Amidst Cheng Xiran's shocked expression, in contrast, Helian Duo remained calm. "The old madam has already agreed to sell you to me. From now on, you'll be my attendant. If I tell you to go east, you mustn't go west."
"That's impossible. Grandmother would never do such a thing..." Cheng Xiran couldn't hide her excitement. Shaking her head, she continued, "Grandmother would sell Cheng Zhiyue before she'd sell me."
Seeing Helian Duo curl his lips into a smile, she knew she had fallen into his trick. She quickly chased after him. Hearing him say meaningfully, "You've really made progress. You managed to outwit the Liu mother - daughter pair all by yourself."
Cheng Xiran understood what he meant. Hearing his teasing tone, she admitted boldly, "You underestimated me before. This time, I managed to turn Qian Youliang against them on my own and outmaneuvered them."
Seeing Helian Duo smiling without saying a word, Cheng Xiran tentatively asked, "By the way, what you said earlier was a lie, right? What other conditions did you discuss with Grandmother?"
"I'm not telling you."
After leaving this sentence, Helian Duo strode away.
"If you won't tell me, I'll go back and ask Grandmother myself!"
Cheng Xiran stuck out her tongue playfully at his retreating slender figure, then turned around and headed back to the mansion.
Passing by the front hall, she happened to see Grandmother scolding the Liu mother - daughter pair there.
"What's the prince's status? Do you think you can act so wantonly in front of him?"
The more the old madam talked, the more excited she got. After a while, she couldn't stop coughing. Nanny Jin gently patted her on the back. Cheng Xiran quickly took the rock sugar Sydney pear soup from Zhuque, stepped forward, bent down, and said worriedly, "Grandmother, have some. These pears were grown by Young Master Yan himself. He sent them specially."
The old madam cast a disappointed look at the unrepentant mother - daughter pair opposite, then smiled at Cheng Xiran. "Oh, really? Then I should give it a try."
Cheng Xiran served the old madam and watched her drink most of the bowl.
The old madam enjoyed it very much. After finishing all the soup, her coughing gradually stopped. Cheng Xiran supported her and walked back to the backyard.
When they returned to the inner room, Nanny Jin started to light the stove, and the room gradually warmed up.
After helping the old madam sit down on the soft cushion, Cheng Xiran obediently sat down beside her and didn't forget to pour her a new cup of tea.
"Speaking of which, that young man came to visit me a few days ago. He even told me several stories from books. He's a nice young man..." Noticing that there was no special emotion in Cheng Xiran's eyes, the old madam couldn't help asking, "It seems that Xiran doesn't have any romantic feelings for Yan An?"
Her silence was a tacit admission.
Immediately after, there was a long sigh. "I really don't know if my body can hold on until the day you get married in style."
Cheng Xiran's hand holding the teacup trembled involuntarily, and her heart seemed to skip a beat.
She quickly replied, "Bah, bah, bah. What are you saying, Grandmother? I didn't hear anything. I heard nothing. It's getting cold these days. You just haven't adapted yet. After taking a few more doses of medicine, you'll be fine!"
Nanny Jin brought in the newly made osmanthus cake from the kitchen.
The old madam motioned to Cheng Xiran and then nodded reassuringly. "Yes, yes, yes. Whatever Xiran says is right. Have some. I remember you used to like this."
In this way, the conversation somehow turned to Helian Duo.
"The prince wasn't the kind of person who would casually stick his neck out for others before. Now that he's willing to do this for you, why do you think that is?"
Why does everyone say that? Why do they all think it's for her sake instead of his own? Cheng Xiran couldn't figure it out. But since Grandmother asked, she had to tell the truth. After hearing her explanation, the old madam looked at her appreciatively. "Xiran, at such a young age, you can think things through so comprehensively. It's really not easy."
"But have you ever thought about whether he actually needs the benefits you think he'll gain?"
That's right. He didn't need Minister Cheng to owe him a favor, nor did he need to gain popularity through such a trivial matter. After all, it was insignificant... If looked at this way, what Grandmother said made sense.
But Cheng Xiran thought she must be overthinking it and retorted, "The prince must be just bored. It's not what you think, Grandmother."
"Whether it is or not, you should get closer to the prince in the future. Having such a powerful backer can't be a bad thing."
Grandmother's words made Cheng Xiran even more curious about what Helian Duo had said to her. But just as she was about to ask, she heard the old madam speak slowly, her voice weak. "Xiran, I'm tired. I want to rest some more. Keep my words in mind. Don't make the prince unhappy, but don't be obsequious either... I know you're a smart and clever child, so I won't say more."
By the time she reacted, Grandmother had already walked slowly into the inner room. Nanny Jin politely showed her out.
"Nanny Jin, weren't you there when the prince was talking to Grandmother earlier?"
Facing Cheng Xiran's question, Nanny Jin looked helpless. "The prince sent me away at that time. Only the two of them were left in the room."
Her intuition told her there was something fishy going on.
After leaving Grandmother's courtyard, Cheng Xiran suddenly realized that Grandmother had already passed the time for her afternoon nap and had actually slept... There must be something behind this. Cheng Xiran decided to go and ask Helian Duo for clarification.