Chapter 205: Chapter 193: Sisters

Huang Baoshan spotted Tang Yaxuan under the eaves. Sizing her up, he asked Mo Xiaoneng, who was squatting in the courtyard gnawing on a sweet potato, "This must be the one who was switched with Mo Xiaoman, right? The resemblance is uncanny. One look and you can tell she’s from your family’s stock!"

Tang Yaxuan glared at Huang Baoshan. He let out a malicious chuckle and stroked his chin. "Heh, quite the temper! The daughter of a high-ranking official from the city, raised all soft and delicate. You’ll have plenty to cry about now that you’re back in our countryside! But say, how come you’re back with the Mo family, but that Mo Xiaoman hasn’t left?"

Liu Fengying hadn’t wanted to bother with Huang Baoshan, but hearing this, she couldn’t help but stop sweeping. She asked him, "What did you say? Mo Xiaoman didn’t leave with her biological parents?"

"I’m not blind. I just saw Mo Xiaoman and Guan Ailan riding their bikes around the village street, looking to buy eggs. Said they needed to buy a lot—half for their teachers and half to make some kind of pastry for their classmates. School starts tomorrow..."

As Huang Baoshan spoke, he pushed open the door to Mo Laoer’s house and went inside.

Liu Fengying and Tang Yaxuan looked at each other. Tang Yaxuan shot to her feet. "I’m going to find Mo Xiaoman!"

"Find Xiao Man? What for?"

Tang Yaxuan swept a disgusted gaze over the dilapidated courtyard and the annoying pests at the gate. "Since we’ve been switched back, then wherever Mo Xiaoman used to live, that’s where I should be!"

Mo Xiaofeng overheard and clapped her hands, shouting, "Great! Great! Scram! The farther you go, the better! Don’t even think about coming here to steal our parents!"

Liu Fengying looked at her biological daughter, her mind racing. She patted her clothes and said, "You don’t know the way. Mom will take you!"

’Mo Xiaoman is going to the county town for school tomorrow, so won’t Grandpa and Grandma be lonely? Xuanxuan is a city girl—delicate, cute, and sweet-tongued. She looks so well-behaved and gentle, not much different from Mo Xiaoman. If Grandpa and Grandma let her move into that clean and spacious courtyard house, not only will Xuanxuan stop being miserable, but I’ll also get some peace and quiet. And there are other benefits: one, with Xuanxuan staying in the village, any money or packages her other parents send will still end up in my hands; two, if Xuanxuan can win over Grandpa and Grandma and replace Mo Xiaoman, then the house in the Youth Corps Courtyard will belong to our family!’

Liu Fengying was lost in her beautiful fantasy, the sound of her mental abacus clicking away. Her mood improved drastically. Along the way, she beamed as she greeted people, introducing her biological daughter as if she was afraid they wouldn’t notice the strange, swollen marks on her face. She took their ridicule for envy and jealousy. She also pointed out the various houses, telling Tang Yaxuan who lived where, but Tang Yaxuan just frowned, too impatient to listen.

They soon arrived at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. The moment Tang Yaxuan saw the courtyard, she could tell it was much better than the Mo Family Courtyard. It was sturdy, spacious, and right by the main road, making it convenient to flag down a car anytime. She felt a flicker of satisfaction.

The courtyard gate was open, and waves of laughter and cheerful chatter drifted out. Liu Fengying, who had been turned away from this gate many times, quickly grabbed Tang Yaxuan and tried to dart inside. But she was stopped by Second Granny Qiu, who was hurrying over.

"Hey, isn’t that Feng Ying? What are you here for again? You’re not allowed to come here and start a fight today. The yard is full of children. If you hurt any of them, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!"

Liu Fengying pouted. "Who wants to start a fight? This is my biological daughter. She and Xiao Man are sisters. She’s just here to have a word and meet Grandpa and Grandma!"

"Hmph, what sisters? She’s the one who stole Xiao Man’s good fortune. It’d be a miracle if Xiao Man wanted to see you. I say you two should just leave. The kids are all having a good time, don’t spoil their fun!"

Liu Fengying knew when to back down. Realizing this wasn’t the time to provoke anyone, she put on a fawning smile. Seeing that Second Granny Qiu was holding two eggs in each hand, she asked, "Auntie, what are you doing with those eggs?"

"What else? To make food, of course! Xiao Man is going to school tomorrow, so today she’s making cakes and all sorts of snacks. We don’t have any flour at my place, so I brought a few eggs to freeload a bit. I’ll get a share later to satisfy the cravings of the kids and my newly pregnant daughter-in-law."

"..."

While Liu Fengying was distracting Second Granny Qiu with small talk, Tang Yaxuan slipped past her and walked through the courtyard gate.

Her eyes widened. Before her were lush green pines and neat rows of winterberry. To the left, a wall and trellis were covered in Chinese roses, which bloomed dazzlingly despite the lingering chill. In the center of the yard stood a large pear tree, its branches already dotted with white blossoms. To the right was a house with two wings, built of red brick and green tile. The main facade was whitewashed, and its four-paned glass windows were sparkling clean, revealing the fresh and elegant small-flowered curtains hanging inside. On the wide grain-sunning ground in front of the house, a large group of children bustled about, each busy with their own activity. Some were doing chores, while others played—jumping rope, playing with rubber bands, and catching stones. It was a picture of lively happiness. She looked down at her feet. Even though the ground was just dirt and sand, it was swept immaculate, without a single stray weed in sight, let alone any disgusting chicken droppings!

A surge of resentment filled Tang Yaxuan. ’That Mo Xiaoman really knows how to live, hiding away in such a nice place while shoving me back to that shabby, filthy Mo house to suffer. She did it on purpose! How detestable!’

A child spotted the sullen-faced Tang Yaxuan barging in. Recognizing her, the child shouted, "Hey, look! Who’s this? Why does her face look like that?"

WHOOSH. The children, big and small, surrounded Tang Yaxuan. They stared at her, then burst out laughing, chattering all at once: "Isn’t that Mo Xiaoqiang’s biological older sister? Huh, she looked fine at the brigade headquarters yesterday, so dainty and delicate. It’s only been one day and she looks like this!"

"Is her face ruined? She looks like a little sow!"

"HAHAHA! A little sow? It does look like one! Her mouth, especially!"

"I heard the adults say the Mo family’s place has bad feng shui. Anyone who lives there ends up crippled!"

"That kind of makes sense. Look at Mo Xiaoqiang, Mo Xiaofeng, and their dad..."

Guan Ailan walked over, holding an enamel basin and stirring the egg mixture inside. She looked at Tang Yaxuan and said, "You imposter. You’ve got some nerve coming here. What do you want?"

The children found this even funnier. Imposter—what a novel word! But it fit so well. Wasn’t this girl before them the one who had impersonated Sister Xiao Man, being raised in the city for over a decade?

Tang Yaxuan shot Guan Ailan a disdainful look. "You’re not worthy of speaking to me. Get Mo Xiaoman out here!"

"Oh-ho! And who do you think you are, telling me who’s worthy or not!" Guan Ailan slammed the enamel basin onto the stone table under the pear tree and clapped her hands together. "You’re pissing me off! An imposter dares to challenge me! If I don’t teach you a lesson, I’ll be letting down your maternal grandmother!"

The children laughed and clamored, "Sister Ailan, how should we teach her a lesson? We’ll help you!"

Guan Ailan said, "Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Drag this shameless imposter out of here and throw her onto the main road!"

"You... who dares?! Mo Xiaoman! Get out here!" Tang Yaxuan shoved away a few children who were trying to grab her and shrieked.

Mo Xiaoman walked out of the house carrying a small bamboo sieve, with Grandma following behind her. "What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Who’s fighting?"

"Grandma, we’re not fighting! The imposter came here to cause trouble!" a child reported.

"What imposter?" Grandma caught sight of Tang Yaxuan, and seeing her face, she was momentarily speechless.

Mo Xiaoman handed the small bamboo sieve to a child nearby. "Those spicy sticks from yesterday were made especially for Tang Haocheng. You guys said they weren’t spicy enough. This is a fresh batch. Have a taste and see if it’s right. If you want it spicier, go find Mo Linghui in the kitchen and tell her!"

The children scurried off to grab the spicy sticks. Mo Xiaoman stood before Tang Yaxuan. "What do you want? Spit it out."

Tang Yaxuan’s gaze flickered. She suppressed the anger welling up inside her and tried to keep her voice steady. "Mo Xiaoman, Mom and Dad—and Hao Hao—they won’t abandon me! No matter what, we’re sisters!"

Guan Ailan let out a strange laugh. "Ha! What an eye-opener. The world is full of wonders!"

Xiao Man’s lips curled up too. "Acknowledging you as a sister would give me nightmares, so that’s a no-go. In this lifetime, you and I can only be enemies."

"Xiao Man, how can you talk like that? No matter what, Xuanxuan spent more than ten years with your biological parents and raised your little brother. She was born just a few minutes after you. This kind of fate is something others couldn’t ask for. Just accept her as your younger sister, okay?" Liu Fengying, who had followed Second Granny Qiu in, squeezed next to Tang Yaxuan and said to Xiao Man.

"Oh, give me a break! What kind of fate is that? You stole all her good fortune, and Xiao Man was nearly ruined by you and your husband. And you want them to be sisters? That’s asking for a short life!" Second Granny Qiu retorted loudly.

Xiao Man ignored Liu Fengying and looked at Tang Yaxuan. "If you only came here to say that, I’ve heard you, and I’ve refused. Please leave. You’re not welcome in my home!"

Tang Yaxuan said, "I’m not leaving! I’m not going back to the Mo house. At the investigation meeting yesterday, they said we were to switch identities. You’re going to the city, so I should be living here, in this house!"

A chorus of boos rose from the surrounding children. Guan Ailan didn’t even have the energy to retort anymore; she just picked up her basin and ran into the house.

Xiao Man said, "You want to live here? On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that I am the true biological granddaughter of the Mo family. It’s only natural that I live with Grandpa and Grandma!" Tang Yaxuan lifted her chin.

Xiao Man scoffed. "Fine, I’ll give you a chance. I won’t say a word. If you can convince Grandma to agree, you can stay here. If Grandma isn’t willing, then you can get as far away as possible!"

The words had barely left her mouth when Grandma spoke up. "I do not agree! I don’t care about any Mo family or Tang family. My old man and I only recognize Xiao Man as our granddaughter. We don’t want any more; we can’t afford to raise them!"

Tang Yaxuan looked at Grandma, pursed her lips, and tugged on Liu Fengying’s sleeve. Liu Fengying quickly said to Grandma, "Mom, this is Xuanxuan! She’s your real, biological granddaughter! Xiao Man is going to the city to study and won’t be coming back. Just let Xuanxuan stay and keep you and Dad company. Look, Xuanxuan was raised in the city. She’s polite and obedient, and she’s so pretty..."

Mo Zhiyuan, Guan Er, and a few of the other older boys let out a chorus of strange cries. "Oh my god! You call *that* pretty? Her mouth is so swollen it’s practically pointing at the sky... Please, stop scaring us!"

Liu Fengying scolded them briefly, then turned back to plead with Grandma, but Grandma raised a hand to stop her. "You don’t need to say another word. My old man said it before: we have nothing to do with you anymore! I’ll say just one thing: I don’t want to see you again. Now go!"

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