Although An Ran was already married, the two families agreed not to consummate the marriage until after An Ran came of age. As for the matter of a woman's childbearing, she didn't care.
"You may go." The old lady nodded.
An Ran, Qi Niang, and Shi Niang all got up to take their leave, and the two of them escorted An Ran all the way to Ningxue Courtyard.
Originally, Seventh Sister didn't want to have much contact with An Ran, but Aunt Li kept nagging her to cultivate a good relationship with An Ran, otherwise she wouldn't bother with her. Even so, she didn't know how to start the conversation; she didn't want to grovel and fawn over An Ran.
Therefore, it was mostly Shi Niang and An Ran who were talking along the way. Occasionally, Shi Niang would mention Qi Niang in her words, and Qi Niang would respond and that would be the end of it.
"Ninth Sister, why didn't you bring Nian-ge'er today?" Seventh Sister wasn't proactive, but Tenth Sister didn't miss this opportunity to get closer to An Ran. "Yu-ge'er still wants to play with Nian-ge'er."
Mentioning Nian-ge'er, An Ran couldn't help but smile, saying, "We came in a hurry today, so I had someone watch him take a nap at home and didn't let him come along. Next time, you can bring Yu-ge'er with you. The plum blossoms will be in bloom in a few days, and there's a plum grove at the Pingyuan Marquis's residence."
An Ran's invitation was a pleasant surprise for Shi Niang, and she happily nodded in agreement.
"Sixth Sister is preparing for her wedding, so she probably won't have time to have fun," Shi Niang muttered. "Seventh Sister, tide Jie'er, Mu Ge'er, Yu Ge'er, and I will all go."
Before she could finish speaking, An Ran's eyes flickered slightly, and she couldn't help but praise Shi Niang in her heart. She was indeed clever and quick-witted; knowing what she cared about, she spoke up proactively without making An Ran seem deliberate.
“If you have some free time, let Feng-ge and Rui-ge go too,” An Ran added with a smile.
Shi Niang smiled and nodded.
The conversation then turned to Sixth Sister, who was about to get married. Tenth Sister asked Anran in a coquettish tone what gift she should prepare. She said that Sixth Sister's needlework was so good that it would be embarrassing for her to give her a gift.
"It's just your kind intention, Sixth Sister won't mind." An Ran smiled slightly.
The Chen family will deliver betrothal gifts later this month, and next month will be the time for Sixth Sister's wedding. Right now, Sixth Sister is busy embroidering her dowry, and even the morning and evening greetings have been skipped for her. It seems like the Grand Madam and Madam Zhao are being considerate of her, but anyone with eyes can see that they are actually giving Sixth Sister the cold shoulder.
"Sixth Sister is very fortunate," Shi Niang casually revealed to An Ran. "Not only does her mother-in-law value her highly, but they also bought her a four-courtyard house with an additional side courtyard in the capital for her and her husband to live in, and they're not in a hurry to return to Jiangnan. I heard the land deeds and house deeds were even sent as part of the betrothal gifts!"
The Chen family certainly has a grand scheme to make.
An Ran sneered inwardly, but listened with an expressionless face.
"Tenth Sister, you speak as if she's brought honor to the Marquis's mansion." Seventh Sister was displeased. She disliked An Ran and also hated Sixth Sister. If it weren't for Sixth Sister's interference, perhaps she could have been engaged to Fang Ting. "Letting her marry into the family was merely a last resort, how can it be as if she's made such a great contribution to the Marquis's mansion!"
Neither An Ran nor Shi Niang responded.
Qi Niang herself felt it was pointless, and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark: "As expected, she's a girl who came back from outside and can't be tamed. She hasn't learned any of the manners of a noble lady, which is why she did such a shameful thing."
"He's still an illegitimate son. He grew up outside until he was three years old before coming back. Ninth Sister, you should be careful." Seventh Sister had another inspiration and thought of Nian-ge'er by An Ran's side. She said, "Who knows if he still misses his birth mother? Ninth Sister dotes on him so much. Who knows what he's really thinking?"
Upon hearing this, An Ran's gaze immediately turned cold. Shi Niang was also furious; her seventh sister was quite formidable, always managing to ruin a perfectly good atmosphere.
Ten-Niang quickly gave Seven-Niang a wink, signaling her to stop talking.
Seventh Sister's words not only addressed Sixth Sister but also dragged An Ran into the conversation. After all, An Ran was also a concubine's daughter who had returned from outside. Her comment that Sixth Sister was ungrateful and unruly after returning from outside sounded like a veiled insult, a veiled criticism of An Ran.
"Seventh Sister, isn't it inappropriate for you to talk about Sixth Sister behind her back like this?" At this point, An Ran no longer needed to save face for Seventh Sister. She curled her lips, but there was no smile in her eyes. "Nian-ge'er was raised by my side, and I know him better than Seventh Sister."
"I don't want to hear such divisive words again—"
An Ran glanced at Qi Niang indifferently, showing her displeasure, and walked straight ahead. Shi Niang glanced at Qi Niang helplessly, and followed An Ran without hesitation.
When will her seventh sister finally wake up? The ninth sister is no longer the concubine's daughter of the Marquis's household; her true identity is now the Lady of Pingyuan Marquis. But the seventh sister seems unable to grasp this newfound sense of identity, and she's bound to suffer the consequences.
Moreover... Tenth Sister has already vaguely heard rumors about Seventh Sister's marriage. If that's true, Seventh Sister will probably make a scene.
Shi Niang was sensible, and An Ran didn't want to make things difficult for her. The two sisters arrived at Ningxue Courtyard in a harmonious manner, where An Mu and An tide were waiting for An Ran.
"elder sister!"
The two children excitedly rushed over and held onto Anran tightly.
"Ninth Sister, Sister tide, Brother Mu, I have some things to attend to, so I'll head over first." Shi Niang tactfully left the three of them alone and returned to her room.
An Ran couldn't wait to ask about their recent situation.
"Sister, don't worry! Mu-ge'er and I are doing very well here!" An tide said with a smile, "Madam and Tenth Sister take good care of me. Whenever I don't understand something at school, Tenth Sister teaches me carefully when she comes back. And Mu-ge'er is also making great progress by going to school and practicing martial arts with Eldest Brother and Second Brother."
"I'll be able to master kung fu soon and protect my sister!" An Mu said enthusiastically, demonstrating a few moves for An Ran as she spoke.
An Ran smiled and nodded.
She took a good look at the two children. An tide had her hair styled in two buns with two delicate pearl flowers on either side. She wore a light pink jacket and a pea-green skirt, looking fresh and clean, a charming little girl. An Mu wore a royal blue brocade robe, which gave him the air of a young master from a noble family.
The Marquis of Nan'an's mansion did not mistreat them; on the contrary, they took good care of them.
As long as she can maintain her position in the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion and remain useful to the Nan'an Marquis's mansion, the Grand Madam will treat the two children very well.
But... An Ran saw the longing in the children's eyes. No matter how luxurious their lives were in the Marquis's mansion, they still wanted to live with her!
An Ran unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
She had to find a way to take the two children away as soon as possible. This was perhaps a test from the old lady, and she had to remain calm.
******
Before the city lights came on, San Niang and An Ran each returned home.
Third Sister knew that Anran wanted to spend more time with her two children, so she stayed at the Grand Madam's place until it was time for them to leave, and then called Anran to leave.
Seeing how good the relationship was between the two sisters, the old lady was both happy and worried.
If Ninth Sister were to team up with Third Sister to oppose me, I don't know if I could handle it.
Chapter 139