Chapter 312 - 279: Wish Fulfilled
Chapter 312: Chapter 279: Wish Fulfilled
Before leaving, Tang Qingyun asked Xuanxuan if she wanted to return to G Province with him. Of course, Xuanxuan didn’t want to. She wasn’t an idiot. ’Why would I go back to G Province when I have the chance to stay in Beijing? That poor backwater is like a nightmare. I’ve had more than enough of it!’
No sooner had Tang Qingyun left Beijing for G Province than Wu Xiaowen went to find Bai Lihua. As expected, it took only a week to completely clear out the Wu Family’s Residence. No matter how unruly or domineering the tenants were, they had no choice but to move out. Bai Lihua even hired a crew of construction workers to renovate the residence inside and out, tearing down and patching up whatever was necessary to restore it to its original state as much as possible. As for the Wu family’s original furniture, antiques, and decorations, they were long gone. Wu Xiaowen felt she should be content with just getting her family’s residence back in one piece.
With Bai Lihua’s help, Wu Xiaowen bought furniture, potted plants, and some antique-style decorations to furnish the residence. She also selected two rooms in the northeast corner of the main house and had them meticulously renovated into a cozy and beautiful space to serve as her living quarters.
Once she secured a job, her work unit would assign her an apartment. Until then, she had to stay at her family home. Constantly staying in a hotel was not an option, especially with Tang Yaxuan in tow—it was costing a lot of money.
The person most thrilled by Wu Xiaowen’s decision to take a long leave of absence and not return to G Province was Tang Yaxuan. Over the past few days, she had done her utmost to play the part of the perfect, doting daughter. She comforted Wu Xiaowen when she was treated cruelly and heartlessly by Tang Qingyun, and she cleverly made herself scarce when Bai Lihua was gently and attentively keeping Wu Xiaowen company. Her perceptiveness earned the unanimous praise and affection of both Wu Xiaowen and Bai Lihua. At Wu Xiaowen’s request, Bai Lihua found a tutor for Tang Yaxuan to help her review her middle school curriculum. Because Hao Hao had tutored her before, she had not only finished her middle school courses but had also previewed several important subjects for the first year of high school. Starting high school directly when the semester began wouldn’t be a problem.
They had even arranged her specific school and class. When school started, all she had to do was show up with her bookbag. Tang Yaxuan had gotten her wish, and her heart was finally at ease.
She would never go back to that shabby, run-down village middle school and that rural little courtyard. Even more, she never wanted to see that boorish Liu Fengying and those younger siblings with their messy hair, so filthy and smelly they made her want to vomit. ’No! They are definitely not my siblings!’
’I am Tang Yaxuan, a well-bred young lady, an elegant debutante belonging to high society. I am absolutely not Liu Fengying’s daughter!’
’To hell with them! They’ll never be able to find me in this lifetime. I have nothing to do with them anymore. This is wonderful!’
With her anxieties gone, it was as if a great shadow had been lifted from her heart. The sun was suddenly shining, and her whole personality became brighter and more vivacious. When Wu Xiaowen was busy, Tang Yaxuan would go out on her own to meet and make new friends, or she would proactively seek out old friends she used to socialize with on previous trips back to Beijing, like Gu Shaoling and Tian Sisi. So what if they knew she wasn’t a Tang Family Girl? She was still the adopted daughter of Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen. Kids, after all, weren’t as snobbish as adults; it was just good to have someone to hang out with. Besides, the warm and generous Tang Yaxuan was much more interesting than the cold and dull Tang Manman!
With this kind of spirit, Tang Yaxuan managed to reconnect with a few of her old companions.
Resolving the issue of the Wu Family’s Residence affected the interests of more than a dozen households, causing quite a stir in the neighborhood for a while. But the residence was unequivocally private property, and the relevant authorities had issued a complete set of property deeds and documents. No matter how much of a fuss the dozen or so families made, it was all for naught. The neighborhood committee had no choice but to find other housing arrangements for them.
Since Grandpa Tang had previously inquired about the Wu Family’s Residence, someone reported the specifics to him after the incident occurred. When he learned that the Bai Family’s connections had handled the matter, his expression darkened slightly. He sat silently in thought for a long while before finally deciding to pretend he had never heard about it. He had no intention of telling the old woman at home or Tang Qingyun, who was far away at his post.
Some things were best not to pay attention to. If you let them run their course, you could usually check back later and find they had produced the results you expected.
After Gu Shaojun left Beijing, Xiao Man, Dad Tang, and Hao Hao made a sightseeing plan for the city. As soon as the plan was finished, Dad Tang had to temporarily return to Liaozhou to resolve a few work issues. Xiao Man wasn’t familiar with Beijing either, so she had no choice but to follow the lead of her "temporary tour guides"—Hao Hao, Shaoyu, Shaolian, and Shao Jin. They took Grandpa and Grandma out to see the sights every day. A cheerful Grandma Tang accompanied them the entire time, and Granny Gu would occasionally join in the fun. The large group formed a veritable tour group.
They hadn’t even had their fill of Beijing yet when Dad Tang called, inviting Grandpa and Grandma to come sightsee in Liaozhou. Grandpa Tang would arrange for a car and have Shao Jin act as their guide, allowing them to travel at a leisurely pace and enjoy the sights along the way, learning about the different local customs and traditions of each region.
Grandpa and Grandma were quite willing to go see the place where Tang Qingshan worked. Unfortunately, there were still banquets to attend in Beijing. People had sent invitations in advance and were practically lined up, specifically requesting the elderly couple’s presence. They spent their days sightseeing and their nights attending banquets. Anyone else would have been exhausted, but Grandpa and Grandma were fine. As long as Grandma Tang thought an event was worth attending, they happily went along. Of course, Grandpa Tang and Grandma Tang knew that the hosts were trying to curry favor with the Tang family and worried about tiring out Grandpa and Grandma. But Grandma just laughed and said, "Tired? How could we be? It’s been decades since we’ve experienced anything like this. It’s quite fun, and the novelty hasn’t worn off yet!"
This sent Grandma Tang into a fit of laughter, and she called Grandma a "big kid."
Through these banquets and social functions, Xiao Man also met and befriended many peers. She was considered the "new darling" of the family and friends circle this year, so she received a lot of special treatment. For example, at every banquet, the host would invariably and publicly assign their own most outstanding and sensible son or daughter to be her companion, staying by her side from beginning to end. This VIP-level treatment was actually quite dull. It took away her freedom; even going to the bathroom became a hassle. Yet, some people loved this kind of attention and would have killed for the honor. ’Seeing all those girls staring at me, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and spite, is just so boring,’ Xiao Man thought.
Visiting Pang Xiaoji’s home was much more relaxed and cheerful, because Pang Xiaoji herself was the one who kept Xiao Man company. The two of them got along wonderfully and had a great time playing together. When it was time to part, they were reluctant to leave each other and made plans to hang out again soon.
When Xiao Man went to the Jun Family’s banquet, it didn’t even occur to her to think of Jun Ran. It was only when a smiling Jun Rui stood before her that she suddenly realized, ’Oh, so this is Jun Ran’s home.’
Jun Rui became her "companion."
Jun Rui said, "Manman, do you like flowers? How about I take you to the conservatory to see the newly bloomed peonies?"
It wasn’t time to be seated for dinner yet anyway, and just standing there foolishly felt awkward, so Manman went with Jun Rui. Along the way, some people tried to follow, while others stood still, glaring daggers at Xiao Man with grim expressions. Xiao Man was speechless. She glanced at the graceful and handsome youth beside her, who was like a sculpture of jade and orchids, and sighed inwardly. ’Is it my fault? It’s not like I did this on purpose. The hosts arranged it. You can follow us if you want. We can all hang out together.’