...
Time passed by, second by second.
In the downstairs reception room, after more than half an hour of warm greetings, Tang Yuehua pieced together Tang San's growth trajectory in Holy Soul Village and his later experience studying at Notting Academy from Tang San and Old Titan.
The more Tang Yuehua listened, the more her heart ached, her eyes filled with undisguised deep heartache and sorrow.
"Second brother... what is he thinking?!"
Tang Yuehua's eyes were red, and her voice carried a hint of inexplicable sob and a hidden resentment:
"Even if he had to hide his identity back then, and even if he couldn't take you back to the sect, why didn't he bring you to Heaven Dou City and hand you over to me?! Doesn't he even trust his own sister?"
"Furthermore, as a dignified Haotian Douluo, even if he wanted to disguise himself as an ordinary person, with his superb forging skills, he could easily go to any big city and get some fine ironware, enough to ensure you live a life of comfort and ease!"
Why did he take you to hide in that remote, impoverished village?
And even... even to the point of drinking every day, unable to even guarantee three meals a day!
Seeing Tang Yuehua's somewhat distraught appearance due to heartache, Tang San opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He didn't tell Tang Yuehua that, in fact, from the age of four, when he could barely reach the stove, he had already been sensibly forced to start cooking by himself, standing on a small stool.
Moreover, many times he even had to take care of his elderly father, who was often drunk and couldn't even take care of himself.
Back in Holy Soul Village, Tang San didn't really have a deep understanding of these things.
Having lived two lives, his soul was already more mature than that of ordinary children.
He even proudly believed that this was his "independence" that distinguished him from those naive children.
But it wasn't until he left that secluded little mountain village, went to Notting City, to Soto City, and even all the way to this bustling Tiandou City...
After experiencing all sorts of people and things in the world.
Tang Sancai belatedly realized that in this world, parents can care for their children in such meticulous ways;
The meaning of "home" is not that leaky blacksmith shop, nor is it the cold and indifferent neglect of his son like his father did.
Over the years, Tang San has been subconsciously and desperately telling himself, numbing himself:
My father must have had a heavy burden of sorrow. He was a great hero, and he deliberately acted so cold in order to protect me.
However, no matter how he tried to convince himself with those high-sounding reasons, at this moment, facing his aunt who was filled with heartache and shed tears for him simply because she had heard about his plight, Tang San couldn't help but feel the bitterness and grievances that had been building up in his heart for more than ten years surge up uncontrollably.
Because, faced with those iron-fisted experiences of growing up, he was forced to confront a truth he had been avoiding all along—
His father, the man named Tang Hao, didn't actually love him as much as he imagined.
Ask any father in the world who truly loves his child, would he have the heart to let a four-year-old child go hungry frequently?
Would you just stand by and watch a child who should be nestled in their parents' arms be forced to stand on a stool and work hard in front of the stove, enduring smoke and fire to earn their own living?
The Tang San of the past didn't care about this.
He regarded the coquettishness of his peers as childish and felt that he was a mature transmigrator who didn't need to compare himself with those mediocre people.
He even regarded this "precocious intelligence and perseverance" as a sense of superiority over ordinary people.
But!
Since encountering that monster Xuan Hao, Tang San's self-comforting logic has been completely shattered.
He had heard Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong talk countless times about how Xuan Hao had so domineeringly protected them under his wings.
How Xuanhao allowed them to be childish at times, and even indulged their naughtiness and willfulness without any limits;
At the same time, Xuanhao was able to lead by example, encouraging them to work hard and grow rapidly.
Tang San then suddenly realized what was happening.
It turns out that to truly make a person independent and to let a person experience trials and tribulations to grow, it is not necessary to use inferior or even cruel "suffering" as a catalyst!
It turns out that in this world, one person's "love or lack thereof" for another can be so obvious.
As men, Tang San couldn't bear to see Xiao Wu suffer even the slightest grievance or harm;
Xuan Hao, whom he regarded as his nemesis, would also fly into a rage when his girls were wronged, and would even go so far as to lash out at the world and kill countless people for their sake!
But what about his father, Tang Hao?
During those childhood years when he needed his father's love and guidance the most, that man seemed to have never existed, leaving him only with a decadent figure who drank heavily all day long.
The more Tang San thought about it, the stronger the bitterness and disappointment in his heart became.
This intense emotional shock instantly shattered the strong defenses he had built with the rationality of two lifetimes.
Gradually, Tang San's breathing became rapid, and his eyes uncontrollably flushed crimson.
Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
Tang San suddenly closed his eyes, buried his head in his chest, and buried himself in Tang Yuehua's arms.
He gripped the hem of her palace dress tightly with both hands, and his shoulders began to tremble violently.
He cried.
This was the first time in Tang San's life, and in the more than ten years he had been in Douluo Continent, that he had cried so unguardedly in front of outsiders.
He couldn't even remember the last time he cried.
Perhaps it was at the moment when the Tang Clan was driven to the brink of despair by the elders in their previous life and jumped off the Ghostly Sorrow Pillar?
Because in Tang San's past understanding, tears represented cowardice, and in this cruel world, absolutely no one would tolerate a man's cowardice.
In the Tang Clan of his previous life, shedding tears would only invite merciless ridicule;
In Douluo Continent, shedding tears will only lead to being torn apart more cruelly by the enemy.
But now, in front of his blood-related aunt, in this warm and tender embrace, he truly couldn't hold back anymore.
Tang San suddenly felt as if he had been trekking through the snow and ice for more than ten years and had finally found a safe haven where he could not pretend to be strong and could vent his emotions without reservation.
He could finally be sure that the person in front of him would truly be like an elder, unconditionally accepting the naivety and vulnerability in his heart.
Tang San cried very hard.
He bit his lip hard, not making a sound, but the suppressed sobs and violently shaking shoulders caused the scalding tears to flow like a burst dam, quickly soaking Tang Yuehua's clothes.
Feeling the boy in her arms sobbing so hard it was heartbreaking, Tang Yuehua felt as if an invisible hand was kneading her heart.
She hugged Tang San tightly, gently stroking his back, tears streaming down her face, her heart aching terribly.
Standing to the side, the old Titan watched the touching scene of the aunt and niece recognizing each other and embracing and weeping.
This towering man couldn't help but have tears well up in his eyes.
He quietly turned his head and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes with the back of his rough hand.
He felt heartbroken for the young master's experiences over the years.
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