thansk for the translations!!!
@sketchy333 it was actually mentioned but only briefly! it was during one of those long wall of texts where shes talking to the (absolutely cute!) hamster system. xiaozhen and zheen were switched at birth in the hospital and that became a contention point in the orginal novel during their college years but i guess it changed here?
@Axkmint its just like what sketchy333 said that its a whole lotta cultural thing. im not chinese, mind you, but i am asian, and blood relations are a big thing! of course, adoption is a thing too (esp since i have family members that adopted) but having blood related kids is seen as way better since it continues the blood line, brings name to the family, blah blah blah. thats actually the reason why adoption is seen as a last resort, if pregnancy is just not viable. its more so economics and lineage than anything else, but in very traditionalist countries like china and japan, blood relations are really really important. thats why mistresses and wedlock children are bad news for a family bc it means: 1. infidelity which a no no nowadays compared to some practices back then; and 2. more competition for who will inherit the family name and wealth. thats why theres a lot of dramas that feature this "switched at birth, real children are blood children" storylines in dramas in east and southeast asia 😬