Miss Truth
Chapter 271 - 171 The Peach Blossoms Are Bright and Lush

Chapter 271: Chapter 171 The Peach Blossoms Are Bright and Lush

Ran Yan and Wan Lu chatted idly under the corridor for a while before they learned that this courtyard was found by Liu Qingsong for their temporary stay; it was nearby the County Government. Speaking of Liu Qingsong, Ran Yan couldn’t help but grind her teeth—she better not catch sight of him again!

The sky gradually darkened.

Xiao Song had guessed Ran Yunsheng would return in a couple of hours, but this time he clearly miscalculated, for Ran Yunsheng only returned at dusk.

Ran Yan had already been assisted into the room by Ge Lan and Wan Lu, her leg wound had split slightly, hurting several times more than when she was initially injured.

Having just finished treating the wound, Ran Yunsheng came over with a big bag of medicine.

"Ah Yan’s awake!" Ran Yunsheng seemed very happy, his smile beaming, but his complexion was slightly pale, and there was a hint of worry between his brows.

"I’ve caused you worry, Tenth Brother," apologized Ran Yan.

Ran Yunsheng handed the things in his hand to Wan Lu and knelt in front of the couch, "As long as you are okay."

Ran Yan noticed his distraction, "Tenth Brother, is something on your mind?"

"It’s nothing serious," Ran Yunsheng intended to say more, but upon meeting Ran Yan’s serene gaze, he rose and said, "The journey was bumpy, and I am a bit tired. Ah Yan, you should also rest early."

Without waiting for Ran Yan to respond, Ran Yunsheng quickly left.

Ran Yan furrowed her brows—Ran Yunsheng was not someone who could hide his thoughts, and ordinary matters could not possibly trouble him so deeply. She was currently unable to move freely, so she couldn’t actively find out the situation from Ran Yunsheng; moreover, if he didn’t wish to speak now, asking might not yield an answer.

"Wan Lu, go ask Tenth Brother’s servant what big event happened in Luoyang today," Ran Yan instructed.

Wan Lu responded and went out.

After Ge Lan helped Ran Yan wash up and went out to pour out the water, Ran Yan heard footsteps entering the room, thinking it was Wan Lu returning, "Did you find out?"

"What do you want to ask?" A male voice laced with amusement.

Ran Yan lay on the couch, struggling to turn her head, and saw behind the bamboo curtain a vague figure. She could barely make out Xiao Song in a deep purple round-neck robe, his hair neatly tied back, looking much thinner than before but also appearing revitalized, no longer showing the lethargy and fatigue of the morning.

"Come in," Ran Yan said and regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Subconsciously, she didn’t see anything improper about being alone with a man, but this was the Great Tang—could her words be misconstrued by Xiao Song?

Xiao Song lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped inside, standing beside the bedside and frowning at her unkempt appearance, "They said the wound split open again?"

"Yes, but it’s just a small wound, nothing serious," responded Ran Yan lightly. "Please, take a seat."

Xiao Song didn’t expose her lie. After lying down for six days, those minor wounds would have mostly healed; how could they split open now if they were just ’minor’?

"Another one died. Named Yu Zhi," Xiao Song suddenly said.

Ran Yan was stunned for a moment before responding, "Your trip to Jushui County isn’t a secret anymore, right? And yet the killer still dares to commit crimes openly—why? Is it confidence or madness..."

Ran Yan tended toward the latter; if someone could be so confident while under the gaze of the Assistant Minister of Ministry of Justice, they must be nearing madness.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Xiao Song said, "It was shortly after Zhuang Yin died ten years ago that this particular prison guard escaped his lowly profession. Although Zhuang Yin was sentenced to death, he committed suicide by hitting his head against a wall before the execution; it’s been too long, and with several County Magistrates having changed since then, the details of that time are no longer verifiable. However, there is reason to suspect that these seven prison guards were bribed by Zhuang Yin to perform a deceptive ruse."

"Do you have a suspect?" asked Ran Yan.

"Currently, there are only two people, Zhuang Yin and Ze Pingzhi," Xiao Song said.

Zhuang Yin was the bandit leader whose behavior style was confident and arrogant, but Ran Yan couldn’t simply determine a person’s character based on this one matter.

"That Ze Pingzhi..." Ran Yan thought for a long time, her impression of him was nothing but plain—his appearance was decent without any distinguishing features, his skin was neither dark nor fair, and his demeanor was utterly mediocre, the sort of average middle-aged man who would never draw a second glance in a crowd.

"He is the owner of the Yuelai Inn. Compared to Zhuang Yin, he is more suspicious," Xiao Song actually felt that it was only relatively speaking, and if he thought about it carefully, there were still many clues that didn’t add up.

Ran Yan asked, "What would be the motive for murder?"

"Perhaps something disrupted the balance of their relationship?" Xiao Song guessed, other than that, there was no other reason that could explain it.

Ran Yan murmured, "Was the beggar Liu Wen simply caught in the crossfire after accidentally learning about this affair?"

Seeing her deep in thought, a soft spot in Xiao Song’s heart stirred, and his tone softened as well, "Alright, think about any doubts tomorrow, you should rest and recover. I’ll come to see you again tomorrow."

He reached out to tidy up the quilt for Ran Yan, then stood up and walked out.

"Wait!" Ran Yan called out to him.

Xiao Song stopped in front of the bamboo curtain and turned his head, asking, "Something else?"

"Yes." Ran Yan heard him walking back, and with her hand wrapped in a thick layer of cloth, she pushed the brocade box next to the pillow toward the edge of the couch, "Take back these two cloud hairpins. Although I had long guessed that it was you who gave them, it was not until recently that I understood their meaning. I’m sorry, but I cannot accept something so significant."

Xiao Song bent down to take the brocade box, lifting the lid to reveal two Mutton Fat Jade Hairpins that, though not dazzling, lay peacefully with their moist luster on the red brocade.

Ran Yan watched his expressionless handsome face and felt an inexplicable worry, not even sure herself what she was worried about.

Xiao Song took the two cloud hairpins out and stuffed them into his sleeve, then pulled a wooden hairpin from his bosom and placed it in the brocade box, "This is a peach wood hairpin I carved myself. It can be important, or it can be unimportant."

Because it was not valuable and had no particular symbolic significance, it could be seen as insignificant, but since it was a token of his feelings, the recipient could also consider it important. This understated way of speaking was typical for Xiao Song, where upon reflection, one finds that it goes straight to the heart of the matter.

Furthermore, since Ran Yan often dealt with corpses, it was said that peach wood could ward off evil. Xiao Song did not really believe in ghosts and spirits, but what mattered was the intention.

With the peach blossoms flourished and radiant, when the son returns home, it is fitting for his household. This was his true sentiment.

When Xiao Song gave the cloud hairpins, he knew there would come a day when they would be refused. Originally thinking he could accept it calmly and indifferently, he now found his feelings complicated and painful.

"It’s very pretty," Ran Yan said, looking at the peach wood hairpin in the brocade box. Her words were neither consolation nor flattery; indeed, it was a very beautiful and elegant hairpin, resembling flowing clouds with a cluster of peach blossoms on the head. Two fully bloomed peach blossoms nestled close together, with another half-open beside them, and several budding florets reaching out from the top, displaying vigorous vitality. Not only was the shape exquisite, but the carving was also meticulous, down to the visible stamens; the few peach blossoms seemed as if they could emit fragrance.

"If you like it, that’s good," Xiao Song breathed a sigh of relief.

Ran Yan said, "If you ever fall on hard times, you still have a craft that could earn you a living."

Xiao Song’s laughter was hearty, "If that were the case, then I, who can only produce one finished piece per month, would sooner or later starve to death."

Shortly after leaving Suzhou, Xiao Song began carving this hairpin. At first, he didn’t know why he was engaging in such a pointless activity. When he heard that there had been a murder in Suzhou, he volunteered without a second thought.

Racing day and night, when he stood in Suzhou, what came to his mind was not the murder case, but a face that was beautiful yet not vividly alive.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)