"Brother Yu is really amazing," An Ran said sincerely.
Upon hearing this, Nian Ge'er remembered Yu Zhou, who had once carried him on his back, and nodded vigorously like a little adult, saying, "Brother Yu is very capable."
Upon hearing this, Yu Sili and An Ran couldn't help but laugh at his childlike and adorable appearance.
"Oh, fairy sister." Yu Sili realized something. "Nian-ge'er also calls me 'elder brother'? Since I call you 'sister,' shouldn't Nian-ge'er call me 'uncle'?"
Anran smiled gently.
Originally, all the children called her "elder sister," but now that Nian Ge'er has become Lu Mingxiu's son, her generation has also increased.
"Then I should call Sili Uncle?" Niange'er said with distress, "It seems like I don't have any brothers anymore, and they've all become uncles."
Yu Sili looked at Nian Ge'er and said with great interest, "Nian Ge'er, quickly call him uncle."
******
As the sun began to set, An Ran, having promised Yu Zhou she would take Yu Sili home, decided to prepare to leave.
Lu Mingxiu, who usually doesn't return until dusk, came back much earlier than usual, even before An Ran left with Nian Ge'er and Yu Sili.
"My lord, you're back." An Ran was a little surprised. She went up to him and said, "You should go back and rest first. I'll go see Si Li off."
Lu Mingxiu shook his head and said softly, "Together," before greeting Yu Sili and Nian Ge'er with a gentle expression.
The two children obediently stepped forward to greet them.
After hearing Nian Ge'er's words before lunch, Yu Sili wondered if Nian Ge'er's father was indeed the Marquis of Pingyuan. He secretly glanced at Lu Mingxiu, but found he couldn't come to a conclusion.
Marquis Pingyuan possessed a cold and aloof demeanor; even when he treated them gently, he still exuded an imposing and dignified presence. Nian-ge'er, on the other hand, was a delicate, adorable little dumpling.
Speaking of which, Nian Ge'er's eyes are more like those of a fairy sister; they are a pair of beautiful, big eyes.
It's really hard to judge from appearance alone.
Therefore, as soon as he returned, he mounted his horse again, covered in dust, and let the two children and Anran ride in the carriage together.
When they arrived at the agreed location, Yu Zhou was already waiting outside.
Upon seeing that Lu Mingxiu was leading the way, Yu Zhou was secretly surprised, but then chuckled to himself and quickly came to terms with it.
Lu Mingxiu nimbly dismounted and took the initiative to greet Yu Zhou.
An Ran, accompanied by Yu Sili and Nian Ge'er, followed closely behind as they disembarked from the carriage.
Chapter 130
After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Mingxiu and Yu Zhou felt a mutual respect and appreciation for each other.
An Ran also brought Nian Ge'er forward to pay their respects.
When Anran visited the Yu family last time, she was treated to fine tea and snacks, and they were even given a very good piece of leather as a gift. This time, after sending Yu Sili back, Anran prepared a return gift.
One package contained pastries made in the Marquis's residence, some of which were modified by the cook to suit Anran's taste, making them different from those sold outside; another package contained two high-quality ginseng roots. Anran learned that one of the medicinal herbs in Yu's mother's medicine was ginseng, which was now hard to find in the market and expensive.
So she opened the storeroom and picked out two from it.
Although Yu Zhou was strong-willed and unwilling to accept favors, An Ran thought he would definitely compromise since this concerned his mother's health; besides, Yu Zhou had given them a fine piece of leather last time, which would be worth a lot of money if sold.
As expected, when Yu Zhou heard that it contained ginseng, he knew it must be top-quality ginseng and couldn't help but want to refuse. Although their family was poor, they never accepted favors without reason. This was his bottom line.
He was about to refuse seriously when Lu Mingxiu had him figured out.
“This is a small token of my wife’s and my appreciation, please don’t refuse, Brother Yu.” Lu Mingxiu took the bundle from An Ran’s hands and said, “Your mother’s illness is the most important thing. With your talent, Brother Yu, you will be able to return these gifts tenfold or a hundredfold sooner or later. A true man doesn’t concern himself with trifles. We accepted your gifts generously back then.”
Lu Mingxiu was referring to the leather.
“In that case, I shall respectfully accept your offer, and thank you for your kindness, Lord Marquis.” Lu Mingxiu’s words were already so sincere that refusing would be ungrateful. Therefore, Yu Zhou readily accepted the ginseng brought by An Ran and thanked her generously.
An Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Lord Lu's intervention was far more effective than hers; after all, some things are better left unsaid between men.
After seeing Yu Zhou and Yu Sili off, Lu Mingxiu helped An Ran and Nian Ge'er onto the carriage.
The family of three returned to the Marquis's residence.
******
Chen Qian sent Xu Hui back early today, and then took many gifts to visit the Marquis of Nan'an's residence.
The date for his betrothal has been set for the 26th of next month. Sixth Sister is not young anymore, so An Yuanliang nodded in agreement. Zhao Shi had long been fed up with Sixth Sister, so she was overjoyed to be able to marry her off so early.
The only thing that displeased her was that Sixth Sister remained in the capital after her marriage.
To demonstrate their respect for their eldest daughter-in-law, the Chen family decided to purchase a new four-courtyard house with an additional side courtyard in the capital for Liu Niang and Chen Qian's wedding. Everything inside was brand new, clearly showcasing the wealth of the imperial merchants—
The Chen family had been operating in Jiangnan for many years and had accumulated considerable wealth. Now they thought that if they could leverage the influence of their new bride's family and establish connections in the capital, it would greatly benefit their business.
Especially after learning that Sixth Sister's elder sister, Third Sister, was the heir apparent of Prince Yi's mansion, and that her half-sister, Ninth Sister, was the high-ranking and powerful Lady of Pingyuan Marquis, the Chen family poured even more wealth into sending silver to the capital like water.
They didn't dare to expect that the Prince Yi's heir and the Marquis of Pingyuan would take Chen Qian, their brother-in-law, too seriously. But if something happened, they would still have some kinship ties, and others would probably give them a break out of respect for the Prince Yi's and the Marquis of Pingyuan's families.
The Chen family had a good plan, but they didn't know that Sixth Sister, Third Sister, and Ninth Sister were already at odds.
If Sixth Sister had done nothing, and hadn't gone through the trouble of seducing Fang Ting and framing Ninth Sister and Chen Qian, she probably would have been given some leeway by Third Sister and Ninth Sister if she needed anything. But Sixth Sister has already offended both of the sisters.
The two best-married daughters in the Nan'an Marquis's mansion didn't give her any face, so the Nan'an Marquis's mansion's care for her was also limited.