Chapter 19: Buying a Residence to Live Independently

An Xiyan let out a long sigh and said, “Since you’re so worried about all of this, why should we even bother going to rely on the An Guogong Estate? Are we deliberately looking to suffer?”

“Besides, Meng Auntie, you know better than anyone—my brother and I have no emotional ties to them at all. We only know we have maternal grandparents, but we don’t even know who else is in the An Guogong household.”

“We don’t know their personalities either. What if we don’t get along? Wouldn’t that just lead to an awkward and unpleasant situation?”

“And another thing—don’t you feel like we’d be lowering ourselves by going to rely on the An Guogong Estate? No matter what we do, we’d have to act according to their moods. What’s the point of that?”

He Lianrong opened her mouth, hesitant, and muttered, “But… Miss, this was the Madam’s order. We have to follow it…”

To be honest, she didn’t want to go to the An Guogong Estate either.

It had been over a decade. She was already used to the free and unrestrained life outside. Returning to such a strict noble household would feel suffocating and unnatural.

Back then, she could accompany the Madam. The Madam had always loved her freedom, hated being bound by rules, and even the people in the An Guogong household couldn’t do much about it.

After all… the Madam had been the most favored daughter of An Guogong.

And with the Madam protecting her, He Lianrong’s days had been easy too. But now, the situation was completely different.

An Xiyan shook her head in exasperation, then gave a cold snort. “So everything she says must be followed, huh? What if she tells us to eat shit—are we supposed to do that too?”

He Lianrong and her daughter: “……”

They were completely speechless. Miss really had a way with words—blunt and down-to-earth.

“Eww… it stinks! Xuan’er doesn’t want to eat poop,” An Xixuan said with a disgusted look, covering his mouth with his little hand and furrowing his brows.

“Pfft…” An Xiyan couldn’t help laughing at her little brother’s cute reaction and reached out to ruffle his hair.

Then, with a more serious tone, she said, “My parents know what kind of people my brother and I are. We’re simply not suited to the strict lifestyle of noble households.”

“If we really went to the An Guogong Estate and ended up unhappy, Meng Auntie, do you think my parents would want that?”

He Lianrong slowly shook her head. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “The Lord and Madam love you and the young master dearly. If they knew you were unhappy, they would definitely…”

“…insist that you live with them.”

Such is the heart of parents. If it weren’t for special circumstances, the Master and Madam would never have left the young master and miss behind and gone off on their own.

The reason they instructed the children to seek refuge at the An Guogong Estate was because they hoped someone more powerful could watch over them and protect them if anything happened.

But… it now appeared that their well-intentioned plan was more than the young miss and master could endure.

An Xiyan suddenly looked straight at He Lianrong and said, “Meng Auntie, I know my parents have their own responsibilities. They can’t look after my little brother and me right now.”

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t have told us to acknowledge our maternal grandparents. But in the end, they underestimated me. I’m not some obedient little girl—I have my own thoughts and plans.”

He Lianrong’s eyes widened at those words. She looked up at An Xiyan in disbelief.

Seeing Meng Auntie’s reaction, An Xiyan knew she had guessed right.

She let out a light laugh and asked calmly, “Meng Auntie, are we short on money?”

He Lianrong shook her head. “Miss, the money left behind by the Master and Madam is more than enough for you and the young master to live comfortably for a lifetime.”

“Then do we lack the ability to protect ourselves?”

Again, He Lianrong shook her head. “Miss, our whole family can fight. Though we’re not top-tier martial artists, we can definitely protect you and the young master.”

“Do we still need to go into business then?”

“Of course we do, Miss. We already agreed that once we reach the capital, we’ll start doing business and make loads and loads of money.”

“Do you think we’ll still be able to do business once we enter the An Guogong Estate?”

He Lianrong’s face stiffened. “Uh… Miss, the An Guogong Estate is very strict about decorum. They don’t like the women of the family appearing in public.”

“They believe that women doing business invites gossip and brings shame to the household. So… if we enter the An Guogong Estate, we probably won’t be allowed to do business.”

“What the hell kind of ridiculous rule is that?” An Xiyan snorted coldly. She hated these sorts of “rules” the most. With her rebellious nature, she certainly had no intention of obeying them.

He Lianrong sighed and muttered, “It’s an old rule passed down from the ancestors. It’s not just the An Guogong Estate—all the prominent noble families are like that.”

Hearing that, An Xiyan’s fiery temper surged. She angrily—

An Xiyan gritted her teeth and said angrily, “To hell with that! I, An Xiyan, have never been someone shackled by rules. If anyone dares bring those stupid rules up in front of me, I’ll bash their damn head in.”

He Lianrong stared at An Xiyan, wide-eyed. Was… was this still the same gentle-mannered young miss she knew?

Well… the young miss had always been a bit mischievous at times, but she had never truly lost her temper like this before.

Then again, thinking about it more carefully—after returning from that place, the young miss had indeed changed a bit in temperament. But overall, her personality was still largely the same.

Tangyuan, with her round sparkling eyes, gazed at An Xiyan with open admiration. The look on her face all but shouted: Miss, you’re my idol!

(An Xiyan, silently: Please don’t become someone’s vomiting reflex instead.)

Still fuming, An Xiyan turned to He Lianrong and demanded, “Meng Auntie, with this temper of mine, do you think I could survive even a day at the An Guogong Estate?”

He Lianrong shook her head honestly. “Miss, you absolutely couldn’t. I’d say… you might not even last half a day. No—half an hour, tops.”

An Xiyan snorted coldly, her expression deeply displeased. “Then why should we go looking for trouble?”

He Lianrong: “……” Miss, this was all your mother’s arrangement. I didn’t want this either!

An Xiyan sighed and said slowly, “Mother wants my little brother and me to acknowledge our maternal relatives. At most, we’ll just go and meet them once.”

“We have our own money. Wouldn’t it be better if we just bought our own house and lived separately? That way we’re free from any suffocating rules, and we can run our own business however we like. Isn’t that much more pleasant?”

Looking seriously at He Lianrong, she asked, “Meng Auntie, don’t you think this plan of mine is feasible?”

He Lianrong’s pupils shrank, a flicker of light flashing through her eyes. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded. “Miss, your plan is absolutely feasible.”

She decided to stop worrying so much. The Madam had entrusted their entire family to the young miss and young master, and from now on, their only duty was to obey the children’s instructions.

Besides, the young miss was right. She herself had suffered under rigid noble-house rules for more than a decade—she had no desire to let her young miss, or her own daughter, go through the same torment again.

Sigh… In this world, it was always harsher for women. She didn’t worry about the young master, her husband, or her son. They were men—this world always favored them.