I Became the Mother of His Child-Chapter 505: Celebrating Mid-Autumn Alone

Zhao Nan's life had been bitterly cold. Ever since coming to his senses, apart from that brief time when he had felt warmth, he had grown accustomed to the indifference of family love, had grown used to Guo Cuiping's sharpness, and to the fact that Zhao Jian Country, his biological father, doted on a pretentious son.

From the age of fifteen, he made the resolute decision to start boarding at school, spending summer and winter vacations at his aunt's, and only reluctantly returning home when absolutely necessary. His aunt was still working for Sichuan Pavilion, but as a founding veteran employee, she was always treated well. Aunt Xiu Xiu was never a stingy person; she always provided generous benefits. Thus, her family's life could also be considered comfortable.

Of course, with the passage of time, his aunt went from being single to finding a suitable partner to marry. Although the man was married once before, he didn't have children to hold them back. After their marriage, they quickly had a boy. The husband was decent, and also treated him quite well. His cousin was very attached to him. Due to the significant age difference, when the little tyke was rolling around at three or four years of age, he would always call for him, and even when he fell, he insisted on crawling towards him. Therefore, Zhao Nan's stays at his aunt's house became considerably longer, to the point where he spent more than half his life there.

When he graduated from high school, Zhao Nan resolutely chose to apply to a military academy. As time went swiftly by, he grew from a youth into the twenty-eight-year-old, towering, decisive man of steel he was today, and had also become a distinguished soldier, rising in rank from a mere soldier to a Major.

Being a soldier meant he was inevitably busy; naturally, he went home less and less, and even visits to his aunt's house were limited to holiday seasons. As he got older, his aunt started to worry about his marriage prospects. As a thirty-one-year-old man who had never dated or been involved with a woman, Zhao Nan felt that when it came to relationships, he preferred "lack over wasted."

"Nannan, it's Mid-Autumn Festival today. You must have a good meal, okay? You can't skip sleeping and eating because of work all the time. Also, when you have the time, come back home to rest. Xiao Jie has been talking about you recently! He says you're getting busier and you never have time to visit during the holidays. Also, your aunt hasn't seen you in a while, and she misses you! You should come and see her when you have the chance." Zhao Xiumei phoned Zhao Nan—her voice carried hints of longing.

After all, Zhao Nan could be said to have been raised by her hands, and she also knew about his family situation. In the past, her brother was foolish, weak-willed, would blindly follow whatever his wife said, without distinguishing right from wrong. Now, that step-son was becoming increasingly intolerable, whereas the comparison made it evident that Zhao Nan was spoilt rotten. With his own efforts, Zhao Nan had become a Major. This fact gave Zhao Jian Country great pride; he would mention his son's name whenever he chatted with his comrades and colleagues. However, it was too late to recapture the heart of his son Zhao Nan, and his father's love was already in a state of indifference.

Emotions are, after all, the most easily eroded things. Zhao Nan once longed to experience them but couldn't, and now he had grown so strong that he no longer needed them; meanwhile, Zhao Jian Country wanted to make amends. Not everything in this world can be as perfectly fulfilled as one wishes. Understanding this, Zhao Xiumei also felt a deep sympathy for Zhao Nan, so she did not force him to mend his relationship with his father. As long as he was happy, that was enough, but she would still nag him on the phone every now and then, either to stay with her for a few days or to remind Zhao Nan of the fact that he should find someone to marry.

"Aunt, I understand. I don't have much to do later, so I'll head home early for dinner," Zhao Nan said as he glanced at his military wristwatch and confirmed the time before agreeing to Zhao Xiumei's request to come home. Zhao Nan felt that in this world, he could be cold and distant to many people, but Zhao Xiumei was certainly an exception.

"Alright then, you've got to hurry up! I went to the market today and bought a bunch of big crabs, and I'm gonna steam them just in time, ensuring they're perfectly delicious by the time you get home." Zhao Xiumei knew Zhao Nan loved to eat crabs, so she added another line, thinking of the big crabs she bought today and feeling absolutely content.

"Okay." Zhao Nan promised, then immediately hung up the phone, picked up the green military jacket beside him, dressed neatly, and drove off to Zhao Xiumei's place in the military district's car.

Due to work, Zhao Xiumei's home was in the downtown area of Z city. Nowadays, the time from Z city's military district to downtown had decreased significantly, but it still took about an hour, so Zhao Nan couldn't afford to delay and sped off in the car.

...

Song Chenxi had just gotten off the plane with Mini Huang and upon seeing Little Huang the puppy gaining freedom, she spoke with some worry, "Mini Huang, you can't run off, you know? This is Z city, the place where I lived when I was little. You've been here before to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at my aunt's house. You've got to be good, okay? You can't be causing trouble, got it?" Song Chenxi admonished the little yellow dog circling around her feet.

Mini Huang was the grandson of Little Huang's son, now eighteen years old, Song Chenxi had witnessed the rise of the Little Huang Family throughout her growing years. She had seen Little Huang as a little puppy and had watched the family grow into a large dog clan. Although she had deep affection for each dog, each new addition still brought out her love for novelty, without ever favoring just one. She simply adored and loved the puppies, and when she had a chance to go out, she would always bring the youngest of the dog family.

At this moment, she was supposed to be attending classes at Qing University in Imperial City, but having just entered university, she had been tormented by the relentless military instructors during the military training. Then, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the university kindly granted a few days off. Song Chengguang and Little Moon were both at military academy, which had strict regulations and no holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanhuan had both taken time to go back home to care for Father Song, whose health was deteriorating. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Therefore, Song Chenxi, who was on break and all alone, felt terribly bored, so she hugged Little Huang, impulsively bought a plane ticket and flew to Z city, planning to spend the festival at her aunt Xu Jingjing's place, her aunt Song Yuan Yao's, or her uncle's house—anyway, she just did not want to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival alone.

She had just left the airport, and maybe because Mini Huang had been uncomfortable on the plane, as soon as they walked out, Mini Huang became very excited, barking loudly with its little tail wagging, hopping and running around. Song Chenxi couldn't bear to restrict its freedom with a leash; after all, their dogs were all very smart, so Song Chenxi just gave her instructions, hoping the little one would listen.