Chapter 372 - 327: By What Right?
Chapter 372: Chapter 327: By What Right?
In the dead of night, Wu Xiaowen and Wu Xiaorui were surely already asleep, but Tang Yaxuan was still hunched over her desk, writing a reply to Liu Fengying by the light of a small lamp.
She wanted to take Wu Xiaowen’s advice and just ignore Liu Fengying. But Liu Fengying knew her school address and was constantly sending letters and telegrams. The telegrams required a personal signature, and once, a mail carrier had come looking for her right in her classroom. It caused a terrible scene. Her classmates pointed and whispered about her, and it even drew the attention of her homeroom teacher, who called her into the office to ask what was going on.
Tang Yaxuan could only explain that it was a relative from the countryside.
Some classmates looked down on her for having country relatives and even began to challenge her authority as the vice class president. Tang Yaxuan felt this couldn’t go on; she had to stop Liu Fengying’s foolish behavior.
Stopping Liu Fengying wasn’t difficult. She just had to give her what she wanted: money!
Tang Yaxuan decided to mail fifteen yuan to Liu Fengying every month. Fifteen yuan was no great hardship for Tang Yaxuan, but in the countryside, it was enough for a family to live well for a whole month. She would also write a letter telling Liu Fengying to keep her mouth shut, stay in line, and stop causing trouble for her. ’If her stupidity ruins my future, I’ll cut her off for good.’
She wouldn’t bother with a money order for just fifteen yuan. This way, she could avoid too many people knowing she was writing and sending money to Liu Fengying. ’Wu Xiaowen would definitely disapprove.’ She just tucked the cash directly into the envelope. She would go to the post office tomorrow and send it as a registered letter; those rarely got lost.
After sealing the envelope and putting it in her schoolbag, Tang Yaxuan finally went to bed with her mind at ease.
At eight the next morning, Wu Xiaowen left the house sporting a pair of dark, panda-like circles under her eyes. She first went to the bank to withdraw five hundred yuan, which she brought back and placed on the living room table. Only then did she go to the Wu Mansion to pick up Wu Yu Xuan. Father and daughter then went to the hospital to meet Lin Aizhen, and from there, the three of them took a car to the Tang Mansion.
It was a little after ten o’clock when they arrived at the Tang Mansion. This time, the guard on duty at the gate recognized Wu Xiaowen. Perhaps he had been given instructions, as he didn’t make them wait to be announced but let them enter directly.
Tang Renqian, Fang Qinglan, Tang Haocheng, and his new wife, Ai Wenli, were all at home. Only Tang Manman was nowhere to be seen. When they asked, they were told that a few friends had come by early in the morning to take her out shopping.
Wu Yu Xuan and Lin Aizhen were very disappointed. Wu Xiaowen looked resentfully at Tang Haocheng and chided, "Didn’t I make myself perfectly clear yesterday? I told you to let Manman know her maternal grandparents were coming today for a consultation. I said to have Manman wait at home, so how could she go out? You two are just so thoughtless!"
"Wu Xiaowen, who are you calling thoughtless?"
Fang Qinglan sat primly beside Tang Renqian, her demeanor arrogant. She hadn’t given the Wu Family so much as a pleasant glance since they’d arrived. Hearing Wu Xiaowen scold Tang Haocheng, her expression grew even colder and her gaze sharpened.
"Let me make something clear. Is my grandson your personal errand boy? And why, exactly, should my granddaughter treat you? How old is she? Is she a doctor? You must have the wrong place. Maybe you should open your eyes and take a good look around—this is the Tang Mansion! If you need to see a doctor and get medicine, please exit, turn right, and take the bus for forty minutes. There’s a traditional medicine hall over there!"
Wu Xiaowen froze. She glanced toward Ai Wenli, who was heading to the kitchen, then called out softly to Fang Qinglan, "Mom, I was just... I was just anxious. I didn’t mean anything else!"
Fang Qinglan shot her a look. ’Has she lost her mind? Her own mother is sitting right next to her.’
Wu Yu Xuan cleared his throat. "Ah, please, forgive her. My wife is unwell, and Xiaowen gets anxious and speaks without thinking. She meant no harm—Manman and Hao Hao are Xiaowen’s children, after all. They’re our Wu family’s grandchildren!"
Fang Qinglan’s eyes slid over to Wu Yu Xuan, and she let out a cold snort. "I couldn’t possibly know if she meant harm or not. Your Wu family has always had a knack for abandoning kin and casting aside friends. When the time comes to be ruthless, what’s a grandchild to you?"
At her words, the faces of both father and daughter, Wu Yu Xuan and Wu Xiaowen, turned deathly pale. Wu Yu Xuan felt as if Fang Qinglan’s gaze were a physical object, so cold and sharp it seemed to scrape his face raw. A pang of guilt made him wipe his forehead, though there was no sweat to be found.
Lin Aizhen was furious but had to force it down. Tang Renqian was present, sitting silently beside Fang Qinglan with a grim expression, not uttering a single word. A silent Tang Renqian was far too intimidating. Lin Aizhen understood perfectly. ’The Tang family was hard to cross before, but now, you absolutely couldn’t afford to offend them. With how Wu Xiaowen handled that business with Manman, the only option left was to bow their heads and admit they were wrong. For the children’s sake, they might still win a little forgiveness. Any other way was out of the question.’