Chapter 78: Does Sister Shen like my second brother?
"Are you the elder sister of the Shen family?" Ruan Jingtang pulled Wang Peilan's sleeve and blinked at her curiously.
Yesterday, when her mother came home, she was beaming with joy, saying that her fourth brother had been saved. She also kept mentioning the girl from the Shen family, saying that she was the genius doctor Yun whom she had invited. Curious, Ruan Jingtang begged Wang Peilan to bring her over.
"This is my third daughter." Wang Peilan introduced her to Shen Shuwei with a smile, "Jingtang, why don't you come out and greet me? What's wrong with hiding behind me?"
Ruan Jingtang noticed that Chen Shuwei had been looking at her with a proper smile since they met, without the overly eager or flattering look that other young ladies from aristocratic families had when they saw her.
She loosened her grip on Wang Peilan's sleeve, stepped forward and greeted Shen Shuwei, "Meet Sister Shen."
"Speaking of which, Sister Shen and I are destined to be together. Sister Shen is the third child in the family, and I am also the third child in the family, with a younger brother." Ruan Jingtang raised her face, revealing a pair of shallow dimples on her cheeks, and her big round eyes were blinking and shining.
Seeing that she was about the same age as Ayang, Shen Shuwei couldn't help but feel closer to her. He smiled and said, "I heard that Miss Ruan also has two brothers, just like me."
The Minister of War, Lord Ruan, was henpecked. He only had one wife, Wang Peilan, at home, and he didn't even dare take in a maid. Once, a meddlesome colleague gave him a pair of beautiful singing girls. That same night, the Minister of War was driven out of his house, and with nail marks on his face, he went to settle the score with his colleague.
This incident even reached the ears of the Emperor, who laughed at him for a while. But Lord Ruan was not ashamed. Instead, he straightened his back and said in a resounding voice, "My family has a tradition of fearing one's wife. My father and mother both said that only by listening to the wife can the family prosper."
Therefore, the Ruan family has four children, all of whom are born to Wang Peilan. The eldest son was sent out to serve as an official, the second son was the prince's companion, and now serves as an official in the prince's palace.
Shen Shuwei's words were originally just small talk, but Ruan Jingtang's eyes rolled around, and she reached out to pull Shen Shuwei's sleeve, "Sister Shen, what do you think of my second brother?"
Shen Shuwei's eyelids twitched. Could this be what she thought it meant?
Ruan Jingtang continued, "Although my second brother is a little older, has a bad mouth, cooks a little bit bad food, and is full of bad intentions, he is still good-looking!"
Shen Shuwei subconsciously took a half step back and looked at Wang Peilan. She couldn't respond to this.
Ruan Jingtang didn't notice that Shen Shuwei was resisting at all. She blinked her big watery eyes and said sincerely, "Really, Sister Shen, I'm not lying to you. My second brother is really the best-looking person in our family. Last month, he went out and was knocked unconscious by a girl and dragged - wuwuwu!"
Ruan Jingtang didn't get the second half of her sentence out as Wang Peilan covered her mouth and pulled her back.
Wang Peilan quickly smiled apologetically at Chen Shuwei, "I'm sorry, sister. My daughter has been stubborn since she was young and can't think straight."
Shen Shuwei breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind.
Ruan Jingtang frowned and broke free from Wang Peilan's hand, looking at Wang Peilan somewhat unhappy, "Mom, didn't you ask me to ask Sister Shen if she likes Second Brother when you came here? Why are you covering my mouth when I'm asking?"
Wang Peilan was really embarrassed this time, and smiled awkwardly with a tight mouth.
A hand quietly twisted Ruan Jingtang's ear, and she scolded in a low voice: "Silly girl, mother told you to ask quietly, without leaving any trace, who told you to ask like this!"
Ruan Jingtang was unhappy and didn't want to talk to Wang Peilan.
Chen Shuwei couldn't help but chuckle, reached out and took her hand, looked at Wang Peilan, "Miss Ruan is lovely, Madam, there is no need to restrain her."
"I have a younger sister named Ayang who is about the same age as Miss Ruan. We might as well let them chat and laugh together."
Wang Peilan quickly agreed, and was eager to send this troubled daughter somewhere else.
Shen Shuwei called Yun Ling and asked her to take Ruan Jingtang to find Shen Zhiyang.
Because Ruan Jingtang's father was the Minister of Six Ministries and her two older brothers had promising careers, there were many people who asked her to find out about the family relationships. She was also a straightforward person, or in her mother's words, a simple-minded person.
After being backstabbed and taken advantage of by her friends several times, Ruan Jingtang didn't say anything, but she felt resistance in her heart. She usually stayed at home if possible, as no one at home would say anything to her anyway.
Since it was a rare opportunity for Ruan Jingtang to go out, she was curious about everything about the Shen family. Pointing to a weed growing in a crack in the stone wall, she asked Yun Ling, "What kind of plant is this? I've never seen it at home. Is it a rare plant from the Western Regions?"
Yun Ling: “…”
These are the weeds left behind by the servants in the mansion who neglected to weed.
Coming out of the flower hall, they arrived at the hanging flower gate in a few steps. Ruan Jingtang sighed again: "The Shen family is so small. If I had lived here when I was a child, my mother wouldn't have been exhausted when she chased me and beat me."
Yun Ling: “…”
Did this young lady from the Shangshu Mansion do it on purpose or was she simply naive?
After exiting the hanging flower gate, Ruan Jingtang was attracted by the swing in the small garden. She turned her neck and stared at the swing while walking forward.
Yun Ling was about to remind her to be careful of someone around the corner when Ruan Jingtang ran straight into a wall of flesh.
"Hiss." Ruan Jingtang was knocked back half a step and fell to the ground. She was rubbing her nose and was about to ask why there was a wall here when the wall bent down to look at her.
"Where did they come from? Third sister's friend?" Chen Zhang raised his eyebrows and looked at her, with no intention of helping her up.
Yun Ling coughed lightly and reminded, "Second Young Master, this is the Third Young Lady from the Minister of War's residence."
"You just knocked her over."
Even if you don't apologize, you should at least help the person up.
"Really?" Chen Zhang sighed softly. "Didn't she just tilt her head and bump into me? I was placing both of my hands securely, and I didn't even touch her."
Yun Ling was desperate.
Fortunately, Ruan Jingtang had a good temper. He clapped his hands and stood up. "It's okay. I forgive you."
Chen Zhang: “?”
Which word did he apologize for?
"Did your servant build that swing? Can I pay him to make one for me?" Ruan Jingtang pointed at the swing and asked, his eyes full of sincerity. His words were even more resounding, "I have money!"
Shen Zhang snorted, "It's useless even if you have money."
"Why? I'm very rich, I can give him that amount." Ruan Jingtang blinked at him and gestured with her hand. The twinkling buns on her head had fallen apart from the fall, and the hair hung down by her ears.
She looked like a rabbit, that was Shen Zhang's first reaction, like a clumsy rabbit bumping into a tree stump.
Chen Zhang folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her. Suddenly, he had a bad idea. "Because this swing set was made by me for my younger sisters. I only make things for my two younger sisters, not for outsiders. So, just give up on this idea."
He had thought that after such a refusal, the girl would give up. She would either get angry and scold him, like Ayang, or go back to complain to the elders, like Chu Xinrou did before.
But he didn't expect that the little girl lowered her head and thought hard for a moment, then raised her head and called out crisply, "Brother!"
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