Chapter 78: The Deng Family

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Deng Family

To avoid hurting their adopted daughter’s feelings, the parents had never officially added the original host to the family register. They merely brought her home to live, assigning her a bedroom converted from a cluttered storage room.

The original host had been very driven. It took her only five years to go from being completely illiterate to the top student in her class. She achieved this entirely through self-study, without any tutoring from Mr. Deng, all while enduring bullying both at home and at school.

It wasn’t until her parents sent her away to the countryside that the original host finally realized she could no longer cling to a family that would never favor her. She chose to repay them for giving her life by leaving, allowing their favored family unit to remain together in the city.

Though, in the end, it was merely jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

After they had eaten and drank their fill, Deng Yuyuan didn’t put Tuantuan back into the woven basket. Instead, the two of them held hands and slowly walked back to the Dengs’ house.

Having sat for the entire day, Tuantuan was bursting with energy. She held onto her mother’s pinky finger, skipping and bounding along, her two little hair buns bobbing in the air.

The Deng family lived in an elegant three-story western-style villa with a small courtyard large enough to park two cars. They originally had a nanny, but she had to be let go due to unforeseen circumstances. Afterward, most of the household chores fell to the original host. Once she left, the burden shifted to Mrs. Deng.

Under a clear, moonlit sky, Deng Yuyuan arrived at the gate and calmly rang the doorbell.

"Who is it?" a woman’s voice called from inside.

"It’s me, Deng Yuyuan."

The front door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman wearing a coat. Compared to the elegance she possessed during Deng Yuyuan’s childhood, she now looked a bit more weathered. Seeing Deng Yuyuan, she couldn’t help but smile, looking just like an ordinary mother welcoming her long-absent daughter home. However, her smile froze the moment she noticed the little girl holding Deng Yuyuan’s hand. Disgust flashed in her eyes.

"Didn’t I tell you not to bring the child back? With a kid around, how are you supposed to find a man?" she scolded. "Hurry up and send her back. Our Deng family can only afford to raise one more freeloader at most!"

Tuantuan’s previously excited little face fell. Faced with this sudden malice, tears began to well up in her eyes.

Deng Yuyuan pulled Tuantuan behind her. "You don’t need to raise her. We’re just here to grab some things and we’ll leave tonight."

Hearing this, the woman waved her hand dismissively. "Have you found another man already? Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time? Isn’t one divorce enough for you, or are you aiming for a second? The blind dates your father and I arranged for you are much better than anyone you could find yourself.

"Alright, alright. Let the kid stay outside for a bit while you come in. You’ve arrived at a good time. Your brother’s former superior from the army brought his child over for dinner. His wife passed away, leaving him with only a daughter. He’s currently a military officer and is looking for a suitable woman to help take care of his child.

"If you really care about this kid of yours, I can help you drop her off at a nearby orphanage. You can visit her from time to time."

Mrs. Deng’s lips flapped as she rattled off a long string of words. Although Deng Yuyuan had quickly covered Tuantuan’s ears, the little girl’s big eyes watched the woman’s mouth moving non-stop. She didn’t need to hear to guess that the woman was criticizing her mother.

She was so mean! Truly terrible! How could she tell her mommy to throw her away?!

Tuantuan was furious! Like an angry little calf, she charged forward and headbutted the middle-aged woman right in the knee.

Startled, the woman paled in fright and instinctively shoved her away. "You uneducated little bastard!"

Deng Yuyuan’s eyes turned icy. She caught Tuantuan and was about to speak, but Tuantuan beat her to it, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Tuantuan is here to find Grandma! Go away, you bad woman! Tuantuan doesn’t like you either!"

The middle-aged woman scoffed and stood back up. Since everyone was wearing thick winter clothes, Tuantuan’s headbutt hadn’t caused much pain, only surprise.

"I am your grandmother," she said, her tone freezing cold.

Tuantuan rolled her eyes dramatically. "I’m not stupid, no you’re not. Do you even know what a grandma is? A grandma is a mommy’s mommy! My mommy loves me super much, but you don’t love my mommy at all. So you can’t possibly be Mommy’s mommy!"

Her logic was crystal clear, delivering a precise and devastating blow.

The middle-aged woman froze in place before flying into a humiliated rage. "What a sharp tongue!"

She didn’t say anything else, however. Stepping aside, she allowed Deng Yuyuan to enter. As she watched Deng Yuyuan carry Tuantuan inside, her expression was sour, but she kept her mouth shut.

Tuantuan made a funny face at the woman’s back, then tightly hugged her mother’s neck, trying hard to hold back her tears. She was young and didn’t completely understand what was going on, but her instincts told her she didn’t want her mother to get scolded again because of her.

"Who is it?" Mr. Deng’s hoarse voice rang out the moment Deng Yuyuan stepped into the house.

"It’s me, your second daughter. I don’t know if you still acknowledge me," Deng Yuyuan said calmly, stepping forward and looking at the people gathered around the dining table.

Mr. Deng’s eyes locked onto the little girl in her arms, and he glared, fuming silently.

Meanwhile, her siblings—her older sister and younger brother—wore expressions of obvious schadenfreude mixed with deep jealousy. The years spent in the countryside hadn’t diminished Deng Yuyuan’s beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, she had fully blossomed. Even clad in coarse linen, she was stunningly gorgeous.

Sitting next to her father and brother were a father and daughter, presumably the brother’s commanding officer.

"Why are you back? Are you heading off to college in March?" Mr. Deng didn’t comment on Tuantuan, opting instead to ask about her studies.

"I didn’t pass the college entrance exam, so I came back to take a look," Deng Yuyuan replied.

Mr. Deng cast a sidelong glance at her. Since they had guests, he held his tongue.

Deng Hualing, however, chimed in to console her. "It’s okay, Yuyuan. You were in the countryside for so long, got married, had a child, and then went through a messy divorce. It’s understandable that you couldn’t focus on studying. We all understand."

Under the guise of comfort, she had managed to air all of Deng Yuyuan’s dirty laundry.

"Thank you," Deng Yuyuan replied with calm dignity, nodding in her direction.

She really had come back at the perfect time. Running into esteemed guests had helped her avoid a potential screaming match.

The military officer glanced up briefly before returning to his drink and placing food in his daughter’s bowl. The little girl next to him, who looked about seven or eight and wore a soft pink vest, was staring curiously at Tuantuan with wide eyes, completely unafraid of strangers.

Nestled in Deng Yuyuan’s arms, Tuantuan remembered the manners her mother had taught her. However, there were so many people here, and they weren’t very welcoming. She didn’t really want to greet them, but she also knew she couldn’t be a rude little kid.

So, Tuantuan called out loudly, "Hello everyone, I’m Tuantuan!"

Mr. and Mrs. Deng frowned in unison. As expected of a child raised in the countryside, she had no manners—just like Deng Yuyuan when she first came to the Deng family.

"Hello! My name is Bu Guo, and my nickname is Little Guo’er," the other little girl replied to Tuantuan first. "You’re so dirty. You look like a stray dog."

"Tuantuan isn’t a puppy, Tuantuan is a little piggy. And I’m not a stray, I’m Mommy’s little piggy!" Tuantuan answered, watching as the distance between the two parties grew further and further apart.

Deng Yuyuan was already carrying Tuantuan toward her old bedroom.