Chapter 276 - 254: Combat Power
Chapter 276: Chapter 254: Combat Power
After letting Wu Xiaowen take a drink of water, wipe her tears, and catch her breath, Tang Qingshan said, "Wu Xiaowen, we need to talk. But first, you’re going to apologize for bad-mouthing my Manman behind her back. Even as her aunt and an elder, it is wrong to speak ill of others. You must apologize!"
As the saying goes, when you have too many lice, you stop itching. Having made such a scene, Wu Xiaowen felt she had nothing left to lose. With red-rimmed eyes, she shot Tang Qingshan a venomous glare.
"Who’s her aunt? I’m Tang Manman’s mother! I carried her for nine months and gave birth to her. She’s disrespectful and unfilial, and I’m not allowed to say a few words about it? What in the world do I have to apologize for? If anything, she should be apologizing to me!"
Tang Qingshan: "..."
’So, Wu Xiaowen hasn’t just gone into full-on shrew mode,’ he thought. ’She’s even learning on the fly, picking up some of Grandma Tang’s fierce arrogance. I need a moment to process this.’
Xiao Man pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. She leaned against Tang Qingshan and whispered, "See? This is what you get for not getting a wife! If you had one, she’d be the one fighting this battle, not you. Look how relaxed Grandpa Tang is over there, still maintaining his dignified authority! A gentleman doesn’t fight with a woman. A big guy like you arguing with her, it’s beneath you! How about you let me handle her?"
Tang Qingshan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "No need! I’m fighting for my daughter. How is that beneath me?"
He looked up at Wu Xiaowen and continued, "It’s true you and your husband gave birth to Manman. But you abandoned her for your adopted daughter and allowed that girl’s parents to harm her. Even if Manman had nine lives, you two would have gotten her killed! Especially you, Wu Xiaowen. Time and again, you stopped Tang Qingyun from looking for or even getting close to Manman, as if you wished she’d be ruined and never show her face in public again. What kind of mother are you? Wu Xiaowen, what right do you have to demand Manman respect you and be filial to you? Never mind that Manman refuses to acknowledge you as parents—even I can’t bear to make her call you ’Mom’ and ’Dad.’ It’s too cruel to the child! A child of the Tang family cannot be abandoned. I am honored that Manman is willing to accept me as her father and return to the family! I will do everything in my power, even give my life, to protect my child from any harm! So let me give you a formal warning, Wu Xiaowen: stay away from my daughter! Even though you’re her aunt and an elder, you’ve lost the right to her respect! You are forbidden from making any demands of her—you can’t even ask her to hand you a glass of water! Furthermore, you are not to bring up my Manman unless spoken to. If I hear you bad-mouthing her again... I won’t be so courteous."
"And how exactly will you ’not be courteous’?" Wu Xiaowen stared brazenly at Tang Qingshan, a mocking sneer on her lips. "What are you going to do? Hit me? Or will you dare argue with me in public and let everyone in Beijing know that you, the elder brother-in-law, a lifelong bachelor, suddenly have a daughter who was actually born to your younger brother’s wife? Does that sound honorable to you? Are you trying to give people all over Huaxia Country the wrong idea?"
Tang Qingshan: "..."
Xiao Man glanced up at Tang Qingshan’s face and thought to herself, ’Wu Xiaowen is a surprisingly tough opponent. It’s true what they say: there’s no beating someone who has no shame. Now that she’s torn off that gentle, refined facade, she’s completely unrestrained and trying to gain the upper hand.’
Grandma Tang and Grandma both turned to stare at Wu Xiaowen. Grandma Tang’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, while Grandma was utterly shocked. Grandpa Tang’s expression grew severe, and Grandpa just shook his head repeatedly in disbelief.
"Wu Xiaowen, you’ve gone too far! What is this nonsense you’re spouting?" Tang Qingyun slammed his hand on the coffee table, both mortified and furious.
Wu Xiaowen sneered. "This is what you call ’going too far’? He’s already gone and done it—snatched away my daughter just like that. What are *you* still so worried about?"
Tang Qingshan nodded. "So, no more holding back? Good. In that case, how about we publish this in the papers?"
"The papers? For what?" Wu Xiaowen asked.
"We’ll publish Manman’s entire life story—how the true granddaughter of the Tang family was abandoned by her own parents, how she came back to the Tang family from the countryside, and how she became my daughter, Tang Qingshan’s daughter. We’ll lay out every last detail for the public to see!"
If that were to happen, Tang Qingyun’s political career would be finished. Wu Xiaowen would fare even worse. Even the Wu Family, who were about to return to Beijing, would be dragged into it and become the target of endless gossip!
Wu Xiaowen’s expression flickered through several emotions. Her gaze swept over Grandpa Tang and Grandma Tang before finally settling on Tang Qingshan, her voice laced with resentment. "Even if Manman is adopted into your household, I’m still her birth mother. On what grounds can I not demand her filial piety? Without me, would she even be in this world? Do you have any idea how much I suffered during pregnancy and childbirth?"
Grandma Tang snorted. "You’re not the only woman on earth who has been pregnant and given birth. When I had Tang Qingyun, it was a brush with death for me, too! He’s a grown man now, your husband. You can ask Tang Qingyun if his mother didn’t raise him with the utmost care, doting on him completely. And in his entire life, what has he ever done for his mother? Has his mother ever once demanded he be filial? You were the one who abandoned Manman first. What right do you have to demand anything from her? As a granddaughter of the Tang family, she should have been treasured and loved from birth. If you hadn’t deliberately hidden her away, would her life have turned out like this? Wu Xiaowen, your nerve is astounding!"
Wu Xiaowen flushed and turned her gaze to Xiao Man. "Regardless, it’s an undeniable fact that I gave birth to her. I want to hear it from the child’s own mouth!"
Xiao Man looked back at her. "Hear what?"
"Manman, are you willingly becoming your uncle’s daughter?"
Xiao Man nodded. "That’s right. Dad doesn’t look down on me for being some ugly freak. Dad also has a considerate adopted son, Shao Jin, but he puts blood ties first. He won’t cast me aside for his adopted son. He truly cherishes me. He is qualified to be my father!"
Wu Xiaowen was left speechless. Watching his biological daughter sitting so close to Tang Qingshan, Tang Qingyun felt a sharp pain in his heart. He closed his eyes as a tear welled up at the corner.
Xiao Man continued, "A moment ago, you adults were speaking, and it wasn’t my place as a child to interrupt. But since you’ve given me the chance to speak, I’ll say a few things in my own defense. Aunt Xiao Wen, you’ve made enough personal attacks against me. You really need to stop. Otherwise, I can punish you myself without my father having to lift a finger. And don’t think I mean I’ll hit you; my father and I would never stoop to such a low-class form of revenge. You are the one who gave me life, but you are also the one who ruined it. How do you expect me to respect you? If I had a choice, I never would have chosen to be born from your womb. Should I carve my bones out to repay my father and slice my flesh off to repay my mother? I don’t think it needs to go that far. After all, you only gave birth to me; you didn’t raise me. My suffering originated from you! And what’s more, without the protection of the Tang family, it’s questionable whether the two of you could even have given birth to me in the first place! Now that I have returned to the Tang family, our relationship is simply that of relatives. So, from now on, let’s show each other some basic respect and not overstep that boundary. And stop bringing up filial piety at the drop of a hat!"