"I will never tell you where Tang Yiyi is," Tang Xiaomin said furiously.
"Steward Wang, hire fifty more security guards from the security company. Starting today, none of them are allowed to go near Ms. Zhang."
Steward Wang nodded and promptly made the call.
Tang Zhongcheng looked utterly dejected, worried about Tang Yiyi and at the same time, about Zhang Meiyu.
"Xiaomin, do you have to be like this?"
"Heh..."
Tang Xiaomin let out a bitter and sarcastic laugh.
"If I don't, are you just going to stand by and watch you bastards anger Zhang Meiyu to death?"
"Touch your conscience, is this something a human would do?"
"As long as you tell me where Yiyi is, I promise I won't ask about your mother, nor will I mention Yiyi to her," Tang Zhongcheng said.
"Xiaomin, please tell me, Dad is begging you. Dad truly doesn't want anyone to get hurt."
...
Tang Xiaomin felt so disgusted she wanted to vomit. She couldn't take it anymore and proceeded to beat up Tang Zhongcheng and Tang Xu again in the corridor.
Yan Jue couldn't watch any longer.
He stepped forward, grabbed one in each hand, threw Tang Zhongcheng and Tang Xu into the elevator, and sent them on their way.
Looking at Tang Xiaomin, whose face was slightly flushed with anger, Yan Jue realized it had been a long time since he had seen her so furious.
Yet, she was also soft-hearted and kept getting deeper into trouble.
"Calm down."
As he spoke, Yan Jue took a lollipop from his breast pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in Tang Xiaomin's mouth.
He had even thought to carry a lollipop for Tang Xiaomin.
Tang Xiaomin didn't speak, silently eating the lollipop.
The sweet taste filled her mouth, and her emotions also eased a bit.
At this point, even she didn't know how she felt.
But when she remembered her own tragic death, any lingering emotions for Zhang Meiyu now felt like a foolish indulgence.
This time, only a few hours passed before Zhang Meiyu woke up.
The doctor called Tang Xiaomin aside to tell her about Zhang Meiyu's condition.
"Miss Tang, your mother's condition is not optimistic. It is crucial to avoid anger. Every time she has an episode like this, she becomes more endangered."
Tang Xiaomin nodded.
But what could she do?
Tang Zhongcheng and the sons of the Tang family insisted on bringing up Tang Yiyi in front of Zhang Meiyu.
They seemed determined to anger Zhang Meiyu to death.
The next day, Tang Yu and Tang Ye finally arrived at the hospital.
Not only that, but Tang Xu and Tang Zhongcheng also came, looking anxious.
After much thought, Tang Xiaomin couldn't bear to watch Zhang Meiyu be angered to death by them.
Finally, she told them Tang Yiyi's whereabouts.
"Ms. Zhang sent Tang Yiyi to a mental asylum. Go find her quickly."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhongcheng was shocked, then cursed.
"She's truly gone too far, how could she send Yiyi to a place like that? A woman's heart is the most venomous."
Without further thought, Tang Zhongcheng rushed out of the hospital and immediately went to the asylum to pick up Tang Yiyi.
Tang Xiaomin watched as Tang Xu hesitated, a mocking cold smile tugging at her lips.
"I've already told you where Tang Yiyi is, why are you still staying here?"
"I..."
Tang Xu was speechless.
He lowered his head in shame.
He hadn't expected his mother to suddenly fall ill, and so severely.
"Next time, you'd better be clearer about your mother's situation."
Tang Xiaomin was speechless.
"Tang Xu, have you forgotten? I called you back to discuss Ms. Zhang's situation."
"And you? After you came back, all you cared about was Tang Yiyi."
"When I brought Ms. Zhang to the hospital, you even stood in front of the car to protect Tang Yiyi, disregarding everything else."
"For Tang Yiyi, you don't even care about your mother's life. I've never seen such an ungrateful wretch as you."
...
Tang Xiaomin's scolding was harsh.
Tang Xu listened silently, not retorting this time.
He went to the ward to see Zhang Meiyu, and then spoke to the doctor.
No matter how serious Zhang Meiyu's illness was.
After Tang Yu and the others visited her, as soon as the time was up, they instructed Tang Xiaomin to stay with Zhang Meiyu, and then went about their own business.
To have painstakingly given birth to children, only to be left alone to face a terminal illness with no one willing to spend time with them.
There was nothing more desolate in this world.
At half-past eleven.
Tang Xiaomin's adoptive parents arrived, carrying a thermos. They were there to bring food.
They were ordinary people. Yesterday, they had heard that Tang Xiaomin's mother was ill.
Early this morning, they specifically went to the market to buy the freshest pork trotters, slow-cooked them for several hours, and made soup.
Zhou Xiaolan poured the soup.
"Madam Tang, I've made you pork trotter soup. I hope you don't find it unappetizing."
While Zhang Meiyu was unconscious, she had another nightmare.
She dreamt that she had done many, many, many wicked things to Tang Xiaomin.
In the dream, those scenes of beatings and scolding felt so real.
At this moment, Zhou Xiaolan had also poured a bowl of soup and handed it to Zhang Meiyu.
"In the past, our neighbor worked at the slaughterhouse. When we had a little extra money, we would ask him to bring back a good pork trotter for soup."
"All these years, Xiaomin has never tired of this taste."
On the other side of the ward, Tang Xiaomin was silently eating the meal brought by her adoptive parents.
Li Changchun even took out a box of milk from his pocket for Tang Xiaomin.
Tang Xiaomin chatted with Li Changchun about trivial matters, with great patience, occasionally smiling.
Zhang Meiyu took a sip of the pork trotter soup and was surprised to find that it tasted the same as the pork trotter soup Tang Xiaomin used to make at the Tang family's home.
Tang Yu had a delicate stomach, but he loved this soup.
Recalling the past, Zhang Meiyu suddenly understood why Tang Xiaomin could be so harmonious with her ordinary adoptive parents.
And treated her and everyone in the Tang family like enemies.
In fact, it wasn't that Tang Xiaomin treated them as enemies.
It was that they had never treated Tang Xiaomin as family at all.
When a person's warmth is extinguished, only indifference remains.
Zhang Meiyu's life was in shambles.
At the same time, she understood that her health was deteriorating.
She could even foresee her own near future.
"This soup is delicious. Did she learn it from you?"
As she said this, a look of relief washed over Zhou Xiaolan's eyes.
"My husband and I are poor, but Xiaomin was born into a wealthy family. She was a bit pampered as a child."
"But despite being pampered, she could cook everything I could. I used to work in a restaurant and learned a lot."
"Xiaomin learned by example, and her cooking is even better than mine."
It was only today that Zhang Meiyu learned that Tang Xiaomin's cooking skills came from Zhou Xiaolan.