Chapter 100: She Genuinely Loves the Children 

“As women, we all know that being a stepmother is the hardest role. But I can tell that you have a kind heart, and those two children are good kids. With time, they will understand your kindness toward them.”

As she spoke, Lin Yulan patted Jiang Rou’s hand—a gesture of encouragement.

Jiang Rou responded: “That’s what I believe too.”

After spending so much time with Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua, she could clearly sense the purity and sincerity in their hearts.

People often said that time revealed true intentions.

Jiang Rou believed that by treating them with genuine care, she wouldn’t just change the children’s future but also improve their relationship, truly becoming a family.

As they chatted idly, Jiang Rou’s attention was drawn to the stack of letters and envelopes that Lin Yulan had put away earlier. Among them was a small, neatly folded square paper packet.

The way it was folded strongly resembled… a medicine packet.

In this era, Western medicine was not sold in boxes but prescribed by doctors.

The medicine would be placed in small, neatly folded square paper packets, containing tiny white pills inside.

On the outside of the paper packet, the dosage instructions—how many times a day and how many pills per dose—would be written.

Lin Yulan had been writing a letter earlier, so why was a medicine packet mixed in with her letter paper?

Jiang Rou furrowed her brows slightly in concern.

She asked worriedly: “Sister Yulan, is your body still not fully recovered?”

It was only then that Lin Yulan realized Jiang Rou had such a keen eye and had noticed the medicine packet.

Her expression immediately tensed with panic. She wanted to hide the packet but quickly realized that doing so would only make things more suspicious.

After a brief moment of flustered hesitation, she thought of an excuse.

“Oh… it’s just an old issue. My health has never been good, so I take medicine often. I’m used to it, it’s nothing serious.”

What Lin Yulan said matched the details Jiang Rou had read in the original novel.

But…

There were too many differences between the novel and the reality she was experiencing.

Now that something was finally aligning with what she had read, it only made Jiang Rou feel even more uneasy.

Because after gradually understanding the patterns of this world, she could now say with absolute certainty—Lin Yulan was lying.

However, this was ultimately Lin Yulan’s personal matter.

If Jiang Rou were to ask about it directly, it would definitely be inappropriate.

As she was trying to figure out a roundabout way to get closer to Lin Yulan’s inner thoughts, Lin Yulan unexpectedly changed the subject first.

“How have Xiaohua and Xiaochuan been lately? Getting to visit the city must have made them really happy, right?”

“The children were so happy! There were so many new things in the city, and they loved it. Xiaohua, though—she’s still young. When she saw the tram for the first time, she was so frightened that she almost burst into tears…”

“Really? Well, little girls tend to be timid. She’ll get used to it with time. I’ve seen Xiaohua recently—she looks different every day, getting prettier and prettier. I almost didn’t recognize her…”

When it came to children, the two of them had endless things to talk about.

As Jiang Rou chatted with Lin Yulan, she carefully observed her reaction.

Lin Yulan spoke Xiaohua’s name in a gentle voice. The panic and paleness from before had completely disappeared.

Instead, a look of relief and warmth spread across her face.

Women understood women.

The only thing that could make a woman reveal such a soft expression was a child.

At that moment, Jiang Rou was certain—Lin Yulan liked children.

And not just liked them—she liked them very, very much.

Even though Zhou Xiaohua was merely a neighbor’s child, she cared so much about her.

How much must she love children…

Thinking of the Lin Yulan from the original story, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but feel a pang of compassion.

Suppressing her emotions slightly, she steered the conversation back to the topic at hand and asked,

“Sister Yulan, I went to the city this time and bought a lot of fabric. I want to make clothes for Chongshan and the children, but… I’m alright at cooking, but making clothes is really beyond me. Do you know if any of the sisters in the courtyard can sew? I’d like to learn from them.”

“Sewing, huh… I’m not very good at it either.”

Lin Yulan shook her head and then thoughtfully considered Jiang Rou’s request.  

She said: “I did think of someone. I heard that she studied at a fashion institute before, but…”  

Jiang Rou’s eyes immediately lit up.  

Could it be that this courtyard was full of hidden talents? Someone here had actually studied fashion design?  

She quickly pressed further.  

“Who is it? Which sister?”  

Lin Yulan hesitated for a moment before finally saying a name.  

“It’s Song Qingqian.”  

Song Qingqian was an outlier in this courtyard. She never socialized with the other women, always kept her doors shut, and remained completely aloof.  

The only reason Lin Yulan knew about her background was because she had heard it from Sister Hong.  

After speaking, Lin Yulan shook her head again, her expression filled with regret.  

“Song Qingqian’s situation is… unique. You’ve probably heard a little about it. The people here don’t like associating with her. And she herself is extremely withdrawn. Ever since she came to the courtyard, she’s stayed inside, never stepping out.  

Sister Rou, let me ask around a bit more. We can find someone else to learn from.”

“It’s fine, Sister Yulan. I’ll go with Song Qingqian!”  

Jiang Rou nodded firmly.  

She vaguely recalled that Song Qingqian’s family used to run a department store, and she had even appeared in fashion magazines. To think that she had also studied at a fashion institute!  

That meant she didn’t just know how to sew—she could design clothes as well.  

With Song Qingqian’s sense of style, her taste was bound to be exceptional.  

Jiang Rou had made up her mind—she would learn from Song Qingqian!  

Her eyes grew resolute, and a bright smile spread across her face.  

This, in turn, left Lin Yulan stunned.  

She hesitated before asking worriedly: “Are you sure?”  

“I’m sure. Song Qingqian… she’s not the person the sisters think she is. I know her.”  

Jiang Rou spoke with confidence, a hint of mystery in her expression.  

After all, she knew that Song Qingqian had once been a high-society lady in Shanghai City, always surrounded by her circle of well-dressed friends.  

How could someone like that possibly be naturally withdrawn?

Jiang Rou had already decided to learn sewing from Song Qingqian, but she didn’t act on it immediately.

First, she went out and bought a duck.  

On the island, water was abundant, and small ponds were everywhere, so many farmers raised ducks. Getting one wasn’t difficult.  

In the north, there was Beijing roast duck.  

In the south, there was Wenzhou sesame oil duck.  

Since Song Qingqian was from the south, Jiang Rou didn’t hesitate to choose Wenzhou sesame oil duck.

The process of making Wenzhou-style braised duck was far more complicated than preparing an ordinary duck dish.  

So, Jiang Rou spent a long, long time carefully preparing everything.  

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One early morning—  

It was finally time for Jiang Rou to showcase her skills once again.  

The duck she had bought from the farmer, once plucked, was evenly balanced between fat and lean meat.  

Plump and round, its skin was smooth and white.  

A truly good duck.  

Jiang Rou didn’t throw away the feathers she had plucked. Instead, she carefully packed them into a cloth bag.  

Once the sesame oil duck was done, she could use the feathers to make shuttlecocks for the two children to play with.