Free Web NovelChapter 330: Chapter 330: Please Don’t Ruin My Future Anymore
Qin Shanshan gritted her teeth and looked at Tang Yuanxiao, tears welling in her eyes.
"I’m not saying this to pressure you into repaying a favor. I just want you to understand how I feel."
Qin Shanshan glanced at the orchid by the door out of the corner of her eye, a trace of resentment flashing in their depths.
She had, of course, seen the orchid many times these past few days. At first, she hadn’t thought anything of it, but then she remembered the orchids Su Li used to grow in Xinghua Village.
She didn’t know that Tang Yuanxiao had specially dug it up to care for it, intending to give it to Su Li. She assumed Su Li had been the one tending to it.
She saw the plant had dried out, but she deliberately didn’t water it, wanting it to die completely.
She wanted every shadow, every trace of Su Li to disappear from this house.
Qin Shanshan noticed Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze, both when she had first walked in and now as she spoke to him.
His eyes would drift to the orchid, whether intentionally or not.
How could Qin Shanshan not feel a surge of resentment seeing the look in Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes? She gritted her teeth and continued speaking.
"Brother Tang Yuan, I love you. I’ve loved you for a long, long time... Taking care of your mother... I’ve done it all willingly. If..."
She suddenly grabbed Tang Yuanxiao’s hand. "If we... then nothing would be inappropriate."
Tang Yuanxiao looked into Qin Shanshan’s eyes for a moment before looking away.
He pulled his hand free. "Qin Caihua..."
Before he could finish, Qin Shanshan covered her mouth and ran out.
"Tangyuan, how could you... Are you trying to anger me to death? Shanshan is so good, and she’s completely devoted to you. How could you just..."
Behind him came Mrs. Tang’s exasperated scolding.
"Mom..." Tang Yuanxiao said helplessly. "Don’t be like this. I don’t have feelings for her. This isn’t good for anyone."
Mrs. Tang was furious. "You must be possessed! Shanshan is such a good girl, what’s not to like? She even said that if she marries you, she’ll keep taking care of me just like this. Where else in the world could you find a girl like that?"
"Mom, please calm down. Don’t get worked up..." Tang Yuanxiao said anxiously.
Mrs. Tang slapped his hand away. "Get away from me! I don’t want you taking care of me. I want Shanshan to do it."
As her son, it was indeed inconvenient for Tang Yuanxiao to care for his mother. The night of his return passed with great difficulty.
The next day, Tang Yuanxiao had to go to the Imperial City with the others who had returned with him to give a report. After waking up early, he went straight to a colleague’s house.
He had thought of this the previous night. His colleague was also from the countryside and had many siblings, so his family had always struggled financially.
The colleague’s wife was hardworking, but because she was illiterate, she could only grow vegetables. They had three children, all of them half-grown boys who, aside from having big appetites, didn’t need constant supervision.
If he hired this woman to care for Mrs. Tang, he would have peace of mind, and it would also help improve his colleague’s family situation.
Tang Yuanxiao had thought it through carefully. The colleague and his wife were tempted by the offer, but they didn’t accept.
"Captain Tang, we know you’re trying to help us out, but aren’t you getting married soon? You can just have your wife take care of your mother then."
Tang Yuanxiao was stunned. "I’m getting married soon?"
’How come I don’t know about this?’
He was stunned, and the couple was stunned too.
"Er... Aren’t you engaged to that young woman named Qin Shanshan? Your mother said so herself."
Tang Yuanxiao returned to the Tang Family home with a dark expression on his face.
"Mom, what have you been telling people?"
Lying in bed, a flicker of guilt crossed Mrs. Tang’s eyes. "What did I say?"
"Why am I hearing everyone say that I’m getting married again, and to Qin Caihua of all people?"
Tang Yuanxiao repeated himself, barely suppressing his fury.
When Mrs. Tang heard this, she decided to just throw caution to the wind.
"That’s right, I said it. I said you were engaged. I said Shanshan is my daughter-in-law."
The more she spoke, the more self-righteous she became. "You weren’t here, and Shanshan was the one taking care of me. What was I supposed to do about her having no official status? Of course I’d say she’s my daughter-in-law."
As Mrs. Tang spoke, she became angrier, yet her tone grew more and more aggrieved.
"The people in this family compound are no saints. Just because I’ve been to prison, every single one of them looks at me like they’ve seen a ghost. They try to avoid me. Not one person has been nice to me."
"They gossip about me behind my back, saying such awful things. Those old hags are even secretly saying you’re a jinx who brings ruin to his wives. It’s so nasty! How could I do nothing?"
"I just want to make them understand that you’re not a jinx! That even after one wife died and you divorced another, you can still get remarried right away!"
Mrs. Tang said it all in one breath, her chest heaving violently.
"Tangyuan, you have to marry Shanshan quickly. The sooner, the better! Let those backstabbing gossips see for themselves!"
The Tang Family’s affairs were practically common knowledge by now. The fact that Mrs. Tang had nearly killed Little Tang Mo—her cruel actions had spread everywhere. On top of that, she had been sentenced to prison. In everyone’s eyes, she was no different from a murderer.
People everywhere would want to stay away from someone like Mrs. Tang. When she returned paralyzed, plenty of people gossiped behind her back that she was getting her just deserts.
Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t spared from the gossip either. With one wife dead and Su Li having divorced him, people said all sorts of things.
There were no secrets in the family compound. If a family had a fight, everyone could basically hear it. Though people said these things behind her back, Mrs. Tang had heard it all.
Mrs. Tang had been praised as a virtuous wife her whole life. She had only ever heard good things, and people only ever praised Tang Yuanxiao. How could she stand hearing things like this?
A ball of resentment was stuck in her chest. She just wanted everyone to see that the Tang Family was still good, that no matter what, there were still girls willing to marry into their family.
’Much better than those who can’t even get a single wife!’
Mrs. Tang’s good hand gripped Tang Yuanxiao tightly. "Tangyuan, marry Shanshan. Give me a grandson soon, or your mother won’t be able to rest in peace."
Looking at his mother, Tang Yuanxiao felt utterly powerless.
"Mom, I’ve told you before. I won’t marry her. I don’t want Qin Caihua!"
"You won’t marry her? Tangyuan, are you trying to drive me to my grave? You won’t marry her? How can you not marry her? Not only do you have to marry her, but you have to do it as fast as possible."
Thinking of what happened before, Mrs. Tang felt a wave of lingering fear. "What if you have some sort of accident? Wouldn’t the Tang family line end? No, that’s absolutely not acceptable."
"What are you talking about... How can you say such things..." Tang Yuanxiao stared at his mother in disbelief.
"What do you mean? I’m speaking sense! Tangyuan, marry Shanshan, the sooner the better!"
Tang Yuanxiao closed his eyes and cut his mother off.
"I’ll say this one last time, Mom. I am not marrying Qin Caihua. If you want to marry her, you do it!"
He looked at his mother, his eyes filled not with disappointment, but with despair.
"Mom, why have you become like this? You weren’t like this before. Why did you change...?"
"You didn’t discuss anything with me, you just went around telling people Qin Caihua and I are getting married... What is this? Haven’t you learned your lesson from last time? If you keep this up, it doesn’t matter how hard I work—I can’t overcome what you do. How many lives do I have to keep fighting like this?"
Tang Yuanxiao questioned her in a low voice, watching his mother’s astonished expression as he desperately suppressed his anger.
"Mom, I’m begging you. I’m truly begging you. Please stop dragging me down. I risked my life to get us to where we are now. I’m begging you, please don’t..."
’Please don’t ruin my future again...’
