Well this makes everything much more clear through implication. And I'm starting to get an image of why Mu Xiaoen has such unhappy feelings associated with her little brother, since it seems very likely now that he's her bio brother, grew up with their bio parents, and likely suffered in the way she would have had her real parents not adopted her away from that family. This would also explain why he's clingy and desperate for affection to both her and her parents.
Dunno yet what sort of darkness exists in Xiaoyang's parents that led to this situation. They seem to have money, so it's unlikely to be severe poverty or something individually debilitating. There's a number of very dark turns the author could take in this arc but hopefully we focus more on Xiaoyang and Xiaoen reconciling instead of detailing his suffering too much. That kid feels like he needs it.
We do not yet know enough about his family, or even whether he and Xiaoen are biologically related (as Kat pointed out, the form of address itself does not necessarily mean familial relation). However, as pure speculation, if Xiaoyang's parents were the ones to give Xiaoen up for adoption, it could be because of the one-child policy, specifically because they wanted a son (this would also raise interesting questions pertaining to previous speculation about Xiaoyang's gender). Both Xiaoen and Xiaoyang would fall under the policy's provisions, based on their age.
The policy was never as restrictive as commonly depicted in western media, in fact, only around a third of the population was actually subject to having a single child. Two thirds of the population, mostly the rural segments, had the right to have two children in case the first one was a daughter and numerous other exemptions were granted.
If Xiaoen's biological parents were urban dwellers, however, they had a fair chance of falling under that third of the populace that was restricted to only a single child.
Mentioned in an earlier chapter and again in this chapter. It's not a major moment. It's mentioned in passing and is part of Yunduo's early motivations for "protecting" Xiaoen.
Found it again, if you want it: chapter 32.
This could be the reason why Xiaoen's parents are not glad to have Xiaoyang coming over and why Yunduo thinks he is making life difficult for them. Mrs Tao wanted her daughter to not be aware she was adopted. "She was more than eager for Xiaoen to be unable to remember that she was adopted..."
Of course, this is just pure speculation. Xiaoen and Xiaoyang might turn out to not even be related at all. That said, I personally lean towards them being related; otherwise it makes little narrative sense to include the flashback of Xiaoen discovering that letter right now, in the middle of the "Xiaoyang Arc". Plus, she explicitly confirms she was adopted, something that was only ever mentioned once before. I doubt it is just a coincidence it is being brought up now.
It could even potentially explain her animosity towards Xiaoyang. She knows that her adoptive family did not want her to know about her origins, which could lead to her perceiving Xiaoyang's visits as something that is hurting her adoptive parents (Yunduo's conversation with Xiaoyang implies that this is indeed the case).
last edited at Jul 13, 2024 3:01PM
2.jpg?1641781308)
