But this didn't seem to be Xue Lianyu's handwriting. She had seen his writing before.
However, when she caught sight of the five sugar-coated haws the child was holding, she finally asked with a tentative smile, "Little friend, tell sister, did you buy all these sugar-coated haws for the elder brother in the letter?"
Seeing the child nodding obediently, Cheng Xiran then continued to ask gently, "Can you describe what he looks like to me? Sister is also curious about his appearance."
The little boy scratched his head in embarrassment, blinked his big, dark eyes, and shook his head. "I really forgot. But this elder brother is very handsome. He just looks a bit fierce."
Handsome but looking a bit fierce... Didn't this description fit Helian Duo perfectly?
"Okay, I see..."
The little boy was struggling to hold the sugar-coated haws. They were too heavy for him, and he could only pout in frustration.
Cheng Xiran called the shopkeeper over and instructed, "Please take him home and bring him some Su-style pastries. I think this little fellow would like them."
The shopkeeper picked up the child and took the sugar-coated haws that were slipping from his hand. "Come on, let's go home."
Cheng Xiran waved goodbye to the child. After watching them go downstairs, she picked up the envelope on the table and examined it carefully. There were no other clues apart from the line of words.
It seemed that she had to go to the Flower Charm Pavilion tonight.
Originally, she wondered if she should call Xue Lianyu. But then she thought she had Mu Li with her. Moreover, if she took Xue Lianyu with her, the madam of the pavilion would surely give them a hard time. So she decided against it.
She carefully put the envelope in her pocket, preparing to visit the Flower Charm Pavilion tonight.
She had no appetite for lunch, so she went straight back to the Cheng Mansion. Before she even entered, she could hear continuous sobs coming from inside.
The corner of Cheng Xiran's mouth twitched and then drooped slowly, but there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
"You've done a great job! You've made me the laughingstock of the whole capital. Do you think I'm an ordinary civilian? My dignity can be trampled on by you, a shameless woman!"
Then came the sound of porcelain shattering on the ground. The crisp sound was pleasing to Cheng Xiran's ears.
Walking through the lush greenery, she changed her expression and walked towards the front hall pretending to be innocent. The closer she got, the shriller Mrs. Liu's sobs became. Mixed with the cold wind, she felt a bit irritated for no reason.
But she still kept a straight face and stepped forward to pay her respects. "Xiran pays respects to father and mother."
Mrs. Liu, with tears all over her face, turned away quickly when she saw Cheng Xiran. But her disheveled appearance had already been seen by Cheng Xiran, and there was no way for her to hide it.
As for Minister Cheng, he didn't have the time to care about Cheng Xiran at the moment. He just gave her a cold look and then sat down angrily on the main seat. Only then did Cheng Xiran realize that her father never let go of his official airs. He always emphasized his status and position.
This made Mrs. Liu, who was sobbing on the ground, look even more insignificant.
"You still have the nerve to cry. Shouldn't you think about how to solve this problem...?" Minister Cheng was furious. He pointed at Mrs. Liu and continued, "You wanted the position of the mistress of the family. I granted your wish despite others' suspicions. I've treated you so sincerely. What else do you want from me? I told you before that this Qian Youliang is no good person, but you insisted on getting involved with him. Now that things have come to this, do you want Zhiyue to marry him?"
By now, no matter how many soft words Mrs. Liu said, it wouldn't help, because this matter was of great importance. On a small scale, it was just the relationship between Cheng Zhiyue and Qian Youliang. On a large scale, it involved the relationship between the Qian Mansion and the Cheng Mansion.
Anyway, she didn't need to worry about this, so Cheng Xiran didn't say a word.
Maybe Minister Cheng was already angry, and seeing Cheng Xiran standing there as if nothing had happened, he couldn't help taking his anger out on her. "Cheng Xiran, are you here waiting to watch the show?"
"No. I just think that poor Young Master Gu is so innocent. He didn't do anything wrong, but he was beaten half to death. The real culprit is unscathed. I feel so sad."
Cheng Xiran said this calmly, every word hitting the mark.
Mrs. Liu, of course, knew that she was referring to herself. She got up and shouted at Cheng Xiran, "Cheng Xiran, don't think I don't know. You're the one who orchestrated this. You used some tricks to make Qian Youliang have improper thoughts about Zhiyue. Everything he did was instigated by you!"
"Mother, you're overestimating me. I don't have such great skills. I'm not as eloquent as you."
Cheng Xiran found it too noisy. After saying this, she bowed to Minister Cheng and then left.
Seeing this, Mrs. Liu wanted to chase after her, but Minister Cheng grabbed her. "Aren't you ashamed enough? Do you still respect me as the head of the family?"
"My lord, believe me. I don't know why things turned out like this..."