CHAPTER 344: CHAPTER 344: TIANANMEN SQUARE

Song Yuanhuan’s rented place was quite nice—convenient for commuting and the like. After solving the rumbling hunger, Xu Xiuxiu and the others then returned home. It was then that Xu Xiuxiu took a serious look at the house and saw that the furniture and kitchenware were all well-prepared. Basically, as soon as Xu Xiuxiu bought some ingredients, she could cook for herself. This showed that Song Yuanhuan had prepared everything quite meticulously.

Because Song Yuanhuan’s military academy only gave a two-day holiday, and one day had already been ’wasted,’ they had plans to take the kids to some of the more famous spots in Imperial City the following day. Therefore, that night everyone conscientiously went to bed early to rest up for a day of fun tomorrow. Even Xu Jingjing was particularly understanding and bravely took it upon herself to take care of all three kids in the side bedroom, leaving the master bedroom to Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan, the couple who had long been separated, to have some privacy.

Song Yuanhuan truly wanted to give his sister-in-law an extra-large red packet to show his gratitude for her perceptiveness—she was really too sensible, wasn’t she?

"Wife." After a night of affection, Song Yuanhuan contentedly rubbed his wife’s slender waist and nuzzled his head against her neck, emitting a satisfied sigh in a gentle and soft tone.

Two or three months, ah! It had been a full two or three months since he had last held his wife, and it was a feeling he missed day and night.

"You are so wonderful, wife," Song Yuanhuan couldn’t help praising her.

Having sat on the train for an entire day and sorted through a pile of luggage in the afternoon, and after being playfully toyed with by Song Yuanhuan recently, Xu Xiuxiu was already extremely tired. With eyes closed and looking like she would fall asleep at any moment, she grew irritable when Song Yuanhuan kept talking about his longing for her, and so, frowning, Xu Xiuxiu acted petulantly.

"Shut up, let’s sleep," said Xu Xiuxiu. She turned over and nestled her cheek into Song Yuanhuan’s chest. Despite not having enjoyed this embrace for some time, it felt exceptionally natural and familiar now.

"Alright, let’s sleep," Song Yuanhuan instantly sensed her exhausted state and tenderly kissed her hair, holding her closely. Seeing her fall into a deep sleep within moments, Song Yuanhuan, still full of energy, was reluctant to close his eyes for a long time. Those two months of intense longing were just too powerful. Now that he had his wife in his arms, how could he willingly fall asleep without first watching over her sleeping form until he felt satisfied?

Unaware of Song Yuanhuan’s complex thoughts, Xu Xiuxiu slept soundly through the night, her fatigue causing her to sleep straight until morning. When she awoke, Song Yuanhuan had already gotten up, which Xu Xiuxiu guessed meant he must have gone out to buy breakfast. True enough, just as Xu Xiuxiu had finished washing up, Song Yuanhuan returned with breakfast in hand.

"Daddy." Song Chengguang had slept for a long stretch and seemed to have adapted to the environment upon waking up. Then, seeing Song Yuanhuan enter with soy milk, dough sticks, and steamed buns, the excited little one, still in pajamas, bounced over to Song Yuanhuan and wrapped his hands directly around his father’s legs.

This was a habit of Song Chengguang’s; being small in stature, hugging legs was the best he could do.

"Son, did you sleep well last night?" Song Yuanhuan bent over to lift Song Chengguang into his arms, kissed his cheek with his slightly stubbly chin, and then playfully rubbed it against his cheek to tease him.

"Hehe! Daddy, stop pricking Chengguang, it tickles!" Song Chengguang dodged Song Yuanhuan’s playful ’attacks,’ while bursting into involuntary laughter. His laughter and the atmosphere were something Xu Xiuxiu had not felt at home for a long time, and seeing this, she couldn’t help but smile with her eyes narrowed.

"I’ll tickle you, I’ll tickle you!" Song Chengguang wasn’t about to let himself off easily, after all, he had been separated from his son for many days and missed the kids.

His response was Song Chengguang’s unstoppable laughter, on this cold winter morning, the playful banter between father and son instantly broke months of estrangement, making even the breakfast table more joyful than usual.

Chewing on a meat bun, Song Chengguang glanced at Xu Jingjing with those sparkling little eyes, then chose to successfully ignore the world’s best auntie, "Daddy, there’s meat inside the bun, take a bite." Song Chengguang, with a hopeful face, grabbed the meat bun and handed it to Song Yuanhuan.

Song Yuanhuan didn’t refuse Song Chengguang’s kindness and took a bite of the meat bun.

"Delicious, right? Daddy!" Song Chengguang expressed his joy in sharing.

"Mm."

"Hey! Some child, huh! Just yesterday, he was saying that his auntie is the best in the world! As soon as he sees his dad, the world’s best auntie immediately becomes invisible." Xu Jingjing, watching Song Chengguang’s blissfully lost expression, even boasting to her brother-in-law while munching on a meat bun, couldn’t help but speak with a tinge of sourness.

Hearing this, Xu Xiuxiu looked over at Song Chengguang, seeing the little guy completely unaware that Xu Jingjing was talking about him, her smile was uncontrollable.

After breakfast, the boy and girl twins also woke up, and Xu Xiuxiu prepared tofu pudding for the little ones. After feeding them till they were full and content, the family set out for several bustling places in the Imperial City. In the morning, they visited Tiananmen Square—a place almost everyone who comes to the Imperial City would go—and in the afternoon, they casually toured several well-known attractions nearby. They had a great time eating, drinking, and playing.

But with three kids in tow, Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan had to look after the boy and girl twins. Honestly, it wasn’t relaxing, but Xu Jingjing, holding Song Chen’s hand, had a blast. The aunt and nephew had been naturally clinging together since they left the house, chattering endlessly and sharing snacks with each other, their closeness undeniable.

What was interesting though, was that there were professional photographers at these well-known attractions in the Imperial City. Although the price was a bit steep, the well-off Xu Xiuxiu didn’t hesitate and took plenty of pictures, but they had to wait five or six days to pick them up. They took down the photo studio’s address, paid half the price upfront, and planned to pay the other half when they collected the photos in a few days.

Come evening, everyone was tired from the day’s activities. On the way home, Xu Jingjing and Song Chen were still full of energy, "Sis, let’s go climb the Great Wall tomorrow!" Xu Jingjing excitedly suggested. Back in her school days, she had learned about the Great Wall’s stories from books and the vivid tales told by the older generations in her village, including the story of Lady Meng Jiang weeping at the Great Wall. She longed for Lady Meng Jiang’s tragic love story. Naturally, now that she had the chance to visit the Imperial City, she was determined to climb the endless Great Wall.

But the next day, Song Yuanhuan would have to return to the military school, and the two women with three children—two of whom couldn’t even walk and would depend on adults to carry them the whole way—climbing the Great Wall seemed highly unrealistic. Just thinking about it made Xu Xiuxiu’s legs and arms ache.

"Jingjing, please spare your sister!" Xu Xiuxiu naturally also wanted to climb the Great Wall; after all, she was curious about the Eighties’ Great Wall, but without the need to carry children! She really didn’t have the courage to climb the Great Wall with kids in tow.