Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Mother Xia Arrives
“My mom and grandma… might still…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it outright. On the way here, his mom and Grandma Xia had been cursing nonstop,
the way they were acting, they’d probably come again.
Since Grandma Xia already knew about her shop and had secretly calculated her revenue, she definitely wouldn’t let things slide.
But it didn’t matter; she, Xia Chuyi, had already made plans.
“An invading army can be met with strategy, rising waters with earth and stones,” she said with a nonchalant smile.
Xia Chengzong nodded, “Don’t worry, if they come again, I’ll send them back. After a few trips, Grandma will start worrying about the travel expenses.”
“…Alright,” she agreed, nodding, “If they don’t cooperate and need to be driven to the village, I’ll reimburse you for the travel expenses out of petty cash.”
They quickly came up with a plan to deal with the enemy.
The next day, the Xia Family came again.
But this time, the person who came was different—it was Mother Xia.
And as always, Aunt Xia was with her.
“Chuyi girl, have a chat with your mother.” Aunt Xia said pleasurably, “You cut some meat for me; I’ll sit over here and wait for her.”
Xia Chengzong scowled, “Chuyi, just pack up the scraps for my mom, and deduct the cost from my wages.”
“Wages?” Aunt Xia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her son, “Chengzong, how much is Chuyi paying you a month?”
Then, with a crafty glint in her eye, she added, “Hey, it doesn’t look good for a boy to be working as an assistant… How about letting your sister replace you? Chuyi, what do you think? Da Mei’s a girl, she’s definitely more diligent than boys…”
Xia Chuyi slammed her cleaver hard into the cutting board, creating a loud noise.
The blatant favoritism of the Old Xia Family was truly outrageous.
Aunt Xia silenced herself, embarrassed.
After wiping her hands with a cloth, Xia Chuyi took Mother Xia into the backyard.
“Speak whatever you want to say.”
There was no one around to witness any embarrassment.
Mother Xia, who had been looking down all this time, finally raised her head.
Just one glance from her was enough to make her eyes well up.
Annoyed by the sight, Xia Chuyi impatiently said, “If there’s something to say, say it. If not, leave!”
At her sharp tone, Mother Xia hesitated briefly and then murmured apologetically, “I’m sorry, Chuyi, your mom is useless.”
“Chuyi, your grandma is right, a girl ultimately has to rely on her maternal family.”
Xia Chuyi pursed her lips, growing more agitated by the moment.
“Look, if it wasn’t for your uncle, Mom would have been thrown out of the house by your grandparents long ago.”
“It’s because of your uncle that we, mother and daughter, have been able to live well in the Xia Family for so many years.”
Her mother ironically curved her lips into a smile; so she understood this principle?
Seeing that Chuyi didn’t respond, Mother Xia thought she was being persuasive and continued, “If you hadn’t insisted on splitting the family, your grandparents wouldn’t have driven you out for the sake of your uncle’s face.”
“So you see, Chuyi, having brothers from your maternal family is really important, and besides…”
Unable to listen any longer, she cut Mother Xia off, “Just get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush.”
Mother Xia faltered again, “I’m not beating around the bush; I’m doing this for your good…”
“For my good? So you’re helping those from the main house to take over my shop?” Xia Chuyi said coldly.
“What? You’ve got it all wrong!” Mother Xia was taken aback, waving her hands and quickly clarifying, “No, it’s just about having the family help you run it, the shop will still be yours.”
“Look, Chengzong is with you, right? Just like him, he’s only here to help.”
Mother Xia glanced at the shop, then at her, and whispered, “Besides, this shop was opened with your uncle’s money; how could Mom let you give it to the Xia Family?”
Xia Chuyi was utterly speechless.