"Wuuuu...Sister An An..." As soon as Tian An sat down, Wei Lingran threw herself into her arms and cried breathlessly.
"Lingran, what's wrong?" Tian An asked while patting her back to comfort her.
It's only been a few days since I last saw her, and how come this little girl has become like this? Her skin is dark and rough, and her eyes, which used to be bright and lively, are now dull and lifeless, and she looks lifeless.
She received a letter early this morning from Caiying, Wei Lingran's personal maid, and rushed over without even having time to eat breakfast. She still didn't know what had happened!
"Wow, wow, wow... My mother rejected Brother Wu Er's proposal of marriage and even grounded me to my room and wouldn't let me go out to look for him. Even Yu Fei was chased away when she came to see me, and she said a lot of nasty things to me.
"Sister An'an, I've brought such great shame upon the Wu family. Second Brother Wu and Yu Fei must hate me to death now. What should I do? Will they ignore me forever?" Wei Lingran finished her story with sobs.
Tian An pulled her out of his arms, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and comforted her gently: "No, they know this is not your intention and they won't blame you. Then do you know why your mother disagrees with this marriage?"
In her opinion, the Wei family and the Wu family can be said to be a good match, and the Wu family even has a title. Wei Lingran marrying Wu Hongyi can be considered a high-ranking marriage. Moreover, Wu Hongyi himself is quite good. He holds an official position at a young age. He is a kind person and has no bad habits. The Wei family should not refuse.
Wei Lingran just shook his head. "My mother refused to tell me. In front of Aunt Wu and Second Brother Wu, she just said that she wanted to keep me for a few more years."
Tian An nodded, which was considered a polite refusal. Anyone with common sense would know what to do.
Wei Lingran grabbed Tian An's sleeve and looked at her pleadingly, "Sister An An, please ask my mother for the reason! Please, my mother won't let me see my old friends now. Caiying had to sneak out to bring you the letter.
You are the Madam Protector of the Nation, personally appointed by His Majesty, and Duke Zhao is favored by His Majesty. If you ask, perhaps my mother will tell you the reason. Apart from you, I can't think of anyone else who can help me."
She really had no choice. In the past, her mother would always agree to whatever she wanted to do, but in this matter, her mother was very determined and refused to give in no matter how much she begged.
Tian An nodded and agreed happily, and then advised: "I will ask Aunt Wei for you later, but since Aunt Wei disagrees, she must have her own considerations, so don't always think about making trouble with her.
No matter what the matter is, everyone should sit down and talk calmly. No matter what Aunt Wu does, her starting point is definitely for your own good. We must not let her mother down.
Wei Lingran felt a little embarrassed, lowering her head and speaking in a muffled voice, "Sister An An, who did you hear about my hunger strike from someone?"
It seemed as if if Tian An said that person's name, she would make him look bad.
Of course, Caiying also mentioned the hunger strike in the letter, but how could she expose the person?
Tian An pinched her thin little face with his hands, shook it left and right twice, and said unhappily, "Do I need anyone to tell me? I haven't seen you for a few days, and your chin has become much sharper, your face is sallow, and you have dark circles under your eyes. It's obvious that you haven't eaten or slept well, and you look like you're overthinking."
"Ah~Isn't it very ugly?" Wei Lingran covered her face with her hands, looking as if she was too embarrassed to face anyone.
Seeing that she finally had some life on her face, Tian An waved to the maid beside her to bring the pumpkin millet porridge that had been waiting for a long time, "Hurry up, eat it while it's hot! If you don't eat now, you will really turn into a human skeleton."
Wei Lingran stopped making a fuss and obediently picked up the bowl of porridge. She also invited Tian An to eat with her, "Sister An An came here early this morning, she must not have eaten yet! Let's eat together!"
Seeing that her daughter was finally willing to eat, Mrs. Wei, who was hiding outside the door and eavesdropping, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When Tian An came to see her, his attitude was much better.
That's right, when Tian An first came to the house, Mrs. Wei refused. Because she didn't want to offend her, she didn't refuse directly. She just said that Wei Lingran was not in the house. It was only when Tian An said that he could persuade Wei Lingran to eat that she agreed. However, she was still worried and hid outside the door to eavesdrop.
"Thank you, County Lady, for advising this girl. I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Mrs. Wu said with a little alienation. She did not forget that Tian An had just promised her daughter, but she could not be soft-hearted on this matter no matter what she said.
Hearing this, Tian An raised an eyebrow. Even when she was originally named the County Lady, these ladies always affectionately called her "An An" (Little Girl). But today, they were so polite. They must be wary of her!
Understanding in her heart, Tian An smiled even more gently, "Aunt Wei, can you tell An An why you don't agree to this marriage?"
Seeing that she was still using the same rhetoric she had used against the Wu family mother and son, Tian An continued, "Aunt Wei, there's no need to be so secretive. This is all for the sake of your children. No matter what the problem is, wouldn't it be better to just talk it out? You don't want to cause a real rift with Ling Ran, do you?"
Mrs. Wu originally wanted to mock Tian An's words "it's all about the children" because she didn't have any children, so how could she understand the worries of a mother.
But when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she realized that Tian An was now a mother too, and maybe she could really empathize with her.
Perhaps because they were of the same social status, she sighed and said slowly, "The Wu family has a good family background. If we consider this marriage, Lingran can be considered to be marrying up. I've also met the boy from the Wu family. He's handsome, easygoing, and has good morals. Moreover, the Wu family has a family motto of not taking concubines. This is a rare and advantageous condition in the entire capital."
Tian An nodded. This was also what she couldn't understand. With such good conditions from the Wu family, what reason did Mrs. Wei have to refuse?
Just as I thought of this, I heard Madam Wu continue, "The Wu family's success and failure are both due to their family background. If you had proposed marriage earlier, I might have agreed without hesitation.
But now... I heard that fighting has broken out at the border."
Tian An understood, so Mrs. Wu was afraid that Wu Hongyi would have to go to the border right after they got married, and if something happened, her daughter would be left a widow.
Even if the two were just engaged, if something really happened to Wu Hongyi, it would be difficult for the girl who had broken off the engagement to find another husband.
I have to say that Mrs. Wei's worries are not unreasonable. It is really hard to say, especially now that the situation at the border is unstable, anything is possible.
If it was something else, Tian An would be able to persuade her, but this reason really made her feel at a loss as to where to start.
After bidding farewell to Mrs. Wei, Tian An went directly to the Wu family.
Wu Hongyi and Wu Yufei learned that Tian An had just come out of the Wei family, and they hurriedly surrounded him and asked anxiously, "Is Lingran okay?"
Tian An glanced at the two anxious siblings and said, "The Wu family has lost face so much this time, don't you blame her?"
Before the two siblings could say anything, Madam Wu behind them said proudly, "What's there to be ashamed of? Back then, Yu Fei's father was chased three blocks with a stick by my father before he could marry me!" Madam Wu was quite polite in comparison.
We're fine, but we're worried that Lingran will cause trouble at home."
Tian An held her forehead with her hand. It seemed that she had worried about the Wu family for nothing. It turned out that they had become immune to it!
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