Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 310 A Dilemma of Going Together
"is it?"

Grandma Sheng smiled and asked in return, but she didn't fall for the trick. She just pretended to be confused and said, "So, what kind of girl is Taisheng looking for?"

"Could it be that he still wants to find a princess?"

Grandma Sheng smiled, seemingly oblivious to Sheng Wei's implied meaning.

"Or perhaps?"

"Actually, he already has someone he likes?"

Grandma Sheng then changed the subject, revealing a different situation.

"impossible!"

Without even thinking, Sheng Wei shook his head in denial: "How could Taisheng possibly have someone he likes?"

No one knows a nephew better than his uncle. How could Sheng Wei not see whether Hu Taisheng had someone he loved?
Moreover, with Sheng Yun around, it was impossible for Hu Taisheng to have a secret affair or make a lifelong commitment to someone under her nose.

Moreover, given Hu Taisheng's personality, that's absolutely impossible.

It's not that Hu Taisheng has any problem with his personality, but rather that he's rather honest.

Perhaps because he had a strong-willed mother, Hu Taisheng, as the son, was inevitably a bit simple-minded and honest, without the cunning and scheming nature of others.

"That's it!"

Seeing Sheng Wei's confident demeanor, Old Madam Sheng nodded, somewhat believing his words.

However, she didn't trust Sheng Wei, but rather the old lady and Sheng Yun. She believed that the old lady wouldn't deceive her, and that Sheng Yun's child wouldn't be the kind of child who didn't know manners.

Of course, the most important reason is that Old Madam Sheng had already had someone investigate Hu Taisheng and understand every aspect of him, from his family to himself.

After all, among the two candidates in Old Madam Sheng's mind, besides He Hongwen, there was also Hu Taisheng.

Indeed, in Old Madam Sheng's plan for Minglan's future husband, these two were the best candidates.

"Sister-in-law!"

Let me be frank with you!

After Sheng Wei explained the situation at length, Old Madam Sheng remained evasive and unwilling to speak frankly, which left her somewhat disappointed.

However, she also knew the reason behind it, and understood what kind of person her own child was, and what kind of person Minglan was. There was indeed a great difference between the two of them.

However, Hu Taisheng does have one point to make: the relationship between the two families.

If Sheng Yun's plan succeeds, then Minglan will definitely not suffer any injustice in the future.

Anyone can see that.

"Huh? Sister-in-law, what's wrong...?"

"what you want to say?"

Seeing the old lady's solemn expression, Old Madam Sheng fixed her gaze and slowly focused her attention on the old lady.

"Ugh!"

"Sister-in-law, I won't hide it from you anymore!"

"Actually, Yun'er has taken a fancy to Ming, the girl next to you!"

The old lady decided to make things clear today, lest she accidentally miss a good opportunity and cause her grandson to lose his wife in the future.

Of course, this doesn't mean that if the old lady told the truth, she would be able to bring Minglan home as she wished. On the contrary, if she didn't tell the truth, she definitely wouldn't succeed.

"You've taken a fancy to Ming?"

Grandma Sheng narrowed her eyes, concealing the strangeness in them, and simply looked at Sheng Wei and his mother across from her, saying slowly, "What, is this your family's idea?"

"Uh?"

Sheng Wei and his mother were slightly taken aback, not quite understanding what Old Madam Sheng meant.

"Second Aunt, what do you mean by this?"

"Our whole family decided to take a liking to Minglan!"

Sheng Wei thought that Old Madam Sheng doubted the sincerity of the East Mansion, so he hurriedly replied, "Minglan is not only beautiful, but also of excellent character, and she is very methodical in her dealings with people!"

"If she weren't my niece, I would actually be willing to ask her to marry my family's wretched children..."

Sheng Wei's words were extremely exaggerated, as if Minglan were truly a celestial being descended to earth.

Grandma Sheng simply smiled at this, but still did not make a clear statement.

"Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean!"

Hearing Sheng Wei's series of kind words, Old Madam Sheng neither agreed nor refused, but simply turned to look at the old lady beside her who had been staring at her.

"However, I haven't decided on Minglan's marriage yet, so there's no rush to marry her off!"

"This……"

"Don't worry, sister-in-law!"

Seeing that the old lady was about to speak in a hurry, the old lady interrupted her and continued, "Actually, this is also Minglan's idea."

The old lady was speechless, unsure of what to say next.

"Hey, sister-in-law, let me tell you something too!"

A hint of emotion appeared on Old Madam Sheng's face as she slowly asked, "You must have heard about Minglan's background, right?"

"Ok!"

Sheng Wei and his mother naturally nodded in agreement.

After all, Sheng Yun wanted to arrange for Hu Taisheng to marry Minglan, so she naturally knew about Minglan's background and her current situation.

"Ugh!"

Grandma Sheng sighed again, and then said, "Minglan's mother passed away early, leaving only Minglan and her brother to live in this world. So, the only thing Minglan can't let go of now is Quan-ge'er!"

"Therefore, she will not choose to get married until Quan-ge'er has made arrangements!"

Grandma Sheng repeated what Minglan had once told her, her voice filled with deep pity.

"what?"

Upon hearing these words from Old Madam Sheng, the expressions of the First Madam and Sheng Wei changed slightly, and they seemed somewhat at a loss.

If Hu Taisheng were a child of the Sheng family, then Sheng Wei and the others wouldn't mind making their own child wait, after all, Minglan is indeed a good girl!

Not only is she beautiful and kind-hearted, but her younger brother also has a bright future and will surely achieve great things.

Unfortunately, Hu Taisheng's surname is Hu, not Sheng.

However, if his surname is indeed Sheng, then there is no possibility between him and Minglan. It must be said that every action has its own destiny.

"hehe!"

Seeing the predicament of Sheng Wei and her son, Old Madam Sheng not only did not comfort them, but added, "You two should not put all your pressure on Minglan to support Taisheng!"

"After all, even if Taisheng really is waiting for Minglan, in the end, they might not necessarily end up together!"

"I've made up my mind about Minglan's marriage. In the end, it's up to her to choose!"

"I was just giving her some encouragement and suggestions!"

Grandma Sheng behaved very freely, showing none of the domineering manner of Sheng Hong. This also reveals the deep affection Grandma Sheng has for Minglan!
However, while Minglan and her granddaughter were enjoying their time together, Sheng Wei and his mother were feeling terrible. After being pressured by Old Madam Sheng's words, they were speechless.

After all, they couldn't make decisions for Hu Taisheng; Sheng Yun had to handle this herself!
……

"I hope Brother He is well!"

"I hope Brother He is well!"

Upon seeing He Hongwen, Minglan and Pinlan immediately restrained their previous unrestrained behavior and bowed to him.

"Ah? Ming... I hope my two younger sisters are well!"

After exchanging pleasantries with Sheng Changquan, He Hongwen walked towards Minglan and the others. However, when they greeted him, he was somewhat stunned.

When He Hongwen saw Minglan, he originally wanted to greet her first, but then he noticed that there was a Pinlan next to Minglan, so he quickly changed his address to include Pinlan as well.

His flustered and disheveled appearance amused Pinlan so much that she almost burst out laughing.

"Hehe...Goo-hoo!"

Just as Pinlan was about to laugh out loud, Minglan grabbed her hand and pinched it!

Under the onslaught of excruciating pain, Pinlan's snickering suddenly turned into a strange scream!

"what?"

Upon hearing this strange cry, Sheng Changquan immediately turned around and looked over, quite surprised!

What is that sound?

"ah!"

When Sheng Changquan and the others looked at her with surprise, Pinlan was filled with grief and indignation, feeling that she had completely lost face as a young woman!
Seeing this, Minglan felt guilty, thinking that she shouldn't have embarrassed Pinlan like this. However, before she could say anything, He Hongwen spoke first.

"This...this is all my fault!"

"If it weren't for my negligence, Miss Pinlan...wouldn't be in this situation!"

He Hongwen stammered and took all the blame upon himself, hoping to ease Pinlan's embarrassment.

However, he was completely unaware that his words actually made Pinlan even more embarrassed.

After all, the only way to help Pinlan get out of this situation is to pretend that she didn't hear it and ignore this little accident.

However, this also inevitably reveals his character and personality.

From Sheng Changquan's perspective as an outsider, He Hongwen is a kind-hearted, gentle, and warm-hearted man. Moreover, purely in terms of appearance, he is quite good-looking.

Although he couldn't match the "abnormally grown" peerless beauty of Sheng Changquan, he was still quite handsome, with a refined and gentle demeanor. Coupled with his soft voice and calm gaze beneath his gentle appearance, he truly embodied the ideal gentleman that girls in this world admire.

"Cough cough..."

Seeing the scene gradually becoming somewhat awkward, especially seeing Pinlan next to him being "comforted" with her face flushed red as if she were about to burst, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but cough a few times to attract He Hongwen's attention.

After all, if there hadn't been an unfamiliar "outsider" like him in the room, Pinlan wouldn't have been in such an awkward situation!
"Brother, I heard you caught a white carp in the Han River, is that true?"

Sheng Changquan looked at the food box in He Hongwen's hand and asked curiously, "Is it that rare white-striped, cold-bodied carp?"

Upon hearing Sheng Changquan's question, Pinlan and Minglan gradually recovered from their shock.

"Hmph! You brat!"

Pinlan glared fiercely at Minglan, wishing she could do the same to her!
"oops!"

"Sister Pinlan, I was wrong!"

"Just spare me!"

Because there were "outsiders" present, Minglan did not speak directly, but instead apologized to Pinlan with her eyes.

"Hmph! You're dreaming!"

Pinlan replied with a look: "Unless you give me that painting, 'White Orchid Leaning Against the Wall'!"

"Row!"

Minglan agreed to Pinlan's request without hesitation.

"White Orchid Leaning Against the Wall" is a new embroidery that Minglan recently embroidered. However, it was originally intended as a gift for Pinlan when they were about to part ways.

Fortunately, the two women had a deep bond and could communicate with each other through their eyes; otherwise, Minglan would have had to pay a much higher price later on.

However, although Pinlan's eyes were fierce, Minglan could sense that she wasn't angry, and in fact, the other woman didn't seem to mind much.

It seems that Pinlan only felt a little embarrassed at the time, but she probably won't hold it against her afterwards.

In other words, Pinlan is magnanimous and doesn't hold grudges.

"nature!"

At this point, He Hongwen's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I promised my sixth sister that I would give her a white carp from the Han River, and this white-striped, cold-bodied carp is just the right time!"

Compared to Sheng Changquan's use of the terms "brother" and "younger brother," the way He Hongwen and Minglan addressed each other seemed much more intimate.

With a flick of his right hand, he raised the brown food box in his hand to chest height, opened the lid, and revealed the long, thin, but rather large white carp to everyone.

After all, Minglan and the others had a clear view of this location plan.

"Sixth Sister, look!"

"This is the whitebait carp that I had someone catch today!"

A glimmer of hope appeared on He Hongwen's face as he said to Minglan, "Sixth Sister, this Han River white carp is perfect for you!"

"White carp nourishes the complexion and strengthens the body, and is best for conditioning the constitution of women and children. However, Sixth Sister, you have a weak constitution and in previous years you would feel cold all over when autumn and winter came, which is a manifestation of Yin deficiency."

"So, Sixth Sister, you'd better put it away first..."

"..."

This guy remembered quite clearly the fact that Minglan felt cold.

He Hongwen was completely oblivious to Sheng Changquan's hawk-like gaze beside him. He remained immersed in his own world, nagging Minglan in detail, trying to explain to her exactly what to do.

He Hongwen's "warm hospitality" was something Minglan really couldn't refuse, so she could only stand there helplessly, listening carefully to his instructions.

Pinlan and Sheng Changquan, however, each had their own thoughts as they watched this scene.

The former found it amusing, while the latter became more vigilant and began to scrutinize He Hongwen with a critical eye.

……

No one knows exactly what Old Madam Sheng, the First Madam, and Sheng Wei said to each other that day.

All that everyone remembered was that after Old Madam He examined the health of the people from the East Mansion, they all left with beaming smiles, as if they had let go of some unresolved issues.

In contrast, Sheng Wei and his mother looked solemn, as if they were considering something.

From that day on, the He family moved into the West Mansion and waited to depart.

The two families, however, planned to return to Beijing together along the Han River.

I'm taking a day off on September 1st...

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(End of this chapter)