Princess Anle covered her mouth with a handkerchief and cleared her throat before playfully chiding Lao Fan, "Are you still bickering with Zhengzheng? I thought that since he has been helping you hide for the past two years, your relationship would have improved. But no, hehe, it’s still the same."
As she spoke, Princess Anle couldn’t help but burst into laughter again.
Lao Fan wrinkled his nose and huffed, "That old man and that stinky boy are like enemies from a past life. No, it must have started even in the life before that! Stinky boy! I still remember when he was born, I wanted to hold him, and he started crying the moment I touched him. Hey! I don’t believe it. Everyone else could hold him and he wouldn’t cry, but why does he have to cry when I do!"
Princess Anle knew that Lao Fan was once again recalling the old grudge that started with Xia Zheng in his childhood and couldn’t help but laugh so hard that she couldn’t close her mouth.
On the side, Xiao Linshuang was listening with great interest, eagerly urging her master, "What happened next? Did you hold him?"
Lao Fan smiled proudly, "Of course I did. Who do you think your master is? Am I someone who just obeys when others tell me no?"
Xiao Linshuang nodded in admiration, her eyes sparkling. She suddenly thought her master was the most powerful person in the world.
But this thought had barely crossed her mind when it was immediately devastated by Princess Anle’s words.
Princess Anle beckoned Xiao Linshuang over with a smile and said, "Your master did hold him, but the moment he took him in his arms, Zhengzheng peed on him. And just as his little legs kicked the blanket off, it all went onto your master’s mouth, cough cough, onto his beard, the beard."
Lao Fan’s eyes widened in irritation, forcing Princess Anle to change her nearly blurted "mouth" to "beard," but Xiao Linshuang had already guessed the truth.
The young girl couldn’t even maintain her image in front of the beautiful lady, kicking her legs up, standing on the chair, and clapping her hands as she laughed and jumped, "Haha, Master Shamed, you actually drank pee! Haha, shamed!"
Lao Fan’s face turned red, his white beard almost blowing away as he snatched Xiao Linshuang off the chair and pushed her to one side. He glared at Princess Anle, the instigator of his troubles, and huffed, "Little girl, what do you know! Child’s urine is good for health and strength, if you want to drink it, you’re not even lucky enough! Hmph!"
Princess Anle was accustomed to Lao Fan’s threats and didn’t take them seriously, nodding with a smile, "That’s right, it’s good for health and strength. After that, your beard became even whiter and never turned back."
Another burst of laughter ensued.
Lao Fan’s face turned red and white, he grumbled through his beard.
Laughter aside, Princess Anle didn’t forget the purpose of her visit to Zhuma Town, and asked, "Old sir, I just told the shopkeeper I wanted to meet the boss, but he said Zhengzheng is not here. Could he have left again?"
It wasn’t unusual for Princess Anle to be suspicious; every time she received a letter and went looking for him, he was like a highly vigilant little cat. The instant she arrived, he had already run off, and she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his shadow.
Because of this, Princess Anle spent her days either crying or cursing. Other people raise sons to be their shields, but she seemed to have raised one with legs; if not for the lack of wings, he’d probably be flying everywhere.
So, when Princess Anle heard what Shopkeeper Liu said today, she naturally assumed Xia Zheng must have gotten wind of something early and skedaddled.
Having known Princess Anle for decades, with just a furrow of her brow, Lao Fan could discern what was on her mind, and with one glance, he understood what Princess Anle was thinking.
Lao Fan laughed heartily, waved his hand at her, and then pointed to a house nearby, saying, "Don’t worry, as long as that little girl is around, your rascal son won’t be able to run away."
Lao Fan’s words revealed quite a bit of information.
Xia He and Qiu Ju exchanged glances and nodded. The reason their Madam rushed to Zhuma Town in such a fluster wasn’t just because she had heard about the whereabouts of the second son; more importantly, it was because a woman had already appeared by the side of the second son, and that was what she cared about the most. Thus, their Madam couldn’t even wait for the patriarch to return from the barracks and had hurriedly packed up and come directly here.
Compared to her mischievous son, Princess Anle was clearly more interested in the little girl mentioned by Lao Fan. Her eyes immediately brightened, and she struggled to suppress the excitement in her tone, asking eagerly, "Is that little girl the one Zhengzheng likes? Does the old gentleman know her? How is she? Is her character good? Is she upright in her dealings?"
Princess Anle asked several questions in a row, all focusing on the little girl’s character.
Lao Fan nodded inwardly, that’s why he liked this girl so much. Other mothers-in-law are desperate to bring into their families the girls with the most noble birth and strongest background from the Capital city. Yet this girl wasn’t like that, when choosing a bride for her eldest son, she picked the Young Lady of Tian Mansion. Though it must be said, Tian Mansion is capable; after all, they produced Consort Tian, who gave birth to the Sixth Prince.
However, perhaps only those who are familiar with her know that Princess Anle chose Tian Hui as her eldest daughter-in-law partly because she’s close friends with Consort Tian and, more significantly, because Tian Hui is inherently modest and avoids quarreling with others. Who wouldn’t like such an understanding daughter-in-law?
Now it was time to choose a bride for the second son, and Princess Anle’s first question was about the girl’s character, completely avoiding any mention of her background. In a place like Zhuma Town, where there isn’t even a proper aristocratic family, isn’t she afraid the girl’s status might be too low to enter the threshold of the General Mansion?
With that thought, Lao Fan couldn’t help but ask, "My girl, I must tell you in advance, this little lass is not any noble lady, she isn’t even the jewel of a small family."
After pondering, Lao Fan added an even stronger dose, "At most, she’s just a little village girl."
Xia He and Qiu Ju couldn’t contain their exclamation, how could their distinguished second master fancy a village girl?
After a moment of surprise, Princess Anle calmed down. Zhao Hongde had only told her there was a woman by Xia Zheng’s side but then stuttered and said nothing more. She felt it suspicious at that time and now it seemed, Hongde must also know that the woman came from humble origins, merely a village girl.
However, Princess Anle’s mind quickly shifted, and she immediately smiled, "Zhengzheng, that boy, he didn’t fancy any of the Young Ladies from the Capital city, yet he likes a village girl; evidently, this girl must have some exceptional quality."
Lao Fan pursed his lips; this girl was indeed clever.
Glancing at Xiao Linshuang, who was busy gobbling down pastries on the side, Lao Fan said softly, "Here, this is the girl’s sister."