Chapter 324 - 287: Birthday Gift
Chapter 324: Chapter 287: Birthday Gift
March in the South brought a fine, ceaseless drizzle, leaving the air cool and damp. The trees, flowers, and grasses blanketing the mountains and slopes seemed to have donned new attire overnight. As far as the eye could see, a tender, vibrant green was set off by red, yellow, and white spring blossoms. Brimming with life, the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers filled the air, perfectly capturing the beauty of the season.
Grandpa and Grandma had been in Beijing for over half a month. Back home, Mo Chengfu had gotten the herb garden into impressive shape. He had tilled the new soil, carefully breaking up the clods with a hoe before piling the earth into long ridges and square plots. The soil was loose and fluffy, and there wasn’t a single weed in sight. Grandpa was delighted and praised Mo Chengfu profusely. The two of them immediately started planting the herb saplings. These were saplings they had previously found one by one in the mountains, collected, and temporarily planted in the backyard. There weren’t many, so to finish planting the entire ten-plus acres of land, they would still need to buy saplings from other herb cultivation bases. Xiao Man took on this task. She made an excuse about knowing an old colleague of Tang Qingyun who worked in forestry and could provide the herb saplings. Before Grandpa could even get to the county town to find her, she had already hired a tractor and brought the saplings back.
These saplings, of course, had been cultivated in her Treasure Pearl Space.
After a month of hard work, the land cleared on the small hill was almost completely planted. The saplings took root with surprising speed, seeming to thrive the moment they were put in the ground. The entire slope was covered in a delightful, deep green, making the herb garden truly worthy of its name. Grandpa and Mo Chengfu spent every day working on the slope, so engrossed they were reluctant to even go home for meals. Grandma had no choice but to bring their food to them. The moment she stepped into that green garden, she too felt her spirits lift and her body relax. Pulling weeds and loosening the soil there felt as effortless as playing. If it weren’t for the chickens, ducks, and pigs at home waiting to be fed, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave either.
They didn’t know that the herb saplings Xiao Man had taken from her space were already saturated with Spiritual Energy. Plants, like people, breathe. Once they took root on the small hill, they naturally began to exhale this Spiritual Energy. Xiao Man had set up a Spirit Gathering Array to cover the entire plantation, trapping this energy and gathering any stray Spiritual Energy from the surroundings. The herb saplings were still small and couldn’t absorb too much for the time being, so the entire hill was essentially shrouded in a dense cloud of Spiritual Energy. Being within it, of course, felt incredibly comfortable.
Because she had to take the college entrance exams in July, Grandpa and Grandma told Xiao Man not to come home every week anymore. Her grandma and her father in Beijing had given her tuition money, and Grandpa and Grandma gave her some as well. Combined with the red envelope money she received during the New Year, it was more than enough for her living expenses. Grandma told Xiao Man to stay at school and focus on her studies, preparing for her exams without worrying about home. If anything came up, she could just give them a call. Besides, Sister Liu Ping from the general store often went to the county town, so she could always pass on a message or bring things for her.
Xiao Man heeded her grandma’s words and stopped coming home as often.
Zheng Shaolian, on the other hand, had returned to his military unit after his leave, but he would drive out to Gongdao Village on Sundays, whether he had a reason or not. He even brought a few army buddies with him to help Grandpa with the work. He wasn’t interested in the herbs, but there were a few peach, plum, pear, and apricot trees planted along the edge of the garden, which he took upon himself to manage. He was incredibly diligent, handling all the watering, weeding, and tilling with great care.
One day in late March, Xiao Man received a call from Hao Hao. He was distraught, his voice laced with suppressed anger. He said, "Sis, I really didn’t want to make this call, but if I don’t, I’ll be branded an unfilial son on the spot. Sis, you’re already the ungrateful one in their eyes. I think I can still hold on... After all, we’re not Nezha; we can’t just return our flesh and bones to our parents and be done with it..."
Xiao Man was completely baffled, but also found it a little amusing. She had a gut feeling this call had something to do with the Wu Family, so she said with a laugh, "Just tell me what’s going on. It’s okay."
Hao Hao fell silent for a moment before asking, "Did you spend one hundred and fifty thousand to buy a piece of jade on Beijing Antiques Street?"
"Yes, I did. It’s in my room on the second floor. Didn’t you see it? I thought Grandma would have told you when you came home on the weekend."
"Sis, I didn’t tell you, but since I started university, I also joined a research group. I rarely have any free time. I haven’t been home since the day you dropped me off at school."
Xiao Man was speechless. ’No wonder he got leukemia in our past life. He was so young, already involved in scientific research and too busy to even go home.’
"Hao Hao, no matter how busy you are, you have to set aside an hour every day to practice the mental method. And those pills I gave you, you must take one every Sunday. Have you been doing that?"
"I remember, and I’ve been keeping up with it."
"Good. Now, let’s talk about that piece of jade."
"Mom told me you bought a jadeite piece called ’Summer Rhythm.’ It’s a replica of a Wu Family heirloom and something Grandpa Wu cherishes. Today is his birthday, so Mom came all the way to my school to get me to come back and celebrate. She said Grandpa Wu really misses that jade piece and that you must have bought it as a birthday present for him. She told me to come home and get it! But I have no right to just take my sister’s things, so Mom forced me to make this call. She said if I didn’t, I’d be unfilial and she would disown me completely."
Xiao Man let out a cold laugh. "So she wants you to convince me to give that jade piece to Grandpa Wu?"
Hao Hao managed a quiet "mhm," his voice thick with misery.
"Where are you right now?"
"At the Wu Mansion. Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, and my eldest uncle are all right here."
Xiao Man: "..."
’This feels so bizarre. A group of adults forcing a kid to call and demand a birthday present? Seriously?’
"Put them on the phone. Whoever wants the jade can ask me for it themselves," Xiao Man said.
Soon, Wu Xiaowen’s gentle and cloyingly sentimental voice came through the receiver. "Manman, it’s Mom. I told you in the shop that day: this jade piece is something your grandpa cherishes. You bought it to give to him as a gift, right? You’re such a filial child. When you come back to Beijing, Grandpa can teach you how to appraise antique jades... Oh, Grandpa wants to talk to you! Just a moment, sweetie!"
Xiao Man laughed with exasperation. She no longer hated Wu Xiaowen; she truly saw her as a complete stranger. Wu Xiaowen had no feelings for her either. There is no love or hate between strangers, but no one appreciates being bothered or used by one. And when pushed too far, anyone will lose their temper.
A burst of static crackled in her ear, followed by an elegant and gentle man’s voice. "Is this Manman? I’m Wu Yu Xuan, your maternal grandfather. You can also call me Grandpa."
Xiao Man replied, "Hello, Mr. Wu. I am Tang Manman, daughter of Tang Qingshan. I will only have a maternal grandfather when Tang Qingshan gets married someday."
There was a pause on the other end, then Wu Yu Xuan cleared his throat twice. "Manman, ah... I only just recently learned about your situation. Child, your parents are both alive and well. For your grandparents to have you adopted under Qingshan’s name... I don’t think that was right."
"Whether you think it was right or not is unimportant, Mr. Wu. But I do feel it’s necessary to clarify the facts."
Xiao Man could easily guess that Wu Xiaowen must have twisted the facts for Grandpa Wu. And while she had no expectations of him, she was more than happy to throw a wrench in Wu Xiaowen’s plans. "Please don’t misunderstand my grandparents, Mr. Wu. If they hadn’t put me under Tang Qingshan’s name, I would have had no name and no status, no reason to return to the Tang family. That’s because my biological parents didn’t want me. They abandoned me for their adopted daughter and left me for dead. That’s why I can only be Tang Qingshan’s daughter."