Chapter 577 - 576: Attracting Attention (6)

Mrs. Tang violently shook the thought away. Seeing the old man’s curious eyes, she swallowed her anger, forced a smile, and said.

"I don’t know. Probably."

Seeing that Mrs. Tang was unhappy, the old man was perceptive enough not to press the issue.

The topic was dropped, and the old men resumed their discussion.

Listening to them praise Su Li, Mrs. Tang’s anger flared. She thought to herself,

’Hmph, and here I thought these old geezers and hags were so impressive. Turns out... they have no taste either.’

’Praising Su Li, of all people!’

’So ignorant!’

As Mrs. Tang fumed, she abruptly abandoned her previous line of thinking.

’Actually, newspapers aren’t that impressive. You see them every day, and not just one kind—there are several different ones.’

’They’re common as dirt, nothing special. People use them to line shelves or wrap things. They even get trampled underfoot or used as toilet paper...’

The thought of newspaper being used as toilet paper made Mrs. Tang snort with laughter, her mood instantly brightening.

’Isn’t that right? Nothing impressive at all. It’s just something you use to wipe your butt!’

Mrs. Tang had worked herself up only to rationalize it all away, and just like that, her mood lifted.

Side-eyeing the newspapers, she huffed to herself, ’A reporter? What even is that? Is it edible? What a stupid job...’

’How could anything Su Li does be impressive!’

With that, she nonchalantly picked up the newspaper from the stone table to have a look.

She was illiterate, so "having a look" meant just that—she was completely unaware she was holding it upside down.

The old man with reading glasses beside her and Tang Yuanxiao both saw she was holding it upside down. The old man considered saying something but held his tongue. Tang Yuanxiao felt a wave of helplessness.

"Mom, let me take you back to your room."

It wasn’t Mrs. Tang’s fault that she was illiterate; she’d never had the chance to learn as a child. Tang Yuanxiao didn’t feel ashamed of her, but he was afraid she’d be ridiculed for holding the newspaper upside down with such a smug look, as if she understood every word.

"Everyone’s chatting. Why would I go back to my room? I’m cooped up in there all day long. I’ve had more than enough of it."

As Mrs. Tang finished her complaint, she caught sight of Lin Huanzhu’s back as she was about to leave.

Lin Huanzhu had said her goodbyes to the group. Taking advantage of the moment, she murmured a few words to Liao Jin and yawned, ready to head home. But just as she turned, Mrs. Tang stopped her.

"Oh, Huanzhu," Mrs. Tang called out suddenly, her face splitting into a smile that couldn’t have been more fake.

"I can’t read. Could you read to me what it says in the newspaper?"

Lin Huanzhu turned back, puzzled, giving Mrs. Tang an odd look. The chattering grandpas and grandmas fell silent, turning to watch curiously.

Hearing Mrs. Tang’s request, Liao Jin sensed something was off about her tone. She stopped what she was doing and looked over, her brow furrowing slightly.

Tang Yuanxiao was utterly baffled. "Mom, since when have you been interested in reading the newspaper?"

’Is it because of Su Li?’

"I just heard them going on about how amazing it is, so I got curious. Didn’t they say it was well-written?" Mrs. Tang retorted, her eyes fixed on Lin Huanzhu.

’Let’s see if she dares to refuse.’

’If she doesn’t refuse, it proves this Lin Huanzhu really does want to marry into the Tang Family and get her hands on Tang Yuanxiao!’

’If that she-devil really has ideas, just watch how I’ll put her in her place!’

Tang Yuanxiao, oblivious to his mother’s thoughts, said in exasperation, "Mom, if you want it read, I’ll read it to you. Don’t bother Huanzhu, she’s busy."

Lin Huanzhu listened, but she was smart enough to say nothing.

Even though it was Tang Yuanxiao’s mother, Lin Huanzhu had zero goodwill toward Mrs. Tang and had no desire to play along with her games.

’She could see right through Mrs. Tang’s petty little schemes!’

’Lin Huanzhu hadn’t even said anything, yet Tang Yuanxiao was already undermining her and taking the other woman’s side!’

’Mrs. Tang was furious beyond belief. Su Li had been bad enough—he was always protecting Su Li. Now there was a Lin Huanzhu too? This was unacceptable!’

’He only started doting on Su Li after they were married. But Tangyuan is already defending this Lin Huanzhu before she’s even part of the family! How much worse will he be if he actually marries her?’

Mrs. Tang’s chest heaved violently as she envisioned her own miserable future.

"You... you..." She pointed at Tang Yuanxiao, desperately trying to calm herself down before finally forcing out a stiff excuse.

"I don’t want to hear your voice. It’s so gruff and unpleasant. I want to hear Huanzhu’s!"

Tang Yuanxiao sighed in exasperation. "Mom, stop making a scene!"

"How am I making a scene? I just can’t read and want to hear the newspaper! It’s not like I’m asking her to commit murder and arson for me," Mrs. Tang said, growing more self-righteous by the second.

As the atmosphere grew tense enough that even Liao Jin was frowning, Lin Huanzhu finally spoke up with a sigh.

"I’ll read it, I’ll read it. It’s no big deal."

She laughed it off and shot an apologetic Tang Yuanxiao a look, signaling for him not to worry. With a resigned smile, she stepped forward and took the newspaper from Mrs. Tang’s hands. "Auntie, what kind of news are you interested in?"

Normally, Lin Huanzhu wouldn’t give someone like Mrs. Tang the time of day, but now...

’Oh, well. For Tang Yuanxiao’s sake, I might as well just read it.’

"Read something pleasant," Mrs. Tang said. Seeing Lin Huanzhu actually agree made her feel both smug and resentful.

She was resentful because this proved the she-devil Lin Huanzhu really *did* want to marry into the Tang Family, which was infuriating.

And she was smug, of course, because this she-devil was now about to do as she was told!

Mrs. Tang was slumped in her wheelchair, yet she wore an expression of someone looking down on the masses. She spoke in a light, airy tone, as if Lin Huanzhu were her personal attendant.

In response to Mrs. Tang’s attitude, the old men and women exchanged glances, Tang Yuanxiao frowned, and Liao Jin’s frown deepened.

Although Lin Huanzhu called Liao Jin "Auntie," they were actually closer than most mothers and daughters. She couldn’t bear to see Mrs. Tang treat Huanzhu this way.

She was just about to speak when Lin Huanzhu shot her a look, telling her to stay out of it.

Liao Jin’s brow furrowed, but she held her tongue.

Lin Huanzhu took a deep breath and flipped through the newspaper. "Something pleasant... Hmm, I’m not sure what you like to hear, Auntie, but for me, a good story is a crime report. Let me find one for you."

And there was indeed a crime report in the paper, which Lin Huanzhu proceeded to read aloud.

Although Mrs. Tang had no interest in hearing it, she didn’t dare act up under Tang Yuanxiao’s increasingly cold stare.

For the moment, the incident passed.

As Tang Yuanxiao wheeled his mother back to her room, she snatched the newspaper and kept it in her hands.

"Mom, what are you taking the newspaper for?"

Mrs. Tang mumbled an excuse, not about to tell Tang Yuanxiao she planned to use it as toilet paper.

After leaving the sanatorium, Tang Yuanxiao managed to get his hands on the two newspaper issues containing Su Li’s articles. He read them thoroughly, then carefully took them home to the residential compound to store away like a treasure.

He hid them at home, stashed away with a pile of what could only be called trash.

And what else could you call it? A photo with a corner missing, taped back together. A pile of knitting yarn.

The newspapers were the only new things in the pile.

But the newspapers only served to highlight the ever-widening gulf between him and Su Li.

All these items seemed to be telling Tang Yuanxiao one simple fact: no matter how hard he tried, the future between him and Su Li was... still slowly, inevitably, slipping further and further away.

There was no future, only fragmented, cruel, and bitter memories.