Not long after Ouyang Xinxi returned to the Prime Minister's residence, Ouyang Jiangli also went back. As soon as she arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, she went to Ouyang Xinxi's Zhihua Garden to visit her.
"How are you feeling now, sister?" Ouyang Xinxi had already finished washing and grooming when Ouyang Jiangli arrived.
"I'm fine now, thank you for your concern, sister." Ouyang Xinxi's attitude was very cold.
"It's all my fault, sister. If I hadn't made you wait for me first, this terrible thing wouldn't have happened." Ouyang Jiangli sobbed hypocritically. "What would I do if anything happened to you, sister?"
"What happened today was all an accident, and it's no wonder you blame yourself, sister. There's no need for you to blame yourself like this." Although Ouyang Xinxi knew that what happened today couldn't possibly have been an accident.
"Sister is so kind. Fortunately, the eldest son and the third young lady of the General's Mansion lent a helping hand today. I must thank them on your behalf." Ouyang Jiangli said, seemingly sincerely, while holding Ouyang Xinxi's hand.
"There's no need for you to express your gratitude, sister. How can I let someone else do the favor of saving my life?" Ouyang Xinxi casually withdrew her hand.
“Little sister, how could you not know that you and Miss Nan from the General’s Mansion have become so close? Why don’t you introduce us?” Ouyang Jiangli changed the subject.
"We met by chance and aren't close friends. It's just that Miss Nan is very kind to people." Ouyang Xinxi finally understood her younger sister's intentions.
Today's misfortune is entirely her own fault for misjudging people. She never competed or fought for anything, always giving the best to her younger sisters, and only wanted to build good relationships with them. But her good intentions were met with betrayal.
She wasn't truly stupid; she could see through the feigned affection between her sisters. She simply always believed they were family. But today's events served as a wake-up call. Even if she didn't compete or fight for anything, some people would still see her as an eyesore. Wu Si was right; she needed to be wary of her younger sisters from now on.
Upon returning to his residence, Prime Minister Ouyang was shocked to hear of Ouyang Xinxi's drowning. He rushed to Zhihua Garden to offer his condolences and concern, and severely punished the maid who had accompanied Ouyang Xinxi that day with twenty strokes of the cane. Ouyang Xinxi then took the opportunity to request a replacement personal maid. After such an incident, Prime Minister Ouyang readily agreed.
Although he didn't value this daughter very much, she was still the daughter of his deceased wife. As the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, she could be betrothed to a good family in the future.
"So it was Vice General Nan who saved you. Your father will certainly thank him properly." Prime Minister Ouyang was also tempted after hearing that it was Nan Wufeng who saved his daughter.
"Since you are friends with the Third Miss of the General's Mansion, you should visit her more often in the future," Prime Minister Ouyang advised.
"Yes, Father," Ouyang Xinxi obediently agreed. She didn't realize at all that her father wanted her to find opportunities to interact more with Nan Wufeng. She was only thinking that now she could finally openly seek out Wusi.
However, her body was much weaker than Nan Wufeng's, and she developed a fever that very night. This illness would take several more days to recover from.
"Did you meet Nan Wusi at Tingfeng Water Pavilion yesterday?" Xiao Mu asked, playing with Ouyang Jiangli's small hand in one hand.
"Your Highness, that Nan Wusi is simply arrogant and outrageous. Moreover, he shamelessly dates other men in private and flirts with them." Ouyang Jiangli embellished the story of his encounter with Nan Wusi yesterday, which infuriated Xiao Mu.
"Hmph, that little slut Nan Wusi, I didn't expect her to hook up with another man so quickly. I underestimated her before." Xiao Mu squeezed Ouyang Jiangli's hand hard.
"Your Highness, you're hurting me," Ouyang Jiangli said coquettishly. "Let's not talk about that annoying person anymore, okay? I haven't seen Your Highness for so long."
"Alright, let's not talk about her anymore. Let me pamper Li'er properly." Xiao Mu's hands roamed over Ouyang Jiangli's body, and soon Ouyang Jiangli was panting heavily.
The two kissed passionately, and as Xiao Mu's large hands continued to ignite the flames, the kiss deepened.
Soon, sounds of touching the depths could be heard coming from inside the room.
Today, Xiao Mu's actions were filled with anger, and his strength was much greater than usual. Even though this was not the first time the two had engaged in such a deep exchange, Ouyang Jiangli felt that he was not up to the task and quickly began to beg for mercy.
After sending Ouyang Jiangli away, Xiao Mu still felt angry, so he also summoned a few girls to play the "little clothes game" that was popular in the aristocratic circle.
Meanwhile, Nan Wusi has been busy lately because Jiang Zhirou's birthday banquet is just around the corner.
Logically speaking, Nan Wusi shouldn't be this busy, but Jiang Zhirou insisted that since she was approaching the age of 30, she should learn how to organize banquets and entertain guests.
So Jiang Zhirou decided to take advantage of her time at home to properly cultivate her daughter's abilities in this area, and assigned her many tasks.
While complaining, Namo Si was indeed growing rapidly.
She couldn't help but sigh at how complicated it was for these ancient people to organize a banquet. There were so many things to consider and take care of that it made her scalp tingle. From the combination of dishes to the seating arrangement of guests, and even the placement of decorations, everything had to be taken into account.
She truly admired these ladies and young women, who had to learn about banquet culture from a young age and were particularly enthusiastic about organizing various banquets.
Fortunately, Jiang Zhirou did not truly abandon her after entrusting her with many tasks. Instead, she constantly gave her a lot of advice, allowing her to gradually get the hang of these things.
Hosting these banquets demonstrates the host family's prestige and showcases the mistress's capabilities—essential skills for a future matriarch. Therefore, Nan Wusi must learn these skills. After all, Jiang Zhirou would never allow her daughter to marry off as a concubine, not even to royalty.
Moreover, Jiang Zhirou had no intention of marrying her daughter into the royal family. Therefore, although the banquet was ostensibly her birthday celebration, she was actually there to promote her daughter.
During this period, Nan Wusi was not only busy preparing for Jiang Zhirou's birthday banquet, but the renovation of her shop was also nearing completion. So she was working non-stop all day long, and was so busy that she was dizzy.
Fortunately, she had the help of the chubby boy with the shop matters; otherwise, she would have had to break herself in two to get everything done.
Finally, on the day before the banquet, Nan Wusi arrived at her mother's courtyard with her gifts.
"Mother, I'm here to give you a gift first!" Nan Wusi shouted loudly, while Ye Zi held a huge box behind her.
"My birthday hasn't even come yet, and you're already in such a hurry to give me a gift. Are you planning something again?" Jiang Zhirou knew very well that her daughter's eagerness must be for some kind of scheme.
"Hehe, Mother, don't expose me." Nan Wusi replied with a grin.
"Let me see what kind of gift you gave me," Jiang Zhirou said, shaking her head helplessly.
"Mother will definitely like it." Nan Wusi was very confident.
"You've got quite the nerve. Well then, your mother will have to take a closer look." Jiang Zhirou opened the box containing the gift.
Inside was the dark green garment that had been redeemed from the mall and was available for a limited time and in limited quantities.
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