Chapter 6 - Her former figure - the girl cutting grass for pigs

A trace of trance flashed through Xia Huaiwu's mind, as if there was an invisible force that temporarily stopped his thinking. But the surprise was fleeting, and he shook his head violently, trying to drive the unrealistic idea out of his mind. "This is impossible! Liuli is the most filial child, she will never leave us on her own initiative." Xia Huaiwu's tone was somewhat firm and unquestionable. However, at this moment, a chuckle broke the solemn atmosphere in the room. The laughter was crisp and pleasant, but it was accompanied by some unspeakable sarcasm. Xia Huaiwu's brows frowned involuntarily. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xia Zhuozhuo continuing the action in his hands as if nothing had happened, as if everything had nothing to do with her. "Zhuozhuo, what are you laughing at? Could it be... that you let Liuli go?" Xia Huaiwu's tone was somewhat questioning, and his eyes flashed with doubt and dissatisfaction. Xia Zhuozhuo did not stop her movements, she did not even give Xia Huaiwu a glance. In her heart, this fifth brother had completely lost his mind, and it was undoubtedly futile to argue with him. She continued to focus on the silver needles in her hand, each of which seemed to carry the weight of life. According to common sense, Mrs. Xia should have woken up at this time. However, due to her deteriorating physical condition, she woke up later than ordinary people. Xia Zhuozhuo could only continue her treatment, hoping to help Mrs. Xia recover some vitality. However, Xia Huaiwu misunderstood Xia Zhuozhuo's silence. He thought Xia Zhuozhuo was acquiescing to his accusations, so he walked over anxiously, with a bit of blame in his tone: "Zhuozhuo, all these years you have been missing, it was Liuli who was filial to you. If it weren't for her, Mom might not have survived. How could you drive her away?" "Even if Liuli doesn't leave, the things that belong to you at home will not be less. Why do you do this?" Xia Huaiwu's words were full of confusion and anger. However, Xia Zhuozhuo never gave him a look. Her eyes were always focused on the silver needle in her hand, as if the whole world had been forgotten by her. Seeing this, Xia Huaiwu became even more irritable. "Zhuozhuo, are you listening to me?" Xia Huaiwu's voice was a little anxious and angry. "Fifth brother, you've had enough!" At this moment, Xia Liu suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Xia Huaiwu's arm. There was a bit of dissatisfaction and warning in his tone, "What I just said is true. Zhuozhuo doesn't even know who Xia Liuli is, how could she drive her away? If you don't believe me, you can ask Butler Xia!" Xia Huaiwu hesitated for two seconds after hearing this, and then looked at Butler Xia with a dark face. His eyes were full of threats and warnings: "If you dare to tell a lie, I will let you come in vertically and leave horizontally!" Butler Xia was frightened by Xia Huaiwu's momentum and trembled all over. He knew that Xia Huaiwu was a man of his words, so he didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly calmed down and said firmly, "Fifth Master, what Sixth Master said just now is the truth. It was indeed Miss Seven... Miss Xia Liuli who proposed to sever ties with the family." When Xia Huaiwu heard this, the determination in his eyes finally loosened a little. He looked at Butler Xia and Xia Liu suspiciously, as if he wanted to find a flaw in their expressions. He only saw determination and calmness. "It's really not Huai Jin and Zhuo Zhuo..." Xia Huaiwu's voice was a little uncertain and doubtful. "It's not them." At this moment, a weak and firm voice sounded. The three of them looked at the bed at the same time, only to see that Mrs. Xia had opened her eyes at some point. There was a bit of haziness and fatigue in her eyes, but more of determination and relief. "Mom?!" "Mom, you're awake!" Xia Huaiwu and Xia Liu rushed to the bed at the same time, their faces full of joy and concern. However, Mrs. Xia did not look at them. She was always fixed on Xia Zhuo Zhuo's face, with tears flashing in her eyes. "Xiao Qi... is that you?" Mrs. Xia's voice was trembling and excited. Her tears burst out instantly, as if she wanted to pour out all the thoughts and pains of these years. Xia Zhuozhuo looked at Mrs. Xia's familiar yet unfamiliar face, and felt an indescribable emotion in her heart. This voice, this face... are so familiar. It seems that this voice has called her "Xiao Qi" countless times. "It's me." Xia Zhuozhuo's voice was a little soft and warm. This was the rare soft look on her face other than coldness since she entered the Xia family. The next second, Mrs. Xia could no longer maintain her composure. She hugged Xia Zhuozhuo tightly and burst into tears: "Mom finally found you, Xiao Qi... These years, Mom has dreamed of you every night. Every time I wake up, I would rather stay in the dream... It's Mom's fault, Mom shouldn't have lost you, Xiao Qi... It's all Mom's fault, it's all my fault!" Her voice was full of regret and self-blame. Xia Zhuozhuo could feel Mrs. Xia's tears dripping on her neck, and the scorching temperature made her back stiffen slightly. This was the first time she saw someone crying for her. It seemed as if a warm current swept through her heart, giving her unprecedented comfort. Xia Zhuozhuo calmed down and soothed softly: "Don't cry... I'm back. The past... It's all over, you don't have to blame yourself." Her voice was gentle and firm, as if there was a magical power that could heal the pain in Mrs. Xia's heart. Xia Liu also soothed beside her: "Yes, Mom, Xiaoqi is back, this is a happy event. You can't cry for happy events." There was a bit of ease and joy in his tone, trying to ease the solemn atmosphere in the room. Mrs. Xia tried to stop her tears and held Xia Zhuozhuo's face to look at it carefully. Tears flashed in her eyes, but the corners of her lips were bent high, revealing a crying and laughing look. People who didn't know the scene thought she was crazy. However, only God knew how excited and happy she was at this moment. Mrs. Xia stroked Xia Zhuozhuo's eyebrows and eyes carefully, as if she wanted to carve her appearance into her bones and blood. Her fingers were soft and powerful, and every touch seemed to tell of endless thoughts and concerns. It was the first time that Xia Zhuozhuo was touched like this, and she felt indescribably uncomfortable. She coughed dryly and leaned back a little, avoiding Mrs. Xia's hand. There was a bit of apology and alienation in her voice: "I have adjusted your body, but it is not suitable for strenuous exercise and too much emotional ups and downs. You need to rest." Mrs. Xia's eyes were filled with tears again when she heard this. She held Xia Zhuozhuo's hand tightly, her voice choking with sobs: "I'm sorry, Xiaoqi. When the family was doing well, I couldn't find you to enjoy the good life. Now that the family is in trouble, I found you..." At this point, she paused, as if she had made a great decision before speaking again: "As long as I know that you are still alive and living a happy life, Mom is satisfied. Zhuozhuo, if you are like Liuli, and feel that the family's troubles will affect you, you... can also choose to leave. Mom won't blame you. Mom is a reasonable person." Mrs. Xia's words were full of understanding and tolerance. She knew very well that Xia Zhuozhuo had gone through so many years, so she didn't force her to stay. She just hoped that Xia Zhuozhuo could live a happy life, no matter where she was. Xia Zhuozhuo felt a warm current in her heart when she heard this. She looked at Mrs. Xia's loving eyes, her heart full of gratitude and emotion. She nodded gently, with a bit of firmness and warmth in her voice: "Thank you, Mom. I will think about it carefully." At this moment, Xia Zhuozhuo seemed to have found her own destination. She knew that she was no longer the helpless orphan. She had her own home and family. No matter how unpredictable the future was, she would cherish this hard-earned happiness and warmth. Facing the raging storms with her family, every decision Xia Zhuozhuo made would not cause her mother's blame. "Mom..." Xia Liu's tone was anxious, "We went through a lot of hardships to find Xiaoqi, why let her go?" Mrs. Xia glared at Xia Liu sternly. "Shut up! You have been running around looking for Xiaoqi these days, and you don't know the huge changes that have taken place in the family. Our family... is no longer the same as it used to be. Let Xiaoqi decide whether to stay or go." Xia Liu was silent and could only stare at Xia Zhuozhu nervously. Xia Huaiwu seemed relatively indifferent. After all, after more than 20 years of separation, even if there was a deep affection, it had long been diluted by time. What's more, what he cherished more in his heart now was Xia Liuli. He secretly hoped that Xia Zhuozhuo's departure might allow Xia Liuli to return to this family. The silence lasted for a moment, and Xia Zhuozhuo finally broke the silence—— "Don't worry, I won't leave." On the one hand, since her family didn't abandon her, she naturally wouldn't leave easily; on the other hand, the Anbu was about to move to Shanghai, and she also needed a reasonable identity as a Shanghai citizen as a cover. Hearing this, Xia Liu nodded excitedly: "Yes! Zhuozhuo, you will only do some rough work when you go back. Even if our family is in decline, we will never let you suffer that." Mrs. Xia was stunned when she heard this, and turned to ask Xia Zhuozhuo: "You used to... do those rough work?" Xia Zhuozhuo smiled slightly and didn't comment: "I guess so." Harvesting the "leeks" of the rich is no different from cutting grass for pigs? Mrs. Xia's tears, which had just been restrained, burst out of her eyes again. "Mom didn't know you were having such a hard time... If I had known your whereabouts earlier, I would have taken you back earlier." Xia Zhuozhuo held Mrs. Xia's hand tightly and gently comforted her: "I'm not having a hard time, don't think too much." Xia Huaiwu's cold attitude just now did make her want to leave. But seeing Mrs. Xia's appearance, her heart softened a little. Mrs. Xia nodded vigorously and held her hand tightly. "Good child..." Xia Huaiwu muttered to himself, with a mocking tone: "Mom, don't blame yourself too much. She is in the countryside, I think she is doing well. Which country girl can have her fair skin? Although it looks a little dirty, her skin is as delicate as a peeled egg." Although there was a bit of disdain in his words, he also revealed some recognition of Xia Zhuozhu's living conditions in the countryside.