"Come, wash your face." Anran saw that there were still tear stains on her face, so she gently wiped them away with a handkerchief and then asked Jinping to bring warm water. She personally helped Jia Niang wash her face.
After applying some fragrant ointment and tidying up her hair, Anran took her hand and went to find Princess Yunyang and the others. They saw Princess Yunyang patiently watching several children solve a nine-linked puzzle, a smile playing on her lips, occasionally offering them a few pointers.
"Princess," Anran greeted with a smile, inviting Jia Niang and the children to come and play together.
Seeing that Jia Niang seemed a little more cheerful, Princess Yunyang guessed that An Ran's words had worked on Jia Niang, and felt grateful.
“I’ve already told the kitchen to prepare the meal. You and the children can have lunch first, then you can go.” An Ran said with a smile, “Nian’er has no playmates at home and is feeling lonely. It’s a good opportunity to have Heng’er and Yi’er keep him company for a while.”
Princess Yunyang didn't stand on ceremony with An Ran, but smiled and nodded.
"The grand Marquis's mansion is rather deserted." Princess Yunyang said thoughtfully to Anran as she saw the four children together, "But it's only been a couple of years."
An Ran was initially puzzled.
"After you come of age, do you think Lord Lu will wait any longer?" Princess Yunyang covered her mouth and laughed, teasing An Ran. "In a few years, the Marquis's mansion will be bustling with activity."
After understanding what she meant, An Ran blushed immediately.
However, she was naturally willing to have children with the person she loved.
******
After lunch, Princess Yunyang did not rush to leave. The two of them coaxed the children to take a nap, talked for a while, and then left with the children at the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM).
Nian-ge'er and Jia-niang had become quite familiar with each other, and they were a little reluctant to part. They made a promise that An-ran would take Nian-ge'er to play again another day. Heng-ge'er and Yi-jie'er were satisfied and got into the carriage. They agreed to play with Heng-ge'er's spinning top next time.
"Mother, I haven't read yet today." After returning to the house, Nian Ge'er ran over and brought the books, asking An Ran to teach him to read. He counted on his fingers, "I still need to read two more pages."
An Ran was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Nian Ge'er could be so self-disciplined.
She took the book from Nian-ge'er with a smile and praised him, saying, "Nian-ge'er is so good; he knows that you have to persevere in doing things."
When Nian Ge'er heard An Ran praise him, his eyes crinkled with joy, and he studied even harder.
"When your father comes, let him hear how well our Nian-ge'er has learned to read." After teaching Nian-ge'er once, An Ran watched him read earnestly in his childish voice.
Although Lu Mingxiu returned late yesterday, it was because he went to buy tangyuan (sweet rice balls). Today, he was late in returning, and it wasn't until the lanterns were lit that Songyang came in to deliver a message: "The Marquis sent someone to say that he has business at the yamen today and will be late. He told the madam to take the young master to eat first and not to wait for him."
An Ran indicated that she understood, then turned to see that Nian Ge'er looked somewhat disappointed, so she coaxed him, "It's the same if you let your father hear it again tomorrow. By tomorrow, Nian Ge'er will know two more pages, right? Your father will think you're even more amazing."
Hearing her say that, Nian Ge'er cheered up again.
At noon, Princess Yunyang was there with the children, and the kitchen naturally prepared a sumptuous meal. Anran, relying on her memories from when she stayed at Princess Yunyang's residence, ordered several dishes that the children liked, and also asked the kitchen to make a few of their signature dishes, so lunch was quite sumptuous.
Since Lu Mingxiu wasn't coming home for dinner, An Ran had the kitchen prepare some side dishes and porridge, so the meal was a bit light.
After dinner, Anran coaxed Nian Ge'er to play with a ball and a nine-linked ring for a while, until Nian Ge'er was so sleepy that he couldn't keep his eyes open, but Lu Mingxiu still hadn't returned.
Seeing that Nian Ge'er couldn't hold on any longer, An Ran carried him to his room, helped him wash up, changed his clothes, and removed his shoes and socks before carrying him to bed and coaxing him to sleep before getting out of bed.
Once he had slept more peacefully, Anran asked Taozhi and Taoye to take good care of him before returning to her room.
She was waiting for Lu Mingxiu to return. She had already prepared a stomach-soothing soup and ordered someone to simmer it over a low flame in the kitchen so that Lu Mingxiu could drink it whenever he came back.
With nothing else to do, An Ran took out the belt she had barely finished and examined it carefully under the lamp. Her skills were really limited, and she needed to use leather, which was not as easy to work with as cloth. An Ran pricked her fingers several times while making the belt.
It still doesn't seem refined enough.
She had been so determined to give away the belt, but now that she held it in her hands, she hesitated.
Before she could come to a decision, she heard footsteps outside, followed by the sounds of Qingmei, Qingxing, and others bowing. "My Lord."
An Ran quickly put down her belt. Seeing Lu Mingxiu enter, she went up to him and curtsied, saying, "My lord, you're back!"
Lu Mingxiu was still covered in cold air, which, though chilly, made people feel refreshed.
"Ninth Sister, still not asleep?" Lu Mingxiu's brows, furrowed all day, finally relaxed slightly upon seeing An Ran. He said softly, "Have you been waiting long?"
An Ran shook her head, tiptoed to help him take off his cloak, and said softly, "I'm not sleepy yet, but I've managed to coax Nian-ge to sleep." She added proudly, "Nian-ge already knows to study on his own initiative. Today, Princess Yunyang brought the children over, and I was thinking of letting it go for today. But unexpectedly, Nian-ge put his books in front of me and asked me to teach him to read."
She looked every bit the proud mother, saying with a sense of peace and honor, "Nian-ge'er will definitely have a bright future."
"When you have some free time, you should definitely watch Nian-ge recite his lessons for you." An Ran remembered that Nian-ge was already so sleepy that he was nodding like a chick pecking at rice, but he was still trying to stay awake and wait for Lu Mingxiu to come back. "He is smart and hardworking, you should praise him more."
Before she could finish speaking, Lord Lu readily nodded in agreement, indicating that he would be able to return earlier the next day.
When Lu Mingxiu returned home after a long day, all he hoped for was to have his wife and children at home, with hot soup and tea, and someone waiting for him. Listening to her chattering, Lu Mingxiu felt a warm glow in his heart, and all the fatigue of the day was swept away.
He listened to his young wife with a smile, occasionally offering a few words of response.
"Cuiping, go to the small kitchen and bring the soup to the Marquis." An Ran called out to Cuiping, then turned to Lu Mingxiu and said, "I know it's late and you're not in the mood to eat. But this soup is good for the stomach, refreshing and not greasy, so please drink some."
An Ran was afraid that he would forget to eat while busy at the yamen, or that the food wouldn't suit his taste. An Ran only learned after marrying Lu Mingxiu that Lord Lu was also very picky about food. Back on the battlefield, it was one thing, but even in the toughest times, they had to eat tree bark and grass roots.
As long as he has a demanding environment, Lord Lu will not touch anything he doesn't like, preferring to go hungry.
Lu Mingxiu had already changed his clothes and smiled as he agreed.
Just as An Ran was busy tidying up his clothes, Lu Mingxiu saw the belt placed under the lamp. An Ran only noticed it when he picked it up and looked at it, but it was too late.
An Ran smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said in a low voice, "I wanted to give it to you, but my needlework skills have never been very good. I'll give it to you next time when I've finished it!" As she spoke, she tried to take the belt back from Lu Mingxiu's hand.
Lu Mingxiu had cherished the simple purse she had made, let alone the belt that clearly required a lot of effort. Although the stitches on the edges were a little uneven, it was An Ran's thoughtful gesture. Thinking of this, Lu Mingxiu gripped the belt tightly, unwilling to return it to An Ran.
“I think it’s perfect.” Lu Mingxiu held it up to himself; the length and width were just right. Taking advantage of his height, he placed it on top of the large wardrobe. “Since it was made for me by Madam, I will accept it.”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he grabbed An Ran's hand and examined it closely.