The old woman was so disgusted she almost vomited. "Who! Doesn't want to live anymore!"
She was furious and wanted to turn back and find the culprit who had tricked her.
But when she turned around, she found the courtyard empty, with no one else besides her and Lin Yang'er.
Hiding in the corner, Baili Wanwan thought to herself, "Serves you right! Serves you right for bullying a child!"
When the old woman saw the empty courtyard behind her, she froze for a moment, her eyes filled with confusion and a strange sense of panic.
The wind blew on her wet body, and she couldn't help but shiver.
At the same time, she realized what was happening and, looking at the empty yard and the unmoved slop bucket in the corner, fear gradually filled her eyes.
"A ghost...there's a ghost!!"
She screamed, then fled the yard in terror.
Without the old woman's beatings and scoldings, Lin Yang'er sobbed twice, then silently wiped away her tears.
She saw what just happened.
But she wasn't so afraid. Instead, she muttered to herself, "It must be the gods in heaven who heard my daily prayers, which is why I'm spared from the nanny's beatings and scoldings..."
At that moment, Baili Wanwan also walked into the courtyard.
Looking at the pitiful young woman, she asked with some concern, "Are you alright, miss?"
The gentle voice startled Lin Yang'er.
Only when she saw who it was did a hint of surprise appear in her timid eyes.
She had never seen such a beautiful child before. His slightly curly hair was as smooth as seaweed, his eyes were round, bright and beautiful, and his small nose and pink lips were like those of a celestial child.
"Just now...did you save me?" Lin Yang'er asked cautiously, her lips pursed in surprise.
Baili Wanwan blinked her big, bright eyes, neither denying nor admitting it.
But Lin Yang'er firmly believed that Baili Wanwan was the savior who saved her.
No! It should be a fairy!
So when she saw Baili Wanwan, she was no longer afraid. Instead, she took the initiative to tell Baili Wanwan about her own story.
Lin Yang'er was originally the illegitimate daughter of Master Lin, who was brought back home for some reason.
However, because the mistress was jealous, she was never favored and was not raised as a young lady or a concubine's daughter. Instead, she was thrown into this side courtyard where only servants lived and suffered all kinds of humiliation.
Looking at Baili Wanwan, who was a little shorter than her, Lin Yang'er already regarded her as a fairy sister.
She gripped Wanwan's hand, sobbing, "Fairy sister, could you do Yang'er one more favor? Yang'er is so hungry! Yang'er hasn't had a proper meal in so long! Yang'er doesn't feel like eating anything, boohoo..."
Lin Yang'er's words immediately filled Baili Wanwan with pity.
"Don't be afraid, Miss, Wanwan will take you to eat something delicious!"
After saying that, she took Lin Yang'er's hand and walked outside.
After some stumbling and bumping, the two finally found the front hall.
The banquet had already begun, and Old Madam Lin was sending people to search for Wanwan.
"Grandma, Wanwan is here!"
Wanwan emerged from behind the crowd, and under the watchful eyes of many guests, she led another unfamiliar little girl toward Old Madam Lin.
Who are these two little girls?
"I don't know, I don't recognize them..."
"That younger child seems to be He Tong, whom Old Madam Lin found, and the other one..."
The guests looked at the two children and began to whisper among themselves.
In the crowd, when the matriarch, Madam Sun, saw clearly who Baili Wanwan was leading, her expression immediately changed.
The two walked up to Old Madam Lin.
"This is?"
Grandma Lin smiled and glanced at Baili Wanwan, then at the timid little girl hiding behind her, and asked in confusion.
Wanwan said, "I brought this older sister here to eat something delicious!"
Seeing this, Madam Sun's eyes darted around, and she hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Grandma, this is Yang'er. She doesn't see people very often..."
Although she didn't know the person, Old Madam Lin immediately recognized the name.
Before Old Madam Lin could say anything, Madam Sun had already put on the airs of a mistress, glaring at Baili Wanwan with some displeasure, and said in a deep voice, "You are Wanwan, aren't you?"
Wanwan looked up, glanced at Sun Shi with a puzzled expression, and nodded.
Madam Sun glared at her and said, "Children raised in fishing villages just don't know the rules. The old lady choosing you as the birthday boy is already a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. What do you think this place is! Bringing people here so casually and ruining the old lady's birthday celebration, can you take responsibility for that?!"
Sun Shi's cold treatment of Baili Wanwan wasn't just because Old Madam Lin treated Wanwan well; there was also a crucial reason: Sun Shi had brought Lin Yang'er, a person who was not worthy of being mentioned in public, into the spotlight.
In this way, Sun's idea of letting Lin Yang'er fend for herself is likely to be scrapped.
Lin Yang'er was so frightened by Sun's words that she dared not look up. She hid behind Baili Wanwan, clutching her clothes tightly, her eyes filled with unease and fear.
"Alright, they're just kids, what do they know?"
Old Madam Lin frowned and stopped Madam Sun in time.
"It's fate that the two children met. Let Yang'er also be a congratulatory child and stay by my side."
“Mother! This is unreasonable!” Upon hearing this, Madam Sun immediately tried to refute it.
But Old Madam Lin wouldn't allow her to question her; with just a sharp look, Madam Sun fell silent.
Little did Baili Wanwan know that her unintentional action would incite the petty and narrow-minded Sun Shi to harbor resentment ever since.
This little incident quickly passed, and the birthday banquet began amidst everyone's laughter and joy.
Baili Wanwan led Lin Yang'er to sit on the left side of Old Madam Lin, while Lin Lan sat on the right side.
Surrounded by her three children, Old Madam Lin was happier than ever before.
During the meal, Old Madam Lin asked Lin Yang'er a few questions, but Lin Yang'er shrank back and answered haltingly, with an air of naiveté on her face, and she wolfed down her food.
Old Madam Lin understood quite a bit after just one glance.
On the stage in the courtyard, the actors finished singing "Magu Presents Longevity" and then went down to rest.
The group began whispering amongst themselves and talking amongst themselves.
The two children were full, especially Lin Yang'er, who was so full she kept burping, but her hand kept clutching the hem of Baili Wanwan's clothes.
Seeing this, Old Madam Lin teased, "Wanwan, Yang'er likes you so much. Would you like to stay in the Lin family and be like her to a sister, keeping each other company and playing together?"
As soon as Old Madam Lin spoke, Lin Lan, who was sitting to her right, couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly said, "Great! I agree! This young master also hopes to have such a cute little sister..."
"Lan'er!"
Before Lin Lan could finish speaking, Madam Sun, standing to the side, turned cold and gestured to him with her eyes that he should not say anything more.
It's already distressing enough to have an eyesore of an illegitimate daughter living in this mansion, but to have a completely unrelated little beggar move in on top of that is like treating the Lin family mansion as a charity!
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