Aside from a single phone call from the Wu Family, Xiao Man was unaware of the day-to-day happenings in Beijing. She dutifully called the Tang Mansion in Beijing and Tang Qingshan in Liaozhou every week, also phoning the Gu Mansion from time to time. Her elders always spoke in a loving tone, telling her not to study too hard and to take care of herself. Their words of concern were endless, so how could they bear to waste time on other matters?
Hao Hao was very busy, so the siblings had an arrangement for their calls—Hao Hao was usually the one to phone Xiao Man.
When Xiao Man learned that Grandma Tang was holding down the fort at Dad Tang's place, forcing him to make good on his promise to her and go on dates every few days, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. On the other end of the line, Tang Qingshan grumbled, "Kiddo, your grandma is driving me crazy, and you're laughing!"
