Miss Truth
Chapter 298 - 188: Chang’an, Here I Come

Chapter 298: Chapter 188: Chang’an, Here I Come

After resting for two hours in Xinfeng, it was getting late, so Ran Yunsheng decided to stay overnight and continue to Chang’an in the morning.

After finishing dinner, the stingy female shopkeeper finally returned. Her voice could be heard before she entered, "Has Shilang arrived?"

Shopkeeper Rong’s voice was crisp and loud, and though she spoke loudly, it wasn’t annoying.

Ran Yan and Ran Yunsheng were inside the house drinking tea and talking when they saw a woman in a bamboo hairpin and cloth skirt quickly take off her wooden clogs in the corridor and stride into the room with urgency, yet without any sign of disarray.

Once Shopkeeper Rong stood still in the room, Ran Yan could see clearly that the woman seemed to be under thirty, much younger than she had imagined. Though she wore plain white-washed cloth clothes, they were incredibly neat. Her melon seed-shaped face and eyes that always carried a hint of a smile gave her a decent and extremely approachable appearance.

Ran Yan guessed her age to be far greater than she looked; she simply had a baby face.

"Why has Shilang just arrived? Your husband has already been in Chang’an for half a month!" Shopkeeper Rong said crisply, then her gaze fell on Ran Yan, not hiding her astonishment, "This is...?"

"She is the seventeenth sister from our main branch, the legitimate daughter of my uncle, with the single name Yan," Ran Yunsheng explained with a smile, clearly used to her casual demeanor.

Shopkeeper Rong immediately became even more enthusiastic, sitting right next to Ran Yan on the right and said, "Our Ran family really does produce beauties. Tsk tsk, look at the way Seventeenth Miss is born, in the whole of Chang’an, I’m afraid no one can compare except for Shilang."

Of course, these words were an exaggeration. Before Ran Yan could express her opinion, Ran Yunsheng was no longer pleased, "Aunt Rong, I am a dignified husband, not a beauty."

"Right, right, Shilang is indeed a man, Aunt Rong testifies to that," Shopkeeper Rong said with a chuckle.

When Ran Yunsheng was young, Shopkeeper Rong was always the one who took care of his baths. Even though he was too young to understand at the time, he always felt very embarrassed whenever Shopkeeper Rong teased him about it.

Ran Yunsheng’s face flushed with color, his complexion as beautiful as drifts of rosy clouds, and he turned away saying, "No wonder Mother let you out early; if you stayed in the mansion, you would have spoiled all the maids sooner or later."

Ran Yan pursed her lips, holding back her laughter, and seeing how Ran Yunsheng was so familiar and respectful to her, she greeted, "A-Yan pays respects to Aunt Rong."

"Indeed, a legitimate daughter of the Ran family, truly polite. You can just call me Rong Qian," Rong Qian quickly reached out to help Ran Yan up.

Rong Qian found it strange; half a month earlier, Ran Pingyu and his group had also rested for a night in Xinfeng. At that time, Ran Shiba had also claimed to be a legitimate daughter of the Ran family. Rong Qian had never been to Suzhou, and Ran Pingyu was born from a concubine, usually not mentioned in the family discussion, so Rong Qian only knew Ran Wen had one legitimate daughter but couldn’t remember if it was the seventeenth or eighteenth since she had left home at seventeen to manage the Xinfeng Restaurant.

As these thoughts briefly passed through Rong Qian’s mind, she looked at Ran Yan with even more kindness. Compared to the commanding presence of Ran Meiyu, this seemingly aloof wife was nevertheless more likable, so she tactfully inquired, "Eh? What’s the given name of Shiba who traveled with the husband half a month ago?"

Every noble family has a certain pattern for naming its members, such as the Ran’s legitimate daughters having a single-character name.

"Her name is Meiyu," Ran Yunsheng answered for her.

Rong Qian nodded in understanding, then warmly chatted with Ran Yan, showing her cordial concern. Meeting for the first time, she was as enthusiastic as if they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other for decades, without making it feel abrupt or uncomfortable.

Even though Ran Yan knew that not all of this warmth could be genuine, her fondness for Rong Qian did not diminish.

While they were talking, a waiter from outside said, "Shopkeeper, there’s a letter from the young master!"

"Bring it in," Rong Qian finally stopped talking and turned around to wait for the waiter to deliver the letter.

Rong Qian took the letter, tore open the seal, and smoothed out the paper inside, her actions smooth and fluid.

"The young master wants me to return home, saying there’s a shortage of maids, asking me to train a few," Rong Qian said, rubbing her head, clearly troubled, "I’ve grown so wild myself, how can I possibly train others!"

Could such a carefree and casual person really train the maids properly? Ran Yan was somewhat skeptical.

Ran Yunsheng seemed to see Ran Yan’s thoughts and said with a laugh, "Don’t be fooled by Aunt Rong’s appearance; when it comes to training others, she really has quite a talent."

"You rascal, are you praising me or insulting me!" Rong Qian crumpled the envelope into a ball and accurately threw it at his head.

Ran Yunsheng stuck out his tongue, his smile bright and youthful, resembling a mischievous young man, a truly pleasing sight.