Chapter 76: Chapter 67: An Eyesore
It was almost closing time when Grandpa suddenly remembered something. He quickly led Xiao Man down another street, saying they needed to stop by the local specialty store to buy a jar of sweet pickled vegetables, Grandma’s favorite.
The sweet pickled vegetables were a specialty product from another province. They came in a small, patterned ceramic jar holding only about two pounds. It was sealed, and the jar itself was nestled inside a soft, woven rattan basket stuffed with straw to prevent it from being crushed during transport. Xiao Man loved the little jar the moment she saw it. ’I never knew they had such exquisite packaging for something like pickled vegetables in this era!’ she thought.
The salesclerk said, "You’re lucky. This shipment just arrived this afternoon. Most of it has already been distributed elsewhere, leaving only a dozen or so jars for the store shelves. You got here just in time. By tomorrow, a lot of people who want one won’t be able to get it!"
Grandpa thanked the clerk profusely, and Xiao Man beamed. She was just as happy as her grandpa that they had managed to buy Grandma’s favorite treat on their trip into the city.
Walking back from the specialty store, Xiao Man spotted a Xinhua Bookstore and quickly pulled Grandpa inside. The staff were already sprinkling water and sweeping the floor, getting ready to close, but they didn’t shoo them out. Xiao Man scanned the shelves but saw nothing that interested her. Suddenly, a female employee appeared, glaring at her with a displeased, predatory look. Xiao Man could just imagine the nasty things the woman would say if she browsed without buying anything. If she had been alone, Xiao Man wouldn’t have cared. But Grandpa was right behind her, a bundle on his back and the jar of pickles in his arms, in high spirits. Not wanting to ruin his good mood, she picked out two picture-story books: *Sun Wukong’s Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit* and *Autumn Master Meets Immortals*. They had no color illustrations, only line drawings.
The two books only cost thirty-five cents in total—shockingly cheap!
Of course, that was just her perspective. Back then, thirty-five cents could buy two pounds of salt—enough to last a family for a very long time!
After leaving the bookstore, they walked another hundred meters or so along the street until she saw a large, bright green metal box on the curb. She looked up at the sign on the building behind it and saw that they had arrived at the post office.
Xiao Man thought about the vintage stamps from this era, which would become incredibly valuable in the future. She was just about to suggest to Grandpa that they pop inside for a look when she raised her head and saw a sight that stung her eyes.
In her previous life, Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen had never met her face-to-face. They had only glanced at her once from a distance before embracing, lowering their heads, and walking away. Their departing figures had seemed so desolate and pained, as if they were bearing some heavy shackles. Back then, Xiao Man had actually felt a daughter’s longing for them, sobbing uncontrollably as she watched them go.
When they never appeared again, she had been forced to return to Liu Fengying’s house, whether she wanted to or not. That was when Xiao Man’s heart began to grow cold. Later, after being locked away in a private room at a nursing home, completely isolated from the world, she had despaired completely of her so-called biological parents.
For more than a decade after that, she would occasionally think of people from her past, but neither Liu Fengying nor the Tang family could stir any emotion in her.
She treated them all as complete strangers, passersby with whom she had no connection whatsoever.
But now, a lifetime later, upon seeing Wu Xiaowen again, Xiao Man couldn’t help the way her heart began to race.
’That woman gave birth to me, but she adamantly didn’t want me!’
’Was it because my face was ruined? Or because there was no bond since I wasn’t raised with them? Just how beautiful is Tang Yaxuan, anyway? What affection or contribution did she ever give that family?’
In her previous life, by the time Xiao Man arrived in Beijing, Tang Yaxuan had already left the country. She was a diplomat traveling with a delegation, her work supposedly very busy and important. She wasn’t even around when her own brother fell ill. Xiao Man and she had never once met.
However, there were photos of her all over the house—solo portraits, group photos, and she was even in the Gu family’s portraits. So, it would have been difficult for Xiao Man *not* to know what she looked like.
Although Xiao Man’s own face had been disfigured, her aesthetic judgment was intact. In her eyes, Tang Yaxuan was just a carefully polished, younger version of Liu Fengying: she had delicate, fair skin, wore elegant, well-fitting clothes, and carried herself with the dignified grace of a socialite. But her trademark, slightly puffy upper eyelids disrupted the harmony of her features. At best, she was merely average-looking.
And now, in front of the post office, a young Wu Xiaowen was holding an eleven-year-old Tang Yaxuan. The mother and daughter were locked in a tight embrace. Tang Yaxuan’s face was streaked with tears, and she burrowed her head into Wu Xiaowen’s chest. Wu Xiaowen murmured soft, gentle words, kissing her forehead and patting her back, her expression one of absolute doting, her face and eyes overflowing with love and adoration.
It had to be said, Wu Xiaowen knew how to take care of herself—or perhaps she was just naturally beautiful and ageless. She was only in her thirties, wearing a pale blue dress that made her skin seem whiter than snow. She was slender, elegant, and beautiful. When Xiao Man had seen her from a distance in the early nineties in her past life, she had looked exactly the same.
And eleven-year-old Tang Yaxuan was, admittedly, very pretty and cute. She looked like a porcelain doll, delicate and adorable, and seemed even more exquisite than she would as a grown-up.
From about five or six steps away, Xiao Man could clearly hear their conversation.
"Mama, what do I do? Mama, I love you! I don’t want to leave you! I’d rather die than not be by your side forever!"
"My darling, Mama loves you too. Mama loves you the most. How could I possibly let you leave? Please stop crying, my sweet baby. The doctor said you have to stay happy, or you’ll get very sick! If you go into shock again, you’ll end up back in the hospital. Mommy and Daddy’s hearts will break if you ruin your health by not eating or drinking, and it’s affecting your studies, too. Look, you haven’t practiced the piano in days, and you can’t even finish the homework your private tutor assigned... Oh, Mama’s good girl, you saw just now, didn’t you? Your grandpa and grandma love you so much. They sent all these packages, full of pretty clothes and shoes and hats, all from abroad! So don’t cry, okay? Mama only loves you. I only want you for a daughter. I won’t acknowledge anyone else!"
"But... we’re going to the provincial city first, and Daddy has to stay in Wancheng for another year or two... He’s going to go see *that person*! AAH! My head hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Oh, darling! The doctor said you mustn’t let your imagination run wild... Good girl! As long as you get better, Mama will absolutely forbid Daddy from going! Daddy is so busy. He often has to go to the provincial city for meetings, and I always know when he has a few days off. He has to spend that time with us... Quick, think about something happy! Think about your little brother. You’re going to see him very soon, aren’t you happy?"
"Mama, I miss my little brother... I feel much better now!"
"Mmm, that’s right! Mama’s heart only has room for my good girl; I only love my sweet baby! Come, let’s walk over to the curb and see if Uncle Jiang is here with the car yet."
"..."
Half-hidden behind the green metal box, Xiao Man pretended to be admiring it. A burning sensation welled up in her eyes before subsiding. Meanwhile, Grandpa’s attention had been captured by a poster on the post office door. He was studying it intently, so he didn’t rush her. She waited until a black car pulled up. Someone bustled back and forth, loading mailbags into the trunk, while another person called out respectfully, their voice laced with a smile, "Sister Wu, Xuanxuan, please get in!"
The car doors opened and shut. Only after the car had driven far into the distance did Xiao Man walk over to Grandpa and tug on his sleeve, signaling that it was time to leave.
Not wanting Grandpa to see her eyes, Xiao Man kept her head down the whole way. Grandpa assumed she was just tired and didn’t ask anything, only calling out to her when they crossed a street or turned a corner. It wasn’t until they reached the courtyard of the inn where they had stabled the ox cart and she saw the big water buffalo with its full, round belly that Xiao Man finally felt herself start to relax. She helped Grandpa carry their things while he hitched up the cart, getting ready to head home.
