Miss Truth
Chapter 331 - 207: Unable to Restrain Feelings (1)_2

Chapter 331: Chapter 207: Unable to Restrain Feelings (1)_2

The footsteps outside paused before rapping on the door a few times and then pushing it open.

The wind, carrying snow with it, rushed into the room. Ran Yan couldn’t help but squint her eyes; once she adjusted, she opened them and saw Xiao Song standing inside, covered in snowflakes, with unmistakable joy in his eyes, "Ah Yan."

"Why have you come back?" Ran Yan asked in surprise.

Xiao Song brushed the snowflakes off his body and said casually, "I had just left the Government Office, preparing to handle a case in the east of the city, but because of the heavy snow, I came back to add a piece of clothing. I didn’t expect you to have come."

The excuse was impeccable, with no flaws to be found. However, for some reason, Ran Yan felt he was lying but didn’t expose him. She simply said, "I just came to return the overcoat and to thank you."

"Let’s sit in the hall," Xiao Song suggested.

Ran Yan hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

Xiao Song glanced at the charcoal brazier in the tea room that seemed to have been lit not long ago and asked, "Is it cold?"

"Not too bad," Ran Yan answered truthfully. It was a bit cold at first, but as the charcoal fire in the brazier grew stronger, it got warmer.

"Due to the mansion often being empty and winter having just started, we hadn’t prepared much," Xiao Song said, taking an umbrella handed over by a Servant and opening it for Ran Yan with a smooth gesture.

"Won’t you be delayed by this, risking someone reporting you?" Ran Yan inquired.

Under the umbrella, the two of them were only a fist’s distance apart, but it did not affect Xiao Song’s good mood. He smiled, "It’s almost noon, some officials have gone back to their residences for a meal. There’ll be no problems."

Xiao’s residence was not as grand as imagined, quite similar to that of Ran Pingyu. Covered in heavy snow, only a main path had been cleared. Both sides were thick with untouched blankets of white. Nobody seemed to have tended to it. The further they walked in, the more they saw corners overgrown with wild grass.

Moreover, along the way, they only saw a single Servant. There were many rooms in the residence, but most of their doors were tightly shut, as if they had been unoccupied for a very long time.

Noticing her gaze, Xiao Song explained, "When Father was in Chang’an, he stayed in Yongxing Square. Now that my elder brother and sister-in-law live there, it is inconvenient for me, so I moved out."

Siblings living together, each in their own courtyard—what could be inconvenient about that? Probably it was because he gave off too much of a forbidding aura, making him disliked. Especially since Xiao Song’s elder brother’s wife was the Princess of Xiang City.

The Princess of Xiang City was said to have a very kind nature. She was supposed to live in the Princess Mansion with the Prince Consort, but she believed in following her husband after marriage, so she had the old residence renovated. While being kind was one thing, as someone with an unfortunate fate, she also needed to have some awareness.

"What about Shu Niang?" Ran Yan suddenly remembered the only woman in the Xiao’s residence.

"Hmm..." Xiao Song pondered for a moment, then recounted, "Now that you mention it, I just realized it’s been two or three months since I’ve seen her."

In truth, two or three months ago, she had been sent to Qi State to "catch up" with the old lady.

They entered a concave courtyard; in one corner, there was a two-story pavilion much larger than ordinary pavilions. If one were to go up on the pavilion, they would discover that only a wall separated them from the road outside the residence.

This was Xiao Song’s study. The studies of most officials contained important documents, and perhaps nobody would expect that Xiao Song would set up such an important place by the side of the main road.

Xiao Song casually talked about these things with Ran Yan as he led her into the hall.

As soon as she entered, Ran Yan found that the room was warm, with six or seven brazier already lit, seeming to have been burning only for a short while.

Ran Yan had Wan Lu hand over the overcoat dried yesterday and put it on the table. She then reached into her sleeve pocket, intending to pull out the handkerchief, but after hesitating for a long time, she still didn’t dare to bring it out.

Xiao Song ordered someone to bring in the tea set and stove and, rolling up his sleeves, started to make tea. His movements in making tea were free and easy, with an innate elegance, different from the deliberate refinement of ordinary Confucian scholars.

The bright glow of the fire illuminated his perfect profile. The scholar-official hat had been removed when he first entered, revealing slightly moist jet-black hair, a few strands of which fell and rested on his smooth forehead. As he moved, they swayed slightly, with a drop of water perched on the tip of one, on the verge of falling.

Ge Lan and Wan Lu were both curious—didn’t the Xiao residence have any servants who could make tea? Ge Lan knew how to make tea, but as this was someone else’s residence, it wasn’t her place to take the initiative. So, she simply exchanged a glance with Wan Lu and then lowered her eyes again.

"I noticed you didn’t like adding spices last time," Xiao Song handed a cup of tea to Ran Yan. His slender and powerful hand contrasted with the light brown tea cup, exuding an air of rustic charm. He continued, "I also don’t like to add all sorts of strange things to my tea, so we haven’t got any in stock at the residence."

Ran Yan gave a faint smile, took a sip, and was instantly surprised. Xiao Song’s tea-making skill was no less than those masters specializing in making Gongfu tea from her previous life! It was worth noting that the tea culture in the Tang Dynasty was quite different from that of later times. Generally, people would add spices when brewing tea, and those who only made tea were rare, let alone those who were good at it.

"What do you think?" Xiao Song was beaming with a bright smile, revealing his clean and orderly teeth, making him look very fresh and clean.

"Very good," affected by his smile, Ran Yan also gave a slight smile.

At this moment, a servant’s voice came from outside, "Master, Doctor Liu is asking if you would like to prepare lunch."

What Liu Qingsong actually said was: ask him if he’s inviting the guest to eat, and if so, to inquire whether he’ll charge for the meal.

Since Xiao Song usually dined at the Government Office, the residence only distributed the monthly salary to the staff, and for the consumables, it was Liu Qingsong who paid out of his own pocket. According to him, that was hard-earned money indeed.

"Go ahead and prepare," said Xiao Song.

With a guest present, especially a rare female visitor, the servant naturally didn’t dare to mention the matter of money and simply answered, went down to instruct the kitchen to cook, and thought to bring up the matter of money afterward.

"Thank you for your care of my tenth brother, I won’t take up more of your time," Ran Yan stood up straight and gave a formal bow to Xiao Song.

*****

ps: Dear readers, don’t be surprised about the handkerchief business. In fact, before the Song Dynasty, social etiquette wasn’t so strict. Giving a handkerchief didn’t symbolize "a pledge of love." It was probably more an expression of gratitude, good feeling, or admiration, among other things.

Ran Yan most likely didn’t know about the handkerchief representing a pledge of love. (To be continued. If you like this story, we welcome you to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)