### Chapter 235: Who’s the Big Sister and Who’s the Little Sister?
As soon as they stepped off the car, Xia Ling couldn’t help but take Xia Yu’s tiny hand and walk with her, as if it was second nature.
Neither was Xia Ling sure when exactly she developed this habit of holding hands with close ones, but now, not doing so felt weird. Thus, naturally, she wouldn’t let go of her twin sister.
With Xia Ling leading Xia Yu by the hand, a little awkwardly in front, Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan followed closely behind. They intended to keep the two little troublemakers from getting lost.
Xia Hong sighed again, watching the two little girls’ backs ahead. He couldn’t find even a hint of boyish traits on his youngest son, regardless of how he searched.
Indeed, there was something not quite right in his young son’s mind. Xiao Ling knew this too.
While walking, the group reached a fork in the road. Xia Ling halted and glanced back at her father Xia Hong, “Dad, where are we headed next?”
You see, this time it was Xia Hong who suggested going out. The twins had no idea where they were headed. “Keep going straight ahead, I’ll head to the bank to withdraw some cash.” Xia Hong said.
Sure enough, since Xia Hong mentioned it, Xia Ling, being extremely familiar with the place, knew exactly what location he meant. So they carried on, Xia Yu trailing behind.
Oddly enough, despite the gloomy weather, back in town, Xia Yu and Xia Ling were still hot enough to fancy a swim.
Now, however, they felt the slight chill in the air.
Wang Wenjuan felt the cold too, proposing, “The weather is turning cooler. Why don’t we buy some coats for Xia Yu and Xia Ling?”
Jiang Kekai had been supporting the big expenditures in town, including their food allowance. So Xia Hong didn’t doubt that she hadn’t set aside any spare cash.
He agreed easily enough, “Alright, let’s pick up some veggies after buying whatever Xia Yu and Xia Ling need.”
Xia Hong clearly realized how much of his comfortable life depended on this son. If not for Xia Yu, he probably wouldn’t have the time to relax.
Recalling Jiang Bin’s proposal, Xia Hong felt a migraine coming. He guessed Jiang Bin would never give his daughter to suffer elsewhere. It had to be arranged for Xia Yu to marry into the Jiang family.
If Xia Yu could live happily ever after in the Jiang household, then why not?
However, Xia Hong vividly remembered how Jiang Heng, Xia Ling’s grandpa, denied Xia Yu any medical treatment. So Xia Hong surmised Jiang Heng had deep-rooted issues with Xia Yu. Sending Xia Yu over would only bring troubles and danger.
And there was also the matter of everyone in the village knowing eventually whether Xia Yu married into the Jiang family.
Though Xia Hong knew these were all future matters, he couldn’t stop himself from contemplating them. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle his son’s situation one day.
They soon arrived at the bank.
Next, it was Xia Hong’s turn to withdraw cash at the ATM while Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and their mom, Wang Wenjuan, waited outside.
Lo and behold, nothing had changed in just four months; the streets looked exactly the same. Horns blared out local dialects to attract customers.
When Wang Wenjuan saw Xia Yu deep in thought, she took interest. Whispering in Xia Yu’s ear, “Xia Yu, what are you so engrossed in?”
Xia Yu started, stuttered, and then lied, “N-nothing.”
Xia Ling and Wang Wenjuan knew Xia Yu had fibbed again. Her acting skills sucked.
In fact, Xia Yu was indeed deep in thought. She was remembering their first meeting with Jiang Kekai. If not for that encounter followed by the kidnapping, she might never have seen Kekai again.
Therefore, Xia Yu now reminisced about those moments and missed Jiang Kekai. She wondered how her Little Ning was doing and hoped she was thinking of her too.
Knowing Xia Yu’s penchant for fibbing, Wang Wenjuan and Xia Ling refrained from prying. They respected Xia Yu’s boundaries.
So, Wang Wenjuan simply rubbed Xia Yu’s head affectionately, finding her smoother than ever. She believed Xia Yu looked even cuter up close than before.
Just as Wang Wenjuan prepared to say something to Xia Yu and Xia Ling, Xia Hong returned with a plan, “Alright, let’s go. Get your shopping done and pick up some groceries.”
Naturally, the first item on their list was a wedding gift for the close cousin getting married. Xia Yu and Xia Ling weren’t part of the immediate family, but the gift was still necessary to show respect.
After that, they went to buy Xia Yu and Xia Ling’s outerwear.
Xia Hong promptly brought the twins to a nearby clothing store. “Xiao Yu, Xiao Ling, it’s getting cool. Choose your preferred coat.”
Earlier, the sisters overheard a snippet of conversation between their parents and now accepted their father’s demeanor.
However, this made things tricky for Xia Yu. For some reason, she lost interest in black-and-white neutral-looking male jackets and couldn’t muster up the nerve to ask for cute girl ones, fearing criticism.
Xia Ling didn’t care though. Grinning, she dragged Xia Yu toward the girls’ section and picked out an array of coats hanging on display. “Little sister, which one do you like?”
Xia Yu felt embarrassed to answer. Noticing her father Xia Hong smoking outside, she sighed in relief.
The shop owner welcomed them warmly since they were cute twins. Even if they weren’t purchasing, a conversation wouldn’t bore anyone.
Sure enough, beauty held tremendous sway.
“How’s it going, little sister? Are you trying on coats? Which one caught your eye?”
Xia Ling, without hesitation, pointed at a hooded sweatshirt. “Can I try this one on?”
“Of course.”
Smiling, the shop owner retrieved the cute sweatshirt she’d picked and handed it to Xia Ling.
This sweatshirt was white below and red above, with a matching red hood. Overall, it was slightly unisex, clearly a female piece considering the label intact.
“What do you think? Should we get this for both of you and forget about outerwear?” Xia Ling asked, showing interest. Xia Yu examined it carefully; it seemed nice. “Okay.”
Despite that, Xia Yu worried her father wouldn’t agree. What if he insisted on buying the black-and-white stylish one?
Yet, Xia Yu’s fears were unfounded. At some point, both Wang Wenjuan and Xia Hong, who were smoking, stood just behind Xia Yu. Unfortunately, she failed to notice due to her lack of vigilance.
Thus, Xia Hong was privy to their entire chat.
He had no objections as the bright red shade of the sweatshirt matched the festive tone they preferred for Xia Yu and Xia Ling.
So, looking into the shop owner’s eyes, Xia Hong nodded, “Do you have more sizes for trials?”
“Absolutely! Try this one first. If it fits, I’ll grab identical unopened pieces.”
Xia Ling, without hesitation, grabbed the sweatshirt and thrust it onto Xia Yu’s head. “Take it!”
Xia Yu found Xia Ling’s playful antics amusing. With no choice, she complied, or she’d suffocate. The sweatshirt fit well, looking adorable on Xia Yu and making her feel snug.
But eventually, Xia Yu took it off. Mom Wang Wenjuan, aware of potential health hazards from used clothes, reminded Xia Yu it shouldn’t remain on too long.
Comprehending, the shop owner swiftly grabbed two more sealed packages and handed them to Xia Ling. “By the way, who’s the big sister here and who’s the little sister?”
Xia Ling, with much zeal, answered, “I’m the older sister, she’s the younger one.” Xia Yu stared in silence.
The shop owner agreed, noting Xia Ling had mostly conversed with her earlier, leaving Xia Yu relatively silent. Therefore, she likely concluded Xiao Ling was the older sibling and Xia Yu the shy one.
Hence, she replied, smiling, “Since you’re the big sister, make sure to look after your sister.” “Of course,” Xia Ling responded jubilantly.
Throughout the whole ordeal, neither Xia Hong nor Wang Wenjuan intervened; instead, they let Xia Ling handle it herself without reservations.
