That evening, Xiang Wan pulled Xiang Xia aside and, under the pretext of strengthening their relationship, invited Qin Rong to have tea in the pavilion in the garden.
A bright moon hung in the sky, its white light shining into the garden. The flowers and plants on the artificial hill and the leaves of the trees along the roadside swayed gently in the breeze, casting shadows on the stone path. It was nearing summer, and the evening breeze was refreshingly cool.
The three of them sat down in the pavilion, eating snacks and chatting casually.
"Sister Rong'er, my sister and I are new here and not very familiar with the situation in the manor. Could you tell us about it?"
As Xiang Wan brewed tea for Qin Rong, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Sister Wan'er, Sister Xia'er, just ask me if you need anything, there's no need to be so polite," Qin Rong said softly, not stopping Xiang Wan from being so attentive. "Father is often away from home, so Uncle Li manages all the affairs of the manor, and Granny Wang is in charge of the kitchen and purchasing. You can ask them for anything you need."
Xiang Wan could actually learn about the main people in charge of the mansion from the Queen Mother. The reason she asked Qin Rong was to find out more about her, but she didn't expect to get so little information.
In the darkness, Qin Rong's expression was not very clear, but Xiang Wan had a feeling that she was on guard and had not said something.
On second thought, they had only met twice and were not yet familiar with each other. Asking her about things now would be premature and could easily offend her.
Xiang Wan was a little annoyed by her rashness and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Rong'er, I was just too hasty. I was afraid of causing trouble when I first arrived, so I..."
“Wan’er,” Xiang Xia interrupted Xiang Wan, turning to Qin Rong and saying, “Rong’er, I’ve always been straightforward and have never treated you as an outsider. If I have offended you in any way, please don’t take it to heart.”
"It's nothing serious. Any servant in the manor would know about it." After Qin Rong finished speaking, she paused and then said, "Sisters, you don't need to worry about it. We'll have plenty of time to spend together in the future. Instead of asking others, you should ask me. After all, I am the eldest young lady of the manor. If anyone dares to bully their master, I will punish them severely."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Wan vaguely felt something was amiss, as if these words shouldn't have come from the mouth of someone as seemingly innocent as Qin Rong. However, she also felt there was nothing wrong with the young lady of the manor saying such things. After thinking for a moment, she thanked Qin Rong.
Xiang Xia lowered her head and remained silent, secretly nudging Xiang Wan's arm and glancing at Qin Rong. Xiang Wan assumed she wanted Xiang Wan to pour tea for Qin Rong, so she got up and refilled Qin Rong's cup. While pouring the tea, she seemed to hear a snicker from the maid beside Qin Rong, but upon closer listening, it seemed there was no sound, so she didn't pay it any mind.
"Sister Wan'er's enthusiasm makes me, as her younger sister, seem a bit impolite. How about I offer you both a cup of tea instead of wine, as a way of welcoming you to the Qin family?" Qin Rong picked up the tea that Xiang Wan had brewed for her and offered it to Xiang Xia and Xiang Wan with one hand.
Xiang Wan hurriedly raised her teacup and, together with Xiang Xia, returned the toast to Qin Rong. Qin Rong and Xiang Xia each only took a small sip. Xiang Wan had been so busy refilling Qin Rong's cup that she was also thirsty. After the toast, she drank her tea in one gulp and poured herself another cup.
"Sister is so generous. Life in the countryside must be so enjoyable, unlike me, who lives in this mansion with so many rules and regulations. I really envy your kind of personality," Qin Rong said. Without waiting for their reply, she added, "The mansion is usually quite quiet and rather dull. Now that you two sisters are here, we can visit each other more often and liven things up."
"Of course, it's so lively when sisters are together." Xiang Wan agreed without hesitation, as it was exactly what she wanted to hear.
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