Chapter 274: Chapter 253: Fighting for Rights

Tang Haocheng said to Tang Qingshan, "Uncle, my sister got scalded by boiling water!"

"What?" Tang Qingshan’s expression changed in an instant. He shot to his feet and ran toward the kitchen.

Grandpa Tang, Grandma Tang, and Grandpa and Grandma also scrambled to their feet, following behind Tang Qingshan while all talking at once:

"Oh, you old coot! If you want tea, why can’t you boil the water yourself? You just had to order my granddaughter around. Look what happened, she got burned! That must hurt so much!"

"Hey! How did she get burned? Last time, my dear granddaughter cooked a whole feast in the kitchen and was perfectly fine!"

"Maybe the stove here in the city is too advanced. Xiao Man doesn’t know how to use it. She’s used to cooking over a wood fire in the countryside!"

"That’s right, that’s right. Xiao Man is usually very careful with fire."

"It must have been Hao Hao causing trouble nearby that made his sister get burned! Wasn’t it, Hao Hao?"

Grandpa Tang, getting an earful from Grandma Tang, conveniently pulled his grandson forward to use as a shield.

Tang Haocheng was speechless. But he couldn’t be bothered about being caught in the crossfire right now. He just watched his parents with a cold gaze. ’They react like *this* after hearing my sister got burned? Are they even her real parents? No wonder my sister refuses to acknowledge them. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to forgive them either!’

A look of worry did appear on Tang Qingyun’s face, but he still insisted on carrying Tang Yaxuan to the sofa and setting her down comfortably before striding toward the kitchen.

Wu Xiaowen, however, simply stayed seated. She carefully wiped her tears with a handkerchief, looked up at Tang Yaxuan first, and only after seeing she was fine did she wave to Tang Haocheng. "Hao Hao, come to Mommy!"

Tang Haocheng walked over to Wu Xiaowen but stopped three steps away, just out of her reach even with her arm outstretched. She chided, "Come closer. I haven’t seen my little treasure in so long. Let Mommy get a good look at you!"

Tang Haocheng’s expression was indifferent. During winter break, when he and Gu Shaoqin went to Wancheng to bring his sister, Grandpa, and Grandma to Beijing for the New Year, they had passed through the provincial city of G Province. It wasn’t that they hadn’t considered visiting Wu Xiaowen, but from a distance, he had seen Tang Yaxuan standing on the balcony sunbathing, and any thought of going upstairs and entering that home vanished.

"Mommy’s treasure, is that Tang Yaxuan?"

Wu Xiaowen looked toward Tang Yaxuan, who immediately gazed back, her eyes still filled with tears and her expression full of pleading, like a pitiful, abandoned kitten. Wu Xiaowen nodded without hesitation. "Of course she is! Xuanxuan and Hao Hao are both Mommy’s precious treasures!"

Tang Haocheng’s face tightened. "Don’t forget, Mom. Xuanxuan is just the child you brought home by mistake. She’s not of the Tang family’s bloodline, so please don’t lump me in with her! Tang Manman and I are the ones who share the same blood. If Manman isn’t your treasure, then I’d rather not be either!"

"Hao Hao..."

Hearing her son’s words, Wu Xiaowen felt a subconscious pang of guilt. She realized she had misspoken, completely leaving out Xiao Man. ’That one... I gave birth to her too!’

But seeing her son’s stern little face as he stood far away from her, his features, expression, and stubborn look an almost perfect copy of Xiao Man’s when she rejected her, she was reminded of the predicament she was in—all caused by Xiao Man’s disobedience and lack of filial piety! For some reason, a wave of bitter resentment quickly rose in her heart. It fueled the indignation and grief already pent up in her chest, washing away that little bit of guilt and replacing it with righteous accusation:

"Hao Hao, watch your attitude! What do the Tang Family rules say about how to treat your elders? I am your mother. Is this how you treat your mother? It’s true what they say, you become like the company you keep. You were so much better when you were with Xuanxuan—lively, cheerful, and well-mannered. You’ve only been with Manman for a few days, and look what you’ve become! Tang Haocheng, let me tell you..."

"Wu Xiaowen, let me tell you something, too: talking behind someone’s back is what gossips do; accusing them to their face is picking a fight! What on earth did my Manman do to earn so much of your hatred? You tell me. I’m her guardian. We can talk about it and settle this once and for all! But from now on, if I ever hear you speaking ill of Manman again, in public or in private, true or not, I will not let you off the hook. And believe me, I do what I say!"

Wu Xiaowen’s heart skipped a beat. She turned her head and, sure enough, saw Tang Qingshan walking over with the kettle in his hand. Behind him were Tang Qingyun, Xiao Man, and the four elders.

In the Tang family, besides being afraid of Grandma Tang, Wu Xiaowen wasn’t particularly scared of Grandpa Tang. It was Tang Qingshan she was truly wary of. He might seem warm and amiable, but he was actually the most difficult to get close to. In the more than ten years since she had married into the Tang family, during the handful of family gatherings she could count on one hand, the brother-in-law and sister-in-law had almost never exchanged a word. On the rare occasion Tang Qingshan glanced at her with his indifferent, cold eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear.

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