The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

By evening, Langhua was so exhausted that she could barely walk and had to be carried back by her maid.

Now, after reluctantly washing her hands, changing her clothes, and sitting down at the table, her ears couldn't help but burn.

She was really out of control today.

He's not a real three-year-old child, how could he...

Thinking this, she subconsciously straightened her back, held the small spoon, and carefully scooped the porridge herself, taking small sips to put it into her mouth.

It's one thing to lose one's composure during the day, but one should at least try to regain it now.

However, her body was too small, and after running and playing wildly, she had exhausted all her energy. Even though she wanted to stay awake, her eyelids wouldn't cooperate. After only two or three bites, she felt sleepiness creeping up on her in waves.

In a daze, it seemed as if I closed my eyes for a moment.

His body also became slightly crooked.

She quickly roused herself and sat up straight again.

Zhou Wanru was serving food to her two sons, but she was also keeping a close eye on her niece, not missing a single thing she did.

Zhou Wanru almost burst out laughing, but she managed to hold it back and only nudged Wang Rucheng lightly with her elbow.

Wang Rucheng followed her gaze and saw it too.

The child was probably very sleepy, but was too embarrassed to show his childlike side in front of others, so he was still forcing himself to stay awake.

His heart softened, and he put down his chopsticks, saying gently, "If Third Sister is sleepy, just eat a little less, it's alright."

Upon hearing this, Langhua quickly shook her head: "Second Uncle, I'm not sleepy."

I've just recovered from an illness, so I should be eating properly. There's no reason for me to just stop eating.

Moreover, everyone at the table was looking after her and watching her. If she really left the table because she was sleepy, wouldn't she look more like an ignorant little baby?

As she spoke, she scooped up another spoonful of porridge.

However, her little hands weren't very strong, and the spoon bumped against the edge of the bowl, almost spilling the porridge.

"Ouch!" Zhou Wanru couldn't hold back this time and quickly reached out to protect him. "My son, are you really going to fight over the rice porridge?"

The Wang brothers both laughed.

Langhua felt even hotter as several pairs of eyes stared at her.

Just as she was about to say that she could, Wang Rucheng gently took the small spoon from her hand.

"Alright." His voice was very gentle, as if afraid of hurting her little bit of pride. "It's not that you're being unreasonable, it's just that you're really tired today. Uncle will feed you a couple of bites, and after you finish eating, go to sleep. Nobody will laugh at you."

Langhua was taken aback.

She originally intended to refuse.

She's such a grown woman, how can she let her uncle feed her?

But before he could even say "no need," a spoonful of warm porridge was already at his lips.

...Never mind.

She is only three years old.

Langhua pursed her lips, her ear tips turning red, and swallowed the mouthful of porridge, pretending to be an ostrich.

Wang Rucheng fed her even more meticulously than Zhou Wanru had been, letting each bite cool down before putting it to her lips.

At first, Langhua felt embarrassed, but later, she became more and more sleepy and gradually became numb. She only knew that he would feed her a bite and she would eat a bite herself.

Later, even chewing slowed down.

Seeing that she could barely keep her eyes open, Wang Rucheng stopped forcing her. He simply took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her mouth, saying softly, "Alright, that's enough. We'll eat more tomorrow."

As he spoke, he got up and picked her up.

Langhua froze.

She instinctively tried to struggle, but when she looked up, she was met with the perfectly natural expressions of everyone at the table.

Zhou Wanru even went so far as to alter a small cape for her, saying, "Hold her tight, don't let her catch a chill."

Yes.

In their eyes, she was just a three-year-old child.

Langhua had no choice but to stand stiffly in Wang Rucheng's arms, her face flushed. She simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Zhou Wanru followed behind, deliberately lowering her voice: "She was so crazy during the day, I knew she wouldn't be able to hold on at night."

"It's rare to see her so happy," Wang Rucheng replied softly. "It's good that she's happy; it means she's not afraid of us anymore, and she won't be making a fuss about wanting to go home."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wanru's expression softened. When Third Sister first arrived, she cried every day for her parents, her eldest sister, and her second brother, her cries breaking everyone's hearts. She would even try to sneak out whenever she had the chance, saying that they were all human traffickers and that she wanted to find her parents.

The reason I had a fever a few days ago was because I sneaked out during my afternoon nap when the maid wasn't looking. As a result, I was chased by two roosters in the backyard and fell into the wooden basin used for washing vegetables while running away, getting completely soaked.

Sigh, it's all so pitiful.

For this, she often secretly cursed her heartless sister-in-law.

She had such a well-behaved daughter, yet she had the heart to abandon her.

Langhua was pretending to be asleep, but listening to the couple talking slowly, she somehow felt a little more relaxed.

While pretending, he actually fell asleep.

When they got inside, Wang Rucheng put her on the couch, and she was already fast asleep.

Seeing that her face was rosy from sleeping, Zhou Wanru couldn't help but reach out and touch it first. Then she took off her shoes and socks before fetching warm water and carefully wiping her face, hands, and feet.

Wang Rucheng stood aside watching, unable to describe the feeling in his heart.

He always knew that his wife had a problem: she wanted a daughter.

To their surprise, after getting married, they had two sons in a row.

Giving birth to Erlang was especially dangerous. Although she was pulled back from the brink of death, the doctor made it clear that her health had been damaged and she could not easily conceive again.

He didn't take those words to heart. Even if he had no sons, let alone two, it wouldn't matter as much as his wife living peacefully and growing old with him.

But he couldn't resist the little thought in his wife's heart.

Now Third Sister has arrived.

Although they weren't their biological children, the sight of them sleeping so peacefully and obediently on the bed made it seem as if God, seeing their regrets, had specially granted them a perfect ending.

Wang Rucheng looked at it for a while, then suddenly said softly, "How about... I write a letter to my elder brother?"

Zhou Wanru paused in her hand, which was wringing out a handkerchief, and turned to look at him: "What letter?"

Wang Rucheng considered it carefully and said, "In any case, eldest brother already has two daughters. Since Third Sister has sent her here and we get along so well, why not give one to us? We don't even need to change her birth order, and she can still be called Third Sister, isn't that great?"

Zhou Wanru was taken aback when she heard this, and then raised her hand and patted his arm.

"What kind of pipe dream are you having?" she scolded him in a low voice. "Even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn't dream like this. Who is Uncle? He suffered a bit in the Northwest this time, but he'll probably be promoted again when he returns to the capital. Our Third Sister is a perfectly good daughter of an official, born into a noble family. What suffering did she endure to become the daughter of two commoners like us?"

As she spoke, though her voice was lowered, her straightforwardness remained undiminished.

"You like her, and I like her too, but liking someone is one thing, but how can you think like this? She's young now and doesn't understand these things, but what about when she grows up? There will be a difference in their social status and their experience, and she'll be far inferior in choosing a husband. Won't she hate us to death then?"

"She came to fulfill my dream of having a daughter; that's already wonderful enough. How can we, for our own selfish reasons, disregard her future?"

"Isn't that repaying kindness with enmity?"

"You're not allowed to say things like that again, or you'll see what I do to you!"

Wang Rucheng wasn't annoyed when she patted him; he simply said in a low voice, "It's not that I don't understand these things, it's just..."

He turned to look at the little girl on the couch and sighed.

"Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know. If we send her back, will her future necessarily be better than if she stays with us?"

Zhou Wanru fell silent.

These words struck right at her heart.

She naturally understood that the wealth and future of the first wife's family were incomparable to those of the second wife's family.

But when he thought about how Third Sister was sent here, he still felt uneasy.

However, this discomfort could not be expressed.

She paused for a moment before speaking in a firm voice, "No matter what, they are still her own parents. If they can stay in the capital, their future will be bright. What future can they have in Sichuan? And what good family can we find for her here?"

Wang Rucheng frowned slightly.

"That's not how it works. The so-called 'marrying someone of equal social standing' means that, besides the two families being of similar social standing, the upbringing of their children should also be quite different. If she can grow up with her elder brother and sister-in-law and learn to be refined and elegant, she will naturally be able to marry into a better family."

"But if we want her to stay in Sichuan..."

"She's still young now, so it's fine. But in a few years she'll be starting her formal education. Leaving aside reading, writing, etiquette, and manners, things like flower arranging, tea ceremony, and incense burning will require proper instruction. Unfortunately, we live far away, and it's difficult to even find a decent female tutor. What will we do then?"

Zhou Wanru held the handkerchief tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

The only sound in the room for a moment was the soft popping of the candlelight.

After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, as if in a fit of pique, "What's there to be afraid of? So what if she doesn't know those things? Does not knowing how to arrange flowers and make tea mean she's not a proper girl? I'll teach her to use an abacus and read account books. As long as a mistress of the house is good at managing the household, isn't that enough? Our Third Mistress will never become someone's concubine."

Wang Rucheng sighed softly and said nothing.

He could never win an argument with her.

Zhou Wanru lowered her eyes, draped the handkerchief back over the edge of the basin, and tucked the blanket around the sleeping girl, her movements still extremely gentle.

"...However, you should still be more careful when you're out and about," she said softly, as if she had made up her mind. "If you really come across a good one, bring him back no matter the price!"