Chapter 330 - 293: The Decision to Return to the Tang Family
Chapter 330: Chapter 293: The Decision to Return to the Tang Family
"Brother, do you think we’re in the countryside? You can be as rowdy as you want in the countryside, but can you do that here in Beijing? What kind of standing does our Wu Family have? Don’t you remember when the four of us were children? We would sit prim and proper in the main hall, without making the slightest commotion!"
With Wu Xiaowen staring him down, Wu Xiaoyang opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words. He could only wave his hand at the children. "Stop arguing, all of you! Just watch TV!"
But the children paid him no mind, crying out one after another in protest. Wu Meiting even threw an orange at her father. Not only did Wu Xiaoyang not scold his daughter, he chuckled, peeled the orange, and ate it.
Wu Xiaowen looked at him with utter exasperation. "Brother, it’s wrong for you to indulge them like this. No wonder you have no authority. You and your wife—you know how to have children, but not how to raise them. You don’t act like parents at all!"
Yang Qianrong spat out a mouthful of melon seed husks, her face hardening. "Who are you calling out for having children but not raising them? No matter how little authority Wu Xiaoyang has, those four kids are his own flesh and blood. They cry for their daddy every single day and don’t look down on him one bit. But you, Wu Xiaowen, you’ve had two of your own. How come we never see them with you? Instead, you have to drag some stray along to keep you company? You say my husband and I don’t act like parents, but do you? Oh, right, I forgot. Your own children want nothing to do with you. Each one runs farther away than the last. You couldn’t discipline them even if you wanted to! You should take a moment to consider if you’re even fit to be a mother yourself before you dare to run your big mouth and shout nonsense at others. Have you no shame!"
"You... you... you...!" Bombarded by Yang Qianrong’s tirade, Wu Xiaowen’s face flushed purple with rage. A curse was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t force the words out. She was no match for Yang Qianrong. The Yang family was no minor household, and though Yang Qianrong had received a good upbringing, after so many years of being sent down to the countryside for manual labor, she had become an expert at cursing and fighting. It came to her effortlessly.
Yang Qianrong sneered. "I’m what? Go on, Wu Xiaowen, if you have the guts, say it. I don’t mind! And after you’re done, you can get the hell out of the Wu Family! Let’s forget the past and just look at the situation right now. Have you ever seen a married woman with a husband and home of her own who doesn’t stay put, but instead runs back to her parents’ house to steal her nieces’ and nephews’ rooms, abuse her niece, and insult her own elder brother and sister-in-law? Wu Xiaowen, I have had more than enough of you!"
Wu Xiaowen bit her lip so hard she could taste blood. Just as she felt she was about to faint, the door behind her creaked open. Lin Aizhen walked out. Wu Xiaowen whipped her head around and burst into tears, crying, "Mom..."
Lin Aizhen always favored Wu Xiaowen, and this time was no exception. Wu Xiaoyang, Yang Qianrong, and their four children were scolded soundly and kicked out of the main hall, forbidden from even watching television. This brought Wu Xiaowen a small measure of vindication, but the hostile glares the family of six shot her way as they left made her mood sour once more.
Back in the room, Tang Yaxuan was focused on her homework. Wu Xiaowen sighed softly and sat down across from her. She told Tang Yaxuan her decision to move back to the Tang family, telling her to be good and listen to her grandmother while staying at the Wu Mansion, and that her mother would visit her often.
Late that night, mother and daughter lay in bed, each lost in their own thoughts, unable to sleep.
’I hadn’t paid much mind to Lin Aizhen’s words before. After all, I was kicked out of the Tang Mansion by the family elders. But now that it’s clear I can no longer stay peacefully at the Wu Mansion, a sense of desolation is washing over me, and I have no choice but to carefully consider the necessity and importance of returning to the Tang family.
I finally understand now. The reason Wu Xiaoyang’s family of six despises me, dares to lay hands on me and curse me, and are brazenly trying to drive me away; the reason Wu Xiaorui is so insidious, like a viper hiding in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment—it’s all because I’ve lost my connection to the Tang family!
I haven’t been back to the Tang family since the New Year. The Wu Family has been back in Beijing for over half a month, and so many friends and relatives have come to visit that they’ve nearly worn out the doorstep, yet there’s been no sign of anyone from the Tang family. It’s as if the Tangs have no connection to the Wus whatsoever. The invitation personally written by Wu Yu Xuan vanished without a trace, like a stone dropped into the ocean. Phone calls are always picked up by staff, and there’s never a return call, never any follow-up.
My husband, Tang Qingyun, is working in another province; not only has he not visited, he hasn’t even called. My son, Tang Haocheng, had to be cornered at his school just to force him to stop by... All of this was enough for the Wu Family to see the truth: Wu Xiaowen has fallen from grace in the Tang family!
That’s why they no longer care how respected and distinguished I once was, how much I’ve done for the Wu Family, or what contributions I’ve made. They feel free to trample all over me and show me nothing but contempt!’