Miss Truth
Chapter 145 - 92: Reunion_2

Chapter 145: Chapter 92: Reunion_2

"Don’t just focus on the happiness, tell me what happened," Ran Yan grabbed her and said.

Wan Lu barely managed to stabilize her emotions and spoke rapidly, "I went to deliver a letter to Inspector Liu. He was in the middle of a trial, so I waited at the door for half an hour. When I handed Inspector Liu the letter, he immediately dispatched people to Qingyu Square. Anxious, I followed them too, and just then Shilang was rescuing the people; that’s when I saw Ge Lan..."

Wan Lu’s voice weakened suddenly, her throat choking up, "She can’t speak anymore, she’s become...a mute."

Ran Yan tightly pursed her lips as Xing Wife was already in tears, unable to speak.

At that moment, they heard some noisy clamor outside; Ran Yan led Wan Lu and Xing Wife out to see, and Xiao Man also quickly followed them.

A group of people came from the stone path; Ran Yunsheng was at the forefront, followed closely by a sedan chair, with six or seven nuns frowning behind them. It seemed Ran Yunsheng had aggressively forced his way through the temple gate, displeasing them.

Upon seeing Ran Yan, Ran Yunsheng’s face bloomed into a radiant smile, "Mission accomplished, Shilang has brought back the person for you."

Ran Yan also smiled in response, then turned her entire focus to the sedan chair. She watched as four bearers set down the sedan chair; after quieting for two moments, the bamboo curtain was drawn back from inside.

The first thing Ran Yan saw was the hand that moved the curtain, as pale as paper, thin as bamboo joints, trembling uncontrollably due to weakness and emotional surge. When the bamboo curtain was fully lifted, a tall woman in grey cloth emerged, bending as she stepped out. Her body, like that hand, was slender and frail, wrapped in a loose coarse skirt, fragile as if a gentle breeze could blow her away.

Her long black hair, reaching her knees, was loosely tied up at the back, highlighting her pale, almost transparent face, making her look even more haggard. Ge Lan had beautiful black hair with distinctly bright eyes, as bright as if always immersed in spring water.

Ran Yan looked at her and saw the girl from her dreams overlap. This year’s Ge Lan was already eighteen, slightly taller and much more haggard, but almost unchanged otherwise. Time seemed to pity her, preserving her appearance as closely as possible to two years ago.

It was this woman who had risked her life to protect someone, and two years later, Ge Lan still trusted the person she sought to protect. She relayed her captivity news as a first instinct; Ran Yan felt a deep respect and pity for her, softly called out, "Ge Lan."

Ge Lan’s eyes, misted with moisture, finally couldn’t hold back her tears; her mouth opened, emitting only a hoarse, intermittent sobbing, her weak body leaning against the sedan chair and slowly sliding down.

Ran Yan stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her, gently patting her back, and whispered, "Everything has passed, Ge Lan."

The case of the Yin estate was being hotly discussed throughout Suzhou, and almost everyone present had heard about it. A person who was thought to have died two years ago, after suffering so much, had unbelievably come back, making the reunion after two years both joyful and sorrowful.

Xing Wife’s tears were like a dam breaking, but the joy in her eyes was indescribable.

Xiao Man looked at Ge Lan, her heart filled with mixed feelings, sympathetic but also a bit uncomfortable. It was supposed to be her who stayed closest to Ran Yan as her personal maid, but someone thought dead two years ago suddenly reappeared, disrupting her hopes... Ge Lan once "died" for Ran Yan, Wan Lu had shared hardships with Ran Yan for many years, bonds irreplaceable, and she knew she had no chance to squeeze into such a relationship between master and servant.

"It’s a joyous occasion, stop crying, let’s talk inside," Ran Yunsheng interjected as they were hugging and crying together, dismissing the bearers and bystanders before turning back to call them.

Everyone wiped their tears away; Xiao Man supported Xing Wife who was nearly fainting from crying, and Ran Yan and Wan Lu helped Ge Lan, all entering the courtyard together.

"Wan Lu, boil some water for Ge Lan to bathe first, we’ll talk after she’s settled," Ran Yan ordered.

Once they sat down inside, Ge Lan’s mood had also stabilized somewhat, holding Ran Yan’s hand, she looked at her tearfully yet with a smile.

Ran Yan held back tightly, happy yet remembering the sound of Ge Lan’s voice from a moment ago, it didn’t seem like her tongue had been cut but rather she was muted by poison.

After all, if the tongue had been cut, without proper care, she could have died; moreover, cutting the tongue only affects speech, not the vocal cords, unlikely to cause the kind of hoarseness heard. But it didn’t mean there was a treatment—many legendary stories write about being muted by poison and then recovering by taking an antidote. Ran Yan found it absurd; such poison generally damages the vocal cords severely and is hard to recover from, the healing process long and arduous, not every case being curable.

The group sat silently for a while; words unnecessary, the joy of reunion filling the room.

Ge Lan was a very perceptive woman. Observing the room, she realized that Ran Yan had also had a difficult time, especially Xing Wife, who had aged more than threefold compared to before.

Seeing that Ge Lan seemed to have something to say, Ran Yan instructed Xiao Man to fetch some ink and paper and asked Xing Wife to brew some sugared water.

Ge Lan took the brush and the first things she wrote were: "The Wife has become much more composed than before, I almost didn’t recognize her just now."

Ran Yan sighed internally, knowing that what was destined to come would come, and she had already prepared her response, "If I hadn’t become more composed, how could I live up to your sacrifice for me."

Ge Lan’s pale face lit up with a quiet smile, like a water lily in an evening breeze. She lowered her eyes and wrote again: "I am very pleased."

Her happiness came partly because she was still alive and partly because, in the end, Ran Yan hadn’t let her down. After two years, finally, during a player’s moment of laxness, she managed to send a message outside through an old woman who brought food. With her understanding of her own Wife, if being a bit rational, she should have reported it to the government, knowing well that Wife’s gentle nature might not save her, but she still staked everything on one wager. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to support it by voting at Qingdian (qidian.com) with your monthly or recommendation tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)