NOVPUB32: Chapter 27: Wedding Announcement
32 -27: Wedding Announcement
The man brimming with surprise wasn’t anyone else, but Qin Silang, who had recently become the talk of Suzhou City.
Qin Silang jumped down from his carriage, clad in a blue brocade robe, his demeanor graceful and striking.
Not waiting for the servant to open the umbrella, he dashed under the eaves where Ran Yan was sheltering from the rain, and, with a beaming smile, said to Ran Yan, “We truly are fated!”
Facing what seemed like a flirtatious remark, Ran Yan remained silent, merely giving him a slight bow as a form of greeting.
“The carriage was speeding, and it splashed water on you, Wife.
It truly is my fault.” Qin Musheng bowed deeply, his apology utterly sincere.
Wan Lu hadn’t expected it to be him, and stunned by the sudden encounter as well as the grudge of a slap from their last encounter, she felt an underlying displeasure and thus remained silent too.
“It’s no trouble.” Ran Yan spoke indifferently.
Qin Musheng, seeing the faint outlines of her face beneath the mask, and reminded of the dazzling moment from a few days earlier, felt an intense itch in his heart, almost wishing he could toss away the obstructing mask.
However, knowing his frivolous behavior had angered Ran Yan before, he knew he had to restrain himself this time.
With that thought, he gently said, “I heard you were recuperating at the villa, and was planning to visit you.
It’s fortunate to encounter you here.
Are you feeling better now?”
“Quite well, you needn’t worry, Mr.
Qin.” Ran Yan’s tone was perfunctory.
Qin Musheng was utterly unperturbed by Ran Yan’s indifference.
His attitude towards women was entirely determined by their appearance.
Generally, he wouldn’t trouble any lady with a bit of beauty.
Previously, when he was infatuated with Qi Liuniang, he allowed himself to be trampled upon, so this slight coldness from a beauty like Ran Yan truly meant nothing to him.
“Yesterday, my family accepted the symbolic wild goose; our marriage is now settled.” Thinking of this, Qin Musheng felt elated.
Ran Yan’s coldness didn’t matter; there was plenty of time to slowly train her in the future.
The most important part of the engagement was the gifting of the wild goose.
The male’s family sends a representative with a goose as a gift to the female’s family.
As geese are migratory birds that move north and south with the seasons and mate for life—never seeking another partner if one dies—the gesture symbolizes unchanging loyalty.
Wan Lu looked at Qin Musheng in shock.
She knew that following the engagement, the process would lead to asking for the bride’s family approval, then setting an auspicious date, and finally the wedding day would be firmly set.
The entire process, at a normal pace, would take just one or two months!
Wan Lu had always hoped her mistress would find a decent man, not marry such a libertine.
The news now hitting all at once left her somewhat disoriented.
Ran Yan’s hand hidden in her sleeve clenched tightly.
Her father had really just married her off so casually.
What kind of person was Qin Musheng?
Ran Yan didn’t believe her father knew nothing about him.
What exactly had the Qin family offered to make him so eager to sell his daughter?
Qin Musheng, watching the graceful outline of her body beneath the mask, felt a scratching irritation in his heart, strongly resisting the urge to remove the annoying obstruction, “In a few days, it’s Qixi Festival.
I was hoping to invite you to join me by the Pingjiang River to enjoy the lanterns.
Would you honor me with your company?”
“Recently, there have been many rumors about you around town.
It might be best not to draw too much attention before these rumors are clarified.
I would prefer not to become the subject of idle gossip.” Ran Yan tactfully declined, also probing for any useful information.
Moreover, now was not the time to sever ties with Qin Musheng.
Ran Yan could only endure, even though the matter seemed pressing.
She wasn’t too anxious and would sabotage the arrangement as much as possible.
If sabotage proved impossible, she would use medicine to cause some trouble for Qin Musheng.
In the Tang Dynasty, one could divorce after marriage, and remarried women weren’t a big deal.
But she couldn’t stand that her marriage news always came from others!
“Wife, don’t believe the nonsense others say.
My punches could never have killed Han Shan—he was doomed to a short life; it wasn’t my fault.” When this topic arose, Qin Musheng felt a surge of anger, though not at all guilty, since he hadn’t killed the man.
Seeing his father’s stern face recently had left him walking on eggshells, even reluctant to eat more.
Fortunately, his father was always clear about separating personal grievances from family strategies; he was quite firm about the marriage alliance with the Ran family.
Seeing that Ran Yan was silent like stagnant water, Qin Musheng quickly suppressed his anger and softly tended to her with warm inquiries.
The rain outside gradually lessened, yet there was still no sign of Sang Chen.
Ran Yan, standing with Qin Musheng, felt an excruciating anxiety.
Thus, she said, “I still have things to do.
You’d better attend to your own business; I won’t hold you up any longer.
Farewell.”
