130. A true hero

Lin Lingrong looked at the fish in the water, her gaze following the direction the little dumpling was pointing.

Lin Fuman stuffed a few candies into the little dumpling's hand. Just as the little dumpling was about to happily put them in her mouth, Lin Fuman poked her and then looked at Lin Lingrong.

The little dumpling understood.

It wasn't for her to eat; it was for the older sister to feed the fish.

She then stuffed the candy into Lin Lingrong's hand: "Big sister, candy to feed the fish and ducks."

Lin Lingrong took it, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and threw the candy into the lake, watching the fish scramble for it.

A large red carp suddenly leaped out of the water, splashing water that wet the sleeves of three children.

The little dumpling and Lin Fu laughed happily, and Lin Lingrong's lips also curved slightly.

Behind him, Duke Anguo stared blankly at the rare scene of the sisters getting along so harmoniously.

Qu Zijin said softly, "Lord Duke, do you think this is exactly the auspicious omen?"

Duke Anguo remained silent, his expression complex.

Li Yuniang glanced at them and realized they had something to say.

So she gave Gan Fanggui a wink and led the bewildered Gan Fanggui to the children.

Li Yuniang bent down, smiled and said gently, "Children, shall we go play in that pavilion over there for a while? There are lots of flowers there."

"Okay, okay!" The little dumpling immediately raised its hand in agreement.

Next was Lin Fuman.

Gan Fanggui stepped forward, took Lin Lingrong's hand, and said, "Lingrong's flower wreaths are so pretty, aren't they?"

"Really? Big sister can also make flower wreaths, Yue'er wants to see!" The little dumpling looked at Lin Lingrong with bright eyes.

Lin Lingrong, feeling a little shy under her admiring gaze, pursed her lips and said, "...Okay."

Seeing the children walk away with the two ladies, Qu Zijin turned to the Duke of Anguo: "Duke, may I have a word with you in private?"

Duke Anguo also withdrew his gaze: "Alright."

The two strolled slowly along the pebble path beside the pond.

Duke Anguo casually broke off a branch: "Grand Tutor Qu, please speak freely."

"I apologize for the intrusion," Qu Zijin stopped and looked at the three sisters squatting by the flower bushes in the distance, "Look how well they are playing."

Duke Anguo followed his gaze.

Lin Fuman was carefully putting a pink flower on Lin Lingrong's head, while the little dumpling clapped its hands beside her to create a lively atmosphere.

Gan Fanggui and Li Yuniang stood side by side, occasionally bowing their heads to exchange a few words.

“No matter what, the child is innocent,” Qu Zijin said softly. “Whatever grudges the adults have, they should not involve the child.”

With a forceful pull, the tree branch snapped in two: "Is Grand Tutor Qu accusing me of mistreating my children?"

"...I wouldn't dare."

Qu Zijin originally wanted to say "yes", but after several years in officialdom and having spent some time with the shrewd Wei Xiuming and Xie Wenling, he became much more tactful.

He then said, "It's just that Miss Lin always seems so timid and fearful, not like a seven-year-old child."

A moment of silence.

“Gan Shi…” Duke Anguo suddenly began, then paused.

Qu Zijin, ever the perceptive one, replied, "I've heard that Madam is your lawfully wedded wife."

"So what?" Duke Anguo's voice was muffled. "If it weren't for Father's insistence back then..."

“But Madam herself is not at fault, is she?” Qu Zijin interrupted gently. “It wasn’t her choice to marry you; it was your father and her family who forced you two into marriage.”

Duke Anguo irritably shook the broken branch in his hand: "Is Grand Tutor Qu here today as a persuader?"

"I just feel it's a pity," Qu Zijin said, looking into the distance. Lin Fuman was holding the little dumpling's hand, and the little dumpling was spinning around on the grass with Lin Lingrong's hand. "Look, how much Miss Lin likes her older sister. Wouldn't it be a pity if the sisters became estranged because of the adults?"

Duke Anguo stared at the branch he had thrown away on the ground for a long time before saying, "Fufu wasn't like this before... ever since she fell into the water, she's like a completely different person."

“Children’s temperaments are often fickle,” Qu Zijin smiled. “Perhaps this illness has taught her something. Why doesn’t Your Excellency take this opportunity to bring harmony to the family?”

A clear, crisp laugh came from afar.

The three little girls were playing some game, and Lin Lingrong even showed a rare smile.

Duke Anguo looked somewhat dazed: "I already wronged them by making Yu Niang a concubine and Fu Fu a concubine's daughter..."

"Daddy!" Lin Fuman suddenly ran over, her little face flushed. "Sister promised to teach me how to make flower wreaths!"

She tugged at Duke Anguo's sleeve: "Father, would you like to come too?"

Duke Anguo glanced at Qu Zijin subconsciously, only to find the other man looking at him with a smile.

He coughed lightly and let his daughter pull him forward.

Qu Zijin followed slowly behind.

He saw Li Yuniang helping Gan Fanggui sit down on the stone bench, and she even thoughtfully put a soft cushion under her. Gan Fanggui thanked her softly.

"Grand Tutor!" The little dumpling suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tugging at his clothes with her tiny hand. "Grand Tutor, come play too!"

Qu Zijin bent down and picked up the three-year-old toddler, saying softly, "Okay, what do you want to play?"

"Let's go catch butterfly ducks!" Little Dumpling said.

Her little face was flushed, and there were beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, indicating that she had been chasing after him for a while.

Qu Zijin put her down again: "Okay, let's go play then."

The warm sunlight shone on everyone and slanted into the pavilion.

Lin Lingrong lowered her head, her slender fingers skillfully wrapping flowers around the branches.

Lin Fuman squatted down beside her, her little hand supporting her cheek, her eyes fixed on her movements.

"Sister, is it alright to put this little purple flower here?" Lin Fuman gently pushed a small flower over, her voice filled with cautious anticipation.

Lin Lingrong's fingers paused.

Normally, by this time, Lin Fuman would have snatched the flowers from her hand or deliberately scattered the petals all over the ground.

She quietly raised her eyes and met her sister's bright, sparkling eyes—eyes filled with sincerity, without a trace of her former arrogance.

“…Mmm.” Lin Lingrong finally responded softly, took the small flower and carefully pinned it to the wreath.

"Great!" Lin Fu cheered, turning around and waving to the little dumpling who was chasing butterflies. "Little Moon, come and see! Big sister used the flower I chose!"

Her sleeve slipped down with her movement, revealing the red dot on her hand.

The little dumpling had been playing wildly for a while and was exhausted. It staggered over and, without standing properly, fell into Lin Fu's arms.

Lin Lingrong instinctively caught her, but saw the little girl staring blankly at the red dot on her hand: "Sister Fufu, what happened to your hand..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lingrong looked down at Lin Fuman's hand, which bore burn marks.

Lin Fuman didn't care at all: "Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"But it looks so painful!" The little dumpling leaned over and blew on it. "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, I'll fly away from pain."

"It's really nothing, it's nothing." Lin Fuman patted the little dumpling's head with her other hand.

She genuinely didn't care; after all, she wasn't a five-year-old child.

Besides, what kind of suffering didn't she endure in her past life?

The orphanage was not able to support her until she finished nine years of compulsory education. She wanted to go to high school, earn tuition fees, and survive, so she had to work hard on her own.

She was too young at the time, so no legitimate job would hire her, and she quickly ran away from any irregular job.

As a result, she could only find odd jobs here and there.

Sitting on a small stool, bending over and scrubbing dishes for hours, handing out flyers outside for hours in the sweltering summer heat, collecting bottles to sell for money...

When you're sick, you can only endure it on your own. When you're starving, you sneak into restaurants to eat what the customers leave behind. In the dead of winter, when you're freezing, you rummage through trash cans for old cotton-padded clothes that other people have thrown away...

But Lin Fuman remained optimistic, and she met many kind people along the way.

Finally, she saved enough money to attend the high school she had always dreamed of.

However, she died suddenly before she could finish reading it, and thus came into this world.

Despite the original owner's numerous misdeeds, she still felt that this world was still a good place.

Because there are people who love her here, she finally has family, and finally someone loves her.

She was no longer alone, and she no longer had to suffer from hunger.

The little dumpling in front of her had watery eyes and was looking at her with concern.

Lin Fu hugged her with a big smile: "Really, don't worry, I'm very strong, this little injury is nothing to worry about."

The little dumpling looked up at her with its little face, feeling that Sister Fufu was like a hero, just like its second brother.

No, she's even more like a knight-errant than her second brother!

---

A note from the author:

It's August 17th now, and chapters 113-124 have all been updated. The content and character settings have changed quite a bit, so readers who read this before August 16th might consider reading it again.

I'm so sorry for affecting the adults' reading experience.

And, I would like to thank all the readers who have accompanied the author this far; I am truly grateful.

Thank you for not disliking me and for staying with me all this time.

I met many kind readers who supported and encouraged me.

I might have some things to take care of for a while and won't be able to check the comments every day. Please leave your suggestions for the original female lead's character development in the comments section on the article's homepage; I'll check them from time to time.

Thank you again for your companionship, whether you've been there silently or offered words of encouragement. It's all precious to me. Thank you.