Chapter 260: The Not Unexpected Decision
Star City, at Long’s Dining Hall.
Inside the luxurious presidential suite, Tang Guosheng sat uprightly on the living room’s couch. He had stopped smoking for decades, yet he was smoking right now. Even though his children had tried to stop him, they were unable to do so. At this time, the eyebrows on his old face were deeply wrinkled as he looked at his mobile on the coffee table in front of him from time to time.
He was waiting, waiting for the investigation result which he had ordered to be carried out after he left Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!
“Ring, ring, ring…”
His mobile’s ringtone finally sounded. The call Tang Guosheng was anxiously waiting.
“Report.”
Tang Guosheng extinguished his cigarette with quite an effort as he grabbed the mobile and answered the call. His expression and voice were extremely serious.
A voice then transmitted through his phone, “Senior Chief, we’ve investigated Tang Xiu’s information clearly. He’s 20-years-old this year, with excellent academic performance and the top scorer of science subjects for Shuangqing Province this year. Hometown is the Su Village in Qinghe County, no father, was brought up by his mother—Su Lingyun. He also still has a grandmother in his hometown…”
When Tang Guosheng heard that Tang Xiu was really 20-years-old, he suddenly stood up. His old body couldn’t help but tremble upon hearing the name “Su Lingyun”.
He was now completely sure that Tang Xiu was his grandson!
His age fit. Single parent. Everything fit!
Su Lingyun, with the last character of Little Yun, also coincided with the name said by his youngest son.
Tang Guosheng didn’t believe that existed so much coincidence.
After listening to the report.
A long period of time pa.s.sed before he slowly sat back on the sofa. His eyes were somewhat wet, a complex expression within. He was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu’s hatred and anger, as well as understood why he was like that. The incident that happened to his youngest son was too sudden, so sudden that he hadn’t been able to confess to Su Lingyun.
However, he neither had a clue nor understand why Su Lingyun didn’t go to Beijing to find the Tang Family after so many years. Could it be that she wasn’t sure she had borne the descendant of the Tang Family, meaning she already became the daughter-in-law of the Tangs?
Tang Yunpeng, who stood at the side, could see the complex expression on his father’s face. After hesitating for a long period of time, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “Father, what’s the result?”
Tang Guosheng slowly raised his head as he looked at his children and nephew in front of him. He then nodded and said, “I wasn’t wrong. Tang Xiu is really the son of your youngest brother, my grandson.”
Tang Yunpeng quickly replied, “But his age…”
Tang Guosheng said, “He didn’t want to recognize us and used it as an excuse. His real age is 20-years old and he lives with his mother and has no father. He grew up in the Su Village from childhood with the family from his maternal line.”
At this moment, Tang Yunpeng, Tang Min, and Tang Dong understood.
Tang Yunpeng said in a heavy tone, “Father, since he’s the descendant of our Tang Family, we can’t ignore him. No matter what he wants, we must take him back to Beijing with us to kowtow before our ancestral shrine and recognize his ancestors and family line. Besides, he also has superb medical expertise; he could even cure your chronic asthma you had endured for so many years. Perhaps, he really has the confidence to save Yunde from his coma.”
Tang Guosheng shook his head with a pained expression, “Sigh, for him to recognize his ancestors and family line is necessary, that I know. Yet, I’m afraid that it could be a very difficult process. You also saw how deep the resentment he showed when he identified our ident.i.ties. The acc.u.mulation of resentfulness for 20 years, is not something that could fade away within a short while. Furthermore, let alone the fact that he has cured my asthma, just solely the lonely and forsaken life those mother and son had gone through, which I believe it’s our sin, for they have suffered so many hards.h.i.+ps and sufferings for so many years; our Tang Family indeed have no qualifications and right to ask him anything.”
“Then, how should we proceed with this, father?” After pondering for a moment, Tang Min asked.
Tang Guosheng replied with a heavy tone, “I’ll go to Qinghe County personally. Go and prepare the car for me.”
"I am coming too!"
"I am coming too!"
Tang Yunpeng and Tang Min shouted in unison.
Tang Dong also opened his mouth, yet, for fear that his uncle—Tang Guosheng would reprimand him, he strongly held back the urge.
Tang Guosheng shook his head, “Little Min, you’ll go with me. As for you, Yunpeng, since our Tang Family has been in a very unstable situation due to my sickness, you must go back to the capital and help your Third Uncle stabilize the situation there. Furthermore, the matter with Little Tong must be carried out as fast as possible. Even if we must trade it with some of the interest the opposite party wants, she has to take that position. This retreat, all in all, would be very helpful for our Tang Family’s layout plan in advance.”
“This… Understood!”
Tang Yunpeng hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.
At the Su Village, Qinghe County.
Tang Xiu entered his grandmother’s house courtyard and he saw his mother was.h.i.+ng his grandmother’s clothes while Su Xiangfei helped her with the laundry.
“Hmm? Xiu’er, didn’t you tell me that you wouldn"t come back for the time being? How come…” A surprised expression was suddenly revealed on Su Lingyun’s face as she saw Tang Xiu.
Looking at Su Xiangfei with the back of his eyes, Tang Xiu then replied to her, “Mom, I have something important to talk to you. Let’s find a quiet place.”
“What important thing?” asked Su Lingyun with a puzzled expression.
Tang Xiu walked to the side room where he stayed and said, “Mom, please follow me and you’ll know it. But you have to be mentally prepared. And please don’t be agitated regardless of anything you hear from me.”
Su Lingyun laughed involuntarily, “You, sonny, how come you’re acting so mysterious? Alright, I promise you that I won’t get agitated.”
Inside the side room.
Tang Xiu closed the door from the inside as he released his perception and found that Su Xiangfei didn’t come over to secretly eavesdrop, but sat on the spot where his mother just left and continued to dry the washed clothes. He then nodded his head as he turned around to look at Su Lingyun, saying, “Mom, I just met some people today.”
Su Lingyun was as at a loss whether to cry or laugh, “Uh, you just met some people, why would you even need to report to me? Right, were those people from the top universities in China wanting to throw you an olive branch because you’re the top scorer for the science subjects in Shuangqing Province this year? I too have heard that numerous universities would rush and struggle to receive the CET’s top scorer from each province every year!”
Tang Xiu replied with all solemnness, “Mom, the people I met were not those from the top universities. They… they were all surnamed Tang!”
Su Lingyun stared blankly for a moment as her complexion changed greatly and turned pale.
Tang Xiu continued with a heavy tone, “There was also an old man. He’s called Tang Guosheng, as well as his eldest son, Tang Yunpeng, his daughter, Tang Min, and his nephew, Tang Dong, who came from the capital. They are the Tang Family of Beijing.”
Su Lingyun’s body trembled. If not for her quickly supporting herself on the wall, she would’ve fallen to the floor. Her face turned extremely desolate, with fear glittering inside her eyes.
Tang Xiu held her arms, taking her to sit on the edge of the bed. Only after that did he continue, “Mom, I think you need to tell me something about this. Certainly, I still have many things that I have yet to tell you, such as… the news about… him!”
His… the news about him?
Su Lingyun’s eyes contracted violently, with an inconceivable expression bursting from her eyes.
He… was still alive?
Tang Xiu no longer spoke. He knew that his mother would need some time to digest the news.
After a long period of time, an agitated and disturbed expression covered Su Lingyun’s face, along with some expectations within it as she whispered, “He… where’s he?”
“Beijing,” answered Tang Xiu faintly.
A thick sense of loss was revealed on her face while translucent crystal tears spun inside her eyes. She bit her lower lips as she murmured, “H-he didn’t… die… w-why didn’t he come find us? H-he obviously knew that I was pregnant that time…”
Tang Xiu interrupted her, “He has been in a coma for twenty years, in a vegetative state.”
"What?"
Su Lingyun was shaken and shocked by Tang Xiu’s news. Looking at him in a daze, she looked as though she couldn’t believe what she heard.
In a vegetative state?
For twenty years?
He…
In an instant, Su Lingyun broke into tears. A thick remorse rose inside her, regretting not going to the capital. She clearly knew that his family was there, but why didn’t she go there to look for him?
Tang Xiu held her gently as he patted her back and said, “Mom, I always knew that you’re a strong woman ever since I was small. You might look soft on the outside, but you have a tenacious and strong heart. Please don’t cry, and tell me everything about that year…”
Su Lingyun wept bitterly for a while. After that, only then did she raise her hazy and tearful face, speaking in a bitter and painful tone, “In the past, he got a call from his comrades to go out. So he said that he would go out drinking. At that time, I didn’t take him seriously but waited for him. I then waited for a day, two days, three days…”
“He was then missing, without even any news. I reported to the police, yet there were no results whatsoever. I always believed he wouldn’t abandon us, so I thought that he had died in some dark alley. Afterward, Su Shangwen took me back home and I lived there until you were born. After giving birth to you, I didn’t give up hope and wanted to go to the Capital to find him and his Tang Family. But, I didn’t dare. I was afraid…”
Tang Xiu sighed secretly, “You were afraid that I would be taken away by the Tangs, weren’t you?”
Su Lingyun nodded silently and replied amidst her crying, “The Tang Family of Beijing is a wealthy family and has fearsome power and influence. If they knew that I had Tang Yunde’s son, I was afraid they’d s.n.a.t.c.h you away from me. I’ve already lost a husband, I can never bear to lose my own son!”
“So all these years, you never thought of going to Beijing?” asked Tang Xiu.
“Xiu’er, do you remember before you entered Junior High School? Every year I said I had to go to the neighboring city to see our relatives. In fact, where would I have any relatives in the neighboring cities! I basically spent all the little bit of money I saved to find news about your Dad. For more than a decade I went there every year, I even went to the old residence of the Tangs hundreds of times, yet I only dared to secretly observe the place from far away. However, I’ve never heard anyone mention about your Dad and never once have I ever seen him,” said Su Lingyun with a bitter and agonized expression.
Tang Xiu suddenly realized and said earnestly, “Mom, I think you’ve done the right thing. I felt happy being raised up by you, receiving and feeling motherly love. But…”
“But what?” Su Lingyun finally stopped crying and asked.
Tang Xiu replied, “But, what do you intend to do now?”
Su Lingyun answered without thinking, “I’ll go see your father! I believe him. As long as he doesn’t die, there will be no difficulties. He has been in a coma, lying on the cold bed for twenty years, without me staying at his side to take care of him. Therefore, as long as he’s still alive, I’ll stay with him for the rest of my life and look after him.”