Chapter 165: He Shuran

Tang Youqing cried out miserably.

Even though Princess Consort of Qi and Sui Sui's group lived quite far from the Tang family's lodging, they could still hear it clearly.

Seeing Sui Sui frightened, Princess Consort of Qi quickly picked up the child, gently patted her, pressed her forehead against Sui Sui's, and soothed her softly: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mother Consort is here."

Aunt Qiu had already sent Hai Tang out to gather news.

Who knows what happened to make him cry out so miserably?

If something were wrong, they'd still have to send someone to signal and give a heads-up.

Although earlier everyone's quarrel left a few awkward faces, the necessary social interactions still had to take place.

Children's world bears no grudges.

I won't play with you right now, but maybe we'll be fine soon and still hold hands as friends.

The two women first hugged and comforted each other, then sent someone to check the situation.

There are always some things that happen unavoidably and against one's will.

It's not the season for mint to mature, so there's no fresh mint for now.

Xiang Gugu whispered a reminder: the filling contains glutinous rice, eat just enough to curb hunger, don't overindulge.

It's not simply black and white; it could also be done out of wilfulness.

If you find today's drink too bland, you can add peanut crumbs and dried longan.

Adults' world holds grudges.

When Lady He brought He Shuran over, Sui Sui had already been soothed and was sitting down to have a drink.

Considering Sui Sui's health, Xiang Gugu finally added two pieces of dried longan to her tea cup alone.

Lady He and He Shuran stayed in the outer room of the Hui-character chamber, a short distance from Sui Sui and the others.

Today Aunt Qiu brewed ginger-date-chenpi tea, and garnished it with mint for fragrance.

Hearing that miserable cry, He Shuran turned pale with fright, and Lady He also jumped in shock.

Lady He, uneasy, after calming He Shuran, took the child's hand and prepared to go over to Princess Consort of Qi to check.

Saying it's tiring is true, but the world has always been like this.

But we also have to pretend we don't hold grudges, sometimes even pretending nothing happened.

The tea base is chenpi, brewed to a faintly bright broth, then ginger, date, and mint are boiled together.

The snack prepared is five-spice cake.

If it's fresh mint, you can wait until the tea is done, then add two leaves for garnish and a fresh touch; drinking it will still be cool and refreshing.

Sui Sui is an obedient child; although she had been frightened, after Mother Consort coaxed her, she sat nicely and first pushed a cup of the poured tea toward Mother Consort.

The two women had just returned, freshened up simply, and were about to enjoy some tea snacks before checking what the evening's vegetarian meal would be.

Not for flavor, but so that Sui Sui could later chew on it dry.

For the next cup, she then obediently took it.

The two women hadn't even started drinking when Lady He brought He Shuran over.

Princess Consort of Qi held Sui Sui's hand, signaling her not to move, then rose to greet them: "You've come at just the right time; the snacks are ready and hot—come in quickly and sit down."

Princess Consort of Qi still had a good impression of Lady He, so she smiled and welcomed them in.

He Fu felt a bit embarrassed, waved his hands to decline, but was warmly received by Princess Consort of Qi.

Lady He, helpless, could only take He Shuran's hand and go in, not forgetting to ask: "Were you startled? I don't know what happened over there; the sound was awful—hope nothing serious happened."

Because He Shuran's health is poor, Lady He brings the child to Lanruo Si for a short stay every spring.

It could be as short as three to five days, or as long as seven days or even half a month.

If something unexpected happened in the middle, she wouldn't feel comfortable staying here with the child.

However, having gone through the motions of praying to gods and buddhas without true sincerity, Lady He's heart remains filled with panic.

She came to ask Princess Consort of Qi, partly out of concern, partly to seek peace of mind.

Princess Consort led the two women inside while smiling and replying: "I expect it's nothing serious—just the kids roughhousing. I've already sent someone to inquire; we should know soon. Don't overthink it—come in and sit down."

The vegetarian hall is small; when there are many people, it's easy to feel cramped.

Xiang Gugu and Aunt Qiu exchanged a glance, then withdrew.

At this point, beside Princess Consort of Qi, only Aunt Qiu remained nearby to attend.

Lady He's side also brought only a servant.

Sui Sui saw Pretty Aunt and the older sister enter, quickly hopped off the chair, and reached out to He Shuran: "Shuran older sister."

He Shuran gave a bashful smile and shyly extended her hand.

When Sui Sui took her hand, He Shuran's ears turned completely red, and she fidgeted, feeling too shy to move forward.

Seeing her daughter liked her, Lady He quickly urged softly: "If you like the younger sister, you must bravely express it; otherwise, how would she know you like her?"

After Lady He parted from Princess Consort of Qi, He Shuran quietly said: "Mother, I like Sui Sui."

Sui Sui wouldn't think, like other kids, that because of her poor health she couldn't play together and was a burden.

Even though the two hadn't known each other long, who can say for sure what fate holds?

He Shuran rarely expressed her liking, and Lady He felt excited and delighted.

Seeing her own child shy about expressing herself, even hesitating to reach out for half a day, it was natural to encourage her.

After hearing her mother's words, He Shuran gently took a breath, lifted her head, and gave Sui Sui a bashful smile.

After smiling, Sui Sui hadn't spoken yet, but He Shuran's face turned red first.

Sui Sui saw the older sister smile, her eyes curved like a new crescent moon, and she couldn't help laughing along: "Shuran older sister, your smile is truly lovely!"

In Sui Sui's view, He Shuran and Liu He Meng are two completely different kinds of older sisters.

Mengmeng older sister belongs to the brave sort who can bring her younger sister soaring to the clouds.

And Shu Ran-jie is a sister who needs to be taken care of, fragile, helpless, and pretty.

Sui Sui has recently been feeling that she is a greedy child.

Because of the two older sisters, she wants both.

Qiaoqiao Jiejie is also nice, but she always likes to scratch her own chin.

Sui Sui also likes it, but she always feels weird.

Being praised by Sui Sui, He Shuran's face, which had just returned to normal color, turned red again.

She felt she couldn't speak, couldn't walk, and her two feet seemed knotted in place, stopping there.

She wanted to say, "Sui Sui, you're also very pretty."

Unfortunately, the words reached her lips, but her tongue felt as if sealed by her mouth, and she couldn't utter a single word.

He Shuran was so anxious that her eyes turned red.

Sui Sui, however, was not in a hurry; she stopped, tilted her head, looked at He Shuran with puzzlement, neither urging nor asking, and stood there obediently waiting.

Although He Shuran is frail, she is ultimately two years older than Sui Sui, so she is a bit taller than Sui Sui.

As soon as she lowered her gaze, she could see Sui Sui looking at her.

This made He Shuran feel both anxious and sweet.

Second watch.