Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 155: Inexplicable Hostility
"Thank you." Unlike most parents of her era, Su Li wasn’t conventionally modest. She thanked her directly for complimenting Little Tang Mo.
A flash of surprise crossed Yang Xiangyun’s eyes.
Little Tang Mo looked at Su Li and also said politely, "Thank you, Auntie."
Hearing the crying of his little friends behind him, he smiled and snuggled affectionately against Su Li.
In this era, adults often scolded and spanked their children, so Little Tang Mo was used to it. But Su Li never hit him, which made him the envy of many.
Yang Xiangyun beamed. "Momo is so well-behaved."
As she spoke, she looked at Su Li as if she had just remembered something. "I heard you took the college entrance exam too?"
Su Li, Tang Yuanxiao, and everyone else at the table froze. Mr. Miao looked over in surprise. "Who took the college entrance exam?"
Miao Zhi, who had been turned around talking to her friends, whipped back around. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes as she yanked on Yang Xiangyun’s arm.
She wasn’t a gossip and hadn’t gone around telling everyone about Su Li taking the exam. But she had been so furious after leaving Su Li’s place last time that she ended up complaining about it to Sister Yang.
After letting it slip, she had even told Sister Yang not to tell anyone.
She never expected Yang Xiangyun to blurt it out in such a public setting. Her face was etched with anxiety. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Being pulled like that seemed to snap Yang Xiangyun back to her senses. She bit her lip, a look of regret flashing across her face.
"I’m sorry, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to say anything..." she apologized, her face full of guilt.
The table fell silent. The two adjacent tables also sensed something was off. Aside from the playful noise of the children, the adults all stopped talking and looked over in surprise.
A surprised look crossed Mr. Miao’s face. He coughed and shot his daughter a look, about to smooth things over, when Su Li spoke up.
"It’s all right."
Tang Yuanxiao, at her side, also smiled at Mr. Miao, signaling that it was no big deal.
Although he felt it was inappropriate for Yang Xiangyun to bring it up at the dinner table, he didn’t have a strong reaction because she hadn’t been mocking and he knew Su Li had done well on the exam.
Mr. Miao breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Su Li and smiled. "So, Su Li, you took the exam too, huh? You weren’t here before, so I had no idea."
Su Li nodded, glancing at Miao Zhi without saying more.
"How did you do? If you didn’t get the score you wanted, don’t worry. You can study for another year. Most people have to retake it these days. Miao Zhi studied for an extra year before she passed."
Mr. Miao was genuinely concerned for Su Li.
"Dad," Miao Zhi called out, annoyed.
Su Li looked at Mr. Miao, smiled, and nodded. "It was okay."
Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Mr. Miao dropped the subject and changed the topic. However, everyone’s attention was now fixed on the news that Su Li had also taken the college entrance exam.
At another table, a group of young men who were still in school or had failed the exam huddled together, whispering among themselves.
The other wives looked at Su Li, their faces full of surprise.
"Good heavens, she took the college entrance exam too?"
"Why would she take the exam? She’s already married, she should be settling down..."
Their discussion quickly quieted down, but the disapproval in their voices was real.
In their view, a married woman should focus on being a wife and mother and living a quiet life. It wasn’t good to be overly ambitious.
"She doesn’t look like the settled type, dressing like that..." The more plain and frugal wives mainly disapproved of Su Li’s fashionable attire. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Everyone knew Tang Yuanxiao came from a rural background, so they felt she was wasting his money.
Su Li was dressed too well. Her aura and demeanor placed her in a different world from them, creating a distance. They already took issue with her because of it.
"Exactly, so flashy..."
The women deliberately kept their voices low, but snippets of their conversation still reached Su Li’s ears.
Su Li didn’t think they were necessarily wrong. They just didn’t know she was spending her own money; they assumed she was wasting Tang Yuanxiao’s.
’If I were in their shoes and didn’t know the truth, I might think the same way.’ Su Li understood this, so she remained unfazed. Tang Yuanxiao, however, furrowed his brow.
Mr. Miao also sensed the mood souring. Seeing that most of the dishes had been served, he immediately stood up to ease the tension and redirect everyone’s attention.
"Come, come! Let me propose a toast to everyone. My family has been farmers for generations. My ancestors couldn’t read, I myself can only recognize a few characters here and there, and my wife is completely illiterate. But..."
He laughed heartily. "But now, smoke is finally rising from the ancestral grave of the old Miao family—we have a college student! I have to drain this cup today to properly celebrate."
With that, he really did drain his cup in one go.
"Hear, hear! We’ll drink up too!"
With good food and fine wine on the table, everyone was supportive. All the men who could drink, did.
The banquet officially began. Everyone ate and talked, and the atmosphere grew lively.
Mr. Miao, having had some wine, was glowing with joy on this happy occasion. His face was radiant, the very picture of a doting parent.
Su Li ate with a small smile, occasionally putting food on Little Tang Mo’s plate.
Beside her, Tang Yuanxiao was picking out dishes Su Li liked. Spurred on by Little Tang Mo’s watchful eyes, he pretended to casually place them on her plate while telling her about Mr. Miao in a low voice.
"...His family was poor in his early years, and he fought his way up, enduring a lot of hardship... He married late and didn’t have Miao Zhi until he was forty. He dotes on her and just wants her to be successful..."
He didn’t have much education and could barely read, but he’d carved out a life through sheer physical effort, holding fast to his own beliefs.
He was an ordinary worker, and yet one of the greatest.
His temples were slowly turning gray, and he was approaching retirement.
His position wasn’t high, but Tang Yuanxiao respected this elder from the bottom of his heart.
Su Li was touched by Tang Yuanxiao’s words, but then she looked down at the mountain of food piled in her bowl and felt a sense of helplessness.
"You don’t have to get more for me. You should eat too."
He wasn’t eating himself, just focusing on putting food on her plate. Su Li felt a little exasperated.
’I can’t just tell him to stop in front of everyone, but isn’t this way too much food?’
Seeing Tang Yuanxiao’s crestfallen expression, she lowered her voice even more. "Tang Yuanxiao, right now... we’re just acting."
Tang Yuanxiao stiffened. Su Li sensed it but didn’t look at him.
’Tang Yuanxiao... he probably isn’t acting. I have to make him realize.’
’Our divorce papers are being processed right now...’
Su Li took a bite and looked up to see Miao Zhi glaring fiercely at her. Beside her, Yang Xiangyun was pulling on her arm and saying something, her eyes a little red.
Puzzled, Su Li gave her a questioning look.
Before Miao Zhi could respond, a tall young man, at least six feet tall, stood up behind her.
The big guy seemed to have been drinking; his face was a bit red. After his eyes met Su Li’s, he suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me... Ma’am, did you marry Captain Tang while you were still in high school?"
Su Li frowned and shook her head. "No."
"No? Why not?" Brother Gao asked, completely bewildered.
Yang Xiangyun chimed in from the side, "I never heard about you attending school. You must have studied on your own for the exam, right?"
"Studied on your own? Without going to high school? How could you possibly have done well? I went to class every day and still didn’t pass. I have to retake it!"
The tall guy retorted, his voice loud with indignation.
"Are you stupid? You believe everything she says?"
Miao Zhi cut him off. Though she was speaking to the tall guy, her eyes were fixed on Su Li, full of resentment, as if Su Li had committed some unforgivable sin.
"Don’t talk about her like that. It’s good to be ambitious. If she didn’t do well, she can just take the test again later," Yang Xiangyun said hurriedly, offering Su Li an apologetic smile.
"Miao Zhi didn’t mean anything by it. If you need to review for the exam in the future, you can ask her. She can tutor you."
Su Li put down her chopsticks and replied coolly, "No need. As I said, I did quite well."
Su Li’s silence had been one thing, but the moment she spoke, Miao Zhi was instantly triggered. She scoffed without a second thought.
"Tch... ’Quite well,’" she sneered. Then, she looked at Yang Xiangyun with exasperation. "Sister Yang, you’re just too kind-hearted. Look at her attitude."
