When An Yuanliang came in, An Ran was taken aback.
Seeing that there were many concubine daughters and sons in the Marquis's mansion, she thought that the Marquis of Nan'an must be a middle-aged man who indulged in wine and women and looked somewhat decadent. However, she did not expect that he was actually a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties!
He was wearing a blue robe with gold cloud patterns and floral designs, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, his face was fair and his features were handsome, completely different from what she had imagined.
"Greetings to Father." An Ran, along with Liu Niang and the others, bowed to An Yuanliang.
When An Yuanliang entered, he noticed that there was an extra person in the room today, who must be Jiu Niang.
"My lord, Ninth Sister is back." When Zhao saw An Yuanliang staring intently in An Ran's direction, and thought of how much he had doted on Fang Shi, the thorn in her heart sank even deeper. However, since they were in the Grand Madam's room, she had no choice but to suppress her emotions and put on a smile, saying, "Ninth Sister, quickly let your father see you."
An Ran raised her head.
A familiar yet unfamiliar face came into view, and An Yuanliang had a momentary illusion. He even murmured absentmindedly, "A Yuan..."
"My Lord!" The old lady's voice was like a thunderbolt, bringing An Yuanliang back to his senses.
An Yuanliang smiled awkwardly: "Ninth Girl does look a bit like her mother..." He immediately realized that Zhao Shi was still there and that this was inappropriate, so he quickly added: "Ninth Sister has grown up so much all of a sudden, and she looks about the same size as Seventh Sister."
“The land and water of Jiangnan are good for people, and she has inherited the qualities of the Marquis, so it’s no wonder that Ninth Sister is so beautiful.” Zhao knew that he had not forgotten Fang Shi, and she was immediately displeased, but she could not show it.
The harmonious atmosphere that had just been there vanished instantly.
"Lord Marquis must be tired after his errand, why don't you change your clothes and go rest?" the Dowager said calmly. "The children will feel uncomfortable with you here."
An Yuanliang glanced at An Ran a few more times, exchanged a few more words with the Grand Madam, and then lifted the curtain and left.
An Ran felt a chill in her heart. Her biological father might have some feelings for her biological mother, but those feelings were very limited, and of course, his feelings for her as a daughter were even more limited.
Having not seen her for over a decade, it's no wonder An Yuanliang felt no affection for her compared to his doting seventh and tenth wives! Besides, her own father didn't call her "concubine." An Ran silently wondered if her mother was merely a concubine, not even earning the title of "aunt"?
Judging from this, she should have even less status!
We should ask Jinping and Cuiping again when we get back.
An Ran was still lost in her own thoughts when Zhao Shi glanced at the clock and ordered someone to bring the meal.
At dinner, An Feng and An Rui sat at one table, while the Grand Madam sat at another table with the four An sisters. An Yu was too young, so her wet nurse took her to eat.
After dinner, the old lady kept them for a while and then told them to go back and rest.
On the way back, An Ran timely showed her weariness from traveling for several days, so Liu Niang and the other two did not go to her room again, but went back to their own homes.
Upon arriving at her room, Anran hurriedly inquired about the condition of Cuiping, Anxi, and Anmu.
Before going to Rong'an Hall, Anran asked Cuiping to check on the two siblings. Along the way, Cuiping knew how much Anran valued her two unrelated siblings, so she didn't dare to be presumptuous and went to the garden to see the two siblings herself before returning to report.
“Miss tide and Brother Mu are both doing well,” Cuiping replied. “Miss Xi asked me to tell you not to worry about them; they are living quite comfortably in the garden.”
No, that's not true at all!
An Ran felt extremely sad. In this unfamiliar place, they must miss her terribly. They hadn't experienced the previous life, and up to this point, they had never been separated from her.
After her rebirth, she vowed to make them live a carefree life!
Now, however, they are at a loss.
"Cuiping, who did Sixth Miss bring with her when she returned?" Anran suddenly thought of Sixth Sister and asked eagerly, "How are they settled now?"
Cuiping thought for a moment and said, "Replying to Miss, Sixth Miss has returned with Liu Mama, and Liu Mama is still serving Sixth Miss. I heard—" Cuiping lowered her voice and whispered, "Liu Mama used to serve the Grand Madam, and now that she's back, she's very respectable in front of the Grand Madam!"
An Ran's expression darkened upon hearing this.
She wasn't envious of Liu Niang having people around her who could help her; she just suddenly realized that things were really as she had worsted out.
If Anxi and Anmu wanted to stay by her side, they could only do so as servants. This was something Anran absolutely did not want to see. She still hoped that Anmu would study hard and become successful, and that Anxi would marry into a good family and live a life of comfort and wealth.
She felt extremely tired before the day was even over.
She couldn't yet see through the intentions of the Dowager Lady and Madam Zhao, but neither of them were simple; her three sisters had tested her openly and secretly quite a bit, appearing harmonious on the surface but harboring no small amount of hostility in reality.
They exchange veiled insults upon meeting, and even when presenting a gift, they test the waters...
The failed power struggle within the inner quarters in her previous life had left her exhausted, and An Ran really didn't want An tide and An Mu to get involved.
An Ran gave a bitter smile.
Since that's the case, it's best to send Anxi and Anmu away.
If they were outside, perhaps one day she could find a way to escape from the Marquis's mansion and leave with her two children. But if all three of them were trapped inside, there would be no hope of ever going back!
An Ran silently pondered in her heart.
As for the stepmother, Madam Zhao, I'll leave it at that for now. I'll find an opportunity to discuss it with the Grand Madam soon and clarify her intentions before making a decision.
Seeing that Anran looked unwell, Jinping and Cuiping didn't dare to say anything. They simply helped her remove her hairpins and let her hair down. After helping her wash and dress, they took her nightgown and helped her change.
After serving Anran to bed, Jinping brought over bedding to take over the night watch.
“Sister Jinping has been traveling back to the capital with me these past few days, and she must be tired.” Anran said gently, “You and Sister Cuiping should rest well these days, and you can have any of the maids take night shifts.”
Jinping wanted to politely decline, but An Ran's attitude was firm, and she was indeed extremely tired, so she did not refuse An Ran's kindness and called Qingmei in.
That suits Anran perfectly.
Originally, An Ran didn't need anyone to keep watch at night, but thinking that among the four maids, Qingmei and Qingxing would eventually have to take turns, An Ran changed her mind and only said that she wanted to change the person.
We should try our best to make up for as much of the regrets from our past life as possible!