Chapter 399: His Own Mother Schemes Against Her Son (3)
Days dawned early in the summer, and the sun rose early too.
Sunlight pierced the quiet room, an early morning arrival.
Qin Shanshan was woken by the piercing sunlight.
The moment she opened her eyes, Qin Shanshan felt an exhaustion she had never known before.
Her entire body ached, sore and weak. She blinked a couple of times before she finally registered what had happened.
She threw back the covers and saw the marks all over her body.
Her memories of last night were a blur, but she still remembered the frenzy.
Her face flushed beet red as she slowly turned her head.
The bed was empty. It was just her. She lifted the covers to check, but there was no one there.
"Brother Tang Yuan?" Qin Shanshan called out tentatively, then startled at the sound of her own voice.
It was incredibly hoarse.
She touched her throat, the blush on her face deepening. ’Last night... I think... I think I screamed a lot...’
’Thank goodness... thank goodness... this house is soundproof.’
Qin Shanshan was immensely grateful for her foresight in renting this house. Otherwise, with the poor soundproofing in the family residence compound...
The thought of the noises and sounds she used to hear while living in the compound made her turn red from head to toe.
Enduring the soreness, she wrapped the blanket around herself, got out of bed, and cautiously left the room.
’Why isn’t he here?’ He was nowhere to be found, inside or out.
Tang Yuanxiao was gone. He had probably left.
’Well, I was prepared for this, but Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t.’
’Waking up this morning and suddenly realizing what he’d done... knowing his personality, he’d definitely find it hard to accept. He couldn’t possibly stay here.’
Qin Shanshan figured it all out in an instant.
For a moment, she felt a pang of disappointment, but it was quickly overshadowed by the feeling of having victory in her grasp.
Knowing Tang Yuanxiao’s character, as long as he had done it, he would definitely take responsibility.
In other words, he would definitely take responsibility for her.
Qin Shanshan let out a long breath. She hadn’t expected Mrs. Tang to have given her something last night as well—that was a bit of a surprise. But the process didn’t matter; the result was all that counted.
With her thoughts sorted, Qin Shanshan calmed down completely.
Once she was calm, the soreness in her body felt even more intense, especially in her legs. They were so weak they felt like jelly, and walking only made the pain worse.
Qin Shanshan’s face was burning. She returned to the room and looked at the red clothes by the door, then at the undergarments she had sewn by hand, now torn to shreds. Her whole body seemed to go weak.
Qin Shanshan had always known Tang Yuanxiao was strong, but she never expected...
She fought through the pain to pick up the shredded, bright red undergarment, chiding in a delicate, coquettish tone, "So impatient..."
Feeling sticky all over, Qin Shanshan took a shower. When she came out, she saw the red stain on the bedsheet and a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Just as she was about to take the sheet off to put it away, there was a knock on the door.
A flicker of joy appeared in Qin Shanshan’s eyes. ’Did Tang Yuanxiao come back?’
"Who is it?" she asked, walking over to the door with a slightly awkward gait.
"Shanshan, it’s me, Auntie," Mrs. Tang’s voice came through.
The disappointment in Qin Shanshan’s eyes vanished in a flash, replaced by renewed spirits.
’It’s all the same whether it’s Tang Yuanxiao or Mrs. Tang who came.’
She opened the door, her face flushed red, and lowered her head shyly, looking for all the world like a new bride serving tea to her in-laws for the first time.
Mrs. Tang was an experienced woman; one look at Qin Shanshan and she knew.
She was overjoyed. Although she knew last night that things would work out, only after confirming it today could she truly relax.
Last night, she had been too excited to sleep a wink. With no one at home, there was no one to take care of her.
This morning, she smelled of urine again, but for the first time, she didn’t find it annoying.
She had wanted to come over much earlier but had forced herself to hold back, waiting until now.
"Where’s Tangyuan?" Mrs. Tang’s eyes were astonishingly bright as she peered into the room.
"He’s not here. He went out," Qin Shanshan said in a low, blushing voice.
Like Qin Shanshan, Mrs. Tang was a little disappointed, but her spirits lifted again almost immediately.
"That’s fine. If he went out, he went out. He’ll be back anyway."
’I know the son I raised. Tang Yuanxiao is so responsible; no matter how hard this is for him to accept, he’ll come back and take responsibility.’
Qin Shanshan wheeled Mrs. Tang into the house. Mrs. Tang went straight into the bedroom without any hesitation.
And then she immediately saw the bloodstain on the bedsheet.
Her face broke into a wide grin. "Shanshan, you have to put this sheet away. Quick, fold it up and give it to me."
In ancient times, this was proof of a woman’s chastity and had to be preserved forever.
Qin Shanshan’s face was beet red, but she still went forward and folded the sheet.
"Auntie, you have to stand up for me."
Holding the sheet in her hands, Qin Shanshan half-knelt before Mrs. Tang.
Mrs. Tang grabbed her hand. "Of course, Shanshan, don’t you worry. From this day on, you’re my daughter-in-law. I’ll only ever accept you as my daughter-in-law."
’Where else could I find a daughter-in-law like this? Shanshan gave her innocent body to Tangyuan; of course our Tang Family has to take responsibility.’
"Don’t you worry, Shanshan. Leave this to me. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of."
She was in high spirits, feeling a surge of energy through her entire body.
"Let’s go. Back to the family residence compound."
Qin Shanshan hummed in agreement and wheeled Mrs. Tang back to the family residence compound.
They thought Tang Yuanxiao would have returned to the Tang Family home, but when they got back, they found he wasn’t there.
Qin Shanshan washed Mrs. Tang’s face, cleaned her up, and changed her pants, but Tang Yuanxiao still didn’t come back.
"He probably went straight to work. You just wait. I’ll have him come back at noon so we can discuss the wedding arrangements."
Mrs. Tang reassured Qin Shanshan, then found a child to take a message to Tang Yuanxiao.
But the child came back and said Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t gone to work at all.
"If this kid isn’t at work, where did he go?" Mrs. Tang was exasperated. ’They’ve already slept together, so why is he making such a fuss now?’
Seeing Qin Shanshan’s crestfallen expression, Mrs. Tang quickly soothed her, "It’s alright, don’t be nervous. No matter where he’s gone, he’ll come back eventually."
She eagerly began to discuss the wedding banquet with Qin Shanshan.
"...Not many people hold banquets this time of year, but it’s not unheard of. We need to pick a date and get it done as soon as possible."
Mrs. Tang was anxious. How could she not be? If Shanshan had gotten pregnant from that one time last night, then her grandchild was already on the way. They couldn’t waste time and wait until Qin Shanshan’s belly started to show.
Although Shanshan had been willing, the whole affair wasn’t exactly respectable. It wasn’t good for Tangyuan’s reputation either, so it was definitely best to get the wedding over with quickly before any issues arose.
While Mrs. Tang and Qin Shanshan were discussing how to broach the topic of marriage with the Qin Family and Qin Shanshan’s uncle, Tang Yuanxiao finally returned.
Though he’d only been gone a night, Tang Yuanxiao looked gaunt.
He had a bluish stubble, his eyes were sunken, and his face was a ghastly, pale white. He looked terrible.
Normally, even if he went three or four days without sleep, he never looked this bad.
This was not normal.
Mrs. Tang and Qin Shanshan were both a bit surprised to see Tang Yuanxiao walk in, especially Mrs. Tang.
She had imagined that after a night of passion, Tang Yuanxiao would be glowing with vigor. But... perhaps it was because of the special circumstances... that he had overdone it.
Mrs. Tang quickly put her concerns aside. "Where did you go, Tangyuan?"
The moment Qin Shanshan saw Tang Yuanxiao, her entire face turned red, an expression that perfectly mirrored that of a newlywed wife seeing her husband.
Tang Yuanxiao stared grimly at Mrs. Tang, as if looking at a stranger.