243 She Was Just A Recement


    Whatever Zhao Chuchu heard from Old Mrs. Chen happened after Xia Chenn married into the Zhao n.


    Xia Chenn had never told anyone in Lengshui Vige about her maiden family.


    Old Mrs. Chen was full of praise for Xia Chenn. She felt pitiful that Xia Chenn died so early. By the end of their conversation, Zhao Chuchu had be the one consoling Old Mrs. Chen.


    When she returned home in the evening, Xie Heng was already cooking in the kitchen.


    !!


    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. Howe you’re willing to cook every day? Aren’t you afraid that other people mightugh at you for spending so much time in the kitchen despite being a schr?”


    “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 nonchnt 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 exining it to them.


    “Da Lang, Xia…what was my mother’s status in the Xia n? 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 te before continuing. “Your mother’s birth wasn’t prestigious or celebrated at all. She was seen as a stain on the Xia n’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 n 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 n wasn’t wrong. Xia Chenn did indeed run away with another man. Your mother was just a recement raised in seclusion in the Xia n. They couldn’t bear to kill the real Xia Chenn, so they decided to let your mother die in her ce.”


    “My mother was a recement?” Zhao Chuchu immediately identified the key issue. She asked, “Did they identally mistake her for Xia Chenn when she was a baby? And the Xia n found the real Xia Chennter on?”


    “Yes, and your mother…”


    Xie Heng paused. He found it quite hard to say this.


    “Did the previous chief of the Xia n 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-inw…But someone swapped her with the real Xia Chenn. That’s why everyone in the Xia n wanted your mother dead. The real Xia Chenn was only found when your mother was 12. Your mother was bullied by everyone in the Xia n.”


    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 urate and her mother was really in such a position, there was no way that she could live a good life in the Xia n.


    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 toe to her and behave entitled and arrogantly in front of her, they couldn’t me 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 n. 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 knowter?”


    “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 morefortable.


    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-inw is treasured, but no one cares about Junjun.”


    Zhao Chuchu and Xie Heng didn’t know whether they shouldugh 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 ufortable at night. It’s not that he didn’t want you to eat.”


    Xie Jun realized that Zhao Chuchu had heard hisint, and his face turned red as he said, “Sis-inw, I wasn’t trying to me 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 rted by blood, their rtionship 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 n.


    “Your maternal grandfather’s name is Xia Songquan. He is still the chief of the Xia n. Besides your mother, he has three daughters and four sons, all of whom are married. His eldest daughter, Xia Chenn, ran away. His second daughter, Xia Chengxuan, married into the Kang n, while his youngest daughter, Xia Chengqian, married into the Jiang n in Mingan Province.


    “As for his four sons, they married daughters from the Li n, Lin n, Qian n, and Xue n. Although all four ns are merchants, they are slightly less sessful than the Xia n. Moreover, the Lin and Xue ns have beef with each other, while the Li and Qian ns are rted via marriage.


    “The Xia n 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 n. The Kang n has simr ns. They want to overtake the Xia n to be the second salt merchant in the Guangqing Province. It’s just that Xia Songquan is still alive, so the Kang n doesn’t stand a chance for now.


    ...


    “Other than this, Xia Songquan’s wife, who is Xia Chenn’s mother, also wants to rece Xia Songquan. So there are a lot of holes in the Xia n, and you have many opportunities to break them down.”