Chapter 365 - 320: Good News
Chapter 365: Chapter 320: Good News
In early December, Beijing was a world of fluttering snowflakes, frozen solid by the biting cold. The Tang Mansion, however, was warm and filled with a festive air. Tang Qingshan had finally found the time to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with Miss Ai to register their marriage! Grandpa Tang personally wrote the wedding invitations, and Grandma Tang, filled with a joy that gave her boundless energy, ran around every day delivering them. She basked in the early congratulations from friends and family, so happy that she would laugh out loud in her dreams.
Tang Qingshan and Ai Wenli’s wedding was set to be held on New Year’s Day!
Grandma Tang made a special call to Gongdao Village to share the good news with Grandpa and Grandma, telling them she would mail them wedding candies and some New Year’s goods soon. Jiabao had just recently returned to the Mo family to reunite with his parents, so he should have a lively and festive New Year at home instead of traveling all the way to Beijing. There was plenty of time in the future. Once she was free next spring, she would bring the new bride over for them to meet. The whole family could make proper plans then—they could travel back and forth as they pleased, doing whatever they liked!
On the other end of the line, Grandpa and Grandma took turns on the phone, laughing and talking happily. They raised both hands in approval of Grandma Tang’s proposal.
When Xiao Man called Grandpa and Grandma again later, Grandma had her get a pen and paper to write down a list, item by item, as she dictated. She then instructed Xiao Man that these were the wedding gifts she and Grandpa were preparing for Mr. Tang, and that she absolutely had to go to the biggest department store to pick out the very best! As for the money, Grandpa would go to the commune post office to wire it over tomorrow!
Xiao Man smiled and agreed to everything. She knew she couldn’t stop them. Grandpa and Mr. Tang got along particularly well, and now that Mr. Tang was finally getting married, Grandpa was absolutely ecstatic and definitely wanted to show his support. Besides, they had earned a lot of money from selling herbs this year, so she might as well let him spend it!
For most people, the wedding at the Tang Mansion was just a piece of good news, another occasion to attend a celebratory banquet. But for a select few, it was like a bolt from the blue, leaving them shocked, resentful, bitter, and heartbroken.
On Saturday afternoon, Xiao Man walked out of the school gates, heading for the nearby bus stop to catch a ride back to the Tang Mansion. She was only halfway there when a taxi suddenly pulled up beside her with a SCREECH. The door opened and Wu Xiaowen got out. Xiao Man was about to walk around her and leave, but then she saw Tang Haocheng get out from the other side. The siblings’ eyes met. "What is the meaning of this?" Xiao Man asked.
Tang Haocheng knew his sister had misunderstood and shook his head helplessly. "Mom came to my school to find me, and as soon as I got in the car, we came here. She has something to say to you. It has nothing to do with me!"
Wu Xiaowen turned and glared at Tang Haocheng. "What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? I gave birth to you both! Is this any way to treat your mother and your maternal grandparents? It’s outrageous! No matter what, you both have to come with me today to the hospital to see your grandma!"
After Wu Xiaowen finished speaking, Xiao Man said calmly to Tang Haocheng, "Your grandma is sick, so you should go visit her when you have time. I’m sorry, but I’m busy today, so I won’t be joining you. Goodbye, Hao Hao. Goodbye, Auntie!"
She turned to continue toward the bus stop, but Wu Xiaowen caught up in a few steps and grabbed her, her elegant eyebrows furrowing in anger. "Manman, you know full well whether I’m your ’Auntie’ or not. There’s no one else around, so who are you putting on this act for? The person lying in that hospital bed is my mother, and she’s also your biological grandmother. You have to go see her!"
Xiao Man shook her hand off. "It’s precisely because I know you’re his aunt that I’m even giving you the time of day, and only for Hao Hao’s sake. Please don’t push your luck. Your mother... shouldn’t Tang Yaxuan be the one serving her like a biological grandchild? What does it have to do with me?"
"You! Xuanxuan, of course, has a conscience! Her schoolwork is so demanding, yet she stayed at the hospital with her grandma until midnight last night. And today, she went right back over after school to look after her, feeding her soup and medicine. She’s so much better than you!"
"Well, isn’t that just perfect? You raised such a filial granddaughter for your mother. What a great blessing for you!"
"Manman! I know you can’t stand Xuanxuan, but this is fate. What can we do? Why can’t you try to understand? You can’t bear to leave your Grandpa and Grandma in the countryside, so on what grounds can you forbid your father and me from keeping Xuanxuan with us? We raised her from the time she was a baby in our arms; our feelings for her are as if she were our own flesh and blood! It’s not like a tree branch or a vine that you can just chop off! She’s even willing to accept you, so why can’t you tolerate her? Is it so hard to be good sisters? If you’re this narrow-minded, how will you get along with people when you enter the workforce?"
Wu Xiaowen lectured her with a stern face. ’Truth be told, she had long since lost her patience with Xiao Man. If her own parents hadn’t insisted on her coaxing Xiao Man back, she would never be acting so humbly. Who was she, Wu Xiaowen? How many people had she ever had to beg? She’d been a very proud person her whole life, you know?’
’This daughter was born specifically to antagonize her and cause her trouble—a debt collector from a past life! It would have been better if she had just died in an accident back then!’
Xiao Man was so stunned by Wu Xiaowen’s twisted logic that she fumed. She really wanted to raise her hand, fling a small fireball, and burn that fluffy, shoulder-length perm right off her head. "Since you know I’m so narrow-minded, then please, from now on, stay far away from me. Don’t even speak to me. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I can’t control myself and end up hurting you!"
With that, she walked away quickly, not looking back.
"Tang Manman, you get back here!" Wu Xiaowen started to give chase but was pulled back by Tang Haocheng. "I’m begging you! I’ll go with you to the hospital to see Grandma. Just stop harassing my sister, and please stop saying such disgusting things, okay?"
Wu Xiaowen turned to look at Tang Haocheng. Stung by the cold indifference on his face, her eyes reddened and tears began to fall. "How was that disgusting? I was telling the truth! I raised Xuanxuan with my own hands. Your father and I taught her personally. Her character is simply better than Manman’s! Hao Hao, you can’t be like Manman. Manman grew up in the countryside. She’s uncultured and has grown up crooked! You shouldn’t get too close to her! You and Xuanxuan used to be so close. How did Xuanxuan love, care for, and guide you? That’s how an older sister should be, not like Manman, who instigates you and incites you to distance yourself from your own mother!"
"Mom, I don’t want to hear this anymore!"
Tang Haocheng could no longer hold back. His face hardened as he said, "It’s no wonder my sister wants nothing to do with you. If you don’t change your way of thinking, you will never earn her forgiveness! And if you ever lump me and Xuanxuan together again or say she’s my sister, I won’t forgive you either! I’ve told you before: every time I see Xuanxuan, my disgust for her only deepens! She is not as pure and innocent as she appears on the surface. The fact that she knew the truth of the matter and could still hide it from you and Dad for nearly two years says everything about her character! You could argue she couldn’t bear to leave you and Dad, but she tried everything she could to prevent my sister from returning to the Tang family. Can’t you see her malicious intentions? My sister endured so much hardship in the countryside—she was abused, and they even tried to destroy her! While it’s true Liu Fengying and her husband were the ones who did it, we can’t rule out that Xuanxuan was the one pulling the strings! I found half of a torn envelope at our home in the provincial city. It was in Xuanxuan’s handwriting and was addressed to the countryside. When I asked at the mailroom, I found out she actually had a small, locked mailbox that she used exclusively to communicate with the countryside. To get it, she gave the mailroom manager a carton of cigarettes and a few kilograms of candy! She was very meticulous; she even took the mailbox with her when she left the provincial city! Not a single one of us in the family knew about this! Using a special little mailbox to contact her parents in the countryside, acting like something out of a spy movie—what was she doing? I’ve told you, Dad, and Grandpa and Grandma all of this before! Why can’t you just wake up? Mom, I’m asking you again to see clearly and think clearly—Xuanxuan is not worthy of you treating her this way! Defying Grandpa and Grandma’s wishes and breaking my sister’s heart all for Xuanxuan’s sake... I can’t understand it. Don’t you regret it?"