Chapter 1316: Chapter 1316: Those People, Those Stories (1)
The consequence of calling Mom a ’fool’ is being put in confinement.
Song Xiaohua came home from school to see George leaning on the railing, standing inside a little ’enclosure’, looking desperate to escape, and couldn’t help but sigh.
Can she help?
Of course not!
Didn’t she see her mom standing guard at the door?
If Song Xiaohua would still listen to her dad, then George Song was a typical case of being impervious to persuasion.
Even when facing his dad alone, George Song wasn’t the slightest bit afraid.
Perhaps it’s because he sensed the man’s status at home, that he would even share his toys with him willingly; this kind of behavior is undoubtedly a young cub’s attempt to curry favor with the strong.
Although the child’s mother didn’t enjoy this treatment, George Song’s deep love for his mom showed when he was just eleven months old.
George Song took his first steps to drive away a centipede for his mom.
As the eldest son of the current head of the Song Family, George Song already had the demeanor of a little man.
When Tang Li was preparing for George Song’s first birthday banquet, the Tan Palace secretariat also received a call from a nursing home in the Capital—Old Madam Lai had a stroke.
After Lai Wenyan’s sentencing, Old Madam Lai engaged in a year-long tug-of-war with the court, which ended with Old Madam Lai being carried out of her villa by enforcement staff and sent to the nursing home.
Guo Li came to tell Tang Li the news, and Tang Li paused in her action of choosing lottery items.
Considering her well-known father-daughter relationship with Lai Wenyan, at least on the surface, Old Madam Lai was her grandmother; otherwise, the nursing home wouldn’t have called Tan Palace. After discussing with Song Baiyan that night, Tang Li went to the nursing home the next day.
Old Madam Lai was half-lying on the bed, her face crooked, unable to care for herself, and when she saw Tang Li, she became emotional, struggling to sit up, grabbed the water cup on the bedside table, and threw it hard at Tang Li.
However, now that half her body was paralyzed, her limbs were weak, and her aim was not what it used to be.
The cup flew out, and the next second, fell by the bedside.
Half a cup of water spilled onto the bedding.
The caregiver glanced at Tang Li, hesitant to speak.
"You can go out first." Tang Li dismissed her.
With the door closed, Tang Li turned her gaze back to Old Madam Lai on the bed.
Looking at the old woman with a face full of anger, she stood at the end of the bed and smiled faintly, "Even if Grandma doesn’t want to see me, what can we do? Now, I’m the only relative you have left in the country."
Old Madam Lai: "......"
"Ah, ah ah!" She wanted to curse, but her words were slurred.
"I almost forgot about my father and eldest sister." Tang Li sat down on a chair, her demeanor calm: "But it’s unrealistic to expect them to come see you."
One is in prison, the other in a mental hospital, and their days aren’t any better than having a stroke.
Old Madam Lai understood the implication of her words, and anger welled up inside her: "Heh heh! Ah! Ah cruel ah..."
Tang Li ignored this ’angry rant’, looking around the room: "Speaking of which, you could stay in a single room in the nursing home, all thanks to me."
"But, in another two or three years, Bai Yan should be retiring."
Old Madam Lai finally ’cooled down’.
Tang Li, however, continued to twist the knife: "Grandma probably doesn’t know yet, but Aunt Qian has remarried."
"It happened just last month."
"She married a businessman from South Asia, and at the beginning of the month, she moved to Malaysia with Yuanyuan to live with him."
Old Madam Lai’s chest heaved violently, obviously furious.
Ouyang Qian’s departure meant a complete severance from the Lai Family.
Moreover, she took Lai Wenyan’s daughter with her.
Even though she was bedridden, Old Madam Lai still cared about her son in prison.
Ouyang Qian’s remarriage and relocation abroad had already set the stage for Lai Wenyan’s miserable old age.
Lai Wenyan had three daughters in his lifetime, the first two were unreliable, and only one granddaughter was Old Madam Lai’s idea of her son’s retirement home. Now, that heartless daughter-in-law took the granddaughter away to be a daughter to her lover!
Ouyang Qian was determined to end the Lai Family’s lineage!
She was giving Wenyan no way out!
Old Madam Lai’s hands trembled uncontrollably, her teeth gritting loudly, as Tang Li’s voice, like a demonic whisper, spoke again: "I remember Grandma saying that my mom had bad luck. Thinking about it now, it’s true. If my mom were still alive to see you and Dad in such dire straits, she might soften her heart. She was a young lady of the Li Family; to take out a few million to aid her ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law would be no problem."
Old Madam Lai’s eyes shifted, looking at Tang Li.
Tang Li, however, stood up, looking back with a smile: "But alas, there’s no regret medicine in this world. My aunt in the United States also instructed the nursing home, saying if you die, just scatter your ashes in the stinking gutter outside the nursing home, no need to inform her."
Old Madam Lai: "......"
"My dad’s been sentenced for over ten years; you can forget about him sending you off in the end." Tang Li informed again: "Rest assured, I can afford a ten thousand yuan grave plot, so I won’t really let you be buried next to a public toilet."
With that said, Tang Li no longer lingered.
Old Madam Lai wanted to stop her, but her body was out of her control.
With one misstep, she fell to the ground.
"Ah! Ah—!"
However, the response she got was the door being opened.
Throughout, Tang Li never looked back.
Tang Li didn’t stop the caregiver from going in to help Old Madam Lai up.
Sometimes, internal torment is far more painful than physical pain.
Does Old Madam Lai regret it?
Of course, she regrets it.
Just like Lai Wenyan once did.
This regretful emotion will, in the years to come, tear at them day and night, reaching its peak in the last moment of their lives.
Leaving the nursing home, she unexpectedly ran into Qin Yansheng at the elevator.
Qin Yansheng was holding a bouquet of flowers, also visiting someone.
Out of courtesy, Tang Li nodded and acknowledged him as they brushed past each other, but Qin Yansheng called her back: "Can I take a few minutes of your time? I have something here I’d like to consult you about."
Tang Li turned her head to look at him, and Qin Yansheng added: "It’s about Xuehan."
Xuehan.
The name wasn’t particularly special.
However, given that it was Qin Yansheng saying it, it became intriguing.
Yuan Qin tactfully took a few steps away.
Qin Yansheng was also aware of the somewhat awkward nature of his relationship with Tang Li, given that he was Lai Shengxia’s former fiancé, so he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point: "I’ve been visiting Old Madam Lai every day these days."
Tang Li had already suspected this.
Because the bouquet in Qin Yansheng’s hands was identical to the one in Old Madam Lai’s room.
Qin Yansheng’s next words compelled Tang Li to take him seriously.
He said: "I’ve been visiting Old Madam Lai, actually to see you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Li responded—
"You like Xuehan?"
"..."
Such straightforwardness left Qin Yansheng a bit uncomfortable.
However, under Tang Li’s gaze, he finally nodded: "Yes, I like Xuehan."
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