6: Chapter 5 The Cost of a Dou of Rice 6: Chapter 5 The Cost of a Dou of Rice By the third day, Ran Yan had finally woken up.
Ran Yan saw Wan Lu, who was holding a medicine chest, leaning against the edge of the bed, and felt a slight warmth in her heart.
Although she had been unconscious these days, she occasionally had moments of awareness.
It so happened that she had heard the affair where Wan Lu clung to Wu Xiuhe, refusing to let him leave.
Now that her presence in the Great Tang was a settled matter, Ran Yan, seeing the constant looks of worry on Madam Xing and Wan Lu’s faces, also felt guilty.
She made up her mind to stop dwelling on it and live well, as that was the correct thing to do.
Some noisy sounds faintly drifted in from outside.
Ran Yan did not disturb Wan Lu; she silently got up, draped on her clothes, got off the bed, and went to the corridor.
She slipped on her wooden clogs, straightened her clothes, and followed the sounds.
Leaving the courtyard, Ran Yan discovered that the Ran estate’s farmstead was more than just her little courtyard; just outside her courtyard was a large garden.
The flower beds were overgrown with weeds, a sign they were not tended regularly.
Alongside the path, there were several houses, with dark tiles and white walls, very ordinary and not as exquisite as her own courtyard.
As she walked further forward, the exterior noises become crisper.
Among the chaotic sounds, discernible fragments of conversation could be heard, all in the soft language of the Southern region.
Even the men’s voices carried a gentle tone.
Ran Yan, who previously only spoke Mandarin, surprisingly understood the soft, sweet dialect.
“Divine Doctor Wu, you simply must accept this chicken!”
“Divine Doctor Wu, these are our family’s radishes, please don’t disdain them.”
Suddenly, Ran Yan remembered that neither Wan Lu nor Madam Xing had spoken in the Wu dialect.
After thinking carefully, she realized that the Ran clan could trace their lineage back to Ran Yong of the Spring and Autumn Period.
During the Wei Jin Period, a Ran Min emerged, who later established the Ran Wei regime during the Sixteen Kingdoms era.
Ran Yan was a descendant of Ran Yin, the son of Ran Min.
Her clan had lived in Shanxi for many years, before relocating several times, always in the North, and had only recently moved to the Southern region as a family.
Lost in thought, Ran Yan unconsciously arrived at the source of the commotion.
The noise at the entrance ceased abruptly as Ran Yan appeared.
The villagers trying to stuff things into Wu Xiuhe’s hands stared at Ran Yan, forgetting even to move.
In the sunlight, Ran Yan wore a plain flower ruqun that reached her chest, with a loosely draped satin dress over it.
Her black hair cascaded down, her delicate but pale face stark against her dark locks, creating a distinct contrast of black and white.
She was exceedingly beautiful, yet her appearance was like a dark marsh, inadvertently making onlookers’ souls chill.
Seeing Ran Yan, Wu Xiuhe’s wrinkled face brightened up.
He ordered the gatekeeper to quickly accept the items and, after thanking each villager with a bow, turned to scrutinize Ran Yan from top to bottom, “You look somewhat better.”
“With your skilled and benevolent care, you saved my life.
Right now, I have nothing to offer in gratitude, but I will not forget.
In the future, I shall repay you!” Ran Yan knew that Wu Xiuhe was a practical man; speaking heartrending words of thanks would not be as meaningful as giving him a sincere promise.
Wu Xiuhe paused for a moment, then, stroking his beard, his face beamed with a smile, “I have treated you with all my heart and effort for two years.
Heaven does not disappoint those who strive, and now you have finally recovered.”
If it were the former Ran Yan, she would surely have been awed by his sage-like demeanor, but that Ran Yan was no more.
“Wife!” Wan Lu, clutching the medicine chest, rushed out anxiously.
Seeing Ran Yan, she breathed a sigh of relief and chided, “Wife, the South is very different from the North; there are many more rules!
Going outside looking might not be seen favorably by others.”
Ran Yan wanted to say that she had already been seen by others, and not just by one person, but seeing Wan Lu rambling on anxiously, as if the talk would never end, she swallowed her words and bowed her head in a teachable manner.
Seeing her look like a little bride, Wan Lu couldn’t help but giggle, “In the old days, a mere extra word from me, and the Wife would not want to listen, but today you are extraordinarily obedient.”
Ran Yan blinked her eyes; it had been over a decade since anyone had described her that way!
Wan Lu was very pleased to see Ran Yan not as melancholic as before.
Both of them bowed slightly to Wu Xiuhe, and Wan Lu, returning the medicine chest to him, escorted Ran Yan back to the rear courtyard.
Once assured they were alone, Wan Lu confided, “Wife, the hairpin was sold for fifteen taels of silver.
We bought some rice and grain for less than one tael, enough to last us for the better part of a year, and spent two taels on herbs.
They’re all top-grade tonics.” She then made a pained expression, clenched her teeth and said, “I took the initiative to buy some good medicinal herbs for Divine Doctor Wu as a gift; he likes those.”