Chapter 311 - 278: Leaving in a Huff
Chapter 311: Chapter 278: Leaving in a Huff
Not long after Bai Qingyue left, Bai Lihua also hurried out. He didn’t touch the nourishing soup Yang Liu’er had brought him. For this, Yang Liu’er got an earful from Shun Ma, who said her clumsiness had upset the Second Young Master. Yang Liu’er pouted. ’What does that have to do with me? Second Uncle Bai was clearly in a rush to leave because of that phone call.’
It was the same in her last life. The relationship between Second Uncle Bai and Wu Xiaowen was just not normal.
At the Tang Mansion, after dinner, Tang Qingshan and Manman cleared the table and washed the dishes together. Manman then put a kettle on the stove, washed and cut up fruit for two platters, and served them to everyone before going upstairs to her room.
No one disturbed her. Having watched her and Gu Shaojun be inseparable and get along so well these past few days, they understood that the little girl had truly accepted him as her fiancé. Today, Gu Shaojun had returned to his military base. Although the girl didn’t show it on her face, she was surely heartbroken. This was something no one else could help with, so they decided to just let her have some quiet time alone.
Gu Shaojun was gone. This departure meant they wouldn’t see each other for two or three years. Xiao Man was indeed devastated. She especially couldn’t bear to recall the look in Gu Shaojun’s eyes as they parted. The complex emotions it held were surprisingly the same as when they had parted for the last time in her previous life. Xiao Man couldn’t help but cry. Seeing this, Gu Shaojun started to turn back, but the two men in the helicopter hurriedly pulled him back. Meanwhile, Tang Haocheng and Zheng Shaojin, who were by Xiao Man’s side, led her away. She had promised to watch his helicopter fly up into the sky, but in the end, it was Gu Shaojun who watched her back as she left.
Gu Shaojun had left Xiao Man a thick letter. Although she could more or less guess its contents, Xiao Man was still eager to read it at once. Like a little mouse that had stolen sesame oil, she wanted to hide in a corner and savor it alone. She ran back to her room, shut the door tight, and didn’t come out again.
Downstairs, the family ate fruit, chatted, and watched TV. Tang Haocheng, having been reminded by his sister, kept an eye on the kitchen. When the water boiled, he set out the tea set and began preparing tea for his grandfather, his father, and his uncle. He looked quite proficient. Tang Qingyun, worried Haocheng would burn his hands, offered to take over, but Tang Qingshan stopped him with a smile. "He’s doing a great job. He doesn’t need you."
Tang Qingyun remarked with emotion, "Going to college really makes a difference. He’s learned life skills."
Tang Qingshan glanced at his younger brother. "As far as I know, not everyone who goes to college learns life skills. You, for example. You even had someone go with you to do your laundry."
Tang Qingyun: "..."
He felt indignant. ’Someone helped with my laundry because I was sick, okay? I did it myself later on, and after that... Ugh, anyway, it’s been so many years. There’s no point in arguing. The smart thing to do now is to keep my mouth shut, lest my brother dig up any more embarrassing stories.’
Tang Qingshan watched Tang Haocheng, who was sitting next to Grandpa Tang and earnestly discussing the qualities of the tea with Grandpa Tang and Grandpa. He patted Tang Qingyun’s shoulder and smiled. "Hao Hao used to be quite arrogant and unsociable. He would hardly ever join in when the whole family gathered to chat and laugh like this. Since his sister came back, he’s changed a lot under her influence. It’s great, isn’t it? And it’s all thanks to Manman being just like me!"
Once again, Tang Qingyun was left speechless. He silently lowered his head and ate the fruit, piece after piece. In no time, more than half the platter was in his stomach. He found it strange himself. ’Though I have the appearance of a refined scholar, I don’t actually like bland flavors and I’m not a big fan of fruits and vegetables. But lately, at my parents’ house, my appetite has been wide open. Everything tastes delicious, and I don’t even mind the fruits and vegetables. In fact, they taste absolutely wonderful. I can’t seem to get tired of them or eat enough.’
Around ten o’clock, Tang Qingyun got up to say goodbye to the elders and head back to the hotel. He remembered that he’d run back here after a fight with Wu Xiaowen. ’I wonder if she’s cooled down yet? The fruit here is so delicious, maybe I should take some back. It would be a good way to break the ice. A husband and wife shouldn’t hold a grudge overnight. Once we talk it out, it’ll all be over.’
So Tang Qingyun asked Grandma Tang for some fruit. Grandma Tang looked directly at Tang Qingshan. "The unopened boxes of fruit are in the storage room. Qingshan, go get some for Qingyun!"
Tang Qingshan obediently did as he was told, but inwardly he grumbled, ’It’s been this way since we were kids, the older brother always waiting on the younger one. Amazing how Mom has kept that habit going all these years without a single change!’
He had a pretty good idea why Tang Qingyun had suddenly asked for fruit. ’Seeing how happily he was just eating, he must think any fruit from here will be just as delicious. He probably wants to take it back to appease Wu Xiaowen and Xuanxuan, right? Little does he know that only the fruit washed and cut by Manman tastes so exceptionally good. Dad said that girl Manman might have had a fortuitous encounter and inherited an ancient Spell. This is the Tang family’s great fortune! We have to teach Manman to cultivate her ability and be discreet. Our own family can enjoy the benefits she brings, and we must be careful to protect this secret. As for outsiders with ill intentions and impure thoughts... better not.’
In the eyes of Grandpa Tang, Grandma Tang, and Tang Qingshan, Wu Xiaowen and Xuanxuan were precisely those outsiders with ill intentions and impure thoughts.
Although Wu Xiaowen was a daughter-in-law of the Tang family and had borne them a child, her actions and thoughts were truly difficult to understand and impossible to accept. Given Wu Xiaowen’s character, letting her find out about Manman’s superpower would only bring more trouble for Manman and the Tang family.
And as for Xuanxuan, an eight or nine-year-old girl who could so resolutely decide to hide the truth after learning her true parentage, even demanding her biological parents cooperate—abusing Xiao Man on one hand while calmly continuing to usurp someone else’s place to enjoy a good life on the other—how calculating could a child be! If Manman hadn’t had her fortuitous encounter, she would have been no match for Xuanxuan. The mere thought of the potential consequences made Tang Qingshan’s blood boil.
Yet Wu Xiaowen doted on Xuanxuan as if she were the most precious treasure, and Qingyun couldn’t let go of the bond forged from raising her for over a decade. That couple... they really were a match made in heaven, a perfect pair.
Tang Qingshan went to the storage room. Following Manman’s instructions—the left shelf was for the family, the right could be given away—he randomly picked out half a box of apples and pears, carried it out, and handed it to Tang Qingyun to take with him.
Tang Qingyun, of course, had no idea that the fruit his brother gave him wasn’t the same as what he had eaten at the Tang Mansion. But he didn’t get to make up with Wu Xiaowen as he had hoped, because when he returned to the hotel, Wu Xiaowen was nowhere to be found.
Only Xuanxuan was in the hotel room, reading a book. Tang Qingyun’s return seemed to surprise her, and she even looked a little scared—both she and Wu Xiaowen had thought Tang Qingyun would stay at the Tang Mansion and not come back to the hotel.
Tang Qingyun washed a few pieces of fruit for Xuanxuan and asked where her mother was. Xuanxuan picked up an apple, took a bite, and answered, "Mom got a call from a cousin. She said they had something to discuss, so she went out!"
Xuanxuan wasn’t exactly lying. That was indeed what Wu Xiaowen had told her before she left. But given her cleverness, after hearing Wu Xiaowen on the phone and seeing the joyful look on her face and the great care she took with her makeup, she could probably guess who that "cousin" was.
Tang Qingyun didn’t say anything more or give it much thought. He went back to his room, lay on the bed to read, and drifted off to sleep without realizing it. Wu Xiaowen didn’t return until after two in the morning. Without waking Tang Qingyun, she went straight to another room to sleep.
The next day, the couple had another big fight. The cause, naturally, was the Wu Family’s Residence and the matter of returning to G Province. Wu Xiaowen had decided not to go back to G Province, planning to take a long leave of absence until her transfer orders came through. Tang Qingyun disagreed, criticizing her for trying to use special privileges again. Wu Xiaowen retorted sarcastically, "How many times can your Tang family grant me privileges like that?" This infuriated Tang Qingyun, and the argument escalated continuously until one of them shut themselves in a room to cry their heart out, and the other packed their bags and stormed away!