The fact that the question was so bluntly asked surprised even Madam Ru.

She had been in the capital for too long, and the words she spoke were always carefully considered in her mind, often roundabout and circuitous. Obviously, this straightforward approach was not something she was used to all at once.

Fu Man'er looked at her, waiting for her answer.

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“You are my child. When you were first born, I felt like I had only seen you a few times and hadn’t seen you enough. Later, when I saw you again, you were already so big.”

Lady Ru's gaze became distant, as if she were recalling the little baby from more than a decade ago.

“You were this big back then,” she said, gesturing as she spoke.

"You cried loudly as soon as you were born, and your face turned red from crying. I was so worried. The midwife said it was normal and that it was good for the baby to cry."

"After that, you stopped crying for a while and lay quietly next to me without making a sound. You just closed your eyes and fell asleep. If I didn't look at you, I would forget you existed."

“I was thinking, why is this child so quiet? Could something have happened? So I kept touching you, which woke you up several times and made you cry loudly.”

"When I saw you crying, I clumsily tried to comfort you."

Recalling what happened back then, Lady Ru didn't know whether to cry or laugh about her ignorance.

It feels like just yesterday that she was clumsy, yet it also feels like a long time ago—so long ago that it feels like a dream.

Fu Man'er listened quietly without interrupting her.

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"Look at you now, you're taller than me. You were just a little baby back then, and you've grown so tall all of a sudden. It's amazing how fast you've grown."

These past ten years have been a period she completely missed.

Therefore, Lady Ru earnestly held Fu Man'er's hand and said, "Child, it's not easy to find you. How can a mother let her child suffer outside?"

Fu Man'er frowned slightly. "You should have asked around about me. I haven't suffered any hardship all these years."

She was the little tyrant of the village when she was a child, and she became the little tyrant of the Xu family when she grew up. She lived a carefree, happy, and content life.

"You know I inquired about you?" Lady Consort looked at her in disbelief; she had always had her trusted confidants do this.

"The people of the Xu family are far more loyal than you think." So when someone went around inquiring, someone reported it to Fu Man'er.

She knew the purpose behind it, which is why she had someone tell others.

Madam Ru's eyes darkened slightly. She hadn't expected such a powerful disciplinary method to exist in such a small place as the countryside. At this moment, she began to doubt the veracity of the information she had gathered.

Fu Man'er saw through her thoughts, "But don't worry, what they said is true, not just the servants of the Xu family, but also the people in the village, or anyone who knows the Xu family."

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“They all know that the Xu family has treated me very, very well. You can also see that I haven’t suffered at all.”

Whether a person is doing well or not can actually be seen from their eyes.

How could someone like Madam Ru, who frequently interacted with high-ranking officials and wealthy families in the capital, not see this?

Fu Man'er was living a much better life than she had imagined; her clear and pure eyes were unmatched in the capital.

This kind of girl was pampered and spoiled by her family from a young age.

She had checked Fu Man'er's food, clothing, and daily necessities, and found them to be top-notch for this small town.

She asked herself honestly, if Fu Man'er had grown up by her side since she was little, she might not have been able to develop such discerning eyes.

Because her surroundings didn't allow it.

Therefore, Madam Ru had to admit that the Xu family had really raised Fu Man'er very well, to the point that she was a little jealous.

“I know you’ve had a good life all these years, and the Xu family has treated you very well, but you didn’t know you had a mother like this before.”

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"Now that I've found you, how can I bear to let you stay here any longer?"

Madam Ru spoke with a slight agitation, because she could tell that Fu Man'er didn't want to stay by her side; she still longed for the Xu family.

"There's nothing wrong with this place. I grew up here and I love it. It's laid-back and carefree. Perhaps a place like the capital wouldn't suit me."

Madam Ru knew what she was talking about and quickly made a promise.

“It’s alright. If you don’t like dealing with people in the capital, I’ll arrange a courtyard for you. I’ll also look after the bookstore you want to open, and I’ll have someone set up a dye shop for you if you want to open one.”

It seems that Madam Ru's investigation was indeed very thorough; she even found out about the cloth shop.

“Besides me, there’s your uncle. He’s the governor, and the emperor relies on him a lot. We can both ensure you live a good life in the capital.”

Lady Ru was very eager to keep Fu Man'er by her side.

She told me all the benefits of returning to the capital with her. Indeed, although Fu Man'er could not compare to a princess or a noblewoman after returning to the capital, she had a marquis's mansion and the support of the governor.

In the capital, you can walk around freely without any problem, if not with impunity.

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After patiently listening to Madam Ru finish speaking, Fu Man'er finally asked, "What if I don't want to go back with you?"

"You don't want to? Why don't you want to?" Which girl wouldn't be tempted by such a condition?

"Are you reluctant to leave the Xu family?"

"Don't worry, the Xu family has raised you for so many years, I won't treat them badly. Those who deserve promotions will be promoted, and I will also provide them with some security in their business dealings."

"If you have any other requests, please let me know as well, as a way of thanking them."

"And I won't prevent them from letting you meet. You can meet anytime you want."

This last point was a concession that Lady Ru had thought about for a long time before making, entirely so that her daughter could happily return to the capital with her.

"What you said is all very good, but I still don't want to go back to the capital with you." Fu Man'er sat up straight, looking at Madam Ru with a determined gaze.

“I have gotten used to life here, and you have gotten used to life in the capital. Over the years, we have lived peacefully and well.”

"So it's enough that we know we exist. Life will continue as usual, and we'll both be fine."

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To be honest, she even felt that she wasn't Lady Ru's daughter, but just a little koi fish that had returned to its original form.

After hearing her words, the Lady Consort clenched her hands, which were resting on her knees, into tight fists. Only the lady-in-waiting beside her knew that the Lady Consort was trying her best to restrain herself from flying into a rage.

“Miss, Madam is also longing for her daughter. I hope you can understand Madam as a mother. Being a mother is not easy for anyone in the world.”

"What mother would want her daughter to be left to wander outside?"

"My wife has thought of you for so many years and finally found you. How can we be separated from you again?"

As she spoke, the lady-in-waiting couldn't help but wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She had been by Lady Ru's side for many years and naturally knew the hardships involved.

Fu Man'er's face was all scrunched up like a little bun. She rested her chin on her hand on the stone table and looked at the concubine who was crying her eyes out and the female official who kept wiping away her tears.

The little girl felt once again that growing up was quite difficult, and she apologized for her childhood thought that being a human child was hard.

Ah, if only she were a little koi fish at this moment, just puffing out her cheeks, blowing bubbles, counting bubbles, and wagging her tail.

While shedding tears, Lady Ru secretly glanced at Fu Man'er's expression and saw that she was not only unmoved, but also staring blankly at one spot, clearly lost in thought.

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She was already feeling upset, and now she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Wow, why is my life so miserable?" For some reason, Lady Ru suddenly cried out. At first, she cried with tears streaming down her face, but later the tears flowed like a spring.

She was crying so hard that the lady-in-waiting didn't even bother to wipe her own tears, frantically trying to comfort her mistress.

Fu Man'er was stunned. It turned out that whether it was a noble lady or an ordinary person, when they cried loudly, you could see their throat.