Chapter 146 - 93: Talking About the Night Rain in Bashan

Chapter 146: Chapter 93: Talking About the Night Rain in Bashan"Everything is in the past now, Ge Lan. Ran Yan is no longer the Ran Yan she used to be. I believe that if we, master and servant, work together, we can certainly live well," Ran Yan said. Although her words were somewhat ambiguous, it was enough to give her some comfort. "Wife, the bath is ready," Xiao Man came over to report. After drinking a bowl of sugar water, Ge Lan felt she could hold on a little longer. She then instructed Wan Lu to accompany her to bathe and temporarily took a piece of clothing from Ran Yan for her to wear. "Shilang," Ran Yan turned to Ran Yunsheng, who had been watching her with a gentle smile, a warm current flowing through her heart, "you’ve worked hard today. I’ll cook myself to reward you for your great effort." S~eaʀᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright," Ran Yunsheng expressed his interest. "I’ve heard from the Divine Doctor before that Yan’s cooking is the best in Suzhou. I’m truly in for a treat today." Ran Yan smiled slightly, but in her heart, she fiercely scolded Wu Xiuhe—his mouth could not be stopped even by eating; he was really unreliable! However, the old man still had a conscience, knowing what should and shouldn’t be said, and to whom it should or shouldn’t be said. Since they were at the Nunnery, they could not cook meat, so Ran Yan thought of the Buddhist vegetarian dishes; she knew how to cook a few of them. She then ordered Xiao Man to start the fire and Xing Niang to assist, and they began preparing the vegetarian dishes. As the three of them were busy, Ran Yan was putting tofu into the oil when she looked up and saw Ran Yunsheng leaning against the doorframe, his smile containing a hint of surprise. Xing Niang also saw Ran Yunsheng and immediately spoke to chase him away, "Shilang, gentlemen stay away from the kitchen. Please go back to your room to rest." "I’ll just stand at the door. I won’t go inside," Ran Yunsheng slightly furrowed his brows, his voice becoming softer, "It’s terribly boring being alone in the room, Xing Niang, please let me stand here for a while." The sunlight coming through the opposite window shone on his face, his cheeks white as jade reflecting a dazzling light, his black eyes and red lips showing a slight sense of grievance and pleading, which even made the much older Xing Niang pause before sighing and saying, "Suit yourself." Ran Yunsheng, while Xing Niang was not looking, cheekily winked at Ran Yan, his smile lively and brilliant. Ran Yan shook her head helplessly and lowered her eyes to focus on the tofu in the pot. As everything was prepared in advance, the cooking was very fast. Six dishes and a soup, each with a generous amount, Xing Niang borrowed some bowls and plates from the courtyard, dividing them into two portions. The masters dined separately, while they, the servants, were more casual, usually gathering together to eat from one dish. At noon, when the meals were being delivered in the nunnery, Xing Niang asked for some extra rice, just enough for everyone’s share. Back in the main house, Ran Yunsheng cleaned his hands and stared unbelievingly at the dishes full of color and aroma before him, he exclaimed, "Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would not dare believe that these dishes were made by Yan!" "These are all vegetarian dishes. We can’t cook meat dishes in the nunnery, so Shilang you’ll have to bear with it," Ran Yan said. Actually, Ran Yan should have held back some of her skills to avoid raising suspicion, but Ran Yunsheng was so caring towards her, his "sister," that Ran Yan didn’t want to brush him off. After Ran Yunsheng tasted the food, he couldn’t bother to reply, continuously picking up his chopsticks. The quality of Ran Yan’s cooking was one aspect, but the main point was he had not eaten all morning, and now the food seemed even more delicious. During the meal, the sky outside gradually darkened; clouds gathered, pressing low as if about to rain. After dinner, Ran Yunsheng sat for only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he hurried away. Ran Yan never found the chance to ask him about his thoughts on marriage. Having lit a lamp in the house, the servants gathered in the hall to chat, creating a warm and interesting atmosphere. Ran Yan had asked Ge Lan a few things simply and learned that the person who imprisoned her was Yin Xianda, the legitimate younger brother of Yin Wenshu. Yin Xianda’s status in the family was not high; he and his mother had always lived under the dominance of the principal wife, which had developed into Yin Xianda’s consistently timid nature. Fearing that killing someone would bring disaster upon him, he secretly imprisoned Ge Lan. After rendering her mute with poison, he felt a bit more at ease and also felt that he held the proof of Yin Wenshu’s murder in his hands from then on, no longer needing to be dictated by others. Thus, he arranged very strict guards. Due to the Yin Family’s case these past few days, everyone from the Yin family was too busy to care for others, which allowed Ge Lan to find a slight gap. Glossing over the sad events, Wan Lu was unusually happy today, her smile wide as she shared some fun city gossip to amuse everyone, "Let me tell you about the most scandalous rumor recently circulating in the town. In the past few months, I don’t know how, but several wives and their husbands have eloped, reportedly because both families opposed their union. Just these past few days, three couples ran off, including a noble lady from a prominent family! That wife, really, I can’t understand her thinking. By eloping, she became a concubine, doomed to never lift her head in honor again, shaming her entire family in the process." Mrs. Xing frowned, "These are bad habits brought from Chang’an, and that Qi Luniang too. She seems so lofty and pure on the surface, but who would have thought she could be so promiscuous, to utter such things." "What things?" Wan Lu, who had gone early to deliver a message to Inspector Liu and hadn’t met Ershiniang, had not heard about this. "Ershiniang came this morning, saying that Qi Luniang had secretly asked Shilang to be her lover," Mrs. Xing said disdainfully. Wan Lu slapped the floor and suddenly widened her eyes, yelling, "What does she think she is?! A Moon Palace Fairy? Although Shilang is a merchant, he is still a legitimate son of the third branch of our Ran family! Even a princess should think twice before saying such things! What right does Qi Luniang have to say such words! She always pretends to be pure and desire-less, but under the surface, she’s nothing but a filthy thing!" Mrs. Xing and Xiao Man, who were closest to her, couldn’t help but cover their ears, Mrs. Xing giving her a glare, "Can’t you be a bit gentler! It’s all in the past now, why the fuss!" Wan Lu pursed her lips, "It’s not okay even if it’s in the past, Shilang has always been the kindest to our wife, he shouldn’t suffer the slightest grievance." "Shilang’s troubles are just beginning! I heard that the Qi Family intends to arrange a marriage alliance; they even visited this morning, something Ershiniang heard with her own ears," Xiao Man added. The anger that had just subsided in Wan Lu flared up again, but this time she didn’t shout, instead she hummed dismissively, "I knew it; a family that could produce someone like Qi Luniang is no good." Everyone burst into laughter, Mrs. Xing tapping her head as she laughed and scolded, "When you were a study companion as a child, you never learned well, only picking up these street talks from the servants. It’s exactly right that our lady makes you copy Medical Books!" At the mention of Medical Books, Wan Lu immediately wilted, looking eagerly at Ran Yan and Ge Lan, who were watching the fun, "Wife, look, Ge Lan is back, she knows more characters, writes well, and can even compose poetry. Let her copy the Medical Books!" Ran Yan, her fingertips stroking the rim of her teacup, glanced at her lightly, "That’s fine too." Wan Lu hadn’t yet rejoiced when she heard her immediately continue, "Then you can copy the Buddhist scriptures. They don’t need nice handwriting, just copy two or three texts." Wan Lu’s mouth gaped open enough to fit an egg. Medical Books still contained some interest, allowing her to guess the words by looking at the illustrations, but Buddhist scriptures... Just thinking about it made her head spin. She had accidentally flipped through them a few days ago; filled mostly with the ’mouth’ radical, rows of characters looked nearly identical, dizzying to look at. After a pause, Wan Lu weakly said, "I’d rather copy Medical Books. Buddhist scriptures shouldn’t be copied carelessly; it’s disrespectful to Buddha. Since Ge Lan writes well, let her copy them." Everyone burst into laughter again, and Ge Lan, with a smile on her face, listened quietly. Outside, the sky grew increasingly dark, and a light rain had started to drizzle. As Ran Yan listened to the laughter, she picked up a bamboo branch and gently tugged at the lamp wick, suddenly recalling a verse: "When can we, trimming lamps by west windows, talk again of Bashan’s night rain?" When will we gather again under the west window by candlelight, to talk once more of that night rain in Bashan? Reflecting on this verse, Ran Yan felt very happy and fulfilled in the moment. She looked up at Ge Lan, smiling faintly at her, and Ge Lan’s face also quietly bloomed with a smile. Though their souls never met, they felt a close connection to each other. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)