Chapter 327 - 290: Scolding
Chapter 327: Chapter 290: Scolding
Wu Yu Xuan had never imagined his first birthday back in Beijing would turn out this way. It was a good thing he’d finished the ten packets of herbal medicine Xiao Man prescribed for him; otherwise, he might have been so furious he’d have ended up in the emergency room.
Since it was a case of the young offending an elder, Wu Menan and her two sisters were bound to get a scolding from their grandparents. When Lin Aizhen saw Wu Xiaowen crying her heart out, her jacket torn off and pinch marks on her neck and hands—a truly miserable sight—she flew into a rage. She ordered Wu Xiaoyang to bring the family switch and give the three sisters a good thrashing. But with Yang Qianrong intervening, Wu Xiaoyang couldn’t bring himself to actually beat his own children. The family put on an act in the courtyard, all thunder and no rain, and let the matter slide.
In the living room of the main house, Wu Yu Xuan sat on the sofa, his face grim. Lin Aizhen comforted the weeping Wu Xiaowen. Tang Yaxuan, though her own face was streaked with tears, rushed around to get a towel and pour hot water for Wu Xiaowen. Meanwhile, Wu Xiaorui sat in front of the television, glancing over from time to time with a mocking smirk playing on her lips.
Finally losing patience with the racket from the television and the weeping of Wu Xiaowen and her daughter, Wu Yu Xuan shooed Wu Xiaorui and Tang Yaxuan away. "Turn off the TV. Both of you, go to your rooms."
"Dad!" Wu Xiaorui protested. "This is the living room! If you want to talk, go to the study. Besides, aren’t we going to eat? Hao Hao is a son of the Tang family; he’s rich. If he can’t get a meal here at the Wu residence, he can go to a restaurant for something better. I, on the other hand, have no money to eat out!"
Wu Yu Xuan was at a loss for words. At the thought of her son running back to school hungry because of her neglect, Wu Xiaowen felt a pang of heartache and remorse, covering her face and sobbing even more heartbrokenly.
Lin Aizhen glared at her younger daughter. "Didn’t your sister-in-law already set the table? You two, go ahead and eat!"
Wu Xiaorui got up and headed out, saying, "Mom, since Dad won’t let me watch TV, I’m going to take your cassette player to my room and listen to some music."
"Just be careful with it," Lin Aizhen said, exasperated. "I use that to listen to my operas. Don’t break it!"
"What’s the big deal if it breaks? She’s lost her grip on the Tang family, but the Bai Family isn’t a bad alternative. With her connections, she can just have them bring another one back from Hong Kong Island."
Wu Xiaowen’s sobs hitched, but she held her tongue.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lin Aizhen hissed at her younger daughter, glancing back at Wu Yu Xuan on the sofa. She then waved a hand at Tang Yaxuan. "Go have dinner with your aunt. Your grandparents and your mother have things to discuss."
Tang Yaxuan obediently nodded and walked out. But how could she possibly dare to eat with Wu Xiaorui? ’Wu Xiaorui’s dagger-like glare alone is enough to run me through,’ she thought, ’let alone that venomous mouth of hers. I’d be lucky to make it out alive, forget about actually eating.’
So, she wisely hid in the room her mother, Wu Xiaowen, was occupying. Picking up a tin of cookies, she began to eat them quietly, thinking to herself. ’This can’t go on. I used to think Mom could maintain her special status in the Wu family with Grandma and Grandpa’s protection, but now I see that’s not true at all!’
’Mom and I both underestimated Wu Menan and her sisters. They’ve grown up. Now that they’re back in Beijing, they’re not the same clueless country girls they used to be. Their fighting prowess is on another level. It’s obvious they’ve been coached and egged on by Yang Qianrong and Wu Xiaorui. It looks like they won’t stop until they’ve driven me and Mom out of the Wu home for good.’
’Wu Xiaorui isn’t the same delicate little girl who used to trail after Mom, calling her "Big Sis." Now she’s glamorous and mature, exuding a womanly charm that makes her seem even more alluring than Mom. But her personality has changed dramatically, too. Ever since I saw that look in her eyes—as cold and venomous as a vengeful spirit’s—I’ve been terrified. I don’t dare look her in the eye anymore.’
’My intuition is screaming at me: Wu Xiaorui is back to get revenge on us!’
’I have to find an excuse to convince Mom to just move out. It’s not worth trying to freeload off the Wu family anymore.’
Back in the living room, Wu Xiaowen sobbed, "Haven’t I done enough for this family? Why are they treating me this way? Telling me I have no right to live in this house... They couldn’t have thought of that themselves! Dad, Mom, don’t tell me you two feel the same way?"
"Of course not. We’re your parents; we dote on our own children. We wish we could have you with us all the time." Lin Aizhen patted Wu Xiaowen’s back. "Stop crying now. I had your brother punish them. Your sister-in-law is a bit indulgent with her children, but your brother and your younger siblings have always been on your side. You children have been close since you were little, which has always made your father and me so happy... And as for what was said, no matter who said it, no one is to ever bring it up again!"
Wu Yu Xuan sighed. "But they were right about one thing: you are a married woman. You should be living with the Tang family, taking care of your husband and children, not spending all your time at your parents’ house. It’s not proper."
Wu Xiaowen paused and wiped her tears. "But Dad, I’m in the middle of a job transfer, aren’t I? I’ve been running around these past few days trying to finalize everything."
"You told me you had a small fight with Qingyun. It’s common for couples to argue, but is it so bad that you’re ignoring your parents-in-law? The Wu Family hosted a banquet, and I sent the invitation myself, yet not a single person from the Tang family showed up. Your mother-in-law may be proud and difficult, but your father-in-law is a very reasonable man! Tell me, is this because of Manman? You two, tell me the story about Manman again, from the beginning and in detail!"
"Dad..." Wu Xiaowen stopped crying.
"Why won’t Manman call me ’Grandpa’? She said her birth parents didn’t love her, that they abandoned her and left her for dead. What is that all about?"
"Dad, it’s not like that. Manman... she grew up in the countryside. She doesn’t really know how to talk properly yet, she uses words incorrectly..."
"Doesn’t know how to talk? The child isn’t four years old! Uses words incorrectly? My ears aren’t failing me. She was articulate and coherent, and she didn’t misuse a single word! What exactly did you two do? If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out on my own!"
Wu Xiaowen glanced at Lin Aizhen, biting her lip as she lowered her head and began to cry again.
Lin Aizhen said, "Yuxuan, you can’t really blame Xiao Xiao for this. She had a lot on her mind back then, and the doctor said your illness couldn’t be delayed. She was focused on getting our family back to Beijing sooner so you could have better treatment. So when the baby swap was discovered... oh, dear. It’s all such a mess, I don’t even know where to begin!"
"No matter how messy, tell me. I’m listening!"
With no other choice, Lin Aizhen recounted the version of the story she and her daughter had concocted. But Wu Yu Xuan was a rigorous academic and far from senile. When he put his mind to it, it was far sharper than an ordinary person’s. He asked only a few questions before he was able to piece together the entire sequence of events and understand what had really happened.
He let out a long sigh, his gaze toward Wu Xiaowen a mixture of disappointment and regret. "For you to have been raised this way, it is your mother’s fault! It was such a simple matter. How did it come to this? She is your own flesh and blood! What would have been the harm if you and your husband had just gone to see her once? In the end, your daughter no longer belongs to you, and it’s clear Hao Hao has grown distant from you as well. Every year on my birthday, Qingyun would have someone send a gift or at least call. But this year, he’s done nothing. It’s obvious you and your husband have turned against each other! And then there’s that Bai Lihua... he seems to have been a great help to you. Xiao Xiao, what is it that you truly want?"