"Mother, I want to learn to paint. I didn't know there were so many ways to paint a flower or a blade of grass," Ushiha said.
"Really? So you enjoy going to class?" Lanqin asked her eldest daughter with a smile.
"Hmm! The class went pretty well too. Mother, Namin is so interesting, can we have her come play with us sometime?" Ushiha quickly made a new friend and immediately didn't want to play with Bechuk anymore.
“Of course you can. As long as Namin is willing to come and play, you can invite her over. You can also go to Aunt Wu’s place to play with Sister Namin, okay?” Lanqin said.
"Yay!!" Ushiha happily ran and jumped in front of Lanqin, completely unlike his reluctant appearance this morning when he didn't want to go to school.
Ushiha and Bechuk enjoyed their midday meal, and then obediently went for a nap under their nanny's guidance. Their afternoon classes started at 3 p.m., so a midday nap was essential.
After lunch, Lanqin comfortably went to her bedroom to rest on the daybed by the window, attended by her maids. Cui Niang ordered the maids to bring in ice basins and place them in the four corners of the room, and immediately a cool breeze began to spread throughout the room.
"It's time to use ice again!" Lanqin leaned against the large cushions and pillows, watching Cui Niang and the other maids directing the work.
"Cui Niang, come here! Si Hua, Shui Ling, you two go and rest first." Lan Qin remembered that matter and decided to ask Cui Niang first.
After the two maids left, Lanqin said to Cui Niang, "Cui Niang, your eldest and second brothers have now settled down in the capital. If they want to truly settle down, the best thing to do is to get married and have children. That's what it means to truly settle down."
Cui Niang was surprised that Lanqin would mention her two brothers so quickly. She said gratefully, "My two brothers are able to come to the capital thanks to the kindness of Consort. I will never forget it. Now Consort is worrying about finding wives for them. I don't know what to say."
“Cui Niang, do we need to be so polite between us? I’m not only going to take care of your two brothers’ marriages, but I’m also going to take care of yours,” Lanqin said.
"Master!" Cui Niang blushed slightly. "Master, Cui Niang really doesn't want to get married. Cui Niang is almost thirty years old now, what kind of person can she marry? Forget it, I'd rather stay by your side, but I'll have to trouble you to take care of me in my old age."
"No, I won't take care of you in your old age. If you want someone to take care of you, let your son and daughter take care of you. Li Wei, what do you say?" Lan Qin sat up abruptly.
Cui Niang opened her eyes, her face turning even redder, and murmured, "Li Wei?"
"It's that lady who always serves by Fourth Master's side, you've met her! She's almost twenty-five this year, a few years younger than you, but a woman three years older is considered auspicious, isn't it?" Lanqin said with a smile. Actually, she had already asked Fourth Master to inquire about Li Wei's opinion when she mentioned this to Cui Niang today. Although Li Wei was a scholar, he had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, but fortunately, Fourth Master valued him and kept him by his side. Although Cui Niang didn't come from a prestigious family, her two brothers were both promising, and she served by Lanqin's side, so she was very familiar with court affairs. For Li Wei, such a virtuous wife might not be bad. In addition, although Cui Niang wasn't young, she was still very beautiful. Li Wei was also on good terms with Cui Da and Cui Er, so when Fourth Master mentioned this marriage, Li Wei thought about it and agreed. Fourth Master himself had brought it up, which showed how much he valued Cui Niang, and he understood.
Cui Niang had indeed met Li Wei, once at her own home. Li Wei was drinking with Cui Da and Cui Er, and Cui Niang noticed a man whose demeanor was clearly different from her two brothers, clinking glasses with them and talking drunkenly, so she took notice of him.
"Judging from your expression, you don't seem to dislike Li Wei that much, right? If you don't dislike him, then you like him, right?" Lanqin said with a smile when she saw that Cui Niang's expression was a little hesitant.
“Master, I’m older than him!” Cui Niang said anxiously.
"A woman three years older than him is considered auspicious. Cui Niang, you're only a few years older than him, and he's already agreed!" Lanqin said hurriedly.
Cui Niang originally thought that Lan Qin was just asking for her opinion, but she didn't expect that the other party would agree. This means that her master came to deliver a message to her.
"Look at how shy you are! It's settled then! Cui Niang, marrying him is the right choice! He'll have a bright future; he might even get you an imperial title," Lanqin said with a smile. She knew that if the Fourth Prince became emperor, Li Wei would be a key minister second only to the Thirteenth Prince. Lanqin suddenly wondered if this was related to his marriage to Cui Niang.
Cui Niang's heart started pounding. She tried to calm herself down, but when she saw Lan Qin smiling, her heart pounded even harder.
"Haha, Cui Niang, you've also taken a fancy to that Li Wei, haven't you? Look at you, your face is practically bleeding!" Lan Qin couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Cui Niang's expression.
"Master, if you dismiss me again, I will stop serving you!" Cui Niang rarely showed such a girlish expression. In the past, she always acted like an older sister in front of Lan Qin, taking meticulous care of her.
“Cui Niang, good sister, I won’t make fun of you anymore. Come, sit here!” Lanqin beckoned to Cui Niang, gesturing for her to sit next to her.
"How can I think about it? This servant cannot be on equal footing with my master!" Cui Niang slowly adjusted her mood and said.
"Alright, in public, we're master and servant, but here, I treat you like a good older sister. Please sit down," Lanqin said sincerely. Having transmigrated to this era of long braids, she felt closest to Cui Niang. There was always a sense of distance between her and the Fourth Master, as if he were a ration coupon to be served. Besides, the Fourth Master wasn't entirely Lanqin's; only Cui Niang truly belonged to her.
During the era of long braids, Lanqin once again experienced the feeling that best friends are sometimes more reliable than boyfriends!
"Master~" Cui Niang looked at Lan Qin with emotion, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears.
"Alright, alright. Sit down quickly. Your master doesn't like tears and snot. Sit down, and I'll talk to you slowly. I'll be happiest if you live a good life from now on." Lanqin was also moved. Although Cui Niang hadn't been with her the longest, she always thought of her in everything, like a mother and sister, which truly touched Lanqin.
"Yes, this servant will obey my master." Cui Niang finally sat down on the edge of the daybed.
“Listen, Li Wei’s family isn’t well-off. He doesn’t even have a house in the capital yet. So if you want to marry him, I suggest you and he jointly invest in buying your own house. After all, once you start a family, you need a place to live, right?” Lanqin said.
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