"Third Sister, I'm fine now." An Ran quickly smiled and said, "I was just a little tired, but it's nothing serious. Don't worry, I'll definitely tell you if I feel unwell."
Only after An Ran's repeated assurances did Third Sister give up.
"Ninth Sister, when you went out with Miss Zhou today, did you encounter anyone?" Third Sister asked indirectly.
Who did you meet?
An Ran shook her head blankly, not understanding what Third Sister meant.
"You haven't encountered anyone along the way?" Third Sister grew anxious when An Ran didn't react. Could it be that Miss Zhou hadn't handled things properly? "Think about it again. Even if you just happened to walk past the opposite side, that counts!"
An Ran thought for a moment, then suddenly looked enlightened.
So that lingering feeling of unease she'd had ever had since Miss Zhou took her to see the cats was right! She'd been wondering why, after all this time, Miss Zhou had abandoned so many people to take her to see the cats at the Marquis of Qingxiang's residence, and they'd even run into Miss Zhou's cousin on the way…
cousin?
An Ran suddenly seemed to understand something, and her face flushed red. She said with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, "So it was Third Sister who was playing tricks!"
Third Sister could tell from An Ran's expression that she must have seen him, so she quickly asked, "What did you think of that person?"
No wonder Miss Zhou suddenly called out "cousin"! It turns out it was all planned in advance. She was just wondering why, after all, men and women are supposed to be kept separate, and she was an outsider. Even if Miss Zhou saw her cousin, she shouldn't have called out to him from such a distance.
An Ran blushed but refused to speak.
San Niang teased, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Tell your sister, what do you think of Fang Ting?" Seeing that An Ran was still hesitant, San Niang frankly said, "To tell you the truth, this meeting was arranged by your sister."
An Ran looked up and stared at Third Sister in surprise.
"Do you remember when we went to Qixia Temple last time? We met Lady Qingxiang there, and she took a liking to you at first sight." Third Sister said, "She told me about her nephew from her maternal family, Fang Ting. I haven't agreed to meet her yet, but I'm thinking of letting you meet him at least once, so that I can be satisfied."
No wonder she felt that the Lady of Qingxiang Marquis's gaze lingered on her for a long time with a hint of sarcasm; so that's why.
The meaning of Third Sister's words couldn't be clearer: could it be that she's going to arrange a marriage for her?
An Ran frowned in distress, realizing that everything she had said to San Niang earlier had been for nothing.
"Third sister, I—" An Ran hadn't thought of how to refuse when her third sister interrupted her.
"Although Fang Ting is a son born out of wedlock, he is very promising. He has already passed the imperial examination twice and has now been selected as a junior official. His future is limitless." Third Sister said to An Ran in detail, "It's not that I don't want to choose a better family for you, or a son born out of wedlock, so that you can be of equal status and have a respectful relationship as husband and wife."
Third Sister thought of another thing: if Ninth Sister married a pampered young master born of the legitimate wife, and the two of them quarreled, what if that person called Ninth Sister a concubine? Where would An Ran's face be then?
The eldest son is not qualified for the position of Ninth Sister. To be the matriarch of the clan, one must be the eldest daughter who has been carefully raised and educated. If it were a second or youngest son born of the same mother, he would be spoiled and might not be able to be considerate and loving towards Ninth Sister.
Although Fang Ting was born out of wedlock, he was a successful man, and he would probably cherish An Ran even more because of her background.
“I met Fang Ting when he went to pay his respects to the Lady of Qingxiang Marquis on her birthday,” San Niang said. “I observed him closely and found his temperament to be quite good. He is also handsome and elegant, with a scholarly air about him. He is a good match for you.”
In Third Sister's eyes, her younger sister was perfect in every way; there was no one she was unworthy of, only others who were not good enough for her.
Although Anran had no intention of getting married at the time, Third Sister meant well.
"You've met Fang Ting too, what do you think of him?" Third Sister asked in rapid succession. "Although he's six years older than you, he's more considerate of people. But you're the one who's going to get married, and I don't want you to have an arranged marriage. Ultimately, it's best if you like him too."
An Ran never expected that Third Sister had thought of so much for her.
"Third sister, thank you for thinking of me like this!" An Ran said sincerely, "But I had never thought about this before. Now that you mention it, I just feel flustered and have no idea what to do."
Seeing her sincere attitude, Third Sister lost her temper. She sighed, "You don't need to take it too seriously. I just think this person is nice, so I thought I'd let you meet him so you don't miss out on a good match. It's not like it's a sure thing."
After hearing her words, An Ran let out a long sigh of relief.
She was genuinely afraid that Third Sister might have made some kind of wish over there, which would make things very difficult to handle later.
The two sisters then chatted about what they had seen and heard at the birthday banquet.
An Ran devoted half of her thoughts to San Niang's words and her encounter with Chen Qian that day.
It seems she can't go back to Jiangnan, at least not right now.
If Chen Qian really had such thoughts, wouldn't returning to Yangzhou be like a lamb entering a tiger's den? Even with Third Sister protecting her, a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; if Chen Qian had the will, she probably wouldn't be able to escape. Moreover, she also had to take An tide and An Mu with her…
An Ran's heart sank slightly.
It seems that my plans, which I've had since my rebirth, will have to be changed once again.
Fang Ting might be a good candidate.
An Ran made her judgment purely based on reason, devoid of any emotion. Fang Ting held an official title; if news spread that he was proposing marriage to her, Chen Qian, no matter how unwilling, would likely have no choice but to give up.
But she was also unwilling to take advantage of others.
She didn't even know Fang Ting's intentions yet, and she was already being picky. An Ran couldn't help but laugh at herself. Perhaps those two successful candidates in the imperial examinations wouldn't even look at a mere concubine's daughter like herself. Besides, she wasn't raised in the capital's noble household; she had only grown up in the countryside of Yangzhou.
Maybe they won't even agree.
San Niang watched as An Ran's face changed repeatedly, and as she tried to speak to her, An Ran gradually became unable to respond. Seeing her troubled expression, San Niang guessed that An Ran really missed what had happened during the day with Fang Ting.
He's still just a child who hasn't experienced much.
Third Sister's heart softened upon seeing this, and she gently comforted her, saying, "Ninth Sister, I'm not forcing you, so don't take it too hard. Your marriage still requires the approval of Grandmother, Father, and Mother. I can't make that decision myself."
"It's just that both families are somewhat interested, so we're trying to bring them together," said Third Sister. "It's not like you have to agree right away. Besides, my sister is so beautiful, if you want to be my brother-in-law, you'll have to get past me first."
The next part of her words had a playful tone, and Anran knew that Third Sister was deliberately trying to make her happy, so she smiled in response.
These past two days, Yun Shen has been ordered by the Emperor to go to the outskirts of the capital on business, so Third Sister had someone set out the food in the east wing room and had dinner with An Ran.