Thus, the scene of Third Sister guarding the broken pieces on the ground came about.
"Yinping, Huaping, come in."
The two men guarding the door immediately responded and tiptoed in.
"Go and settle Zhimo and Rulan, whom Mother brought today." After struggling with the decision for a long time, San Niang still couldn't make up her mind. "Let them go with Granny Pang to do needlework for now."
Pang Mama was one of San Niang's maids. She was most skilled at needlework. San Niang usually gave her a room with two maids to make her some personal clothes.
"Don't mention those two to outsiders yet," Third Sister instructed. "And don't let outsiders see them either."
Yinping and Huaping both knew the origins of these two people, but they couldn't reveal it. Upon hearing San Niang's instructions, the two quickly agreed and carried them out.
Third Sister waved her hand, and the two quietly withdrew.
The room was deserted.
Suddenly, Third Sister covered her face with her hand, slumped onto the soft couch, and burst into silent sobs.
******
After the four Anran sisters returned with Zhao, they noticed that Zhao seemed unusually distracted.
But they couldn't ask, so they went home with their doubts in their hearts.
Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, the mother and her five daughters went directly to the Grand Madam without changing their clothes to report what they had seen and heard that day. When they mentioned Princess Yunyang, the Grand Madam even asked Anran to take out the jade clasp for a closer look.
“The princess’s loving mother’s heart will surely move Heaven, and mother and daughter will be reunited soon.” The old lady sighed, “Only those who have given birth and raised children can understand the pain of separation from their own flesh and blood.”
Zhao was angry but didn't care about anything else. She retorted to the old lady, "Fortunately, our Ninth Sister is blessed to have a loyal servant to protect her. She returned home safely after growing up. If Princess Yunyang's Yue'er is also blessed, she will surely be able to return sooner or later."
Zhao also emphasized the word "loyal servant".
As expected, the old lady's expression changed slightly, but she didn't say anything.
An Ran and the others all sensed that something was wrong.
At this moment, An Ran was increasingly doubting the authenticity of her "disappearance". Apart from her talent not being as good as Liu Niang's, her background and appearance were similar to Liu Niang's... They both had former servants who had served the Grand Madam and had all grown up to be very good.
If she didn't have this appearance, would she still have been brought back?
An idea that she had never had before suddenly popped into An Ran's mind.
But why didn't she return to the Marquis's mansion in her previous life?
The questions have all returned to their starting point. If she hadn't experienced her past life, Anran could still firmly believe this explanation, but now she's becoming increasingly confused.
At this point, someone had to step in to ease the tension, and the youngest and most well-behaved Shi Niang stepped in to smooth things over, telling everyone what she had eaten, what she had played, and who she had met that day.
The sisters were all intelligent, and with their chatter, the main room of the matriarch was filled with the cheerful laughter of young girls.
Not long after, the old lady told them to go back and change their clothes and rest.
An Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief. A lot had happened today; she needed to sort it all out.
But some people wouldn't let her go.
On the way back, Sixth Sister and Tenth Sister were alright, but Seventh Sister started being sarcastic again. "Some people just rely on their background to get ahead. They can fabricate a tragic backstory and still make Princess Yunyang take notice! Luckily, the princess wasn't fooled, and she was left out in the cold, wasn't she?"
Anran let out a long sigh in her heart.
Seventh Sister and she had clashed more than once. Last time, Third Sister gave her an expensive jade bracelet, which Seventh Sister was unhappy about; now that she had received a special reward from Princess Yunyang, Seventh Sister was making trouble for her again.
Although she didn't want to cause trouble, she wasn't as soft-hearted as clay.
Asking her to back down and be tolerant is possible, but it depends on whether she's willing! Aside from money and material possessions, Anran is inferior to Qi Niang, and in terms of being pampered and loved at home, Qi Niang is far less than Anran. Grandma dotes on her, and her younger siblings all listen to her…
An Ran was a little tyrant in her previous life.
"Seventh Sister, please be careful what you say." Just when Seventh Sister thought An Ran would stammer and stammer, An Ran spoke up frankly: "I was young then, how would I know about my background? I only found out from my grandmother and mother."
"Could I just make up a story about my past and tell my grandmother and mother?"
"You..." Unexpectedly, An Ran retorted, and Qi Niang was caught off guard.
An Ran didn't give Third Sister a chance to speak. She said crisply, "If Seventh Sister thinks there's something wrong with my background, she can go and confront Grandmother and Mother! If what Grandmother and the others said isn't the truth... Seventh Sister, believe me, I'm more curious than you are."
“An Jiu Niang, you…” Qi Niang was furious. She hadn’t expected An Ran to be so sharp-tongued.
"You really are a wild girl from some backwater!" Seventh Sister spoke without thinking, hurling insults without hesitation. "Who do you think you are, daring to talk back to me?"
Since we can't bear it anymore, let's just be decisive.
An Ran smiled slightly and said coldly, "Whatever you are, that's what I am. Please think carefully before you speak. It's fine if you insult me, just don't get yourself into trouble."
Seventh Sister was so angry with An Ran that she jumped up and down.
Sparks were already flying between An Ran and Seventh Sister, and Sixth Sister and Tenth Sister, who had intended to watch the show from the sidelines, now had to step in and smooth things over.
If this gets back to the old lady, she'll say they're not friendly.
Chapter 18 Exclusion
Sixth Sister and Tenth Sister quickly pulled one away.
Sixth Sister pulled Seventh Sister back from lunging forward, while Tenth Sister took An Ran's arm and pushed her back a few steps.
Qi Niang glared angrily at An Ran, her eyes seeming to shoot out daggers as she glared at An Ran several times.