"Is Tang Xiaomin fierce?"
Why did Yan Jue feel like she was playing around?
He glanced coldly at Tang Yu and said in a tone devoid of warmth, "What happens between her and me is none of your business."
It was indeed beyond his control, and no one in the Tang family could control it.
However, Tang Yu still had some things to say.
"Although the Tang family is not as influential as it once was, all its members are still here. I won't interfere with your relationship with Xiaomin, but she's still a Tang. If you want to marry her, you must follow the traditional customs of 'three letters and six ceremonies'—none can be omitted."
"She doesn't have a good relationship with the Tang family, and the family has no say in her marriage. She might not bring these things up herself. But as her elder brother, I have the obligation to consider these matters for her."
"Are you doing this for her, or are you coveting her dowry?" Yan Jue asked coldly.
Tang Yu's expression instantly changed. Did Yan Jue think he was someone greedy for money and coveting dowry?
Perhaps he would have been in the past.
Having experienced life and death, he had long since let go.
"The Tang family didn't raise her, nor will we accept any dowry from her. Therefore, the dowry is hers alone. You want to marry her, and you can't marry her for free. These are two separate matters."
Tang Yu spoke very seriously.
Yan Jue also said to Tang Yu very seriously, "Then why don't you persuade her to marry me quickly?"
"Huh?"
Tang Yu was stunned. Did he misunderstand something?
Looking at Tang Xiaomin again, she was still young and attending college. She probably wasn't in a hurry to get married herself.
Could it be that he was overthinking things?
"Brother, save me!"
Tang Yan stumbled and hid behind Tang Yu, seeking protection.
Tang Xiaomin's resentful gaze clearly indicated that she would hold a grudge at any moment.
"It's getting late, let's go home first," Tang Yu said.
Tang Xiaomin turned and got into Yan Jue's car indignantly, slamming the door shut as if she were filled with gunpowder and ready to explode at any moment.
Tang Yan trembled in fear, unable to speak properly.
"B-b-brother, she... she... she's like that, is she still going to settle accounts with me?"
"You, apologize to her properly. Do you hear me?"
Mentioning an apology made Tang Yan even more fearful.
"I already apologized to her, but she doesn't accept it!"
Tang Yu looked at Tang Yan helplessly. He, as her elder brother, knew what his intentions were.
"You're definitely not sincere, do you think she can't tell? I advise you to give up your petty cleverness and arrogance. Do you think everyone else is a fool?"
Being sly was Tang Yan's long-standing habit. Because he had tasted the sweetness of his cleverness, he had now fallen into a trap.
Halfway home, he had already informed Zhang Meiyu of Tang Yan's whereabouts.
When they returned to the villa, the anticipated scene of a mother and son reuniting with tears in their eyes did not appear.
In the living room, Zhang Meiyu was holding a feather duster and scolding Tang Yan.
"Kneel!"
Tang Yan looked at Zhang Meiyu aggrievedly, "Mom, aren't you going to ask me where I've been or how I've been these past few days?"
"Kneel!"
Zhang Meiyu repeated the same phrase.
Tang Yan's grievances received no sympathy.
He obediently knelt in the living room, his face full of grievance.
*Swish, swish, swish!*
Zhang Meiyu's feather duster struck Tang Yan's back fiercely, making dull thudding sounds.
From this, it was clear that Zhang Meiyu was not holding back at all.
"You little brat, you're so old, and instead of learning something good, you learned to steal."
"I, Zhang Meiyu, have lived a life of integrity and am a person of some standing in this city. How could I have given birth to a thief like you? You even stole from your own family. You've truly shamed me!"
*Swish, swish, swish...*
Another dozen strokes of the feather duster fell, and just watching from the side was enough to make one's heart pound with fear.
"I'll make you steal, I'll make you a thief, I'll beat you to death!"
"Beat you to death!"
...
The power of a feather duster was not to be underestimated. Tang Yan's back burned with pain.
He didn't move, and he didn't utter a single word of protest.
The reason he had been hiding was precisely because he was afraid of facing this scene.
"Mom, I was wrong. I disgraced you. I'm sorry!"
Zhang Meiyu's face turned red with anger. She was extremely agitated. After beating him, her legs suddenly felt weak, and she slumped onto the sofa.
"Why are you apologizing to me? The person you should apologize to is Xiaomin. If you have any sense of shame, you should apologize to her properly right now."
"Mom..."
Tang Yan wanted to say something else, but Zhang Meiyu interrupted him.
"Don't call me Mom. I don't have a thieving son like you!"
"If she doesn't forgive you and decides to sue you, sending you to jail, then you'll pay the price for your mistakes. I absolutely won't say another word."
Zhang Meiyu's words were also a message to Tang Xiaomin.
Both her palms and the back of her hands were flesh. In this matter, she would absolutely not show favoritism to Tang Yan.
In reality, the most just form of punishment was the law.
Tang Xu had already been imprisoned, sentenced to six years for two crimes. He had worked the sewing machine until it smoked.
At this moment, Tang Xiaomin was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, looking at Tang Yan with disdain.
Stealing was not a crime punishable by death, but it could lead to jail time.
This kind of matter could be significant or minor, depending entirely on the victim's wishes.
After enduring his mother's severe beating, Tang Yan had no complaints.
When he had been bullied by people on the street, Tang Xiaomin had chivalrously intervened and even given him several hundred yuan.
At that time, his guilt had tormented him, and he had been too ashamed to face her, so he had run away.
If Tang Xiaomin hadn't followed him, he would still be sleeping under a bridge, living a nomadic life.
He had wronged her too much...
From the bottom of his heart, Tang Yan apologized to Tang Xiaomin and repented.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. If you really can't swallow your anger, then send me to jail. I absolutely won't run away again."
A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Tang Yan's mouth. He had been physically assaulted by that middle-aged woman earlier, kicked several times by Tang Xiaomin on the bridge, and now he had been subjected to the feather duster again.
Tang Yan's injuries at this moment were far more severe than they appeared.
This time, Tang Xiaomin saw a sense of calm in the depths of his eyes. His apology was genuine.
"I ask you, how much did you sell Meihuan to President Pan for?"
Tang Yan didn't know why she was asking this, but he answered truthfully without hesitation.
"I sold it for ten million."
*Bang!*
The water glass in Tang Yu's hand fell to the ground and shattered.
Meihuan was the first in the design of new energy vehicles. This was a huge business opportunity, and Tang Yu's heart was bleeding at that moment.
He could no longer hold back and severely lectured Tang Yan.
"New energy vehicles, that's a massive business opportunity, how much money can it bring to a company? Do you even understand?"
"You sold it for ten million... Heh... You're squandering a rare treasure. You're simply a god of wealth delivering money to others!"
Tang Yu clutched his chest, his legs weakened, and he sat on the sofa, almost spitting blood from anger.
It was only now that he realized Tang Yan had only sold Meihuan for ten million. He felt terrible.
"It seems the heavens want our Tang family to perish. Such a good opportunity to strike it rich, given away for free to President Pan."