Chapter 299 - 270: Shame and Regret
Chapter 299: Chapter 270: Shame and Regret
Tang Qingshan had said they would just be seeing his daughter, and he meant it. He soon had Gu Shaojun send her away. Pang was quite displeased, but when Tang Qingshan explained that Grandma Tang was calling the children in for a meal, he had no choice but to relent, repeatedly promising Xiao Man that he would bring her a gift when he returned to the country.
Xiao Man left laden with gifts, holding four or five red envelopes. The one from Pang was especially thick. Tang Qingyun walked Xiao Man to the door of the hall, gave Gu Shaojun a few instructions, and watched them leave. The height difference between the two was still significant. Gu Shaojun’s hand rested on Xiao Man’s shoulder, and it was clear he treated her very differently, caring for and protecting her with meticulous attention. Xiao Man, for her part, was happy to be close to Gu Shaojun. Of course, what girl wouldn’t like an outstanding man like him!
And Gu Shaojun was always meant to be Xiao Man’s.
Hearing the girl’s cheerful laughter fade into the distance, Tang Qingyun thought about how he and his wife—her parents—had nearly stripped their own daughter of all this, letting Tang Yaxuan marry into the Gu family and become Gu Shaojun’s wife in Xiao Man’s place... He squeezed his eyes shut, a bitter, indescribable feeling of guilt and regret welling up in his heart.
His father brought up the issue of Xiao Man and Xuanxuan almost every time they met. His older brother, on the other hand, no longer discussed it with him, shutting him down with just a word or two and leaving him no room to maneuver. These past two days, he’d been fighting with Wu Xiaowen, and they were sleeping in separate rooms. Lying awake at night, he mulled over the words of his father and brother, thinking through every angle. Tang Qingyun felt he had truly wasted all his years. ’Indeed, I have no right to have Xiao Man call me ’father.’ Let her remain registered under my brother’s name. Being able to have her respectfully call me "Uncle" as a close elder is already a pretty good outcome!’
Gu Shaojun escorted Xiao Man to Grandma Tang and Grandma, then left.
After the luncheon, the women were still gathered in the room, setting up for tea and idly gossiping. Mahjong tiles hadn’t made their appearance just yet, but they could play some card games.
Gu Shaoqin and Tang Haocheng ran over to find Xiao Man, wanting to take her to play in the back garden. They had just stepped out and turned a corner when Wu Xiaowen chased after them and called out to stop them.
Watching Wu Xiaowen walk straight toward her, Xiao Man warily took a step back. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Wu Xiaowen; she just didn’t want to be too close to her.
Wu Xiaowen noticed the gesture. ’She’s just putting on an act,’ she thought, ’trying to make people think that I, her mother, am bullying her. Then I’ll have to endure another scolding from Grandma Tang.’ The thought made her furious, and she stared coldly at Xiao Man.
’I must have done something truly wicked in a past life to have a daughter like this! In front of others, she plays dumb and acts weak and pitiful to gain sympathy. She cleverly fawns over Grandma Tang, and I could even let that slide. But she actually insists on having Grandpa and Grandma Tang relentlessly torment her own biological parents! She’s utterly heartless! Who would have thought that behind the scenes, this brat is so formidable—sharp-tongued, arrogant, and won’t rest until she’s provoked you to death! A child raised in the wilderness—domineering, unreasonable, and selfish. Anyone who believes she’s weak and pitiful is a complete fool!’
Xiao Man met Wu Xiaowen’s gaze, her own feelings a bit complicated. ’This woman is so annoying, but she’s my birth mother, so I can’t hurt her! I do my best to avoid her, but she still chases after me. What can I do?’
Tang Haocheng asked, "Mom, if you have something to say, please say it quickly. We want to take Sister Manman to see the old tortoise!"
Wu Xiaowen glanced at her son and collected herself. She had wanted to scold Xiao Man, but it wouldn’t be right to do it in front of her son. Besides, she couldn’t afford to make Xiao Man unhappy right now; she needed something from her.
She cleared her throat, put on a smile, and said softly, "It’s nothing special. I already told you, Hao Hao, to be safe at school and study hard, remember? I just need to say a few words to Sister Manman. Why don’t you and Shaoqin go play first? What’s so interesting about a tortoise? Your sister is a girl, and girls like different things than you do! Go on, you don’t have to wait for her."
Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin both looked at Xiao Man. Xiao Man said, "You guys go ahead. It’s okay."
The two boys left, but they didn’t get far before Tang Haocheng pulled Gu Shaoqin back. They hid behind a screen of flowering trees to eavesdrop on the mother and daughter’s conversation.
Xiao Man asked Wu Xiaowen, "What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Wu Xiaowen maintained her gentle smile and spoke in her usual light and breezy tone, "Manman, look, there’s no one else around. What’s wrong with calling me ’Mom’? Transferring you to your uncle’s name was Grandpa and Grandma Tang’s idea, but I’m still your birth mother, after all. You need to remember that!"
"I’m sorry, I don’t want to remember," Xiao Man said, pulling the three or four red envelopes Wu Xiaowen had given her earlier from her pocket and stuffing them back into her hands. "Take these back. I don’t want them!"
"You..." Wu Xiaowen’s smile vanished as she glared at Xiao Man. "If you didn’t want them, why did you accept them just now?"
"I accepted them, first, to save you face, and second, to keep Grandma from getting angry. You forced them on me just now. If I hadn’t taken them, the envelopes would have fallen on the floor. In front of all those people, would you have looked good? It wouldn’t matter for a child like me. But if you got angry because of it and blurted out something inappropriate or did something rash, do you think Grandma, with her personality, would have let you off the hook? She would scold you, which would make her angry too, and that’s bad for her health. I want my grandma to be healthy and live a long life! So, please don’t do things like this again in the future. I am not your daughter, and you are not qualified to accept red envelopes on my behalf."
"Tang Manman, you... you’re so unfilial, so ill-mannered!"
Xiao Man’s expression hardened. "I have a grandfather, a grandmother, and a father to discipline me. If you’re accusing me of being ill-mannered, then perhaps you’d like to see my father, Tang Qingshan? You can debate the matter with him."
Wu Xiaowen’s lips trembled with anger, but she couldn’t form a response.
"Is this all you wanted to talk to me about? Are you finished? I have things to do. I’m leaving!"
Seeing Xiao Man was really about to leave, Wu Xiaowen bit her lip and called out to her, "The herbs you prescribed for your maternal grandfather last time—he’s finished them. The effects were quite good. Can you prescribe a few more doses?"
Xiao Man turned back to look at Wu Xiaowen. "Isn’t your father’s illness already cured?"
"Watch your tone. What do you mean ’your father,’ ’my father’? That’s your maternal grandfather."
"He’s Xuanxuan’s maternal grandfather, not mine. Please get that straight! But regardless of who he is, finishing those ten doses of medicine is enough. All medicine is poison to some degree; he doesn’t need to take any more."
A flicker of something passed through Wu Xiaowen’s eyes. Afraid Xiao Man would leave, she temporarily suppressed her anger. "Actually, a relative of ours is sick with a similar condition to your maternal grandfather. That medicine... he should be able to take it. If you think it’s too much trouble, you can just give me the prescription. I can go to the Chinese pharmacy and have them fill a few more doses myself."
After hearing this, Xiao Man ignored her and walked away quickly.
The prescription came from the *Sun’s Medical Books*. Even without the space herbs as a catalyst, if she really gave it to Wu Xiaowen, taking the medicine from a pharmacy for three to five months would still cure the illness. But Xiao Man had no reason to give her the prescription. First, it was a Sun family heirloom that Elder Sun had entrusted to her, so she had to protect it and couldn’t just pass it on as she pleased. Second, she wasn’t a real doctor. What right did Wu Xiaowen have to demand she prescribe medicine and treat illnesses?