Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock on the door.
Then, her aunt Xia Zi’s voice came from outside. “Xia Lan, my mom wants you to go over.”
Xia Lan’s heart skipped a beat and she had a bad feeling.
Qiu Zhi also stopped knitting and stood up from the bed. “Lan’er, Mom will go with you.”
Qiu Zhi opened the door and Xia Zi stood at the door with her head held high. Seeing that Qiu Zhi wanted to go with Xia Lan, she said impatiently, “Second Sister-in-law, my mother said that only Xia Lan can go.”
Wenfeng County was a more traditional place.
Xia Wangshi was the matriarch of the Xia family, and Qiu Zhi was the most honest of the three daughters-in-law. In addition, her family background was average. After entering the family, she had even gave birth to three daughters, which made the Xia family look down on her the most.
Xia Wangshi never allowed Qiu Zhi to go against her words. Over time, Qiu Zhi only followed her orders.
Xia Zi was the daughter that Xia Wangshi had given birth to in her middle age. She was only a year older than Xia Xing and Xia Cha, and was Xia Wangshi’s darling. Xia Zi had been influenced by her since she was young and had no respect for Qiu Zhi.
Qiu Zhi looked at Xia Lan worriedly. “Lan’er…”
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll go see what’s wrong.”
Xia Zi smiled innocently. “Of course it’s a good thing.”
Xia Lan followed Xia Zi to Xia Wangshi’s room, while Qiu Zhi paced around the room worriedly.
Half an hour later, Xia Lan returned with her head lowered.
Qiu Zhi pulled her into the room and asked hurriedly, “Why did your Grandma want to see you?”
Xia Lan looked up with teary eyes. It was obvious that she had cried on the way back. She rubbed her hands together and said with a slightly choked voice, “Grandma said that the Huo family in the city is coming to our Xia family to see a girl. Big Sister is the hope of the family now and she doesn’t want Big Sister to get married early. Now, the only person in the family who meets the age and requirements is me.”
Qiu Zhi widened her eyes. “You mean that Young Master Huo who might not be able to walk after the accident?”
Xia Lan nodded.
Hearing this, Qiu Zhi almost fainted.
When Xia Zhenyuan returned at night, he was called away by Xia Wangshi before he could enter the house.
Xia Zhenyuan only returned half an hour later. He looked at Qiu Zhi, whose eyes were swollen from crying. “You already know?”
Qiu Zhi’s lips trembled slightly. “The Huo family is good, but if Lan’er marries him, she will be no different from a widow!”
“Mother said that this was the agreement between Father and the Old Master of the Xia family. We can’t break it.”
“So we should let our Lan’er marry them? According to the agreement, she should marry Big Brother’s Furong!”
Xia Zhenyuan sighed and sat at the door, smoking. In the Xia family, he had no right to refuse. He had to do whatever his parents asked him to do.
It was alright for him to suffer, but his wife and daughter suffered with him.
When his mother called him over tonight to let Lan’er marry into the Huo family, he wanted to reject several times, but he did not have the courage to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Her father’s silence and her mother’s soft sobbing made the atmosphere in the room oppressive and heavy.
…
After Xia Cha accepted reality, she went to the main house for dinner with her parents and sister.
It was only after she went that she realized how low their status was.
Apart from her honest father, who was sitting at the same table as her grandparents, her mother, who had cooked a large meal, could only stay with the three sisters in the kitchen.
The daughter-in-law of the eldest branch and the daughter-in-law of the third branch were all eating at the big table. The children also had a separate table.
Only the mother and daughters were eating the remaining two bowls of food on the kitchen stove.
Qiu Zhi saw Xia Cha’s puzzled gaze and thought of her head injury after the accident. She had forgotten a lot of things and explained, “Originally, we were eating with them outside. You used a lot of money from the family in the accident. Your grandmother said that the family’s orchards needed money and could not give us much. I knelt down and begged her, promising to do all the housework in the future, and saying that we would cut down on all other expenses on food and clothes. Only then did your grandmother agree.”
Qiu Zhi caressed Xia Cha’s dark yellow and thin face, her eyes showing her heartache. “As long as Cha Cha is alive, it’s fine if Mom suffers a little. It’s just that the three of you have to suffer.”
Xia Lan shook her head. “Mom, I’ll help you more with your housework in the future.”
Xia Xing pouted. “I’ve been used to Grandma’s favoritism since I was young.” She picked up a piece of tofu and put it in Xia Cha’s bowl. “Cha Cha, tomorrow, Second Sister will go to the mountains to get bird eggs to nourish your body.”
“I’ll also go up the mountain to find wild fruits for Cha Cha,” Xia Lan said.
Looking at her mother and her two sisters’ concern for her, Xia Cha felt a warmth in her heart.
The feeling of being loved and cared for by her sisters made her feel extremely familiar and warm.
“Second Auntie, Sister Lan, Xing’er, Cha Cha.”
A teenager with thick eyebrows and big eyes walked over.
It was Xia Chuan, the son of Xia Zhenli and his ex-wife. He had chicken and fish in his bowl. “Second Auntie, I took this for Sister Cha Cha to nourish her body.” Then, he added, “I haven’t touched my chopsticks. It’s clean.”
Qiu Zhi looked at Xia Chuan, who had not had his mother by his side since he was young and had quit school to work in the orchards after he graduated from junior high school. Her heart ached as she said, “Chuan’er, if you give everything to Cha Cha, what will you eat? Your grandmother distributes the dishes you eat every meal.”
“I still have vegetables and steamed buns.” Xia Chuan put the chicken and fish into Xia Cha’s bowl. “I’ll go over first.”
Xia Cha looked at Xia Chuan’s running figure and said, “Thank you.”
Xia Chuan touched his head honestly. “You’re welcome.”
Xia Cha gave the dishes in her bowl to Qiu Zhi, Xia Lan, and Xia Xing. The three of them did not eat and kept urging her to keep it for herself.
Tears welled up in Xia Cha’s eyes.
…
That night.
Xia Lan helped Qiu Zhi clean the kitchen. After washing the family’s clothes, she could not sleep and sat under the date tree outside the yard alone.
The summer breeze blew over and Xia Lan buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“Sister.”
A soft voice trailed from behind.
Xia Lan looked up and saw Xia Cha sitting beside her. She hurriedly wiped her tears. “Cha Cha, there are a lot of mosquitoes outside and it’s stuffy and hot. Quickly go in and rest.”
Xia Cha shook her head. She took out a piece of tissue and wiped the tears on Xia Lan’s face. “Sister, you’re still in your third year of high school. Your main mission is to study hard and get into university. What Huo family? We’re not getting married.”
Xia Lan widened her eyes and looked at Xia Cha in disbelief.
Ever since her accident, she had not said more than ten words in the past month.
Besides, the words she said now were quite different from before. Among the three sisters, she was the quietest and had a personality that was very similar to her father’s. Even when she had been wronged, she would always keep it in her heart.
“Cha Cha, why are you…”
“A different Cha Cha from the past?” Xia Cha held Xia Lan’s arm. “After the accident, I forgot a lot of things. I’m very scared and afraid. I don’t know who I am, but with my sister and mother and father by my side, I feel warm. I want the family to be together properly. I don’t want my sister to get married so soon. Even if you want to get married, I want to find someone that you like.”
