How long have he and An Ran been married? How dare the two of them cause trouble time and time again, trying to interfere in the family affairs of the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion?
Lu Mingxiu couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
"Didn't they take care of everything today, Lord Marquis?" An Ran smiled nonchalantly and said, "I know what you're thinking, Lord Marquis. I don't take their words to heart at all."
Seeing that Lu Mingxiu was still quite unhappy about this matter, looking like he had something on his mind.
It's not worth it for these people. They can't hurt him any more.
Seeing that Jinping and Qingluo had tactfully left, An Ran tiptoed and gave Lu Mingxiu a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
Lu Mingxiu was taken aback.
I thought my wife had already taken the initiative this morning, but I didn't expect her to take the initiative a second time today.
"Consider this payment for teaching me how to solve the nine-linked rings later."
Under Lu Mingxiu's smiling gaze, An Ran blushed as she tried to explain, making her attempt to cover up the truth only seem more futile. Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 128
Lu Mingxiu couldn't stay at home for long; he did have things to do. He only took leave after learning that Madam Luo and Madam Zhu had come to cause trouble again, and returned from the yamen for a short while.
"Have lunch before you go?" An Ran asked, noticing that it was getting late. "I'll have the kitchen prepare some simple dishes and bring them up."
Lu Mingxiu shook his head apologetically and said, "Ninth Sister, I have something to do and must go back. If I can come back earlier tonight, can I bring you some pastries from Yipinzhai?"
Hearing him speak to her in a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child, An Ran couldn't help but pout and say, "I'm not a child anymore, it's Nian-ge who loves to eat this."
"Yes, it's what Nian-ge'er loves to eat." Lu Mingxiu looked tenderly at his coquettish wife, his voice becoming even gentler.
An Ran escorted Lu Mingxiu all the way to the front of the hanging flower gate.
This time, the person waiting outside, leading the horse, was someone An Ran didn't recognize. This person was tall and had a kind face, which immediately made her feel comfortable.
"Greetings, Madam." Upon seeing An Ran appear before the hanging flower gate, the man hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
An Ran nodded slightly.
"This is Zheng Xing," Lu Mingxiu introduced briefly before mounting his horse. He gave An Ran a few instructions and quickly departed. Qin Feng and Zheng Peng followed closely behind, exchanging greetings with An Ran before hurrying away.
An Ran remembered that she had made Nian Ge'er sit in the room for quite a while, so she hurried back to the main courtyard.
Nian-ge'er was having Cui-ping teach her how to read the next few lines. Cui-ping was a servant girl born into the Marquis's household, and her parents were quite respectable. She had always served in Zhao's courtyard, so she knew a few characters.
Anran stood at the door for a while, and seeing that Niange was studying very seriously, she did not interrupt him.
When Nian-ge'er's neck got sore from looking, he looked up and saw An Ran standing at the door, smiling at him. A shy smile appeared on his face.
He closed the book and wanted to go find An Ran. Nian Ge'er was small, and the chair was a bit too high for him, so he simply jumped off the chair, which startled An Ran. Afraid that he would fall, she quickly walked over.
"Mother, I've learned to read several more lines. Shall I recite them for you?" Nian Ge'er's little face lit up with excitement as he looked at An Ran with anticipation.
Anran nodded encouragingly.
The child's soft voice echoed in the room. Although it was a bit childish, she recited it word for word, showing that she had put her heart into it. She didn't even waste the time she spent greeting the "guests"; she was still diligently reciting her lessons.
This is already quite remarkable for a child under four years old.
"Nian-ge'er is really great!" An Ran praised without reservation, laughing, "You actually managed to remember so many of them."
Hearing her words, Nian Ge'er's face flushed red, and although he didn't say anything, his eyes shone even brighter.
An Ran decided to give the child a suitable reward as a sign of praise. An Ran picked up Nian Ge'er and walked into the inner room. "Nian Ge'er is such a good boy, what reward do you want?"
Nian Ge'er tilted his head and thought for a while.
"Mother, can you teach me how to solve the nine-linked rings?" After a while, Nian Ge'er remembered this.
An Ran felt a pang of sadness. Aside from the first few days when he resisted her, his usual behavior was far too well-behaved and sensible for Nian Ge'er's age. He rarely made any requests, and he would eat whatever An Ran fed him.
Even the toys—Anran bought half a kang (heated brick bed) full of various trinkets for Nian Ge'er. Although Nian Ge'er was happy, he only played with whatever Anran handed him.
It's really strange that a child doesn't have any preferences of his own.
“I’ve already agreed to this, now let’s talk about something else.” Anran patted Nian’er’s head and said softly, “Anything is fine, just tell me. If I think it’s inappropriate, I’ll let you know.”
Nian Ge'er nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Just then, Qingmei came in and said, "Madam, tomorrow is the sixteenth. The shop manager is coming to settle accounts. Would you like to see him?"
An Ran was about to nod when Nian Ge'er's eyes lit up and he asked, "Mother, can I play with Brother Sili?"
Yu Sili?
An Ran looked troubled. The outskirts of Beijing were quite far, a journey that would take a whole day, making it difficult to go immediately. But An Ran didn't want to disappoint him, so she said, "How about we go with your father in a few days?"
Lu Mingxiu once said that when he had time, he would take her out to relax, perhaps to her estate in the suburbs of Beijing.
After all, Sili had spent the most time playing with Nian-ge'er, and since there were no playmates of his age in the Marquis's mansion, he inevitably felt a bit lonely. Anran thought of Jia-niang, who had been clamoring to come and play with her, but it seemed that Princess Yunyang had stopped her.
It would be better to invite Jia Niang, Yi Jie'er, and Heng Ge'er over.
“Mother, we’re not going to the estate.” Nian’er blinked his big eyes and said softly, “I remember Brother Sili said that every sixteenth of the month, his brother comes to the city to sell herbs and animal hides, and then buys some medicine and other things to take back. He comes with him. They arrive at Huichuntang early in the morning.” Nian’er secretly observed An Ran’s expression and said cautiously, “Mother, would you please invite him over?”
It was rare for Nian-ge to make a request, and since it wasn't a difficult thing to do, Anran readily agreed.
"How about your mother takes you to pick up your brother Sili?" Anran looked at Nian Ge'er's bright little face and couldn't help but smile. "Let him play at our house for half a day."