Chapter 639: Chapter 637: Graceful and Intelligent
The nanny could only watch helplessly as Wan Chu’er left, thinking to herself that when that painter Liu arrived, he’d surely think she and Wan Chu’er were in cahoots to swindle him out of the painting. She’d have to think hard about how to explain it to the painter.
Ah, her worrisome fate, always having to clean up after the young madam.
It must be said, the nanny aunt Wan Chu’er hired is indeed quite the articulate one. When Painter Liu came by again, she immediately dazzled him with flowery speech, chattering on until she managed to send him away without him mentioning getting his painting back, nor insisting on seeing Wan Chu’er immediately, but agreeing to come back tomorrow instead.
Wan Chu’er took the painting to the old house, and coincidentally, Xiao Bai was there too. Everyone gathered around to view the painting together.
Old Sir Zhong kept praising it, suggesting they leave the painting to hang in the old house. Xiao Bai asked, "Who painted this for you? I’d like to have them paint one and include our family of three."
Wan Chu’er laughed, "In the end, it would just show your son riding you into battle."
Xiao Bai replied, "I want a picture of me giving that brat a good beating." Everyone burst into laughter.
When no one else was around, Wan Chu’er told Xiao Bai the story behind the painting. No matter what, this painting was forcibly obtained from Painter Liu, and it wouldn’t do for Old Sir to know, nor for Chuanqi and Hunter to know, to preserve the grand image they have of their mother.
Xiao Bai stroked his chin and pondered, "Do you think I should move into Jinse Garden too? That way, maybe Painter Liu would make a painting of our family, and then I could rightfully claim it as my own."
Wan Chu’er gave him a punch right away.
When she got home that evening, the nanny repeatedly urged Wan Chu’er to stay home the next day, otherwise she might just become a grand deceiver.
The next morning, as Jiang Kechu went out, Painter Liu arrived right on time, and this time brought along his pampered wife.
Mrs. Liu was dressed in a simple gown, her face looked pale, and there was a faint sorrow between her brows. Upon meeting, she apologized awkwardly, "Sorry for the trouble."
Such a well-mannered person easily gains favor, so the nanny auntie quickly said, "It’s no trouble, no trouble at all. Our young... Xiao Wan was just waiting for Mr. Liu to come this morning, didn’t expect you to personally accompany him. You seem a bit unwell, please come in and sit, I’ll get you a cup of hot water. We can talk while you rest."
Seeing the nanny’s enthusiasm, Wan Chu’er twitched her lips, thinking how soft-hearted her nanny is.
But since they were already there, she couldn’t say much, and smiled graciously to invite them to sit. Once the nanny had brought hot tea, she finally spoke:
"Mrs. Liu, I don’t know about your relationship with my friend, Ming Wan, so I can’t make any decisions on her behalf. I will only respect her wishes, so I can’t arrange for you to meet Ming Wan."
Upon hearing the name ’Ming Wan’, Mrs. Liu became visibly excited, her eyes even glistening with tears. Mr. Liu, seeing her discomfort, quietly took out a handkerchief for his wife.
Only then did Mrs. Liu realize her impropriety, and, taking the handkerchief, softly said "Sorry", turning slightly to dab her eyes.
Wan Chu’er was shocked. Such a reaction was indeed beyond expectation. It seemed there was a lot more to this than met the eye.
Mrs. Liu collected her emotions and turned back around, smiling faintly as she slowly spoke:
"Please forgive my display. I know Ming Wan doesn’t want to meet me, and I won’t insist. I don’t want to make things difficult for you either. I’m just satisfied to hear about Ming Wan from you."
Her words were quite reasonable and considerate, giving Wan Chu’er a fondness for her, thinking she truly resembled Ming Wan in temperament.
After thinking it over, Wan Chu’er calmly said, "Recently, I accompanied Ming Wan on a trip abroad. That was when I got to know her. She is passionate about life, gentle, and graceful, which makes her very likable."
Hearing Wan Chu’er praise Ming Wan, Mrs. Liu’s face lit up with a smile, as if the compliments were hers. After Wan Chu’er finished speaking, Mrs. Liu savored the words for a moment before asking:
"And how is she with her family? Do you think she’s happy in life?"
Wan Chu’er’s expression remained unchanged as she said, "Ming Wan mentioned that her brother is very accommodating to her needs and takes good care of her." As for the matter of casually arranging Ming Wan’s relationships, that certainly couldn’t be mentioned.
Mrs. Liu nodded, though her smile faded slightly. Wan Chu’er felt this woman was very perceptive, evidently sensing some unspoken implication, but she tactfully chose not to inquire further, simply saying, "That’s good, that’s good."
Mr. Liu held Mrs. Liu’s hand the entire time, silently offering support to his wife.
From that point, Wan Chu’er closed her mouth and said nothing more, knowing that what she knew was no longer suitable to share.
Mr. Liu frowned, wanting to urge Wan Chu’er to speak, but Mrs. Liu preemptively said, "Thank you very much for telling me all this today. Thank you."
"You’re welcome. After all, I got a painting from Mr. Liu." Wan Chu’er said lightly, reasoning to herself that although this woman seemed nice, she couldn’t afford to be too warm.
Mr. Liu glanced at Wan Chu’er, "No need to remind me, that painting belongs to you now."
Mrs. Liu stood up with a smile, "Without your permission, we painted your family. I apologize for that, and sorry for the disturbance today."
Such a well-bred woman, always considering others and respecting them, Wan Chu’er sighed inwardly, and with a faint smile, she sent them off.
When she returned to the house again, the nanny sighed with admiration, "What a wonderful woman, yet how unfortunate her life is!"
Wan Chu’er: "... What makes you think her life is unfortunate? She’s living much better than you are."
The nanny glared at her disapprovingly, "Good living requires not just material wealth but also spiritual fulfillment. Look at her connection with that young lady Miss Ming Wan, yet they can’t reunite. It’s a living tragedy—you can see her longing for her child is making her ill."
Wan Chu’er stumbled a few steps, wondering when the nanny aunt had started understanding such profound concepts like material and spiritual balance.
"How do you even know they’re related, so much so that longing for a child is making her sick? Why hadn’t she longed before?" She just wanted to needle the nanny assistant, dampening her presumptuous aura.
The nanny actually gave her a disdainful look, "Isn’t it obvious? They look so alike. Who but a relative would care so much for a stranger girl like that? And you’re so hard-hearted toward your own children."
Wan Chu’er: "... No more watching nonsense TV shows!"
How could she be hard-hearted towards Chuanqi and Hunter?! She found herself despised by her own nanny.
The nanny realized she might have gone too far and, with a bitter face, said, "I didn’t mean it. I just feel sorry for her. I don’t watch nonsense shows—I only watch the news."
