Chapter 31 - 31 26 Love at First Sight

31: Chapter 26: Love at First Sight 31: Chapter 26: Love at First Sight The wind, intermingled with specks of rain, fell on the bluestone slabs, swiftly blossoming into myriad flowers upon impact. No sooner had they ducked under the eaves than the rain, like a bucket tipped over, pattered loudly, obscuring all vision beyond a meter’s distance. Between heaven and earth, a curtain of rain was drawn, and the wind whipped it into shapes like smoke, like fog, like dust—as if teasing apart the gauze of a curtain. “Such a heavy rain!” Sang Chen looked up at the pouring rain outside, his face brimming with excitement, “In Suzhou, we rarely see such refreshing rain!” Ran Yan silently watched her silk shoes soaking in the rainwater, her mind chaotically pondering many things, acting as if the person beside her did not exist. After about the time it takes to drink three or four cups of tea, the rain showed no sign of slowing. In such heavy rain, the eaves provided barely three feet of shelter, hardly enough to keep dry, and soon Ran Yan’s clothes below her knees were soaked. If things continued like this, she thought it might be better to brave the rain and proceed. Ran Yan tugged at the soap-drenched fabric clinging to her body and turned to Sang Chen, “You stay here and take shelter, I’ll go find Wan Lu and buy two umbrellas on the way.” “I should be the one to go for such tasks!” Sang Chen placed his toolbox near the gate and declared with an air of stern resolve, “I’ll be right back.” With that, he didn’t wait for Ran Yan’s response and dashed into the curtain of rain. The words that had reached Ran Yan’s lips were swallowed back down. She had wanted to suggest lending him a mask to use as a makeshift rain hat. Watching his figure disappear in the rain, Ran Yan murmured to herself, “He truly is like a rabbit.” In a moment, before she could even retract her gaze, another figure emerged from the direction where Sang Chen had vanished behind the veil of rain. Initially, Ran Yan thought it was Sang Chen, that rabbit, who might have encountered some trouble again and couldn’t help frowning. But as the person approached within ten feet, she realized they were wielding an umbrella and it wasn’t Sang Chen. Wearing wide sleeves and a large robe, he moved with an unhurried gait, evoking the image of a leisurely stroll in the rain. Although he seemed to walk slowly, he soon was nearly upon her. Before Ran Yan could react, the man’s oil-paper umbrella was already obstructing her view. Instinctively, she stepped back half a step, her entire back pressed against the red gate. The person under the umbrella seemed not to have expected anyone at the door. Glancing at the water-drenched hem and silk shoes, he slightly raised his umbrella, catching a glimpse of Ran Yan. The man wore a black robe with a round collar, his ink-black hair partially cascading down his back, his complexion fair and smooth, his lips thin, the bridge of his nose prominent, with long eyebrows slanting into his temples. His handsome features were sharply defined, but it was his eyes that were most striking—deep black with hints of dark blue, as if reflecting a cold, deep pond from a millennium past. A mere glance from him felt like falling into an ice cave. Just one look had Ran Yan stunned. She had seen many beautiful people, but to her, beauty or ugliness was merely a matter of well-proportioned bones, muscles, and healthy skin. Such things held little allure for her. However, the man before her was perfectly crafted in every aspect; had he been a corpse, Ran Yan would not have had the heart to cut into him. Ran Yan collected her thoughts, forcing herself to put aside macabre considerations. Although at first glance, the man seemed to differ from ordinary people only in his excessive handsomeness, Ran Yan could be sure he bore foreign bloodlines; his skin and eyes could not be otherwise. Their gazes met for a mere instant, yet it felt like an eternity. The man stepped under the shelter to close his umbrella, oblivious to the presence of others, and knocked on the door with a rhythmic tap-tap-tap. The deep sounds were as if tapping directly onto Ran Yan’s heart, each beat making her inexplicably tense. The door creaked open and a Servant peeked out to see the visitor and greeted him politely, “Good day to you, Pharmacist Su.” “Hmm,” replied the man, his voice as cold as his eyes. He stepped inside the threshold, paused briefly, then stepped back out, extending the umbrella in front of Ran Yan. The umbrella was plain, unadorned with any patterns, appearing quite inauspicious. Yet, its purple-black handle glimmered faintly, lending a touch of nobility to the otherwise plain umbrella. “Thank you,” Ran Yan said, accepting the umbrella without hesitation. The man called Pharmacist Su didn’t reply and turned to enter the house. The Servant glanced at the back of Pharmacist Su, and after a slight ponder, said cordially to Ran Yan, “Miss, would you like to come inside to take shelter?” “That won’t be necessary, but thank you for the kind offer,” Ran Yan replied. Even though she modulated her voice to the warmest tone, it still sounded detached to others. Seeing her reaction, the Servant didn’t press further, retreated into the yard, and closed the door. Ran Yan looked down at the oil-paper umbrella in her hands. The handle appeared to be made of Purple Bamboo, or perhaps, it wasn’t ordinary Purple Bamboo at all—the blackness interwoven with purple reminded her of those eyes. She had never handled any other umbrellas from the Tang Dynasty, but she was certain that not every umbrella should be this heavy. Clutching the solid handle, Ran Yan felt the cool, smooth texture, as if it were communicating its value. Holding the umbrella in one hand, she was about to pick up the toolbox with the other when she suddenly realized she didn’t know the identity of the man. To whom would she return the umbrella? Thinking this, she stretched out her hand and knocked on the door panel a few times. A moment later, the Servant opened the door again. Seeing it was still Ran Yan, he asked impatiently, “Wife, do you need anything else?” “May I know where to find Pharmacist Su in the future?” Ran Yan asked. The Servant frowned, looked up and down at Ran Yan’s attire, saw that she was just wearing ordinary cloth clothing, and thought she must have taken a liking to Pharmacist Su’s exceptional appearance, or wanted to cling to wealth. His voice turned colder, and he said quite rudely, “It’s just an umbrella. Pharmacist Su is the betrothed husband chosen by our Lady. My lady can afford as many umbrellas as needed!” With that, he slammed the door shut with a bang. The Lady buying umbrellas for Pharmacist Su? It seemed he was to be a dependent son-in-law… For some reason, Ran Yan felt a sense of regret and disappointment. A man with such cold eyes didn’t seem like someone willing to be a dependent son-in-law. Ran Yan knew that the Servant had misunderstood, so she didn’t bother with it anymore, opened her umbrella, picked up her toolbox, and disappeared into the rain. The heavy rain pitter-pattered on the umbrella, its force not slight, making the already heavy umbrella even harder to manage. When Ran Yan used to dissect brains, holding an electric saw in one hand for half an hour was no problem, but now she had the delicate constitution of a wealthy daughter, so much weaker than before, making her walk quite laborious. Clamping her teeth, Ran Yan persisted for a quarter of an hour, came out of the alley, and suddenly, the view opened up. Not far away was the gate to the East Market. From a distance, she could see Wan Lu standing under the eaves of the medical center, wearing a ginger-yellow dress with subtle flower patterns. “Wife?” Even though Ran Yan was still wearing her mask, Wan Lu recognized her at a glance, rushed into the rain to take the umbrella and toolbox from Ran Yan’s hands, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wife, where did you find such a heavy umbrella?” “Some kind person lent it to me.” Ran Yan walked under the eaves and stretched out her hand to wring out the water-soaked hem of her dress. Wan Lu put away the umbrella and suddenly remembered something. With fury, she said, “Has Mr. Sang gone back? How could he leave the Wife alone!” Ran Yan was slightly stunned. “He didn’t come over?” Since the alley comes out at the gate of the East Market, and Wan Lu was very close to the entrance under the medical center’s eaves, pedestrians were scarce on the road, so Ran Yan could see her from a distance. Sang Chen should have had no reason not to see her, right? Wan Lu spoke with conviction, “This Slave has been standing here for more than an hour, nearly ‘gazing longingly through the autumn water.’ If Mr. Sang had come by, this Slave couldn’t have missed him!” Sang Chen was tall and slender, with exquisite features, even in a crowd he stood out; if Wan Lu didn’t see him, he probably really hadn’t come. “Perhaps he went back first?” Wan Lu guessed. Sang Chen said he was coming to look for Wan Lu and by the way, to buy a couple of umbrellas. Even though he was somewhat cowardly at critical moments, Ran Yan felt he should not be so unreliable. “Let’s wait a bit. Have you found a place that can make the needle heads?” Ran Yan asked. As Wan Lu squatted down to help wring out the water, while wringing she said, “Originally, this Slave thought what the Wife asked for was strange, and assumed it would be difficult to find. But, when this Slave asked at the jewelry shop, it turned out to be a common request. The Shopkeeper said, some families that are marrying off daughters and have modest means but want to show off a bit, would go to jewelry shops to make hollow gold thread, silver thread. The resulting items look good and save on materials.” “How long does it take to make a needle head?” Ran Yan thought to herself that she mustn’t underestimate the ancient cunning and craftsmanship; many exquisite crafts, even in the modern era, probably no one could make. Wan Lu stood up and, proud, pulled out a brocade box from her bosom, passing it to Ran Yan, “The Shopkeeper originally said it would take two to three days, but when I said I was a Maid of the Ran Family, and after my relentless persuasion, the Shopkeeper personally made three for me.” Ran Yan opened the brocade box, and indeed, there were three small silver-white needle heads on the red brocade! Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Their size and shape, except for the needle head being slightly thicker than a modern needle head, were otherwise almost exactly as Ran Yan requested! “This Slave told the Shopkeeper according to the Wife’s instructions to make the item a bit sturdier, so the Shopkeeper melted some iron into it. Wife, do you think it will work?” Wan Lu asked. Ran Yan pinched one, tried it, and said with satisfaction, “It works. Not only is it sturdy, but also the size and shape are very good.” Ran Yan closed the lid and handed it back to Wan Lu, asking her to keep it safe. With one big problem solved, Ran Yan’s mood improved a lot. Even the mess that Sang Chen had caused for her today, along with his current disappearance, didn’t seem to matter anymore. Ran Yan was discussing with Wan Lu about looking for Sang Chen when suddenly, the sound of horse hooves echoed in the street. A carriage rumbled past in front of Ran Yan, splashing her and Wan Lu with water. Seeing that Ran Yan’s recently wrung-out skirt was wet again, Wan Lu immediately flared up and yelled at the carriage, “Whose carriage is this! Splashing someone with water and just leaving! In the city, reckless driving demands a beating, is there no law in your eyes!” Wan Lu’s voice carried strongly, and indeed, the carriage stopped, turned around, and came back. Ran Yan sighed to herself, hoping that if the owner of the carriage was reasonable, things could be smoothed over, but if not, today’s situation might be difficult to resolve. “Seventeen!” The carriage stopped, and from the window, a handsome face peeked out, looking through the curtain of rain with delight at Ran Yan.