Thinking this, Li greeted Anran and Third Sister with a smile and invited them to sit on the kang by the window. She personally brought over a red lacquered and gold-painted begonia flower tray with two old official kiln ten-pattern brocade teacups on it.
"Please have some tea, Madam." Madam Li first offered tea to Third Sister, and then to An Jiu. "Please have some tea, Ninth Miss."
Her demeanor was so careful, so humble and respectful, that she seemed like an ordinary concubine who feared her mistress, leaving no room for criticism.
Third Sister took the teacup and casually placed it on the small table beside her, but An Ran picked it up and tasted it.
"Xinyang Maojian?" An Ran took a sip and immediately said, "This tea is really good."
Madam Li said with a smile, "This was brought back from outside by the young master. I usually can't bear to drink it. If Miss Jiu likes it, I have some more here, so I might as well give it to you."
Her words seemed ordinary—that the tea was brought back "from outside" by Yun Shen—but in reality, they implied that the matter hadn't gone through Third Sister's side; Yun Shen had given it to her privately. Wasn't this clearly saying that Yun Shen cared about her, even about such small things?
Tea alone is nothing special, but it makes one wonder: was it just tea? Could it be that Yun Shen secretly gave Li something else? Li was kept away from home for several months. During that time, did Yun Shen acquire any private property for her?
If you follow her train of thought, after considering this series of ideas, Third Sister would definitely feel frustrated and upset.
Li was secretly pleased with herself, believing her instigation was flawless.
Upon hearing this, An Ran didn't even frown. She relaxed and said, "I see. It's just some tea. My brother-in-law brought back some good tea from outside, like Yuxi Tieguanyin, Lushan Yunwu, Junshan Yinzhen, and many other teas whose names I don't know."
“No wonder when I went to Aunt Wu’s house the other day, Aunt Wu specially brought out Tieguanyin tea to entertain me.” An Ran smiled brightly and said, “She said that she came to pay her respects to the Third Son-in-law and Third Aunt, and the Third Son-in-law gave it to her as a gift.”
Didn't you, Lady Li, say that this tea was so precious, only because it was specially given to you by the Crown Prince? She deliberately made this tea seem ordinary—you see, this is something the Crown Prince can casually bestow upon a servant; your treatment is no different from that of a servant.
Sure enough, before she could finish speaking, the smug smile on Li's face froze.
Unable to catch her breath, An Jiuniang actually compared her to a servant in the Nan'an Marquis's mansion.
"I'm afraid there are too many. Sister, you'll forget about them once you have them put away." An Ran winked playfully at Third Sister and said coquettishly, "Who did you have put them away? Go back and find them for me."
The furrowed brows of Third Sister relaxed considerably because of An Ran's words. She smiled, her eyes revealing a hint of affection and indulgence. "Just look for Hua Ping."
"Huaping, go back and look carefully. There's a lot of good tea here. Don't let it get moldy." Anran turned to Huaping and said, "Since Aunt Li also likes Xinyang Maojian tea, if you find it, send some over."
Li raised an eyebrow without saying a word. Would An Jiu Niang be so kind?
As it turned out, the facts proved that she still understood An Ran very well.
"Since you're already keeping it, I'll make the decision for you today. Besides giving some to Aunt Li, also give some of this tea to your ladies in the Prince's mansion. It'll just go bad if you can't finish it."
Third Sister naturally understood that An Ran was standing up for her, so she cooperated by saying, "I completely forgot about the tea leaves. It's a small matter; I'll have Hua Ping take care of it when we get back."
Hearing An Ran's words, Li Shi desperately told herself to remain calm. But An Jiu Niang was going too far, actually comparing her to a lowly maid!
"In that case, I thank Ninth Miss and Madam in advance." Madam Li was so angry that her teeth itched. She took a deep breath, lowered her eyes, and slowly smiled, "I am truly grateful."
An Ran, looking completely at ease, chuckled and said, "No problem, no problem."
The purpose of Anran and her sister's visit today was to see Dongge'er, and they had nothing to talk about with Li Shi. However, after drinking half a cup of tea, Anran became quite interested and wandered over to Dongge'er's crib.
This was the time of day when Dongge was at his most energetic, so the wet nurse tried her best to coax him to sleep so that San Niang and An Ran could leave, but it was very difficult.
At this time, Madam Li had already come up with a plan. Although it was not enough to make An Ran leave the Prince's Mansion completely, it would at least prevent her from being so unrestrained in the Prince's Mansion and causing trouble by following San Niang's side.
She looked at her son with affection—he would inevitably have to suffer some grievances, but for the sake of their future in the Prince's mansion, it didn't matter!
“If Ninth Miss likes Dong-ge’er, it’s his good fortune.” Li Shi changed her previous avoidance of An Ran, as if she had figured it out. She said suddenly, “Let the wet nurse bring Dong-ge’er out to play with you for a while.”
An Ran's eyebrows twitched, and a hint of interest flashed in her eyes.
Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; there's no smoke without fire. This Li woman is definitely up to no good; she's probably come up with some terrible idea on the spot again.
It's okay, I'll just play along with her. In the end, it's not certain who will be the one who suffers.
"I'll go prepare some refreshments for Madam and Miss!" After saying this, Madam Li lifted the curtain and went out, looking quite relieved.
This time, An Ran didn't hug Dong Ge'er easily. Instead, she took a rattle drum and shook it in front of Dong Ge'er, drawing his gaze to follow the drum while giggling.
The large kang bed by the window was separated from Dongge'er's small bed by a raised, floor-to-ceiling screen, effectively creating two separate rooms. Third Aunt's gaze frequently fell on Anran, her expression thoughtful.
Third Sister was unwilling to force herself to tease the child. Even though she knew what the right choice was, she still found it hard to accept her husband's child with another woman.
Perhaps she could accept it in the future, but for now... Third Sister hesitated for a moment, wanting to get up, but in the end she didn't move.
An Ran appeared relaxed as she teased Dong Ge'er, but inwardly she sighed. It seemed that getting Third Sister to accept Dong Ge'er was only possible after Li Shi was gone!
Lost in thought, An Ran drifted off into a daze.
Dongge'er kept stretching out his soft, white little hand, trying to reach for the rattle drum. If he wasn't given it, he would pout and start crying. The wet nurse had no choice but to take the rattle drum from Anran's hand and pretend to put it in Dongge'er's little hand.
The wet nurse stood beside Aunt Li's canopy bed, holding Dongge'er in her arms, while Anran stood in front of Dongge'er, leaning over to look at him. In the instant Anran was lost in thought, she suddenly felt the marbles on either side of the rattle drum lightly tap her face.
An Ran touched her face in pain, surprised.
Dongge'er was still a baby, how could he have the strength to lift the rattle drum and touch her face?
Immediately afterwards, the wet nurse exclaimed in alarm, "I'm so sorry! Ninth Miss, it's all my fault. I didn't keep an eye on the boy, and he hit your face with a marble!"
"Please, considering Dong-ge'er's immaturity, don't hold it against him!"
Upon seeing this, the maids who had been standing to the side quickly gathered around.
How much strength could a child have? An Ran was about to wave her hand and say it was nothing, but as soon as she raised her hand, she saw the wet nurse suddenly fall backward as if someone had pushed her, with Dong Ge'er in her arms. An Ran felt as if the hem of her skirt had been stepped on, and she lost her balance and fell forward as well. In order not to hit the child, An Ran had to fall to the side.
Although Dongge'er was being held by his wet nurse, the sudden dizziness frightened him so much that he burst into tears. His loud cries and the screams of the maids echoed around him.
Chaos erupted immediately.