Chapter 272: Chapter 251: Not Taking It Seriously

Three cars pulled into the courtyard one after another. Grandpa Tang, Grandma Tang, Grandpa Mo, Granny Mo, Tang Qingshan, Xiao Man, and Hao Hao stepped out and saw Tang Qingyun walking down the steps to greet them. And there, standing conspicuously on the wide steps, was Tang Yaxuan, with Wu Xiaowen at her side.

Everyone froze for a moment. Grandma Tang’s expression instantly soured. Grandpa Tang, standing beside her, gave her a gentle pat, a subtle reminder that the staff were present. Any outburst would have to wait until they were inside and the staff had gone.

Grandma Tang called over Xiao Zhang, telling her and the others they could go home early. Tang Qingshan then greeted Tang Qingyun, his tone cool:

"Weren’t you supposed to get home on the twenty-ninth? What made you come back early?"

Tang Qingyun went to greet his parents first. Grandma Tang ignored him completely, while Grandpa Tang simply offered a solemn nod before walking past. He had no choice but to turn and help support Granny Mo, but she didn’t seem to want to talk either, merely offering him a small smile before falling silent. Just as he was feeling acutely awkward and uncomfortable, Tang Qingshan came to his rescue. Immensely grateful, Tang Qingyun immediately struck up a conversation with his brother, and the two chatted as they followed their parents up the steps and into the living room.

Wu Xiaowen led Tang Yaxuan over, calling out, "Dad, Mom, Grandma." Grandpa and Grandma Tang walked straight past with their heads held high, not uttering a word. As guests, it wasn’t Grandpa and Granny Mo’s place to react, so they simply treated the mother-daughter pair as if they were invisible. In truth, the mother and daughter looked down on Grandpa and Granny Mo anyway. Their eyes were fixed solely on Grandpa and Grandma Tang, and they matched their pace, not even sparing the Mos a sideways glance.

Tang Qingshan took it all in and shot Tang Qingyun a derisive smile. ’Forget Tang Yaxuan’s upbringing,’ he thought. ’She’s no longer a Tang Family Girl, so we have no say over her. But what kind of attitude is this from Wu Xiaowen? Does she look down on country folk? Grandpa and Granny Mo are Manman’s flesh and blood, which makes them the Tang Family’s closest kin. If Wu Xiaowen had half a brain, she wouldn’t treat them like this!’

Tang Qingyun looked mortified. The old saying goes, "Discipline your son in public, but your wife in private." If he tried to lecture Tang Yaxuan, who was no longer a Tang Family Girl, right here and now, he would only incur more of his mother’s disgust. And he couldn’t very well reprimand Wu Xiaowen at this moment, either. So he was stuck, powerless to do anything but endure the silent reproach from his parents and older brother, feeling utterly frustrated and helpless.

In truth, bringing Tang Yaxuan to Beijing for the New Year hadn’t been his idea at all. He had rushed from the countryside to the provincial city, arriving just in time to board the train. Only at the station, when he saw Tang Yaxuan trailing closely behind Wu Xiaowen, did he realize his wife intended to bring her along. He had been torn, but his head was still clear enough to try and persuade Wu Xiaowen to leave Xuanxuan at their home in the provincial city. They could pay the former nanny to watch her for a few days, or even leave her with a friend who had a daughter of a similar age. His mother had made it perfectly clear before: The Tang family would not accept Tang Yaxuan! So why deliberately provoke his mother? Everyone just wanted a happy, festive reunion for the New Year. No one wanted to go looking for trouble.

What was it that Wu Xiaowen had said at the time? She’d said they only had to bring Xuanxuan to Beijing; if worst came to worst, they wouldn’t return to the Tang family home and would find another place for her. And Tang Yaxuan, who had just recovered from a bout of illness and fever, looked so pale and frail. She was a truly pitiful sight. This was, after all, the child he had raised and doted on for over a decade. Tang Qingyun just couldn’t find it in his heart to be so cruel. In the end, he gave in to Wu Xiaowen and brought Tang Yaxuan to Beijing.

However, when they arrived in Beijing and got off the train, Tang Qingyun called home only to find that the family had all gone out to a restaurant. The staff member at home arranged for a car to pick them up. By then, after several days on a train, Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan were exhausted and miserable. Seeing how utterly drained the mother and daughter looked, Tang Qingyun couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He had no choice but to escort them both home. There was plenty of hot water, so the three of them took comfortable baths, had something to eat, and felt their energy return. As Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan were unpacking, Tang Qingyun came up with an excuse: ’Tang Yaxuan still has clothes at the Tang family home. We can just say she came back to pack her things!’

’She was still a child raised by the Tang family, after all,’ he mused. ’If Father and Mother could just soften their stance a little, change their minds, and let Xuanxuan stay, that would be the best outcome for everyone.’

But seeing his parents’ attitude now, Tang Qingyun realized it was completely impossible for Xuanxuan to stay with the Tang family, even as an adopted daughter.

Xiao Man and Tang Haocheng brought up the rear. They watched Wu Xiaowen tightly clutch Tang Yaxuan’s hand, following directly behind Grandpa and Grandma Tang into the living room without so much as a glance in their direction. ’She probably can’t help it,’ Xiao Man mused. ’There are several people between us, and it’s not like she has X-ray vision. She can’t see the two of us, so why waste the effort.’

Tang Haocheng lowered his gaze and tightened his grip on Xiao Man’s hand, but his expression remained unchanged.

Xiao Man cared even less. To her, Wu Xiaowen was worse than a stranger. With no emotional attachment whatsoever, she could remain completely unfazed.

Once everyone was in the living room, Grandma Tang laughingly pulled Granny Mo to sit on the sofa while Grandpa Tang saw to Grandpa Mo. Then, he called out to Manman, "My dear granddaughter, hurry and boil some water! Make some tea for everyone!"

Xiao Man called back in agreement and headed for the kitchen. Tang Haocheng started to follow, but Wu Xiaowen stopped him. With a smile, she said, "A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen. Hao Hao, you’re a boy, you shouldn’t go in there. Come over here and let your mother have a look at you!"

Grandma Tang shot Wu Xiaowen a glare, but Wu Xiaowen didn’t seem to notice. She gently patted Tang Yaxuan beside her. "Xuanxuan, you go. Sister Manman isn’t familiar with the house. Make sure she doesn’t break anything. Go and show her what to do!"

Tang Yaxuan had barely moved a foot when Grandma Tang’s voice cut through the air. "Stay right where you are! Wu Xiaowen, did you think what I said to you in Gongdao Village was a joke? I won’t repeat myself, lest I teach you some manners only for you to turn around and claim it was Lin Aizhen’s doing! Let me make one thing crystal clear: Manman is in her own home now. So what if she breaks something? Even if she were to burn this whole house to the ground, it’d be no one’s business but her own! Wu Xiaowen, I’m in a good mood today. If you don’t want to cause trouble, then go upstairs. Lie down, stand around, I don’t care. Just get out of my sight!"

Wu Xiaowen’s smile froze. The color drained from her face, only to flood back in a wave of red. ’She couldn’t believe it. The moment she was back in Beijing, the old hag was humiliating her all over again, and in front of guests and the children, no less! Absolutely ruthless!’

Biting her lip, she instinctively looked toward Tang Qingyun. He was looking at her, too, but his eyes were filled with undisguised dissatisfaction and annoyance.

A wave of indignant sorrow washed over Wu Xiaowen. ’What right did Tang Qingyun have to look at her like that? He was her husband! The father of her child! They were a family, inseparable! That old hag was being completely unreasonable, crushing and belittling her, and he wasn’t protecting her. He wasn’t helping her argue back. Instead, he was giving her the cold shoulder along with them. It was utterly heart-chilling!’

Having been married for so many years, Tang Qingyun knew exactly what Wu Xiaowen was thinking the moment he saw that look on her face, and his head began to throb. ’If I don’t step in,’ he thought, ’Wu Xiaowen is going to say something reckless. She’ll provoke Mother, and then Father will have no choice but to throw us both out onto the street!’

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