NOVPUB35: Chapter 29 Uninvited
35 -29 Uninvited
Ran Yan sat back on her armchair, carefully picking up the two indenture contracts to examine them, all the while keeping an eye on the expressions of Lady Liu and Zhou Sanlang.
Zhou Sanlang, seeing Ran Yan truly intended to keep the indenture contracts, had his eyes slightly reddened, his jaws clamped tightly, stubbornly holding back the tears from falling, while Lady Liu sat upright and calm, her face not betraying any hint.
For this mother and son who seemed to come from a notable background, if Ran Yan really wanted to win their hearts, she naturally could not treat them as mere slaves.
“These indenture contracts…” Ran Yan looked for a while before murmuring, pulling out one of them and returning it to Lady Liu.
Her delicate, fair fingers pressing against the yellowed paper carried an indescribable grace yet tightly gripped the hearts of the two opposite.
Ran Yan did not rush to explain, her calm gaze slightly cold as it fell on Zhou Sanlang, “Have you read books?”
Zhou Sanlang was stunned for a moment, raising his eyes to look at Ran Yan.
The beautiful lady’s face bore an unapproachable expression, not asking lightly, yet he felt a deep familiarity, the memory of that day faintly surfacing in his mind when she had said to him, “If you are tired, sleep a bit longer.”
“Sanlang is not familiar with the rituals, I ask the Wife for forgiveness, ” Lady Liu, seeing her son not speaking, intervened to smooth things over and turned to scold, “Sanlang, are you not going to answer the Wife?
”
Zhou Sanlang lowered his eyes and responded in a clear voice, “Previously at home, I have read the ‘Historical Records,’ ‘Zuo Zhuan,’ ‘Classic of Filial Piety,’ ‘Analects,’ ‘Rites of Zhou,’ ‘Forest of Characters’…”
Indeed quite learned!
Ran Yan did not know whether his reading was cursory or in-depth, but for a twelve- or thirteen-year-old, even cursory reading was quite impressive.
Just a few days ago, she had gone to Meng Hall and there were youths reading the “Thousand Character Classic”!
“Do you truly resign yourself to be my slave?” Ran Yan, already knowing the answer, still asked deliberately.
Zhou Sanlang did not know how to respond.
Before arriving, he had been absolutely unwilling, but after seeing Ran Yan, for some unknown reason, he felt slightly shaken.
Ran Yan did not wait for Zhou Sanlang to reply, pushing the paper in front of him, “I have only saved a life, I will not take advantage of you.
It is enough to keep just one person.
Since I am a woman, it would be convenient for Lady Liu to stay and serve, a mother paying the debt of her son, which I think is not too much.”
Lady Liu instantly understood Ran Yan’s meaning and once again performed a deep bow, “Wife’s great kindness, as a slave I will never forget!”
The slaves were not allowed to take the imperial exams; if Ran Yan truly kept him as a slave, it would mean ruining his future prospects.
And Lady Liu’s use of “slave” was a humble self-reference used by women of the Tang Dynasty, not implying actual servitude.
And knowing this, yet still bringing her son, showed Lady Liu’s integrity.
“Six years.” Ran Yan looked at Zhou Sanlang, her vermilion lips slightly parting to whisper these two words.
Zhou Sanlang furrowed his brows, his face full of confusion.
Ran Yan continued, “I give you six years, you can choose the imperial exams, go into business, whatever livelihood.
If you make a name for yourself, I will return your mother’s indenture contract.
If not, your mother will have to remain my Ran Shiqi’s slave for life.
You have no objections, right?”
A twelve- or thirteen-year-old might seem like an innocent child by modern standards, but in ancient times, that was not considered young, and he would have already been eligible to participate in the imperial exams.
Zhou Sanlang’s tightly pressed lips gradually relaxed, responding earnestly, “Agreed!”
“You may go back first.
I have some things to discuss with your mother.” Ran Yan spoke indifferently.
She was not truly concerned about Zhou Sanlang’s future; this was just a convenient gesture.
If in the future he really made something of himself, he might prove useful, and there was no loss in any case.
And even if Zhou Sanlang achieved nothing later, Ran Yan had no intention to keep Lady Liu as a servant forever; she merely lacked manpower now, and Lady Liu seemed a suitable option. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Lady Liu watched Zhou Sanlang leave, then performed another serious deep bow to Ran Yan, “No thanks needed for such great kindness, as a slave I will do my utmost to serve the Wife!”
Lady Liu lay prostrate on the ground, the silence stretching long.
She felt a sudden increase in light, instinctively looked up.
Then she saw, Ran Yan was folding the indenture contract into a strip, slipping it into a small square lamp beside her.
When taken out, the flame had already caught the indenture contract.
Lady Liu watched in shock, the firelight illuminating Ran Yan’s calm eyes, dark as tranquil pools, until it all turned to ash, swept by the wind into the rain, before she heard her cold voice, “I do not seek recompense for my kindness, but my current situation is not good, and I need a suitable person to help me.
This indenture contract is hereby nullified, and here, Ran Shiqi asks for Lady Liu’s assistance.”
