Chapter 203 – Something Strange and Unusual
Cai Juhua, who hadn’t slept all night, slowly moved back to her room. No one saw the emotions on her face.
…
Meanwhile, Hou Chen hadn’t expected Jiang Xiao to cling to him, fighting all night as if she would never tire.
Initially, Hou Chen thought they would talk after just one bout.
However, Jiang Xiao kept clinging to him again and again.
Eventually, dawn broke.
Both Jiang Xiao and Hou Chen were exhausted and fell asleep.
Hou Chen didn’t know how long he had slept before he finally woke up.
Seeing the bright daylight and hearing the slightly noisy sounds outside, Hou Chen fully woke up.
When he stepped outside, he saw Jiang Xiao doing laundry.
In the sunlight, fine beads of sweat had already formed on Jiang Xiao’s forehead. When she saw Hou Chen, she showed a smile that was both tired and happy.
Hou Chen hurried over and said, “You wore yourself out last night. Let me do the laundry.”
“How could I let you? You’re a man; you can’t be doing the laundry.”
“It’s fine. When I was in the army, we all did our own laundry. I’m used to it.”
“Even so, you’re my husband, and I’m your wife. It’s only right for a wife to do her husband’s laundry. Besides, you just traveled a long way and must be very tired. You’ve only got a few days to rest; I can’t let you tire yourself out more. Go see Mom and the children. I’ll handle the laundry.”
“But—”
“No buts. Go on now.”
“…Alright.”
Hou Chen agreed, but his impression of Jiang Xiao improved even more.
He felt that Jiang Xiao was truly a good woman. She bore and raised children for him, took care of his paralyzed mother, and managed the household. It was really exhausting for her.
No matter what the future held, he was determined to treat Xiaoxiao well and never let her down.
Since the three children slept in the same room as his mother, Hou Chen headed towards her room.
When Hou Chen entered, he saw his mother sitting on a nearby chair, lovingly watching the three boys playing on the bed.
The three boys were triplets, nearly a year old now.
They were at the stage of babbling.
As they were playing, they initially stared blankly at Hou Chen when he entered, then they continued to stare at him in a daze.
Cai Juhua had already noticed her son’s arrival but didn’t turn to look at him.
Instead, she addressed her three grandsons, “Dabao, Erbao, Xiaobao, this is your father. Say ‘Dad’.”
“Ba…” The three children were still babbling, so their pronunciation was not quite right. However, upon hearing the sound resembling “Dad,” Hou Chen couldn’t help but feel his eyes moisten, and his face lit up with joy and excitement.
He walked over, slowly reached out, and picked up the three children one by one, playing with them.
“You are Dabao, right?”
“And you are Erbao.”
“This is Xiaobao. How is Xiaobao’s health?” Hou Chen asked his mother.
“He’s alright, but he’s more prone to illness. His body is weak, and even small illnesses can’t be ignored; otherwise, they could turn serious. He needs good care.”
“Mom, you and Xiaoxiao have taken great care of the children.”
Upon hearing her son’s words and thinking of how Jiang Xiao often took Xiaobao to the hospital, Cai Juhua let out a cold laugh.
“Mom, what’s wrong? Did I do something wrong or say something inappropriate?” Hou Chen was quite perceptive when it came to Cai Juhua’s emotions.
After all, his father passed away early, and he had been raised by his mother since he was a child.
His mother understood his personality and temper, and he also understood her emotions and feelings.
“Chen’er, you used to come find me as soon as you got back. But now…”
When Hou Chen heard this, he thought his mother was upset because he hadn’t come to see her right away.
He quickly explained, “Mom, I returned last night, but it was already late, and the light in your room was off. I thought you were asleep, so…”
“In the past, even if I was asleep, you would knock on the door to let me know you were safe.”
“Last night, you didn’t come to see me. You know what you were doing.”
Hou Chen immediately thought of the passionate night with Jiang Xiao. Indeed, he had been with Jiang Xiao all night, only waking up when it was daylight.
His mother probably heard the noises and was referring to that.
“Mom, I’m sorry. It was my fault,” Hou Chen apologized, knowing it wasn’t right.
“Chen’er.” Cai Juhua looked at Hou Chen with a deep tone, “I’m not blaming you for not coming to see me first. A man with a family should put his wife and children first. That’s what a man should do.”
“But…”
“Chen’er, I need to ask you something.”
Hou Chen felt that his mother’s behavior was strange and completely different from usual. Her tone and expression were more serious.
Knowing that his mother wanted to discuss something very important, Hou Chen straightened his posture, his expression also becoming serious. He placed Xiaobao back on the bed.
“Mom, what do you want to talk about? I’m listening.”
Since he was young, Hou Chen knew that although his mother wasn’t highly educated, she was wise. It was because of her that he had achieved his current success.
Even back when he married Jiang Xiao, it was with his mother’s approval.
Now, he was very grateful to his mother for helping him marry such a good woman like Jiang Xiao.
As Hou Chen was thinking this, his mother asked him about Jiang Xiao.
“Chen’er, what do you think of Jiang Xiao?”
“Xiaoxiao? She’s wonderful.” She had borne his children, taken care of his elderly mother, and managed the entire household. She was a good woman, a good wife, and a good daughter-in-law.
Hearing this, Cai Juhua did not look satisfied; instead, her expression became even more serious.
“Don’t you think she’s different from when you first got married?”
Hou Chen fell silent.
Was Jiang Xiao different from when they first got married? Naturally, she was.
When they first got married, they had no feelings for each other, and their interactions were naturally distant and cold.
But later, after the children were born and they spent more time together, they gradually developed feelings for each other.
People naturally change. Jiang Xiao changed, and so did he.
Initially, he had no feelings for Jiang Xiao. He married her because his mother thought she was good. Although he married Jiang Xiao, he told himself he would try to cultivate feelings for her. However, if they didn’t develop feelings in the end, he wouldn’t force it. He would still treat Jiang Xiao well and fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and father.
But now, Jiang Xiao had changed. They liked each other now, which was what he most wanted to see.
Hou Chen thought this way and explained it to his mother.
He had no intention of hiding anything from his mother.
Cai Juhua realized that her son seemed to have misunderstood her point.
“Don’t you think there’s something strange or unusual about Jiang Xiao?”
He’s not gonna be able to see it because he’s hardly around. He might heed his mother’s warnings, but idk if he’ll guard against the pvrt.
If I was Cai Juhua, I would tell Hou Chen about the previous horrible treatment both she and the children received from Jiang Xiao because that’s more convincing than her saying she was possessed by some wild spirit. I wonder how he’ll get into contact with Jiang Xiao so that he can finally learn the truth, though, because their family isn’t exactly close.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀
I meant to say how he’d get into contact with Xu Jinning, lol.