Chapter 371 - 326: So Foolish
Chapter 371: Chapter 326: So Foolish
Tang Yaxuan pressed herself flat against the wall, wedged between the sofa and the wall. She held her breath, pretending she didn’t exist, and waited until the two sisters, who had been tangled up in a struggle behind the door, finally separated. Wu Xiaorui stormed back to her room, shaking her hand. A moment later, Wu Xiaowen staggered into her own room and quickly shut the door.
Tang Yaxuan let out a sigh of relief, secretly glad she had pulled her door partially shut when she came out. As Wu Xiaorui had instructed, she had first gone to the kitchen to do a quick tidy-up, stoke the stove, and put a kettle of water on to heat for washing the dishes and cups. She had planned to clean the living room while the water was heating, but who would have thought... This actually worked out perfectly. Wu Xiaowen would think she was in her room, and Wu Xiaorui would think she was in the kitchen. Neither would suspect that she had heard and seen their fight.
After calming down, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment toward Wu Xiaowen. ’Why on earth did she have to give the perfectly good house to Wu Xiaorui? So stupid!’
Life for the two of them could have been so simple and peaceful. But no, they just had to get tangled up with Wu Xiaorui, and now their days were needlessly difficult!
She quickly finished cleaning the living room, not bothering to mop the floor just yet. First, she went to the kitchen to wash the pots, pans, and dishes, then put more water on to heat. Her mom and aunt would need it later. If there was no hot water, her aunt would definitely yell. Her mom was in a bad mood. ’It’s better for me to just work harder and do more. In times like these, it’s best to avoid causing trouble!’
Finally, after scrubbing the toilet clean, Tang Yaxuan was so tired her back ached and her limbs felt weak. She slowly trudged back to her room, one step at a time.
Leaning against the back of her door, Tang Yaxuan tilted her head back and let out a long breath. She thought about how Wu Xiaorui had browbeaten Wu Xiaowen today. In the future, regardless of whether Wu Xiaowen decided to grovel and submit, she herself would certainly not escape Wu Xiaorui’s tyranny. She would be tormented even more relentlessly. A wave of sorrow and hatred she couldn’t suppress washed over her. ’How could I be so unlucky? I managed to stop Mom from going back to the Tang Mansion, and we even escaped the Wu Mansion. We moved into this company apartment, free from anyone’s control. Freedom was right in front of our eyes, but we ended up getting entangled with a plague like Wu Xiaorui!’
She recalled Wu Xiaorui’s accusation toward Wu Xiaowen earlier: ’This is all thanks to you!’
’So then, who is to blame for me falling to this state—from the high and mighty Tang Family Girl to a maid who washes dishes and sweeps floors, a punching bag who gets beaten and scolded?’
’Of course, it’s Mo Xiaoman!’
Tang Yaxuan gritted her teeth. ’Mo Xiaoman, you stole my happiness and ruined my future! This is a fight to the death! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you to death!’
’Why can’t she be more magnanimous? It would have been beneficial, not harmful, for the Tang family to raise another daughter. But no, she wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had driven me out completely and stuffed me back into that dilapidated courtyard of the Mo family!’
’They say Liu Fengying is vicious, but Mo Xiaoman is even more venomous!’
Then, her thoughts turned to the same dream she’d had countless times. Tang Yaxuan gradually calmed down, her confidence and fighting spirit reviving. ’In the dream, I’m a beautiful bride, my face beaming with happiness. I’m wearing a pure white wedding gown, walking slowly through a long corridor of flowers! The one walking me down the aisle is my father, Tang Qingyun. And there, by the white jade platform up ahead, stands the groom—handsome and upright in his military uniform!’
’It’s a grand wedding, the kind you only see Western nobles have in the movies. And my groom... although he’s a bit too far away to see his face clearly, he’s wearing a military uniform with shining gold stars on his shoulders. He stands so dashing and tall, so outstanding and dazzling. Who else could it be but Brother Shaojun?’
’Yes, it must be Brother Shaojun!’
This wasn’t just a one or two-time occurrence; she’d had this dream countless times, sometimes for several nights in a row. What did it signify? Tang Yaxuan clasped her hands to her chest and prayed. ’It must be a sign from the heavens, encouraging me—persevere! Perseverance is victory! No matter what’s happening now, the one who marries Brother Shaojun in the future will definitely be me!’
’The reason? Because I am Tang Yaxuan. Because Brother Shaojun and I have held hands since we were children, and we’ve cared for each other for so many years! Granny Gu once said that the Old Man in the Moon tied the red string of fate between us long, long ago!’
’Marrying Brother Shaojun and living a happy life with him will be enough! There’s no need to fight with Mo Xiaoman over temporary frustrations. A latecomer is a latecomer. No matter how much she struggles to deny it, those years of affection belong to me and Brother Shaojun. Mo Xiaoman can never come between us!’
’Didn’t Mom say Brother Shaojun was a "lecher"? Well, that’s understandable. What man doesn’t appreciate beauty? Besides studying hard, I just have to grow up and become a dazzling lady of both talent and beauty, someone who amazes everyone. When that time comes, Brother Shaojun will naturally come back to my side!’
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Tang Yaxuan pressed her ear against it and identified them as Wu Xiaowen’s. She was heading to the kitchen to get hot water. Her grandmother had told her to wake up early tomorrow and go to the Tang Mansion to ask Mo Xiaoman for a medical consultation.
Thinking of the way her grandmother had looked at her several times, Tang Yaxuan pursed her lips. ’Snobbish old hag. She’s not a good person!’
’Go on, go see Mo Xiaoman, go beg Mo Xiaoman! Put her on a pedestal. When she ignores you all, it’ll serve you right!’
’So what if she learned to pick herbs from Grandpa Mo and was then taken by Grandpa to learn a few tricks from an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor? What’s so great about that? I started learning English years ago, and Hao Hao even tutored me for a while. My English is amazing! In the future, I’ll get into a foreign language institute and become a diplomat—an elegant, graceful female diplomat with outstanding poise! How impressive and eye-catching will that be!’
’Can Mo Xiaoman do that?’
’When I appear on television in elegant, refined clothes, speaking a fluent foreign language and chatting pleasantly with distinguished guests, Mo Xiaoman will only be able to wear a white coat, looking all grimy while dealing with filthy patients. Who will see her then? Who will even know who she is?’
’Mo Xiaoman is just unbelievably stupid! What a complete waste of her status as a Tang Family Girl!’
She then recalled Wu Xiaorui yelling at Wu Xiaowen, "...I can’t guess why you would abandon your own biological daughter..."
’What if—just what if—Mo Xiaoman isn’t actually a Tang Family Girl, but the illegitimate daughter of Wu Xiaowen and someone else... someone from the Bai Family, for instance? That would be wonderful!’
Tang Yaxuan bit her lip, her heart burning with fervent hope. ’If that were true, wouldn’t I have a chance to return to the Tang family? Everything would fall into place, including that wonderful dream I’ve had so many times!’
BANG BANG BANG!
The violent banging on the door made Tang Yaxuan jump. Wu Xiaorui was shouting from outside, "You little bitch! Did you finish washing up and not care about anyone else? Do you want to sleep on the street? Open the door already and go heat up some water for me!"
Tang Yaxuan: "..."
’It must have been Wu Xiaowen. She must have used up the hot water and didn’t refill the kettle with cold water and put it back on the stove. Oh, that mother of mine... *Sigh*. But I can’t really blame her. After being used to having maids for so many years, she’s always scatterbrained and forgetful, even if she knows how to do some chores.’
Only after Wu Xiaorui left did Tang Yaxuan open the door and hurry into the kitchen. She added water to the kettle and coal to the stove, her movements remarkably practiced. All these chores, and others besides, were things she barely knew how to do before coming to Beijing. But in the two or three months since she and her mother had moved into this apartment with Wu Xiaorui, she had learned them all.