Mrs. Tang was filled with regret and hatred.
If she had known it would come to this, why did she have to do what she did?
All the affection Mrs. Tang once had for Qin Shanshan had now turned into an equal amount of hatred.
Mrs. Tang threw a fit, threatening to kill herself and then to kill Qin Shanshan. Tang Yuanxiao patiently tried to talk her down, but she wouldn’t listen at all.
Tang Yuanxiao, who had little patience to begin with, finally ran out of it completely.
"Isn’t this the outcome you wanted?" Tang Yuanxiao interrupted his mother’s tantrum, pressing his fingers to his temples.
He turned to look at his mother. "Mom, didn’t you think about the consequences before you did all this?"
In contrast to his mother, Tang Yuanxiao was calm—terrifyingly so.
’There were no ripples in his heart.’ After everything that had happened, time and again, he had been able to guess the outcome. Now that the dust had settled, he didn’t find it so hard to accept.
Mrs. Tang stared at Tang Yuanxiao, stunned. "I... How was I supposed to know? What do you mean, ’this is the outcome I wanted’? Tangyuan, you can’t be so heartless."
Tang Yuanxiao even let out a soft chuckle. "I can understand you not thinking things through before. But after everything that’s happened, after even going to jail, shouldn’t you have learned to think about the consequences before doing something?"
"Mom, even if you scream the house down or drop dead, it won’t change anything. So just stop it."
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t let his mother cry. He looked her straight in the eye and told her his decision.
"Mom, I’m going to send you to a sanatorium."
Mrs. Tang had been unwilling before, and various incidents had caused delays, so the matter of the sanatorium had been put on hold.
But now, Tang Yuanxiao had made up his mind.
His family was facing massive compensation payments, and the sanatorium fees were not cheap either, but Tang Yuanxiao was still determined to send his mother there.
To the semi-closed facility that Wu Sheng had recommended—the kind of place she could never leave unless he came to get her himself.
The sanatorium had medical facilities and doctors. While it might not be on par with a hospital, it was professional, and they could provide immediate medical attention if anything happened to his mother.
At the sanatorium, her freedom would be restricted, preventing her from causing more trouble, and she would receive professional care. It was the best place for her.
"I’ve already made my decision, and I won’t change it this time. You’ve seen it yourself—our family is on the verge of bankruptcy. We don’t have the energy to deal with your commotions anymore."
Hearing Tang Yuanxiao’s words, Mrs. Tang wanted to say something, but no words came out.
After speaking, Tang Yuanxiao stood up and walked out. "I’m going to borrow money."
After hearing the verdict, Tang Yuanxiao had started raising money. He liquidated all their cash and everything else of value, but after scraping it all together, it still wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t enough. What else could he do but borrow?
Tang Yuanxiao swallowed his pride and went to ask for loans.
He had just left a colleague’s house when he received a letter.
The letter was thick. It had his name and address, but no return address.
Puzzled, Tang Yuanxiao opened the letter. The moment he did, he froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Because inside, besides a small note, was a stack of money.
A thick stack of money. He counted it—it was exactly four thousand yuan, no more, no less.
Tang Yuanxiao was completely stunned, holding the money in his hands.
’Who is it?’ Who on earth would send him money like this?
The postmark was from the Imperial City. The only note inside had an account number written on it, saying that if he ever had the money to pay it back, he could just deposit it into that account.
It said the money was a temporary loan.
’Whoever sent this must know I wouldn’t accept money that appeared out of nowhere, so they sent it under the guise of a loan.’
Tang Yuanxiao’s expression was incredibly complicated.
He didn’t know many people in the Imperial City; when it came down to it, there were only a few.
And how many of them could produce so much money at once?
An expression that was half a sob and half a smile appeared on Tang Yuanxiao’s lips.
A sum of money that people would fight tooth and nail for had just been mailed to him in a letter.
’What have I ever done to deserve this?’
Tang Yuanxiao gently stroked the money before carefully putting it away.
Tang Yuanxiao was conflicted about whether to use this money.
Life wasn’t easy for anyone these days. Everyone had a family to support, and most people, like him, were frugal. They wanted to help Tang Yuanxiao but didn’t have the means.
Borrowing money wasn’t easy, but to use this sum...
Tang Yuanxiao lay awake all night. Before he could make a decision the next day, another letter arrived.
Once again, there was no sender’s name or address, only Tang Yuanxiao’s. And once again, it was just as thick.
Even before opening it, Tang Yuanxiao had a feeling.
His expression was complex beyond words. It took him a long moment to open it.
Compared to his astonishment from the day before, Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t surprised at all to see it filled with money this time.
The money in this letter was also four thousand yuan.
Exactly four thousand, no more, no less. There was no note, just a line of text written lightly in pencil on the topmost bill.
"I’ll come find you in a few years to collect the debt."
Again, it was framed as a loan.
Tang Yuanxiao stared at the two letters on the table, at the two stacks of money before him, a look of dawning realization on his face.
If there had only been one letter last night, he wouldn’t have been sure who sent it. But after receiving this morning’s letter, he knew exactly who they were.
Tang Yuanxiao returned to the Imperial City. He didn’t go to the school, but to a familiar yet unfamiliar office.
"I’m looking for Captain Wu Sheng."
Tang Yuanxiao had come to see Wu Sheng.
Wu Sheng was surprised to see him. "What’s wrong? Is something the matter?"
Tang Yuanxiao looked at Wu Sheng intently, then suddenly bowed deeply. "Thank you, Wu Sheng."
Wu Sheng tilted his head. "For what?"
Tang Yuanxiao shook his head with a wry smile. "Thank you for your generous help."
Wu Sheng paused. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t surprised to see Wu Sheng playing dumb.
The fact that he was trying to borrow and raise money wasn’t a secret; anyone who should know, would know. He was surprised that Wu Sheng would help him like this, yet at the same time, it felt just like him.
That was just the kind of person Wu Sheng was—a good man.
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t say much more to Wu Sheng. After thanking him, he left.
After seeing Wu Sheng, Tang Yuanxiao went to the gate of Little Tang Mo’s school.
He came to see Little Tang Mo, and also to find Su Li, simply to say thank you.
Tang Yuanxiao was certain: of the two sums of money, one was from Su Li, and the other was from Wu Sheng.
The only people he knew in the Imperial City who would help him so quietly and could produce so much money at once were Su Li and Wu Sheng.
With only one, he might not have been able to guess. With two, he immediately knew it was both of them.
’They must have both done it quietly, without even telling each other. That’s why the letters arrived one after the other.’
As Tang Yuanxiao was thinking this, he saw Su Li hurrying over.
"Su Li."
Su Li was a little surprised to see Tang Yuanxiao. "Tang Yuanxiao, are you here to see Little Mo?"
Tang Yuanxiao hummed in agreement. "I came to see Momo, and I wanted to see you too."
"Is something wrong?" Su Li asked, her expression turning serious.
Tang Yuanxiao looked at Su Li and said a sincere thank you.
"I just came to thank you. Thank you for sending me the money."
Su Li’s reaction was just as Tang Yuanxiao expected. She made the same choice as Wu Sheng—to play dumb.
"What are you talking about?"
Seeing Su Li feign ignorance, Tang Yuanxiao shook his head. "I know everything."
Su Li looked at Tang Yuanxiao’s certain gaze and felt a little awkward.
Just as Tang Yuanxiao had guessed, Su Li had sent him money.