Marrying the Crown Prince

After the elders finished their chatter, Zhou Zhou tactfully suggested, "I heard from Yang Mama that Grandma's little kitchen made some snacks today. I'll go and bring them to my aunt."

"Hmm? You know your aunt, don't you?" the old lady said, her voice tinged with jealousy.

Zhou Zhou wrinkled her nose and hesitated, "Doesn't Grandmother not like sweets?"

"You little rascal!" The old lady tapped her forehead. "Go on."

Zhou Zhou took the nanny's hand and went out the door.

As Mrs. An watched Zhou Zhou's retreating figure, she sighed with heartfelt emotion, "To have such a son is a blessing for parents."

Speaking of Zhou Zhou's parents, who can help but think of the early-deceased Gao Shi?

The old lady's eyes darkened, and her voice was filled with sorrow, "Our Zhou family is not fortunate enough..."

That's why they couldn't keep Lady Gao. If Lady Gao were still alive, the Imperial Censor's Office would definitely have helped Zhou Laowu a lot.

"What are you saying, Madam? It's just that my little sister-in-law is not up to par..." Madam An patted the old lady's hand and comforted her softly.

Seeing the atmosphere, Zhang was afraid that if she didn't interrupt the two great gods' "spellcasting" soon, she would have to talk for a long time in vain. "Mother, An-meimei, Zhouzhou is so sensible now. If my sister-in-law knew in the afterlife, she would be very happy."

“Yes, Madam,” Madam An echoed, “Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

This topic has finally come to an end.

"I came here primarily to visit you, and also to see the two children," said Madam An, getting down to business, though it was obvious which visit was the secondary purpose.

"Secondly, I'd like to recommend two people to you."

"Oh?" The old lady wiped away non-existent tears from her face.

“Shen Ning from Danyang,” An replied.

The two women in Danyang are Shen Yuqing and Ning Youfan. They are both daughters of a prominent family and have known each other since childhood, becoming sworn sisters.

Lady Shen was well-versed in poetry and literature and proficient in music, making her a truly talented woman; Lady Ning entered the palace as an official in her youth and was well-versed in palace etiquette and the art of managing household affairs.

Ms. Shen married at a young age, but unfortunately, she married the wrong person. Her husband's family favored his concubine over his wife, and the two families eventually separated.

Having experienced the unhappiness of marriage, Shen refused to remarry. She combed her hair into a bun and traveled to various places, writing a book called "Travel Notes," which described the local customs and culture of different places. Her reputation as a talented woman spread far and wide.

After years in the palace, Ning Shi had reached the age of twenty-five and, weary of the palace intrigues, finally chose to leave the palace and no longer strive for advancement.

Shen and Ning met in the capital. Although they had been separated for many years, their affection remained unchanged, and they traveled the world together.

Now, the two are past the age of fifty, no longer wandering the world, but living peacefully in the capital, where they have been hired as tutors by noble families.

Four years ago, a letter arrived from their hometown of Danyang—Grandpa Shen was seriously ill, and Shen Ning and his companion set off to return home.

After that, there was no further news of Shen Ning and the other person in Zhongdu.

Zhang's eyes lit up. "They've returned to the capital? We didn't even hear a whisper of it!"

“I’ve been back for a few months now,” Mrs. An said with her usual smile. “It just so happens that my grandmother has some connection with Mr. Ning, otherwise how would I have known about this?”

On the other side, Zhou Zhou was squatting alone at the door of the small kitchen, looking dazed. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had been bullied. In fact, he was counting ants and estimating the time.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhou Zhou felt that the time was about right, and most importantly, her legs were numb...

Sizhu helped Zhou Zhou, who was having difficulty moving, to her feet and placed her on a nearby stone stool. She massaged her legs, saying, "I told you to sit down, but you insisted on squatting here."

The numb and painful sensation caused Zhou Zhou's face to contort, and he gasped for breath.

Fortunately, this state didn't last long. Zhou Zhou stretched his legs and said, "Alright, let's go back."

The timing was perfect. When Zhou Zhou arrived at the main hall, the three people inside were chatting enthusiastically about the latest trendy hair accessories.

Zhou Zhou was satisfied: It seems the important business has been discussed.

She took the plate of snacks from Sizhu's hands, scurried over to Madam An, and said, "Aunt, have some flower rice cake."

"Good, good, good, your aunt hasn't spoiled you for nothing." Madam An happily kissed Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou blinked, and the old lady next to her explained, "Your maternal grandparents miss you very much. Madam An wants to invite you three siblings to stay at the Gao residence for a couple of days after your brother takes a break."

It's normal for the Gao family's patriarch and matriarch to want Zhou Zhou and her brother, but why did they also have to bring Zhou Yue along? It seems the two elders wanted to see Zhou Yue's character.

As soon as the old lady finished speaking, Zhou Zhou had already figured out the situation. She nodded obediently, "Okay."

An had been out for quite some time, and she declined the repeated invitations from the old lady and Zhang, saying, "Oh dear, there's really no need for a meal. My old lady is waiting for me to go back and report."

Since she had already said that, the old lady didn't insist that she stay. "I'll trouble you to make the trip. I'll bring Zhou'er over in a few days."

"That would be wonderful, my grandmother would be delighted." Madam An smiled broadly and rose to take her leave.

Zhou Zhou accompanied them to the second gate.

An stopped in her tracks, not caring that there were servants from the Zhou family nearby, and said directly, "Before I came, your uncle repeatedly told me to tell you this."

“Zhouzhou, listen carefully. You are the grandson of the Imperial Censor. If anyone bullies you, you don’t have to swallow your anger. Just make a scene. We will back you up.”

Zhou Zhou's eyes slowly reddened, and she nodded heavily.

After hearing the servant's report, Old Madam Zhou snorted coldly, "These words were probably not meant for Zhou'er to hear."

Otherwise, why not just dismiss the servants before speaking?

Zhang fell silent, not daring to say anything more, for fear of incurring the wrath of Old Madam Zhou.

Grandma Zhou took a deep breath. "Fine, there are some things I shouldn't do as the bad guy."

If Zhou Laowu were to marry a new wife and become a stepmother and stepfather someday, she, as his biological mother, would really be in a difficult position to do anything for the sake of their mother-son relationship.

Seeing that the old lady had convinced herself so quickly, Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Zhou returned to her Tingyuxuan, where the gifts from the An family were already placed on her table.

She opened the box, which was filled with the latest trendy beaded flowers and velvet flowers.

Looking at the exquisite hair ornaments, Zhou Zhou said with a hint of helplessness, "My aunt is really something. How old am I? Why would I need such things?"

However, Zhou Zhou's wildly upturned lips betrayed her true thoughts.

"Put it in a box," Zhou Zhou said, picking out a pair of pretty peach-blossom hair combs and instructing Ju Fang, "and register the rest and put them away."

The two hair combs, one large and one small, complement each other perfectly.

"Yes." Jufang knew Zhou Zhou was a strong-willed person and wouldn't ask any more questions. She then led the others to organize the storeroom.

Sizhu brought over a small wooden box, and Zhou Zhou put the hair comb inside, closed the lid, and ran her fingernails along the wooden box, making a tapping sound. "It's been so long since I've seen my little sister..."

Sizhu blinked: Yesterday was the first day of the lunar month, and the two of them just met at Zhou Laowu's place.

Zhou Zhou sighed and gave her a look that said, "You don't understand." "As the saying goes, a day apart feels like three autumns. Come to think of it, it's been three years since I last saw my little sister."