The world of film and television begins from childhood

Zhou Chen had already noticed Sheng Hualan standing next to the old lady and guessed her identity.

"Sister Hualan."

Sheng Hualan was very generous and called out in a crisp voice, "Third brother."

She knew that Zhou Chen was the third child, so she called him "Third Brother" in a more intimate way.

Sheng Hualan should be about eleven or twelve years old at this time, but she was already graceful and had the temperament of a lady from a noble family. She was not shy or nervous when facing Zhou Chen, her cousin whom she met for the first time.

On the contrary, she was very curious about Zhou Chen. At first, it was because of Zhou Chen's identity and the old lady's attention to him, but after knowing Zhou Chen's achievements, she was even more surprised.

This was the first time in her life that she had met a boy as outstanding as Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen was also looking at Sheng Hualan. Ever since he learned about his main mission, Sheng Hualan was his first target choice.

When they met for the first time, Sheng Hualan left a very good impression on him and he had a good impression of her.

Although she is still young, you can tell that she is a beauty. She is also very quiet when she doesn't speak. As for her abilities, Sheng Hualan, who grew up with the old lady, is certainly not any worse than Minglan. It can only be said that their experiences are different.

If you really want to count, Hualan is the eldest daughter. In terms of temperament and generosity, she is definitely more outstanding than the clumsy Minglan. The gap only arises because of the different circumstances later on.

The most important thing is that Hualan is not much different from him, and is definitely the one who is most suitable for him among the girls in the Sheng family.

The old lady pulled Zhou Chen aside to talk, and Zhou Chen answered fluently and acted very friendly, which made the old lady even happier.

Sheng Hualan would occasionally interject, but most of the time it was Zhou Chen and the old lady who talked.

The old lady asked the housekeeper in the courtyard to serve the best tea. When it was lunch time, she asked the small kitchen to prepare the best meal and entertained Zhou Chen very warmly.

After lunch, Zhou Chen took the old lady to bask in the sun in the yard and said a lot of jokes, which made the old lady very happy. The old lady also knew that Zhou Chen was doing it on purpose to make her happy and kept praising him for being a good boy.

Upon learning that Zhou Chen was living in Li Xuejiu's house, the old lady immediately asked Zhou Chen to move in. It was useless for Zhou Chen to refuse, so he accepted the offer and asked Shui Quan to go to Li's house to pack up his things.

Although Zhou Chen is a man, he is related to the old lady and is not considered an outsider. In addition, at the old lady's request, Zhou Chen finally stayed in Shou'an Hall, while the rest of Shui Quan and others were arranged to stay in the outer courtyard.

Because Zhou Chen stayed in Sheng Mansion, Sheng Hong did not go to Linqi Pavilion today, but came to Weirui Pavilion.

Wang Ruofu was very happy about Sheng Hong's arrival, but she didn't understand that Sheng Hong was only doing it for the sake of Sheng family's face. He was afraid that after Zhou Chen moved into the Sheng family, he would find out that their family favored the concubine over the wife. In the final analysis, it was all for his own face.

The naive Madam Wang could not think of these things. She only knew that the master had stayed at her place, so she tried her best to please Sheng Hong.

However, these methods of hers did not please Sheng Hong at all. When it came to pleasing men, Wang Ruofu was not even a bit inferior to Lin Qinshuang, and could not satisfy Sheng Hong's patriarchal mentality at all.

Before the couple went to sleep, they talked a lot about Zhou Chen. When Wang Ruofu muttered that Zhou Chen and Hua Lan were a good match, Sheng Hong shuddered with fear and sat up suddenly.

"Oh my God, what are you thinking about? That is the Marquis Zhongjing's Mansion, a Marquis' Mansion that has been passed down from generation to generation. The Marquis Zhongjing is a frontier general and a third-rank official. Although Chen Ge'er cannot inherit the title, he is the second son of the Marquis' Mansion and has a very noble status. Not to mention that he is the first in the autumn imperial examination and has a very bright future. He can pick any famous lady in Tokyo City. You still want to arrange a marriage for him. What nonsense are you thinking?"

Sheng Hong had thought of this possibility, but it was only a fleeting thought. Family members know their own business. Their Sheng family is considered noble in Yangzhou City, but compared with the dignitaries in Dongjing City, there is really a world of difference.

He would rather marry a lady from a famous family in Bian Jing City than marry you, a daughter of a sixth-rank official. There is no such good thing in the world.

Wang Ruofu disagreed: "Why not? Our Hua'er is not bad either. Besides, my father deserves to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Our Wang family is not bad either..."

"Alright, alright, I'm telling you, don't go out and say anything. Chen Ge'er is the old lady's descendant, and Hua'er grew up with the old lady. If it's really possible, the old lady will help without you saying anything. If the old lady doesn't say anything, you are not allowed to do anything. Do you hear me?"

In this matter, Sheng Hong naturally trusted his stepmother more. Even though he didn't want to admit it in his heart, he had to admit that the Sheng family's gradual improvement over the years was inseparable from his efforts, but also inseparable from the old lady's strategic planning.

Wang Ruofu might not be a very good wife, but the influence of Old Master Wang behind her was still somewhat helpful to him.

Therefore, when it came to choosing a spouse, he felt that the old lady's vision and strategy were far beyond the reach of his naive wife.

"I think you guys really don't care about Hua'er at all. Hua'er is my firstborn daughter, and I definitely won't let her down. Am I wrong to think about Hua'er?"

Wang Ruofu was venting angrily. Of course she knew that Zhou Chen's conditions were very good, and that was why she had this idea. If Zhou Chen was not up to the standard, why would she mention him?

"It's really boring. Go to sleep. Go to sleep."

Looking at Wang Ruofu who was lying on her head with her head covered, Sheng Hong sighed. What could he do with this woman? She was a waste of time.

"Sleep, sleep."

Linqi Pavilion!

Lin Qinshuang was very unhappy when she learned that Sheng Hong would not come tonight. While coaxing her daughter to sleep, she cursed Wang Ruofu in her heart.

After coaxing her daughter Molan to sleep, she walked to the main room, and her most loyal housekeeper, Zhou Xuenniang, immediately came over and helped her sit down.

Although Lin Qinshuang was a concubine, she had the power to manage the household and could raise her own son and daughter by her side. It was rare in the world for a concubine to be able to do what she did.

It's not that she hadn't thought about replacing her before, but now, she no longer has this idea. Wang Ruofu's family background is strong, which she can't compare to, and the old lady will never agree.

More importantly, although Lord Sheng Hong dotes on her very much, for the sake of his own future, he will never really let him replace her.

She was a smart person and saw all of this clearly, so she settled for the second best. Now, the housekeeper in the mansion is not the eldest lady, but her.

"My dear, there is an order from Shou'an Hall, asking Brother Feng and the fourth lady to go and pay respects early tomorrow morning."

Lin Qinshuang fanned herself charmingly with the round fan in her hand and said lightly, "The old lady has the eldest daughter by her side, so she usually doesn't ask Mo'er and the others to pay their respects. This time it's strange. It seems that it must be for the legitimate son of the Marquis's mansion."

Zhou Xueniang said, "Yes, I found out that the old lady seems to get along very well with the young master of the Marquis' Mansion. It is said that the young master of the Marquis' Mansion is also the old lady's nephew's grandson."

Lin Qinshuang chuckled and said, "Our old lady is really capable. Even the Marquis Zhongjing Mansion is her relative. The lady of the Marquis Mansion is actually her niece. I have never heard of this before."

When she said this, her tone was full of jealousy. The old lady was so glorious, born in a marquis's mansion, and even her descendants were the eldest ladies of the marquis's mansion; but she was just a concubine, and her life would be like this. The only thing she could count on was her children. Whether she could turn things around depended on her children.

"What about the Marquis's son?"

"I didn't see him in person, but I asked around. He was a handsome and elegant young man, very outstanding. I didn't find out more."

"is it?"

When Lin Qinshuang heard that it was a young boy, her expression changed slightly, and then she sighed, "What a pity, Mo'er is too young. If Mo'er was a few years older, maybe..."

The corners of Zhou Xuenniang's mouth twitched unconsciously. Of course, she understood what Lin Qinshuang meant.

Although she is in charge of things for Lin Xiaoniang and is also her confidant, she has to admit that this young lady is really bold.

What is his status? He is the legitimate son of the Marquis. It’s ok that the fourth girl is young, but she is just the daughter of a concubine. How dare you think about that?

"Tomorrow, let Brother Feng build a good relationship with the eldest son of the Marquis' Mansion. Maybe it will be useful in the future."

Although Lin Xiaoniang is a concubine, she is also thinking about her children. If her son can make friends with the legitimate son of the Marquis's Mansion, it may be of some use in the future.

A courtyard to the west of the Sheng Mansion was where Sheng Hong's other concubine, Wei Xiaoniang, lived. Since Wei Xiaoniang also had a daughter, the old lady's people naturally notified Wei Xiaoniang.

Wei Xiaoniang was telling her daughter Minglan that when she went to Shou'an Hall tomorrow morning, she should talk less, do less, and not stand out.

Now the housekeeper of the inner courtyard of the Sheng Mansion is Lin Xiaoniang. She dare not do anything to the eldest lady, but she has no scruples towards Wei Xiaoniang. In addition, Wei Xiaoniang is not competitive, so Wei Xiaoniang's life in the mansion is very difficult.

However, Wei Xiaoniang was already very satisfied. By becoming Sheng Hong's concubine, she had helped her family through difficulties. So even though life in the Sheng Mansion was difficult, she calmly accepted her fate.

Zhou Chen chatted with the old lady until very late, and only said goodbye when the old lady showed signs of fatigue.

Lying on the bed, Zhou Chen was still in a good mood. After his indirect questioning during the day, he learned that Sheng Hualan had not yet started talking about marriage, which made him completely relieved.

He will also be able to see the other children of the Sheng family tomorrow. Although he is looking forward to it, he is not too excited, after all, they are still very young.

The next morning, Zhou Chen dressed neatly and came to pay his respects to the old lady, and had breakfast with the old lady and Sheng Hualan.

Shortly after breakfast, Wang Ruofu brought the other children to Shou'an Hall to pay their respects.

In this era, concubines had a very low status and were not allowed to meet outsiders at will. Even if there was anything, the mistress of the mansion would come out to receive them.

Sheng Changbai and his five brothers and sisters all paid their respects to the old lady one by one.

At this time, Sheng Hualan acted like an elder sister and introduced Zhou Chen to her younger brothers and sisters, asking them to call Zhou Chen "Third Brother".

"Third brother."

The brothers and sisters all knew about Zhou Chen in advance, so they all looked at him curiously.

Zhou Chen also greeted them with a smile, took out the prepared gifts and distributed them to them one by one.

The gifts were not valuable, but they were specially selected by him. For example, the ones given to Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng were some rare books, and the ones given to the three Lans were some girls' jewelry.

After meeting Zhou Chen, the old lady did not let them stay for long, and they were soon taken away by Madam Wang.

Zhou Chen chatted with the old lady for a while, and the old lady asked Sheng Hualan to accompany Zhou Chen for a walk around the Sheng Mansion.

After Madam Wang brought her son Sheng Changbai back home, she urged her son to study hard and hope that he would pass the imperial examination and become a top scholar like Zhou Chen.

After Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan left Shou'an Hall, Sheng Changfeng went out to play by himself, while Sheng Molan returned to Linqi Pavilion.

Lin Xiaoniang, who had been waiting for a long time, asked immediately when she saw her daughter come back.

"Mo'er, have you seen anyone?"

"Yes, my eldest sister asked us to call him Third Brother. Third Brother is really handsome. Look, mother, this is given to me by Third Brother."

Molan took out the hairpin given by Zhou Chen as if she was presenting a treasure.

Lin Qinshuang took it and looked at it, immediately showing disdain on her face: "He is the eldest son of the Marquisate, and you gave him this when we first met?"

Molan didn't think there was a problem: "I think it looks very nice, there are beads on it."

But Lin Qinshuang looked down on him. She thought Zhou Chen was the legitimate son of the Marquis's family, and it was really stingy to give him a hairpin on their first meeting.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan were walking casually in the mansion when they suddenly saw a little girl playing with a pot in front of them.

"It's my sixth sister."

Sheng Hualan recognized at a glance that the little girl playing the game of pitching pot was her youngest sister Minglan.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Let's go and take a look."

Sheng Minglan was playing pitch pot alone and did not notice the arrival of Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan until she had thrown all the arrows and went to pick them up, then she saw Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan.

"Third brother, eldest sister."

Looking at Sheng Minglan, who was only five years old, Zhou Chen smiled slightly. The young Sheng Minglan was quite pretty and cute.

"It's not easy to hit the target if you throw the pot like this."

Sheng Minglan looked up and asked curiously, "Can Third Brother also play the game of pitching pots?"

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "A little bit."

"Third brother, this is for you." Minglan handed the arrow in her hand to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen didn't hesitate to take the arrow and threw it out.

"clang!"

The arrow went into the pot steadily.

Zhou Chen did not stop, but threw again, four times in a row, and all four arrows hit the mouth of the pot, and then hit the ear of the pot.

Minglan cheered excitedly, and Hualan was also surprised. She could play the game of pitching pots, but this was the first time she saw someone as skilled as Zhou Chen.

Minglan said anxiously, "Third brother, can you teach me? I always miss the shot."

"Okay."

Zhou Chen did not refuse. There were not many entertainment activities in that era, and pitching pots could barely be considered one. He had nothing to do anyway, so he decided to play it with Minglan.

Sheng Hualan was also curious. After spending a few days with Zhou Chen, she found that this third brother was really an amazing person. He knew a lot of things and could always make her grandmother very happy. In the past few days, her grandmother laughed much more than in the past year.

Zhou Chen taught Minglan patiently.

"The posture of throwing pots is very important. Then you need to use your eyes to see and judge, and also..."

Although it was Minglan who was being taught, Hualan was also listening very carefully, ready to learn.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1106 Farewell to Sheng Mansion, Return of Marquis Zhongjing

Under Zhou Chen's guidance, little Minglan made great progress, but because she was too young and had limited strength, her throwing was not very accurate yet.

On the contrary, Hualan, who had been learning along the way, made great progress after learning the techniques taught by Zhou Chen. Her throwing became more and more accurate, which made her very happy.

Women of this era matured earlier, and Hualan was taught as a lady from a young age, but she was only twelve years old after all. In later times, she would still be a child, so naturally she also had the nature of a child.

Although she had only been with Zhou Chen for a few days, Hua Lan had a good impression of this third brother. No matter what he said or did, he always took care of her. He also told her a lot about Tokyo and many interesting stories.

Hualan has always been kept in seclusion, and has never met a young man like this who is handsome, knowledgeable, and has a good temper. As time goes by, she will naturally tend to admire him.

Minglan returned to her residence and saw her mother doing needlework, so she ran over happily.

"Auntie."

"I'm home."

Wei Xiaoniang touched her daughter's little head with a loving look on her face.