Chapter 334 Bad Luck
Given the status of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, the ladies and young women who received invitations to the flower viewing banquet could not be of simple status.
When Sheng An appeared in the garden with Zhuo Zhuo, she attracted the attention of the ladies and young women, who seemed surprised that she would bring such a young child to the flower viewing banquet.
Tan Qingrou stood up with a smile in the crowd, and her words dispelled everyone's surprise: "Sister An'an, let me hold Zhuozhuo."
As she spoke, she took the curious little dumpling from Sheng An's arms and kissed her chubby face twice: "Good girl Zhuozhuo, did you miss Auntie?"
Zhuozhuo remained silent, his large, dark, grape-like eyes fixed on the glittering hairpin on her head, his little paws itching to pounce.
Sheng An knew exactly what her chubby daughter was about to do as soon as she saw it, and grabbed her outstretched little hand: "No, you can't."
The little dumpling pouted, looked aggrieved, and withdrew its little hand, its eyes still fixed on the hairpin.
Tan Qingrou clearly knew the little one's preferences, and smiled as she picked up a small square box from the maid's hand: "Here, Auntie specially found this for you, see if you like it."
When the small box is opened, it reveals a semi-transparent string of beads, each bead being the same size.
Under the sunlight, the beads shimmered and reflected a dazzling light, instantly captivating the little girl's attention.
Wow!
The little dumpling's big eyes lit up instantly, and it eagerly reached out its little hand to grab the string of beads in Tan Qingrou's hand.
Sheng An recognized the material of the beads and hurriedly stopped her, saying, "These glass beads are too valuable. It's not appropriate to give them to Zhuozhuo. You should take them back!"
In modern times, a string of glass beads is worthless, but here they are more valuable than gold. A single small wooden bead is enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for several years.
“My husband specifically asked me to send this. If Sister An’an doesn’t accept it, I won’t be able to explain it to my husband.”
Without a word, Tan Qingrou put the glass bead string on Zhuozhuo's wrist. Watching her clap her little hands excitedly and grin to reveal her cute little baby teeth, she couldn't help but rub the little one's head: "Zhuozhuo is so cute!"
Sheng An's gaze fell on her daughter, who was clutching the beaded string tightly as if it were a thief. She couldn't help but laugh and pinch her chubby face twice: "Quickly thank Aunt Tan."
The little dumpling didn't say thank you, but just snuggled into Tan Qingrou's arms like a spoiled child, its chubby little face pressed against her neck, its eyes never leaving the beaded string.
Smelling the baby's milky scent, Tan Qingrou's heart melted. She carried Zhuozhuo back into the crowd and introduced Sheng An to the ladies and young women with a smile.
The capital city was a gathering place for powerful and influential people, but there were also hierarchical distinctions and interpersonal barriers.
Sheng An had not seen the ladies and young women attending today's banquet at previous banquets, and most of the people present were unfamiliar with her.
Upon being introduced by Tan Qingrou, and learning that she was the wife of Xu Xiuzhuan, who was highly regarded by Emperor Jinghe, the ladies and young women all gave her polite and courteous smiles.
Sheng An generously returned the greetings one by one, and was arranged by Tan Qingrou to sit next to her, talking with a group of ladies of similar age to her.
These ladies also had young children at home. Seeing that Zhuozhuo was held in Tan Qingrou's arms for a long time without crying or clinging to Sheng An, and that she looked so well-behaved, they found it very rare and praised her again and again.
The little dumpling is good at reading people's expressions. Even if she doesn't understand what they are saying, she knows that they have no ill intentions towards her, so she doesn't hesitate to smile and show a bright and harmless face to everyone who praises her.
The little girl is beautiful and cute, and everyone was charmed by her smile. One by one, they reached out to Tan Qingrou to hug her.
In particular, several wives who only had sons and no daughters wanted to experience what it felt like to hold a sweet and soft little girl.
The little dumpling wasn't shy at all, and confidently stretched out her little arms to be held by everyone.
When it finally returned to Tan Qingrou's hands, the small pocket on her upper garment was filled with gifts from the ladies, such as gold rings, jade rings, and even various beads taken from hairpins.
All I can say is that this little guy is incredibly charming and loved by everyone.
Worried that the baby might accidentally eat it, Sheng An asked Hong Liu to put these things away.
The little one was very unhappy and whined in her arms, looking extremely aggrieved.
The little dumpling made the atmosphere lively and harmonious, and everyone remembered the mother and daughter.
At this moment, a maidservant hurried over and whispered something in Tan Qingrou's ear.
Tan Qingrou's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously looked at Sheng An.
Sheng An immediately noticed and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Tan Qingrou didn't hide anything and said in a less than pleasant tone, "Mu Yuanzhen came uninvited. My sister-in-law is entertaining him in the front yard. He'll be here soon."
The Marquis of Yongyi's residence had no personal relationship with Princess Pingyuan, so naturally they did not send an invitation to the princess's residence for this flower-viewing banquet.
However, since Mu Yuanzhen had already arrived, the Marquis of Yongyi's residence could not turn him away.
As for her purpose in coming, Tan Qingrou could guess it with her toes.
Sheng An saw Tan Qingrou's worry and said with a smile, "It's alright. She's not the high and mighty Princess Shanmin anymore. She can't yell at me like before, and I'm not afraid of her."
Tan Qingrou breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and said, "You sit here, I'll go out and see if I can get rid of them."
Sheng An nodded, watching her leave, her arms around the baby tightening slightly.
As long as Mu Yuanzhen is alive, she will always harbor the utmost malice towards her.
Moreover, Mu Yuanzhen is malicious and full of malice towards them, mother and daughter. Who knows if she will suddenly go crazy and harm them when she comes here?
When the woman arrived, she and Zhuozhuo kept their distance to avoid giving her a chance to cause trouble.
Sigh, what a terrible thing to do at a flower-viewing party, with this person showing up and spoiling the whole thing!
While thinking to herself, Sheng An focused most of her attention on her chubby daughter.
Seeing her putting the glass bead string into her mouth again, Sheng An raised his hand to stop her, his face fierce as he said, "Don't bite!"
As he spoke, he took the glass beads and handed them to Hongliu, who was standing nearby, and told her to keep them carefully.
The little dumpling glanced at her empty little hands, then at the red willow tree that had put away the beaded string, and her eyes instantly filled with tears, looking pitiful as if she wanted to cry but dared not make a sound.
The ladies saw this and looked at Sheng An with disapproval.
Sheng An: "..."
Just as everyone was trying to soothe the baby, Tan Qingrou arrived, accompanied by Mu Yuanzhen, who was surrounded by maids.
Everyone present was quite surprised to see Mu Yuanzhen; clearly, none of them had expected her to come.
Some well-informed ladies vaguely guessed what was going on and glanced at Sheng An with veiled suspicion.
Ignoring the strange looks, Mu Yuanzhen walked straight up to Sheng An and her daughter, blocking the sunlight from shining on them, and looked down at them from his superior position.
Her gaze first fell on Sheng An, then turned to the little baby in her arms, her sinister eyes flashing with undisguised malice.
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