Upon seeing Qingxing and Qingmei, Anran's heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, their eyes did not yet show the forbearance and weariness of their previous lives; they still held a shy, timid air, like those of young girls.
“That lake blue one is very nice.” An Ran pointed to a lake blue dress that Qing Xing was holding in her arms.
Qingxing nervously stepped forward, holding the clothes, and handed them to Jinping.
An Ran was somewhat disappointed.
She wanted to get closer to Qingxing and Qingmei, but forgot that to her at this moment, the two were just strangers who had only met once, and it was not appropriate to have too many emotions.
Jinping had already unfolded her clothes.
An Ran stared intently at the garments: an apricot-white half-sleeved top, a lake-blue brocade top, and a matching eight-panel Xiang skirt. In An Ran's opinion, the fabric and workmanship were only above average. In terms of refinement, they paled in comparison to the clothes Chen Qian had found for her on their wedding day to please her—the clothes made by the top embroiderers from Lingxiu Pavilion.
She nodded, indicating that she had chosen this set.
Although Cuiping and Jinping had spent over a month with Anran, they were still surprised to see her remain calm and unmoved by her wealth and status. They wondered if, before coming here, they had no idea how wealthy the Marquis's mansion was; surely entering it today would cause some shock?
The two had seen An Ran's home in Yangzhou before. It could only be described as clean and tidy, but it was far inferior to the mansions of the ladies who had influential figures in charge.
The two could only attribute An Ran's composure to the fact that Ninth Sister was indeed calm and composed, and could keep her composure.
They were second-class maids when they served Zhao Shi, and were fifteen years old this year, two years older than An Ran. Now that they had been assigned to serve the young lady, there was no reason for them to go back; their future prospects would likely depend on the Ninth Miss. If the Ninth Miss could really be chosen… the two thought silently, it would be the best outcome for them.
Therefore, the two of them served him very attentively.
"What do you think of these two pearl flowers, young lady?" Jinping eagerly presented a pair of slightly ornate pearl flowers inlaid with rubies to Anran. "When Third Aunt got married, the Grand Madam was so happy that she gave Madam a box of rubies, saying that she would make two pearl flowers for each of the young ladies to wear."
At that time, Madam Zhao ordered seven or eight pairs of identical pearl hairpins from Baozhu Tower in the capital, and each of the young ladies in the mansion received a pair. When the Grand Madam saw them, she naturally knew that they were sent by Madam Zhao to Anran. Since Madam Zhao could curry favor with the Grand Madam, she would probably be more pleasing to Anran when she came to visit.
Seeing An Ran's gaze fall on the dressing table, she quickly said, "These were all prepared for you by Madam this morning."
Having been given a second chance at life, Anran was no longer the clueless country girl others perceived her to be. She clearly saw through Jinping and Cuiping's attempts to curry favor. She understood that from now on, the two would likely be tied to her, and even if Zhao Shi might be keeping an eye on them, they would still be serving her.
That's why Jinping specifically reminded herself to wear a pair of pearl hairpins that could please both the Dowager and the Lady.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows how to plan for themselves, and Anran is willing to associate with intelligent people.
“Sister Jinping has excellent taste, then this is the perfect match.” Because the two were people close to Zhao, An Ran politely addressed them as “sister.”
An Ran understood the implied meaning in the music, and Cui Ping and Jinping both breathed a sigh of relief. The two then carefully helped An Ran choose jewelry to wear, thinking that they should help An Ran establish herself in the household as soon as possible.
"Have the sisters been serving Mother since they entered the manor?" An Ran asked casually.
While combing Anran's hair, Cuiping said, "I was bought from outside, while Jinping is a servant born into the household. Originally, we were maids in the madam's courtyard. Two years ago, two second-class maids from the madam's side became the dowry maids of the third young lady, and we were promoted."
It seems that the two of them had served Zhao for quite some time and must have some connections in the household.
An Ran asked casually, but Cui Ping answered in great detail, clearly afraid that An Ran would be completely clueless.
The two of them chatted back and forth, giving An Ran another account of the situation in the manor. Only then did An Ran learn that the eldest, second, and sixth concubine daughters had all died young. Including the married third concubine daughter and An Ran herself, there were a total of nine concubine daughters in the Marquis's manor.
She couldn't come back in her previous life. Could there be other concubine's daughters who also failed to return?
An Ran shivered.
"When we were at Grandmother's, Seventh Sister told me that Sixth Sister had also returned from outside. Do you know why?" Seeing that the two were working together, Anran decided to ask a few more questions.
Jinping replied, "It is said that when the Sixth Miss was young, she was weak. A master was consulted and said that she might not survive if raised at home. So, the matriarch was ordered to take her away and raise her in the countryside. Now that she has grown up, she is indeed well and returned to the mansion half a year ago."
An Ran keenly grasped a key point: both she and Liu Niang were taken away by people from the Grand Madam's side. Was there any deeper meaning behind this?
Others may not know, but An Ran is certain that her pampered upbringing has been explained, though she is unaware of her true identity as a daughter of a marquis. In her previous life, she didn't return to the marquis's mansion, and the An family's life was far from comfortable—not at all what one would expect from someone raising a young lady of the marquis's household!
Grandma never mentioned the past...
Did the Dowager Madam issue a gag order?
Did Sixth Sister return to the manor in her previous life?
He thought he would get an answer when he arrived at the Marquis's residence, but his doubts only grew stronger.
But now she can only suppress everything.
Just as Anran finished getting ready, as if timed perfectly, Qingmei came in to announce that the Tenth Sister had arrived.
"Quickly invite Miss Ten in." An Ran hurriedly smiled and went to greet Miss Ten herself.
Shi Niang came in with a smile, carrying a brocade box.
The two sisters took their seats in the banquet room north of Anran, taking turns as the hostess.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation, nothing much, but consider it a small gift. I hope you won't find it offensive, elder sister," Shi Niang said, handing the brocade box to An Ran.
An Ran readily opened it on the spot.
Inside the brocade box covered with bright red velvet was a beautiful butterfly-shaped mutton-fat jade pendant. The jade itself wasn't of the highest quality, but the tassels on it were exquisitely crafted.
"Thank you so much, sister!" An Ran picked up the jade pendant, examined it, and praised it profusely. She added, "This knot is so exquisitely made; the person who made it truly has skillful hands!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Niang smiled even more sweetly.
"It's all thanks to your kind words, sister. My needlework skills are just average, and I can't accept your praise."
An Ran was slightly taken aback.
Her praise wasn't entirely insincere; she genuinely hadn't expected the knot to be made by the daughter of a marquis's family. Her grandmother had once hired someone to teach her needlework, but she hadn't studied it properly. Later, after marrying into the Chen family, she suffered greatly because of it, and Madam Ding often mocked her for it.