Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Sheng Hong truly loves Molan.

Of course, he was sincere to all the children in the family. For example, his first child, Hualan, he was still working in Quanzhou at that time, but he was just a seventh-rank official. The family was a little poor at the time, and Quanzhou was not comparable to Yangzhou. Therefore, Hualan had to suffer since birth. He loved and cared for the child and even took her out to work together.

But later, as there were more children and Hualan grew up, he, as a father, had to start avoiding suspicion. The father and daughter met less and less, and their feelings became less intense.

Moreover, for the Sheng family, Hualan, the eldest daughter, was inevitably involved in an alliance, which naturally mixed with interests and made the relationship not so pure.

Changbai and Changfeng are the only two boys in the family. The eldest son Changbai looks more like Wang Ruofu and has a somewhat old-fashioned personality. He can be entrusted with important tasks, so the corresponding father-son relationship is a bit weak.

Changfeng was good-looking, lively, sweet-spoken, and also a bastard's son, so he inevitably favored Changfeng a little, but he didn't show it on his face.

As for Molan, although she seems to be the most favored daughter in the family, he actually understands that Molan is the most helpless person in the family. Therefore, he can't help but want to get Molan out of her current situation, and he can't help but favor her overtly or covertly.

Rulan was of average appearance but had a very strong personality. However, Wang Ruofu always interrupted him when he wanted to discipline her. The father and daughter didn't spend much time together, so he naturally had no preference.

Minglan's situation was even more dull. He had been attracted to the beautiful, gentle and talented Wei Xiaoniang, but he didn't expect that Wei Xiaoniang would behave like a Confucian scholar. He immediately lost interest in her, which resulted in him rarely seeing Minglan when they met. What's more, he had seen how Minglan dared to use the Sheng family's face to make profits for herself and Wei Xiaoniang at such a young age. Not having any grudges against her for the sake of the blood relationship between father and daughter was one of the few ways he showed a loving father's heart.

So when Molan said she wanted to learn how to make perfume, Sheng Hong immediately took out the perfume book he got from Old Madam Sheng and dug through his own private storage, and soon he had all the necessary utensils and spices for Molan.

Lin Qinshuang looked at the table filled with various utensils and spices, feeling satisfied and gentle, "How can Honglang be so generous? Mo'er is just a small family, and the perfume making is probably just for fun. Honglang, it's not a big deal to spend so much money on such a big event."

Sheng Hong's original slight heartache and reluctance were all dissipated by Lin Qinshuang's smile. He raised his hand and touched Molan's little head, smiling and said, "Our Mo'er is a good child. Look at what she wants to learn but has given up halfway."

Lin Qinshuang suddenly felt a little unhappy: "Honglang loves Moer, so as a mother, I am naturally happy. I just feel sorry for Honglang's spending, but I don't want Honglang to blame me."

The two began flirting again. Molan followed Zhou Xuenniang out skillfully, and met Rulan as soon as she left the yard.

As soon as Rulan saw Molan, she pulled her towards the small garden. When she had left Xi Que and the other maids behind her, she stopped and said in a low voice, "Fourth sister, did you know that grandma wants to raise a child?"

Molan nodded: "I know, my mother told me before, but I didn't want to go anyway, so I didn't tell you."

Rulan was happy to hear that Molan didn't want to go either. "I don't want to go either. Although there are delicious foods in front of grandma, my mother said that if I go, I have to learn the rules. I can't stand the torture."

Molan also agreed, "I can learn the rules even if I'm not in Grandmother's yard, and Grandmother doesn't like me anyway. But now it's good, it's just right for Minglan to go to Grandmother's place. If Grandmother doesn't support Minglan, then Minglan can only go to the eldest lady."

Rulan also thought it would be best for Minglan to go to Shou'an Hall. "My mother has been raising me, and I heard from her that Minglan is restless. I am always worried about her."

Several maids at the back followed and heard what the two girls were saying, and quickly dispersed to watch. Molan just nodded when she saw this. After thinking for a while, she told Rulan that she wanted to learn perfume making: "Daddy brought a lot of things this morning. I will learn perfume making in two days. You should come and learn with me."

Rulan had no interest in perfume making, or rather, she had a dislike for any learning. She immediately complained with a bitter face: "Why do you have to learn so many things? There is no time for us to play together!"

In Rulan's mind, she only needed to learn a few words and read account books. Flower arrangement, tea making, perfume making and other elegant things were only for people like Hualan who wanted to marry into a wealthy family. So when she heard that Molan wanted to learn perfume making, she immediately became alert: "You are not thinking of marrying into a wealthy family because your elder sister is going to marry into the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion, right?"

This was not what Rulan thought herself, but what she heard from Wang Ruofu.

Molan rolled her eyes. "Why do you say that I learned these things just to marry into a wealthy family? Can't I learn a skill to make a living just in case I fall into poverty one day?"

Rulan wanted to say something, but when she remembered that Wang Ruofu once said that Lin Qinshuang was originally a daughter of an official family, but the Lin family made a mistake, even the women in the inner house were implicated, causing Lin Qinshuang to be sold as an official slave. If it weren't for the old lady's rescue, Lin Qinshuang wouldn't know what would have happened to her, so she quickly shut up and chuckled twice.

Molan was really worried about Ruolan. Wei Xiaoniang gambled her life a month ago, but not only did she lose her life, but she also couldn't give birth to the baby in her belly. Sheng Hong originally wanted to be angry with Wang Ruofu, but Wang Ruofu successively invited two groups of midwives and doctors, and they all said that Wei Xiaoniang had fed the baby herself and it had nothing to do with others. So the only person who was angered was the dead Wei Xiaoniang, and Minglan was rightfully taken away by Old Lady Sheng.

Molan felt that Rulan was so hopeless that it would be difficult to find a husband for her in the future, so she wanted Rulan to stop just eating and drinking with her and at least learn some skills seriously.

Seeing that Molan looked unhappy, Rulan was afraid that she would not be able to eat almond yogurt today, so she quickly hugged Molan's arm and acted coquettishly: "Hey, Fourth Sister, please stop frowning. I'm still young. My mother and Liu's mother both said that when I grow up, I will be sensible."

Molan laughed at this, but the two sisters returned to Lin Qinshuang's yard hand in hand. Sheng Hong and Lin Qinshuang had already packed up, and seeing the two little sisters coming over happily, they talked to Rulan for a long time.

Rulan is still a little girl after all. She was a little afraid of Sheng Hong at first. But seeing Sheng Hong smiling and kindly speaking in a loving way, she was flattered. However, under Molan's guidance, she spoke more appropriately. Sheng Hong was particularly pleased when he saw that she had a good appetite. He immediately prepared a set of utensils for Rulan to learn how to make perfume, and also gave her a set of dolls.

But when Rulan returned to Weiruixuan with the things, Wang Ruofu heard from Rulan that Sheng Hong was going to teach Molan how to make perfume. While she was happy for Rulan, she couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with Lin Qinshuang. She scolded Lin Qinshuang in front of Rulan, but it was Mother Liu who persuaded her to stop.

However, Rulan had already been taught by Molan that children should not interfere in matters between adults. Moreover, although she often heard Wang Ruofu criticize Lin Qinshuang, she had a good relationship with Molan, and she saw that Lin Qinshuang was always gentle and kind to her, so even though she had not had much contact with Lin Qinshuang, she was unwilling to say bad things about her.