308. Perhaps, she should also adapt to local customs.

Lin Fu stared blankly at Li Yuniang.

This strong, capable woman, whom she once saw as invincible, seems to have had her edges worn down by life.

Perhaps due to the limitations of the times, they all believed that marriage was the only path a woman could choose.

If a woman's reputation is ruined and she can't get married, she might as well be dead.

But she didn't agree; she didn't agree at all.

She wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, and said, "I won't get married! Even if I'm alone for the rest of my life, I won't marry someone who doesn't understand me or support me!"

The second brother thought for a while, feeling that the conversation seemed familiar.

His eyes lit up as he remembered the standard answer: "Then, then you can find a male concubine! That way, you won't have to get married, and you'll still have someone to keep you company. Your mother won't have to worry about you being a lonely widow for the rest of your life. Isn't that great!"

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Li Yuniang was stunned, and Lin Fuman was also stunned.

The little dumpling nodded: "That's right, that's right! The moon can stay with Sister Fufu forever! And Little Cloud, Little Cloud thinks so too!"

After a long while, Li Yuniang finally came to her senses: "How can this be? This is..."

She wanted to say that this was unchaste and deserving of being drowned in a pig cage, and that she would be infamous for eternity.

But then she felt lost again.

Is this mistake really that serious?

Isn't this just like a man hiring a concubine or going to a brothel?

Why would someone who is praised for their romantic nature end up being killed simply because their gender is reversed?

She remained silent for a long time, then looked at Lin Fuman, sighed, and her tone lost its previous sternness: "Mother knows that you are a kind-hearted and brave child, and that you want to fight for something for other women. Mother is proud of you, really."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. She reached out and touched Lin Fuman's face: "Mother isn't trying to stop you from doing good deeds. Mother is just too scared. I'm scared that something will happen to you, scared that I'll lose you. It's really too dangerous. You'll become the target of everyone's hatred, a thorn in the side of those men. Mother doesn't dare to gamble, I can't afford to gamble."

Lin Fuman looked at her mother's red, swollen eyes and felt a pang in her heart.

Gradually, she also began to reflect.

Was I being too extreme?

There must be a reason for the existence of such a social situation, right?

Moreover, what can she change on her own?

If she insists on going her own way, it seems that besides making those who care about her worry about her, it will have no other effect.

Perhaps she should adapt to local customs and take things as they come.

Her previous stubbornness gradually dissipated. She remained quiet for a long time before gently nodding: "...Okay, Mother, I'll listen to you, live a good life, and not take that risk."

Li Yuniang hugged her tightly, her tears falling even more fiercely: "Being safe and sound is better than anything else."

The little dumpling stood there blankly, listening to Lin Fuman and Li Yuniang's words. Her heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton, feeling heavy and uncomfortable. She couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but she just felt a tightness in her chest.

She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know what to say.

Seeing that the children were in low spirits, Li Yuniang wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "You guys play here for a while, I'll go make you something nice to eat."

With that, he turned and went into the kitchen, leaving the three children in the house.

The second brother, carefree and not dwelling on what had just happened, immediately perked up upon hearing about the delicious food: "Yay! By the way, shall we play some games?"

Lin Fuman, however, showed little interest. She shook her head, sat down in her chair, and looked somewhat vacant.

The little dumpling didn't respond. Instead, it sat down next to Lin Fuman, rested its chin on its hand, and also started to daydream.

Only the second brother wandered around the room. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he lost interest, scratched his head, and sat down without saying a word.

After a long silence, Lin Fuman spoke softly, her voice low: "Yue'er, do you think I'll have to live like the women of this era, with only one choice for my whole life: to get married and have children?"

The little dumpling looked up at her and shook her head: "Yue'er doesn't know... but Yue'er doesn't want Sister Fufu to be like this."

She felt that Sister Fufu should be like a free bird, doing whatever she wanted and going wherever she wanted.

Sister Fufu is different.

And she... was like that too.

The little dumpling seemed to be realizing for the first time, in a blur, what choice meant and what it meant to have the power to choose.

"I didn't want to either," Lin Fuman sighed.

Her eyes were full of confusion: "I don't want to marry a stranger I don't love, or even a complete stranger I've never met."

"I don't want to endure my husband having multiple wives and concubines."

"I don't want to be trapped in the backyard forever, having one baby after another."

"I don't want to just hope my husband will come to see me more often and rely on his pampering to get by."

"Even after I got married, I no longer had my own name. People would call me Madam So-and-so, or Mrs. Lin."

"Even my husband and my children won't remember my name."

"After marriage, all the things I did and the credit I earned before will be attributed to my husband. At most, I can only receive an imperial decree."

"Moreover, I don't want to go to that kind of place. If I have a difficult childbirth, whether I can survive or not will depend on that man."

"And I don't even have the right to choose to save myself."

“I dislike the idea that after marriage, my husband owns me and I become his property.”

“He can punish me at will, even kill me, and the law might even choose to protect him.”

"And if I were to retaliate, I would be committing an unforgivable crime, a heinous crime, and would have to be executed."

"Throughout her life, she was a daughter, a wife, and a mother."

"Always an appendage of others, never yourself."

"...Is this where I'm destined for life?"

The little dumpling listened, but didn't quite understand.

But she knew that what Sister Fufu was talking about wasn't just her future, but the future of all girls.

She felt even more depressed, and her eyes reddened a little: "Yue'er doesn't want to... Yue'er doesn't want to grow up to be like this. Yue'er wants to be like a boy, to be able to go out and play, to be able to do what she wants to do. Yue'er also wants to sell small inventions with Sister Fufu and go out to play together."

“But we are women,” Lin Fu said, her eyes vacant. “My mother said that this is a woman’s fate. Perhaps only a very few women can escape this destiny.”

Perhaps Little Moon and the little princess are lucky enough to escape this fate.

But as Li Yuniang said, even if they don't keep male lovers, or even if they simply don't get married, their reputation will definitely not be good.

But at least, they are still themselves.

And what about her?

Lin Fu wondered if, when she grew up, she would also gradually compromise from being a staunch rebel and follow the same fate.

Lin Fuman felt a complete blank in her mind.

She has no past and no future.

She used to love this world because she had family and friends.

Now, she's starting to doubt herself.

She was here, and before she even had a chance to grow up, she was already caught up in the pain of growing up.

Is this world really as good as she imagined?

She doesn't seem to like it here anymore.

She wanted to leave.

How should I leave?

She traveled here after she died, so shouldn't she die again?

The little dumpling looked at Lin Fuman with concern, sensing that something seemed off about her.

The second brother sat beside them, listening to the two girls' conversation. He frowned, scratched his head, and said, "But I think that whether it's a man or a woman, they can do what they want to do! I think my mother is amazing, no less capable than a man!"

But these words did not cheer Lin Fuman and Xiao Tuanzi up; the two remained sullen.

Li Yuniang finished making the pastries and brought them to the table. She also cooked some millet porridge and said with a smile, "Come and eat, it's fresh out of the pot and still warm. Have some to warm yourself up."

The three children went over and sat down. The second brother picked up a pastry, took a big bite, and sweet red bean paste flowed out: "Delicious!"

Li Yuniang said with a smile, "Eat more if you like it, there's more in the pot."

But Lin Fuman and Xiao Tuanzi didn't have much of an appetite.

Li Yuniang saw this but didn't ask any questions. She simply patted Lin Fuman's hand gently and didn't mention the previous incident again.

After finishing her meal, the little girl looked at the sky and said, "Sister Fufu, Aunt Li, Yue'er should go home now, or her mother will worry."

Lin Fu nodded and saw her to the door, holding her hand: "Little Moon, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm just a little down, but I'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't take what I said to heart. You will definitely have a bright future."