After Marrying the Officer

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Revealing the Truth

“In life, I am of the Xia Family; in death, I shall be a ghost of the Xia Family.” Staying with the Xia Family was the only thing Mother Xia was adamant about in her entire life.

Mother Xia made this decision because she had a very good relationship with Mr. Xia; it could truly be described as unwavering until death.

There was a time when I thought that at least part of her decision was for me, so that she could stay in the Xia Family with me.

But…

After the scandal of my lost chastity became a major issue in my previous life, the Xia Family forced me to marry a lame, old widower. I refused to the death.

The Xia Family then went about persuading Mother Xia indirectly, and the mere threat of not allowing her to be buried in the ancestral grave scared Mother Xia into agreeing to the marriage.

...

It was then that I realized that Mother Xia would sacrifice anything, including me, just to be buried alongside Mr. Xia.

“Chuyi, if you find someone young and suitable, they will certainly look down on you.”

“The man your grandparents have found for you may be older and physically challenged, but I heard his family still has some property, and he doesn’t mind you being no longer a virgin…”

At my wit’s end, hearing Mother Xia say these words shattered all my illusions about her.

“I’m really starting to wonder if I am truly your own daughter!” I was gasping for breath, locked up at home, and I screamed these words almost as if crying blood.

At that time, Mother Xia still wore that timid, weak, and compliant face.

“Chuyi, Chuyi, don’t be angry, I’m doing this for your own good…” Mother Xia kept wiping away tears, seeming even more aggrieved than me, the one being forced into marriage.

This was the moment when Chuyi completely lost hope in Mother Xia.

Having been reborn, I’ve decided; for Mother Xia, I’ll acknowledge the life I owe her but won’t have any more expectations.

“You know Xia Lan’s suitor,” Xia Chuyi suddenly spoke up, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“What?” Mother Xia, caught off guard, failed to grasp what was said for a moment.

Xia Chuyi’s expression and tone were both indifferent, “I said, you know her suitor.”

“Who?” Mother Xia’s eyes lit up.

“He Qing,” Xia Chuyi replied, as if it were a matter of no consequence.

“What?” Confusion appeared in Mother Xia’s eyes, “He Qing? He Qing isn’t… you… You must be mistaken, or maybe they share the same name?”

Xia Chuyi articulated each word clearly, “No mistake, Xia Lan’s suitor is indeed He Qing, the one you know.”

Mother Xia stiffened.

“Impossible! Er Lan is not that kind of person!” Mother Xia’s eyes quickly filled with tears, and she shook her head desperately, “Impossible, how could Er Lan… Chuyi, did something happen between you and He Qing? Otherwise…”

Mother Xia seemed at a loss.

Xia Chuyi’s gaze turned sharp all of a sudden.

“Mother!” she exclaimed, “Is this what your own daughter amounts to in your heart? Must all the blame be placed on me?”

“Mother, sometimes I really wonder if I am truly your daughter!” She sighed deeply.

Mother Xia looked at her in shock, pointed at her, and then began to cry, “Why is my life so bitter, Chuyi, I’m doing all this for your sake!”

“In our village, a girl who breaks off an engagement is talked about behind her back…”

Xia Chuyi looked at Mother Xia, who had started to secretly wipe away tears, and sighed inwardly once more.

If it were said Mother Xia didn’t love her, on many occasions, she indeed meant well for her; it’s just that what Mother Xia considered good did not align with what Xia Chuyi thought was good.

However, whether it be real weakness or feigned gentleness, both could turn into thorns, wounding one’s head until it bled.