When An Ran woke up the next day, she found herself fast asleep, still clinging to Lu Mingxiu's arm. She had even snuggled closer to Lu Mingxiu, almost pushing him off the bed.
An Ran's face flushed slightly.
Why is she sleeping so restlessly? Is it really because it's too cold at night?
“My lord, perhaps I should stay outside tomorrow?” An Ran looked at Lu Mingxiu with some guilt and said rather embarrassedly, “I… I’m a little restless when I’m asleep.”
Lu Mingxiu shook his head.
He said gently, "It's better with me blocking your way. If you slept outside, you'd probably roll onto the floor!"
An Ran looked embarrassed.
She hadn't realized that even though she was a restless sleeper, if Lu Mingxiu hadn't done it on purpose, she wouldn't have been able to "bully" him to the point of almost falling off the bed.
The canopy bed is very spacious; three people can lie side by side comfortably without any problem.
"Hurry up and put on your clothes, don't catch a cold." Lu Mingxiu took An Ran's outer garment, got up and put on his own clothes, then went to the outer room to call Jinping and the others in to serve An Ran.
This absolutely cannot happen again tomorrow night!
An Ran secretly made up her mind that she might as well change to two thicker quilts.
On this day, Anran checked the gift list to be taken back to the Marquis's residence the next day, had Yilan Courtyard cleaned, moved all the furniture and other items in, found new curtains, bedding and other items, and personally supervised the arrangement.
Some small items will be added gradually. Anran has arranged a set of all the daily necessities she can think of. If she remembers anything else later, she can add it in.
Lu Mingxiu seemed to have something to do. Qin Feng and Ke Lin came again early this morning, and Lu Mingxiu didn't return until evening.
I need to accompany Anran back to the Marquis of Nan'an's residence early tomorrow morning, so we should leave as soon as possible.
Therefore, after having dinner and digesting their food for a while, the two of them went to bed early.
Upon seeing the two equally thick quilts on the canopy bed, Lu Mingxiu couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't even covered himself with those quilts yesterday; they were simply too thick.
However, he didn't say anything and went to sleep outside as usual.
When I woke up safely the next day, I felt even more embarrassed; I had really asked for trouble.
A thick quilt was lying next to her, almost taking up the space of a person on the bed. She was practically pressed tightly against Lu Mingxiu, but fortunately, they were covered by two quilts, so they still had some semblance of dignity.
“You kicked off the covers in the middle of the night, and I was wondering if you were too hot, so I found you a thin blanket.” Seeing An Ran’s suspicious look and her gaze on the blanket she was covering, Lu Mingxiu explained smoothly, “I was afraid of waking you up, so I didn’t dare to move the blanket.”
Unfortunately, she failed to control the side closer to Lu Mingxiu! An Ran thought angrily, otherwise there would have been a clear dividing line between the two of them, and they wouldn't be in this awkward situation.
"It's getting late, we can't keep our elders waiting." Lu Mingxiu meant to help them out, but he still couldn't help but chuckle and said, "We can just change the blankets back today."
An Ran's pretty face flushed red.
She once again shot herself in the foot.
Fortunately, they were about to go out, so they quickly washed up, which at least eased the awkwardness.
Today, Lu Mingxiu changed into a royal blue brocade robe with gold cloud patterns. His cold and hard aura was greatly reduced, and he looked more handsome and gentle.
An Ran wore a bright red jacket embroidered with butterflies and flowers, making her look more mature and noble. Her hairdresser styled her hair into a peony bun, and An Ran chose a pair of red gold twisted silk phoenix hairpins with kingfisher feathers and pearls bestowed by the Empress. She also adorned her left temple with a rose crystal twin begonia hairpin with winged jade phoenix hair ornament. Her hairdresser also picked out a large red gold peony flower inlaid with rubies for An Ran to wear. After dressing up, she had the noble air of a wife of a marquis.
Apart from An Ran, who was dressed in full regalia when she entered the palace the day before yesterday, Lu Mingxiu had never seen her dressed so lavishly before.
In the past, she was as pure and elegant as a lotus flower, but today she is as magnificent and graceful as a peony, making it impossible to look away.
Lu Mingxiu was stunned for a moment.
An Ran called out to him before he came to his senses. The couple ate a few bites of breakfast and then set off for the Marquis of Nan'an's residence.
The gifts to be taken to the Marquis of Nan'an's residence have all been prepared and filled two large carts.
It wasn't that Lu Mingxiu particularly liked the people from the Nan'an Marquis's mansion, but it concerned Jiu Niang's reputation, and he would never allow Jiu Niang to look bad.
Today, Lu Mingxiu still did not ride a horse, but instead rode in a carriage with An Ran.
The Marquis of Nan'an's residence.
Today is Anran's third-day homecoming day, and the Nan'an Marquis's mansion started preparations early in the morning to welcome the new son-in-law and daughter-in-law back.
The Dowager Lady and Madam Zhao changed into festive clothes, and Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister also dressed up carefully. Only Sixth Sister was not yet allowed to come out of the small Buddhist hall.
Sixth Sister has been much more obedient these days, spending her days quietly copying Buddhist scriptures, no longer thinking about sending messages out or asking about anything. When she saw the old lady, she even took the initiative to admit her mistakes, saying that she wanted to turn over a new leaf.
It seems she has completely reformed and calmly accepted everything.
However, this time, when Anran returned home for her third wedding anniversary, the groom was supposed to meet the family's relatives, but the matriarch still sent people to watch over Liu Niang in the small Buddhist hall and forbade her to come out.
The women and the matriarch were all waiting for the new son-in-law and new aunt in Rong'an Hall.
Despite being pregnant, Third Sister came not only on Anran's wedding day but also for her homecoming visit. Yun Shen, worried about her, came along as well. Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister also arrived, though a little later than Third Sister. Anran's two half-aunts also came.
Yun Shen, holding Yu Ge'er in his arms, led An Feng, An Rui, and An Mu to the door to greet them.
Before long, the carriage of the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence stopped in front of the Marquis of Nan'an's residence.
Lu Mingxiu got out of the car first, followed by an old woman who was accompanying the car, who brought over a small stool. Lu Mingxiu then took An Ran's hand and half-carried her down.
Seeing this, Yun Shen couldn't help but tease, "The Marquis really dotes on my Ninth Sister."
When Yu-ge'er, who was in his arms, saw Ninth Sister, he couldn't help but smile broadly.
An Ran walked over with Lu Mingxiu, and before they could even greet each other, An Ran was stunned for a moment.