Half of the body straightened up first.
Seeing this, Minglan chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "I'll talk to your grandmother for a while, you two can go to the back room." There was no need for a little girl under ten years old and a little boy in his early ten years old to be overly cautious with each other, since the adults were next door anyway.
Seeing Rong Jie'er following Changnian like an excited little rabbit and walking out of the main room excitedly, Nanny Chang's eyes were extremely complicated. Minglan glanced at her sideways and understood that she was worried. She hated her mother but also felt pity for her life experience.
Nanny Chang turned her head and said softly, "Ah, this girl...it's only been a few days, but she's already changed a lot. She's well-educated and sensible, and she knows how to act. She didn't have the good fortune to have a good mother, but fortunately she met Madam. She's really blessed."
Minglan moved her lips but didn't say anything. She never asked about Man Niang.
Nanny Chang was a cautious person and rarely talked about Gu Tingye's past. But at this moment, she seemed to be tempted to talk about it. Her eyes were dazed and she murmured softly, "That woman, in order to find out the whereabouts of Ye'er, came to my house all day to pester me and even threw Rong'er with me. Later, she finally found out where Ye'er was going and decided to take her son to the south. No matter how bad the old woman was, she was still Ye'er's flesh and blood. How could she harm her sister? Who knew that the woman insisted on taking the girl away? The old woman thought she was going to take her with her, but she turned around and threw her daughter into the Marquis' Mansion. How old was Rong'er at that time? She was so cunning and had the heart to do that to her!"
A burst of cheerful laughter came from next door. The little girl and the older boy laughed carefree. The clear, childish voices mingled with the half-hoarse drake's voice, surprisingly sounding quite harmonious. Nanny Chang couldn't help but smile, but she deliberately coughed heavily, and the laughter over there suddenly stopped, like a goose with its neck suddenly choked. There was a moment of silence.
Minglan could almost imagine the two children shrinking their necks and covering their mouths. She couldn't help laughing and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
Nanny Chang brought her grandson home. Minglan moved clumsily to the door to see them off, saying as she walked, "A few days ago, Manager Hao came to report that he had led people to inspect the work. The foundation of the wall is solid, the top of the wall is beautiful, and the work can be handed over. I'm going to set up a few tables of wine the day after tomorrow, so please be sure to come, Nanny." Breaking ground in a mansion is a big event. Whether it is breaking ground or setting up a completion wine, the almanac must be checked. There is no way to shirk responsibility for this kind of wine.
"I will definitely come for such a nice occasion as drinking." Nanny Chang turned around with a smile.
The next day, Minglan woke up with a flushed face and listened slowly to Danju reading out the guest list. As the male host was not in the house, it was not appropriate to celebrate in a big way, so only some relatives would be invited. She also listened to Liao Yong's wife reading out the list of dishes and dried and fresh fruits. According to the number of guests, they had to decide in advance how much food, wine and beverages to buy and how many extra seats to reserve. As the weather was hot, they had to get some ice out of the cellar and assign special workers to pour the wine, water and fruits into the well early the next morning. There was also the number of craftsmen, and how to prepare the banquet. After all, this time the work was just a small matter of repairing the wall edge and part of the courtyard, not a large-scale project like building a house with beams. The offerings and the candies and noodles for the celebrations could be a little simpler... Chengyuan had held several banquets before, and the stewards and maids were all experienced. There was also an old routine to follow this time, so there was no panic.
Just as she was doing things, someone came outside to report that someone from the Sheng Mansion had arrived. Minglan hurriedly asked Luzhi to go out to greet him.
"Mother Fang, you're here! Come sit down!" Minglan was surprised and delighted. She leaned on the armrest and tried to stand up. Mother Fang hurried forward a few steps to support Minglan, repeatedly saying, "My little ancestor, please sit down properly!"
"How is mom? How is the old lady? And how many words does Quan know now? Can Hui call people?" Before even sitting down, Minglan pulled Fang Mama's hand and asked her all sorts of questions.
As Fang Mama took the teacup from Danju, she stroked Minglan's arm and replied with a smile, "Everything is fine, everything is fine. Huijie'er is very clever and can already coax people, but Quan'er has started to act naughty, running around the house like a calf, and no one can catch him. The old lady doesn't even have much use for her ebony cane anymore, and she has to yell at it at least several times a day, but her health is getting better. The imperial physician took Ping'an's pulse a while ago and said that it's definitely possible to see Quan'er find a wife!"
Hearing that her grandmother was safe and well, Minglan was filled with joy. After all, she was just a fake loli back then, and no matter how hard she tried, she was still too sensible. A real child should be like Quan Ge'er, who would act wild, naughty, and mischievous in front of his doting great-grandmother, and would make the adults jump up and down in anger.
"The old lady went to Guangji Temple yesterday and asked for a Taoist talisman for Sixth Aunt, asking her to carry it with her. It can keep mother and child safe and everything will go well!" Mother Fang took out a purse and handed it to Minglan respectfully.
Minglan took the purse with great emotion and put it in her arms. Her heart was filled with sweetness. She tilted her head to hide the moisture in her eyes and asked with a smile, "How is father? How is madam?"
Years ago, Sheng Hong was transferred from the Censorate to the Ministry of War as Right Vice Minister, assisting in the administration of taxes and levies for the Northwest Province. Fang Mama smiled and said, "Madam, she's doing well. But lately, Master has become much more cheerful. He's even had time to check on Third Master's studies and even finds time to talk to Old Madam." Then, she sighed and smiled, "Our Master was always the most amiable man. He's been an official for over a decade and never once had a grudge against anyone. Everyone praises him for his kindness and generosity, but forcing him to focus on complaining about others was really putting him in a difficult position. Now he's all right. Amitabha!"
Minglan clutched her stomach and bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Children shouldn't laugh at their parents, but the job of Censor simply wasn't suited to Father Sheng. He was a natural peacemaker, always willing to smooth things over. Having him glare and find fault with others, or slyly slyly attacking people behind their backs was fine, but publicly accusing them and causing offence was too much mental strain. "So... what about Third Brother and Sister-in-law?" Minglan blinked, eagerly anticipating.
"They are like a pair of mandarin ducks, flying side by side." Mother Fang said seriously.
"Really?!" Minglan was stunned.
The couple had disliked each other since their wedding. Changfeng certainly despised Liu's formality, but Liu also openly admitted that her husband was frivolous and dishonest. On the fifth day after their marriage, Changfeng went to the common room, and Liu didn't care.
Wang was naturally delighted to see the couple fall out, but Changfeng, despite his folly, would never consider Wang, who had fought with his biological mother for over twenty years, a relative. His only two supporters, Sheng Hong and the old lady, sided with Liu, believing that everything Liu advocated was right and that everything she did had a purpose. This allowed Liu to further control Changfeng's spending money.
No woman, no money, that's tragedy.
Sheng Hong relentlessly harassed Changfeng about his homework and lectured him about the number of meals he'd eaten. The old lady, believing the marital discord was Changfeng's fault, seized on Sheng Hong's remark that "the eldest son of the Sheng family must be legitimate" and, in a fit of rage, exiled all four of Changfeng's concubines to the secluded farm. Changfeng's life was utterly miserable. He had always been soft and gentle, and the sight brought tears to his eyes. He felt devastated, with no one in the world to truly understand him. Life was simply unbearable.
At this moment, Ms. Liu extended a warm hand of friendship to Sheng Changfeng, who was surrounded by enemies.
"That day, the Third Master was scolded by the Master again. He was so upset that he refused to eat dinner. Third Madam brought some midnight snacks to the study to look for him." Madam Fang lowered her voice. "I don't know what Third Madam said, but the maids said that Third Master was like a baby, throwing himself into Third Madam's arms and crying bitterly. The next day, Third Madam's face was no longer stern, and her words were no longer harsh. She was gentle and kind, and the two of them were as close as honey. Later, Third Madam brought those concubines back. Third Master appreciated her kindness and became closer to her. He also took the initiative to dismiss two of them, keeping only the two honest and dutiful ones. Now, Third Madam is urging Third Master to study hard."
The story is full of twists and turns.
Minglan couldn't help but exclaim that her third sister-in-law was mighty, Sheng Hong and the old lady had sharp eyes, and it was worth marrying this daughter-in-law!
"Is this what Third Sister-in-law agreed on with Dad and the old lady?" Minglan leaned over and whispered in his ear.
Fang's mother's expression was very mysterious: "Smart people, no need for connection."
Minglan clapped her hands and laughed, then attentively peeled an orange for Fang Mama as a reward for her beautiful storytelling—first suppressing the truth, then praising it, like driving fish from the deep—a truly good plan. Who says life doesn't require wisdom?
Sometimes she plays the bad guy, sometimes the good guy, and she tries her best to keep her husband and turn adversity into prosperity. Compared with the good intentions of Sister Liu, Miss Gu Qi is like an ignorant child, who is unaware of the hardships of life and squanders the opportunities of life willfully.
Madam Fang told Minglan some interesting stories about the Sheng Mansion. Madam Cui also came to listen and laughed for a while. Danju and the others also joined in the jokes. The room was just getting lively when Xia Zhu came in with a panicked look on her face. "Madam, it's bad. Something's happened to Nian'er."
Minglan was horrified and said incoherently, "What's going on?"
"This morning, Nian'er was on his way to school. Halfway through, two wild horses appeared from the side and knocked the carriage over. Nian'er was also injured and hasn't woken up yet. Madam Chang quickly sent someone to report to the mistress."
Minglan stood up with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Take my name card and go get Doctor Lin."
Her heart tightened for a moment. If something happened to Changnian, she really didn't know what Nanny Chang would do.
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