267 267 Tan Rou’s Question
When the siblings came back, they saw that the lights in the villa were still on. Mrs. Tao was sitting in the living room in her pajamas. She was obviously a little nervous.
“Where did you two go? It’s already so late at night!” Mother Tao heaved a sigh of relief when she saw them return. “I was scared to death!”
Tan Rou and her brother looked at each other and prepared to give the excuse like what they had discussed earlier.
“Mom, we went for a night run.” Tan Rou explained, “Tao Qi saw me running at night and in the morning, so he wanted to do the same. So I taught him some techniques for jogging. We were tired from running, so we rested outside for a while and enjoyed the wind.”
Tao Qi also nodded. “That’s right, that’s right! Third Sister is very good at running. She runs very fast.”
Mrs. Tao looked at them suspiciously. “Did both of you really go jogging?”
The siblings nodded at the same time. “Yes.”
Mrs. Tao didn’t want to probe further. Anyway, it was good that the two of them were fine. The siblings seemed to have their own little secrets that they didn’t want others to know. As their mother, she should give them more space.
“Hurry up and go back to sleep.” Mrs. Tao sat back down on the sofa. “We still have plans tomorrow.”
Tao Qi was sleepy. He yawned and went upstairs to rest.
“Mom, where’s Dad?” Tan Rou asked after walking a few steps.
“What are you alone in the living room?”
She remembered that when she went out, the door was closed. She thought that they were all asleep. Now, only her mother was sitting in the living room alone and her father was probably not there either.
“Your dad went out to do something.” Mother Tao said casually.
“But, it’s so late at night.” Tan Rou stood by the sofa and asked, “What is he up to?”
Mrs. Tao realized that she had let the cat out of the bag. She quickly tried to salvage the situation. “Oh my, your dad’s colleague brought his whole family here to play. Your dad went over to meet them to say hi.”
“Mom, it’s already past nine o’clock. Why didn’t they come to meet us earlier in the day?” Tan Rou pressed on. “Mom, are you and Dad hiding something from us?”
“No. What could your father and I be hiding from you?” Mrs. Tao looked a little flustered.
Tan Rou glanced around and continued asking, “Can Dad’s salary support us to rent such a big villa?”
“Your dad received a lot of bonus.”
“It’s not a holiday, why did he suddenly get bonuses?” Tan Rou continued to ask.
“I… I don’t know either…” Mrs. Tao was thinking about how to fool her daughter.
“Mom, perhaps our family is secretly a wealthy family?” Tan Rou probed.
“No, how could that be?” Mrs. Tao suddenly stood up from the sofa and said loudly.
“How can our family be a hidden wealthy family?” Then, she started to play the emotional card. “Rourou, I know that our family’s financial situation isn’t good, but don’t worry. I will never allow you and your siblings to starve, alright?”
Tan Rou had already made a judgment in her heart. She nodded slightly, seemingly believing Mother Tao’s words. “Dad is just a small employee. He has to support six people and even paid for this vacation. It must be quite tiring for him. Let’s not be so extravagant in the future.”
Mrs. Tao thought that she had managed to fool him. “It’s okay. We still have some savings.”
“Good night, Mommy.” Tan Rou had already gotten what she wanted to know, so she didn’t say anything more.
“Good night, dear.” Mrs. Tao watched her daughter go upstairs. She was really worried that her daughter would continue asking. Pretending to be poor in front of outsiders was different from pretending to be poor in front of her own daughter. She could say it unscrupulously in front of outsiders, but in front of her daughter, she was very flustered.
She told Mr. Tao about it as soon as he came back. “We have to be careful in front of our daughter in the future. She’s smart. She easily found lots of clues.”
“Alright, I’ll be careful.” Father Tao said.
“I think I have to find a job when I go back. Otherwise, I can’t say that all of these are from investments and bonuses, right? Let’s take it slow.” Mrs. Tao suggested.
“We can’t touch Xiao Rou’s money, and we can’t let the children suffer. We have to allow them enough money for food and entertainment.”
Father Tao had no objections.
“You went to see Tao Sheng, right? What did he say?” Mother Tao asked again.
“Tan Song wants his daughter to be married to the Tao family.” Father Tao replied. “Tao Sheng kept him hanging. He said that he would let him be happy for a few days first. When the time is right, he will give him a fatal blow.”
“My heart aches when I think of how our daughter has suffered over there,” said Mother Tao, feeling a heartache.
“No one will bully our daughter in the future.” Father Tao comforted his wife. “I promise.”
