Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

After dinner, Xu Jiamu washed the dishes. When he came out of the kitchen, Song Xiangsi was on the sofa, setting the blankets.

Hearing footsteps, she turned to look at him. She tossed the pillow back onto the sofa before walking towards the room that she had slept in when she was young. After pushing open the door, she turned to Xu Jiamu. ”You can sleep in this room, I’ve changed the sheets.”

Xu Jiamu straightened. He glanced at the room then back at the sofa, understanding what she meant. Without hesitation, he said, ”I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

”You must be tired from driving the entire day...”

Song Xiangsi tried to argue but he took large strides to the sofa and lied down.

She stared at him for a long while. ”Thank you.”

Xu Jiamu nodded. ”You’re welcome.”

She stood at the entrance of her room for a long while. ”Goodnight,” she said before closing the door lightly.

-

The next morning, when Song Xiangsi and Father Song woke up, Xu Jiamu had already made breakfast.

Father Song seemed to have had a good night’s rest, for his condition was better than usual. After breakfast, he suggested on visiting Mother Song’s grave.

Before they left, Father Song instructed Song Xiangsi to find the Chinese tunic suit that Mother Song had personally made for him.

Mother Song was buried in Song family’s ancestral field, cars could only reach the road so they had to walk in.

Even though Father Song was feeling better, he still wasn’t able to walk much. In the end, Xu Jiamu carried him up.

Summer in the south was much hotter than in Beijing and it was currently afternoon, the hottest time of the day. The scorching sun blazed, and in less than two hundred meters, Xu Jiamu’s clothes were soaked in sweat, his short stylish hairstyle drenched.

Song Xiangsi tightened her grip on the umbrella.

-

After Father Song had fallen gravely ill, the Song family’s fields had went unattended and was now filled with weeds, drowning Mother Song’s tomb.

Father Song came down from Xu Jiamu’s back. He held onto Song Xiangsi’s hand and walked slowly towards the tombstone. Struggling, he bent down to pull the weeds, but regardless of how much strength he exerted, he couldn’t seem to pull them out.

Xu Jiamu walked forward. He instructed Song Xiangsi to take care of Father Song before bending down to pull out the weeds.

The weeds were deeply rooted - the leaves large and high while the roots had grown deep into the soil. Xu Jiamu was drenched in sweat, and in the end, Song Xiangsi could no longer just look. She walked forward and grabbed his arm, signaling for him to rest before passing him a bottle of water.

Xu Jiamu took a large gulp and sat down beside Father Song for a while before heading towards Mother Song’s tomb again. After about an hour, he finished clearing the weeds.

Father Song struggled to stand, and with Song Xiangsi’s help, he walked towards Mother Song’s tomb. Reaching out, he caressed it, signaling for Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi to leave before he started to chat with his wife.