The Lady of Marquis Ning'an followed her gaze and sighed with emotion.
"Look at them. They're just like us back then..."
The First Lady nodded. "Yes. Who would have thought back then that this would be the most carefree time in a woman's life..."
"I heard the daughter you adopted is already fifteen. It's time to start looking for a suitable match for her!"
The Lady of Marquis Ning'an's words made the First Lady feel even more melancholy.
"Why don't you take this opportunity of the lotus - viewing banquet to see if there are any suitable candidates..."
Over there, beside the flower bushes, Jiang Sihe saw a colorful butterfly fluttering past. On an impulse, she raised her silk fan, tiptoed, and gently lunged at the butterfly.
The warm light shone on the young girl's face. There was a smile on her somewhat childish face, and the silk scarf around her arm got caught in the flower bushes as she made the nifty move.
The young girl, the flower bushes, and the colorful butterfly blended into one. The First Lady seemed to see herself back in her boudoir days...
"Not hurry. I want to keep her with me for a few more years!"
The Lady of Marquis Ning'an was a bit surprised. "If she gets too old, it might be hard to find a good family for her."
"It doesn't matter. We can find a younger man for her then..."
The First Lady's words surprised the Lady of Marquis Ning'an even more. She was at a loss for words and didn't say anything more.
This child had always been repressed. Only now did she show such a carefree look. If she were to get married at this time, the First Lady was afraid she would be wronged in her husband's family. So she decided to let the girl enjoy more carefree days with her!
More and more guests arrived at the Marquis Mansion one after another. The Lady of Marquis Ning'an got up to greet the others.
The First Lady sat in the waterside pavilion, watching Jiang Sihe chatting with the other girls.
Jiang Sihe was cute and her words were very likable. The girls quickly started chatting and laughing with her.
Several of them even wanted to send her invitations to visit their mansions.
She smiled and agreed one by one. In the past few days, the First Lady had taken her out a lot, which broadened her horizons. She was no longer as awkward as she was at the recognition banquet when talking to these young ladies.
Looking back, she found the First Lady sitting alone in the waterside pavilion. She said a few words to the girls beside her, then lifted her skirt and walked towards the First Lady.
As soon as she stepped into the waterside pavilion, she looked around. "Why are you alone, Mother?"
The First Lady waved at her with a smile. "Why did you come here? Why aren't you playing with them?"
Jiang Sihe walked over and then said with a smile, "I saw you were alone. I was afraid you might be bored, so I came here specifically to chat with you..."
The First Lady pulled her over with a smile and let her sit beside her. Seeing the sweat on her forehead, she picked up her silk fan and fanned her. But after only two fanning motions, Jiang Sihe stopped her. "Mother, I'm not hot. You don't need to..."
Seeing the close relationship between the two, Nanny Qiu was happy. She waved her hand and led Jinlan and Jinsu out of the waterside pavilion.
"Look at the sweat on your head. You still say you're not hot. I just saw you chasing the colorful butterflies with them. Did you catch any?"
Seeing that the First Lady insisted on fanning her, Jiang Sihe had no choice but to let her.
"No. The colorful butterflies were too cunning. As soon as I got close, they flew away..."
Jiang Sihe looked full of regret, like a child who didn't get the candy. The First Lady couldn't help laughing.
"Of course it won't work with a silk fan. You need a net..."
"Ah, Mother, have you ever chased colorful butterflies?"
After Jiang Sihe finished speaking, she added some tea to the First Lady's teacup.
"When I was even younger, still in my boudoir, I chased them. But I couldn't catch them, so I begged my elder brother to make a net for me..." The First Lady's eyes sparkled, as if she was recalling that time.
"My elder brother. You should call him Uncle. He went on a military expedition last month and wasn't in the capital. You haven't met him yet. When he returns to the capital, I'll ask him to make a net for catching colorful butterflies for you..."
The First Lady looked lovingly at the young girl in front of her. She thought that if her elder brother knew she had such a soft, cute daughter, he would surely be happy for her!
Just as they were talking, a maid from the Marquis Mansion came to invite them. The Marquis Mansion had set up a banquet by the lotus pond and invited them over.
The maid led them there. When they reached the end of the corridor, they happened to meet someone coming in their direction.
Jiang Sihe thought the middle - aged woman on the other side, although a bit older, was dignified and gentle. Her eyebrows and eyes seemed familiar...
The First Lady directly greeted her. "Madam Pei, you're here too?"
"So it's the little daughter of the Wang family!" Madam Pei's voice was kind.
"Yes!" The First Lady replied softly. "Sihe, greet Madam Pei!"
The First Lady turned to introduce Jiang Sihe beside her to Madam Pei.
Although Jiang Sihe still didn't know who Madam Pei was, she still followed her mother's words and saluted.
Madam Pei nodded and asked a young girl behind her to step forward and salute.
"Wan'er greets First Lady Jiang!"
The young girl who spoke was delicate - looking, with a pair of very lively eyes.
The First Lady nodded, pulled Jiang Sihe aside, and made way for them.
"Madam Pei, please go first!"
Madam Pei nodded to the First Lady to show her gratitude and then led Pei Wan'er away first.
Jiang Sihe lowered her eyes and thought. Why did she feel that Madam Pei looked familiar? Did she see her in her past life? But she just couldn't remember...
She turned to watch them turn the corner of the corridor, and then softly asked the First Lady, "Who is this Madam Pei?"
"She's the mother of Grand Tutor Pei!"
No wonder she felt familiar. Now that she thought about it, Grand Tutor Pei's eyebrows and eyes resembled his mother's by seven or eight points...
If Madam Pei was at the Marquis Mansion of Ning'an, would Grand Tutor Pei also come?
Just thinking about that person made her inexplicably scared. She always felt that in front of that person, all her thoughts would be laid bare like on a piece of white paper...
"What are you thinking about? Your eyebrows are all knitted together."
The First Lady reached out and smoothed her eyebrows, teasing her with a smile.
Jiang Sihe composed herself and then said, "I'm just wondering. That girl just now looks like the young lady of the Pei Mansion, but she doesn't seem to look much like Madam Pei..."
The First Lady couldn't help laughing. "You little girl, you have sharp eyes. She is indeed the young lady of the Pei Mansion, but..."
The First Lady suddenly stopped here. Just as she was about to continue, she was interrupted by Qin Yue who came looking for them.
"Aunt, why did you come so late..."
Qin Yue first saluted the First Lady, then bypassed her and grabbed Jiang Sihe.
"Sihe, come on. I'll take you to meet my little sisters..."
Jiang Sihe looked back at the First Lady. Before the First Lady could say anything, Qin Yue said, "Aunt, with me around, you don't have to worry about Sihe being bullied."
The First Lady nodded with a smile. "Okay, then you must protect Sihe well."
"Got it!"
After Qin Yue finished speaking, she pulled Jiang Sihe and ran away.
"Sihe, come on. I'll take you boating on the lotus pond!"
Jiang Sihe looked at the lotus pond warily. The lake was full of lotuses. How could they boat?
"We'll go from the other side. We can get into the lotus pond and even pick lotus pods and lotuses..."
Jiang Sihe hesitated. This seemed a bit inappropriate...