Chapter 181 - 169: Wu Meini
Chapter 181: Chapter 169: Wu Meini
Tang Qingyun called for Wu Xiaowen before turning to find Wu Xiaofeng. He patted him on the shoulder, and the two went out to the balcony for a smoke.
The house was cramped, so at night, Mother Wu had Wu Xiaofeng and his family stay elsewhere. On New Year’s Eve, everyone was busy cooking and catching up. On New Year’s Day, they took the children to see some of the city’s scenic spots and historical sites. Because of all this, Tang Qingyun hadn’t had a chance to speak with Wu Xiaofeng alone.
Wu Xiaofeng knew what Tang Qingyun wanted to ask. He lit a cigarette for his brother-in-law and spoke up first. "I told Mom about it. Dad’s health isn’t great, so we didn’t bring the child over this time. We didn’t want him to get too worked up and have another incident. We’re heading back tomorrow. We left Xiao Man with the neighbors. She’s doing fine and has gotten used to living with the three of us. She’s sensible, hardworking—a good, well-behaved kid."
Tang Qingyun exhaled a cloud of smoke. "This must be hard on you. And your wife and child...?"
"Don’t worry. Yu Min and Nini are quite fond of her."
"Nini isn’t afraid of her?" Tang Qingyun asked. He thought about how Wu Xiaowen was always insisting that Xiao Man would hurt Xuanxuan and Hao Hao, that staring at her face for too long would give them nightmares. The thought was depressing.
"Er, she was a little, at first. But she got used to it, so it’s fine now. Xiao Man is a great big sister, too, always happy to help her little ’sister.’ It’s just a shame about her face. I asked a friend, and I heard it’s actually possible to restore her features through surgery, or even give her a whole new face... It’s probably not possible here in our country right now, but who knows about the future. So don’t worry too much. These things take time, and she’s still young," Wu Xiaofeng said with a chuckle.
Tang Qingyun nodded. "I’ve looked into it as well. I’m sure we’ll find a way."
He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and held it out. "Please take this for looking after her a while longer. If it’s not convenient for her to go to school, find a tutor to keep her from falling behind. I’ll come to get her in the second half of the year, at the latest."
Wu Xiaofeng pushed the money away. "Brother-in-law, what are you doing? She’s family. It’s not like I can’t provide for her."
"Just take it. I know you’re still at that rural clinic and the conditions aren’t great. We’ll take it one step at a time. Once Mom and Dad are back in Beijing, we’ll arrange for you to come. You and your wife both studied medicine, so it’ll be easy to get you settled. Even if you can’t get into a famous hospital in Beijing right away, you can start at a large hospital in a nearby area to get acquainted and gain experience."
"Then we’ll be counting on you, Brother-in-law," Wu Xiaofeng said with a smile.
Since they had a train to catch, they couldn’t talk for long. The two men walked back inside. Tang Qingyun went to find Wu Xiaowen and the children, while Wu Xiaofeng was pulled aside by Yu Min. The couple exchanged a few quiet words, and Yu Min sighed, "I can’t believe it. Your brother-in-law is more compassionate than your sister. He’s still worried about the child, but your sister didn’t even ask me a single question about her!"
Wu Xiaofeng hushed her. "That’s enough. Keep your voice down, or she’ll hear you! My sister might look soft and delicate, but she’s actually tough and strong-willed, just like Mom. It’s not that she doesn’t care about her, but she had to make a trade-off. She didn’t have a choice!"
Yu Min scoffed. "What ’no choice’? What ’trade-off’? It’s her own flesh and blood. I would die before I gave up my own child!"
Wu Xiaofeng shushed her again. "We’ll talk when we get back! Where’s Nini? We’re taking the night train, so we should get our things together!"
Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen said their goodbyes to Father Wu and Mother Wu, while Wu Xiaoyang and Yang Qianrong helped them carry their luggage downstairs. Tang Yaxuan and Tang浩诚 put on their small backpacks and were immediately surrounded by several of their female cousins at the top of the stairs. While Tang Yaxuan reluctantly engaged them, Tang Haocheng simply walked past them and down the stairs, where he ran right into Nini, the daughter of Wu Xiaofeng and Yu Min.
Seven-year-old Wu Meini didn’t like being in the stuffy, crowded room either. She didn’t know her three older female cousins very well, and they had been picking on her. She had just run back inside from playing downstairs when she saw Tang Haocheng wearing his backpack and immediately blurted out:
"Cousin Hao, are you leaving? I’m going back soon, too. My mom says if we don’t go back, that ugly sister at our house is going to starve to death!"
Tang Haocheng glanced at her. "You have another sister? Then why didn’t she come to Grandma’s house with you?"
Tang Yaxuan had grown up in the south and was used to calling their maternal grandmother "Grandma," so Tang Haocheng did the same.
"She’s not my real sister. My dad brought her home to raise. Her face is too ugly, so she can’t come to Grandma’s house... Oh, right, I think she’s supposed to be your family’s sister!" Wu Meini’s little brow furrowed. "I have an aunt... my aunt is your mom! When I was in bed at night, I heard my dad and mom talking. They said Mo Xiaoman is my aunt’s real daughter, but since they thought she was too ugly, they didn’t want her and gave her to my dad! Then they took another family’s daughter home and named her Tang Yaxuan..."
Tang Haocheng stared at the little country girl in her bright red jacket and matching bow, and snapped angrily, "You’re lying!"
Wu Meini really liked her Cousin Hao. He was cold and distant, but at least he didn’t push her around like her older cousins. Being yelled at by him made her angry, too. She pouted. "If you don’t believe me, go ask my mom! Whoever’s lying is a puppy! And they’ll turn out just like that ugly sister at my house!"
With that, she dodged past Tang Haocheng and ran up the stairs.
Tang Haocheng stood there, stunned.
’He was only ten years old and had little life experience, but he was exceptionally intelligent. Some problems were easy to ignore if he didn’t think about them, but once he set his mind to puzzling something out, he could see things with piercing clarity.’
’He had grown up with his paternal grandparents. They doted on him, but they could never replace his parents. He still missed his parents, and he would think about his sister. His first memory of meeting her was from when he was five. Maybe he sensed that his grandmother didn’t like her, because his sister never dared to come near him. She would just watch him with big, watery eyes that reminded him of some small, weak, and pitiful animal at the zoo. So he had taken the initiative and reached for her hand. Because she was his sister!’
’His uncle and his father always said that his sister needed to be protected, and that he was the one to protect her!’
’His sister couldn’t stay in Beijing, but from then on, the two of them could talk on the phone often. Haocheng was seven the next time he saw her, and they began writing to each other. He didn’t like writing letters, but when his sister wrote to him, he felt he had to reply.’
’He had heard gossip before, people whispering that his sister didn’t look like their parents, but Tang Haocheng never paid it any mind. How could she not be his parents’ daughter? They shared the same mother. To question her was to question himself, wasn’t it?’
’Over the past year, he had been living with his parents and spending every day with his sister. She took great care of him, and he helped her with her homework. When it came to learning and comprehension, his sister was definitely more than a few steps behind him, but examples like that were everywhere. It’s not like every child born to the same parents could have a high IQ. There was nothing to be suspicious about.’
And yet, Wu Meini’s words had struck him like a hammer. He had heard her with perfect clarity. She said: *My aunt’s baby... was ugly, so they didn’t want her! Then they took another family’s daughter and named her Tang Yaxuan!*