Miss Truth
Chapter 391 - 248: Listening for the Rest of My Life

Chapter 391: Chapter 248: Listening for the Rest of My Life

This was Lin Huiyin’s response to Liang Sicheng. Ran Yan was deeply moved by it; she didn’t know in what mood Lin Huiyin had spoken those words, but to her, it represented an attitude towards handling emotions.

Xiao Song paused for a moment before responding, surprised, "You mean you agree to the marriage now?"

Ran Yan furrowed her brows and stared at him, her voice steady, "We’ve kissed and touched; are you planning to back out now?"

Kissing and holding hands, in Ran Yan’s view, were usual steps in a romantic relationship, not necessarily requiring commitment—the suggestion was only because she wanted him to take responsibility.

Xiao Song’s lips slightly curved upwards, the smile on his face growing ever brighter; though he made no sound as he laughed, his delight and satisfaction were evident.

She’d tell him the answer with her whole life.

For Xiao Song, there were no words in the world that could move him more. Ran Yan was a woman who acted as her heart desired. Even though she knew her words meant more than just romantic love, he, too, was willing to spend the rest of his life listening to this answer.

"Then... when do you think we should set the date for the wedding?" Xiao Song’s face revealed unconcealable joy. He had never let his expressions go out of control, but now he did not want to suppress his happiness.

Recently Xiao Song had been under a cloud, with pressures mounting from all sides. There were moments he felt his bones were about to shatter, but now he was filled with fighting spirit, as if those difficulties and pressures were trivial.

"Are you so sure that your family elders will agree to this marriage?" Ran Yan agreed on one hand but also felt that the difference in their social statuses was indeed a problem.

"Prepared for a rainy day," Xiao Song answered succinctly. Initially, he felt Ran Yan was beneath him because there was not much affection, merely an interest. But now that he had decided to marry her, such issues ceased to be a problem, and he had been actively planning, "I was born when my father was already middle-aged, so I mostly stayed with my grandmother. In both the family and the Clan, she has a major say. Though not exactly doting, she cares deeply for me, and my marriage has always been her concern."

Xiao Song had long been building up Ran Yan’s image in front of his grandmother. Moreover, their horoscopes matched well, delighting the old lady, who then insisted on making Ran Yan his official wife. From a young lady of a prestigious family to the wife of such, the old lady had always maintained a dignified status—how could she not be selective? Nonetheless, she considered all conditions and thought the marriage feasible, thus putting aside these concerns. Moreover, Ran Yan’s background wasn’t too bad, being the legitimate daughter of a clan.

Of course, the old lady’s decision could not have been achieved without Xiao Song’s influence.

"What kind of person is the old lady?" Since a direction was set, she couldn’t be too passive. She needed to understand this significant support properly.

Xiao Song was glad for her initiative and didn’t hold back, "She turns ninety after the New Year. As for her temperament... My father is upright, partly because of the Xiao Family’s teachings and partly from his father. I was mostly raised by the old lady, and I naturally resemble her in how I deal with people."

Upon hearing this, Ran Yan developed a bit of a headache. Xiao Song was already difficult to deal with, let alone a nonagenarian old lady who had eaten more salt in her lifetime than she had rice.

The old lady of the Xiao Family, in terms of strategic thinking and ruthlessness, was second to none, and greatly adept at deception, typical of someone whose emotions were unreadable. In her relationship with her daughter-in-law of the Du Clan, she easily suppressed the other, not only the Du Clan’s daughter-in-law but all the daughters-in-law, none of whom could cause even the slightest ripple under her rule. However, since her eldest son died a decade ago, she had been cared for by Xiao Yu and had since stopped managing affairs, spending her days in religious devotion, which mellowed her temperament substantially.

"Don’t worry, the old lady will like you. As for my mother, she holds some traditional views, but once she comes around, she will be very happy too," Xiao Song said.

The lady from the Dou family had two daughters-in-law previously, one was a Princess and the other a Lady Principal. Although her origin was noble, she couldn’t compare with the Imperial Family. Even though they were harmonious outwardly, she never truly felt like a mother-in-law, always having her own mother-in-law towering over her for decades. One might imagine how frustrated she would have been. Marrying Ran Yan into their family, even if not oppressing her, would feel much better than dealing with a Princess and a Lady Principal.

Xiao Song explained all this in detail to Ran Yan and finally said, "My father isn’t in Chang’an, and I am currently a Fourth Rank official, so I can establish my own household. We will only return to the main family’s house during festivals and ceremonies, and even then, we won’t stay for many days. There are many things to keep me busy, so our interactions will be few. You need not worry about getting along with them."

Relatively speaking, establishing his own household was easier for Xiao Song compared to other noble lords. His eldest brother had become a Prince Consort, and even if the Princess acted modestly and adapted to the common wife’s role within the Xiao Family, nobody truly ignored her royal status. Furthermore, the Duke of Song had been demoted by the emperor to be the Inspector of Qi State, and unwilling to perform daily royal salutes to his older sister-in-law, the second brother had also moved to a different residence. Now, the brothers were essentially living separately, each establishing their own households.

After a long talk in the study, Ran Yan then resumed her work on the restoration of appearances.

While one was in the study and the other in the small attic, Xiao Song couldn’t help but visit the small attic several times. However, even though he was injured and could recuperate at home, the backlog of documents awaited none but him, so he had to focus fully on his duties.

About midday, Ran Yan had prepared lunch and then sent Wan Lu to invite him to eat.

After the meal and just when he had rinsed his mouth, Xiao Song, still not over his excitement, wished to talk to Ran Yan. Before he could say much, Bai Yi rushed over and stood at the entrance, cupping his hands and saying loudly, "My Lord, the Secret Guards have just reported, the Lady Principal Wenxi has secretly left the residence!"

Xiao Song raised his eyebrows slightly and commanded, "Follow her closely, not missing a single move."

"Yes!" Bai Yi took the order and left.

No sooner had Bai Yi left than a servant hurried in, "My Lord, someone from the Government Office has arrived, saying that Dou Chengfeng has met with an accident."

Xiao Song frowned; Dou Chengfeng couldn’t afford to have any accidents. Last night, he had passed out due to a drug relapse, preventing any interrogation. Xiao Song had ordered that he be informed as soon as Dou Chengfeng awoke, but this turn of events clearly meant that something had changed just after he regained consciousness.

Xiao Song stood up, planted a gentle kiss on Ran Yan’s forehead, and said softly, "I need to handle this matter. If I return late, just go back to our residence; the Secret Guards will protect you."

Ran Yan nodded and said, "Be careful."

Xiao Song smiled pleasurably and hastened away with the servant.

Ran Yan returned to the small attic to continue working. Xiao Song was deep in troubles, and she had caused one of the issues herself; naturally, she wanted to relieve him of his problems. Particularly with this kind of work which she excelled at, the pace and quality of the restoration of appearances were being conducted in an exceptional manner, and it was almost complete, revealing the general appearance.

This was a young lady with a face like a silver plate and eyes like dewy apricots, with gracefully arched eyebrows—a conventional beauty. The restored appearance seemed average, but would likely be more attractive if she were alive.

Ran Yan discussed the design and color of the silver hairpin with Ge Lan and Wan Lu, debating what kind of hairstyle it would generally be used with, and eventually settled on a half-tucked bun.

Ordinary folks wouldn’t wear this hairstyle; it was typically for women of some status. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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