Chapter 581 - 500: Persuasion
Chapter 581: Chapter 500: Persuasion
Wu Yu Xuan was still in the hospital. Although Lin Aizhen’s health had recovered well, she couldn’t possibly stay by his side around the clock. She wasn’t an idle housewife anymore; she had many things to attend to. So, she usually went to the hospital in the afternoon or evening to visit and keep him company for a while. For the rest of the time, she arranged for Wu Xiaoyang and his wife, and Wu Xiaofeng and his wife, to take turns watching over their father. The grandchildren still had their studies, so they couldn’t be counted on.
Wu Qin also found some time to visit. When she arrived at the Wu Mansion, Lin Aizhen happened to be home, sitting in the courtyard with a book. She wore a light blue shirt under a white knit cardigan. After taking the medicine prescribed by Xiao Man, her originally salt-and-pepper hair had turned a dark gray. It was combed neatly and smoothly, and her face had a healthy, rosy glow. Her complexion was clearly excellent. She already possessed a graceful and refined temperament, and with a little grooming, she looked like an intellectual woman in her forties from a distance. Only up close could one see the spots, wrinkles, and the loose, rough texture of the skin on her face and hands.
This point greatly dissatisfied her, so she had been constantly urging Wu Xiaowen to get more medicine from Xiao Man for her to continue taking. Who would have thought she would hear from Tang Qingyun that Wu Xiaowen had given away her two courses of medicine? Lin Aizhen almost fainted from anger. ’That was two whole courses of treatment! If I had finished them, I could look just like that old demon Fang Qinglan—I might have even recovered better than her!’
’After all, I studied abroad and am highly educated. In our youth, Fang Qinglan couldn’t compare to me in any aspect—whether it was her figure, temperament, knowledge, upbringing, or her speech and conduct! Now that we’re older, it’s only because the Tang family got their hands on Manman first and incited her to disown her maternal grandparents’ family. If I could receive the same restorative care, I’m confident that I could still outshine Fang Qinglan by a mile!’
’What a pity... Ugh!’ Thinking about it made her burn with resentment. ’How did my perfectly fine daughter grow up to be so brainless?’
Lin Aizhen sighed and looked up to see Wu Qin walking in, laden with bags. Lin Aizhen frowned. "Didn’t I tell you people not to come anymore?"
Wu Qin put down her things. A fish in a cloth bag jumped twice. She broke into a happy smile, like a naive child who couldn’t understand she was being rejected, and said affectionately, "Grandma, my mom was busy with work today and didn’t have time, so she had me take the afternoon off to go to the market and see if I could find any fresh crucian carp to help you and Grandpa recuperate. And I found some! I bought the two biggest ones, put them in a plastic bag first, and then got some water to keep them in. They’re still alive! Grandma, let’s stew them. You can have a bowl of soup, and I’ll take some to Grandpa! This is meat, and here are some cookies, candy, and apples for my cousins."
Lin Aizhen huffed. "You people won’t be happy until you’ve angered us to death, will you? You gave away the medicine that could have saved our lives. What good is a fish going to do?"
"Grandma, please listen to me. My mom didn’t..."
Lin Aizhen waved her hand dismissively. "Say no more. Take your things and go home!"
"Is that Xuanxuan... Oh, it’s Wu Qin!" A woman walked out of the west wing, holding the hand of a little girl who was just over two years old. This was Wu Xiaoyang’s wife, Yu Xiumin. It was her day off, so she was at home looking after her child and was also in charge of the kitchen.
Wu Qin called out, "Auntie." Yu Xiumin smiled and nodded, pointing at the still-moving cloth bag on the ground. "What’s all this?"
Wu Qin replied obediently, "My mom asked me to buy some fresh crucian carp to stew for Grandpa to help him recuperate. I also bought some meat, so you don’t have to go to the market today, Auntie. Here, little cousin, your big sister also bought you candy and apples!"
"Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you. Quick, take the fish to the kitchen and put them in the water tank!"
In truth, Yu Xiumin wasn’t particularly fond of Wu Xiaowen and her daughter. Even back when Wu Xiaowen was still Second Young Madam Tang and Wu Qin was still Tang Yaxuan, her attitude had always been lukewarm. This was partly her nature, and she also knew there was no need to compete; with her parents-in-law around, her family—the second branch—would always get their share of any benefits. But ever since she had another daughter and she and her husband were transferred back to Beijing, they had been constantly squeezed out by the eldest branch. They faced cold mockery, with comments about how they couldn’t produce a son and were just freeloading in the old mansion. On the surface, Yu Xiumin ignored it, but inwardly she had become wary. As the saying goes, a mother’s love makes her strong. For the sake of her family of four, she started to be more calculating. ’Regardless of Wu Xiaowen’s character,’ she thought, ’at least she protects Wu Xiaoyang. Back then, it was Wu Xiaowen who had Tang Qingyun pull some strings so that Wu Xiaoyang could avoid the hardship of being sent to the countryside and smoothly enter the public health system. If Wu Xiaowen wasn’t part of this family, then when it came time to divide the family assets, the second branch would surely lose out, given the greed and domineering nature of the couple from the eldest branch. Wu Xiaowen is already married off, so she won’t take much for herself, but she holds sway with her parents. She would definitely help Wu Xiaoyang.’
It was with these thoughts in mind that Yu Xiumin had come out of her room with her child to greet Wu Qin. Seeing that Wu Qin had also brought fish and meat, and since she didn’t feel like going to the market herself, she was even more delighted to welcome her with a smile.
Lin Aizhen frowned at Yu Xiumin. "What are you doing? I told her to take her things and go home."
Yu Xiumin smiled and tried to persuade her. "Mom, even if Wu Qin isn’t your biological granddaughter, my sister-in-law is your biological daughter. You spent so much effort and worked so hard to raise her and help her succeed. Now is exactly the time when she has the ability to repay you and Father. How can you push her away? That would be a waste of all your and Dad’s hard work. Acting like this will deeply hurt her. She definitely knows she was wrong now and is full of regret. Can you really sever the bonds of family? In the end, we’ll have to forgive her anyway. Instead of both sides being miserable now, it’s better to let her back into the fold quickly. Whatever the problems are, we can just talk them out and work to solve them. That way, everyone will be in a better mood, and we won’t waste any more time."
Lin Aizhen: "..."
’I can’t believe it,’ she thought. ’The one to see right through me is my usually quiet and aloof second daughter-in-law. Her words have left me speechless.’
Of course, Lin Aizhen had no real intention of cutting off her daughter. She was just furious this time and planned to give her the cold shoulder for a while to make her reflect properly.
’Besides the unbreakable bond of blood, my husband and I truly invested immense effort in raising Xiao Wen. And she never disappointed us; she was the child that gave us the greatest sense of accomplishment, the one we were most proud of. But for some reason, her performance in recent years has been unsatisfactory. Because of Xiao Wen’s frequent mistakes, the entire Wu Family has fallen into a slump. Fortune is like that—like a kite that can only soar high if it catches the right gust of wind. If that wind blows elsewhere and won’t give you a lift, there’s nothing you can do. I always had my sights set on the powerful tailwind of the Tang family, but unfortunately, my daughter Wu Xiaowen was foolish and failed to grasp it!’
But it wasn’t too late to mend the fence. Even if Yu Xiumin hadn’t said anything, Lin Aizhen already had her own plans.
’My daughter, Wu Xiaowen, is not a lost cause. She is still very useful,’ Lin Aizhen thought, adjusting her mindset. ’Even if she has taken a few wrong turns, her future is still bright and promising. As long as she is properly guided to prevent her from making more mistakes, she can still lead the Wu Family to a glorious and brilliant future!’