The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1932 - 1907: Reason or No Reason
Xia Xia’s feelings for Zhou Man stem more from her blood ties, from Xia Yan buried in the cemetery beside them, thus she insists on her own understanding.
Old Zhou still wanted to reason with him, but Ms. Qian spoke up, "We need to let Mr. Xia know that we do not intend for Manbao to change her surname."
Xia Xia, who was about to say something, was suddenly silenced, his face turning ugly.
Ms. Qian still maintained a gentle expression, yet she said, "In marriage, parents’ orders are paramount. She was raised by us and still calls us mom and dad. So the marriage we’ve arranged for her will proceed unless we change our minds—she must marry."
Xia Xia, who thought of reasoning with Zhou Man, suddenly felt chilled.
Ms. Qian said, "We have already told you about this, and when we go to the County Governmental Office to see other relatives of the Xia Family later on, we’ll repeat this again."
With little expression on her face, she continued, "I’m just a woman, not well-versed in reasoning. If what I said is wrong, Mr. Xia, please bear with me."
She stated, "There’s a saying that a married daughter is like spilled water. Zhou Yin joined your Xia Family, so he no longer counts as part of the Zhou Family. He’s a good child, but it’s not easy for his brother and me to have raised him."
Hearing this, Xia Xia was speechless for a moment.
Old Zhou also fell silent suddenly, standing aside with his neck hunched.
Ms. Qian said, "I know what he did was good, but for our family, it was once an overwhelming disaster. Over these past ten years, raising Manbao wasn’t just about worrying over her food and drink. I also gambled with the lives of my whole family, thinking that the Xia Family’s debt of life cannot exceed the debt of raising from our Zhou Family, right?"
Xia Xia suddenly felt guilty.
Originally, Zhou Yin was a man who took Xia Xin away, having no news for over ten years. So the Xia Family had a strong argument, but compared to Ms. Qian’s reasoning, Zhou Yin seemed like a person who married into their Xia Family. In reality, they felt guilty all of a sudden.
Xia Xia couldn’t help but nod, "That’s right. The debt of raising from the in-laws indeed doesn’t fall short of the Xia Family’s debt of life..."
Ms. Qian just nodded, "It’s good that Mr. Xia acknowledges this."
She stated, "Now that things are settled, let Manbao repay with the Zhou surname for Zhou Family’s debt of raising, and let her children bear the Xia surname for the Xia Family’s debt of life."
Ms. Qian took out her handkerchief to dab her eyes, her stiff back slightly softening. Showing weakness, she said, "I’m not afraid of Mr. Xia’s laughter. Manbao was raised by me single-handedly. I have feelings for her, though I may not see much of the next generation’s happenings. Let them choose whatever surname they like, but she must keep our surname initially and must continue calling me mom. When I am no longer alive and unable to hear, then let her change it."
Xia Xia surprisingly found nothing wrong with this; women are often driven by emotions, which is normal.
He couldn’t help looking towards Old Zhou, only to see Old Zhou looking down at his toes, his neck still hunched. Xia Xia fell silent.
Mr. Zhuang, who sat silently on the side, subtly exhaled in relief, grateful that Ms. Qian accompanied them; otherwise...
Ms. Qian managed to subdue Xia Xia with her "unreasonable behavior," making the subsequent matters proceed smoothly.
After the memorial activities, everyone went down the mountain together to the County Governmental Office.
Old Zhou was unwilling to share a ride with Xia Xia, so he opted to sit with Ms. Qian.
Seated inside the carriage, Old Zhou hesitated to speak several times.
Ms. Qian glanced at him and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Please stop sneaking glances at me."
Old Zhou asked softly, "Are we really not caring about Manbao’s children?"
Ms. Qian: ...
She couldn’t help reaching over to pinch his arm, whispering, "Do you believe everything I say? The Xia Family seems difficult to deal with. Even someone seemingly decent like Xia Xia wants to control Manbao. If I didn’t speak like this, would you genuinely want to hand over our daughter to others?"
Ms. Qian said sternly, "Manbao altogether has only met them twice. Besides the blood relationship, how much affection could they have? Speaking of blood ties, Xia Xia and Manbao’s grandparents are distant from each other. No matter how close or how great the debt might be, it cannot compare to one’s own descendants, can it?"
Old Zhou argued, "The first part of your statement might be reasonable, but I do believe Xia Xia is quite considerate. He told me in the carriage earlier that he has been carefully keeping a store for Manbao all these years, and he plans to pass both the store and the rent over to Manbao."
Ms. Qian replied, "That involves no life-or-death situations, so naturally, people remember favor. But if one day, Manbao were on the edge of a cliff with his descendants, would he still choose Manbao?"
Old Zhou: ...
He couldn’t help muttering, "Then you might not necessarily choose Manbao either."
Ms. Qian: ...
Old Zhou quickly said, "Everything you said is correct. I was just thinking that you mentioned not taking care of Manbao’s child, fearing that if the Xia Family gets the wrong idea, they might want to take the child to inherit the Xia Family’s legacy if Manbao has children."
Ms. Qian glanced at him and retorted, "Are you foolish? With the child’s parents present, and even having a grandmother and a great-grandmother above, how could the Xia Family even try to raise them? Think I can say I won’t take care and actually not do it?"
She lowered her voice and said, "Manbao said Xia Xia wouldn’t be living for much longer. We are very healthy, surely outliving those elderly people of the Xia Family, so what’s there to fear?"
When that time comes, did she ever say such things? Who would know?
Even if someone knew, she could always go back on her word. Who could really act against her? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
Old Zhou opened his mouth wide.
Separated by two carriages, Manbao and the three others were astonished, with their mouths agape, disbelievingly lifting the curtain to lean by the car door, asking Daji, who was driving, "Did my mom really say that?"
Daji nodded, snapping without hesitation in the air—coaxing the horse to catch up with the carriage in the front.
After thinking carefully, Manbao admired, "My mom is truly remarkable."
Bai Shan wholeheartedly agreed, nodding. With such a mother-in-law, he felt entirely unafraid of the Xia Family. Just the debt of raising was enough to weigh down the Xia Family heavily.
Manbao could easily hide behind Ms. Qian, and even if there were discussions, Ms. Qian wouldn’t mind since she didn’t reside in Shangzhou. What’s there to fear?
Moreover, when one plays the villain, there must be someone to play the good guy; otherwise, others might consider Manbao and the Zhou Family easy to bully.
Bai Shan also felt encouraged, whispering ideas to Manbao, "You don’t oppose Xia Xia directly. I’ve already sent someone to find out who attended the memorial—if it’s Xia Xia, you should be grateful. But towards other Xia Family members, you need not fear. Use your official authority when needed, and as for Xia Xia, let Uncle and Auntie handle it. They are your elders and have raised you, so they can decide anything for you."
Manbao nodded repeatedly, feeling increasingly at ease.
Bai Shan continued, "When we get inside, don’t worry. We have Mr. Zhuang. If the Xia Family tries to coerce you with gratitude, just feel sad. Leave the rest to us."
Manbao curiously asked, "But your status is junior; what can you do?"
Bai Shan snorted and said, "I am very useful. We are engaged, and I’m your future husband, you know? I am also from a prominent family, whereas the Xia Family is merely small local gentry in Shangzhou. Can they compare with me, and do they dare fight against me?"
Seeing his angry expression, both Manbao and Bai Erlang couldn’t help snickering, nodding repeatedly and agreeing, "Yes, they can’t compare with you."
