Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

”I put my card in Little Red Bean’s pocket. If you’re tired or unhappy abroad, you can call me anytime. I’ll take you back here.”

The words Xu Jiamu said to her, when she was in the restroom at the Aroma Garden food stall instantly rang in Song Xiangsi’s ear.

She had forgotten about the business card because she had pushed everything to the back of her mind since she returned home. Little Red Bean must’ve pulled it out of her pocket, played around with it, and threw it to the ground, since the corners were torn up.

Song Xiangsi randomly felt stifled. She sat on the floorboards, against the sofa, staring at the business card. She was in a trance for a really long time, before she threw the card onto the coffee table and continued to tidy up the toys. Later, she seemed to be deliberately finding things to do in the house. She knelt down, grabbed a rag, and started to wipe the floor.

She rubbed really hard. After wiping just a third of the living room, she was already spent.

She wasn’t sure if it was because her rag wasn’t squeezed dry, but the floorboards were far too wet. She got up, about to head towards the bathroom to wash the rag again, when she slipped. With no warning at all, she fell to the ground, and hit her head on the coffee table. It hurt so much that it forced out tears.

She laid on the floor for a while, before she stabilized and forced herself to sit up. She saw that her arm and knee were grazed, and blood was trickling out. The spot where she had hit her head burned in pain.

Since she was little, who knows how much she had suffered. A little pain like this was truly nothing, but for some reason, she felt a random sense of grievance. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth, as she softly started to sob.

The more she cried, the more heartbroken she felt. Then, she thought back to how she suffered during her ten month pregnancy, and that night she gave birth to Little Red Bean. She had endured twelve whole hours of pain. At the time, she had no more strength left in her, and truly felt like she was going to suffer like that to death. But then, as soon as that feeling took her, she thought of how if she died Little Red Bean would be on her own.

She endured it all. During the first month after giving birth, she had no one to look after her, and she had to take care of Little Red Bean. At the time, she had no experience taking care of babies, so she practically didn’t sleep well for a full month. Other people would get fatter whilst pregnant, yet she lost almost ten pounds.

Later, Little Red Bean gradually got older. She was well-behaved and smart, but even so, being a single woman with a child, she still had a tough time.

She had no one to rely on for everything, just herself.

Even if she accidentally fell down and got hurt, she could only suffer alone.

Sometimes, even she felt like she could crumble at any time.

The rim of Song Xiangsi’s eyes were red, as she forcefully lifted herself with the help of the coffee table. She stood up and sat down on the sofa, staring at the business card in front of her. She stared at it for a long while, and eventually couldn’t help but pick it up.

His phone number hadn’t changed. Eleven digits. Even after so many years, she still remembered them.

She stared at Xu Jiamu’s number and thought back to how he took care of her and helped her when her father had passed away. Then, she thought back to what Yang Sisi had said to her, which incited an inner struggle in her heart.