Madam Su quickly pointed to the box of things and said, "Don't underestimate these few bolts of cloth. Your eldest cousin's wife is the one who cares about you the most. If it weren't for her, even your aunt wouldn't have remembered your birthday, let alone anyone else. She has always kept you in her heart."
Xiao Youran was relieved. "Then I'll write a letter back to thank them properly!"
Just then, another guard came to report, "Reporting to Lady Yi and Princess, more items have been delivered from Taizhou."
Su and Xiao Youran exchanged bewildered glances. "Who delivered it?"
"Young Master Wen."
Xiao Youran became excited, "Did Senior Brother Da Bai send this? Quickly, bring it in!"
The guard hesitated, "The person who delivered the gift said that you should go out and take a look first..."
The two then started to walk out. As they walked, Su asked, "How did your senior brother Da Bai know that today was your birthday? Did you write to him asking for a birthday gift?"
Xiao Youran pouted and started counting on her fingers, "Brother Da Bai didn't give me any New Year's gifts or Lantern Festival gifts last year! Humph! Of course I have to ask him for my birthday gift!"
Madam Su affectionately tapped her daughter's forehead, "Little girl, you mustn't ask people for birthday gifts randomly!"
Xiao Youran said willfully, "He is my Senior Brother Da Bai!"
In the blink of an eye, the two had reached the door and were instantly stunned by what was inside the car.
There was a carriage with its four walls open, revealing a lantern taller than Xiao Youran, shaped like the God of Wealth.
It looked almost exactly like the riddle-solving lantern they had guessed when they strolled around the lantern displays during the Lantern Festival. At the very top was that lotus lantern.
She slapped her forehead. That day, she and Yueyue had been kidnapped by flower sellers, nearly escaped, and were then transferred to a pleasure boat. They jumped into the water to escape to the mountains, only to fall into another den of thieves. They had a harrowing night before finally returning to the inn. Naturally, she had completely forgotten that they had been solving riddles that night, and had even correctly guessed the riddle king.
Did Senior Brother Da Bai intend to give her the Mystery King Gift at that time?
Giving it to me now is way too late!
Hmph! Using Lantern Festival gifts as birthday presents?
That's so stingy!
She expressed her disdain.
She pointed to the top box, "Take it down first."
Yu Shier, who was standing nearby, said, "No, the master said that you, the county princess, must dismantle it yourself."
"Hey hey... why are you tearing it down?" Xiao Youran complained.
"The master said, if it's not taken down, these lanterns can't be brought into the mansion!"
Xiao Youran laughed loudly, "How could that be? It's just a lantern, very light. You can just carry it inside!"
Yu Shier shook his head. "If you don't believe me, the county princess can try it herself."
Give it a try!
Xiao Youran stepped forward, grabbed the two legs of the lantern with both hands, and tried to lift it, but sure enough, she couldn't lift it.
I tried again, but I still couldn't pick it up.
Xiao Youran looked left and right, then changed positions, but still couldn't pick it up.
She asked Yu Shier, "Chicken Wing Bro, you take it apart."
Yu Shier looked distressed. "No, Young Master Wen said that only you can dismantle it."
Xiao Youran pointed to the tip of her nose, "Me?"
"Yes, you can dismantle it yourself."
Xiao Youran then climbed onto the carriage and began to study how to disassemble it.
Finally, she discovered that one of the God of Wealth's "index fingers" could move.
So she gently pinched the "index finger" and, sure enough, took it off easily.
It's a small, sealed, finger-shaped cardboard box. Shake it, and there's something inside.
She pinched it between two fingers and pulled out what was inside—a golden peanut.
Hey! Good stuff!
She immediately perked up and continued her exploration.
Soon, the entire right hand was removed, revealing a gleaming gold-plated mirror with a silver base.
Tsk tsk tsk!
In this way, she removed four more arms and three more legs from the God of Wealth, each containing various gold, silver, and jade artifacts. Finally, when her belly was opened, there was a large gold necklace, much larger than the one her mother had made for her.
Finally, the entire upper body was disassembled before the lotus lamp on the top of the head could be retrieved.
Inside the lamp was a box, which, when opened, revealed an ordinary white jade hairpin of average quality.
She understood that this was the prize for the riddle king at the Lantern Festival that day.
She beamed and jumped down, clutching a bunch of sparkly things. "Hehe, Senior Brother Big White really understands me!"
At this moment, a carriage drove up to the gate, and Jiang Mingyi got off the carriage.
Upon seeing him, Su's smile vanished instantly.
Jiang Mingyi didn't even look at her, but said to Xiao Youran, "Youran, today is your birthday. Father has come to take you back to the Jiang residence."
This was a plan he had come up with after thinking about it for a long time: to separate the Su mother and daughter so that he could take action separately.
Mrs. Su immediately stepped in front of her daughter, "What do you want to do?"
Jiang Mingyi raised an eyebrow. "You Ran is my Jiang family's daughter. What's wrong with me taking her back to the Jiang residence?"
After saying that, he looked at Xiao Youran with a kind smile and said, "Youran, you and your brother have been away from home for too long. Your father and your grandparents miss you very much. The Yong'an Marquis's Mansion is your home. Although Chen-ge'er is not here right now, you should go home."
Mrs. Su hugged her daughter tightly, her eyes full of vigilance. "She is my daughter. I won't let her leave."
Jiang Mingyi said coldly, "Nonsense! A daughter of the Jiang family should naturally return to the Jiang residence. How can she not come home indefinitely?"
Xiao Youran's voice was clear and crisp, "Father, although I still have the surname Jiang, didn't Grandmother say last time that she wanted to remove us from the family genealogy?"
Jiang Mingyi felt a little embarrassed. "No, no, Grandmother didn't say that. You must have misheard."
Xiao Youran asked again, "Father, after you and my stepmother got married, you lived in the Princess's Mansion. If you want to take me back, shouldn't I live with you in the Princess's Mansion?"
Jiang Mingyi couldn't refute it, so he could only say, "Today is your birthday. Your grandmother is thinking of you, and your aunts, uncles, and brothers have all prepared birthday gifts for you. Let's go back to the Yong'an Marquis's residence today, and tomorrow we'll take you back to the Princess's residence, is that alright?"
Xiao Youran tilted her head and thought for a moment, then a subtle smile appeared on her face. "Okay."
Madam Su's expression changed drastically, "Little Ranbao, no!"
Xiao Youran handed everything in her arms to her mother, then took off the sandalwood hairpin and the gold necklace her mother had put on her that morning and returned them to her. She smiled brightly and said, "Mother, Father is right. The Yong'an Marquis's Mansion is also my home. It's fine for me to go back and stay for a few days."
Mrs. Su looked at her with concern, "Little Ranbao?"
Xiao Youran winked at her.
Jiang Mingyi was overjoyed and took Xiao Youran's hand to leave.
Xiao Youran broke free, "I can walk by myself, Daddy, please go first."
Madam Su handed everything to Zhao Mama, then took a few steps after her, still very worried, and grabbed Xiao Youran, whispering, "No, daughter, you can't go with him. If anything happens to you, your mother won't be able to live either."
Xiao Youran winked at her again, then pulled her mother down and whispered, "Don't worry, Mother. They're still up to no good. I'll make sure they give up on their plans to oppose us when I get back. I'll be back in three days, no later than three days!"
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