Chapter 329 - 292: East Wind and West Wind
Chapter 329: Chapter 292: East Wind and West Wind
After dinner, Wu Yu Xuan returned to his study, while Lin Aizhen pulled Wu Xiaowen into her bedroom. The mother and daughter once again had a long, heart-to-heart talk.
Lin Aizhen instructed her daughter, "You know, sometimes you need to be more flexible. When you see something isn’t right, you have to find another way. You can’t just keep going down a dead-end path. Like how you’ve been handling things with Qingyun. You’ve gone too far."
"Mom, you have no idea. Qingyun is the one who’s being unreasonable! He listens to everything his parents say now. He went back for a visit, and when he returned, he started clashing with me. Nothing I say is right. He used to always discuss things with me, and we would talk things out calmly. But now, he argues with me over the slightest disagreement, pulling a long face, scolding and berating me! His attitude, his tone—it’s just like his mother’s! How is anyone supposed to live like this? Tell me, how am I supposed to stand it?" Wu Xiaowen was both furious and aggrieved.
Lin Aizhen didn’t quite believe that Tang Qingyun would scold Wu Xiaowen. "Don’t exaggerate. It’s common for couples to have small squabbles. Qingyun has always doted on you and given in to you. He never used to argue with you. I know this for a fact."
"Mom..."
"Alright, let’s be serious. When your grandfather was still alive, the Wu Family’s businesses were substantial. Your father was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, a scholar who only knew how to study and do research; he didn’t manage anything and didn’t understand anything. But after this disaster, even he has woken up. What he told you earlier made a lot of sense. Our family just returned to Beijing, and we haven’t found our footing yet. This whole family needs a way to make a living, and to some extent, we still have to rely on the Tang family. Your dad just got back to the university and was made a vice-president. The president hinted, both directly and indirectly, that it was all because of Tang Renqian’s reputation! Even though it’s a position without real power, a vice-president at a prestigious university still carries some weight. So, you can’t be throwing tantrums with Qingyun. You’re the Tang family’s daughter-in-law. You gave birth to their son and daughter. You should move back into the Tang family home. No matter how vicious Fang Qinglan is, she won’t outlive you. The Tang family will be yours to manage one day."
Wu Xiaowen pouted. "I used to think that old hag was about to die, but she’s so healthy now. If I have to live under the same roof with her, aren’t you worried she’ll abuse me to death?"
"How could that happen? Did I raise you just to let someone else abuse you?" Lin Aizhen reached out, tucked a stray strand of Wu Xiaowen’s hair behind her ear, and smiled. "There are plenty of families with disagreeable mothers- and daughters-in-law. It’s nothing more than a struggle between the east wind and the west wind. If you don’t want to be overwhelmed, you have to become stronger! I’ve told you before: you have to learn how to use the people and situations around you. Your mother-in-law may be vicious, but your father-in-law is a reasonable man. And then there’s Hao Hao. Even though his grandmother has raised him and he’s close to her, you’re still the one who gave birth to him! Take today, for example. Hao Hao said he was too busy to see his grandfather, but when you went to get him, he still had to come! Don’t underestimate the bond of blood. If you can slowly coax Manman back to your side, the benefits will be enormous!"
"Mom, I really don’t have the confidence... You have to understand, that old hag won’t even help Qingyun. She just let the old man send Qingyun to some poor mountain gully, and who knows how many years it’ll take for him to come back. If I move into the Tang Mansion and have to stare daggers at her every day, just thinking about it makes me miserable!"
"Silly child, do you know what kind of man your father-in-law is? When he was young, he had the nickname ’the Fox.’ He’s not just a master strategist; he also knows how to win people over! So many people have fallen from grace, but the Tang family and the Gu family have remained safe and sound. What do you think that’s based on? Besides the Gu family’s military power, it’s your father-in-law’s brain and his way with words! That’s why I’ve reminded you so many times: you must respect your father-in-law and show him your filial piety! There must be a reason why he’s letting Qingyun stay in that remote mountain area. For one thing, this whole incident with Manman has had a big impact on Qingyun. It’s not a good time for him to come out! Your work transfer has already been arranged, and you’re about to start your job. You’ll only see your mother-in-law in the morning and evening. What is there to be afraid of? Once you get used to it, it’ll be fine. At most, you’ll have to endure it for a couple of years until Qingyun’s job is transferred. This time, he definitely won’t be sent to the countryside again; it’ll be a first-tier city at least. Then you can go with him, husband and wife together. Wouldn’t your suffering finally turn to joy then?"
Wu Xiaowen’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Just thinking about Qingyun having to stay in that poor mountain gully for several more years makes me uneasy. It’s one thing for me to be in Beijing alone, but he’s out there in the countryside, suffering and toiling away. After a few years, won’t he have aged into an old man?"
"Look at you, have you lost your mind? Your daughter Manman is studying traditional Chinese medicine. At her age, she already knows how to use medicine to bring the dying back to life. Have her write a prescription for some nourishing tonics. Not just for Qingyun—you could use some to take care of yourself, too. And when the time comes, let your mother get in on it. Your dad just said he wants Manman to prescribe him a couple more rounds of medicine. You remembered that, right?"
"...Oh, I remember." Speaking of medicine, Wu Xiaowen recalled the time during the New Year when she had asked Manman for a prescription and gotten furiously scolded by Fang Qinglan. Her head started to ache at the memory. ’But that was because I was asking on behalf of an outsider. This time, it’s for our own family, so I don’t need to be afraid of Fang Qinglan. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just ask Hao Hao to talk to Manman again.’
After their talk, Lin Aizhen went to get a change of clothes for Wu Yu Xuan. Wu Xiaowen walked out of her parents’ bedroom first and saw Wu Xiaoyang and Yang Qianrong already sitting in the living room with their children, watching TV.
Wu Xiaoyang and his wife had a large living room in the east wing where they lived, but the entire family only owned one television set, so they had all come over to the main house to watch it.
The three daughters and one son were bickering endlessly over the channel. The television knob was being twisted so hard it made CLICKING sounds. The one who couldn’t get their channel would just stand in front of the TV cabinet to block the screen. Wu Changyi went so far as to kick off his shoes, jump onto the sofa, and bounce up and down while letting out sharp shrieks. Faced with this chaos, Wu Xiaoyang only offered a couple of token shouts, while Yang Qianrong didn’t say a word, simply sitting to one side, cracking melon seeds and watching with a smile.
Wu Xiaowen frowned. ’This is getting more and more outrageous. Where is there even a trace of a scholarly family’s decorum? They’re worse than an ordinary family!’
’Wu Xiaowen was the one who got the house back. This was the place where she grew up, so naturally, she wanted to do her best to restore it to its original state. She had put in so much effort, and it was only with Bai Lihua’s strong support and help that she had managed to get it mostly fixed up. She had pestered Bai Lihua to pull some strings and find connections to buy a complete set of high-end sofas and a television, decorating the main house’s living room to be elegant and comfortable. This was her parents’ space, and she didn’t want others enjoying it. But her parents doted on their grandchildren and let them watch TV as they pleased. Unfortunately, these few unruly children were too much to handle. They had been back in Beijing for less than half a month, and the once clean and beautiful living room had already been trashed beyond recognition.’
’Wu Xiaofeng and his wife hadn’t been able to return to Beijing yet because of their jobs. When they came back, there would be another family of four. Wouldn’t this house become even more chaotic?’
Wu Xiaowen couldn’t take it anymore. She yelled at Wu Changyi, who was on the sofa, "Get down from there! Do you have any idea how expensive this sofa is? It’s for sitting and resting, not for you to trample on!"
Then she pulled away Wu Meijing, who was standing in front of the television, fiddling with the channel knob. "This is a new TV! If you keep messing with it like that, you’ll break it. And if it’s broken, what will you watch?"
Wu Meijing shot Wu Xiaowen a disdainful eye-roll, and Wu Changyi snorted. The two of them ran over to Yang Qianrong and nestled against her.
They weren’t afraid of this aunt. In the past, they might have even talked back, but today, because of the fight, they had just been punished by their grandparents and made to kneel, so they didn’t dare act up.
Wu Menan and Wu Meiting were each sitting in an armchair, looking at Wu Xiaowen with challenging eyes. They cracked melon seeds and let out cold, derisive hisses.
Wu Xiaowen was furious. She turned to look at Wu Xiaoyang. "Brother, aren’t you going to do something about them?"
Wu Xiaoyang cleared his throat. "They’re just kids. Isn’t it normal for them to be noisy? Otherwise, the house would feel too quiet!"