Nian Ge'er studied very diligently.
An Ran looked at him with a smile, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
Just as An Ran was about to test him, Bi Luo rushed in and said, "Madam, those two people from last time have come again. They say they are the Marquis's third and fourth aunts."
An Ran frowned, making no attempt to hide it.
Wasn't we enough to shut them up last time? How many days has it been, and they've already popped up again!
Even though Lu Mingxiu said to leave them alone, they were already outside the door. If they were driven away, others wouldn't see the evil deeds those two families had committed back then, and would instead think that Lord Lu was heartless. Moreover, Qin Feng had asked Songyang to subtly mention to her that there seemed to be a small rumor in the capital that the Marquis couldn't tolerate his two half-brothers back then…
What a terrible thing this is!
Qin Feng hadn't dared to tell Lu Mingxiu yet, and decided to first discuss it with his wife so they could have a plan. They were still investigating the origin of the rumors.
Therefore, An Ran hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to meet these so-called third and fourth aunts.
She wanted to see what new tricks the two of them had up their sleeves this time.
An Ran, as usual, had someone escort the guests to the side hall. She told Nian Ge'er to study hard, and then changed into a bright red jacket with gold trim, an apricot-colored horse-face skirt, and a set of kingfisher feather headdresses. After tidying up her makeup, she went out to greet them.
“Madam, it’s not just the two of them who came this time,” Biluo whispered cleverly in Anran’s ear. “Each of them brought a beautiful girl with them.”
A beautiful girl?
An Ran raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"I understand," she said calmly, then led Biluo and Jinping to the side hall.
Once Anran entered, the two stood up, and behind them stood two pretty young girls. One wore a light pink jacket, her skin so delicate it seemed as if water could be squeezed from it; the other wore a lotus root-colored jacket, exuding a more delicate and graceful beauty.
She understood why Biluo hadn't addressed them as maids; they seemed to have been carefully groomed. While not exactly from a prominent family, they were certainly charming young ladies from modest backgrounds.
An Ran almost laughed.
They're being incredibly delusional, actually trying to push people into Lu Mingxiu's life? Even if they can cover up their past misdeeds, they can't escape the mistakes they made back then! It's one thing for Lu Mingxiu to ignore them, but they're actually rushing to get closer to him!
After greeting them with a smile, An Ran sat down in the main seat and invited "Third Aunt" and "Fourth Aunt" to sit down as well. She made no mention of the two women behind them, her expression remained unchanged, and she showed no curiosity about their background.
She only treated the two of them like servants.
It's perfectly normal for a favored maid to have someone by her side at all times.
These two aunts, the third and fourth, had witnessed An Ran's skill at silencing people before. Although they wanted An Ran to ask questions first, they knew that An Ran was extremely clever and not easily fooled. Fortunately, they were prepared, so they didn't leave empty-handed again.
"Ninth Sister, you're almost fourteen this year, aren't you?" As soon as this third aunt spoke, An Ran felt something was off. She clearly didn't know her before, and the aunt should have addressed her as Lu Mingxiu's wife, not by her old name from her maiden home.
Adhering to the principle of never being curious and never saying anything, An Ran cautiously replied, "It will be fourteen after the New Year."
Her smile deepened, and she added, "Still a child who hasn't grown up yet, no wonder you look so childish. It's strangely endearing."
Am I just being childish?
An Ran found it utterly ridiculous. She had specially worn this outfit and the complete headdress, precisely to prevent them from taking advantage of her again. Little did she know that the two had already rehearsed beforehand, and she was merely a spectator.
No matter what they said, An Ran only wore a polite smile and refused to speak easily.
“The other day, your father was drinking with your uncle and they were talking about the children in the family,” the woman who identified herself as Fourth Aunt chimed in, smiling kindly. “Although he’s happy that you’re marrying the Marquis, he can’t help but worry.”
The previous generation of the Marquis of Nan'an's family had only one son. Their father didn't even have any half-brothers. Where did she get an uncle from?
Seeing their smug smiles, An Ran guessed who they were talking about.
An Ran's heart skipped a beat. How could An Yuanliang be with Lu Mingxiu's relatives whom he hadn't been in contact with for a long time?
Not wanting them to notice, An Ran forced herself to remain calm, her smile unchanged.
"He's worried you're too young, and the Marquis dotes on you, so he's having you marry into the household to manage the household first, without consummating the marriage," the third aunt said with a smile. "You're not even fourteen yet, and there's still more than a year until your coming-of-age ceremony..."
The two began to sing in unison.
She sounded like she was full of concern for An Ran, afraid that she would be neglected or lose favor. She didn't sound like a relative of Lu Mingxiu's, but rather like her own aunt.
"Why not place two trusted servants by the Marquis's side? They'll listen to you and serve him well." They finally revealed their purpose. "Right now, your third aunt and I have two suitable candidates, distant relatives from our maternal families..."
The two quickly pushed out the two little girls standing behind them so that Anran could see them.
What do you think of them?
Chapter 127
An Ran finally looked up and gave the two of them a proper look.
The girl in the light pink jacket had an apricot-shaped face and peach-like cheeks, and looked charming and lively; the girl in the lotus-root-colored jacket had an oval face and curved willow-leaf eyebrows, and had a unique, delicate and graceful demeanor.
Lu Mingxiu's third aunt, Madam Luo, quickly pointed to the two and introduced them: "The one in pink is Tongniang, and the one in lotus-colored clothes is Xuanniang."
They were two exceptionally beautiful women.
“So you’re a relative from your maternal family.” An Ran calmly picked up her teacup and smiled slightly. “I thought you were one of your maids, so I didn’t say anything. I was being impolite.”
Seeing that An Ran was polite and not angry, the two immediately felt that there was hope for the matter.
An Ran was indeed beautiful, and they knew that their two relatives from their own families couldn't compare to her beauty. However, An Ran was too young, and An Yuanliang had personally stated that she was only marrying into the family and wouldn't consummate the marriage.
Such a stunning beauty is placed in the room, yet one can only look at her...
Which man could stand that? Wouldn't he be burning with pent-up anger? If An Jiuniang hadn't prepared anyone to serve her son-in-law, the two people they brought would have had a great chance of serving Lu Mingxiu if they were allowed to stay.