Chapter 7 Choices
Hearing rustling sounds outside, Anran opened her eyes and found a faint sliver of daylight shining through.
He was still fast asleep, his feet resting on the green plums.
Last night, she only exchanged a few words with Qingmei, and while they became somewhat more familiar, they didn't take things any further. Anran could only console herself by telling herself that she should take things slowly.
Fearing that she would be caught and punished by Jinping and the other two, Anran quietly came down and gently nudged Qingmei.
Qingmei mumbled a few words and was about to turn over and go back to sleep when, through her sleepy eyes, she saw a magnified, beautiful face. Qingmei almost screamed in surprise. Finally, she remembered her night watch duty from the previous night, and was so shocked that she almost jumped off her footstool.
An Ran put her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Qingmei nodded vigorously.
So Anran went back to bed and lay down, while Qingmei quickly got dressed.
She glanced gratefully at Ninth Sister, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes lowered. Although she was still young, she was not ignorant of human relationships. She knew how kind Ninth Sister had been to her.
Qingmei secretly resolved to serve Ninth Sister with even greater care in the future.
After about half a cup of tea's time, Cuiping came in and knocked on the door.
Qingmei quickly went to open the door. "Is the young lady up?" Cuiping asked in a low voice.
An Ran made a sound at the right moment, and Cui Ping walked to the screen and said to An Ran, "Miss, it's already 3:45 AM, time to get up. At the beginning of the day, all the young ladies should go to pay their respects to the Grand Madam."
"Come in." An Ran rubbed her eyes, put on her coat, and sat up.
Cuiping brought in peach branches and leaves, along with hot water, soap, and towels to help her wash up. Qingmei had already started making the bed.
"What do you girls usually do?" An Ran hadn't rested well and still looked a little listless. She picked out a red-gold phoenix-shaped hairpin with a pearl in its beak from the jewelry box that Tao Zhi was holding and handed it to Cui Ping. She had just returned and had no foundation at all; she needed to adapt as soon as possible.
As Cuiping helped Anran comb her hair, she said, "Replying to Miss, the girls study with their female teacher every morning and learn to play the zither and do needlework in the afternoon. Yesterday, since it was Miss who came, the Grand Madam did not let the girls go to school."
"Do the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion have to learn so much?" An Ran secretly clicked her tongue in amazement.
She couldn't help but mentally assess her weak foundation. She had attended a day school for a while, but like needlework, she hadn't taken it seriously. She was somewhat skilled at the guqin, though, but she hadn't touched it for almost two years in total, both in her previous and current lives, and she was sure to be exposed soon.
While An Ran was still feeling uneasy, Cui Ping had already quickly combed her hair, and Jinping had also set out breakfast on the round table in the next room with Qing Xing.
Breakfast was quite substantial. Anran picked out a golden thread roll and ate it with pickles, then drank a bowl of wolfberry and rice porridge. As the appointed time approached, Shi Niang appeared in Anran's room precisely on time.
Shi Niang, An Ran's younger sister, was very devoted. As soon as An Ran returned, she invited An Ran to accompany her everywhere, so that An Ran wouldn't feel helpless.
Rong'an Hospital.
When Anran and Shiniang arrived, they found that Liuniang and Qiniang were already there.
After serving breakfast to the Dowager, Zhao was approached by a head maid who came to ask for her instructions. Zhao left in a hurry.
The old lady kept Anran to talk and told the three sisters, including Liu Niang, to go to school as usual.
"Did you sleep well last night?" The old lady beckoned kindly and gestured for Anran to sit down beside her.
An Ran sat somewhat reservedly on the edge of the daybed, only half-sitting, her hands resting on her knees. Her upright posture showed no sign of casualness or slouching. Although she appeared a little restrained, she was still dignified and pleasing to the eye.
"Grandmother, I slept well," An Ran said matter-of-factly.
Seeing that the old lady was still looking at her with a smile, An Ran added quietly, "It's a bit of a matter of choosing a seat."
The old lady inquired about her daily life, and finally said, "There's no need to rush over in the morning. Have a proper breakfast first." She turned to her head maid, Jianqiu, and said, "Go and bring Ninth Miss a bowl of almond tea."
Before An Ran could even politely refuse, the round-faced maid, known as Jianqiu, smiled and agreed before leaving.
Before long, Jianqiu brought over a bowl on a small tray. The white porcelain bowl was only slightly larger than a teacup, and it contained almond tea with a sweet aroma.
An Ran took it and held it in her hands, sipping it slowly. The fragrant and warm aroma finally relaxed An Ran's tense nerves a lot.
The old lady then brought up Anran's affairs in Jiangnan.
An Ran answered very cautiously.
“Grandma only said that I was the child of her benefactor’s family, and they were all very kind to me.” An Ran said carefully, “Mu Ge’er is the only male in the family, and he couldn’t go to school, but she sent me to a girls’ school.”
The old lady asked Anran with great interest what she had learned.
An Ran felt like she had shot herself in the foot, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say a few words.
"I learned a few primers, and then the Four Books for Girls." An Ran desperately searched her memory, but said in a calm tone, "I also taught the zither for a while at school."
An Ran was taught all the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she could only play a tune on the guqin. Her knowledge of chess, calligraphy, and painting was only superficial.
The old lady looked at her with a smile, her attitude gentle.
An Ran keenly sensed that the Grand Madam wasn't just concerned about her past experiences; it seemed she was also seeking confirmation of something. Unable to fathom her intentions, An Ran could only respond cautiously. Since the Grand Madam had brought up the past, she would try to advocate for An Mu and An tide.
She subtly indicated her desire for An Mu and An tide to move out.
The old lady immediately saw through her thoughts. "You don't want your two children to work as servants in our household, do you?"
An Ran blushed as her thoughts were exposed.
She said hesitantly, "I've thought it over. If Xi'er stays with me, she can only be a maid. They raised me, and I should repay them. So I want her to go out and take care of Mu'er, and find a place for Mu'er to study."
The old lady remained silent.
An Ran was a little nervous, but she still insisted on her own ideas.