******
These past few days living in the village on the outskirts of Beijing have been extremely leisurely and carefree.
Once here, with no one else around, An Ran was the most important person in charge. She was always kind and gentle, earning unanimous praise from everyone. She didn't restrict An tide and An Ze; they could go out and play whenever they wanted, and occasionally she would accompany them.
An Mu got along very well with Yu Sili.
After An Mu was allowed to study for two hours, An Ran was permitted to play with Yu Sili for the rest of the time. An Ran was surprised to discover that Yu Sili was also literate and could recite many poems and texts. Upon further inquiry, An Ran learned that Yu Sili's mother and brother were both literate.
After An Mu's arm was injured and healed by herbs found by Yu Sili, An Ran, though unable to appear in person, sent An tide with gifts to visit him.
When Anxi returned, she said she had met Yu Sili's mother, Madam Wang, but not his brother. Madam Wang seemed to be from a well-to-do family, very gentle and polite. She declined the gifts offered to her several times before finally accepting them.
When Anxi was about to leave, Wang, who was not in good health, found out many dried mountain delicacies for her to take with her.
An tide was no naive young girl; she recognized the value of these items. Knowing they were things her family might sell to make a living, she hesitated for a moment, but unwilling to offend Wang Shi, she had no choice but to accept them.
“You did the right thing.” When An Xi returned with An Ran, An Ran praised her, “Such a principled person would not accept favors for nothing. Although we are grateful to the Yu family, if we make the host family feel uncomfortable, then we have done something wrong. In the future, if we see the Yu family needing help, we will help them again.”
Regarding the news about Yu Zhou and Yu Sili's father, An Ran could tell from Yu Sili's words that they hadn't succeeded in finding out, and the Yu family hadn't shown any intention of asking her for help, so An Ran gave up. If it wasn't Chen Qian's family's business, she wouldn't know where to begin if she wanted to intervene.
“Although the Yu family doesn’t seem to be well-off, they give me a feeling of maternal love, filial piety, and brotherly harmony. What’s wrong with that?” An Xi asked, voicing her doubts. The occasional ostracism the country children had shown Yu Sili these past few days had left An tide feeling uneasy. “Brother Yu can still support his family!”
An Ran let out a long sigh.
Perhaps, judging from Yu Sili's words, others might think they didn't move here from the beginning. They might assume they were outsiders, and being a mother with two sons, it was bound to cause some gossip!
Those unfounded speculations are terrifying. Anran suffered greatly from them a few days ago, but there was nothing she could do.
"Things will get better." An Ran smiled slightly and said softly, "The Yu family's life is getting better and better, and everyone can only envy them and gather around again."
An tide nodded.
“You’ve been cooped up at home these past few days and haven’t gone out much.” Seeing that An Xi was about to shake her head, An Ran said, “I also want to go out for some fresh air. It’s not too hot now, shall we take Xue Tuan’er out for a walk?”
Despite being sensible, Anxi was still a child at heart and happy to hear that she could go out and play.
An Ran changed into clothes that were easy to move in, combed her hair into a simple and neat bun, had Qingmei and Qingxing put a veil on her, and carried a basket full of snowballs in her hand. After getting ready, she went out.
This time, Anran didn't go far, so she only brought three or four people with her.
Seeing the change in environment, Snowball meowed a few times and insisted on being held by Anran and having its fur brushed before it would be happy.
Fortunately, it was still small and not heavy. Anran held Xuetuan in her arms and walked slowly along the country path. Anxi teased Xuetuan beside her. When Xuetuan was happy, it would raise its head and bark twice. When it was unhappy, it would snuggle in Anran's arms and not move.
An Mu and Yu Sili were walking back when they saw An Ran come out and happily went to greet her.
"Sister!" The two people ran over and talked to An Ran.
Yu Sili would obediently finish his homework assigned by his older brother and help Wang Shi with some housework before coming out to play with An Mu. An Ran was happy to see An Mu befriend him, as he was young and sensible, and would occasionally invite Yu Sili over for some snacks.
On the other hand, Yu Sili also really liked this fairy-like sister.
Not only was she as beautiful as a fairy, but she also had a very good temper. He had met many rich girls, some of whom were arrogant and fierce, but Fairy Sister was not like that. She always spoke gently and softly, making people feel very comfortable.
"Sister, can I hold you?" Yu Sili couldn't help but feel a pang of longing when he saw the beautiful Linqing lion cat. He had hardly ever asked An Ran for anything, but now he was staring longingly at the cat in An Ran's arms.
An Ran naturally wouldn't refuse, but she was worried that Xue Tuan'er was shy and might scratch Yu Sili. So she had Qing Xing bring the basket over, put Xue Tuan'er inside, and then handed it to Yu Sili.
Yu Sili happily accepted it and carefully reached out to touch it when he suddenly heard the sound of chiseling stone not far away. Startled, Xue Tuan'er darted away.
Seeing this, Qingmei hurriedly chased after the cat.
An Xi and An Mu joined in as well. Yu Sili wanted to go too, but An Ran stopped him. Xue Tuan'er didn't recognize Yu Sili, so it would be pointless for her to go.
Yu Sili felt guilty and wanted to apologize to An Ran. An Ran, in turn, comforted him and told him not to worry.
As darkness fell, An Ran waited anxiously. A small child, about three years old, carrying a white ball in his arms, slowly walked over.
He timidly handed the cat to An Ran.
Is that your cat?
Not far away, Qin Feng was anxiously searching for someone.
He finally saw where the person he was looking for was, but before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he discovered that the person was holding a white bundle in his arms.
With Qin Feng's exceptional eyesight, he immediately recognized the cat in his arms as a gift from the Marquis to his future wife. After several unforgettable days together, how could he possibly forget this cat?
So, Miss An Jiu is here too?
Chapter 90
This is an anti-piracy chapter. If any readers accidentally purchased it, don't worry, it will be replaced tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. The word count will increase after the replacement.
This article was exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City; all other publications are pirated. The author works hard to update daily, please support the official version, thank you!
The short candles in the palace lanterns in the corner burned quietly, occasionally flashing a few sparks, and the bedroom was completely silent.
The flickering candlelight grew louder, and the servants were all dismissed. Mingwei stopped what she was doing, took the silver scissors, and began to trim the wicks of the lamp herself.
Rong Zhen's gaze followed Ming Wei's movements. The warm orange light shone on Ming Wei's profile, making her already fair face appear even more radiant. Her movements were elegant and graceful, like a pleasing painting, instantly captivating to the eye.
Noticing Rong Zhen's gaze, Mingwei did not lower her head shyly, but instead smiled slightly, revealing a charming demeanor.
"Thump, thump," Rong Zhen seemed to hear his own heartbeat in that instant.
Rong Zhen savored that smile, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke. "Something has happened outside." He carefully chose his words to explain, "Prince Cheng's doubts about me have not been completely dispelled."