Chapter 368 - 323: Asking for Money
Chapter 368: Chapter 323: Asking for Money
(Sorry, dears. I couldn’t turn on my computer because of the heavy rain and lightning, so this update is late. I’ll be back to the normal 9 AM schedule tomorrow, and there will be a make-up Chapter.)
At seven in the evening, Yang Qianrong finally arrived at the hospital carrying a thermos of chicken soup. Lin Aizhen was in no mood to complain about her daughter-in-law’s lateness and just waved for Wu Xiaowen and her daughter to hurry home.
Following Lin Aizhen’s instructions, Wu Xiaowen took Tang Yaxuan and hailed a taxi back to the Wu Mansion. When she saw the light on in Wu Yu Xuan’s study, she knew he was there. She told Tang Yaxuan to go wait in the living room of the main house while she went to the study to speak with him.
Wu Xiaoyang stood under the covered corridor and watched as Wu Xiaowen walked right past him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but she held her head high and completely ignored him. Looking awkward, Wu Xiaoyang rubbed his nose, turned, and walked back to the living room.
After the last family fight, Wu Xiaowen had argued with Yang Qianrong and Wu Xiaorui twice over the house. When their children then beat up Tang Yaxuan, Wu Xiaowen had resolutely moved out with her daughter, adamant about not returning to the Wu Mansion since. In response, Wu Yu Xuan and Lin Aizhen had given Wu Xiaoyang and his wife a harsh scolding and ordered them to apologize to Wu Xiaowen. Although Wu Xiaoyang was afraid of his wife, he had to obey his parents. He somehow managed to coax Yang Qianrong into finding Wu Xiaowen at her workplace to offer a few placating words. Since then, Wu Xiaowen would occasionally return to the Wu Mansion on holidays and Sundays, but she always gave the couple and their children the cold shoulder. Wu Xiaoyang reflected on how his younger sister had always been proud and reserved. She was used to being the center of attention, showered with affection. The way Yang Qianrong and her daughter had treated her was indeed a bit much. But there was nothing he could do. Once a man started his own family, he had to protect the interests of his wife and children first. Everything else had to take a backseat. ’My hands are tied!’
Tang Yaxuan stood at the bottom of the steps near the covered walkway as snowflakes drifted down, soon covering her head and shoulders in a layer of silvery white. Wu Xiaoyang had clearly seen her, yet he went inside without a word, treating her as if she were thin air.
A chill seeped deep into Tang Yaxuan’s bones, her heart filling with endless sorrow and resentment. ’Back when I was still a "granddaughter of the Tang family," this uncle of mine was so kind and warm. Every time we met, he would cheerfully carry me on his back or in his arms, doting on me endlessly. He acted like he wanted to give me every good thing in his house. Back then, he wouldn’t even spare a second glance for his own beloved son, Wu Changyi, who would come up to him with pleading eyes... But from the moment I lost my status as a "granddaughter of the Tang family," Uncle Wu became extremely impatient. And now, he won’t even give me the corner of his eye!’
’Why is everyone so materialistic, cold, selfish, and heartless? The Tang family, the Gu family, and the Wu Family—there isn’t a single good person among them!’
Tang Yaxuan bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at the warm light shining through the glazed windows of the main house’s living room. She swore a silent oath. ’You dare look down on me? One day, I will make every last one of you regret it!’
She remembered a time when Uncle Tang had taken her and Hao Hao to the park. They saw two ugly little ducklings swimming by the lake, and at the time, she had found them repulsive. But Uncle Tang told her, "These are a swan’s children. Even though they’re small and ugly now, they’re working hard to eat more, learn how to swim, and master all sorts of skills. When they grow up, they’ll become the beautiful, flying white swans in the middle of the lake!"
’So the ugly duckling could transform into a beautiful white swan!’
Tang Yaxuan felt that she was that ugly duckling right now. ’I have to endure this, and I have to study hard. One day, I will definitely become a beautiful white swan and make everyone who looks down on me see me in a completely new light!’
Just as she was lost in these thoughts, the door to the main house opened. Wu Meina stuck her head out and shrieked at Tang Yaxuan, "At two o’clock this afternoon, that crazy old hag called again! She said she’s your birth mother! Demanding money! Telling you to send money so your birth father, brother, and sister can buy medicine! Said they’ll die otherwise! Are you sick in the head, Tang Yaxuan? This is my house, not yours! You don’t even live here, so why would you give our phone number to some crazy hag from the countryside? She calls all day long, spouting nonsense, and it’s driving me crazy! You better tell that madwoman tomorrow not to call here again! Or else we’ll give you another beating!"
After she finished, Wu Meina turned and saw Wu Xiaowen approaching from the end of the corridor. She quickly ducked back inside and slammed the door with a BANG.
Tang Yaxuan blinked, and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. ’Liu Fengying... she called asking for money again!’
’I ran all the way to Beijing and didn’t tell anyone, but Liu Fengying still managed to track me down. It’s bad enough she’s calling the Wu Mansion—she’s even calling Wu Xiaowen’s workplace directly! On top of that, my school receives letters from her every single month, and she’s even sent telegrams! I’m absolutely terrified of Liu Fengying!’
In her letters, Liu Fengying had stated clearly that she got the phone numbers and school address from Mo Xiaoman. Although Tang Yaxuan despised Mo Xiaoman for this, there was no way for her to settle the score.
Wu Xiaowen shot a dark look at the living room door, then walked over to Tang Yaxuan and brushed the snow from her shoulders. She frowned. "Don’t you know enough to stand under the eaves? What will we do if you catch a cold again? Your grandmother is in the hospital now. Even though we don’t have to pay her medical bills, taking taxis to visit her every day and buying things like fruit still costs a lot. You can’t afford to get sick again. Things are different now. The Tang family has cut off our allowance, and your father’s salary isn’t even enough to cover his own cigarettes. We have to pinch every penny."
Tang Yaxuan murmured in acknowledgment, lowering her head as she followed behind Wu Xiaowen. ’The way we live,’ she thought, ’how is any of this "pinching pennies"?’
’The work-unit apartment Mom lives in is only a few dozen meters from her office, just around the corner. She doesn’t need to take any transport at all. When she needs to go somewhere farther, she never takes the bus. She stands elegantly on the curb to hail a taxi, a poised gesture that makes so many men and women envious. For shopping, she only goes to big department stores or the Qiao Lian foreign trade store. Her taste is exceptional, and she always buys the most expensive clothes in the shop. On days we don’t cook, we eat out at restaurants. If we can’t finish all the food, she never asks for a doggy bag like some stingy people would. She just pays with a flourish and leaves without a backward glance, making the waiters’ eyes sparkle with admiration. None of the fruits and snacks on our coffee table are ever cheap, either. The lunch money and allowance she gives me every week is at least ten yuan. That’s forty or fifty yuan a month—some government officials and workers only make that much for their entire monthly salary!’
’Of course, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Mom spending lavishly. Isn’t enjoying yourself what life is all about? And we can afford this kind of good life!’
’When Mom isn’t home, I often go through her things. There are always a few hundred yuan of emergency cash in her drawer, and the small bills and loose change she tosses into a little box easily add up to over a hundred. At the very bottom, there are two bankbooks—one in Dad’s name, and one in Mom’s. Mom’s bankbook only has a few hundred yuan, but the one in Dad’s name had ten thousand yuan in it when he first gave it to her!’
’Grandma Tang cut off our family allowance, but this ten thousand yuan was something Grandpa Tang gave Dad in secret. Apparently, it’s money every man in the Tang family receives annually. Dad gave it to Mom, and there’s still five thousand yuan left in the account. See? We haven’t spent that much. The New Year is just around the corner, and another ten thousand yuan will be deposited soon enough!’