Chapter 238: Chapter 230: The Inner Courtyard
Tian Manlan and the other daughters went home that same day, while Tian Manxing and her husband Hu Dingbei left the next day for work. There were no Chinese New Year holidays at the time, and particularly for Tian Manxing, the textile factory operated without a break throughout the year, never resting.
Liu Qiqi and her husband Hu Weichao left after lunch on the eighth day of the first lunar month. As Tian Manjin parked the car at the Tian Family’s doorway, indeed, when Liu Qiqi got into the car, Tian Lili saw the foreign doll she was holding, and her eyes bulged with envy.
"Liu Qiqi, is that foreign doll in your hands a gift from Tian Sisi?"
The shout came out of nowhere, startling everyone in the Tian Family. Tian Sisi couldn’t help but touch her forehead, thinking that Tian Lili really was simple and rude. No wonder things ended up so badly for her in her previous life!
Tian Aiguo’s brows furrowed. Daddy and Mama were right. Lili indeed had been raised wrongly by his wife, lacking manners. He planned to re-educate her properly once back home.
"Lili, where are your manners?"
Tian Aiguo still held considerable authority in front of Tian Lili, who dared not raise her voice and simply glared at the doll in Liu Qiqi’s hands, certain that it had been given by that annoying wretch Tian Zhaodi. Hmph, that irritating wretch would rather give it to outsiders than her own family. No wonder she was abandoned by her biological parents, she’s no good!
Liu Qiqi sneered inwardly, thinking to herself how foolish they were, but on the surface, she feigned being startled by Tian Lili and quietly replied, "Lili, you’ve misunderstood. This foreign doll was something I asked Sisi to buy for me in Beijing, and it cost me all the money from my piggy bank!"
Tian Sisi found it secretly amusing—Liu Qiqi vs. Tian Lili, with Tian Lili utterly defeated.
Tian Lili did not believe it and wanted to cause more fuss, but when Tian Aiguo glared at her fiercely, she reluctantly shut her mouth, thinking that she must get that large foreign doll from Tian Sisi.
After Liu Qiqi and the others had left, Tian Lili couldn’t restrain herself and jumped in front of Tian Sisi, insisting that Tian Sisi give her that large foreign doll. At this moment, she completely failed to notice that Tian Aiguo’s face had turned as dark as ink, and Xu Qianwen, out of fear, kept making eye signals to her daughter, but Tian Lili’s attention was entirely on the doll, oblivious to anything else.
"Tian Sisi, if you can give others a foreign doll, why not give me one? I don’t need a new one; just give me that old large doll!"
"Sister Lili, the foreign doll that Sister Qiqi has wasn’t given by me; she entrusted me to buy it for her. Moreover, the large doll you’re talking about was a gift from Daddy to me. It would not be right for me to give it away to someone else."
Tian Sisi explained softly, firmly refusing to agree to give the foreign doll to Tian Lili. Tian Sisi was actually quite accommodating, but with these two constantly causing her trouble, if she offered the doll willingly, wouldn’t that be demeaning herself?
Tian Lili, hearing no satisfying response, felt a surge of anger and reached out to grab Tian Sisi. Tian Xinhua, who was just about to leave for home, immediately looked annoyed and quickly intervened to block Tian Lili.
"Tian Lili, how can you resort to hands when words fail you? You lack the decorum that a girl should have. It’s one thing to be like this at home, but if you were outside, others wouldn’t be as lenient as we are. Reflect on yourself!"
Tian Xinhua shielded Tian Sisi behind him, and unapologetically criticized Tian Lili, not even afraid to do so in front of Tian Aiguo. With Tian Lili’s character, anyone unaware would think Tian Aiguo raised her with the intent to trouble other families! Isn’t there a saying, if you don’t get along with someone, marry off a simple and rough daughter to them, and you’ll certainly get your revenge.
"Hey, how is it that our Lili lacks manners now? Xinhua, we are all sisters here, don’t be too biased. Our Lili is still your full-blooded sister!"
Upon hearing Tian Xinhua scold her precious daughter, Xu Qianwen could no longer hold back. Ignoring her husband’s warning from a few days ago, she retorted with a sour tone.
Fortunately, the Old Man and Granny Zhao were not outside seeing off guests, otherwise they would have surely been infuriated by Xu Qianwen’s attitude. When kids quarrel, what business do elders have getting involved?
"Xu Qianwen, Tian Lili, are you treating my words like a passing breeze? Now, turn around as a group, march inside in step, and do not look back."
When they heard Tian Aiguo’s growl, Xu Qianwen and Tian Lili simultaneously shivered, turned around in unison, and walked into the courtyard together, their movements crisp and uniform—right down to the way they flung their hands a standard 30 centimeters from their bodies, as though this was routine practice at home.
Tian Sisi couldn’t help herself; she leaned against Tian Xinhua’s back and shrugged her shoulders. Ah, Tian Aiguo was just too funny, even practicing military drills at home.
In truth, Tian Xinhua also wanted to laugh, but he held it back, gently pinching the hand of the little girl behind him, signaling her to maintain some composure—Uncle Ai Guo was still fuming!
Tian Manjin had no such reservations and was the first to laugh. Once he laughed, Zhu Aiqing couldn’t hold back either and joined her husband in laughter. Then the other children also began to laugh, and now Tian Sisi didn’t need to hold back anymore; she could laugh freely.
"Hey, Ai Guo, you’re really something, drilling the Chinese Mother and Lili at home. But it’s true, you really need to educate these two properly. Their personalities are really not that great." Tian Mantu said bluntly, with no courtesy whatsoever. He had never been fond of Xu Qianwen and her daughter, especially the older one.
"Yes, Ai Guo, you’re a leader in the army, you should manage your family better. You absolutely must not be arrogant, with your tail in the air. It won’t reflect well on you, and who knows what people might say behind your back? You really mustn’t take it lightly."
Tian Manmu had been wanting to advise Tian Aiguo for a while now. On this visit, he saw that Xu Qianwen was even more power-hungry than before. Behaving like that in her own home, one could only imagine what kind of face she’d put on in the army.
The more Tian Aiguo listened, the more serious his expression became. It was his negligence. Throughout history, there have been numerous instances of men ruining their careers because of their wives; in serious cases, it could even lead to the downfall of a dynasty. Tian Aiguo became increasingly apprehensive, feeling a cold sweat on his back.
He sincerely thanked Tian Manmu. Such words would only be spoken by family members—outsiders would likely relish the opportunity for him to slip up and vacate his position.
The Old Man in the courtyard, after hearing Tian Manmu’s advice, did not come out. Since Manmu had given a reminder, he did not want to overstep. Ai Guo was a decent person, but a bit of a male chauvinist, not taking women seriously. One must realize that often, many major events can be ruined by a single woman.
The Old Man did not even glance at Xu Qianwen and her daughter. He walked back into the house with his hands clasped behind his back, having no interest in engaging with dull-minded people.
Afterward, Tian Aiguo indeed took the matter to heart, severely reprimanding Xu Qianwen and Tian Lili. It was a true scolding, not the light reprimanding of the past. It really made mother and daughter behave much better, staying genuinely well-behaved until departure, and they never brought up the large doll or the zither again.