Chapter 712: Chapter 615: Family Gathering

Luo Chunxiang shook her head repeatedly. "No way! When those three children were little, they needed someone to look after them, so they’d listen to me a bit. But once they grew up, they started to despise me. After returning to Beijing, they wouldn’t even give me the time of day, acting as if they didn’t know me. Fortunately, their father and I are divorced, so we really are strangers to each other now. I can barely take care of my own three children; how could I have the energy to look after strangers? A while ago, when the Bai family had their troubles, Bai Qingyue actually tried to move into my courtyard with all those kids. I’m not an idiot, why would I agree? If I let them take over, my children and I would have to suffer all over again. I quickly called the police, showed them the property deed, and finally got them to leave! Now, I’m just raising the three I gave birth to. My son is very well-behaved and obedient, but my two daughters have their sights set a little too high. Slowly, they’ll come to understand that there’s nothing to be proud of, and that relying on your own hard work and being self-sufficient is the most reliable way."

Xiao Man nodded. "That’s very practical. So after Bai Qingyue and the others sold their mansion, where did they end up living?"

Luo Chunxiang pursed her lips. "Bai Qingyue isn’t short on places to stay. Doctor Jia could have set her up, but someone must have told Doctor Jia’s wife. It caused a huge uproar, and she was thrown out onto the street. Later, I heard some old man with graying hair, even older than Doctor Jia, came in a car and picked up that whole brood of theirs."

"A brood?"

"Well, aren’t they? Bai Lihua and Bai Qingyue don’t share the same mother. Even though Bai Qingyue calls Bai Lihua ’Second Brother,’ she actually looks down on him completely. Bai Lihua is the son of the old nanny, Shun Ma. Bai Qingyue and her older brother—Bai Junfan’s father—are the ones who share a mother. So, in Bai Qingyue’s eyes, only Bai Junfan, Bai Yifen, and Bai Yifang matter. The Bai Yifen sisters were both disliked by their in-laws and were living back at home. When the Bai family collapsed, their only choice was to follow Bai Qingyue. Those three women are one brood. Bai Lihua’s side is another. Of course I have to raise the three I gave birth to. As for Bai Lihua, his son Bai Junjie from a previous relationship, and his sisters, their maternal grandmother took them in. It’s just Shun Ma who’s in a pitiful state. She begged to come live with me, and I thought since she’s old, she could help cook for the kids and all. But my two daughters were against it. The reason is that Shun Ma used to always side with Bai Qingyue and curse at them..."

"Didn’t Shun Ma go look for Yang Liu’er? Does Yang Liu’er know about what happened to the Bai family?"

"She knows. I told her everything. Liu’er also despises the Bai family, so she didn’t ask much, just said, ’They deserved it.’ It’s not that Shun Ma didn’t try to find her; she tried many times but couldn’t get ahold of her! In the end, I was the one who paid for her ticket and sent her back to her hometown. I heard she still has a house in her home village that her nephew is living in. Who knows if her nephew will actually take care of her, though. Sigh."

When Xiao Man saw Luo Chunxiang out, she took her to an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor. She explained that she had been very busy lately and could only come to the hospital for occasional shifts, so if Luo Chunxiang brought her children, she might not run into her. She added that all the traditional Chinese medicine doctors at De Ren Hospital were equally skilled, and she could trust them completely.

Luo Chunxiang felt a bit disappointed. ’No matter how skilled they are, how could they possibly compare to Xiao Man?’ She had taken medicine prescribed by Xiao Man before and knew from personal experience just how effective it was.

But she was a sensible person. Since Xiao Man had patiently explained the situation and even personally introduced her to another senior doctor, she knew she couldn’t keep pestering her. She smiled, expressed her thanks, and left.

In the blink of an eye, it was May Day. The whole country had a day off, and since it fell on a Saturday, Xiao Man got a day and a half of vacation. She arrived home Friday at noon, just as Granny Gu was visiting Grandma Tang with Gu Shaoying. Xiao Man spent half the day playing wildly with the three little ones, both inside and outside. When it was time to go home in the afternoon, Shaoying refused to leave. No amount of coaxing worked; she insisted on staying with Sister Xiao Man.

Grandma Tang said, "In that case, just call them and have everyone come over here. We can all have a get-together for dinner tonight."

Xiao Man smiled too. "That’s right, Granny Gu! Tell them all to come over. I’ll be the chef. The other day, I went out for a dinner someone was hosting and tried a few signature dishes at a newly opened hotel. They were pretty interesting and tasted great. I think I can recreate them, and maybe even make them better. I’ll give it a try tonight and let everyone taste something new."

Granny Gu was delighted. "Wonderful, wonderful. I’ll call right now and tell your Mrs. Zhou not to go to any trouble."

"Oh, you! You taste a new hotel’s signature dish once and you’ve already learned how to make it. How are they supposed to stay in business?" Grandma Tang said, feigning annoyance, but her expression was full of pride and delight. ’Just look at my granddaughter, so clever and capable!’

Xiao Man sat beside Grandma Tang. When her grandmother reached out to stroke her hair, she leaned right back into her embrace. The other little ones were busy having a sofa-climbing contest, but when they saw their big sister getting cuddles, they giggled and pounced over. One tried to fight Xiao Man for a spot, burrowing into Grandma Tang’s arms, while the other two climbed right on top of Xiao Man. Xiao Man let out playful shrieks, and the four of them became a tangled, laughing mess.

Grandma Tang spread her arms to keep the children from falling, her face radiating with affection as she grinned from ear to ear.

Granny Gu was also enjoying the scene, but her thoughts turned to her own granddaughter, Gu Shaoling, and she couldn’t help but sigh to herself.

’Xiao Man and Shaoling are about the same age, both young women in the flower of their youth. But while Xiao Man excels at her studies and has an amicable nature that endears her to young and old alike, my own granddaughter is too arrogant and lacks tact. She used to be the family’s cherished little princess, but now, in contrast to Xiao Man, she’s increasingly unpopular. Her older brothers barely give her the time of day, and even Shaoyu, who she used to be closest with, has grown cold toward her. The old man scolds her every single time he sees her, to the point that Shaoling doesn’t even dare live at the family residence anymore and can only stay with her mother. With all this transferring between schools, how can her grades be any good? She’ll definitely have to repeat a year. And with Tian Xueqin’s poor character, isn’t my granddaughter going to be completely ruined by her?’

’Sigh, what a headache!’

That evening at the two families’ get-together, Grandma Hao came as well. Grandma Hao was an extremely discerning foodie who spent her free time studying recipes, and she volunteered to help Xiao Man. With Hao Wenli and Jiang Yuyan also lending a hand, Mrs. Zhou didn’t even have to lift a finger. Together, they prepared two large tables of exquisite dishes. Among them were indeed four or five of Xiao Man’s successfully "replicated" signature dishes from the new hotel. The smell alone made everyone’s mouths water, young and old alike. Once the food was on the table, no one’s chopsticks stopped moving. They ate and showered the food with praise, and in the end, almost nothing was left. Everyone was stuffed to the gills, so Hao Wenli quickly brewed some Digestive Tea for them all.

After dinner, they all chatted leisurely as usual. Tang Qingshan announced that he too would be able to enjoy a peaceful holiday the next day. Hao Wenli was overjoyed and quickly suggested taking the children to the West Mountain Scenic Area for an outing and a picnic. Jiang Yuyan glanced at her own lively, active little daughter and tugged on Gu Qifan’s sleeve. The two couples hit it off on the idea immediately and began planning a joint trip.

Due to their status, Grandpa Tang and Grandpa Gu wouldn’t be joining the fun. Mrs. Zhou had to go to the military base to see Mr. Gu tomorrow, and Granny Gu had other plans. Grandma Tang wanted to go with her children and grandchildren, but Grandpa Tang needed her to accompany him on a visit to an old friend. So, it really was just going to be the two young families on the trip. Grandma Hao announced she would join them, saying she would bring her own car and an old friend.

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