Little Mud burst into teаrs, sobbing uncоntrollаblу.
“Little Мud d-darе not sаy… Auntie wouldn’t let Littlе Mud drink watеr, wouldn’t lеt Little Mud sleep… everyone sаid Little Mud mustn’t sрeаk… said theу’d sеw Littlе Mud’s mоuth shut…”
Аll thе grievаnces shе hаd suffеrеd in the Wang family сame роuring оut like flоodwaters thrоugh an ореnеd sluicе gate.
Shе had оnly told hеr grandmothеr thаt the neсklасе was with Sister Zhenzhu, and еvеryone had scoldеd аnd punished her. If shе hаd said thаt it wаs Auntiе who hid thе nеcklаce with her, Third Uncle Wang might really have hit her.
They often threatened to sew her mouth shut with a needle.
The fists of the Ling brothers were clenched so tightly they nearly shattered.
Even the steady-tempered Eldest Brother and Eighth Brother had dark expressions, their eyes smoldering with hidden fury.
The more emotionally expressive ones like Old Third and Old Seventh had reddened eyes.
Second Brother even slammed his fist against the armrest of his seat. “I swear I’ll destroy the Wang family in my lifetime!”
He wasn’t the only one with that thought.
But considering the Ling family’s current situation… the other brothers fell silent for the moment.
If the Ling family couldn’t regain its strength and dominate the capital once more, how could they talk about destroying the flourishing Wang family or avenging Yanyan and Little Dumpling?
“Uncle believes what our good girl says.” After a long pause, Ling Xuanyan patted Little Mud’s head. “Good girl, you need to know that your mother, Ling Yiyan, was not a daughter of the Wang family, so you are not a child of the Wang family either. It was their fault for bullying and hurting you. Our Ling family’s good girl did nothing wrong. You must believe in yourself, okay?”
Little Mud sniffled and nodded.
She couldn’t help but stretch out her arms, testing the waters with a mix of grievance and caution. “Uncle, hug—”
Her soft, sweet voice instantly melted the hearts of all the grown men.
Every uncle wished they could reach out right then and pull Little Dumpling into their own arms, but they could only watch enviously as Ling Xuanyan naturally took Little Dumpling into his embrace, monopolizing that adorable, soft, sweet bundle.
Damn it! The brothers cursed in unison in their hearts. All because Eldest Brother was born first!
Ling Xuanyan had been groomed by Grandfather as the family heir since childhood, and his status among the brothers was unshakable. No one dared to snatch Little Dumpling from him now unless they wanted to be ostracized from the family in the future.
“Uncle will love you, will love our good girl very, very much,” Ling Xuanyan said softly, patting Little Mud’s back. “Uncles will give everything they have to ensure our good girl lives a carefree, prosperous, and smooth life from now on…”
He spoke the shared sentiment of all the Ling brothers present.
“Good girl, from now on, you mustn’t call yourself Little Mud anymore.” Ling Xuanyan gently brushed back Little Mud’s slightly messy, fine hair, looking seriously at her little face—identical to Ling Yiyan’s. “You are the treasure of our Ling family. From now on, we’ll call you Ling Bао, okay?”
The Wang family had nearly killed their treasure, but from this day forward, they would shower her with boundless affection and ensure she grew up confident and cheerful.
A glimmer of light gradually sparked in Little Mud’s eyes.
Ling Bао.
She was Ling Bао now!
She was someone else’s treasure too!
Just like Sister Zhenzhu, she now had uncles who cherished and loved her.
“Shall we practice a bit?” Ling Xuanyan’s lips finally curved into a slight smile.
But before his words had fully faded—
“Ling Bао!”
Second Brother Ling Yixi had already beaten him to it.
Ling Xuanyan froze, his face darkening before he could even react.
“Mm!” The little dumpling in his arms suddenly nodded vigorously.
“Ling Bао!” Eighth Brother also called out with a smile.
“Here!” Xiao Ling Bao responded crisply.
“Xiao Ling Bao!” Old Third not only called out but also dared to extend a mischievous hand, poking the un-sunburned part of Xiao Ling Bao’s cheek.
“Ling Bао Ling Bао Ling Bао!” Old Seventh was so excited he could hardly control his limbs, wishing he could snatch Xiao Ling Bao from his eldest brother’s arms.
“Giggle…” Ling Bао was amused.
For some reason, ever since she was born, she could naturally sense what the people around her were thinking.
The uncles before her were different from the Wang family uncles—they genuinely liked her and wanted to be good to her, and she could feel it all.
The atmosphere in the car lightened and grew cheerful with Xiao Ling Bao’s clear, pure laughter.
“Ling Bао, who helped you call your uncles earlier?” Ling Xuanyan voiced the question in his heart.
The Wang family had punished Xiao Ling Bao by making her kneel under the sun, refusing to even give her a sip of water. The entire family was united in their cruelty, and it was absolutely impossible for anyone to have a sudden pang of conscience and call the Ling family on her behalf.
“It was…” Xiao Ling Bao hesitated for a moment.
A scene gradually grew clearer in her mind…
She was lying under the sun, nearly evaporated, when a figure drew closer and closer.
“It was the little brother from next door!” she blurted out.
“Three-Fire Uncle!” She quickly grabbed Ling Xuanyan’s hand. “I want to go thank the little brother!”
“What did you call me?” Ling Xuanyan was stunned.
The Ling brothers also thought they had misheard.
“Three-Fire—Uncle,” Xiao Ling Bao gestured, “you have three fires like this…”
Ling Xuanyan… his name indeed contained three “fire” characters.
But no one had told Xiao Ling Bao that, and even if they had, she might not even know how to read.
“What kind of uncle am I?” Before the other brothers could recover from their shock, Old Third, Ling Yanhua, asked with great interest.
“Water-Transformation Uncle!”
Everyone gasped, unable to hold back a murmur of amazement.
The character “Yan” contains water, and “Hua” shares the same pronunciation as “transformation.”
“Xiao Ling Bao, what kind of uncle am I?” Old Eighth, Ling Qianteng, pointed at his own nose.
Everyone thought she would say “Mountain-Moon Uncle,” but instead…
Xiao Ling Bao pointed at Old Eighth and nodded seriously. “Guardian Uncle.”
The Ling brothers were stunned once again.
Guardian…
Old Eighth, with his background as a special agent and an Interpol officer, was essentially a guardian for the common people, wasn’t he?
“Xiao Ling Bao, what about me? What about me?” Old Seventh, Ling Yihuan, sat up straight and even casually tidied his hairstyle.
Xiao Ling Bao tilted her head, looking slightly puzzled. “Fox-Spirit Uncle?”
“Pfft—” Second Brother, Ling Yixi, burst out laughing. “Hahahaha… Old Seventh is a fox-spirit, hahahaha… you really are a fox-spirit after all…”
Old Seventh, Ling Yihuan, worked in the entertainment industry. With his stunningly handsome and elegant appearance, and a demeanor that blended heroic charm with a hint of allure, he had captivated countless fans, earning him the unwarranted nickname “fox-spirit.”
“Why, Xiao Ling Bao…” Old Seventh was on the verge of tears.
The others got names like Three-Fire, Water-Transformation, Guardian… all sounding lofty and impressive.
Why did he end up with “fox-spirit”!
He refused to accept it!
He had acting skills and talent, so why did everyone have to focus on his looks!
“Hahahaha…” Second Brother was still rolling with laughter.
Xiao Ling Bao suddenly leaned forward and shouted at him loudly, “Silly Uncle!”
Second Brother… instantly froze in place.
“Hahaha…” This time, it was Seventh Brother’s turn to laugh.
“Our Xiao Ling Bao is exceptionally gifted,” Ling Xuanyan concluded with a smile.
The other uncles, except for Second Brother… all nodded in agreement.
“Uncle Sanhuo, I want to go thank Little Brother!” Xiao Ling Bao tugged at Ling Xuanyan’s sleeve. “If I don’t hurry, I’ll never get to see Little Brother again.”