Chapter 294 - 267: Forbearance
Chapter 294: Chapter 267: Forbearance
There’s an old saying that the first day of the Lunar New Year should be filled with joy and celebration. That way, the rest of the year will be smooth and prosperous. While it’s just a nice sentiment, it’s one everyone holds onto, and no one wants to start the new year on a sour note.
Xiao Man’s New Year’s Day, however, was full of bumps and scrapes—anything but smooth and pleasant. If the old saying held true, she was in for a year of silent frustrations.
The Gu family banquet had separate seating for men and women. Gu Shaojun escorted her to Grandma Tang’s side, then went to the front hall himself to join Grandpa Gu and Grandpa Tang for a drink and a chat.
Xiao Man was fairly familiar with the Gu family by now and didn’t need any special looking-after. The kindness shown to her by Grandpa Gu, Granny Gu, and the rest of the Gu family was heartfelt, and she could feel it. Plus, with Grandma Tang by her side, she felt perfectly at ease. But there’s always an exception—Wu Xiaowen showed up.
This was a gesture of the Gu family’s sincerity. Having invited the entire Tang family, it wouldn’t be right to leave anyone out. Whatever one might say about Wu Xiaowen, she was the mother of two Tang children. Her willfulness was her own affair; she was still due the proper courtesies. So, when Tang Qingyun mentioned that Wu Xiaowen was visiting relatives, Granny Gu had her third son go and fetch her for the banquet.
Wu Xiaowen hadn’t brought Tang Yaxuan with her, and perhaps because of this, she was less restrained around Grandma Tang. She was all smiles and laughter with the Gu wives and other relatives, but the moment she turned to Xiao Man, she put on the airs of an elder. She pulled several red envelopes from her handbag and offered them to Xiao Man. They were bulging, clearly stuffed with cash. With a cool, casual air, Wu Xiaowen said, "Take these. They’re New Year’s red envelopes for the children from my family’s side. There’s one each for you, Hao Hao, and Xuanxuan!"
With all eyes on them, and in someone else’s home at that, Xiao Man had no choice but to take the envelopes and say thank you through gritted teeth. Wu Xiaowen, however, then smoothly handed her own teacup over, remarking that the tea was cold and telling Xiao Man to go make a fresh pot. Just then, Zhou Hui Lan happened to walk by. Seeing the situation, she quickly took the cup, smiling. "It’s New Year’s Day. The kids don’t need to worry about these things. Let her go have fun." Then she asked a housekeeper to bring fresh, hot tea for everyone.
Xiao Man saw her grandmother, who was sitting nearby, her expression turning frigid as she glared at Wu Xiaowen as if she could eat her alive. Xiao Man quickly excused herself from the room to put some distance between herself and Wu Xiaowen. She didn’t want Grandma Tang to cause a scene on her account.
But in the covered walkway, she ran into Gu Shaoling and her cousin, Tian Sisi.
Earlier, when she and Gu Shaojun had been affectionate in the courtyard, these two had been watching from the pavilion. Xiao Man couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. She just gave them a nod and moved to walk past, not intending to strike up a conversation—mostly because she had no idea what to say.
But to her surprise, the two cousins linked arms to block her path. Gu Shaoling’s voice was laced with anger. "Tang Manman, what is wrong with you? If you have a problem with me, confront me directly. We can settle this between ourselves. Why did you have to get my older brother to yell at me? What kind of move was that?"
Tian Sisi sized Xiao Man up with a scornful look. "We saw everything earlier. How dare you act like that with so many family members and guests around. You have such thick skin! No wonder you were able to come out of nowhere and steal Tang Yaxuan’s fiancé. My grandmother always says you can’t judge a book by its cover, and she’s right! You’re so young, yet you already know how to scheme and use your looks to get what you want! We can’t say anything about what you do, but driving a wedge between Shaoling and her brother is just despicable!"
Xiao Man met Tian Sisi’s eyes, then turned to Gu Shaoling. "Is this really your cousin?"
Gu Shaoling nodded. "Of course. She’s my eldest maternal uncle’s daughter. She’s over at our house all the time. Why would you even ask?"
Tian Sisi scoffed. "You think everyone’s like you? Switched at birth and then swapped back. What if they got it wrong again? Heh."
Xiao Man stared at her coldly. "You have absolutely no manners, you know that? I’m getting angry. But today, I’m a guest in Gu Shaoling’s home, so out of respect for her, I’ll let this slide. But if there’s a next time—if you ever dare to run your mouth like this again—I will knock your front teeth out. I mean it."
Tian Sisi immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide as saucers as she stared at Xiao Man. Her two prominent front teeth were her biggest insecurity. She never smiled widely enough to show them and was always careful about how she shaped her lips when she spoke, painstakingly hiding her flaw. It was her sorest spot, a topic no one was ever allowed to broach. For Tang Manman to not only notice it so quickly but also to point it out... it was infuriating!
"Tang Manman, you’re the rude one! That’s a personal attack! I’m going to tell my aunt and uncle! If my cousin Shaofeng were home... he’d really let you have it!"