Chapter 138: Chapter 128: Spring Festival

He had planned to go to the office for two or three hours, but after Xuanxuan’s sudden collapse, Tang Qingyun lost all interest in work. He stayed by the phone, calling every half hour to check on Xuanxuan’s condition. Only when he was told that she had woken up and was fine did Tang Qingyun finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Wu Xiaowen said tearfully, "Qingyun, Xuanxuan fainted because she overheard our conversation. She’s emotionally unstable right now, so can we please not mention that matter again? You still can’t transfer here, and I’m all alone with two children... Please, just try to see it from my perspective!"

What could Tang Qingyun say? He could only agree for the time being, offering a few words of comfort before hanging up.

’I’ll wait until next year,’ he thought. ’When Xuanxuan’s health has improved and she’s more stable, I absolutely must go and see that child!’

He had to see her with his own eyes, to confirm whether she was truly his child. Deep down, Tang Qingyun held onto a sliver of hope. ’What if the girl in the photograph isn’t my flesh and blood?’

’Even if she is, seeing her in person will finally put my mind at ease. Then I can ask her what she wants. If she doesn’t want to live in the countryside and is willing to come back to the city, I’ll have to make the necessary arrangements!’

’No matter how good the conditions in the countryside are, how could they possibly compare to the city? Xuanxuan and Hao Hao drink milk every day and eat nutritious meals prepared just for them by our housekeeper. Does that child even have enough to eat? Even a young punk like Zheng Shaolian knows to give his ten-year-old god-sister powdered milk to help her grow up big and strong. There’s no reason I, her father, shouldn’t be able to do the same for my own flesh and blood!’

Far away in the countryside, Mo Xiaoman was completely unaware of Tang Qingyun’s frustrations or the upsetting events unfolding in the city. She lived her days in peace, happily preparing to celebrate the first truly wonderful and joyous Spring Festival of her childhood.

She had perhaps a few too many new clothes, shoes, and socks for the winter, but Grandma said it didn’t matter. A girl ought to have plenty of outfits.

There wasn’t much work for the production team during the winter, so Grandpa hired a villager skilled in carpentry. He had him build a wardrobe and a nightstand for Xiao Man, and while he was at it, a few cabinets and high-legged tables and chairs for his own room and the main hall. As for the lumber? Grandpa simply led some men to the Mo Family Courtyard and hauled back the fine wood he had saved up for years. Mo Laoer and Second Aunt Mo threw a fit, trying to block them and refusing to hand it over, but then Secretary Mo, Eighth Uncle, and several other village elders arrived. After that, all the couple could do was shout and curse; they didn’t dare to stand in the way any longer. Not that they could have stopped them anyway.

Seeing her parents in such a pathetic state, Mo Xiaosu’s hatred for Mo Xiaoman intensified.

Mo Xiaosu’s front teeth had finally set, though not as straight as before. They were now crooked. With her mouth closed, she looked like a delicate, bright girl, but the moment she opened it to speak, the illusion was shattered. Still, at least the teeth were there to fill the gap, which was something.

She repeatedly urged her cousin, Huang Baoshan, to bring his men and deal with Mo Xiaoman. Her goal was to ruin the girl’s reputation—ideally by branding her a tramp—to get her revenge and vent her spleen.

Huang Baoshan, however, was wary of Mo Xiaoman. He had grown up fighting, and he could still vividly recall the two lashes she had dealt him. He knew the force behind them was both agile and overpowering; those weren’t the strikes of an ordinary person.

He didn’t dare to make a move on his own, and besides, he was busy. His crew had a lot going on that winter. As a minor leader, he had to follow the orders of his "Big Brother." When he requested men to go "teach a lesson" to some little brat, his Big Brother just scoffed. "You call that business?" he’d said. "We’ll deal with it after we’ve handled our major affairs!"

So, Huang Baoshan had no choice but to placate his cousin and tell her to be patient.

But Mo Xiaosu refused to accept it. Seeing Mo Xiaoman living so well was pure torment, like being fried in oil.

’All the things Mo Xiaoman is enjoying now—the doting affection from Grandpa and Grandma, the honors at school, the special treatment from Teacher Yu—all of it should have been mine!’

’It wasn’t enough for Mo Xiaoman to steal it all from me; she even deliberately cozied up to Teacher Yu, trying to claim some kind of kinship. She must have badmouthed me, because now Teacher Yu is disappointed and disgusted with me. She won’t even come visit me anymore!’

When Mo Xiaosu recalled the promise Teacher Yu had once made her, she trembled with heartache. Teacher Yu had told her, "Xiaosu, you’re so smart and sensible. As long as you keep working hard, even if you don’t test into the county middle school, I can help you transfer to County No. 1 Middle School. You’ll get into the honors class, attend high school... The higher your education, the more doors will open for you. Even if you don’t get a recommendation for university, you’ll still be assigned a good job!"

She had once proudly declared to her family, "Teacher Yu likes me best! She’s my benefactor!"

But now, Teacher Yu had abandoned her!

’This is all Mo Xiaoman’s fault! If I don’t ruin her and grind her into the mud, I’ll never be able to rest, not even in death!’

As if possessed, Mo Xiaosu became obsessed. She shadowed Huang Baoshan all day long, constantly urging him to act while also waiting for an opportunity. She figured if she stuck with her cousin, she would eventually meet this "Big Brother." She wanted to personally ask him to get rid of Mo Xiaoman.

’I absolutely cannot let Mo Xiaoman take the entrance exam. The minute she takes it, Teacher Yu will help her, no matter what her score is!’

After all, Chen Yujiao and Lin Meilian had told her, "Teacher Yu treats Mo Xiaoman like a precious treasure now. She tutors her privately and even eats at her house every day. Back when Teacher Yu favored you, Xiaosu, she never once came to your house for a meal. It just goes to show you how devious Mo Xiaoman is!"

’Mo Xiaoman, you might have stolen one thing from me, but I won’t let you steal another!’

’Just you wait. I’ll make you see what a bunch of thugs can do! I want you thrown out of school forever, like a shriveled leaf trampled into the mud, with no chance of ever rising again!’

Mo Xiaosu’s curses flew from her heart like a volley of sharp blades, WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH. But since Xiao Man couldn’t hear them, they were utterly meaningless.

Gongdao Village, situated on the border of two provinces, was considered a remote mountain area. Though not wealthy, the villagers celebrated every festival, and the Spring Festival was an especially grand and lively affair. Perhaps nowhere else in the country dared to celebrate so openly and with such abandon. A month before the festival, a team of folk artisans would assemble to construct the village’s grass dragon and craft brightly colored, beautiful lions. There were performers dressed as the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, stilt-walkers, and people in ghoulish masks. A smug-looking matchmaker stood side-by-side with an ethereal Guanyin... On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the villagers would beat gongs and drums and set off firecrackers. The dragon and lions would dance wildly from one end of the village to the other. The long dragon would coil and spiral as the lions kowtowed in all four directions, praying to the gods for protection, favorable weather, and a bountiful harvest in the year to come. Even the village elders would follow along, holding incense and bowing their heads. The villagers carried out these superstitious rituals with open and solemn seriousness, a practice quite out of step with the era.

Dressed in her new clothes and shoes, Xiao Man laughed and played with a few friends, weaving through the village as it overflowed with the festive spirit of the holiday. And so, she spent a happy Spring Festival.

Starting on the third day of the Lunar New Year, relatives began making their rounds of visits. Xiao Man’s family hosted three or four groups of guests, among them Aunt Ahua. She brought along her recently married son and daughter-in-law, who came bearing gifts of homemade corn wine, a chicken, pork, New Year’s cakes, and sticky rice buns. Grandma’s return gift to the newlyweds was equally generous: she prepared a two-table banquet, inviting village relatives and friends to join them. She gave the young couple each a red envelope containing twenty yuan and a bolt of high-quality fabric for a new set of clothes. She also had Fifth Auntie organize the clan’s married women to steam sponge cakes and wrap a whole pole-carrier’s load of sticky rice dumplings. Such was the way of rural etiquette.

A great-aunt also came to visit with a flock of her children and grandchildren, but Grandpa wouldn’t let them in. He told them to go to the homes of Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer, as that was the true ancestral house.

Xiao Man knew Grandpa was worried about Grandma. Her eyes still hadn’t fully healed, and he was afraid that getting upset might set her recovery back.

Furious, the great-aunt stood outside the gate, stomping her feet as she cried and screamed curses. The older villagers all knew her personality, so no one bothered to get involved. Eventually, she tired herself out from all the shouting and had no choice but to lead her children and grandchildren away.

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