The little girl ran closer and saw them, involuntarily halting her steps. She stood about five or six paces away, biting her finger as she stared at them curiously.
She seemed to have some impression of Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, yet couldn’t quite recall who they were, her brows and eyes scrunching together in frustration, making her look quite amusing.
Xiangqin, lacking any sense of propriety, burst into laughter, and soon the other maids joined in. The little girl blinked her large eyes, inexplicably feeling wronged, and her lips began to tremble. Yet she held back her tears.
Ren Yaohua turned and glared at her maids, who immediately fell silent.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and bent down, speaking to the little girl, “You’re Lei Pan’er, aren’t you?”
Upon hearing this, the little girl’s eyes lit up, and her earlier grievance vanished instantly. She dashed over and wrapped her arms around Ren Yaoqi’s leg. “Sister, do you know Pan’er?”
Though young, the little girl was plump and sturdy. Caught off guard by her sudden embrace, Ren Yaoqi stumbled backward a step. Fortunately, Pingguo was standing behind her mistress and quickly steadied her to prevent a fall.
Ren Yaoqi looked at the overly familiar little girl, both amused and exasperated. Lei Pan’er’s wet nurse immediately stepped forward to pull her away, repeatedly apologizing to Ren Yaoqi.
Lei Pan’er continued to struggle in her wet nurse’s arms, trying to break free, while pitifully calling out to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua like a kitten, “Sister, sister…”
Ren Yaohua frowned and said to the wet nurse, “Let her come over. We’re from the Ren Family and met her once at the Lin Family’s full-month banquet.”
Hearing this, the wet nurse also remembered. The Lin Family’s full-month banquet hadn’t been too long ago, and last time, Lei Pan’er had also climbed onto someone’s lap on her own and refused to let go.
Fearing she might hurt Lei Pan’er as she struggled so fiercely, the wet nurse had no choice but to set her down again.
Lei Pan’er immediately ran back to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, though this time she didn’t immediately hug their legs.
“Sister, sister, Pan’er remembers now. You peeled peanuts for Pan’er,” Lei Pan’er tugged at Ren Yaohua’s skirt, grinning so widely her eyes disappeared into crescents.
Ren Yaohua’s expression softened, and she reached out to pat the little girl’s head. Lei Pan’er obediently nuzzled against her hand, gentle and docile like a small animal.
Ren Yaoqi stepped forward and took her little hand. “Pan’er, why are you here?”
Lei Pan’er blinked her large eyes. “Pan’er came with Daddy. Daddy is busy, so Pan’er is playing by herself.”
Everyone present, recalling the situation of the Lei Family, felt a pang of sadness upon hearing Lei Pan’er’s words.
“Pan’er is so well-behaved,” Ren Yaoqi said softly, gently squeezing her soft little hand with a smile.
Lei Pan’er smiled shyly at her.
“Would Pan’er like to stay and play with us?” Seeing Lei Pan’er like this, Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but feel a bit tender-hearted.
Hearing this, Lei Pan’er opened her large eyes wide and nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! Pan’er wants to play with the sisters!”
Zhou Wen also noticed the commotion and came over to ask a few questions. Upon learning she was the young lady of the Lei Family, he teased her playfully.
Before they could exchange many words, Zhou Rong called out from over there, “Brother, come quickly! Ants have crawled onto the table, and they’ve scared Sister Yaoying!”
Zhou Wen immediately ran back.Lei Pan'er peeked at the two young ladies frightened by ants not far away, wrinkling her little brows as she asked seriously, "Sisters, can ants scare people too? Pan'er even dares to catch them with my hands. That sister is really timid."
Ren Yaohua had originally been somewhat displeased with Ren Yaoying and Zhou Rong's affected mannerisms, but upon hearing Lei Pan'er's childish words, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"It's quite damp here, and children might not handle it well. Shall we walk over there instead?" Ren Yaoqi suggested.
Ren Yaohua, who was already annoyed watching those people, immediately agreed. As for Lei Pan'er, as long as the two sisters were playing with her, she would go anywhere.
After having a servant inform Zhou Wen, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua each took one of Lei Pan'er's hands and led her in another direction.
The Lei Family's maids and servants didn't seem unfamiliar with this area. Not only did they not raise any objections, but two maids even proactively walked ahead to lead the way.
"Is the Lei Family's estate nearby?" Ren Yaoqi asked the nanny who had been following Lei Pan'er closely.
"Yes, Miss Ren. Just follow this path a bit further, less than half a kilometer, and you'll reach our estate. The Yanbei Prince's Mansion's villa isn't far from here either."
So this path led to the Lei Family's villa? No wonder the maids and servants weren't anxious.
"Would you two young ladies like to rest at the estate for a while?" Xiangqin placed a hastily woven flower crown on Lei Pan'er's head, making her giggle excitedly. The nanny couldn't help but smile as well while asking them.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head: "We'll be heading back soon, so we won't trouble you today." Since there were no masters currently at the Lei Family estate, visiting uninvited would be impolite. The nanny had only asked casually, and Ren Yaoqi didn't take it seriously.
Sure enough, the group hadn't walked far before they saw the Lei Family estate. The Lei Family estate wasn't large either, though it was much nicer than the Zhou Family's. Lei Pan'er mentioned there was a steaming hot spring pool inside the estate, about the size of a room.
As they passed by the front of the Lei Family estate, Ren Yaoqi was amusing Lei Pan'er with conversation when someone came running out from inside.
Everyone stopped and looked back. The person jogging toward them was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen. Having run somewhat urgently, she arrived before them slightly breathless and perspiring, which made her skin appear crystal clear, white with a rosy glow. The girl's features were merely above average, but her snow-white skin was rather exceptional.
This girl was dressed more elegantly than ordinary maids, even better than young ladies from average families. However, Ren Yaoqi didn't recall the Lei Family having teenage female masters. Could she be Lei Ting's concubine? Yet her hairstyle was still that of an unmarried girl rather than a married woman.
As Ren Yaoqi was speculating about the newcomer's identity, the girl leaned on her waist while catching her breath, frowning at the nanny: "I only stepped away for a moment, and you took the young mistress running off. The master will be back soon—what if he gets worried looking for the young mistress? How do you perform your duties as a nanny!"
The nanny quickly apologized with a smile: "Miss Yuegui, the young mistress insisted on going out to play, and we happened to meet the two Miss Ren..."The girl named Yuegui glanced at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua upon hearing this, quickly curtsied, and said with a smile, "This servant thanks the two young ladies on behalf of our mistress. Our young lady is lively and active, so she must have caused trouble for you both. When our mistress returns, she will surely prepare gifts to express her gratitude."
So she was a maid, but from her tone, she seemed capable of handling matters?
Xiangqin, also a maid, stepped forward and replied cheerfully, "No trouble at all. Our young ladies get along very well with Miss Lei. Miss Lei is truly delightful."
Upon hearing this, Yuegui took another look at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then crouched down to speak softly to Lei Pan'er, "Young lady, it's getting late, and it's time to go back. The master will be returning soon."
Lei Pan'er pouted, turned her head to her wet nurse, and said, "I won't go back, I won't. I want to play with my sisters."
Yuegui patiently coaxed her in a gentle tone, "Young lady, be good. Otherwise, the master will be angry if he returns and doesn't see you."
Lei Pan'er made a face and said, "If Father gets angry, Pan'er won't play with him anymore. Pan'er will follow Second Uncle from now on. Second Uncle is so good—he can do everything."
She even counted on her fingers as she listed, "Second Uncle can fly kites, make bamboo dragonflies, tell stories... Oh, and the sisters in Second Uncle's courtyard are prettier than you too!"
Yuegui's expression stiffened. After a pause, she softened her voice even more and reached out to pick her up, "Young lady, please don't fuss. Come back with this servant."
Lei Pan'er quickly threw herself into her wet nurse's arms, refusing to come out, and whined, "No, no, Pan'er won't go back. Sister Yuegui is the worst!"
Ren Yaoqi hurriedly intervened to smooth things over, "Pan'er, we've been out for a long time today, and it's time for us to go back too. How about you go back early as well? We'll come out to play together next time."
Only then did Lei Pan'er secretly look up. After pouting and thinking for a long time, she asked, "Really? Will you come to play with Pan'er next time?"
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua, who nodded and said, "Yes, you can come to play with us." The Lei Family didn’t have any proper female relatives, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to visit the Lei household.
Lei Pan'er didn’t understand such matters. She was just happy that she could still play with her two sisters in the future and obediently let her wet nurse pick her up.
Yuegui tried to step forward and take her, but Lei Pan'er clung to her wet nurse, refusing to let go. She even wrinkled her nose like a little adult and complained, "Pan'er doesn’t want you to carry her. The scent on you makes Pan'er sneeze."
The wet nurse quickly said, "Let me carry her. The young lady has grown heavier, and you might not be able to hold her, Miss Yuegui."
Yuegui glanced at the wet nurse, a flicker of displeasure flashing in her eyes, but she could only continue coaxing Lei Pan'er gently, "Then Yuegui won’t use perfume next time, okay?"
"Fine then," Lei Pan'er reluctantly agreed, waving goodbye to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
Watching the Lei Family members walk away into the distance, Ren Yaoqi withdrew her thoughtful gaze and turned to Ren Yaohua, asking, "Shall we go back now, or...?"
Ren Yaohua shook her head, "Let’s take a walk around. They probably won’t be in a hurry to go back either."
Ren Yaoqi didn’t mind either way, so she accompanied Ren Yaohua for a stroll nearby. This area was filled with the villas and estates of some notable families in Yunyang City, and ordinary people weren’t allowed in. With the many maids and servants they had brought along, there was nothing to worry about.After walking and stopping like this for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Ren Yaohua finally grew a bit tired, and Ren Yaoqi accompanied her back.
Unexpectedly, when they returned to the front of the Lei Family's estate, they saw Lei Pan'er's wet nurse and the maid named Yuegui rushing out with several others.
"Miss Ren, have you seen our young lady?" the wet nurse asked anxiously.
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