Because of that single “Mom,” Tang Hao got angry for a moment.
Then he couldn’t bring himself to stay angry.
He looked resentfully at the mother and daughter who were practically hugging and getting all affectionate with each other, and muttered, “My daughter hasn’t even hugged me yet.”
Zhou Ping shot him an annoyed look.
“What are you talking about? Put that rattan cane away before Youyou stops talking to you.”
“What cane?”
Just then, Tang Jiaojiao came home for lunch.
She had started working at the First People’s Hospital immediately after graduating from nursing school.
The moment she walked in, she saw Tang Youyou with red-rimmed eyes, being held in Zhou Ping’s arms.
“Sis! Who bullied you?”
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves.
“How dare they bully my sister, Tang Jiaojiao? Are they tired of living?
“Sis, don’t be afraid. I’ll get revenge for you!”
She paced around twice, then actually set her sights on the rattan cane in Tang Hao’s hand.
She looked so fierce that she seemed ready to go fight whoever had bullied her sister.
Zhou Ping was speechless.
She snatched the cane from her hand.
“What are you talking about? Your dad—”
“What?”
Tang Jiaojiao interrupted her and turned to question Tang Hao.
“Dad, did you hit my sister?”
She hurried forward and grabbed Tang Youyou, intending to check her for injuries.
Fortunately, Zhou Ping reacted quickly.
Afraid that her newly reconciled daughter might become annoyed, she hurriedly stopped her.
“All right, you just got back from the hospital and haven’t washed your hands yet. Don’t touch your sister.”
Tang Jiaojiao withdrew her hand.
Her phoenix-shaped eyes were filled with concern.
“Sis, I didn’t mean to touch you. I’m sorry!”
Seeing her lower her head and become completely dejected, Tang Youyou felt a little sorry for her.
How stupid had the original owner been to think that her sister, who always defended her, was some scheming, sinister person?
Tang Youyou sighed inwardly.
She reached out and placed her hand on Tang Jiaojiao’s head, gently ruffling her hair.
Huh?!
Tang Jiaojiao’s entire body stiffened.
What is Sis doing?
She’s patting my head!
Ahhhhhhh!
She was practically cheering inside and wanted nothing more than to spin around on the spot.
But she couldn’t!
She needed to let her sister pet her for longer.
So the 168-centimeter-tall Tang Jiaojiao spread her legs and crouched down slightly.
Mm!
This way, Sis won’t have to reach so high.
The corner of Tang Youyou’s mouth twitched, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
Having a little sister who was completely obsessed with her sister felt pretty nice.
Besides, Tang Jiaojiao’s hair was so fluffy.
Running her hand through it felt just like petting a teddy bear.
Tang Jiaojiao: “Hehe. Hehehe!”
The younger daughter had just returned home and immediately stole the precious daughter’s attention.
More importantly, it was rare for his daughter to be in such a good mood today.
Tang Hao’s heart soured with jealousy, like he’d just bitten into a lemon.
He was so aggrieved that he wanted nothing more than to push Tang Jiaojiao aside and take her place himself.
But after thinking about it, he decided he still had to maintain the dignity of a father.
He cleared his throat and brought the conversation back to the serious matter.
“Youyou, Dad is doing this for your own good. Whatever you do, don’t agree to the marriage swap. Qin Yuchen isn’t a good man.”
Zhou Ping hesitated.
The meaning in her eyes was equally clear:
Listen to your dad.
Tang Jiaojiao didn’t understand at first.
“What do you mean?”
She turned the sentence over in her head before asking in confusion,
“Dad, are you saying Sis’s fiancé is going to be Qin Yuchen again?”
Tang Hao nodded solemnly.
Tang Jiaojiao cried out in shock.
“Why? Sis won’t have to marry into the countryside and suffer anymore. We can take care of her for the rest of her life too. Isn’t that great?”
Zhou Ping grabbed Tang Jiaojiao’s hand.
“You’re just a young girl. What do you know?”
Tang Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose.
“I’m not a little girl. And I know exactly what I’m talking about.
“I wanted to say something five years ago when Grandma selfishly swapped Sis’s fiancé. Why should she be unwilling to let Tang Yue suffer, so Sis has to marry into the countryside instead?
“My sister, Tang Jiaojiao, was born to enjoy a life of luxury!”
Tang Youyou felt incredibly comforted.
She hadn’t expected her bargain-bin little sister to think exactly the same way she did.
Suffering? No thanks.
Getting married? Sure.
Worst comes to worst, I’ll get divorced.
Zhou Ping pinched Tang Jiaojiao’s arm helplessly.
“What are you saying? Do you know how much effort your dad went through to arrange the marriage swap five years ago? And now you’re saying we can just switch them back like it’s nothing? That’s not going to happen.”
“What?”
Tang Jiaojiao blinked, as if she’d heard something wrong.
She looked at Tang Hao as though he were an idiot.
“Dad, you actually did that to Sis?
“I didn’t believe Sis when she said you were biased before, but now I do.
“Hmph! Don’t think I’ll stop being angry just because you’re biased toward me.
“Apologize! Hurry up and apologize to Sis!
“If you don’t apologize, I won’t forgive you.
“When you… when you get old… I’ll go take care of Sis instead!”
Pfft!
Tang Youyou normally didn’t laugh.
Unless she couldn’t hold it in.
Oh, my silly little sister.
Do you even know you’re only two days younger than me?
When they were little, the two sisters had both believed they were twins.
It wasn’t until the original owner was manipulated by Cai Jinhe that she learned the truth about their backgrounds.
Twenty years ago, the Tang family was facing troubles both within and without.
Old Master Tang fell seriously ill and eventually died.
Tang Hao was forced to take charge of the family in its time of crisis.
At the same time, Tang Youyou’s biological mother suffered complications during childbirth and nearly died along with the baby.
When Tang Hao hurried to the hospital, he encountered Zhou Ping.
Her husband had died in battle, and her husband’s family had driven her out of the house while she was pregnant.
Tang Hao had no choice but to send Zhou Ping to the hospital.
Not long afterward, Zhou Ping gave birth to Tang Jiaojiao.
Zhou Ping was deeply grateful to Tang Hao.
When she heard that his wife was also in the same hospital and had just given birth to a daughter, she asked around and went to visit her in the ward.
Miraculously, Tang Youyou’s biological mother, who had been unconscious and barely clinging to life, suddenly woke up.
Tang Hao thought his wife was finally going to recover.
Instead, she took Zhou Ping’s hand and entrusted her daughter to her with her dying breath.
Zhou Ping was grateful to Tang Hao.
She also felt sorry for Tang Youyou, whose mother had died just days after giving birth to her and who had gone three whole days without a drop of milk.
On top of that, Zhou Ping had nowhere else to go.
In the end, she agreed.
One month after Tang Youyou’s biological mother’s funeral, Zhou Ping carried Tang Jiaojiao into the Tang family’s home.
Of course, in Cai Jinhe’s version of the story, everything became completely different.
According to her, Tang Hao was a womanizer who couldn’t control his lower half.
His wife had only just become pregnant when he went out and had an affair.
He had even shamelessly brought his mistress to the hospital where his wife was giving birth to flaunt their relationship.
In the end, he had angered his wife to death.
It was because she had heard this story that the original owner hated Tang Hao and Zhou Ping so deeply.
She even hated Tang Jiaojiao because of them.
From then on, she never spoke to any of them again.
The three of them were momentarily dazzled by the sudden radiant smile on Tang Youyou’s face.
By the time they came back to their senses, quite some time had already passed.
“Things have come this far. We won’t hide it from you anymore.”
Tang Hao sighed.
He walked toward the sofa and sat down on the single leather chair to the right.
Zhou Ping and her two daughters sat together on the long sofa, listening to Tang Hao’s explanation.
The Qin and Tang families had been close friends for generations.
Old Master Tang and Old Master Qin had even shared a bond forged through life and death.
A marriage between their descendants had been arranged during Tang Hao’s generation.
Unfortunately, both families had only given birth to sons.
Naturally, the engagement eventually fell to Tang Youyou.
As it happened, Qin Yuchen, the eldest son and legitimate grandson of the Qin family, was four years older than Tang Youyou.
Before Tang Youyou was born, on the eve of the founding of New China, Old Master Tang was robbed on his way home.
A man named Zhao Wang from Zhaojia Village saved him.
Old Master Tang wanted to thank him with money, but Zhao Wang instead pulled his four-year-old son, Zhao Yunzhou, forward and proposed a marriage between the children.
Looking at the four-year-old Zhao Yunzhou, who was still a rather simple and goofy little boy, Old Master Tang thought long and hard before agreeing.
He had always intended to make two preparations.
Who knew how long the Tang family could remain standing?
Even if things eventually reached an irreversible point, the Tang family would at least have one last chance to survive.
It had to be said that Old Master Tang had planned everything very well.
The problem was that this plan depended on him being alive.
But fate had other plans.
In 1950, the Land Reform inevitably caused considerable upheaval.
On top of that, Old Master Tang’s injuries had never properly healed.
Within just a few months, he passed away.
Before his death, Old Master Tang called Tang Hao to the window.
Then he revealed a shocking secret.