Chapter 317 - 282: Common Foe
Chapter 317: Chapter 282: Common Foe
Xiao Man looked at Zheng Shaolian, who seemed a little down, and asked with a smile, "You don’t want to go? How about I go with you?"
Zheng Shaolian’s face immediately lit up with a smile. "Great! I was just about to ask. You should come back with me and Shao Jin for a few days!"
"Is your Zheng Family very big?"
"Not that many. Every time my brother and I go, after we pay respects to our ancestors, everyone gathers for a meal. It’s usually about seven or eight tables."
"Seven or eight tables... that’s seventy or eighty people! And you say that’s not a lot? Are they all close relatives? I thought people only paid respects to their ancestors during the Qingming Festival. Why do it now?"
Zheng Shaolian chuckled and ruffled her hair. "And you say *I’m* the one with a million questions. I think that title belongs to you. How am I supposed to answer all of that?"
"One by one, of course."
"Alright. The Zheng Family is a large clan, but let’s not get into the distant relatives. These days, our Tianjin branch only has so many people left. My father was from the direct line. In his generation, there were three paternal cousins. Father and Mother had me and Shao Jin. In our generation, there are six paternal cousins, plus an adopted heir..."
"Hold on. When you say ’adopted heir,’ does it mean what I think it means? Your family has sons, so why is there an adopted heir?" Xiao Man asked, her curiosity piqued.
Zheng Shaolian sighed and explained, "That adopted heir was originally meant to carry on my father’s family line. The Zheng Family suffered a terrible disaster in the past. Things were bleak and tragic, and family members couldn’t even look out for one another. My father lost his mother when he was very young, so there was even less of anyone to care for him. The rest of the Zheng Family didn’t even know when he died. When they eventually received confirmation of his death, they built a cenotaph for him. They even arranged a marriage to a woman who volunteered to be his widow and brought over a boy from a side branch of the family to be his son. That boy is the adopted heir."
Xiao Man was stunned. "Things like that really happen? So then you and your brother returned... What happened?"
"The Zheng Family only found out about me and Shao Jin ten years ago. They came and found us, insisting we return to be formally recognized by the clan. It turned out my biological grandfather was still alive. My step-grandmother couldn’t have children, so she came up with a crooked scheme to find my father a wife in name only—her own niece. Shao Jin and I made a deal with our grandfather: our father could only have our mother as his wife, and no one else. Grandfather agreed. That nominal stepmother refused to leave the Zheng Family, so she became Grandfather’s adopted daughter to take care of the two elders. As for the heir she raised, well, he had paid respects to the ancestors in our place for so many years, and he is a true Zheng descendant, so we let him stay. He’s now registered under my father and mother’s names as an adopted son."
Xiao Man listened, putting a hand to her forehead. "And I thought my life story was wild. I never imagined your and your brother’s story would be even more archaic and convoluted!"
Zheng Shaolian looked at her earnestly. "So, how about it? Come back with us, please? The Zheng Family usually holds a grand ancestral worship ceremony during the first month of the lunar calendar. You’d love to see it. There’s a whole series of rituals—they’re very elaborate, but also incredibly solemn and dignified... After it’s all over, I can take you sightseeing."
Xiao Man’s eyes darted thoughtfully for a moment, then she shook her head. "I think I’d better not go. You have to pay respects to your ancestors. That’s a major event, and you can’t afford any distractions. Maybe next time. I’ll go with you next time. You’ll be out of the army soon, and I’ll be in Beijing for college. We’ll have plenty of chances!"
"You little liar. You got my hopes up for nothing," Zheng Shaolian grumbled. Xiao Man laughed and pulled a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from her coat pocket. Zheng Shaolian wisely fell silent. He popped one into his mouth, unwrapped one for Grandma Tang and another for Grandma, then pocketed the rest.
On the day the brothers, Zheng Shaolian and Zheng Shaojin, returned to Tianjin, Tang Qingshan also sent someone to pick up Little Man Hao Hao, Grandma Tang, and Grandpa and Grandma, just in time to avoid the Bai Family’s New Year banquet.
For some reason, after hearing from Bai Lihua that the Tang Family wouldn’t be there, Wu Xiaowen decided to take Tang Yaxuan to the Bai Family’s banquet. But as it turned out, she ran into Grandpa Tang and Grandpa Gu. That in itself shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Wu Xiaowen suddenly felt awkward and left in the middle of the event, which struck everyone as strange.
The women couldn’t help but start whispering among themselves. Grandpa Tang remained perfectly composed, only occasionally lifting his gaze during his conversation with Mr. Bai to shoot a cold, indifferent look at Bai Lihua, who was seated nearby. Mr. Bai pretended not to see a thing, continuing to chat and laugh cheerfully as he reminisced with old acquaintances to rekindle their friendships. However, as soon as the banquet ended and the guests had left, he immediately summoned Bai Lihua into his study. His face grim, he gave him a harsh dressing-down, explicitly forbidding him from any further involvement with Wu Xiaowen. If he dared to continue their ambiguous relationship, he could forget about his post in Yuan City—he would be sent straight to the countryside!
Yang Liu’er happened to overhear the conversation between Mr. Bai and Bai Lihua. This time, she pulled Luo Chunxiang into it. Luo Chunxiang had come to bring the old master his medicinal soup, but Yang Liu’er grabbed her and, without allowing any argument, forced her to stay outside the door and eavesdrop with her.
Yang Liu’er had already thought it through. ’One person’s eyes and energy are limited. I can’t keep watch over Bai Lihua by myself. It’s better to hand the task over to Luo Chunxiang. He’s her husband, after all. She should be the one to watch him closely and prevent him from having any contact with Wu Xiaowen!’
’In her past life, Luo Chunxiang had died of illness just like this. It seemed she wasn’t living happily in this life, either. Bai Lihua was cold and distant toward her; the two of them even slept in separate rooms. Yang Liu’er couldn’t understand it. If he didn’t like her, why did he marry her in the first place? They definitely weren’t sleeping in separate rooms back in the countryside, or else how would their three children have been born?’
She also figured that if Wu Xiaowen hadn’t appeared, perhaps the couple’s relationship would be better. Just like that, Yang Liu’er had found an ally to face a common enemy. ’Luo Chunxiang will keep a close eye on Wu Xiaowen, and I’ll guard against Tang Yaxuan. In this life, that mother-daughter pair can forget about worming their way into the Bai Family!’
After being forced by Yang Liu’er to listen to Mr. Bai scold Bai Lihua, Luo Chunxiang was still confused about what had happened. It was only after Yang Liu’er explained everything that she slowly began to process it all. The realization hit her, and she suddenly grabbed onto Yang Liu’er, bursting into tears.
"Liu’er, what am I going to do? I’ve heard your Second Uncle call out a woman’s name in his sleep. I wonder if it’s her... Your Second Uncle is so handsome and educated. I know I’m not good enough for him. But back then, their life on the farm was worse than an animal’s. I took pity on his children and brought them some food, and then he came to my family asking to marry me... If it weren’t for my father and brothers, they never would have gotten a good house to live in or an easy work assignment. The kids were able to go to school, and no one dared to bully them... Now that life is good and we’ve moved to Beijing... what if he goes back to that woman and decides he doesn’t want me? How are my children and I supposed to live?"
Seeing Luo Chunxiang crying so pitifully made Yang Liu’er’s heart ache as well. She comforted her, "Second Aunt, don’t worry. I’m sure my Second Uncle isn’t an ungrateful man. You heard for yourself—Grandpa won’t let him be with that woman. She has her own family and husband! This is all that shameless woman, Wu’s, fault for pestering Second Uncle... From now on, we’ll both be on guard. We won’t let her get near him. If she calls, we won’t tell him, and we won’t pick up! If we keep them separated long enough, he’ll eventually forget her!"
Luo Chunxiang felt that Yang Liu’er’s words made a lot of sense, and she decided to follow her advice.