Everyone was eating when Shen Zhihua came to toast. He was dressed in fine clothes and had a bit of frivolity between his brows, but he was a handsome man. After he toasted, his eyes lingered on An Qingran's face intentionally or unintentionally for a moment, and he was amazed.
This was in the general's mansion, and An Zhongtao's requirements for his daughters were no less than those of the smaller families, so he allowed them to meet the male guests as well.
And he was allowed to live with his mother in the back house.
As soon as An Zhongtao saw Shen Zhihua, listened to his conversation, and took into account his achievements, he liked him.
An Yanran and the others had basically no reaction to the new guests. What's more, they were all concubines of Prince Kang, so this was something they couldn't escape.
The next day.
Lian Jinrong came to the East Warm Pavilion.
An Qingran was there too.
She looked at An Qingran with a complicated smile in her eyes, and An Qingran was puzzled.
"Sister, Qingran is a beautiful and talented girl. She is truly a treasure sought after by many families. I came out of my mother's room earlier and vaguely heard them talking about Zhihua. From what the old lady said, she wanted to bring Zhihua and Qingran together. What do you think, sister?" Lian Jinrong said with a smile, as if she was telling a good story.
Hearing this, An Qingran and Lian Jinyu's faces changed drastically. An Qingran sneered. No matter what her grandmother did now, she would consider her grandmother's intentions.
Lian Jinyu said, "There's no rush for Qingran's marriage. She's still young."
"I thought so too, but my mother's tone was so firm that I thought she had talked to my sister. Now it seems that my mother is partial to me and is always thinking about her."
"That's not true..." Lian Jinyu didn't want to listen anymore.
Lian Jinrong didn't mention it again after seeing this.
After she left.
An Qingran laughed first: "Mother, if grandma mentioned this to you, you must not agree."
"Of course mother knows. We don't know Shen Zhihua's character or knowledge, so how can we make such a decision? Don't worry, your father won't be so hasty."
Therefore, An Qingran had some opinions about the Shen family's arrival.
But fortunately, she was far away from them, so she didn't have to go to see it.
At dinner time, An Qingran made an excuse not to go to dinner and ate in her own room, thus avoiding meeting them. The old lady remembered to ask her while she was eating, but Lian Jinyu just told her that she was not feeling well.
The next day.
Fang suddenly came to Xiwu Courtyard, and An Qingran had to go out to greet her: "My aunt..."
"Wow, this little courtyard is so unique... What kind of flower is this? Why haven't I seen it before?" Fang looked into An Qingran's medicine patch.
"Those are Panax notoginseng and Gastrodia elata. They are small now and our appearance cannot be seen yet." An Qingran explained.
"This... is really different. The herbs you grow are so beautiful. You are really a miracle doctor."
"Aunt, you're too kind. I'm not a miracle doctor. I just have better luck. Please come in... Honeysuckle, make a cup of tea made from Gynostemma pentaphyllum and ginseng flowers to reduce edema. My aunt's eyes look a little puffy. Did she not sleep well?" An Qingran said as she made way to the house.
"Oh, look, you said you are not a miracle doctor, but you can see the problem at a glance. You drank too much water last night..." Fang said as she looked, walked into the house, sat next to the embroidery frame, and took a look.
"You are a really good worker..." Fang stroked the white silk satin and said with a sigh.
An Qingran was just being polite. She didn't know what Fang's intention was, so she had to deal with it carefully.
The tea came up, and Fang looked at the bubbling tea leaves: "Why don't I see the Gynostemma pentaphyllum and ginseng flowers you mentioned? Aren't these all leaves?"
"Aunt, you don't know, I don't like to look at the leaves and stems of Gynostemma pentaphyllum. So when I was frying tea, I fry the ginseng flowers and Gynostemma pentaphyllum together. After frying, I left the tea leaves, which were only covered with fragrance and medicinal properties. I kept the tea leaves and gave the flowers and herbs to the servants to drink. It was killing two birds with one stone." An Qingran said with a smile.
"You are the most spiritual and intelligent child I have ever seen. I am afraid that several adults cannot compare to your character. Your grandmother does not say anything but praises you. In the general's mansion, you are the legitimate daughter, and there is probably no one who can match your footsteps."
An Qingran was just being polite.
"I feel embarrassed when my aunt says that..."
As they were talking, there was a voice outside. It was Shen Zhiyun: "Qingran, I came to see you... Hey, mother, you are here too?"
As soon as Shen Zhiyun entered the house, she looked around. The two sides exchanged polite words for a while. She sat next to Fang. An Qingran was busy asking Rendong to serve the pastries. Shen Zhiyun was a lively person and talkative. She was curious about everything An Qingran looked at. She had never seen the flowers and plants in her house before. After asking, she heard that most of them were medicinal herbs, and she was surprised.
The three of them talked a lot, An Qingran was chatting and laughing along, Fang suddenly pointed at the handkerchief on the flower stand and said, "This handkerchief is not embroidered, is it? This orchid is the most beautiful and unconventional. I have never seen others embroider it, they are all mandarin ducks and lotus. Obviously, this general's daughter is extraordinary."
Shen Zhiyun also said: "Yes, sister Qingran's embroidery skills are amazing. I really need to learn from you in the future."
"This is nothing. I'm just embroidering for fun. I feel embarrassed that you keep praising me. If word gets out that I'm a great embroiderer, I'll be embarrassed." An Qingran said with a smile.
"I just think this handkerchief is beautiful, why don't you give it to me?" Fang suddenly asked for it.
An Qingran knew that her paintings and embroidery were average and not anything new, so why did Fang suddenly ask her for them?
If it were in the past, she would have agreed without hesitation.
But now she smiled: "If you say that this thing is worthless, aunt asked, anything in this room should be offered with a smile, but the handkerchief is not an ordinary item, the content inside is a bit complicated, maybe Qingran thought too much, usually, when giving and receiving between friends, even pearl hairpins and head ornaments are not considered a big deal, but this handkerchief, if aunt accidentally lost it, whoever picked it up would spread that the daughter of the general's mansion had a secret meeting with a man and gave it to him privately, they would not say that I gave it to aunt, don't you think so?"
An Qingran's tone was gentle and teasing, but her eyes were determined and it was impossible to tell that she was joking.
Her words made Fang's face turn red. "Qingran is really thoughtful. Tell me, I just thought that she would find it special, so I asked for it directly. This is really the case that old people are cruel."
"Aunt, I was overthinking it, but I am narrow-minded and I can't imagine the consequences of something going wrong, so please don't blame me." An Qingran said embarrassedly.
Of course, Fang smiled and talked for a while, then left with her daughter.
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