Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Revealing the Secret
“What do you mean?” Xia Lan looked somewhat puzzled at Mother Xia.
Perhaps because she had just been rebuked by her own brother, Mother Xia felt wronged and said to Xia Lan, “Er Lan… Second Aunt has something on her mind, something I need to tell you, but after you hear it, you mustn’t tell anyone else!”
Xia Lan sensed that Mother Xia was about to reveal something shocking.
This matter had weighed on Mother Xia’s heart for many years.
Before she could speak, her tears started to fall.
Xia Lan showed a hint of disgust.
On her joyful day, Mother Xia’s crying and sobbing really was an omen of bad luck!
However, she quickly hid her disdain and, acting like a considerate little cotton-padded jacket, said, “Second Aunt, don’t cry. Whatever it is, tell me, and let’s see if I can share some of the burden with you.”
Comforted by her gentle and soft-spoken manner, Mother Xia cried even harder. After a while, she managed to calm down somewhat and told Xia Lan, “Er Lan, the truth is, Chuyi… Chuyi is not a child of the Xia family!”
“What?” Xia Lan was shocked. “Second Aunt, what did you say?”
Chuyi wasn’t a child of the Xia family? Could it be that Mother Xia had her with someone else? Did she even have the audacity?
While she was scornfully speculating, Mother Xia, choking back sobs, said, “Chuyi, she’s not my biological child.”
Not her biological child?
Xia Lan thought to herself: No wonder, no wonder Mother Xia cared so little for Xia Chuyi.
Turning the thought over in her mind, she mused that it would be great if she also weren’t biologically related to her side of the family. Perhaps she could find powerful and influential biological parents.
But she resembled her parents closely, there was no denying it.
She quickly shifted her gaze and asked Mother Xia, “Then, who are Chuyi’s biological parents?”
Mother Xia wiped her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“At that time, when I heard about your Second Uncle’s accident, I was in no state to care for a child.” Mentioning Mr. Xia still brought her unbearable sadness. “By the time I recovered from the grief, the child… had already been switched.”
“Switched?” Xia Lan exclaimed.
“Uh-huh,” Mother Xia nodded and said, “I noticed the birthmark was different, and the swaddling was wrong before I realized.”
Mother Xia began to cry again.
“Just at that time, your Grandpa and Grandma came to the military hospital to pick me up, and I didn’t dare let them know about the mix-up… I was scared, so scared…” Mother Xia sobbed inconsolably.
Xia Lan inwardly despised: Grandpa and Grandma came to pick her up? They were probably there to claim compensation!
But Mother Xia had a point to be worried. If Grandpa Xia and Grandma Xia found out she had lost the child, they would definitely use it as an excuse to drive her away and justifiably take the compensation for themselves.
“Later on, I quietly made some inquiries and heard that there had been child traffickers in the hospital, stealing many babies.” Mother Xia grew even more sorrowful. “My poor girl must have been taken away by someone!”
Xia Lan quickly asked, “But what about this child? What about Xia Chuyi?”
Was it that the hospital’s traffickers took one baby and left another in return?
Mother Xia looked confused and murmured, “I don’t know.”
Xia Lan rolled her eyes thinking: Don’t know?
She was beginning to suspect that Mother Xia was the trafficker herself – that she took someone else’s child because hers had gone missing!
“Second Aunt, do you still have Chuyi’s swaddling clothes?” Xia Lan’s eyes darted around as she suddenly asked.
Mother Xia was startled again: “I kept them…”
Xia Lan quickly coaxed her to take out the swaddling clothes for a look.
Without suspicion, Mother Xia took out a light blue little swaddling cloth from the bottom of the wardrobe.