Chapter 68 – Ah Yan, I want to be free

After Ran Yan washed her face and rinsed her mouth, miss Xing helped illuminate the room by lighting the lanterns on the four corners. She then sat at the veranda to read a book while getting some fresh air.

Madam Liu and Wan Lu were at the side room doing embroidery.

“Ah Yan?”

Ran Yan lifted her sight from the medical book when she heard Ran Yunsheng’s low voice and moved it until the place where the sound originated.

Ran Yunsheng was leaning over the courtyard wall. His features were like a painting as he displayed a charming smile.

“Tenth brother is such a handsome gentleman!” Ran Yan said with a smile. She remembered that during their childhood, Ran Yunsheng loved to bend over the wall to chat with her.

Ran Yunsheng didn’t refute her. He tilted his head and said: “Ah Yan, come sit over here, let’s talk for a moment.”

Ran Yan agreed and put down the medical book before rising and walking towards the courtyard wall. She raised her head and asked: “Do you have a steady footing over there?”

“Don’t look down on Tenth brother. Although I didn’t do this during my many years in Chang’an, I had enough practice during childhood.” Ran Yunsheng gazed down at her with his head slanted, and then opened his mouth to say: “Ah Yan, there isn’t another Mr. Sui Yuan in this world. You must not let this chance go. If you do not object, I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow morning and bring up the marriage proposal to him.”

In the past, Ran Yan was a “left over” woman past the marriageable age. Her parents were both extremely busy with their jobs and didn’t have the time to care about her marriage. Her grandfather and grandmother (paternal) were consistently asking others to introduce a boyfriend to her, but they were basically all brushed away. In her grandparents’ eyes, there were simply not many men in the world that could match their family’s Yanyan. Ran Yan also didn’t have much self-awareness. It was with great difficulty that a suitable man was found for an arranged meeting, but after a bloody chat coupled with a dead face, he was scared away. From then own, she had a notoriously bad reputation, and no one wanted to see her again.

“He will not like me.” Ran Yan spoke with conviction.

In the past, she only needed to talk a bit about corpses or death after childbirth to her partners at the blind dates feel as disgusted as if they had swallowed a fly. Let alone that cowardly rabbit that is Sang Chen, who has already seen her perform an autopsy.

Ran Yunsheng suppressed his laugh and said: “Ah Yan, you really are slow-witted. If he doesn’t like you, why would he wait for such a long time at the gate just to give you a Qixi present?”

“Is this true?” Ran Yan muttered to herself. She has never thought of this type of man – such as Sang Chen – in her mind, and even to this moment, there wasn’t even a single good impression of him.

“It is true.” Ran Yunsheng got closer to the wall and continued: “Xiao Song looks much steadier, but he carries the reputation of having a clashing destiny with his wife. There is no girl from the families in Chan’an who is willing to marry him. Ever since his two concubines died in succession, all the women became even more adamant in not getting close to him. Although his future will be smooth, it will truly be unbearable to others. Do you know who the ideal husband in the hearts of the noble ladies from influential families in Chang’an is?”

Ran Yan was surprised. Even his concubines are fated to a bad end? It really is a tough fate. This life of Xiao Song is going to be as hard as a diamond.

Ran Yan couldn’t help making fun of Ran Yunsheng after hearing his question: “I know who, it is Tenth Master Ran.”

Ran Yunsheng pulled a grass from the top of the wall and threw at Ran Yan’s head, “Quit it. There are actually many noble ladies in Chang’an who want me to be their lover, but there is none who wants to marry me.”

Ran Yan thought she had carelessly poked at his sore spot and slowly said: “I’m sorry.”

Ran Yunsheng smiled without being bothered by it and said: “No problem. Tenth brother also doesn’t think much of them, in the future I’ll have the chance to marry a wife for affection. Let’s go back to the main point! Who is the one that is considered the best-husband material in those noble ladies’ eyes?”

“It can’t be Sang Chen.” Ran Yan frowned. His flirty appearance of bending over to smell a flower appeared in her mind, along with his pale appearance as he asked for the ginger slices…

“Of course it is him.” Ran Yunsheng saw the disbelief in Ran Yan’s face and decided to explain it: “Not only is he a descendent from the Cui clan of Boling, but also has an illustrious reputation and was conferred an official title from the emperor himself. Even if the emperor had had a lot of headaches when it came to him, but he still remained as someone very valuable. Furthermore, he is nineteen and with no concubine by his side, not only that, but there have never been rumors about him being involved with a woman. Isn’t this type of person hard to find in this world?”

Ran Yan nodded, “Tenth brother, you are also someone hard to find in this world: nineteen years and also haven’t taken a wife, no concubines at your side too, oh, that Xiao Song is someone hard find too.”

Ran Yan spoke with some sarcasm when it came to Xiao Song. She can’t be blamed for being unscrupulous, who told him to always set himself against her?

“Tsk! This girl!” Ran Yunsheng grabbed a big amount of flowers and plants and kept on throwing at her, “Anyway, if it isn’t with Mr. Sui Yuan, your marriage with Second Master Yan will probably be established. Second Master Yan is also pretty good, he is young and promising. The Yan and Ran families are well-matched in terms of family status, so it can be considered a good marriage.”

Ran Yan smiled while she avoided the falling petals.

It didn’t matter her mental age, Ran Yan was now sixteen years old and is essentially a young girl. She couldn’t give any response to this hasty discussion about marriage in such a short time.

Ran Yunsheng sighed when he saw that Ran Yan didn’t have much interest in Sang Chen, “Second Master Yan may not necessarily be better than Mr. Sui Yuan. Ah Yan, think about it carefully. Tenth brother will definitely support you.”

Ran Yunsheng saw her nodding and then jumped down from the begonia tree, falling into the courtyard. He turned his head and glanced at the slightly peeling wall, gently sighing before saying: “Ah Yan, have an early rest.”

At the other side of the wall, Ran Yan softly replied: “Okay. Good night, Tenth brother!”

Ran Yunsheng was startled, and then his lips hooked up in a beautiful arc. He gently said, “Good night.”

The moon was bright and clear, and within the curtain of night, the Herd-boy star (Altair) could be seen right next to the Weaving-girl star (Vega). The noise inside the manor had also gradually quieted down, with only a few barking sounds echoing. Ran Yan ordered Miss Xing to put out the lights before going back to her bed to rest.

Within the hazy moonlight, Ran Yan tossed and turned for a long time until finally feeling somewhat sleepy. Little by little, her eyelids became even heavier, and she descended into another world.

Some small rays of lights began to irradiate the dark and cold water. Ran Yan squinted her eyes before she could clearly see a corpse sunk in the water in front of her. A white cloth enveloped all the contours of the face, making it easy to see her delicate tilted nose.

Ran Yan was determined to not let anything disturb her this time. She must undo the thing covering her face and finally see if this person is Ge Lan or Yin Wanwan.

She stretched her hand towards the back of the corpse’s head and swiftly removed the silk. Layer upon layer, a translucent form began to appear. The silk was very thin, and her wrapped face resembled a silkworm cocoon since there were many layers. Ran Yan was rather anxious, thinking that things would be much easier if she had a scissor.

The white translucent silk was slowly scattering through the water just like a flower.

“Ah Yan, I want to be free.” A girl softly whispered in Ran Yan’s ear, her voice carrying an immense melancholy and confusion.

“Ah Yan, I heard that foxes are intelligent animals, and with enough practice, they can become immortals. I must reincarnate as a fox in my next life, for even if I can’t become an immortal, I could go to any place… Or, it’s fine if I could also become a small flower in the mountains. Tee-hee, you cannot carelessly pluck a small flower in the future, what if you end up plucking me?”

Gradually, the cheerful voice became alarmed and frightened, “Ah Yan, it’s so painful!”

Ran Yan did all she could to ignore the disturbance of that voice and quickly unwrapped the silk around the corpse.