Chapter 23: Exposure

Seeing Grandma Tang burst in, Grandpa Tang and Widow Xia panicked.

They hadn’t expected her to appear suddenly, especially since she seemed to have heard everything.

“Old woman, let me explain…”

Grandpa Tang wanted to talk to Grandma Tang, but she wouldn’t listen. “Explain what? I heard everything! You shameless pair! I’ll beat you to death!”

Grandma Tang cursed and beat Widow Xia with her stick. Widow Xia dodged, eventually pulling Grandpa Tang in front of her as a shield.

Grandpa Tang, caught off guard, was hit several times, his face turning pale.

“Enough! Stop it!”

Grandpa Tang, initially feeling guilty and wanting to explain, became angry at Grandma Tang’s unreasonable behavior. He snatched the stick, broke it, and threw it on the ground.

Seeing her husband protecting Widow Xia and breaking her stick, Grandma Tang started to make a scene.

“You old scoundrel! You’re protecting that woman! Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you for adultery?”  She remembered Widow Xia’s words.  “You said you had a child. Where is your child?”

Grandpa Tang and Widow Xia remained silent.

Grandma Tang asked again, “Where is your child? I heard it’s still alive. Where is it?”  She felt uneasy. If their child was alive, who was in the small mound?

As Grandma Tang questioned them, Grandpa Tang sniffed. “Do you smell something burning?”

“Don’t change the subject!”

Widow Xia also smelled it. “Something’s burning.  It smells like something’s burning.”

Grandma Tang thought they were acting, but before she could say anything, many people rushed in, each carrying a bucket of water.

“Widow Xia, are you alright…”

Someone asked, but seeing Grandpa and Grandma Tang, they were puzzled. “What are you doing here?”

Grandpa Tang’s face fell.  He realized he’d been tricked.  There were too many coincidences; everything happened at once.

Tang Jianhua and Tang Jianshe also arrived, surprised to see their parents. “Father, Mother, how did you get here so quickly?”

Grandma Tang was interrupted by Grandpa Tang. “We just arrived. We didn’t expect the fire to be so big.”

Others looked at Grandpa Tang strangely. “It was just a small fire in the outhouse. We put it out.”

Grandpa Tang’s expression froze. Before he could speak, Wang Yougen arrived.

“What happened? Why is there a fire?” Wang Yougen felt things were going wrong lately reports and fires. He might lose his position as village chief.

“Village chief, we saw the fire and came to put it out. Then we saw Widow Xia and Grandpa Tang together.”

Seeing Grandpa Tang about to lie again, Tang Xiaorou was about to reveal herself.

Before she could, Grandma Yao arrived. “Village chief, Grandpa Tang was meeting Widow Xia secretly, and Grandma Tang caught them.  Everyone came after hearing the commotion.”

“Wh… what…”

Everyone looked at Grandpa Tang and the others incredulously.

Grandma Tang reacted first.

“Grandma Yao, what are you talking about? My husband and I were putting out the fire!” Although she wanted to beat the couple, she knew family matters shouldn’t be aired publicly. They could resolve it privately, but not let the village know.

Seeing Grandma Tang defending them, Grandma Yao sneered. “Do you know your husband has been having an affair with Widow Xia since she was widowed? They even had a child.”

“Whoa…”

Everyone was stunned, speechless for a moment before reacting and staring at Widow Xia and Grandpa Tang.

“Grandma Yao, don’t slander us!”

Grandpa Tang wanted to kill Grandma Yao.

Grandma Yao snorted. “I’ve known since they started their affair. I know Widow Xia’s sister-in-law helped her give birth.  Investigate this; the truth will come out.”

Everyone believed Grandma Yao and looked at Grandpa Tang and Widow Xia differently.

“So that child was theirs. Adultery is bad. The child died soon after birth.”

“Yes, it’s pitiful that Grandma Tang only found out the truth now.”

People gossiped and pointed at Grandpa Tang and the others.  Then Tang Xiaorou stepped forward and said loudly, “No… their child didn’t die.  Grandma Tang’s child died.”

Tang Xiaorou’s words were like a thunderbolt.  Everyone looked at Grandma Tang.

Grandma Tang’s face turned pale; she swayed and almost fainted.  She stared at Tang Xiaorou. “Is that true?”

“Of course. Your child died at birth.  Grandma Jin, the midwife, told you the child wouldn’t survive, but you ignored her and scolded her.”

Grandma Tang remembered.

Grandma Jin had said that, but who would accept that their child wouldn’t survive? She had scolded her.  She had tried her best to raise the child, thinking she had done a good job, but the child had been switched.

Grandma Tang looked at Tang Jianhua.

Tang Jianhua felt uneasy.  It was all because of Tang Xiaorou. “Tang Xiaorou, you’re not content with trying to get your parents divorced; now you’re trying to break up our family?”

Tang Xiaorou smiled. “I’m not. Don’t blame me. I’m just stating the facts.  You can go to the hospital for a DNA test to see if you’re Grandma Tang’s son. It’s simple.”