There were guests in the mansion, and they were the very girls who had helped Su Yuanyuan at the zither appreciation banquet. Mo was overjoyed.
She greeted Zhang Yingxue and the others to sit down, and then told the kitchen to prepare desserts for the young girls. Her enthusiasm made Zhang Yingxue and the others a bit embarrassed.
Mo prepared several red envelopes and told the maids to give them to Zhang Yingxue, Qin Wanrong, and Zhuo Shu. With a smile, Mo said,
"Our Yuanbao used to live in the northern desert. It's a blessing from heaven that she has hit it off so well with you girls since she came to Shengjing. I hope you'll take good care of her in the future."
As she spoke, Mo secretly sized up the girls.
Zhang Yingxue was the one Su Yuanyuan mentioned most often to Mo. In Mo's eyes, Zhang Yingxue was fair - featured, with clear eyes and a natural and generous demeanor. She was quite likable at first sight.
As for Qin Wanrong, although she looked frail and sickly, she still stepped forward to help Yuanbao when she was in trouble. It showed that she had a strong heart. That was very good.
Zhuo Shu looked upright and righteous, which meant she was also an honest and kind - hearted girl.
Mo was very satisfied with these three close female friends of Su Yuanyuan's in Shengjing.
Zhang Yingxue had the closest relationship with Su Yuanyuan, so she was more at ease than Qin Wanrong and Zhuo Shu. She gracefully accepted the red envelope and said with a smile, "Please rest assured, Princess. I treat Yuanbao as my own younger sister. We'll share weal and woe."
Zhuo Shu nodded in agreement.
Qin Wanrong had few friends. Due to her poor health, she had never visited anyone's home before. Holding the heavy red envelope in her hand and looking at Mo's kind smile, she was deeply touched. Unconsciously, she developed more affection for Prince Qing's Mansion and Mo.
She never thought that the Princess of Prince Qing would be so amiable. If her own mother were still alive, would she be as gentle as Yuanbao's mother?
Afraid that the girls would feel restricted, Mo didn't say much. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, go and have fun on your own. Don't stay around this middle - aged woman. You'll get bored."
Su Yuanyuan then invited Zhang Yingxue and the others to go to her Mingzhu Courtyard.
After the girls left, Mo summoned a maid and told her to inform Su Huaiyuan and Su Huaisheng in their yards. She said that there were guests in the mansion, and they were girls. She told the two rascals to be on their best behavior. If they met the girls in the mansion, they mustn't scare them.
Although she said so, there was still a glimmer of hope in Mo's heart.
Her eldest son was about to become a father, but the marriages of her second and third sons were still up in the air. One of these two rascals was just like his father, only interested in practicing martial arts all day long, and the other was only interested in tinkering with his gadgets. She didn't know when they would finally understand.
In her opinion, these three girls were all of good character. She just didn't know if they were destined to be with her sons.
Alas, it was really worrying.
The maid agreed and first went to Su Huaiyuan's yard, but he wasn't there. She had no choice but to go to Su Huaisheng's yard instead.
When Su Huaisheng heard the news, he was stunned for a moment, and then said seriously, "Go and tell Mother that I've got it."
Learning that Su Yuanyuan had brought Zhang Yingxue and the others back to the mansion, Su Huaisheng felt inexplicably nervous. He stood up from his chair and paced back and forth in the room.
Should he go out to meet the guests? Which clothes should he wear?
Suddenly, he sneezed, and only then did he realize that he was still sick.
He rubbed his nose annoyedly. Why did he have to get sick at this very moment?
If he had known that Yuanbao would invite the Zhang girl to their home on the opening day of Tianbaozhai, he would have gone to bed early no matter what after he got drunk that day!
Although he couldn't go out to meet the guests, he could still prepare gifts. Su Huaisheng quickly called his servant, opened his treasure chest, and began to pick out gifts.
In Mingzhu Courtyard, like Hei Ying, Hei Feng smelled around Zhang Yingxue and the others before letting them in.
After their experience at Moyi Pavilion, the girls were no longer afraid of the half - man - tall black dog. Zhang Yingxue even tried to reach out and touch Hei Feng's head. Hei Feng secretly glanced at Su Yuanyuan and then obediently sat still, allowing the girls to ruffle his head.
"I didn't expect that the fierce dog at the zither appreciation banquet would be so docile," Zhang Yingxue said excitedly.
Zhuo Shu gave a thumbs - up to Su Yuanyuan and said, "Yuanbao really knows how to train dogs!"
At first, Qin Wanrong was a bit afraid to reach out, but she couldn't hold back her curiosity in the end. She gently rubbed Hei Feng's head and then smiled.
Su Yuanyuan noticed Qin Wanrong's action and said, "It's windy outside. Sisters, come into the house quickly."
There was silver - silk charcoal burning in Su Yuanyuan's room. As soon as they stepped in, the warmth drove away the cold.
She invited the girls to sit down, and soon maids came in with snacks and filled the table. Su Yuanyuan said with a smile, "You're at my place. Don't be restricted. Look at whatever you like and ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything I know."
Since she said so, Zhang Yingxue wasn't polite. She pulled Zhuo Shu and Qin Wanrong up to look around Su Yuanyuan's room.
There were several exquisitely carved ornaments in Su Yuanyuan's room. Zhang Yingxue's eyes lit up when she saw them. "These ornaments are so beautiful. They're different from the popular style in Shengjing. Yuanbao, where are they from?"
Su Yuanyuan put her hands behind her back and said with a smile, "These were all carved by my third brother."
Zhang Yingxue couldn't help but sigh, "Young Master Su is really skillful. By the way, Tianbaozhai opened today. Why didn't I see Young Master Su with you?"
Su Yuanyuan rolled her eyes and didn't mention that her third brother was sick. She just said, "My third brother has been engrossed in carving a new hairpin these days. He's locked himself in his room."
"A new hairpin?!" Zhang Yingxue became even more excited. "What does it look like? Can I have a look?"
Su Yuanyuan rolled her eyes again and said seriously, "I have to ask my third brother. If he agrees, I'll take you to have a look."
Then, the girls found several medical books on Su Yuanyuan's desk. Zhuo Shu let out a cry of surprise, picked up one of the medical books, and looked at Su Yuanyuan. "Yuanbao, why do you have medical books? Are you interested in learning medicine?"
Zhuo Shu's question was exactly what Su Yuanyuan wanted to talk about. She stepped forward, took the medical book from Zhuo Shu's hand, and said, "I'm not just interested. I'm learning medicine from the doctor in our mansion. I want to be a doctor in the future, to help the world and save people."
Zhang Yingxue said with a smile, "You don't know. When I first met Yuanbao, there were a lot of pimples on my face. It was Yuanbao who felt my pulse, found out the cause, and gave me advice. That's how my face recovered."
Su Yuanyuan just smiled and changed the topic. "Since you sisters are here, why don't I feel your pulses to see how well I've learned?"
Zhang Yingxue immediately rolled up her sleeve and said excitedly, "I also want to see how much you've learned, you little girl."
Seeing that Zhuo Shu didn't object, Qin Wanrong also sat down.