Chapter 390 - 338: Packing Up and Leaving
Chapter 390: Chapter 338: Packing Up and Leaving
"I won’t!" Tian Sisi wiped her eyes and started to cry. "I’m a girl, and I’m not even an adult yet. What would it look like, living all by myself? Eldest Aunt is cruel, but don’t you care about me either, Auntie? Eldest Aunt is kicking me out over such a small thing, which means she’ll never let me come back! Kicking me out is actually a slap in your face. Auntie, are you really just going to take this?"
Seeing her niece weeping, Tian Xueqin felt awful. But Gu Qiyuan had been so adamant, there was probably no room for discussion. She could only try to comfort her. "Sisi, you need to be obedient. Think about our Tian family. Your dad and mom are the eldest, so your other uncles and aunts all have to listen to them, right? It’s the same for me. How could I possibly go over Eldest Aunt’s head? I can only do whatever she says! Tomorrow, I’ll take you out to look around. We’ll find a place wherever you like. You can still go to school in Beijing. I promised I’d pay for your university education, help you find a good job, and in the future..."
"Auntie, I don’t want to live outside! I won’t be able to see Shaoling!"
"Why wouldn’t you see her? I’ll rent a nice place for you, and Shaoling can come visit."
"WAAAH! No... I don’t want to!"
Tian Sisi covered her face and sobbed. ’Can I really say that not wanting to part with Shaoling is just an excuse? Living in the Gu Mansion, I get the same treatment as Shaoling—the same food, the same home. A private car takes us to and from school every day. Outside, all I have to do is say I’m also a grandchild of the Gu family, and countless people will flock to me to do my bidding and offer me favors. I may be secondary when I’m with Shaoling, but anywhere else, I’m the center of attention, revered and obeyed... Leaving the Gu Mansion means losing my status and my backing. Where else could I go to enjoy so many privileges?’
’Besides, Auntie promised to help arrange a good marriage for me in the future. I don’t know how good other families can be, but I’ve gotten used to a family like the Gu family. And I like my Gu cousins. Even though they each have their own tempers and the eldest is already engaged, as long as he’s not married, I still have a chance! Why doesn’t Jun Ran like Tang Manman? Because she wants to marry the eldest cousin! Even if I can’t compete with Jun Ran, there’s still the second and third cousins, not to mention Shaolian and Shao Jin, right?’
’I’ve finally turned seventeen and I’m about to become an adult, old enough to discuss marriage, and now they’re making me leave at this crucial moment—this is simply unbearable!’
Tian Sisi cried more and more sorrowfully. She had eaten too much earlier and was now overly emotional. As she sobbed and whimpered, she spectacularly threw up! Tian Xueqin frowned and hurried out to call a maid to clean up. At the same time, she worried about her niece and decided to have a serious talk with Gu Qiyuan when he got back, to see if she could plead her case again. ’The girl is young and fragile. Kicking someone out of the house at the drop of a hat is too harsh. She can’t handle this kind of shock.’
Gu Qiyuan didn’t come home until midnight. Tian Xueqin had gotten too tired while waiting and had fallen asleep. When she woke up the next day, Gu Qiyuan had already left.
With no other choice, Tian Xueqin had to brace herself and go see the old lady. Who would have known that the old lady, feeling she was in the wrong and having just been harshly scolded by the old master, was sulking with nowhere to vent her anger? If Tian Xueqin hadn’t brought up yesterday’s incident, it might have been fine. But the moment she opened her mouth, the old lady unleashed a torrent of curses on her.
After getting that off her chest, the old lady was finally in the mood for breakfast. As she ate, she began giving out orders. One of them nearly made Tian Xueqin’s eyes pop out of her head. In her shock, her intention to let her niece stay was instantly thrown to the winds.
The old lady said in a flat tone, "I’ve raised Shaoling for this long, so I’ve done right by you. But grandparents can’t replace parents in the end. Especially for a teenage girl, it’s better for her mother to guide her personally. Once the second son finishes his business, you two should take Shaoling back to Lian City. I still have to watch over the third son’s Shaoying. I’m old and have limited energy, so I can’t manage too much. You have to understand."
Before, she could blame Zhou Hui Lan for Tian Sisi having to leave the Gu Mansion. But now that it was Gu Shaoling’s turn, Tian Xueqin couldn’t make Zhou Hui Lan the scapegoat anymore. In the Gu Mansion, even the maids knew that Gu Shaoling was the apple of the old lady’s eye. Who would dare to provoke her? No matter how much Zhou Hui Lan disliked Gu Shaoling, she couldn’t possibly kick her out, especially when Tian Xueqin wouldn’t even put up a fight.
When Tian Sisi learned that Gu Shaoling was also about to pack up and leave the Gu Mansion, she was stunned for a moment and stopped throwing her tantrum. She demanded to follow Shaoling to Lian City. Tian Xueqin readily agreed, but Gu Qiyuan refused to take her in. He said that if Tian Xueqin brought Tian Sisi along, he could apply for a separate apartment. Then they would split into two households: he and Shaoling would live in one, and Tian Xueqin and Tian Sisi in the other.
With him putting it like that, how could Tian Xueqin dare to be stubborn? She obediently found a place to rent for Tian Sisi and sent a telegram asking Sisi’s mother to come and stay with her. A high school student wasn’t a little elementary schooler, after all. They had to at least wait until after final exams were over and the school holiday began before going back to their hometown.
As for the middle-schooler Gu Shaoling, her fate was much sadder. As soon as her father finished his meetings, she was whisked away to Lian City. From now on, unless her parents were transferred back to Beijing, she would be attending school in Lian City.