From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

After Tang Yuanxiao and Little Tang Mo left, Su Li sat alone on the sofa, spacing out for a while.

After zoning out for a bit, Su Li decided to soak her feet. She had just finished when a knock came at the door. ”Mama...”

Little Tang Mo’s excited voice drifted in. ”Mama, hurry and open the door!”

The moment Su Li opened the door, Little Tang Mo grabbed her hand and started pulling her outside.

”Mama, come on, hurry!”

”What is it?” Su Li asked, holding her ground.

”You’ll see when we get downstairs! Mama, just come with me!”

With a face full of excitement, Little Tang Mo insisted on dragging Su Li downstairs. Laughing, she had no choice but to follow.

When they got downstairs, she saw Tang Yuanxiao. He had a strange expression, as if he was trying to hold back his laughter.

Su Li was puzzled. ”What’s going on?”

Tang Yuanxiao shook his head without saying a word. Little Tang Mo just giggled, excitedly pulling Su Li outside.

Su Li was dragged along in front, while Tang Yuanxiao followed behind, stifling a laugh.

When they reached the gate of the residential community, Su Li finally understood why Little Tang Mo was so excited.

”Pears! Get your pears! Big and sweet Asian pears...” Not far from the community gate, someone was pushing a flatbed cart selling pears.

”Mama, pears! Hehe...” Little Tang Mo giggled. ”I want to buy Mama! Hehe...”

He pulled Su Li to the front of the cart, his eyes shining. ”Let’s buy pears, let’s buy Su Li...”

Su Li said, ”...Little Mo, I think you’re getting a little naughty.”

Little Tang Mo refused to admit it.

Tang Yuanxiao silently came to Su Li’s side and asked Little Tang Mo, ”How many should we get?”

”Lots and lots!” Little Tang Mo replied instantly.

”These pears are sweet, crisp, and refreshing! Perfect for a hot day like this,” the vendor said happily, jumping at the chance to make a sale.

To Su Li’s exasperation, Tang Yuanxiao and Little Tang Mo excitedly picked out a whole bag of them.

”I want to eat a pear and eat Mama!” Little Tang Mo shouted as soon as they paid. He grabbed the biggest one and took a satisfying bite.

”So yummy! It’s so yummy!”

Su Li: ”...”

Su Li glanced at a fruit candy stall nearby. An idea popped into her head, and she walked over.

”Buying candy, buying candy! My favorite thing to eat is candy.”

Su Li enunciated the word ”candy” with extra force. ”And I’m going to eat you too, Little Tang Mo!”

Little Tang Mo shot back instantly, ”Go ahead! I love eating pears the most! Hehe!”

Su Li looked at Little Tang Mo, happily devouring his pear bite after bite, then at Tang Yuanxiao, who had been smirking at the corner of his mouth the entire time. She gave up on buying candy and turned back.

Little Tang Mo was practically skipping with joy. He finished a whole pear on the way back, his little tummy becoming perfectly round.

Tang Yuanxiao followed behind them, carrying the bag of pears.

When they got to her apartment, Su Li opened the door and noticed Tang Yuanxiao was still behind her, showing no sign of heading to his own apartment across the hall. She hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

”I’ll just carry the pears inside for Little Mo,” Tang Yuanxiao said, anticipating her question.

Su Li held out her hand. ”I can take them.”

Tang Yuanxiao didn’t hand them over. ”I want some too. We have to split them.”

”I want lots and lots! Pears are my favorite!” Little Tang Mo piped up from the side.

”I like Su Li, too,” Tang Yuanxiao added, his eyes, full of amorous warmth, fixed on her.

”Then let’s eat together, Daddy!”

Little Tang Mo immediately extended the invitation.

”Okay.” Tang Yuanxiao sidestepped Su Li and entered her apartment once more.

”I want this one! From now on, pears are my favorite!” Little Tang Mo declared.

”Me too,” Tang Yuanxiao immediately chimed in.

And it was true. From that night on, pears became the father and son’s favorite fruit.

Not one of their favorites, but their *only* favorite.

”Eating a pear,” Little Tang Mo said with a grin.

”I’m eating Su Li, too.” Tang Yuanxiao took a bite, his gaze landing on Su Li, a profound glint in his eyes.

The words were heavy with meaning.

Whether ”eating” meant one thing or another, only he knew.

Su Li: ”...”

Su Li’s expression stiffened.

After finishing a pear, Tang Yuanxiao wisely and tactfully took his share of the fruit and left.

Little Tang Mo finished his second pear, looking utterly satisfied.

The studious Little Tang Mo was busy telling Su Li all about what he had learned over the past two days. In the middle of his enthusiastic report, there was another knock on the door.

Su Li stared at the door, not moving for a moment.

”Su Li, it’s me. Could you open the door?” Tang Yuanxiao’s voice came through.

”Should I get it, Mama?” Little Tang Mo asked.

”I’ll get it.” Su Li took a deep breath and opened the door. ”You...”

Her words died in her throat when she saw the bowl in Tang Yuanxiao’s hands. ”What’s this?”

”Steamed pear with rock sugar.” Tang Yuanxiao offered the bowl to her. ”Momo is stuffed, so he’ll probably only have a couple of sips. I just made this one bowl for you.”

Su Li just looked at it, not taking it right away.

Tang Yuanxiao held the bowl perfectly still and explained in a low voice, ”I noticed your voice was a little hoarse. This will help. Otherwise, your throat will be killing you tomorrow.”

A complicated emotion flickered in Su Li’s eyes.

After a full day of shouting in the sun, her throat was unbearably dry and had become a little raspy.

It wasn’t serious, though; Su Li herself hadn’t paid it any mind.

And yet... Tang Yuanxiao had made her steamed pear with rock sugar.

”Go on, take it. The temperature is perfect right now. I tasted it, it’s not bad.”

As he spoke, Tang Yuanxiao pushed the bowl a little further toward her.

Su Li finally lifted her hand and accepted it.

A bowl of steamed pear didn’t take that long to make, even from scratch. What mattered was the thought behind it...

With a storm of complicated feelings in her heart, Su Li drank the bowl of sweet, steamed pear.

Just as Tang Yuanxiao had predicted, Little Tang Mo’s belly was stuffed, and he only managed to sneak a couple of sips.

But because he had eaten two huge pears at once, it was still too much for him. He almost wet the bed in the middle of the night.

「The next day」

Su Li got up early and got Little Tang Mo ready.

She had planned to knock on Tang Yuanxiao’s door to drop off Little Tang Mo, but before she could even raise her hand, the door across the hall swung open.

Tang Yuanxiao looked impossibly energetic.

”Morning, Su Li.”

”What’s the plan for Little Mo today?” Su Li asked, nudging Little Tang Mo toward him.

”I’ll keep him with me,” Tang Yuanxiao said, taking Little Tang Mo’s hand. ”School starts for him tomorrow, so I have to take him home tonight.”

”Okay.” Su Li nodded. Just as she was about to say goodbye, Tang Yuanxiao asked another question.

”Think you can handle another day of training?”

Su Li nodded. ”Of course.”

”Good. Have you gotten to know the people in your class yet?” Tang Yuanxiao asked.

Su Li gave him a suspicious glance. ”Yeah. I have to go.”

Tang Yuanxiao nodded. ”Alright. I’ll head over in a little while.”

He watched Su Li walk away, his brow furrowed slightly.

’I saw it all yesterday. So many guys were staring at Su Li. Some were sneaky about it, others were completely brazen, but they all couldn’t stop looking at her.’

’There was even that one guy from her class. He didn’t just look; he actually went up and talked to her during a break.’

’I could tell exactly what was on his mind with a single glance!’

’It’s just like the political commissar said. Su Li is too eye-catching; she attracts way too much attention.’

Tang Yuanxiao’s sense of crisis intensified.

When the military training started, Tang Yuanxiao came over again. Besides watching Su Li, his sharp gaze swept across one potential love rival after another.

Compared to the first day, the second day of military training felt much more manageable to Su Li.

Maybe her luck had taken a turn for the better, but their training spot for the day had been moved to the edge of the field.

A number of old, well-established trees lined the field, and their shade was a godsend when the afternoon sun was at its most intense.

To the envy and resentment of the other students, Su Li’s group and two other squads got to complete their day’s training in the cool shade of the trees.

’It would have been a perfect day,’ Su Li thought, ’if Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t popped up out of nowhere.’