The Abandoned Daughter's Second Chance

Chapter 328: Chapter 291: A Father’s Admonishment

Wu Xiaowen covered her mouth, sobbing in anguish. Lin Aizhen shot Wu Yu Xuan a reproachful look. "When the matter came to light, none of us were there for her. Xiao Xiao had so much to consider. She had no choice but to do what she did. How could you..."

"Don’t say another word!" "A doting mother makes for a spoiled child. The only reason Xiao Xiao has ended up like this is thanks to you, her wonderful mother! Every time she came home, you’d pull her into her room and whisper for hours. Only now do I finally understand what you two were always talking about!"

Wu Yu Xuan glared at Lin Aizhen. "Back in the countryside, you couldn’t even bear to throw out a wilted cabbage leaf or a half-rotten potato. But a child! A child is your own flesh and blood, no matter what happens to her face! How could you abandon her? And you made the decision on your own, hiding it from me! Look what’s happened now! Do you think the Tang family and Fang Qinglan are easy to deal with? No wonder she said she was coming back to Beijing last year but then couldn’t. And I believed you! I actually thought the Tang family was being unreasonable and deliberately making things difficult. Now I understand! I... I deserve this. I deserve it!"

The more Wu Yu Xuan spoke, the angrier he became. He slapped himself twice across the face. The blows weren’t heavy, but they made two sharp, cracking sounds.

Lin Aizhen’s mouth fell open, and she stared at Wu Yu Xuan in stunned silence. Wu Xiaowen scrambled to her feet, rushing to her father and grabbing his hand. "Dad, if you’re angry, you can hit me! Just don’t do this to yourself..."

Wu Yu Xuan choked back a sob. "To raise a child without teaching her is the father’s fault! You abandoned your own daughter, earning the Tang family’s condemnation and alienating Qingyun and Hao Hao... It’s my fault, too! Child, your father has lived for decades in vain. I may not fully understand the ways of the world, but I’ve still seen and thought more than you have. No matter what your reasons were back then, you wronged Manman. What’s wrong is wrong, and you have to admit your mistake! Qingyun is a good man. Do you know how lucky you were to meet him? Without the Tang family, our Wu Family would have been scattered and ruined over the past ten years. We never would have survived! You cannot hold a grudge against him, do you hear me?"

"Dad!" Wu Xiaowen’s tears started falling again. "It’s not that I want to hold a grudge against him! He... he’s just too stubborn and unreasonable, and he won’t listen to me anymore! I did what I did for the sake of his career. He had already secured a spot for advanced studies in Beijing. We discussed it as a couple and he agreed with my decision! But then his mother started stirring up trouble, and he began listening to everything she said. Suddenly, it was all my fault! Dad, you have no idea how malicious that old hag... Grandma Hao Hao is! I honestly suspect she’s doing all this just to torture me!"

"Don’t talk such nonsense! She is your mother-in-law!" Wu Yu Xuan glanced uncomfortably at Lin Aizhen. "Regardless, Qingyun has always treated you well, and the Tang family has never wronged you. You should be content. Now that Manman is legally registered under Tang Qingshan’s name, this matter will eventually become a thing of the past. You are the mother of two of the Tang family’s children; one could say your status in their household is beyond compare. As long as you conduct yourself with integrity from now on, no matter how formidable your mother-in-law is, she’ll have to consider Qingyun and the children. She won’t be able to find fault with you anymore."

Lin Aizhen nodded in agreement. "Xiao Xiao, your dad is right. That’s what I’ve been thinking, too. Our whole family just moved to Beijing not long ago, and we’ve been so busy with everything. I need your help, which is why I haven’t had a chance to talk this over with you properly. You really shouldn’t be fighting with Qingyun."

"..."

Wu Xiaowen gave Lin Aizhen a resentful look. ’Wasn’t it you who said it? That men have a bad streak, that when they get too used to tenderness and compliance, they start to take it for granted and grow numb? You said I had to show my claws and scratch him a little, provoke him, give him the cold shoulder. Only after he’d stewed in his own frustration would he turn back and be more loyal and considerate to his wife.’

She had used that tactic many times. It worked wonderfully at first, though its effectiveness waned later on. But somehow, she had become almost addicted to using it. Now, hearing her mother say she shouldn’t be fighting with him, Wu Xiaowen was filled with unspoken grievances and didn’t know what to say.

"How about this," Lin Aizhen said, patting Wu Yu Xuan’s hand with a smile. "I’ll make some proper preparations tomorrow. The day after, on Saturday, our whole family will go visit the in-laws. We’ll thank them for taking care of us all these years and take the opportunity to talk about Xiao Xiao and Manman. What do you think?"

Wu Yu Xuan thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "I think that will work. The day after tomorrow is too soon; Mr. Tang is probably still busy with his affairs. Let’s make it Sunday. You should prepare a presentable gift—those two bottles of premium Maotai Qingyun gave me six years ago. I’ve never been able to bring myself to open them, so bring those along. And didn’t my elder brother send two boxes of Southern Ocean bird’s nest? Take one box for Grandma Hao Hao. That stuff is very nourishing and good for one’s appearance..."

Lin Aizhen chuckled. "Fang Qinglan has no need for bird’s nest to nourish herself and improve her appearance now. Haven’t you heard Xiao Xiao mention it? Her mother-in-law’s complexion and appearance are several times better than her own daughter-in-law’s!"

Wu Yu Xuan was surprised. "I only heard from Xiao Xiao that she had been seriously ill, that the doctors said she didn’t have long to live... And that later, Manman, who knows Chinese medicine, cured her."

"Isn’t that right? Your granddaughter Manman is a disciple of Imperial Doctor Sun. She gave Fang Qinglan an Immortal Pill, which cured her illness and restored her health. I heard all her hair has turned black again. She’s practically growing young again!"

As Lin Aizhen spoke, she subconsciously touched her own hair. It was already completely white, dry and brittle. She remembered a time when she, too, had long, dark, silky hair, worn in two thick, shining braids that were the envy of many.

Wu Yu Xuan nodded thoughtfully. "I’ve also been taking the medicine Manman prescribed for me, and my old ailments have gradually gotten better. I take a walk every day now, though my legs still feel a bit sore if I walk for too long. I should have Manman prescribe a couple more doses for me... I’ve wasted so many years. I need to hurry up and get back to teaching and educating, and I still need to organize my manuscripts and publish my writings. I can’t do any of that without a healthy body!"

Lin Aizhen said, "Then it’s settled. In three days, our whole family will go to the Tang family’s home."

"I don’t think the whole family needs to go. The main purpose of this visit to the in-laws is to apologize for Xiao Xiao’s foolishness. Just the two of us and Xiao Xiao will be enough. After we adults have smoothed things over, Xiao Xiao, you will move back into the Tang’s home. You can’t live in this courtyard anymore. It’s not that your mother and I are kicking you out, but you are now another family’s daughter-in-law. Showing filial piety to your parents-in-law is your duty!"

After Wu Yu Xuan finished speaking, Wu Xiaowen’s eyes reddened again. "Dad, if I go back in disgrace like this, will I have any say in that family anymore? Won’t I just have to put up with even more of their anger?"

"That’s what you deserve, because you were wrong! Think of your husband, your daughter, and your son. No matter how wronged you feel, you have to endure it!"

"They won’t let Xuanxuan live in the Tang Mansion with me. Xuanxuan has been the Tang family’s granddaughter for over a decade, and in the end, they won’t even let her through the door. How can a family be so heartless?"

Wu Yu Xuan glanced at Lin Aizhen. "That’s understandable. Given Fang Qinglan’s temperament, she would never take a liking to someone who isn’t a blood relative. You go back to the Tang family. Leave Xuanxuan with your mother."

"But..." Wu Xiaowen started to say more, but Lin Aizhen stopped her with a look. "Do as your father says. I’ll make sure Xuanxuan is taken care of, so don’t worry. You must be hungry, right? I had Aunt Yu save you all some food. I’ll go get it now, and the three of us can eat here."