An Ran nodded gratefully. It was better for San Niang to give her a heads-up than to be caught off guard.
"Who are the Chen family members who came today?" An Ran asked.
After thinking for a moment, San Niang said, "It might be Chen Qian's mother, Ding Shi. She once came to the Prince's Mansion, so you might know her. The others might be relatives of the Chen family."
It's the Ding family again.
Although An Ran didn't want to see her, she was Chen Qian's mother after all, and they had to meet eventually. She could remain calm even when seeing Chen Qian, let alone Ding Shi? An Ran encouraged herself and stopped thinking about it.
"It's getting late, let's head over there." Third Sister propped herself up.
An Ran quickly stepped forward to help her up. After she put on her crane cloak, the two walked side by side to the hanging flower gate and got into the carriage.
By the time they arrived at the Marquis of Nan'an's residence, the sun was already setting. The guests in the residence were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two married ladies.
When their carriage arrived at the gate, those inside, having received word, came out to greet them, except for Sixth Sister, Seventh Sister, and Tenth Sister. After all, with her future mother-in-law present, Sixth Sister had to make an appearance.
After exchanging greetings, the sisters went together to the Grand Madam's Rong'an Hall.
Upon seeing the four sisters enter, the maids at the door eagerly lifted the curtain, announcing their arrival while welcoming the two sisters inside.
Anran and her sisters walked around the screen and arrived at the reception area. They saw the Grand Madam and Madam Zhao there, along with two richly dressed women. One of them was Madam Ding, and the other, whom Anran had seen before, was Madam Qiu, Chen Qian's aunt, whose husband's family was a prominent merchant family in Jiangnan.
When Ding and Qiu saw Anran and San Niang enter, they quickly stood up.
Although the two were considered their elders, An Ran and San Niang's status was what it was, and only those two would dare to act like elders if they had nothing better to do.
"Grandmother, Mother!" Third Sister led An Ran to pay their respects to the Grand Madam and Madam Zhao.
Now that Third Sister is pregnant, the Grand Madam and Madam Zhao repeatedly told people to help Third Sister up, to be careful not to let her hurt her back.
"Who are these two?" Third Sister's gaze fell on Ding and Qiu, sweeping over them briefly before quickly looking away. She looked at Zhao and asked, feigning ignorance.
Zhao hurriedly invited Third Sister and Anran to sit down, paying no attention to Ding and Qiu. "This is your future sixth sister's husband's mother and aunt. You two can just call her 'Auntie'."
Therefore, Anran and Sanniang simply nodded, said hello, and that was the end of it.
Ding thought that she had seen Third Sister and Anran at the Prince Yi's residence before, and originally wanted to get closer to them. However, she was afraid that Third Sister would investigate. She had been close to Consort Li before, so when she saw that Third Sister was a bit cold, she did not dare to come forward too deliberately to please her.
"The Dowager and Madam are truly blessed. All the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion are so beautiful, like pearls in the morning dew!" Madam Ding praised with a beaming smile, "I don't know how to compliment them enough."
In terms of appearance, apart from the exceptionally beautiful An Ran, the Third Sister, the Seventh Sister, and the Tenth Sister are all considered to be quite beautiful.
Therefore, Ding's words cannot be considered entirely flattery.
But Anran saw the eager smile on her face, sneered inwardly, and couldn't be bothered to pay her any attention.
Ding, however, kept her eyes fixed on An Ran, a complex emotion in her eyes.
His own son had mentioned that he wanted to marry the ninth daughter of the Marquis's family, who was the most favored younger sister of the Prince Yi's heir. At the time, he had told him that he was delusional, but sure enough, this ninth daughter married Lu Mingxiu, the powerful minister of the court.
This Ninth Miss is truly beautiful. Even Ding, who is used to seeing beauties in Jiangnan, felt that An Ran's appearance was one in a million.
Although he hadn't met his daughter-in-law, An Liu Niang, he had heard that Liu Niang's beauty was almost on par with Jiu Niang's. Could it be that his son had taken a fancy to Liu Niang again? Or did he know that Jiu Niang was going to marry Pingyuan Hou and thus backed down?
Regardless, Madam Ding was quite satisfied with this marriage. With the Nan'an Marquis's daughter born out of wedlock, her elder sister being the heir apparent's wife, and her younger sister being the Marquis's wife, the Sixth Sister's family was a tremendous asset to the Chen family.
An Ran's smile appeared gentle yet distant, seemingly exuding an aloofness that kept people at arm's length.
Third Sister also stopped them from greeting An Ran.
Therefore, the topic gradually shifted to the child in Third Sister's womb, and Ding and Qiu flattered her profusely.
"I acquired a few ginseng roots a few days ago, which must be at least a hundred years old." Madam Qiu took the opportunity to say with a smile, "These wild ginseng roots are really rare. I came in a hurry today, so I'll have someone send some over another day to share with the Grand Madam, the Madam, the Aunt, and the young ladies. They are the best for nourishing people."
The two families are already related by marriage, and even if they know that the Chen family is deliberately trying to curry favor, they will not let them lose face.
Zhao smiled and thanked her.
Seeing that the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion was willing to accept the gift, Madam Ding and Madam Qiu breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although the two young ladies' attitudes were not particularly warm, their willingness to come demonstrated the Marquis's attitude.
They kept trying to strike up a conversation with Lady Pingyuan, but Anran's attitude was indifferent. When they finally managed to steer the conversation toward Anran, she brushed it off with a few words.
If only they could have a chance to meet her alone! The two thought to themselves. Although the Pingyuan Marquis's family was now powerful and wealthy, who would complain about having too much money? If they could present a generous gift, they might be able to win the young girl's heart. Besides, she was still so young—not even fifteen years old yet, a time when her temperament was still unsettled.
Although she appears dignified and poised, and her demeanor is composed, her overall presence easily makes people forget her age, which is, after all, her age is undeniable.
Upon closer examination, the rumors circulating in the capital that Marquis Pingyuan doted on his wife were not unfounded. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married the underage An Jiu and made her the mistress of the Marquis's household.
To them, the younger Lady Marquis was easier to manipulate; money could move hearts, and they didn't believe they couldn't seduce her. But if they were too hasty, it wouldn't be good if the Grand Madam and the other ladies of the Nan'an Marquis's mansion noticed something amiss.
Therefore, they didn't mind An Ran's somewhat cold attitude. They mustered their strength and prepared to visit the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence privately again.
Anran and San Niang hadn't arrived early to begin with, but after sitting with them for a short while, it gradually got dark.
An Ran finally understood the wisdom of Third Aunt bringing her over in the afternoon. If she had come early in the morning, they would have inevitably had lunch and chatted for half a day. But in the afternoon, it was almost dinnertime, and it wouldn't be appropriate to stay at someone else's house for an evening meal, would it?
Even if some people are shameless, they still have to think about the curfew, so there are many inconveniences.
The two were quite sensible; seeing that it was about time, they took their leave from the Marquis of Nan'an's residence. Madam Zhao escorted them to the hanging flower gate, watched them board the small, blue-curtained carriage, and then turned back to Rong'an Hall.
The old lady was talking to Third Sister and Anran.
Right now, the main concern is Third Sister's health. Last time Third Sister returned to the Marquis's residence, Madam Zhao specially invited a doctor from Huichuntang to take her pulse, and they all said it looked like a boy. Madam Zhao was overjoyed and busied herself sending all the best food and supplies to her daughter. Even though she knew that the Prince Yi's residence didn't lack these things, Madam Zhao still prepared a lot.
"Grandmother, I think it's boring for Ninth Sister and her sisters to listen to us talk here. Let them go and wander around." Third Sister knew that An Ran's visit to the Marquis's residence must mean she was thinking about her two younger siblings who were not related by blood, so she spoke up. She thought that the Grand Madam would find it difficult to refuse her.
As expected, the old lady hesitated for a moment, but quickly agreed.