Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 363 Returning Home to Await the Beginning of the Liquidation
"I suppose something serious happened to the Jiang family, and they asked you for help, young lady?"

Danju pursed her lips and stood aside, secretly wondering, "It seems that their family really has no other choice!"

"Otherwise, given Aunt Wei's personality, why would she do such a thing?"

Unaware of the details, Danju looked at Minglan, who was in a daze, and secretly pondered.

"Xiao Tao, why don't we go up and ask the girl what's going on?"

Because Minglan had been lost in thought for too long, Danju was really worried about Minglan's condition, so she went to find Xiaotao who was standing next to her and quietly discussed it with her.

Actually, Danju wanted to see if the two of them could find out the situation so she could help Minglan.

However, the situation was somewhat complicated, and Minglan could not let others know about it.

"This……"

After hearing Danju's idea, Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about it carefully, she agreed.

Because she felt that, no matter what, Minglan shouldn't keep things bottled up inside, since that would harm her health.

Moreover, even if the two of them can't help much in the end, as long as Minglan can speak out and vent, that's a good thing.

"Alright, let's go ask the girl together!"

After careful consideration, Xiao Tao finally decided to follow Danju's advice and ask Minglan directly about the matter.

"Okay, let's go quickly!"

Seeing that Xiao Tao agreed with her idea, Danju felt relieved. She nodded to Xiao Tao and then followed her to Minglan's side.

"Girl~"

"Girl~"

Xiao Tao bent down, moved closer to Minglan, and called out softly.

However, after Xiao Tao called out several times, Minglan still did not respond, as if she had not heard her at all.

Xiao Tao hesitated, straightened up, and exchanged a glance with Dan Ju beside Ming Lan, unsure whether to continue calling out.

"Xiao Tao, keep going!"

However, Danju gestured to Xiaotao with her eyes.

In fact, Danju held a higher position in Minglan's room. After all, she was Minglan's first-class maid. Therefore, under the "oppression" of her superior, Xiaotao could only obey Danju's orders and continue to call out to Minglan.

However, Xiao Tao's relationship with Minglan is closer than that between Danju and Minglan, so Xiao Tao isn't too afraid of her young lady.

After all, no matter what, she practically grew up alongside Minglan, and sometimes Minglan treated Xiaotao even better than she treated Sheng Changquan!
Xiao Tao moved closer to Minglan, gradually raising her voice as she called out, "Miss, wake up!"

"girl!"

"Girl, wake up!"

"Ah? What's wrong?"

It took three calls to finally wake Minglan.

"Ok?"

When Minglan was startled awake, she immediately looked displeased, as if she had been woken up from her sleep, showing signs of "morning grumpiness".

She furrowed her delicate eyebrows in annoyance, her face showing a mixture of anger and confusion: "Xiao Tao, Dan Ju, you..."

"What are you doing?"

Because the group got along so well, even though Xiaotao and Danju were just Minglan's maids, the three of them treated each other like sisters in private, and their relationship was incredibly harmonious.

Therefore, even though Minglan was somewhat unhappy, she would not take it out on Xiaotao and the others.

Moreover, her unhappiness was merely a natural physiological reaction, which would naturally disappear once Minglan fully regained consciousness.

"girl!"

Xiao Tao was closer to Minglan, so despite Minglan's slightly displeased look, she not only wasn't afraid, but instead moved closer with a playful smile, asking, "Miss, what happened to you just now?"

"what?"

Minglan was taken aback by Xiaotao's words, seemingly puzzled.

"girl!"

"Just now, Sister Danju and I saw you holding this needle and thread the whole time, but your hands didn't move at all."

Xiao Tao pointed to what Minglan was holding and asked softly, "Miss, is something on your mind?"

"Ok?"

When Xiao Tao explained it so clearly, Minglan immediately became a little flustered.

Of course, more than anything, it's about being vigilant!
"Looks like I wasn't careful enough!"

Recalling her younger brother's often-repeated words—"Remain calm in the face of great events"—Minglan couldn't help but shake her head inwardly, reflecting, "I really can't do what my brother says, to maintain a calm and composed state before a major event!"

"I wonder if my younger brother can do it himself?"

Minglan sighed inwardly, but on the surface she pretended that nothing had happened.

"Xiao Tao, you're overthinking it!"

Startled, Minglan quickly regained her senses. She looked at the two people beside her, smiled somewhat absentmindedly, and then said, "I'm fine!"

Perhaps because she had lied, Minglan's face flushed slightly. She stammered for a moment and slowly said, "Just now... just now..."

"Just now, I was just worried about my younger brother!"

Thinking of Sheng Changquan, Minglan immediately had an answer: "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine!"

Minglan didn't want to reveal what was hidden in her heart, so she said perfunctorily, "Today is the last day of the provincial examination. I estimate that my brother will be able to return home tonight."

"So, all I was thinking about just now was how to welcome my younger brother back home!"

To prevent the two girls from overthinking, Minglan turned her head, put on a stern face, and solemnly said to her two best friends, "Xiaotao, Danju!"

"You two don't need to worry, I'm really fine!"

"is it?"

Upon hearing Minglan's explanation, Xiaotao and Danju naturally didn't believe it. However, since their young lady wouldn't say, they wouldn't press her for an explanation.

After all, both of them could see that what Minglan said before was just an excuse, and she didn't say the real reason.

However, although they didn't believe it, they couldn't force Minglan to speak, so they could only obediently nod in agreement with Minglan's statement.

"Alright then, young lady!"

Xiaotao and Danju exchanged glances, and finally both gave a helpless reply.

"But, young lady!"

Danju was the quick-witted one. She looked at Minglan and whispered, "Although the Seventh Young Master is returning today, everyone is still waiting for him."

Because they hadn't seen Sheng Changquan for a long time, and he was getting older, everyone except Xiao Tao addressed him in a more formal way, including Danju and the others.

Perhaps this is the trouble of growing up: the separation of men and women, the distinction between superiors and inferiors.

Danju looked at Minglan's expression and said cautiously, "Especially the master and the mistress!"

“They will definitely invite the Seventh Young Master over for dinner.” Danju didn’t want to expose Minglan’s lie, but continued, “Of course, the Lord and the others might also invite the whole family to have dinner together in the Old Madam’s courtyard.”

"So, young lady, what's wrong with you?"

Danju didn't say anything more, but just looked at Minglan with a strange expression, as if accusing her of not telling the truth.

"Cough cough..."

"This……"

"This... hosting a welcome-back dinner for my younger brother tomorrow... is the same thing..."

Minglan felt a little embarrassed by Danju's strange gaze, and in the end, she could only cough a few times and forcibly change the subject.

"Oh right, tangerines!"

Minglan forced herself to remain calm and said softly, "Since..."

"Since Father and Madam are going to have a welcome dinner for my younger brother tonight, then... then you should quickly find me some clothes."

"Oh right, take out that floral dress that Madam made for me. I want to wear it tonight!"

Minglan intentionally wanted to get Danju out of the way so that she wouldn't deliberately sabotage Minglan and leave Danju speechless.

"hehe!"

Danju saw through Minglan's thoughts, so she wasn't angry. She simply followed Minglan's instructions, said "okay," and then went to the inner room with a smile to prepare clothes for Minglan.

"Oh, right, Xiaotao!"

After Danju had walked away, Minglan suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Miss, what's wrong?"

At this moment, Xiao Tao was still secretly amused by the conversation between Danju and Minglan when she suddenly heard Minglan calling her name.

"Girl, what's wrong?"

Xiao Tao moved closer to Minglan and asked again in a low voice.

"Xiao Tao!"

After Danju left, Minglan felt somewhat more at ease.

In fact, there weren't many people in Minglan's house whom she could truly trust, except for Xiaotao.

Even Danju cannot be trusted 100%!

Although the tangerine was given to her by the old lady, and the old lady would not have any bad intentions towards Minglan, in Minglan's mind, the tangerine was still not entirely trustworthy.

Because, in Danju's heart, Shou'an Hall is probably her most important master.

However, on the other hand, Minglan's family members actually have quite a few different stances.

Of course, it's not that everyone else had bad intentions, it's just that their positions were somewhat problematic; they were spies for other rooms.

Needless to say, Linxi Pavilion must have had people planted there.

No, perhaps it should be said that they bribed Minglan's maids, and their purpose in doing so was to have them inform Lin Xige and help Lin Qinshuang control the situation.

Like the fruits in those "Hundred Fruit Gardens" outside, some of them must have been bribed by the people of Linxi Pavilion, otherwise, how could they know Minglan's whereabouts every time?

As for Madam Wang, it was even more legitimate for her to bribe "Hundred Fruit Garden" and plant people in Minglan's room.

However, her purpose was different from Lin Qinshuang's. She didn't want to harm Minglan, but simply wanted to keep track of every move in the Sheng family's inner quarters and to confront Lin Qinshuang head-on, so as not to fall behind her.

In fact, the latter is the main reason why she did this.

However, it must be said that Madam Wang and Lin Qinshuang are truly destined for each other. They are like the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix, sharing a strange and inexplicable understanding.

In fact, their methods were quite similar. They all bribed people in Minglan's room to keep track of what was happening there and to use this information to their own advantage.

"Xiao Tao!"

Minglan called out again, then took Xiaotao's hands, her face showing a hint of excitement, and asked, "Xiaotao, do you still remember Sister Xiaodie?"

Xiao Die was Wei Xiao Niang's personal maid back then, and also the person Wei Xiao Niang trusted the most.

No, it shouldn't be said "once". Perhaps, in Wei Xiaoniang's heart, she was the only person in the Sheng family who could be trusted from beginning to end!

"Sister Xiaodie?"

Upon hearing this familiar name, Xiao Tao's expression gradually changed.

"Miss, are you referring to Sister Xiaodie, who is by my side?"

"Ok!"

Minglan nodded and said to Xiaotao, "It's her, why?"

"Xiao Tao, do you still remember her?"

"Remember!"

After receiving Minglan's affirmation, Xiaotao's eyes lit up immediately!
"Girl, of course I remember Sister Xiaodie!"

"Young lady, you have no idea how kind Sister Xiaodie was to me back then!"

Xiao Tao squinted her eyes and recalled with a happy expression, "I remember when I was with my mother, Sister Xiao Die was always very kind to me. And whenever she had something delicious, she would always remember me and save some for me to eat!"

"hehe!"

Seeing that Xiao Tao was still the same, Minglan burst out laughing.

"Xiao Tao, all you remember is food!"

After Minglan gave a reproachful look, she gradually became serious.

"Xiao Tao, do you know?"

"Actually, the main purpose of my aunt's letter this time was to tell me that she has found Sister Xiaodie!"

"Wow! This is wonderful!"

Upon hearing this news, Xiao Tao's expression became even more excited, but she didn't delve into the meaning behind Minglan's words.

After all, given Xiaotao's personality, she wouldn't take these things to heart.

"Miss, is Sister Xiaodie coming to the capital?"

Thinking of her beloved Sister Xiaodie whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Xiaotao was even more excited than Minglan.

"Ok!"

Minglan nodded and said affirmatively, "Auntie has already said that she will bring Sister Xiaodie to the capital in a while!"

"Wow! That's great!"

Xiao Tao's face was beaming with joy.

"I wonder what Sister Xiaodie looks like now?"

Xiao Tao cupped her hands around her heart, her face filled with anticipation.

……

Four thousand words, to be completed tomorrow!


(End of this chapter)