Chapter 48: Sisters

姐妹
片刻又高兴起来，“不过外祖家也就这一点不好了，旁的都有趣，以前斐表妹年纪小，少不得大家都要让着她，如今你的年纪在这里摆着，看她还好意思说你欺负她，对着你哭不成？”
An Shu thought this way, looking forward even more to going to her maternal grandparents' house, and hurriedly took An Cheng to Rui Xuan Hall to pay respects.
An Cheng entered and looked around. They had come early today, and only a few cousins from the main branch hadn't arrived yet.
Grandma saw An Shu'an Shan and smiled, inviting them to sit down. She touched An Shan's head and examined the gemstone hairband she had given her yesterday. "It looks so nice on you. Your skin is fair, and it looks really good on you!"
"It was unfortunate that I arrived at the wrong time. As soon as I entered the room, I saw the old lady doting on her granddaughter and unwilling to let go. I couldn't even have a few words with my younger sister!" An Qi came in with a smile, her words flowing smoothly.
Ancheng quickly helped Anqi anchi to perform a courtesy greeting, but Anqi quickly helped her up before she finished, saying, "Sister, please sit."
Anshu and Anqi anchi are familiar with each other and do not care much about formalities. "Big sister and fifth sister are usually the most diligent. Why are you late today?"
Emrald poured tea for Anqi Anchi and they sat apart.
Anqi smiled and said, "This morning, someone from my mother's estate sent a fresh catch of cave fish. I heard they slaughtered a lamb this morning, so I asked them to take it to the main kitchen and have it served with the lamb."
沈氏笑道，“大侄女消息真是灵通。”
“消息灵通的可不止咱们家大姑娘呢，老大早上也来请安的时候还说谢你，回来才几天，倒要你破费，那羊的做法也好，他都不知道该说什么了。”
Shen slowly sipped his tea, modestly smiling, but the old lady stood up first, saying, "Alright, I know you all still have things to do today. Don't let me hold you back. Let's start the meal early, and after we finish, you can take the children to visit your mother's home."
"There aren't many children over on the mother-in-law's side either, I'm afraid they have been thinking about it for a long time."
Shen hurried to help the old lady into the dining room, and after arranging the tableware, she bid farewell. The dishes on the table included common foods such as golden thread soft cakes, ham and bamboo shoot soup, dried duck breast, and wild duck meat porridge, and so on.
There was only a plate of roasted lamb in the center, as mentioned earlier, it was golden and fragrant. However, it was not the kind of food to be eaten in the morning, and no one touched it except for An Chun, who took a few pieces.
The old lady saw him and hurriedly told him, "You are weak, you should eat something more nourishing in the morning. Good child, you can take what grandmother prepared for you and eat it later."
An Chun agreed and slowly drank the porridge. His porridge was made from the soup of stewed chicken with summer dry herbs, which nourished and strengthened the body. But he actually didn't really like these soupy stuff.
He likes to grill lamb over a campfire and drink wine from a sheepskin bag when he is in the North.
Today, the roasted lamb on the table is made authentically, similar to the ones in the North. But its sudden appearance on the dining table is a bit strange.
After finishing their meal, the old lady hurriedly sent them to Shen's residence in Songcui Garden, where everything had been arranged.
Only two nieces were traveling alone for the first time without their parents, causing endless worry.
While Li Yiniang stuffed a hand warmer into An Chun's arms, she whispered to him," It is known to everyone that you have a weak body. If you feel unwell anywhere, you must not force yourself. Rest when needed, and come back when necessary."
“Madam will not blame you, besides...Chun, the place you went today is Madam's maternal family, although you also call them uncle on the mother's side, they are not blood relatives after all."
"If they have any shortcomings, don't complain in your heart. Even our own five fingers are not of equal length. We have to be open-minded and think for ourselves."
He handed a purse to An Chun, saying, "I brought some silver for you. When we go out to meet people, we can't be generous. This is what you saved for your auntie. Don't be afraid to spend it."
On the other side, Aunt Zhou's instructions to Aunt Li were completely different. "Yuzan, you will go with Sister Mei. As for the Tenth Miss, I entrust her to you. She is young, so don't let her bump into anything. If there are any difficulties, go find the Madam."
"We can't help that Mei Jieru was born into my womb by mistake, but she is also the young lady. If anyone bullies her, just speak up."
Yuzan responded repeatedly, laughing in her heart that Zhou Yiniang was being overly cautious. This is just visiting relatives' house, if they were negligent, it would be a hit to the Madam's face. There's no need to say it yourself, the Madam would be the first one to disagree.
Arrangements have been made. The entire group went out. An Shu, An Cheng, and An Mei sat in a emerald-silk adorned carriage. An Zhou, An Hao, and An Chun rode in a blue-draped carriage. Mrs. Shen rode alone in a crimson black-wheeled carriage. The other maids and servants either walked behind or rode in separate carriages. This is just a general description.
On the car, Anshu still remembers the words taught by Zhao Mama, taking out various kinds of snacks she brought and sharing them with Ancheng and Anmei.
"Here, Ninth Sister, I brought your favorite pepper and salt biscuit, seven fruit cake, and sticky rice dumplings with silver ear and snow pear filling. I informed the kitchen about it early this morning."
"Shimei, I don't know what you like to eat, so they prepared some exquisite snacks for you. Have a taste of the jujube and yam cake, honey pastry, and more... "
"Anshu has been to the ancestral home many times and has some experience. Take your time to eat, no need to rush. The ancestral home is located in the west of the city, where many nobles reside, so it's quite far from here."
Anmei and Anshu are not very familiar with each other. They timidly open their black and white eyes without taking any pastries. Occasionally, they rely on Ancheng's glance. In this car, she only knows Ancheng.
Ancheng couldn't resist her gaze and picked up a honey pastry to appease Anmei, who was slightly uneasy. "Shimei, that's your sixth elder sister, just like me. Your sixth elder sister also likes you. This pastry was specially prepared for you. Do you want to have a taste?"
"And did you notice the pearl hairpin on your head? Six Sister gave it to you. Do you like it?"
Ancheng is not good at coaxing children. After saying these few words in a dry manner, he ran out of ideas for what else to say...
Anmei held the snacks and touched the pearls on her head, smiling. "I like it."
Once she said the first sentence, it became easier. Although Ancheng had little contact with Anmei, she knew that Anmei was not shy or timid. Anshu was even more lively and active. When these two people got together, they became affectionate after just a few words.
"You love spicy food too, right, Shu Mei? I heard that people in Sichuan can all eat spicy food." An Shu took two pastries, one for An Cheng and one for An Mei.
“我喜欢吃辣，姨娘也喜欢，可是姨娘不许我多吃。”安湄拿着枣泥山药糕，吃的香甜，“我也喜欢甜的，姨娘也不许我多吃。”