243 She Was Just A Replacement
Whatever Zhao Chuchu heard from Old Mrs. Chen happened after Xia Chenglan married into the Zhao clan.
Xia Chenglan had never told anyone in Lengshui Village about her maiden family.
Old Mrs. Chen was full of praise for Xia Chenglan. She felt pitiful that Xia Chenglan died so early. By the end of their conversation, Zhao Chuchu had become the one consoling Old Mrs. Chen.
When she returned home in the evening, Xie Heng was already cooking in the kitchen.
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Zhao Chuchu went inside to help Xie Heng tend to the fire as she asked, “What are we having for dinner?”
Xie Heng lifted the pot lid and said, “Someone went to the county today. I asked them to help buy us some meat. So I’m making braised pork for you today.”
The alluring fragrance drifted into Zhao Chuchu’s nose, which made her eyes curl into joyful crescents. “I haven’t eaten that in a long time. It smells amazing.”
“I didn’t have time to make them previously, but now I have a bit more time on my hands. So if there’s anything that you want to eat, just tell me, and I’ll cook it for you.”
“Da Lang, all the other men try to stay as far away from the kitchen as they can. How come you’re willing to cook every day? Aren’t you afraid that other people might laugh at you for spending so much time in the kitchen despite being a scholar?”
“I find it enjoyable. What does other people’s opinion have to do with me? Besides, I can’t control what other people think, so why should I make myself upset for nothing?”
Xie Heng was very nonchalant about it.
Zhao Chuchu liked his cooking, so what if he spent his entire life in the kitchen?
Other people can’t experience the enjoyment he derives from it, and he wouldn’t bother explaining it to them.
“Da Lang, Xia…what was my mother’s status in the Xia clan? Why do I feel like this story has some other secrets?”
Xie Heng stopped stirring the meat in the pot momentarily.
But he immediately continued cooking as he said, “You will know about it very soon, even if I don’t tell you. I’m worried that you may get outraged because of it, so I didn’t tell you. But since you have asked, there’s no point for me to continue hiding it.”
Xie Heng paused for a while and asked Zhao Chuchu to pass him a plate before continuing. “Your mother’s birth wasn’t prestigious or celebrated at all. She was seen as a stain on the Xia clan’s reputation, which they were desperate to remove. The human trafficking incident was a hoax. They were actually trying to kill her.
“But the people whom the Xia clan hired to do the dirty deed became greedy when they saw your mother. They felt that it was a pity just to kill her, so they decided to sell her off. Your mother was quite lucky to have met your father. He saved her, and that’s why she married your father.
“Speaking of this, the mammy from the Xia clan wasn’t wrong. Xia Chenglan did indeed run away with another man. Your mother was just a replacement raised in seclusion in the Xia clan. They couldn’t bear to kill the real Xia Chenglan, so they decided to let your mother die in her place.”
“My mother was a replacement?” Zhao Chuchu immediately identified the key issue. She asked, “Did they accidentally mistake her for Xia Chenglan when she was a baby? And the Xia Clan found the real Xia Chenglan later on?”
“Yes, and your mother…”
Xie Heng paused. He found it quite hard to say this.
“Did the previous chief of the Xia clan rape someone, and it resulted in her?” Zhao Chuchu immediately guessed what had happened.
Xie Heng nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “It was him and his daughter-in-law…But someone swapped her with the real Xia Chenglan. That’s why everyone in the Xia clan wanted your mother dead. The real Xia Chenglan was only found when your mother was 12. Your mother was bullied by everyone in the Xia clan.”
Zhao Chuchu was speechless.
Isn’t this one of those stories where children were swapped right after birth? Just that it’s a much sadder and more sinister version.
Once the real child returned, the old child would be cast aside and treated even worse than the maids and servants.
If Xie Heng’s story was accurate and her mother was really in such a position, there was no way that she could live a good life in the Xia clan.
No wonder Old Mrs. Chen said that she behaved like a daughter from a wealthy family, yet she knew how to do all the difficult and tiring chores.
She was their precious daughter before she was 12 years old. After that, she was worse than the servants!
“Chuchu…”
“Da Lang, don’t speak first. I need some time to think.”
If the Xia family dared to come to her and behave entitled and arrogantly in front of her, they couldn’t blame her for taking some ruthless actions.
Absolutely disgusting!
If she had a choice, the original owner’s mother probably wouldn’t want to be born in this world.
The person who did the most wrong was that animal of a man who was the chief of the Xia clan. So why was her mother the one who had to suffer?
Xie Heng could feel Zhao Chuchu’s killing aura.
He wanted to say something, but when the words reached his mouth, he swallowed them.
He didn’t disturb Zhao Chuchu. Instead, after he was done cooking dinner, he called out to her, “Chuchu, it’s dinner time. You can think about this after dinner.”
“Da Lang, can you tell me what you know later?”
“Okay.”
Zhao Chuchu’s expression returned to normal. She helped Xie Heng bring out the utensils and called Xie Jun out to eat.
Without Yuan Hui there, Xie Heng felt a lot more comfortable.
He didn’t have anything against Yuan Hui, but he preferred the feeling of their family spending time together.
While eating, Xie Heng kept putting food in Xie Jun’s bowl, but he didn’t eat much himself.
“Brother, why are you eating so little?” Xie Jun stuffed his mouth full of food. He asked with his cheeks puffed up and in a confused voice, “Do you not like meat?”
“No, I’m feeling a little full already,” Xie Heng said. “You should slow down. No one is fighting with you for the food. So why are you trying to gulp down everything?”
“Okay.” Xie Jun chewed and ate his food slowly, and he didn’t dare to gulp his food down anymore.
But when he saw Zhao Chuchu eating just like him, Xie Heng didn’t say anything. Instead, he pouted his lips and mumbled, “Sis-in-law is treasured, but no one cares about Junjun.”
Zhao Chuchu and Xie Heng didn’t know whether they should laugh or cry when they heard Xie Jun.
Zhao Chuchu said, “Junjun is treasured as well. You are our treasure. Your brother didn’t want you to eat so quickly because he was afraid that your tummy would feel uncomfortable at night. It’s not that he didn’t want you to eat.”
Xie Jun realized that Zhao Chuchu had heard his complaint, and his face turned red as he said, “Sis-in-law, I wasn’t trying to blame you just now…”
“Alright, alright, I know what you mean. Keep eating.”
No one would want to hold a grudge against this cutie!
...
Xie Jun looked at Xie Heng nervously.
Xie Heng said gently, “I won’t scold you for something like that. But you can just tell me directly next time if you have something to say.”
“Alright, sorry, brother.” Xie Jun lowered his head.
“It’s okay. Continue eating dinner.” Xie Heng couldn’t bear to scold Xie Jun either.
This was his brother, whom he was willing to protect at the cost of his own life. Although they were not related by blood, their relationship was more intimate than that of real brothers.
If there was anyone in the world he could give up everything for, it would be Xie Jun, if not Zhao Chuchu.
Xie Jun felt that he had done something wrong. After dinner, he spontaneously took up the chore of washing the dishes.
Zhao Chuchu returned to Xie Heng’s room with him and continued talking about the Xia clan.
“Your maternal grandfather’s name is Xia Songquan. He is still the chief of the Xia clan. Besides your mother, he has three daughters and four sons, all of whom are married. His eldest daughter, Xia Chenglan, ran away. His second daughter, Xia Chengxuan, married into the Kang clan, while his youngest daughter, Xia Chengqian, married into the Jiang clan in Mingan Province.
“As for his four sons, they married daughters from the Li clan, Lin clan, Qian clan, and Xue clan. Although all four clans are merchants, they are slightly less successful than the Xia clan. Moreover, the Lin and Xue clans have beef with each other, while the Li and Qian clans are related via marriage.
“The Xia clan isn’t one solid entity. They actually have quite a lot of internal conflict. All four of his sons want to be the next chief of the clan. The Kang clan has similar plans. They want to overtake the Xia clan to become the second salt merchant in the Guangqing Province. It’s just that Xia Songquan is still alive, so the Kang clan doesn’t stand a chance for now.
...
“Other than this, Xia Songquan’s wife, who is Xia Chenglan’s mother, also wants to replace Xia Songquan. So there are a lot of holes in the Xia clan, and you have many opportunities to break them down.”
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