On the day Tang Tang was born, Su Xiajing took her out of the hospital and refused to let anyone visit her or the baby.
Now, Tang Tang had also made it clear that she would not accept an apology.
Mother and daughter were firm and unequivocal in their attitude toward Tang Zhilin.
Even the old lady pleading his case with emeralds did no good.
"Ah..."
The old lady sighed and said nothing more. Instead, she turned to Tang Nanzhou. "Nanzhou, come to my room and help me get a few things."
"Of course, Grandma."
Tang Nanzhou helped the old lady to her bedroom. A short while later, the old lady came out carrying several large jewelry boxes.
After sitting back down, the old lady caught her breath and opened the topmost jewelry box.
It was empty.
Then she removed the emerald ring from her finger and carefully placed it inside, followed by her emerald earrings. Together with the necklace around Tang Tang's neck, they made a complete set of emerald jewelry.
"These belong to Tangtang now."
Closing the lid, the old lady placed the jewelry box on Tang Tang. "Take good care of them."
Tang Tang was rather stunned.
An entire set of emerald jewelry was probably worth more than all the gold and assorted assets her scumbag father had given her over the past month.
She was giving her such precious gems just like that?
The old lady smiled at her, then looked at Tang Xingya and Tang Yiyi, who were sitting obediently beside their mothers.
"Xingya, Yiyi, come to Great-Grandma."
Tang Xingya and Tang Yiyi trotted over.
The old lady gave the other two jewelry boxes to Tang Xingya and Tang Yiyi.
Both contained jade jewelry. Although they could not compare to Tang Tang's emeralds, they were still worth a fortune.
"Great-Grandma is getting old and can't keep an eye on these anymore. Will you look after them for me?"
The necklaces, rings, and earrings were all set with tiny diamonds. Little girls loved pretty things that sparkled.
Tang Xingya and Tang Yiyi knew nothing about their value. Being pretty was enough, and Great-Grandma would never give them anything shabby anyway.
"We love them!"
The sisters nodded vigorously.
"Yiyi, hurry and thank Great-Grandma."
Tang Shengying prompted her daughter to express her thanks.
"Thank you, Great-Grandma."
Tang Yiyi gave her great-grandmother a deep bow.
"They're so pretty!"
"They're sparkly. Xiao Zhen likes them too."
The other little ones crowded around as well, gazing enviously at the gifts the three girls had received.
"Yes, they're so pretty. I've never seen Grandma wear them before."
Tang Yuan came over too, staring longingly at the jewelry in her three little nieces' arms.
What should I do? I want some too.
But these are Grandma's gifts to her great-granddaughters. As her granddaughter, I'm in the wrong generation...
"Yuanyuan."
The old lady beckoned to Tang Yuan and handed her a set of diamond jewelry. "This is for you."
Tang Yuan froze and pointed at herself in disbelief. "I get one too?"
"Yes."
The old lady pressed the jewelry box into her hands. "Grandma is getting old. I'm afraid I might not live to see your wedding, so I'm giving you your wedding present now."
Tang Yuan's eyes reddened. She pushed the gift box back into the old lady's hands and hugged her.
"I don't want it. Keep it, Grandma, and give it to me yourself when I get married."
Her older brothers and sisters were all married. She alone was still in school, without even a boyfriend, let alone wedding plans. Tang Yuan understood why her grandmother was doing this, but she could not accept it.
It was supposed to be a joyous birthday celebration. Why make it so sad?
"Yuanyuan, just accept it if Grandma wants to give it to you."
Tang Zhisong could no longer stand the atmosphere and urged his daughter, "Why are you crying on such a happy day? Grandma likes a lively gathering, but not this kind."
Tang Yuan felt wronged.
It was hardly her fault.
But her father was right. She could not turn a joyous occasion into a sad one.
"Thank you, Grandma."
Tang Yuan wiped away her tears and hugged the old lady again. "I love Grandma the most."
"All right, all right. Grandma loves Yuanyuan too."
The gifts were far too valuable to leave in the children's hands, so they were soon passed to their parents.
Tang Youzhen watched wistfully as his older and younger sisters took all the gift boxes beside Great-Grandma, leaving none for him. He blinked and asked, "What about me?"
"Xiao Zhen wants a present too."
Although Tang Youhao and Tang Ziyang said nothing, they also looked toward their great-grandmother.
"..."
Tang Xifeng and An Jie hurried over and scooped up one brother each, carrying them away.
"These are presents for your sisters. What are you joining in for?"
"Exactly. Great-Grandma got these presents for the girls."
Tang Jian understood perfectly, so he had not expected anything at all.
"Right, eldest brother?"
Tang Xianqi nodded calmly. "Yes."
With both their eldest and second-eldest brothers saying so, the three little boys could only give up and look away.
Su Xiajing carried Tang Tang away and sat down as far from Tang Zhilin as possible.
After everyone chatted for a bit, Tang Shengying brought the conversation back to Tang Tang.
"Sweet little Tangtang."
She came over with the gift she had prepared beforehand. "I'm your second aunt. This is my welcome gift for you. I hope you like it."
There were many relatives in the family. Once word spread that Tang Tang liked gold, Tang Shengying figured everyone would switch to gold jewelry. Someone had probably already bought every basic design on the market, so she had specially commissioned a gold rabbit.
"Wow! It's so cute and pretty!"
"I love this gold rabbit."
"Ooh, it's pretty heavy too."
"Thank you, Second Aunt!"
Tang Shengying: "..."
The weight is what really matters, isn't it?
What a little money-grubber.
Tang Shengying pinched Tang Tang's cheek.
Afterward, Second Grandpa Tang Zhiqiang, Third Grandpa Tang Zhisong, and Second Uncle Tang Shengqing also came over to give Tang Tang gifts to welcome her into the world.
Su Xiajing was now wary of everyone in the Tang Family. No one knew when they would get another chance to see Tang Tang after this, so they had all brought their gifts with them.
Tang Tang received so many presents that her hands could barely hold them.
With the Longevity Lock and emerald necklace around her neck, and gifts from her great-grandmother, aunt, uncle, second grandpa, and third grandpa in her arms, her tiny body was almost buried beneath presents.
These were all extremely valuable pieces of gold and jade. Tang Tang did not feel uncomfortable in the slightest; she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
"So much gold, so much money!"
"I'm so happy!"
"Please keep showering me with gold and money. I want to wake up in a pile of money every day!"
But neither gold nor jade was light. After enjoying herself for a while, Tang Tang's little body could no longer bear the weight.
"Pretty Mommy, I'm done enjoying them. Hurry and put these presents in a bag for me."
"Your bag is too small. Use the backpack with my clothes in it. That one's bigger!"
Clearly, Su Xiajing knew this too. She emptied the backpack and filled it entirely with Tang Tang's gifts.
Watching mother and daughter, Tang Zhilin knitted his thick brows into a tight knot and struck the floor hard with his cane.
"What disgraceful behavior."
Members of the distinguished Tang Family, getting so greedy at the sight of money.
Su Xiajing's hands paused.
Tang Beichen's temper flared at once. "Dad..."
"Yes, yes, I've embarrassed you."
"But however much I make a fool of myself or drool over money, I'm still more moral than someone who abandons a baby."
"As the saying goes, when the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too. You're rotten to the core, yet you have the nerve to lecture the younger generation?"
Before he could say anything more, Tang Tang had already delivered her tirade with perfect composure.
"You cling to superstitions and do vile things. Aren't you afraid lightning will strike you down one day?"
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