She knew how painful it was to take An Mu and An tide away from her. She couldn't show it in front of the Grand Madam. She could only pretend to be happy and thank her. To this day, An Xi and An Mu were still being held hostage, used as leverage to control her, and left in the Nan'an Marquis's residence.
She didn't want Nian Ge'er to experience such pain; he was still so young.
"Ninth Sister, are you missing Xi-jie and Mu-ge?" Lu Mingxiu reached out and gently brushed a stray hair from An Ran's forehead, saying softly, "If you miss them, I'll go to the Grand Madam and ask her to bring them over for a couple of days."
An Ran's eyes lit up at first, then she shook her head.
Judging from the Grand Madam's friendly attitude towards Madam Ding and Madam Qiu, she probably wanted to make some kind of deal with the Chen family. At this moment, she was extremely unwilling to have any further dealings with the Chen family, nor did she want Lu Mingxiu to be involved.
If we were to make demands of the Grand Madam now, she might very well have a backup plan.
This isn't the best time. Besides, she was thinking that if possible, she should find an opportunity to completely remove Anxi and Anmu from the Nan'an Marquis's residence.
Lu Mingxiu naturally saw the struggle in An Ran's eyes. He patted An Ran's hand and didn't say anything more.
"Get some rest. We can think about the rest tomorrow." Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Mingxiu called Cuiping and the others over and helped Anran remove her makeup and hairpins. After washing up, she changed into her nightgown.
Lu Mingxiu went out to wash up on his own and soon came back in.
After the lamps were blown out, the bright red curtains were lowered, leaving only the palace lanterns in the corners of the walls, which shone faintly in the dim light.
An Ran turned her back to Lu Mingxiu. To avoid worrying him, she deliberately slowed her breathing and pretended to be asleep. She didn't move at all, which seemed quite deliberate.
Lu Mingxiu was not fooled by such a small trick; he easily sensed An Ran's low spirits.
"Ninth Sister, don't be sad." Lu Mingxiu patted An Ran through the blanket and said in a low voice, "I'm here, we'll solve it together."
An Ran nodded on the other side, and remembering that Lu Mingxiu couldn't see, she responded softly.
She had expected Lu Mingxiu to make a further move, at least to hold her or wrap his arms around her, to make her feel safe. Over the past few days, she had gotten used to waking up in Lu Mingxiu's arms.
But Lu Mingxiu has not made a move today.
"I'm cold." After a while, An Ran slowly spoke, her voice revealing a hint of grievance.
Lu Mingxiu suppressed a laugh, his voice growing softer and lower. "Shall I go downstairs and get you a blanket?"
My attempt to be cute was completely ignored?
An Ran was furious and decided to turn over again, getting even further away from him. That's the advantage of a large canopy bed; she could always sleep with the curtains close to her body.
etc--
She suddenly remembered the erotic books she had hidden in the cabinet; it would be disastrous if Lu Mingxiu found them. She quickly grabbed Lu Mingxiu, who was about to get up, and obediently rolled into his arms.
"This way I won't be cold," An Ran said softly, nestled in Lu Mingxiu's arms.
Lu Mingxiu's smile widened, and finally he couldn't help but reach out and hug his wife tightly, letting out a soft laugh.
"What are you laughing at! Aren't you sleepy yet?" An Ran said angrily in his arms, "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep!"
"You're right, Madam. I should be your comforter, and do my duty to the best of my ability." Lu Mingxiu chuckled softly, his voice particularly alluring in the night. "Sleep!"
Anran closed her eyes.
The chaotic events at the Marquis of Nan'an's residence during the day, coupled with the encounters with Madam Ding and Madam Qiu, filled An Ran with complex emotions. Then, the incident with Nian Ge'er happened that evening. Could it be that Qing Ping pushed Nian Ge'er down the stairs?
Her mind was in complete turmoil again.
Suddenly she felt Lu Mingxiu gently patting her back, as if he were coaxing a three-year-old child to sleep.
"Why don't you sing a lullaby?" An Ran felt relieved, but ultimately didn't say anything teasing.
As drowsiness gradually overcame her, she nestled against his chest and drifted off to sleep.
Jiu Niang, how I wish I could give you a carefree future, shield you from the storms of life, and offer you everything you desire.
Lu Mingxiu gazed at the person in his arms for a long time, gently kissed her lips, and then closed his eyes.
He will continue to work hard for this.
******
The next morning, after seeing Lu Mingxiu off, An Ran went straight to Yilan Courtyard to see Nian Ge'er. After thinking it over, she still felt uneasy.
Therefore, she thought she should bring Nian-ge'er back to the main courtyard and keep him by her side.
Just in case, even if Qingping really had bad intentions, we can't let her hurt Nian-ge'er.
As soon as they entered the gates of Yilan Courtyard, Qingxing came to greet them.
"How did you rest last night, young master? Is your wound hurting again?" Anran asked Qingxing first when there was still no movement inside.
Qingxing glanced inside and whispered, "Young Master didn't sleep well. I even heard him crying during the night. When I went in to check on him, Qingping only said that Young Master was crying because his wound hurt. She had already coaxed him to sleep and told me not to wake him up."
An Ran slightly thickened her eyebrows.
Is it hurting terribly? She remembered that Nian-ge'er's injuries weren't this serious. If he's also crying, could it be that he has an even more serious injury?
The inner room.
Nian-ge'er groggily opened his eyes and saw a green figure approaching. Without thinking, he called out, "Mother—"
Qingping, who was about to change Niange'er's clothes, immediately frowned.
How long has it been? An Jiu Niang has already won over Nian Ge'er. In the morning, when a person is half-awake, their body's reactions are the most genuine. The fact that he still calls her "Mother" shows that Nian Ge'er truly considers An Ran a close person.
If Nian-ge'er's closest person wasn't herself—Qingping suddenly felt a sense of crisis. How could she establish herself in the Marquis's mansion?