"… Pertanyaan apa?" Semua anggota Keluarga Xing tercengang mendengar kata-katanya.
"Awalnya kalian semua bilang aku anak perempuan Keluarga Xing, tapi kemudian kalian berubah pikiran dan bilang aku anak angkat. Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi?" Nian Xiaomu duduk di kursi yang terlihat kumal di ruang tamu dan berbicara pelan.
Mendengar itu, Paman Kedua dan Bibi Kedua Keluarga Xing saling memandang.
Mereka terdiam lebih dari 10 detik.
Setelah itu, Bibi Kedua tidak tahan lagi dan berbicara pertama.
"Kakak laki-laki dan istrinya dulu tidak tinggal bersamakami, dan kami juga jarang berkumpul. Mereka memberi kami uang setiap bulan, jadi wajar kami tidak mau mengganggu mereka setelah menerima uang itu. Namun, betapapun miskinnya kami, kumpul besar-besaran setahun sekali atau minimal sekali dua sampai tiga tahun tetap diperlukan. Saat itu kau masih bayi dan sangat kecil. Kakak laki-laki dan istrinya membawamu dan bilang kau anggota keluarga terbaru. Semua orang merayakan, mereka bahkan bilang pasangan itu diam-diam melahirkan anak kedua tanpa diketahui siapa pun. Tidak ada yang pernah terpikir kalau kau anak angkat."
Bibi Kedua berhenti sejenak lalu melanjutkan, "Setelah pertemuan itu, kakak laki-laki tidak bersosialisasi dengan kami sering karena tidak tinggal dekat. Orang-orang dewasa berkumpul minimal 10 kali setahun, tapi kami jarang kesempatan melihatmu atau kakakmu. Kami baru lebih sering bergaul setelah kakak laki-laki dan istrinya pindah kembali ke rumah besar Keluarga Xing. Kapanpun kami menyebutmu, orang tuamu selalu bilang kau pendiam dan main sendirian di halaman belakang karena tidak suka bergaul. Seiring waktu, kami tidak punya kesan mendalam tentangmu, apalagi meragukan latar belakangmu."
Nian Xiaomu semakin ragu setelah Bibi Kedua selesai berbicara.
Akan jadi perbuatan baik jika mereka hanya mengangkat anak.
Tapi kenapa orang tua angkatnya menyembunyikannya dari saudara-saudaranya?
Akan masuk akal jika mereka lakukan itu untuk melindunginya dari diasingkan anggota Keluarga Xing, tapi dia merasa hal ini tidak sebatas itu.
"Kalau kalian jarang melihatku, lalu dari mana kalian tahu orang tua angkatku lebih sayang padaku daripada Xing Li?"
Bibi Kedua panik mendengar pertanyaan itu.
"Perlu ditanya? Semua orang di Keluarga Xing tahu!"
"…"
"Sejak kau lahir, kakak laki-laki dan istrinya tidak terlalu fokus pada bisnis dan sebagian besar waktu tinggal di rumah menemanimu. Bahkan kalau kakak laki-laki pergi kerja, kakak ipar perempuan tetap dekat di sisimu!"
Bibi Kedua sepertinya teringat sesuatu dan lanjut, "Semua makanan dan kebutuhanmu produk kelas atas impor dari luar negeri. Ada saat aku berkunjung ke rumah besar setahun lalu dan kebetulan melihat kakak laki-laki bawa kotak besar. Aku penasaran dia beli apa dan intip isi paketnya. Ternyata semuanya barang bayi, beberapa bahkan belum pernah kulihat. Aku diam-diam foto dan cari di internet—baru tahu itu barang kelas atas khusus pesanan."
"…"
"Bukan cuma itu, kau belajar di rumah sejak kecil. Kudengar gurumu dibayar mahal setiap pelajaran! Orang lain tidak mampu sewa satu guru, tapi orang tuamu menyewa beberapa sekaligus! Pikirkan sendiri—siapa yang akan curiga kau anak angkat kalau kakak laki-laki dan istrinya memperlakukanmu begitu baik?" tanya Bibi Kedua dengan ekspresi jahat.
Mendengar semua hal tentang dirinya masa kecil, Nian Xiaomu mengepalkan tangan dan bertanya cemas, "Kalian tidak pernah tanya kenapa orang tua angkatku memperlakukui begitu istimewa?"
"Orang tuamu kaya dan mampu memperlakukan anak-anak mereka baik, apa yang ditanya? Tapi aku sempat tanya sekali dari rasa penasaran kenapa gadis sepertimu butuh pelajaran begitu banyak hal. Kalau mereka tidak sewa guru privat untukmu, Keluarga Xing bisa buka perusahaan lain dengan uang yang tersisa."
Bibi Kedua tenggelam dalam kenangan dan baru bicara lagi setelah merenung sejenak.
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“… What question?” All the members of the Xing Family were stunned when they heard what she said.
“In the beginning, all of you said that I was a daughter of the Xing Family, but you guys changed your minds afterward and said that I was adopted. What exactly happened?” Nian Xiaomu sat on a shabby looking chair in the living room and spoke slowly.
When they heard this, the second uncle and aunt of the Xing Family looked each other in the eyes.
They remained silent for over 10 seconds.
After that, the second aunt could not hold it in any longer and was the first to speak out.
“My elder brother and sister-in-law didn’t stay together with us previously, and we did not get together often either. They gave us money every month, so we naturally did not want to disturb them after receiving their money. However, no matter how poor we were, it was necessary to have a huge gathering annually or at least once every two to three years. At that time, you were still an infant and very small in size. Elder brother and his wife brought you along and said that you were the latest addition to the family. Everyone was celebrating, and they even said that the couple silently popped out a second child without anyone knowing. It had never once crossed anyone’s mind that you were adopted.”
The second aunt paused in her words and then continued, “After that reunion, elder brother did not socialize with us that often since he did not live near us. The adults would get together at least 10 times a year, but we didn’t have many chances to see you or your sister. All of us only mingled more often after elder brother and sister-in-law moved back to the Xing Family mansion. Whenever we mentioned you, your parents always said that you were an introvert and that you would play alone in the backyard because you did not like to interact with others. As time passed, we didn’t have a very deep impression of you, let alone have doubts about your background.”
Nian Xiaomu grew even more doubtful after the second aunt finished speaking.
It would be a kind act if they had simply adopted a child.
Yet, why did her adoptive parents hide it from their brothers?
It would sound reasonable if they did this to protect her from being ostracized by members of the Xing Family, but she felt that things were not that simple.
“Since you did not see me very often, then how did you know that my adoptive parents doted on me more than Xing Li?”
The second aunt panicked when she heard this.
“Is there a need to ask this question? Everyone in the Xing Family was aware of this!”
“…”
“Ever since you were born, elder brother and his wife did not really put much focus on their business and stayed at home most of the time to accompany you. Even if elder brother went to work, elder sister-in-law would stay close by your side!”
The second aunt seemed to have remembered something and continued, “All of your food and necessities were top grade products that were imported from overseas. There was a time when I visited the mansion one year and just happened to see elder brother carrying in a huge box. I was curious about what he had bought and took a peek inside the package. It turned out that everything inside was baby products, some of which I had never seen before. I secretly took a picture and searched them up on the internet—that’s how I knew they were top grade goods that were specially custom-made.”
“…”
“Not only this, you were home-schooled ever since you were young. I heard that your teachers were paid hefty sums for every lesson they taught! Others could not even afford to hire one teacher, but your parents hired a few of them all at once! Think about it yourself—who would have suspected that you were adopted when elder brother and sister-in-law treated you so well?” asked the second aunt with a mean expression.
When Nian Xiaomu heard all these things about herself when she was young, she clenched her fist and asked anxiously, “Didn’t you ever ask why my adoptive parents treated me so exceptionally well?”
“Since your parents were rich and could afford to treat their children nicely, what was there to ask? However, I did ask them once out of curiosity why a girl like you needed to take lessons for so many things. If they did not hire private tutors for you, the Xing Family could have opened up another company with the money saved.”
The second aunt sank into her memories and only spoke again after pondering for a while.
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