Jinzhi and Huaping helped the heavily pregnant San Niang out, who had a big smile on her face.
"Third Sister." An Ran hurriedly greeted her with a smile and bowed. Nian Ge'er, who was beside her, also stepped forward obediently and said softly, "Hello, Third Aunt."
Third Sister was so happy that she didn't need the two people to support her. She held her round, swollen belly with one hand and reached out with the other to touch Nian Ge'er's head, laughing, "Nian Ge'er is such a good boy!"
An Ran, who was eating nearby, said, "Third Sister doesn't even notice me anymore."
Third Sister raised an eyebrow and said, "Then tell me, between you and Nian-ge'er, who is more well-behaved?"
Anran was speechless.
On the contrary, when Nian-ge'er saw that his mother was stumped by the question, he anxiously said to Third Sister, "Mother, be good too!"
Those present couldn't help but laugh at his childish words.
Only Nian-ge'er, seeing others laughing, was somewhat puzzled. He stared with his large, dark, grape-like eyes, completely bewildered. He had no idea why anyone was laughing.
Third Aunt managed to suppress a laugh and stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Our Nian-ge'er is so sensible. Come, Third Aunt will take you to have some snacks."
Chapter 166
Feeling "disliked," An Ran quickly stepped forward and went to the left of her third sister to help her up.
"You're not as considerate as Nian-ge'er," Third Sister said, glancing at An Ran with a half-smile, seeing that An Ran did at least have some intelligence.
An Ran chuckled twice, trying to cover it up.
However, as Third Sister carefully observed An Ran, she was quite satisfied. An Ran was wearing a light and airy mink cloak, the dense fabric of which looked soft and light. Combined with her stunningly beautiful face, it made her appear even more outstanding and elegant.
It seems that Jiu Niang is living a good life, or rather, An Ran's life is getting better day by day after marrying Lu Mingxiu. Before, when she was in the Nan'an Marquis's mansion, An Ran always appeared mature and composed, always obedient, and her eyes lacked the liveliness that should be in a girl her age.
On the contrary, after marrying into the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion, the burdens in Jiu Niang's eyes faded away as she became the mistress of the mansion, and the happiness that shone through her eyes and brows was undeniable.
Third Sister was also happy for Anran.
"Third Sister, please don't embarrass me in front of the child." An Ran said to her third aunt in a coquettish manner, "Look, I brought over the little clothes I made for my nephew, and I also embroidered a swaddle blanket."
"Oh? My ninth sister has improved so much?" Third Sister looked at An Ran with a look of doubt in her eyes.
An Ran puffed out her chest and said confidently, "Of course! I even made a belt for the Marquis the other day!"
Seeing the teasing smile in Third Sister's eyes, An Ran blushed instantly. Just now, in order to show off, she had indeed improved compared to before, saying all sorts of things.
Fortunately, it was Third Sister in front of her, so she wouldn't seem too frivolous.
Knowing that Anran and Niange'er were coming today, Huaping and Yinping prepared snacks that the mother and son liked, as well as honey water and black tea to entertain them.
Anran placed the little clothes on the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window.
When Nian-ge'er saw the tiny clothes, which looked like clothes Anran had made for his dolls, he asked curiously, "These clothes are so small, which little brother are they for?"
He even gestured to show that unless the little brother was very small, he wouldn't be able to fit into it. Although An Ran had already said that the little brother was still in his aunt's belly and hadn't been born yet, he still blinked and looked at his aunt's protruding belly, asking in a childish voice, "Is it the little brother in Aunt's belly?"
An Ran nodded and said, "That's right, Nian-ge'er is really smart."
“Our Nian-ge’er was once this little bit too.” Third Sister gently stroked Nian-ge’er’s head and said softly, “He can grow up slowly.”
Nian-ge'er nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Third Aunt coaxed Nian-ge'er into eating two pastries and drinking a cup of honey water. Nian-ge'er was still thinking about the little brother he had seen at Third Aunt's house last time, so he asked Third Aunt where Dong-ge'er was.
"Dong-ge'er will be awake soon, why don't you go play with him for a while?" Third Aunt said with a smile, "Now that Dong-ge'er can crawl, you're the older brother, so you should help your Third Aunt look after your younger brother, okay?"
Having always been the youngest, always playing the role of someone else's younger brother or nephew, Nian-ge'er suddenly felt a sense of responsibility upon hearing his third aunt's request to look after his little brother. He felt like a grown-up now. As if afraid his third aunt might change her mind, he straightened his back and said confidently, "Don't worry, Third Aunt, I will take good care of my little brother!"
An Ran also gave him an encouraging look.
Nian-ge'er obediently let Hua-ping hold his hand and went to the inner room to wait for Dong-ge'er to wake up.
"Third sister, take a look." An Ran flattered her younger sister, and quickly took out the results of her hard work these past few days. Although it was not yet entirely satisfactory, it was still much better than before.
Third Sister took the baby clothes from Anran's hands and examined them carefully. She noticed the fabric was soft Songjiang cotton, comfortable to the touch, not simply luxurious. The fabric, having been washed with water, was even softer and wouldn't irritate the baby's skin.
The stitches are quite fine, but Anran did a little less well in some places where the stitches needed to be closed or hidden.
Anran stared at San Niang expectantly, like a student waiting for a teacher to check her homework.
Third Sister picked up the small quilt again, embroidered with a picture of a hundred children playing. She unfolded it and looked at it. At first glance, it was dazzling and magnificent, but upon closer inspection, she could find several places where it was not handled properly. Sometimes Third Sister wondered why An Ran, who came from the beautiful and fertile Jiangnan region, was not as good at embroidery as Sixth Sister.
In short, considering An Ran's skill level, she did a very satisfactory job this time.
"Not bad, you've improved compared to before." Third Sister nodded in the end, acknowledging An Ran's progress.
An Ran immediately beamed with joy.
Third Sister told Anran to give the baby clothes to Yinping and put them away carefully. Then she pulled Anran to sit down next to her, and the two sisters began to talk.
"Third sister, Sixth sister sent me a lot of things a few days ago." An Ran mentioned Sixth Sister's unusual behavior, thinking that if she received them, Third Sister would definitely follow suit. "She even said something about visiting more often."
As expected, Third Sister nodded slightly, not surprised at all. "I have quite a few good tonics here too, and the Chen family seems to let Sixth Sister do as she pleases."
An Ran nodded and said, "I'm afraid the Chen family is not only supporting Sixth Sister, but also trying to use her to build connections with our Marquis's Mansion, the Prince's Mansion, and the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion!"
An Ran knew very well what kind of people the Chen family were; if given a rare opportunity, it would be strange if they didn't try to climb the ranks.
This would benefit both Sixth Sister and the Chen family, so Sixth Sister would definitely do it. However, Sixth Sister should also know that An Ran and Third Sister are both unhappy about her attempt to frame An Ran. How will she turn the situation around?
"But be careful around her, she's as cunning as a hornet's nest," Third Sister instructed An Ran worriedly. "No matter what she says to you, don't go to the Chen family. Who knows what they're up to!"