Ran Yan's head ached, realizing there wasn't only Ran Meiyu causing trouble; there was an even bigger scoundrel here!
Ran Meiyu was one thing, no matter how unruly she was, she and Ran Yan had a superficial relationship, so let her jump around as she pleased. But Qin Silang was different—always unpredictable. Who knew if this scoundrel might truly become her husband one day? Then life would become much harder.
"Miss Ran Shiqi?" Qin Musheng's fury was extinguished by half, and he examined Ran Yan with a playful scrutiny, "I heard that the legitimate daughter of the Ran Family was a sickly person, but seeing today that she is lively and utterly spirited when cursing..."
As he spoke, he insolently brushed away the soap gauze covering Ran Yan's face.
Ran Yan hadn't expected such an action from him. She stepped back too late, the soap gauze lifting slightly to create a small gap, yet it was enough for Qin Musheng to see Ran Yan's features clearly.
Arched eyebrows slightly furrowed, black hair like cicada's wings, the midday sun shone through the gap onto her creamy face, outlining half of her lovely visage. Her long eyelashes fluttered like black butterfly wings. The neckline of her crossed-collar garment had loosened a bit, exposing a segment of her delicate, pale neck, which shimmered dazzlingly under the brilliant light.
It was just a moment, and the soap gauze fell back. That fleeting glimpse completely bewildered the well-experienced Qin Silang. By the time he reached out again, Ran Yan had already retreated quite a distance.
Qin Musheng's spirits lifted, overcome with joy. Initially, he thought this marriage was forced upon him by the Ran Estate, trying to push a dying sickly girl onto him. He hadn't expected to find a beauty! He had seen Mei, acclaimed as Suzhou's foremost belle, but compared to his fiancée, she somewhat paled in comparison.
Ran Yan didn't wish to linger, and she casually said to Ran Meiyu, "I am leaving first; we'll meet again."
There was a warning in her words, but Ran Meiyu failed to catch it; for some unknown reason, she felt a slight tremor in her heart.
"Miss Shiqi!" Qin Musheng, thinking of how he had hit Wan Lu in a moment of anger without any explanation and fearing that Ran Yan would hold a grudge and refuse this marriage, hurriedly followed her and said, "These days, many things have not been going well for me and I've been irritable. It was wrong of me to lash out and strike your maid."
Qin Musheng apologized with a bow, his earnest expression coupled with his handsome and upright features, even Wan Lu believed his sincerity—that his actions were indeed due to his unfortunate circumstances.
Ran Yan had encountered many hypocrites before, and just from hearing today's rumors about Qin Musheng, she knew he was someone prone to emotional excess and impulsiveness. Even if his apology was sincere now, who knew if in the next moment, he might act impulsively over something else and turn hostile? She felt unable to deal with someone like that.
"Since my lord has apologized, we naturally won't take it to heart," Ran Yan thought. After all, if one were to kill a person in a bad mood, should they not be held responsible? She didn't want to entangle further with Qin Musheng.
Ran Yan, pulling Wan Lu, hurriedly disappeared into the crowd.
Qin Musheng was in high spirits, not dwelling on Ran Yan's scolding, and hastily went home thinking he must persuade his father to expedite this marriage! The appearance of Miss Shiqi alone, not to mention surpassing Mei, was a rarity in the entire Great Tang. It's fortunate that she had been ill and confined indoors; otherwise, how could such a beauty not be renowned?
The two parties left hastily, leaving behind a room full of people exchanging puzzled looks. They couldn't help but speculate, what sort of extraordinary beauty was this Miss Shiqi that she could captivate the much-experienced Qin Silang like this!
Among a group of noble ladies, a young girl in a light cyan silk dress murmured as she watched Ran Yan's disappearing form, "Miss Shiqi..."
Not until Jade Manor was out of sight did Ran Yan slow down, taking Wan Lu towards the doctor's clinic.
"Wife, about Qin Silang..." Wan Lu, usually calm on the estate, seemed quite unsettled today, struggling to comprehend, and with Ran Yan's recent shift from timidity to impulsiveness, she added, "Wife, even if Qin Silang struck me, why confront him? What if the marriage actually happens...
"Everyone else was hitting, so what does it matter if I scolded a little?" Ran Yan said coldly. She was not acting on impulse; if the Ran Family couldn't even handle this small matter, then she would not have stayed to rely on them and would have left long ago.
Marriage is indeed a significant affair, governed by the decree of parents and the matchmaking words, but this is the Great Tang! Both the law and customs allow for free marriage, so there is still some room for redemption in this marriage.
"Sigh! If Qin Silang were not so flirtatious, given his looks and family background, who knows how many women would be willing to marry him," Wan Lu lamented.
Ran Yan glanced at her lightly, "You really have a poor judgement of character. He's more than flirtatious; he's utterly ridiculous."
The two entered the clinic, where the resident doctor treated Wan Lu's wounds and prescribed several doses of anti-inflammatory medication before they headed to the fabric store.
Because of all the disarray encountered today, Ran Yan still worried about extracting penicillin and was not in the mood for shopping. She casually chose some high-quality cotton fabric and a few pieces of silk, satin, and gauze.
Cotton is comfortable and absorbs sweat, making it perfect for summer undergarments and home wear, while silk and gauze are generally used for shirts and skirts. Satin, being thick, is mostly used for jackets.
Spending twenty silver, she neatly arranged spring and summer clothes for all three of them, the servant and maid included, and also bought two high-quality ready-made garments to show respect to her newly recognized master.
One silver in modern times had the purchasing power of a thousand yuan, so twenty silver was indeed a shopping spree.
Having bought a pile of items, they hired a carriage in the city and returned to the estate. Holding twenty silver felt insignificant, but swapping them for goods that filled a carriage brought a significant sense of accomplishment.
Ran Yan's mood also improved slightly, thinking that if it weren't for this troublesome marriage, living a leisurely life by supporting herself with her medical skills wouldn't be too bad.
Upon returning home, Wan Lu instructed the carriage to take them straight to the yard before calling Xing Niang to help unload the goods.
After unloading, Xing Niang stared at the pile of silk and satin for a long while before asking Wan Lu, "Did the main house allocate these items?"
Xing Niang, having seen the world, knew although these items were not of the finest quality, they were quite substantial. The main house's mistress, despite being from a lesser background, was particularly petty, and over the past few years, she had not sent as much as they had now.
"They would never part with such, all these were earned by our lady!" Wan Lu's swelling had subsided significantly, and she had long forgotten the pain. She excitedly told Xing Niang about their mistress's talents and extraordinary demeanor, and even included Ran Yan's dream-inspired ideas.
Unexpectedly, the usually overthinking Xing Niang did not doubt but rather believed wholeheartedly in the "guidance in dreams by an Immortal," which Ran Yan found somewhat hard to understand. However, considering that time travel was possible, the existence of Immortals was not entirely out of the question.
"If it indeed was the Immortal's guidance, it must be a good thing. However, once we cure those courtesans, our lady must cease contact with them. It would not be proper if word got out," Xing Niang tearfully advised while holding Ran Yan's hand.
The concern from Xing Niang warmed Ran Yan's heart. She was usually not very sentimental, but at that moment, she felt moved. Unsure of what to say, she simply extended her hand and gently embraced Xing Niang.
Previously, Ran Yan was worried that Xing Niang might suspect her, but now she understood that Xing Niang and Wan Lu had depended on the original Ran Yan, leaning on each other with a close relationship. No matter how much Ran Yan changed, they would never doubt their mistress.
"Xing Niang, I was thoughtless before. From now on, I will take good care of you and Wan Lu," Ran Yan said slowly.