NOVPUB41: Chapter 30 Hide and Seek_2
41 -30 Hide and Seek_2
“Is this Ran Shiqi?” Lady Ling looked Ran Yan up and down in surprise, then stood up and made a gesture of support by pulling on her hand to help her up, “Let auntie have a good look at you, after not seeing you for two years, Shiqi has grown so beautifully, it’s captivating!”
Lady Ling was still quite young, roughly around thirty-five, extremely well-preserved with delicate facial features and smartness shining through her eyes, unlike Yin Miaomiao who was purely gentle.
“Auntie flatters me,” Ran Yan also went along with her words and changed her address to auntie.
“It seems like Qi Six’s position as the number one beauty may be in danger now!” someone joked half-seriously.
Lady Ling knew that Qi Six’s mother, Lady Ping, was always proud of her daughter’s beauty and was not an easy person to get along with.
Given that it was the Yin family’s tea party today, despite her dislike for Lady Ping, she still felt compelled to mediate, “How could it be unstable?
Even if Shiqi is beautiful, the charm of Qi Six has not diminished in the slightest.”
Without waiting for anyone to reply, she swiftly changed the subject, “This year, there are many young talents coming over.
We are going to compete in tea-making with them today, and all the unmarried ladies should seize the opportunity!”
The moment Lady Ling said this, it immediately stirred up tremendous excitement among the ladies and wives present.
What maiden does not harbor romantic feelings?
What mother-in-law does not wish to pick a son-in-law who is talented, powerful, wealthy, and handsome?
Thus, the discussion about Ran Yan and Qi Six’s beauty was set aside for the moment as they all started to inquire about the young talents.
Ran Yan seemed disinterested, instead, she was more curious about the tea set in front of her.
She recalled that the original hostess was able to brew tea, taught by Mrs.
Xing, although Ran Yan did not know how skilled she was.
As she was absorbed in the tea set, she suddenly felt a gaze lingering on her.
Ran Yan looked up and saw a lady across from her wearing a dark red blouse.
It seemed the lady hadn’t expected Ran Yan to be so alert as she paused briefly before shifting her gaze away indifferently.
Ran Yan did not recognize her, but guessed that she must be Qi Six’s mother, Lady Ping, because while the other ladies were asking about the young talents, she appeared somewhat disdainful, probably content in the belief that her daughter’s standout beauty would surely secure a good match.
“My Lady,” a maid approached Lady Ling and whispered something in her ear.
Lady Ling hesitated for a moment before announcing, “They are asking to move the event from the front hall to the pavilion in the garden, which is just separated from this place by a row of Osmanthus pergolas.
Does anyone object?”
There was a moment of silence, but it was clear that there were no objections, and some unmarried ladies were already flushed with anticipation.
“Coming over is okay, but we can’t agree too easily,” Qi Yuxiu said with a sly smile.
The ladies urged her, “Quick, tell us, do you have any interesting ideas?”
Qi Yuxiu seemed to enjoy the attention from everyone, but considering that there were many Noble Ladies present, she knew how to conduct herself and suggested, “How could I alone come up with an interesting method?
Why don’t we think of something together?”
“Poetry contest?” Yan Fangfei suggested.
“Poetry is too boring, plus, they are all well-versed in literature, way above us by miles, no challenge at all,” Qi Yuxiu immediately opposed.
That was indeed the case, those people were full of scholarly knowledge, doing that would be no different from simply agreeing.
If a poetry contest wouldn’t work, then tea-making, chess, and painting probably wouldn’t be very interesting either.
“Miaomiao, do you have any good ideas?” Yin Miaomiao asked.
Ideas?
Ran Yan thought to herself, play dissecting corpses?
Apart from that, she couldn’t think of anything else and thus replied, “I have lived alone for a long time, so I’m not familiar with such things, Miaomiao, please don’t make it difficult for me.”
“I’ve come up with something interesting,” Yin Miaomiao said warmly and gently, “I’ll have my six maids hide, and let them go find them.
After all six are found, they can then move on to the garden, how about that?”
Ran Yan glanced at Yin Miaomiao and thought, looks can be deceiving, this woman, who appeared so gentle and virtuous, could actually be so mischievous and childish.
“This is highly improper,” Lady Ling was the first to object, glaring at Yin Miaomiao, and lightly reprimanded, “It’s absurd.”
Yan Fangfei smiled and said, “Lady, please do not be angry, I think it’s not a bad idea at all.
We could write poetry as clues to give them directions, and only allow unmarried men to search, which would be interesting and not seem unrefined.”
This suggestion immediately won approval from everyone.
What they had orchestrated was essentially riddles combined with hide and seek, and Ran Yan found it quite interesting.
When she was a child, both of her parents were busy with their careers, and Ran Yan was raised by her grandparents.
Her grandfather was a professor at the Medical College; when others were playing hide and seek, she was already adept at dissecting frogs and white mice.
Unfortunately, they were the ones posing the questions, there was no need to hide, and they had added the complication of poetry.
For someone like Ran Yan with poor literary accomplishment, she really couldn’t participate much. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Luckily, the original host had some talent and wasn’t at the point of not understanding poetry.
Yin Miaomiao instructed her maids for a while, and the game of hide and seek officially began.
After posing the questions, a group of ladies began to discuss the gentlemen who had come today.
Ran Yan was admiring the surrounding scenery when Yan Fangfei proactively came to sit beside her, asking, “Why not go over and chat?”
“I haven’t talked with people for a long time and don’t know what to say,” Ran Yan replied, with a faint smile.
Yan Fangfei was momentarily stunned, then smilingly said, “You seem rather aloof, I had thought you were like her, but now I find you’re much more approachable.”
Yan Fangfei raised her eyebrows towards a direction; Ran Yan didn’t need to look to know that Qi Liuniang was sitting there, “It seems you don’t really like her.”
“It’s not just that I don’t like her, I feel uncomfortable even at the sight of her,” Yan Fangfei snorted.
Yan Fangfei gave the impression of being a well-educated and sensible lady of a prominent family, it was unexpected that she would speak so bluntly and without reservation, but Ran Yan didn’t find her disagreeable.
“Just now, Miaomiao mentioned she hid two maids in the garden, everyone else has gone to peek, shall we go take a look as well?” Yan Fangfei suggested.
Since Ran Yan found it dull to stay here as well, she accepted the invitation.
Ever since Wan Lu had entered the Yin household, like the other maids, she didn’t talk much and just followed Ran Yan closely.
