CHAPTER 385: CHAPTER 385: A REAL HEADACHE

Xu Xiuxiu truly had not anticipated that Cheng Guang, this child’s personality could change so wildly; she entirely couldn’t keep up with the pace of his varying moods. She only waited for Song Yuanhuan to come home on his weekend break to grab onto him and complain about how tired she felt at heart.

Ever since he was little, Song Yuanhuan had been a troublemaker himself, causing uproar with the kids in the village of similar age. Naturally, he only laughed off his wife’s helpless complaints about their son, without giving much response. Seeing this, Xu Xiuxiu would hammer him fiercely to vent her frustration, claiming that Cheng Guang had definitely taken after him.

To this accusation, Song Yuanhuan simply nodded obediently, though, as it turned out, Xu Xiuxiu’s feeling of weariness was not purely overthinking.

This particular weekend morning, Song Yuanhuan was unusually at home. He had spent the entire previous night flying a plane with Xu Xiuxiu, leaving her exhausted, with aches in her back and waist. She cozied up in Song Yuanhuan’s embrace, her arms wrapped around his neck, refusing to let go. Song Yuanhuan had originally planned to get up early for a morning run, but ultimately he couldn’t resist his wife’s occasional protest. Seeing her fall asleep, snuggling deeper into his embrace, Song Yuanhuan finally gave up the idea of going out for a run. He thought that staying at home occasionally in the morning, lying in bed holding his wife, was quite a nice sensation.

But while Song Yuanhuan did not go for his morning run, Song Chengguang had become unshakably committed to his daily morning exercise routine; though he lacked the company of his little uncle Song Yuanming for the workouts, he had gained a new workout partner in Little Huang.

Since bringing Little Huang from Z city to the Imperial City, Cheng Guang spent nearly every inseparable moment with the dog, making Xu Xiuxiu almost mad with jealousy. However, she felt at ease when the two went out for morning runs with Shi Yu occasionally. Despite being just a dog, Little Huang was very human-like. The exercise spot had changed from outside the military school to inside the big military school playground, thanks to Shi Yu. There were quite a few people working out in the military school every morning, so she wasn’t too worried about safety. But being too assured could also lead to problems.

"Let’s go, yesterday that fatty laughed at us again. Today, let’s take Little Huang and go challenge him to a one-on-one!" Little friend Shi Yu was very competitive; the fatty he referred to was another child from the Military District, the son of a married instructor who was plump to the point of equalling the size of both Cheng Guang and Shi Yu combined. And for some reason, the three kids always seemed at odds with one another, but it had always just been verbal quarrels—yet today, Shi Yu was trying to convince Cheng Guang to actually fight the fatty.

"Shi Yu, if Mom finds out we fought with fatty, I’ll be in big trouble." Compared to the laissez-faire approach of Shi Yu’s mother, Xu Xiuxiu was quite strict with Cheng Guang. He would be facing torture if he dared to bully someone—Xu Xiuxiu was the kind of mother who would critique and educate him first, regardless of whether he was right or wrong, and only afterward properly discuss the reasoning.

"It’s fine, just don’t let Auntie find out." Shi Yu mishievously suggested, seeming particularly keen on leading the good boy Cheng Guang astray.

"..." Cheng Guang hesitated, his face full of reluctance. His mother was such a diligent person; if he got into a fight, she would definitely find out.

"Song Chengguang, are you still a man? That fatty laughed at us yesterday, saying we’re a couple and calling you my ’little wifey.’ You’re a man, for crying out loud! He said that, and you’re just gonna take it?" Shi Yu raised his voice, reminding Song Chengguang of the mockery they’d faced, "Anyway, I’m definitely going to challenge that fatty to a one-on-one fight today. I might get a beating from my mom when I get home, but I just can’t swallow this insult." Shi Yu puffed up with anger, waving his tiny fists.

Because of Song Chengguang’s fair and delicate appearance, the little guy, despite working out, still had a rather dainty look – especially compared to the other rough boys at the military school. Song Chengguang, fastidious and with a complexion that never tanned, coupled with his very young age, and a dislike for shaving his head, sported a slightly longer than buzzcut, adorably goofy hairstyle. Adults could discern his gender and thought he looked nice, but his pale, delicate features sometimes led to kids mistaking his gender. Hence, the jokes.

Little wifey! He was a real man! Clenching his fist, a rush of anger surged in Song Chengguang’s heart.

"Good! Let’s go fight that fatty, beat him up," Song Chengguang pondered upon hearing this and felt his manly pride was violated. Gritting his teeth, he signaled to Little Huang, who was circling around him, lively and jumping, to join him in the fray.

A war between kids erupted. Initially, Song Chengguang and Shi Yu were certain to win against the fatty alone, but today the fatty happened to be surrounded by a few friends who joined in when they saw trouble brewing. The one-on-one fight turned into a brawl, a grim situation of five against three – the five being the fatty’s side, and the three included Song Chengguang and Shi Yu, counting Little Huang as well.

Unexpectedly, Song Chengguang’s side didn’t come off worse, even being outnumbered: with Little Huang drawing the fire, his proud and imposing barking scared several of the younger kids. Seeing this, Song Chengguang and Shi Yu tangled with the fatty.

When Xu Xiuxiu learned that Song Chengguang went out for a morning jog with Little Huang and Shi Yu, but ended up dueling with mischievous kids from the military school, and that he and Shi Yu had made five kids cry, the fact that they both ended up dirty and bruised, with even Little Huang sustaining significant injuries, made Xu Xiuxiu’s mind explode. She wished she had a bamboo stick in her hands to give Song Chengguang a good thrashing and teach him a lesson.

"Song Chengguang, you’re getting too big for your boots! Taking Little Huang out to fight; is that how I’ve been teaching you? Sort things out by rolling up your sleeves and fighting, is that it? Ah! You’re so capable, even learning to fight now," Xu Xiuxiu’s anxiety translated into a raised voice.

Even though Xu Xiuxiu knew that Song Chengguang wasn’t the type to cause trouble for no reason, she had heard complaints about him bullying little girls in kindergarten, which was adding to her headache. Boys change with their environment as they grow up, so she was not surprised he was acting up, especially playing with Shi Yu, a mischievous child.

Previously, Song Chengguang was considered too introverted by a teacher at the Z city nursery, so she thought the pendulum had swung the other way. It was better for a child to be playful and lively than to be quiet and introverted, so she let it slide, occasionally talking to him and getting through. The tattle-telling phone calls from kindergarten had obviously decreased, but today’s transition from a morning jog to a full-on rumble gave her a pounding headache.