Chapter 22: Bad Luck

All the families listed in the festival gift booklet were on good terms with the Shen family. Madam Shen asked Shen Anan to write them down one by one so that she would have an idea in case of any emergency in the future.

"Did your grandmother teach you to manage household chores?"

Shen Anan blinked, "I think it should be considered as teaching."

But my grandmother never liked those things, and what she taught was different from what the ladies in the mansions taught.

Mrs. Shen naturally had some understanding of her mother-in-law's temperament. She chuckled and said, "Then from tomorrow on, you can learn from your mother. In the future, it will not be so difficult to take care of the chores at your husband's house."

"Yeah, all good."

In her previous life, Shen Anan had put a lot of thought into managing the Fourth Prince's Mansion. Moreover, welcoming and seeing off guests in the Prince's Mansion was much more troublesome than that of ordinary officials and dignitaries. Although she became adept at it later, she was still slightly inferior to those who had been taught since childhood.

Of course, it’s not that her grandmother didn’t teach her well, it’s just that she has limited talent in that area and can’t apply it flexibly.

After returning to the Begonia Garden, Shen Anan thought for a while, walked to the painting tube under the desk, rummaged around for a while, and picked out a dusty scroll.

Mo Xiang felt a little confused. Didn’t the girl really dislike this painting? What was brought back that day was apparently thrown into the toilet and used as toilet paper.

It was also because of the hardness of the scroll paper that I persuaded the girl to throw it into the corner to collect dust.

"Girl, why did you get pulled out again?"

"Reuse waste." Shen Anan frowned and handed the scroll to Mo Xiang, "Clean it up and keep it to sell for silver."

"Hmm? Oh." Mo Xiang reached out and took it and held it in his arms.

Shen Anan looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at, girl?" Mo Xiang looked confused.

"Laugh, things are unpredictable, and there is nothing strange in the world."

When you look at things in a more open-minded way, you realize that it is just like that. The paintings and people that I once treasured are nothing more than that when you look at them again in this life.

The next day, Shen Anan was still asleep when she was pulled up from the couch by the nanny sent by Madam Shen, "Good girl, Madam Zhongcheng will be here soon, you should get up and wash and dress."

"Madam Zhongcheng, who is it?" Shen Anan asked in a delirious voice with her eyes half closed.

"Oh, that's the family that Madam and Miss talked about yesterday. How come Miss forgot everything after sleeping?"

"Hmm?" Shen Anan half opened her sleepy eyes and reacted after a while, "Oh, it's that Mr. Zhongcheng with a nose and eyes."

The nanny was amused by her and didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "It's true. I have seen that young master once. Although he is not as handsome as a man of gold and jade, he is also well-mannered and has an outstanding demeanor."

Although she felt that he was not a good match for her daughter, if the lady said it was good, then it was good.

"Really?" Shen Anan curled her lips, half-closed her eyes, and let the three people tidy up her.

The position of Chief Censor is not a high-ranking one, but it is not a low-ranking one either. His son should be the most capable among the civil servants.

Madam Shen was a very versatile person. She knew that the emperor did not want to see the Shen family marry a military general again, so the list of candidates for son-in-law was full of civil officials, and their official positions were neither high nor low, so as not to be too unfair to her, nor too eye-catching.

As for the son of the Chief Censor, she remembered that he was a decent person, with some talent and the help of his ancestors, so he was relatively successful.

If you marry into such a family, you can live a simple life in the second half of your life, living in the back house, serving your parents, and living the life of an ordinary woman.

Mo Xiang picked out a cloud satin skirt with hundreds of butterflies for her. The light pink wide sleeves were embroidered with large pieces of gold thread, and the hem was embroidered with gold and silver butterflies, which looked lifelike, and the waist was slender enough to be held in one hand.

With a watercolor pearl flower headpiece and tassels hanging on both sides, she is delicate and gentle, exuding the youthful vigor that belongs only to her.

Especially her skin is whiter than snow and her figure is graceful, which highlights her gracefulness and beauty, like a fairy in the moon.

The three of them were very satisfied with her outfit today.

I have always known that the girl is beautiful, but I didn't know she is so gorgeous and beautiful.

Shen Anan was a little lost in thought as she stared at the soft, even childish face in the bronze mirror.

Maybe because her heart has grown old, she actually feels guilty about pretending to be young.

She shook her tassels lightly and looked up at the nanny. "Mammy, this is just the first time we meet. Isn't it a bit exaggerated to dress like this?"

"Not exaggerated, not exaggerated, it's very beautiful." The nanny praised it endlessly.

Mo Xiang and Mo Ran immediately nodded in agreement.

Finally, at Shen Anan's insistence, one side of the tassel was removed. Although it still felt too flashy, it was not good to wipe out the results of the three people's busy work for the whole morning.

Not long after breakfast, Madam Shen sent someone to call, "Miss, the wife of the Minister of Justice is coming soon. Madam Shen wants you to accompany her to the door to greet her and show your hospitality."

"Okay." Shen Anan stood up, straightened her dress and walked out.

With every step she took, she felt like a fluttering butterfly, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

When she reached the end of the corridor, Madam Shen just came out from the fork in the road. She seemed stunned when she saw her, and a light rose in her eyes.

"Mom." Shen Anan drooped her brows.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"No." Shen Anan pursed her lips and her face was slightly tense.

Forget it. Seeing her mother's expression as if she wanted to hold her in her arms and cherish her, she just kept silent and endured it, so as not to disturb her interest.

"Yeah." Madam Shen couldn't stop looking at Shen An'an up and down, "An'an is very beautiful today. At this age, she should dress brightly."

"Yes, mother is right." As the mother and daughter talked, they came to the gate of the mansion.

Not long after, several carriages drove out from the end of the alley and rushed towards this side.

“Here it comes.” Mrs. Shen laughed.

Shen Anan narrowed her almond-shaped eyes. The man in the lead was riding a tall horse. Although he was a little far away, she could vaguely see his tall and straight figure, as green as bamboo and as white as jade. She felt inexplicably familiar with him.

"Mother, isn't it the wife of the Zhongcheng and his son? Why are there two carriages?"

The team approached from afar, and Madam Shen slowly saw the outline of the leader. Her face darkened, "It is said that the wife of the Zhongcheng and the eldest princess are coming."

If the eldest princess hadn't come, she wouldn't have dragged An An to greet them. She originally thought there were only three people, but now seeing this scene...

But those are not important. What is important is how the eldest princess brought it to the fourth prince as well. How embarrassing.

Both mother and daughter looked unhappy, but the person had already arrived in front of them, so Mrs. Shen had to quickly suppress it and force a smile.

"The Fourth Prince is well."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shen Anan also bowed.

Xiao Yuan didn't say anything. He stared at Shen Anan with his narrow eyes for a while, then frowned and looked away.

She is dressed in all kinds of fancy clothes, just like she is in heat, which makes people's eyes water.

This woman really could give him surprises every time they met, just like a peacock spreading its feathers. Could it be that she couldn't live without a man?

Shen Anan naturally did not miss the flash of deep disdain in his eyes, and turned her head away coldly.

In fact, she also felt a little embarrassed.

“Mrs. Shen.”

“Princess.” Madam Shen and Shen An’an bowed to the distinguished woman who got off the carriage.

The princess smiled and said, "I am the guest today, you don't have to be polite, get up quickly."

"yes."

Immediately afterwards, a slightly bloated middle-aged noble lady got off a carriage behind, followed by a young man, who exchanged greetings with Madam Shen.

Shen Anan glanced over the young man.

He has an acceptable appearance, with the temperament of an elegant scholar, fair-skinned, silent and reserved.

While she was looking at the young man, that man was also looking at her quietly, but Shen Anan was a little thicker-skinned and did not dodge, but smiled generously.

The man was stunned, as if dazzled by that extremely gorgeous smile, and his face turned red instantly.

“Cheng’er, why don’t you say hello to Miss Shen.”

The man was pushed by his mother before he reacted. He lowered his head and bowed embarrassedly, "Hello, Miss Shen."

"Hello, Mr. Meng."

Meng Cheng pursed his lips, his face blushing as much as a virgin girl.

Mrs. Zhongcheng was grinning from ear to ear, it was clear that her son had taken a liking to the girl from the Shen family.

However, she felt that the girl was too pretty. It was said that one should marry a virtuous woman rather than a pretty one. It was not a good thing for a husband to be distracted from his studies by a woman who was too attractive. But she came from a good family, so it was acceptable for her to correct these problems after she got married.

Thinking of this, she became even more enthusiastic and chatted enthusiastically with Mrs. Shen.

Meng Cheng glanced at Shen Anan from time to time.

Shen Anan responded with a smile.

At this moment, a cold wind suddenly blew on her back, making her shiver slightly.

It’s not that cold today, where does the wind come from?

She touched the back of her neck, tilted her head to look back, and suddenly met a pair of gloomy eyes.

Xiao Yuan sat upright on the horse, glancing down at her from above, his face cold and his dark eyes emitting a hint of sharp sneer.

This damn woman is always flirting with men. She is a lady after all, but she is so shameless.

Shen Anan had been entangled with him for several years after all, so it was easy for her to read the sarcasm in his eyes, and her face darkened.

The red lips opened and closed silently.

Xiao Yuan was startled and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

He understood it too.

The woman was scolding him and was very dirty.

Shen Anan rolled her eyes at him fiercely and turned her head away.

Whoever she seduces has nothing to do with him for a penny. She is really bored.

At this moment, Madam Shen and Madam Meng also stopped talking.

The princess smiled and said, "Yuan'er, aren't you and Chen Yi going to the West Camp to train troops? Go quickly."

"Yeah." Xiao Yuan withdrew his gaze coldly. There seemed to be a fire burning in his heart, and his hands gripping the reins tightened a little.

Ling Chenyi suddenly poked his head out of the princess's carriage, greeted Madam Shen and said, "Then Madam, wait for us at the Shen Mansion. We will pick you up later."

"Okay." The princess nodded with a smile, "Go quickly, don't miss the important things."

Ling Chenyi lowered the curtain, but Xiao Yuan did not move.

The fire in his heart grew hotter and hotter, and he suddenly felt like... taking that pretentious, fake-smiling woman down there into the mountains, and then...

He suddenly closed his eyes, then slowly opened them, kicked the horse's belly hard, and sped away.

The princess's coachman was stunned for a moment, then reacted after a moment, whipping his horse quickly to chase after her.

Shen Anan stared coldly at the receding figure, then withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes.

Enemies often meet on a narrow road, that's what they are talking about. In her last life, she tried her best to see him, but now she can't avoid him no matter what. It's really unlucky.