The Fourth Prince was summoned to the palace by Emperor Kangxi the next day, and then he went out early and returned late, staying in the front courtyard for several days in a row. Lanqin only received one sentence from the Fourth Prince: Stay in your own courtyard and try not to go out. I may have to go out, it's a tough job, and I won't take you with me.

Lanqin chuckled to herself and said, "Alright, I'm quite tired from this trip. I'll take a good rest while Grandpa's away."

So, our Comrade Lanqin started thinking about how to find some projects that could make the most of this precious time.

Playing cards! It's not enough; these girls always let her win on purpose, so it's really not satisfying.

Learning embroidery! It strains the eyes too much. Although it's satisfying to embroider a flower, why waste your time when there are so many good embroiderers in the mansion?

Reading and writing! In my past life, I studied hard for more than twenty years. In this life, I will avoid it as much as possible. I really like the requirements of feudal society for women: a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent!

Looking for some casual chats with my sisters! In my past life, I was a tomboy, and I still don't like playing those complicated games in this one. I'd rather be isolated than try to figure out what others are thinking. Besides, it seems like they've already made me their public enemy. Public enemy, so be it. I didn't transmigrate here to be a saint. Since the price of being favored is becoming the object of envy and hatred among the women in the inner quarters, I'd rather be their public enemy than lose this favor.

Lanqin had Li Shubao erect a swing on the west side of the yard, and then transplanted a grapevine that had already borne fruit once behind the swing. Li Shubao had all the flowers removed this year, the purpose being to allow the grapevine to conserve its energy for next year's harvest. With a year's worth of accumulated strength, the grapes would surely taste extraordinary.

In addition, Lanqin did something else: she had Li Shubao buy a puppy. She wanted to fulfill Lin Mengyao's lifelong dream of owning a dog, a dream she'd never had in the 21st century. Back then, owning a dog required a license, time, and space—something that had always troubled Lin Mengyao, but was perfectly normal in the Fourth Prince's backyard three hundred years ago. As soon as the dog arrived, Lanqin named it "Fubao." Fubao was a small, yellow-and-white mixed-breed dog. Lanqin preferred this kind of ordinary, natural dog to all the world-famous breeds. Every day she would play with Fubao, and when they were tired, she would watch the maids working in the yard, chatting and laughing; the days passed quickly.

"Fu Bao, come over here and pick that up for 'Mommy'." Lan Qin asked Nian Xue to make a small frisbee for Fu Bao to practice his ability to fetch things. She gestured to show what a modern frisbee looked like, and Nian Xue made a cloth frisbee out of cotton and cloth, then put some small pebbles inside, so that it would feel powerful when thrown.

The little puppy skipped over, opened its tiny mouth with only shallow milk teeth, and snatched the soft little frisbee in one bite. Then it wagged its tail happily and went to find Lanqin.

Seeing it like this, Lanqin squatted down with great affection, opened her arms, and looked at it with the earnestness and encouragement in her eyes, just like a mother watching her child learn to walk.

Little Fu Bao, just like a child, rushed over to Lan Qin, and the two of them hugged each other tightly, creating a joyous and heartwarming scene.

Nianxue watched from the side, wondering to herself: Does Gege want to have a child?

Just then, Granny Wang suddenly came over from the gatehouse, her face full of smiles. She walked up to Lanqin, curtsied, and said with a smile, "Princess, the old lady has come to see you."

"Ah, which old lady?" Lanqin was momentarily surprised and hadn't quite come to her senses yet. "Oh, Mother, I heard she came once when I wasn't here. Why is she here again?" Of course, she kept these thoughts to herself, but said aloud, "Has Mother already arrived, or did she deliver the invitation?"

"The old lady is already on her way to pay her respects to the Fujin. This is a message sent by Eunuch Wang," Wang Mama replied.

Oh, Fatty Wang, the head eunuch of that gate!

"Then go and tell Niu Baoquan to prepare more of his specialties for lunch today." Lanqin stood up, wondering if Anjia had come to the mansion in such a hurry because she had something to do.

When Nianxue heard that the madam had arrived, she was genuinely delighted. There were some things that she, as a servant, couldn't say, but the madam's arrival was a good opportunity to discuss them.

After saying this, Lanqin instructed Li Shubao to take Fubao over and continue playing with it, then turned around and sat down on the couch in the main room. To be honest, as Lin Mengyao, she didn't miss Anjia Shi at all, since she was just a stranger and had only lived with her for less than two months. But as Lanqin, she still had some feelings for this "mother," since she had doted on her for two months and was also the original owner's mother.

"Princess, shall I go and greet her?" Nianxue saw Lanqin's expression suddenly change from joy to worry and thought she missed her mother. Seeing that Anjia had not yet come, she was both hopeful and anxious.

"Ah! That, right, go and greet her. Xicha, go to my cabinet and take out a few of those Guanyin statues and tonics that Master bestowed upon you, and give them to Mother." Lanqin thought to herself: I'm doing alright here now, so I should at least be filial to Anjia Shi on behalf of the original owner.

Then, she went to the study and read a book with Zi Ran by her side. Others went to greet her, look for things, or clean, and the entire South Courtyard immediately became bustling with activity.

About half an hour later, Uncle Li returned with Fu Bao. He had just gone to walk his son and dog for a while and saw Nian Xue leading a woman towards them at the crossroads. He guessed that it must be the princess's mother.

"Princess, the old lady is here!" Uncle Li locked Fu Bao in the doghouse before walking to the study door and calling out.

Lanqin was taken aback, immediately put down her book, and, supported by Ziran, quickly walked out. When she reached the courtyard gate, she saw that behind Nianxue was none other than Anjia Shi. Granny Wang followed behind, carrying a large bundle in her hand.

"Qin'er!!" Anjia called out before she even entered, her eyes already glistening with tears.

This call moved Lanqin deeply. She had been married into the Fourth Prince's household for almost half a year and had spent two months enjoying the company of Lady Anjia. She still vividly remembered how good Lady Anjia had been to her.

"Mother, are you and Father alright?" Lanqin threw herself into Anjia's arms. Perhaps she was thinking of her own parents in the 21st century, and how they must have felt after losing her. The hearts of parents are all the same; even though Anjia wasn't her mother, she could feel the deep maternal love Anjia had for the real Lanqin.