, stationed in the Imperial City. Just the train ride from there to here takes two days and a night. By the time he could get here, my mom will probably have already been buried. Plus, he just reported to the Imperial Capital School. The rules there are very strict; he can’t come back." Xu Xiuxiu spoke as if with regret, "But my in-laws are all very kind. Knowing he couldn’t make it, they’ve been here helping out this morning! Besides, Song Yuanhuan is a soldier, and obeying orders is his sacred duty. I understand that, and I believe my mom will understand too," Xu Xiuxiu declared righteously.

Aunt Ye was left speechless by Xu Xiuxiu’s words. She wanted to ask more but couldn’t. After a few perfunctory words, Xu Xiuxiu took the opportunity to flee.

"Sounds nice to say it like that, but if you can’t come, you can’t come, right? He’s just a soldier, isn’t he? What’s with all this talk about sacred duty to obey orders, huh!" Aunt Ye sat in her store, watching Xu Xiuxiu walk away, then snorted disdainfully, with both mockery and envy in her sound.