Chapter 334 - 294: In-laws
Chapter 334: Chapter 294: In-laws
Tang Renqian offered a faint smile and explained to the two guests sitting with him, "This is Xiao Wu, my son Qingyun’s wife. Qingyun works out of province and rarely comes home. Xiao Wu lives in housing provided by her employer, so she isn’t back here often either."
The two guests, both on the older side, smiled and nodded at Wu Xiaowen in greeting. Wu Xiaowen dutifully called out, "Hello, sirs." Just as she was about to urge them to have some fruit as a show of hospitality, Tang Renqian waved her off. "These two gentlemen are old acquaintances, so there’s no need. Go look after Professor Wu and Professor Lin."
After that, he said nothing more, nor did he formally introduce Wu Yu Xuan and Lin Aizhen to his guests as his in-laws.
Wu Xiaowen kept a smile on her face, but her heart sank with indignation. Wu Yu Xuan looked a little awkward, while Lin Aizhen was growing secretly anxious. ’Their children may have gotten together without their parents’ involvement, but the family ties were acknowledged long ago! The in-laws haven’t seen each other in over a decade. Now that they’ve finally met, he should be treating them warmly, like honored guests. This attitude of Tang Renqian’s is all wrong—so cold and indifferent. He’s more dismissive than he would be toward a regular guest. What does that show? It shows the Tang family doesn’t respect Wu Xiaowen or the Wu Family!’
Even though she had expected as much, experiencing the cold shoulder in person was still a bitter pill to swallow.
As the guests began to rise and take their leave, Wu Xiaowen followed closely behind Tang Renqian, nodding and smiling as she saw them off. Lin Aizhen pulled Wu Yu Xuan to his feet as well, and beaming, she trailed along to play the part of a close family member. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Aizhen moved to stand beside Tang Renqian and said with a smile, "It’s a pity your wife isn’t home today. I remember her being an excellent cook, and so warm and generous. If she were here, she would surely insist the guests stay and would treat everyone to a magnificent feast..."
While raising a hand to bid his guests farewell, Tang Renqian replied to her, "Yes, it has put us in an awkward position. Grandma Hao Hao has gone to Liaozhou to see Qingshan and help him find a wife. With the lady of the house away, we can’t properly host anyone who stops by. I wasn’t expecting the two of you today, so we haven’t prepared anything at all. I do apologize."
Wu Yu Xuan said, "Not at all, not at all. We’re all family, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. A simple cup of tea is more than enough for us!"
Tang Renqian chuckled. "Professor Wu, you’re so refreshingly direct. Just what I was thinking. It seems we have quite a bit in common. We still have a little time, so come, please sit a while longer. I’ve just acquired some new tea; let’s brew a pot and have a taste."
"Wonderful, wonderful. New tea from you must be a rare delicacy. I’m in for a real treat," Wu Yu Xuan said with a laugh as he followed Tang Renqian back into the living room.
Wu Xiaowen hurried to follow them, but Lin Aizhen grabbed her arm. Wu Xiaowen said anxiously, "Mom, what are you doing? My father-in-law is about to make tea for Dad. I need to go help."
Lin Aizhen waited until a nearby staff member was out of earshot before lowering her voice. "Your father is a clueless bookworm, but how can you be so dense? Didn’t you hear what your father-in-law said? He’s really just going to serve us a single cup of tea and send us away! That’s not acceptable! We’re his son’s in-laws, Hao Hao and Manman’s grandparents! We finally make a trip to your Tang family home, and we even brought expensive gifts. Forget a grand reception, we should at least be offered lunch, shouldn’t we? Your mother-in-law isn’t home, and maybe your father-in-law doesn’t understand these matters, but you’re the daughter-in-law. You need to take charge and do what needs to be done, you understand? Don’t let people laugh at us, or look down on your father and me!"
Wu Xiaowen froze for a second, but after a moment’s thought, she understood. She nodded. "Alright, I’ll go tell my father-in-law, and then I’ll instruct the housekeeper to buy groceries and make lunch."
"You don’t even have to tell him. Men don’t handle household affairs, and your father-in-law is a man of high status. Why would he concern himself with such things? With your mother-in-law away, you can just make the decision yourself."
"Okay, I’m on my way."
Lin Aizhen watched her daughter hurry away, then raised her head to take in the elegant, stately European-style mansion. Her eyes swept over the spacious, vibrant garden, lush with flowers and trees. A cold, severe expression crossed her gaunt face. In a corner of her heart as silent as a graveyard, something began to stir. She knew what it was: the envy, jealousy, indignation, and resentment she had buried so long ago.
’Fang Qinglan... that arrogant, domineering, vicious shrew. Isn’t she supposed to be terminally ill? It’s what she deserves. She should have died ages ago. Why won’t she just die?’
’All those years ago, out of pure jealousy, she caused a city-wide scandal and destroyed my reputation without a second thought, turning me into a disgraced outcast. I managed to snatch away that weak-willed young master, Wu Yu Xuan, which I considered getting even. After that, we should have gone our separate ways and been done with it! But that venomous witch refused to let it go. She insisted on holding a grudge and took my younger brother’s life. My poor brother, in the prime of his youth with a boundless future, just vanished like that. A living, breathing person, gone in an instant. Not a single bone was ever found, not even a grave to visit!’