Who Did She Look Like?

In another family, people might have fought tooth and nail for the chance to become a marquis manor's young lady. But the Xu family were upright people, and Xu Xi had made it clear from the start that she would rather die than go to the marquis manor. She had made it seem like a dragon's pool and a tiger's den rather than a nest of blessings, so the Xu family had never considered the good side of it at all.

No wonder the people from the marquis manor were so frustrated.

Suddenly, they heard a villager calling out a greeting outside. "Auntie Xie, you're back? Hurry home and take a look. Someone from the marquis manor came again just now, and she even wanted to claim your Miss Xue as her daughter."

Madam Xie's reply drifted in after it.

"My mother's back." As soon as Xu Xue heard her, she sprang up and raced outside.

Xu Yongyi and Xu Xi followed her out.

Madam Xie, Matron Ruan, and several others were standing in the courtyard. An older woman from a neighboring family was talking to the two of them about Lady Wei claiming a daughter, spittle flying as she spoke. When Madam Xie heard that her own daughter had nearly been claimed by Lady Wei, she was so furious she nearly started cursing.

Matron Ruan's expression was also exceedingly sour when she heard that Lady Wei had actually made such a scene.

When Madam Xie saw Xu Yongyi and Xu Xi come out, she hurriedly asked, "Husband, is that true? How could she fail to recognize her own daughter?"

Xu Yongyi nodded. "She thought Miss Xue looked like her, so she refused to let go of her no matter what."

Madam Xie was thoroughly exasperated. "Looked like her? How could my daughter look like her? I haven't even had my say yet."

At Madam Xie's words, the older neighbor slapped her thigh and cried, "Exactly! If we're talking about who she looks like, Miss Xue was carved from the same mold as you. She's the spitting image of you when you first married into this family. You weren't here just now, but if you had been, all you'd have had to do was stand next to Miss Xue, and goodness, what business would that lady from the marquis manor have had here? That's no way to snatch someone's daughter!"

Xu Xi had only transmigrated to these ancient times a few days ago, and every day she had countless plans to keep her busy. Madam Xie toiled all day, often working in the fields, then tending to the house once she was done there, without a moment's rest. Her skin was dark and rough, and she had grown plump, making her look short and sturdy. In every respect she looked like a middle-aged village woman, with nothing sweet or pretty about her, and Xu Xi had no impression of her appearance at all. When Lady Wei was making a scene earlier, Xu Xi had never once connected Xu Xue's looks with Madam Xie's.

But when the older neighbor pointed it out, Xu Xi looked up and studied her carefully. Wasn't that exactly right?

Madam Xie also had a round face and round eyes, and her lips were much like Xu Xue's. Mother and daughter's eyes, noses, and face shapes were practically carved from the same mold. If Madam Xie were ten or twenty years younger, she and Xu Xue could have passed for twins.

Xu Xue looked so much like her mother that, with Madam Xie standing beside her, no one could truly claim Xu Xue was someone else's daughter.

Xu Yongyi had probably recalled his sweet, pretty young wife from when they had first married, for his eyes stung a little. All these years, he had never given his wife a good life.

Matron Ruan looked at Madam Xie, then at Xu Xue, and was utterly at a loss for words over Lady Wei.

The old madam had sent her to fetch Xu Xi, yet she had ignored her own daughter and insisted on claiming someone else's. What kind of behavior was that?

Matron Ruan was so ashamed she could not stay another moment.

She said, "Don't worry. I'll certainly report this to the old madam when I return. The second madam has always been muddleheaded, or she wouldn't have failed to notice when her child was switched back then. But the old madam and the second master are good people."

At that, she looked at Xu Xi. "Miss Xi, once you return to the marquis manor, you'll be a young lady of the household. Even if the second madam is somewhat unreliable, the old madam is there, after all, and the second master dotes on his children. They certainly won't let you suffer."

"I'm not going to your marquis manor." Xu Xi ran over to Madam Xie and clung tightly to her arm. "I'm staying with the Xu family. I'm not going anywhere."

This girlish manner was so different from the calm, composed way she had behaved before Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang that Xu Xue stared at her, dumbfounded. Wasn't that my style? Was Xu Xi copying me?

Xu Xi shot her a warning glare, then said earnestly to Matron Ruan, "I really won't go back to the marquis manor."

Matron Ruan sighed. "Let's discuss this another time. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." With that, she curtsied to the Xu family, then turned and left with the young maid.

With the striking resemblance between Madam Xie and Xu Xue as such strong evidence, Xu Xi relaxed and smiled at the family. "All right, there's nothing to worry about now. No matter how thick-skinned the marquis manor's second madam is, she can't possibly dare claim Xiaoxue is her daughter right in front of Auntie."

"Then what about you..." Madam Xie began worrying about Xu Xi again.

With a mother like that, Madam Xie really could not feel at ease letting Xu Xi enter the marquis manor now.

"I'm not afraid. Just as Matron Ruan said, even if I went back to the marquis manor, the old madam would be there. What could the second madam do to me? Besides, in a couple of days we might be entering the academy."

Only then did Madam Xie remember that the two girls had taken the academy entrance examination, and she hurriedly asked how it had gone.

"Let's talk inside." Seeing more villagers coming over to gossip, Xu Yongyi hurriedly saw the older neighbor out and shut the courtyard gate.

Meanwhile, at the marquis manor, the old madam saw that it was already well into the afternoon and Zhao Yuanliang and Lady Wei had yet to return. Knowing things had not gone smoothly, she had kept her heart in her throat.

When she finally saw the two of them, the old madam noticed that only Zhao Ruyu was behind them, with no unfamiliar girl following. Her heart sank at once, and she asked darkly, "What happened?"

Lady Wei lowered her head and said nothing.

Zhao Yuanliang told his legitimate mother what had happened that day.

The old madam frowned at Lady Wei. "Do you really think that Xu Xue is your biological daughter?"

"Yes. I couldn't possibly be mistaken. Old madam, please believe me." Lady Wei's expression grew agitated.

The old madam looked at Lady Wei suspiciously without speaking.

Had anyone else said it, she would naturally have believed them. But Lady Wei had always been full of petty tricks, with as many schemes as a sieve had holes. Back then, if she had not been so calculating and skillful that she had stirred up the entire capital into saying that the old madam, as Zhao Yuanliang's legitimate mother, mistreated and suppressed him as a son of a concubine, and if Zhao Yuanliang had not valued Wei Qiu's knack for currying favor and scheming and insisted on marrying her, the old madam would never have let him marry such a woman.

Now the entire village said Xu Xi was the child who had been switched, yet Lady Wei insisted it was Xu Xue and looked so eager about it. The old madam could not help having her doubts.

"Then do you have any proof?" the old madam asked.

Lady Wei was momentarily at a loss. "If I had proof, the wet nurse wouldn't have fooled me back then, leaving my poor daughter to suffer so much in the countryside." As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

The old madam looked at her and said mildly, "Then since she won't come back with you and only asks you for proof, you decide what to do." She waved a hand. "Handle this yourself. She's your daughter, after all."

Lady Wei's body went still for a moment. Then she swiftly dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief and curtsied to the old madam. "Thank you, old madam."

The old madam glanced at Zhao Yuanliang and, seeing that he had nothing to say, waved her hand. "All right, you've had a tiring day. Go back and rest."

Then she said to Zhao Ruyu, "Miss Yu, stay a moment."