Chapter 280 - 256: Master
Chapter 280: Chapter 256: Master
Wu Xiaowen held Tang Yaxuan and stared blankly at Tang Qingyun, utterly confused. ’I just reminded him to smooth things over with his parents, then Grandma would surely take back her threat to send us to a hotel. So why is Tang Qingyun acting this way? Is he really going to a hotel? Has he gone mad?’
"Qingyun, do you realize what you’re saying?"
’If we walk out that door tonight, it’s the same as being kicked out. We’ll lose all face, and we might never be allowed back into the Tang Mansion again!’
’The Tang Mansion was an ancestral home—a spacious, bright, and magnificent Western-style house with gardens. It even had guards, drivers, and other staff to manage the household. She was a legitimate daughter-in-law of the Tang family. Why would she abandon this wonderful home for some cramped, suffocating work-provided apartment? It was absurd. Wu Xiaowen wasn’t about to do something so stupid!’
Tang Qingyun walked to the staircase. He glanced at Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan, his brow furrowed. "Go upstairs and pack your bags. We’re going to a hotel!"
He was physically and mentally exhausted and had no desire to argue. He just wanted to get his wife and daughter out of there before they upset his parents any further.
’Ever since marrying Wu Xiaowen, he’d never felt a single regret, aside from the guilt he felt toward his mother. Their life together, from a world of just the two of them to a small family of four, had been mostly happy and sweet, despite the hardships along the way. Wu Xiaowen was beautiful, generous, gentle, and elegant; an excellent wife and mother. They loved each other deeply. He privately considered himself incredibly lucky to have married such a perfect, lovely woman. He doted on her, indulging her endlessly and giving in to her almost every whim. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed her little tempers and moods after they married, but his love for her made him choose to turn a blind eye. That all changed when Xiao Man appeared. The couple had been misled by Liu Fengying and her husband. While it was his own muddled-headed foolishness that made him agree to give up Xiao Man, he couldn’t deny that he had been swayed by Wu Xiaowen’s persistent, tearful pleading. As for her refusal to acknowledge her own biological daughter and her repeated defiance of his parents’ wishes, Tang Qingyun, though displeased, had remained tolerant. What else could he do? She was his wife, the mother of his children!’
’But there was a limit to everything. He had already been unhappy with Wu Xiaowen for talking back to his mother. The scolding she received today was entirely her own fault for unilaterally deciding to bring Xuanxuan to Beijing. As a daughter-in-law, she refused to listen to her mother-in-law, arguing tit-for-tat and defying her at every turn. Her actions deeply provoked him. He was suppressing his anger, not wanting to lash out right then and there. For one, he was exhausted from the long drive and from taking care of her and Xuanxuan. For another, as he aged, he felt a growing sympathy for his elderly parents and couldn’t bear to cause them any more distress.’
Wu Xiaowen watched Tang Qingyun head upstairs and realized he was actually going to obey Grandpa and Grandma Tang and leave. A surge of panic hit her, and fresh tears welled in her eyes. "Qingyun, if you want to leave, then leave by yourself! I’m not going! I traveled all this way to reunite with my children for the New Year. I’m not going anywhere! I’ll die with my children before I leave!"
Everyone in the living room was left speechless. ’Was she really here for a holiday reunion? An outsider would think she’d rushed back just to pick a fight and die!’
Tang Qingyun paused on the stairs but didn’t turn around. His voice was calm. "Xiao Wen, what did you tell me before we left? You said everything was arranged, that Xuanxuan had somewhere else to go in Beijing. Instead, you brought her straight here to the Tang Mansion. Since we’re the ones who broke the agreement first, we have to accept the consequences. Take Xuanxuan upstairs. She certainly won’t be setting foot in this house again, so she should pack up everything that belongs to her. It’ll save you the expense of buying new things."
Grandma Tang spoke up. "Don’t bother. Xiao Zhang has already packed all of Xuanxuan’s things. They’re in six or seven large bags in the third-floor storage room. Have Driver Wang help you carry them down."
Driver Wang acknowledged the request and followed Tang Qingyun upstairs.
Tang Yaxuan sobbed. "I don’t want to go! Grandpa, Grandma, I’ll be good! Please don’t make me leave, okay?"
Wu Xiaowen wiped away her tears and said defiantly, "If Qingyun wants to leave, he can leave. My children are here, so I’m not going! I am a mistress of this house, and I have the right to host guests. If you won’t accept Xuanxuan as family, then treat her as a guest. No one can strip me of my right to host guests!"
Tang Qingyun stopped in his tracks again. This time, he turned to face her, looking at Wu Xiaowen in utter disbelief. ’What did she just say? A mistress of the house? Even he, their own son, had left without a word of protest when his mother kicked him out years ago. He hadn’t had the courage or the grounds to argue, not even daring to linger at the door without her permission. And now Wu Xiaowen had the gall to say something so utterly ridiculous!’
Grandma Tang sneered. Grandpa and Grandma simply acted as if they hadn’t heard.
Tang Qingshan was leaning back on the sofa, his expression impassive. Tang Haocheng pursed his lips into a thin line and bowed his head low. Xiao Man pressed a handful of shelled nuts into his hand, telling him to count them as he ate them one by one.
Grandpa Tang addressed Wu Xiaowen, his tone calm but his expression deadly serious. "You want to become a mistress of this house? It’s not impossible. But you’ll have to wait until my wife and I are dead. And even then, it will depend on whether we’ve written a will, and what that will says. You can come back and check then."
Wu Xiaowen: ...
Grandpa Tang then gestured toward the upper floor. "This is private property. There’s a deed, and it’s in my name. It is joint marital property, so after I die, it all goes to my wife. It does not automatically pass to Tang Qingshan or Tang Qingyun. As our children, they have the right to reside here, but they have no right of inheritance without our express permission! In other words, Tang Qingyun will only own a part of it if my wife and I specifically name him in our will. Otherwise, he can look, but he can’t touch! Do you understand? If you’re still confused, you can go ask your father. I’m sure he can explain it to you in detail!"
Utterly humiliated, Wu Xiaowen was led out of the Tang Mansion by Tang Qingyun. Tang Yaxuan followed closely behind them, a vacant look on her face. It took Driver Wang two or three trips to move all of their belongings. They had a room booked at the Kyoto Restaurant for one week. If they were still in Beijing after that, they would have to find somewhere else to stay.
Wu Xiaowen wasn’t worried about a place to stay. The Wu Family also owned a large courtyard home in the city. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wu, would be returning to Beijing soon. Because Wu Xiaowen was arriving first to celebrate the New Year with her in-laws and children, Mother Wu had asked her to get the house ready and tidy up the courtyard so that the family could move right in when they arrived with Wu Xiaowen’s siblings.
But at the end of the day, it was her parents’ territory. Even though the courtyard home was quite large with plenty of rooms, Wu Xiaoyang’s family of six would take up half the space alone. Then there was Wu Xiaofeng’s family of four, plus Wu Xiaorui... If Wu Xiaowen were to occupy a room or two as well, it would inevitably lead to quarrels and conflict.
Even after settling into a clean, bright suite at the Kyoto Restaurant, Wu Xiaowen still couldn’t wrap her head around it. ’How did things end up like this? This wasn’t the outcome I wanted at all!’