Chapter 24: Losing Their Own Child, Yet Raising Someone Else’s

Xie Tian froze. When she turned around and saw it was Xie Zhao, she gasped in surprise.

“Why are you up?”

Xie Zhao shrugged.

“To pick wild greens, of course!”

“I promised the owner of the wonton stall that I’d bring extra shepherd’s purse today,” he said. “If I don’t get up early to pick and deliver it, how is he supposed to do business?”

Xie Tian was tongue-tied.

She turned her head and looked at a large vegetable basket sitting in the corner.

“Um, take a look at what’s in the basket. I just picked it at random yesterday. If you don’t want it, just throw it away!”

Seeing her awkward, self-conscious look, Xie Zhao teased her on purpose.

“Can’t be bothered. I’m in a rush!”

Xie Tian’s eyes widened.

Seeing that Xie Zhao was actually picking up his basket to leave, she couldn’t help but yell, “Hey! Hey! Wait! What are you doing?”

Xie Zhao acted as if he didn’t hear her at all.

Xie Tian grew anxious. “Second Brother! Wait a minute!”

Xie Zhao stopped and turned to look at her, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and eyes impossible to hide.

“You did that on purpose!”

Xie Tian huffed, her cheeks puffing up in anger as she realized what he was doing.

Xie Zhao studied her.

The fourteen-year-old girl was bright and full of life, but she was simply too thin. Her baggy clothes, which had belonged to Tian Xiufen in her youth, hung loosely on her frame. Even though they had been altered to be smaller, Xie Tian still couldn’t fill them out.

Her hair was dry and yellowed, and the layered-sole cloth shoes^[1] on her feet were already far too small. Her toes poked through the worn-out fabric, and she wore one red sock and one white sock, looking rather comical.

If it were the Xie Zhao of his past life, he would have definitely sneered and called her a country bumpkin who didn’t know the first thing about dressing up.

But having returned after a rebirth, Xie Zhao felt nothing but heartache.

After all, what young girl didn’t want to look pretty?

They were simply coerced by the times and their environment, forced to abandon their self-esteem and love for beauty.

Poverty was the most fatal disease of all.

“Look! This is shepherd’s purse!”

Realizing Xie Zhao was teasing her, Xie Tian huffed, grabbed the basket, and slammed it down in front of him.

She pulled back the cloth covering it, revealing the tender, vibrant green shepherd’s purse inside.

They had been carefully sorted and washed, looking incredibly fresh and appealing, even better than the ones Xie Zhao had picked.

“I couldn’t go down to the river, so I’m giving all of these to you.”

Xie Tian paused, then looked away guiltily, muttering, “It’s not really for you anyway. It’s so you can make money to buy clothes for my sister-in-law and niece, and buy formula for the baby.”

“Second Brother, stop ignoring Sister-in-law. She’s really pitiful.”

A warmth washed over Xie Zhao’s heart.

This little sister of his had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. How had he failed to see that in his past life?

“I know.”

Xie Zhao said earnestly, “Little Sister, your Second Brother was a bastard in the past. When I first came back, I was immature and caused you, Big Brother, and Mom and Dad so much worry. It won’t happen again. I want to apologize to you. Can you forgive me?”

Xie Tian’s eyes widened in shock.

Her small face instantly flushed red.

“I… I… I wasn’t even mad at you!”

She quickly added, “And neither are Mom, Dad, or Big Brother! Mom and Dad were so happy when you came back, and so was Big Brother! None of us are angry!”

Hearing this, Xie Zhao paused. He stared at Xie Tian and suddenly asked, “Don’t you guys miss Chen Qiming? He used to live with you, and you called him Second Brother too, didn’t you?”

When Xie Zhao finished speaking, Xie Tian looked at him with a very strange expression.

“Mom and Dad always knew he wasn’t their biological son!”

Xie Tian said seriously, “He was the one who said it himself! I was only eight years old back then! He started smashing things in the house, screaming that he wasn’t their biological son and demanding that Mom and Dad send him back. But how could they have known where to send him?”

“They lost their own son, yet they ended up raising someone else’s child. Who could understand how hard it was for them?”

Xie Tian paused, then muttered under her breath, “Even so, Mom and Dad treated him way better than they treated me and Big Brother! Big Brother went to work in the mines just to earn money for his tuition. And what did we get? It’s been a year, and he hasn’t visited even once. If we’re talking about who’s truly heartless, it’s him! Bah!”

Xie Zhao froze.

Was this why they had poured their hearts out to him?

Xie Zhao had never believed in unconditional love without reason.

Although he was the biological child of Xie Youzhen and Tian Xiufen, there was no bond between them when he first returned. Moreover, his attitude back then had been terrible.

How could they possibly treat him so well without any conditions?

He figured it was out of guilt.

Or, to speculate even more maliciously, that the entire situation had been their conspiracy from start to finish!

That they had swapped the babies on purpose!

How could he ever bring himself to like parents like that?

And so,

his return home back then had featured no tearful reunions or emotional breakdowns.

There had only been his preconceived, malicious assumptions.

Now that he knew the truth,

Xie Zhao finally understood that their kindness toward him stemmed from guilt, heartache, and the pure, sincere love of parents for their child.

His eyes suddenly grew hot.

Xie Zhao took a deep breath and cursed himself silently for being a bastard.

Looking at Xie Tian, he couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her messy hair.

“Once I make some money, I’ll buy you a pair of shoes first, and then we’ll have meat with every meal,” Xie Zhao said.

And after that, he would send her to school, buy her new clothes, and make sure she lived the best, happiest life possible!

*

Eight o’clock.

Hudong County.

Once New Year’s Day passed and the traditional New Year visits began, the streets grew crowded with people.

Hudong County was large, with four main roads intersecting to form a grid pattern.

The most bustling area was the street where the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was located, known as Hongxing Street.

This street was lined almost entirely with state-run shops: the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, a seafood market, a farm tool shop, a blacksmith, and so on.

On the open ground in front of the shops, some people had set up small tarps to sell wontons, flour, fried pancakes, and other snacks.

These were all small-time businesses that didn’t count as illegal speculation and profiteering^[2]. Moreover, since the authorities had relaxed their stance, as long as one didn’t draw too much attention, they would generally be left alone.

At this hour, the streets were at their busiest.

During the first lunar month, everyone had time on their hands. It was the perfect time to take the young and old out shopping, visit relatives, or just join in the festive bustle.

Xie Zhao hung the shepherd’s purse on the scale and sold it to the proprietress.

A broad smile bloomed on her face as her hands moved deftly, quickly checking the weight.

“Oh! You picked a lot today! A full eleven catties! And every single one is so tender and fresh!”

“If the shepherd’s purse you bring in the future is always this good, I’ll pay you five cents more per catty!”

Xie Zhao nodded with a smile.

“Deal!”

Seeing Xie Zhao agree, the proprietress moved quickly, pulling a handful of money from her pocket and handing it over.

“Here! Eight yuan for you! Keep the change! The more I look at this shepherd’s purse, the more I like it!”

Xie Zhao happily thanked her.

As soon as he turned around, he saw Xie Cheng and Xie Youzhen staring with wide eyes.

The two of them stood there in shock, unable to process what they were seeing for a long moment.

W-Was he really making money?

From just a sack of wild herbs?

These wild weeds, which farmers usually found too troublesome to even bother picking, actually sold for seventy cents a catty?!

Good grief!

Were they dreaming?!