Chapter 6: Fishing in Muddy Waters and Leaving Home

Qian was full of anger, and after returning to the shop, she vented her frustration with a tirade before gradually calming down. She was unwilling to step through the gates of the Xia family, leaving the An sisters waiting anxiously.

Fortunately, the old lady of the Qin family was considerate and urged Qian to go and do the makeup for Xia Ziyu, at least to save face for her two granddaughters.

Qian made excuses twice and procrastinated until the third day before reluctantly finding two pieces of embroidered satin, wrapping them in red paper, and reluctantly arriving at the Xia residence.

In the Xia residence, various betrothal gifts and dowries were displayed in a row, and the women who came to do the makeup surrounded them, admiring and envying them.

Xue was busy receiving and sending guests, and when she saw Qian's shabby gifts, she dismissed her with a few perfunctory words and turned to chat with other women, leaving Qian feeling ignored.

The young maid Qingju had been waiting in the front yard and, upon seeing Qian, immediately approached her and whispered, "Aunt, won't you come to the young ladies' courtyard for tea?"

Recognizing her, Qian felt a slight disdain for An and Anran in her heart and was too angry to visit, so she turned and left in a huff.

"Tell your young ladies that they shouldn't come to me for such humiliating tasks in the future. People like me who do embroidery are not welcome!" she said.

Qingju, unaware of the underlying meaning, could only repeat Qian's mocking words to An and Anran, feeling somewhat resentful of Qian's harsh words.

Upon hearing Qingju's brief description, An and Anran pieced together the whole story and dismissed Qingju, feeling distressed.

Anran was full of regret, saying, "I knew it was all in vain. I'm afraid the Meng family will look down on me and think I'm frivolous."

An coldly snorted, "It's not over yet. Why are you so despondent? Even if you can't get married, I will never let Xia Ziyu have her way. Sister, today I will find a way to leave the residence."

"What are you going to do?" Anran asked in surprise.

"I'm going to find Brother Meng!" An lowered her voice, "This is our last hope. If it doesn't work, we'll have to break free from this situation, even if it means ending everything!"

"You're crazy! That's against the rules!" Anran couldn't help but exclaim, "Besides, the maids are guarding the door, how can you leave the residence?"

"I can't worry about that now," An didn't know how to persuade her rule-abiding sister and looked out the window, "Today, with so many people in the residence, I'll find a way to slip out."

She used to sneak out of the residence under her mother's nose when she was young, and she often succeeded without her mother noticing. Unexpectedly, today she had to use this skill to outwit Xue.

An leaned over and opened the sewing basket hidden in the corner of the room, where a small creature curled up in fear, bristling with thorns.

Anran was startled when she saw it, and involuntarily took a step back.

An grinned triumphantly, "I spent a lot of effort catching it yesterday."

The coachman Lao Wang was an old man in the residence, and because of his skill in handling horses and driving, Xue made an exception to keep him.

Xue was strict in managing the household, and there were not many servants in the residence. Lao Wang not only drove the carriage but also took care of miscellaneous tasks such as purchasing grains and vegetables, and he was busy and dizzy these days.

He knew the ins and outs of the marriage, but he was powerless and could only keep his mouth shut, as speaking out would only bring trouble.

He unloaded the goods in the kitchen and hurriedly got back on the carriage to go to the butcher's.

The carriage hurriedly raised dust, turned the corner, and suddenly a small white hand reached out from the carriage and opened a gap in the curtain, whispering, "Lao Wang."

Lao Wang was startled and turned his head to see the mischievous face of the second miss, who used to unexpectedly appear in his carriage when her mother was still alive, and he was used to it.

"Second Miss?"

An nodded, "Lao Wang, do you know where the Meng family lives? Can you take me there?"

Lao Wang immediately understood An's intentions and sighed softly, "Tomorrow is the big wedding, it's no use."

An's bright eyes suddenly misted over, and as the carriage jolted and swayed, she looked particularly pitiful.

"Please, Lao Wang."

Lao Wang's heart immediately softened, and he gritted his teeth, raised the reins, and turned the carriage into another street, stopping in front of the Meng residence, adorned with lights and decorations.

Lao Wang got off the carriage and, as instructed by An, bowed to the gatekeeper.

"My young master is an old friend of Master Meng, and I've come to congratulate him on his wedding. Please inform him."

The gatekeeper, busy applying paste to the lion-shaped gateposts and pasting wedding invitations, looked at the inconspicuous carriage behind Lao Wang and said, "Unfortunately, my master has just been taken to the Drunken Life Tower by a few friends for a drink and may not be able to come back for a while. If it's urgent, you can go find him yourself, and everyone should know you."

Lao Wang was taken aback and looked somewhat strange, then turned and silently got back on the carriage.

"I still have a lot of things to do, so you should come back with me, Miss."

An had been eavesdropping on the conversation outside and, knowing Meng Jinglong's whereabouts, how could she give up halfway? She opened the curtain and protested firmly, "No, I must go to the Drunken Life Tower."

Lao Wang didn't look back and said in a muffled voice, "That's not a place for you to go."

Ansheng only treated the Drunken Life Tower as a teahouse and tavern, where all sorts of people gathered, not suitable for a young girl like herself to show her face. Moreover, she had delayed his errand, and returning to the mansion would only lead to reprimands from Xue Shi. After a brief consideration, she leaned out of the carriage and said, "Wang Bo, stop the carriage."

Old Wang did not understand her intentions, but the carriage slowly came to a halt by the roadside.

Ansheng agilely jumped down from the carriage, wearing a maid's green-orange outfit with a plain skirt. She had two strings of green and white gardenia flowers pinned to her black hair bun. She turned back and sweetly smiled at Old Wang, "I can go by myself, Wang Bo, you go about your business and don't delay your errand."

Old Wang wanted to dissuade her, but Ansheng hurriedly walked away without listening.

It was already late, and the lanterns on the street were gradually lit, covering the night in a bright orange glow. Ansheng inquired and hurried along the way until she saw the sign of the Drunken Life Tower, and gradually stopped in her tracks.

Inside, there was the scent of clothes, the shadow of beautiful women, and the sound of silk and bamboo, with a thousand charming and flirtatious women showing off at the door.

The lofty aspirations she had accumulated on the road suddenly vanished.

She remembered that in her previous life, Meng Jinglun had some affection for his sister Xia Anran due to their childhood friendship. He had married Xia Ziwu into the mansion of the attendant, and had indeed ignored Xia Ziwu for a while. However, he softened his heart and changed his attitude due to Xia Ziwu's persistence and the persuasion of Lady Meng. This naturally became an important reason for Xia Ziwu's deep hatred towards her sister.

Therefore, she took a risk and left the Xia mansion, placing her final bet on Meng Jinglun. She had thought that by openly and honestly finding Meng Jinglun and explaining everything clearly, the outcome would be revealed. Unexpectedly, the Drunken Life Tower turned out to be a place of debauchery and extravagance.

Ansheng was secretly annoyed, furious that Meng Jinglun, who appeared to be a man of gold and jade, was actually full of flaws, and the day before his grand wedding, he was still frequenting such an unworthy place. Was it still worth her painstaking efforts to fight for him?