Chapter 46 - 46 Your Child Grows Well
It’s heartbreaking to see one’s own child so timid and unassertive when a three-year-old from Tang Zhinian’s family is not scared at all. But why is our child so easily cowed?
There were indeed many who proposed solutions, but after several trials, only Tang Yuxin ended up staying with Chen Zhong. She would often sit in Chen Zhong’s study and watch her dolls, and when she didn’t have anything else to do, she would learn about medicinal herbs and acupressure points with him. Of course, she spent most of the time playing. Despite having a wildly vivid imagination, she knew she had to remember the lessons. Otherwise, Chen Zhong would not have always greeted her with a friendly expression. His demeanor had noticeably softened, and he still ensured she had three meals a day.
This was Tang Yuxin’s first year after her rebirth. Ever since Tang Zhinian divorced Sang Zhilan, the latter never returned. Sometimes, thinking about these past events would unsettle Tang Zhinian, flooding his chest with a formless anger and discomfort. Not anger for himself, but for Tang Yuxin.
Every time he saw Tang Yuxin being well-behaved and obedient, looking adorable, he felt a sense of injustice and heartache on her behalf. How could Sang Zhilan abandon such a sweet child? It’s been nearly a year, and she has not once come to see her daughter. Is someone else’s child better than your own?
Why does everyone else love their children, while she Sang Zhilan, stubbornly plays the fool? Once the child is grown, she will most likely be seen as an ungrateful return for her upbringing.
“Daddy will take you to buy clothes,” Tang Zhinian said cheerfully, holding his daughter as they headed into town. New Year was approaching, and he wanted to buy new clothes for his daughter. He earned some from selling vegetables today which he decided to spend on a new outfit for her, putting aside other needs.
Tang Yuxin remembered the new cotton dress in the cupboard that she had not yet worn. She wanted to tell him about its existence, but seeing his joyful expression, she kept her words to herself.
It was rare to see him this happy, even a bit enthusiastic. Otherwise, he would be forever digging in the fields without a hint of joy, seemingly using farming as an escape from something.
Even the most honest man, when discovering he’s wearing the proverbial ‘cuckold’s cap’, is unlikely to act as though nothing happened. He can’t help but wonder if anyone knows, if they’re pointing fingers behind his back.
A man can tolerate many things from a woman, just as Tang Zhinian did with Sang Zhilan. She could neglect the family, she could leave their daughter to his care, but she could not humiliate him by making him a cuckold.
The green of it makes men envious.
There is no man who can withstand such dishonor. Therefore, Tang Zhinian, who initially wanted to salvage their marriage, abandoned the thought. Sang Zhilan, who had originally intended to take more from him, divorced out of guilt. Even the Sang family, always so demanding and insatiable, dared not make a scene.
Only because,
They felt guilty.
Only because.
They were afraid,
The guilty party always bows its head in shame.
Tang Yuxin was worried that if things continued this way, her genuine, hardworking father might become a dejected man, only knowing how to farm, and forgetting how to smile.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Tang Zhinian asked, rubbing his daughter’s head and pulling her to sit next to him.
Tang Yuxin shook her head, then grabbed onto the little braids her father had neatly made for her.
“Your kid has grown up beautifully.”