Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 79 Meeting
Shou'an Hall.

After meeting Zhuang Xuejiu, Sheng Changquan immediately went to the old lady's courtyard. When he arrived, only his eldest sister Hualan was in the house. The eldest lady had left early because she was busy with household chores.

Of course, it might also be a deliberate choice to leave some space for the grandmother and granddaughter, as if there were other plans involved.

In the front hall of the house.

The old lady, Hualan, and Minglan gathered together, chatting and laughing, seemingly very happy.

"Grandmother, your grandson is back!"

Because of Minglan, among the male members of the Sheng family, Sheng Changquan was the closest to the old lady.

"Ah, the little monkey has finally arrived!"

The old lady looked up at the little figure at the door, smiled, turned around, and said to Sheng Hualan, "Speaking of which, Hua'er, you probably haven't met this Quan-ge'er yet!"

"Yes, Grandmother!"

Sheng Hualan smiled and said, "I only took care of Quan Ge'er for a short time when he was just born. In the past few years, due to unforeseen circumstances, I haven't seen him."

"hehe!"

The old lady beckoned and smiled at Sheng Changquan, saying, "Brother Quan, come here quickly and let your older sister take a good look at her younger brother!"

"Yes, Grandmother!"

Sheng Changquan nodded slightly to Minglan beside him, then quickly stepped forward, bowed to Sheng Hualan, and said, "Changquan greets elder sister!"

"Ah~"

With a smile in her eyes, Sheng Hualan pulled Sheng Changquan over and examined him closely.

Having not seen him for several years, Sheng Hualan missed her youngest brother quite a bit. Sheng Changquan was born before Sheng Hualan got married, and she had personally raised him for a while, so she had a special feeling for him.

"Brother Quan, let me see how you've been all these years?"

Looking around, Sheng Hualan saw Sheng Changquan dressed in a clean blue robe with black cloud-patterned sleeves. Although he lacked an air of nobility, he had a refreshing and neat appearance. In addition, he had red lips, white teeth, and a handsome face, making him a truly dashing young man.

To be honest, all of Sheng Hong's children are handsome men and beautiful women, and there are some who are not good enough. Sheng Changquan, on the other hand, perfectly inherited the advantages of Wei Xiaoniang and Sheng Hong, combining their beauty and demeanor into one, a perfect blend of yin and yang. He has both the beauty of a woman and the spirit of a man, which is truly remarkable!
"big sister!"

Sheng Changquan chuckled, appearing somewhat friendly.

He knew that Sheng Hualan and he had no conflict of interest. In fact, to put it realistically, their relationship was more of a win-win situation, with mutual benefit than anything else, based on kinship.

Anyone with a clear mind understands that siblings in a family share both prosperity and adversity.

Sheng Hualan held Sheng Changquan's small hand and felt its warmth, which surprised her.

After all, it was early spring, and Tokyo was extremely cold. However, Sheng Hualan noticed that Sheng Changquan was not wearing many clothes, but his body temperature remained relatively high, which showed how strong he was.

"It seems that Mother was not lying after all; Quan-ge'er is indeed very healthy thanks to her care!"

Because Sheng Changquan was raised in Weirui Pavilion, Sheng Hualan often learned a lot of information from Madam Wang. In fact, besides Sheng Changquan's own efforts, Sheng Hualan's advice also played a significant role in Madam Wang's preferential treatment of him.

After all, Sheng Hualan was right. Sheng Changquan was just a son of a concubine and posed no threat to Sheng Changbai. On the contrary, if Sheng Changquan was well-educated, it would be a huge blow to Linxi Pavilion!
Therefore, treating Quan Ge'er well is truly a good thing that benefits Madam Wang in every way.

"Brother Quan, come here!"

Sheng Hualan said with a smile, "This is a gift that your older sister brought back for you. Please accept it quickly."

Sheng Hualan immediately called over the maid beside her, took out a fine gift box from her own belongings, handed it to Sheng Changquan, and said with a smile, "Take a look and see if you like it!"

Since it was his own sister, and Sheng Changquan guessed that his second brother's gifts should be of the same standard, he didn't stand on ceremony. He thanked her first and then opened the package.

Inside the gift box lay an expensive set of the Four Treasures of the Study—a fine writing brush, a fine inkstone, Huizhou paper, and a Duan inkstone. "Ah!"

Sheng Changquan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Big sister, what is this?"

Sheng Changquan couldn't help but be surprised. He knew that the Yingbi brush, Maomo ink, Hui paper, and Duan inkstone were the special products of the four regions. The best of these were even directly presented as tribute to the royal family, making them unparalleled treasures and peerless weapons in the hearts of scholars.

Although this set is not the best among them, it far surpasses the others and its value is absolutely considerable!
Sheng Changquan guessed that even if Sheng Hualan gave something to her own younger brother, her second brother Changbai, it probably wouldn't be of such a high standard.

"oops!"

"Brother Quan, please accept this from your older sister. Don't be as hypocritical and polite as others!"

Sheng Hualan squinted her eyes and smiled as she advised, "This is the first time I've seen you in all these years, so please don't stand on ceremony with me!"

Although the old lady and Minglan did not know what was in the box, they understood its value when they saw Sheng Changquan's appearance. However, since it was Sheng Hualan's idea, they did not speak, but just smiled at the scene in front of them, each of them making their own calculations.

Sheng Changquan thought about it for a moment and then accepted it.

"Thank you so much, big sister!"

"My little brother really likes this gift!"

Sheng Changquan beamed, his smile perfectly matching his public persona.

"Ah~"

"now it's right!"

Sheng Hualan patted her younger brother's arm with satisfaction and said with a smile.

"All right!"

Seeing that the matter at hand had come to an end, the old lady spoke up: "Now that you two siblings have finished exchanging greetings, Quan-ge'er, you should go and have your meal. You still have to go to the family school to continue your studies in a little while!"

The old lady turned to Minglan beside her and said, "Ming'er, you take your younger brother with you. Don't let him miss Zhuang Xuejiu's class!"

Minglan stood up and curtsied, saying, "Yes, Grandmother!"

Then, she walked to Sheng Changquan's side and pulled him to bow to Sheng Hualan.

"Sixth Sister, Seventh Brother, take care!"

With Hua Lan waving, the two slowly walked out.

For a moment, only Hualan and the old lady remained in the house.

"Hua'er, speak!"

"You now!"

Looking at her somewhat haggard granddaughter, the old lady asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened at the Yuan family?"

As an old woman, she was very perceptive. The moment she saw Hualan, she knew that her recent situation was definitely not good.

After all, a person's spirit and energy cannot be concealed!

"grandmother……"

After a long silence, Hua Lan finally spoke, her voice slightly choked with emotion.

I'll make up for the chapters I owe later! (After all, I owe them, but I didn't specify a timeframe...)


(End of this chapter)