Chapter 105 – Value
Ran Yan knew that Sang Chen didn’t dare to ask for marriage just because he was from a big clan. He didn’t even think of himself as a member of the Cui family. Since that was the case, Ran Yan really wanted to grab him by the collar and asked him aloud what his scatterbrained head was thinking.
“That b*stard!” Ran Yan held her breath in her chest and couldn’t help saying: “He can’t send anything else but inkstones! With ten inkstones, he came here to ask for marriage. What does he think I am?!”
No one present understood what ‘b*stard’ meant but they saw that Ran Yan was displeased.
Ran Yunsheng thought that Ran Yan was complaining about Sang Chen’s negligence and hurriedly explained, “Mr. Sang’s hand-made Chengni inkstone has a good market value. In Chang’an City, it sells for several thousand pieces. In ten directions, Chengni inkstone only serves as a greeting gift. It’s very valuable.”
Xing Niang and the others were stunned by Ran Yunsheng’s words. When they recovered from their shock, they couldn’t help being overjoyed.
Xing Niang said happily, “My lord, have you ever agreed to this? This old servant has seen that Mr. Sang’s character and appearance are both good. I originally thought that his background wasn’t bad, but I didn’t expect him to be the son of the sixth wife of the Cui family. We must make the best out of it.”
Wan Lu and Xing Niang asked Ran Yunsheng all sorts of questions, and even Ge Lan approached him cheerfully, ignoring the ashen-faced Ran Yan.
Ran Yan wanted to vomit blood when she thought of spending the rest of her life with such a person. If they were to spend the rest of their lives together, her life would become short by a few years.
“First Uncle wasn’t in a hurry to agree.” Ran Yunsheng said.
Xing Niang, Wan Lu, and Ge Lan were all stunned. The Cui Clan of Boling1Noble descent! Even Ran Yan was a bit surprised. Ran Wen2Ran Yan’s father wouldn’t say no unless he was crazy.
Xing Niang frowned, “Could it be that this gentleman is partial that he wants to marry the Eighteenth Young Miss3Ran Yan’s stepsister, Meiyu of the Ran clan?”
Ran Yan suddenly regained her spirits. She didn’t expect that Sang Chen’s sloppy and cowardly act would actually be done very neatly. But only having met a couple of times, and yet, he had dared to beg for marriage alone. The more she thought about it, the more Ran Yan felt that there was no way to communicate with a fourth-dimensional person like him, and all kinds of images continuously flashed in her mind. The way he would want to talk, the way he wanted to stop talking, the way he appeared innocent, obedient, and didn’t listen to the point at all…
Ran Yan was sitting on pins and needles; frowning, she asked, “Where is he now?”
Ran Yan thought about it and felt that she had never given him any misleading ambiguity. She didn’t know what was wrong with this rabbit that he would run to propose marriage. She really wanted to ask immediately. What was wrong? Because she would definitely feel troubled in the future. She would have to make a change, change her mind, and be a new person!
Ran Yan has never been so calm before. Previously, in the worst-case scenario, if she were to marry that Qin boy4Qin Musheng, she would use the poison to put an end to him. But she probably couldn’t hold back this time; she was afraid that one day, she would become furious at Sang Chen and would really kill him and divide his body.
At the beginning of the night, in the city of Suzhou.
At this time, the Ran clan’s mansion was brightly lit. Ran Wen learned about Sang Chen’s identity from Ran Pingyu and was overjoyed, so he insisted on leaving him to attend the feast.
The silk and bamboo were melodious, and the cups and chips were intertwined during the banquet. Almost everyone in the Ran family had arrived, and the room was full of people. Ran Wen felt he lost face for Ran Yan’s profession as a coroner and was embarrassed to speak in front of the clan elders. The Boling’s Cui clan’s sudden marriage proposal rendered him both surprised and elated, so he naturally wanted to publicize it. Ran Wen tried his best to hide the ecstasy in his heart, turned his head, and nodded slightly towards Sang Chen.
Sang Chen immediately bowed his head in return. This kind of politeness has given Ran Wen more face-saving. He really wanted to take Sang Chen to the authorities immediately to set up a marriage certificate, but for the sake of the Ran clan’s dignity, this matter has to be seriously and critically “discussed” to show that their family was also very reserved. To embody the people in higher social class, he took the matter with the Cui clan of Boling very lightly.
Compared with Ran Wen, Madam Gao’s smile was more amiable. She greeted Sang Chen with bows, and she didn’t feel anxious at all because the other party was a big family. She has treated Ran Yan so poorly over the years. If Ran Yan really married the Boling’s Cui family, would it benefit her? This was something to really consider about.
“Mr. Sang Chen is such a person who can settle on at my family’s Ah Yan. It is really her good fortune. Tomorrow morning I will send someone to Yingmei Nunnery to ask her what she thinks. I want to come with Mr. Sang Chen, who is a pillar of talent and has only appeared in a hundred years. Ah Yan will also be happy, but Ah Yan’s life is at stake, and as a father, I can’t do everything for her… I also ask Mr. Sang to forgive me…” Ran Wen only praised Sang Chen for his talents, but not without mentioning the Cui family of Boling, he clearly expressed to him in his words: I like you very much, definitely not because your family is big.
Sang Chen solemnly bowed his hands and said, “What you are saying is that you should ask Seventeeth Miss Ran about such a big event. This boy comes from a humble background, his family is poor, and he has no official or semi-official position. I am really ashamed to be considered by you.”
Sang Chen blushed with embarrassment. He really used up all the courage he had in the previous half of his life when he came here today.
Ran Wen was stunned for a moment, and immediately felt that Sang Chen must be self-effacing, and he didn’t take his words to heart at all, “Mr. Sang Chen has been number one in his secondary education several times.”
The people next to him agreed, “Exactly, exactly.”
Sang Chen greeted everyone with courtesy, “You flatter me.”
Ran Wen stroked his beard with a smile, looked at Sang Chen, and seemed to be saying, ‘Young man, you can really act.’
Ran Pingyu sat at the top right, slowly tasting the wine. In the Tang Dynasty, in festive activities, the left was the most important, and in condolences and funerals, the right was respected. Of course, in such cases, the upper right was also an excellent place. He was a year-round merchant. Although he was occupying this position at the table, he was aware that these people from the same family were just engrossed in the money in his hands, and they were looking down on him, so he rarely spoke unless it was necessary, because he was from the Ran family. The shame of the family was also one of their pillars.
From Ran Pingyu’s knowledgeable eyes, he always felt that Sang Chen’s words were not just modest, but the people who came from the aristocratic family did very well on the surface, and Ran Pingyu didn’t dare to judge for a while. He seemed to be kind and loyal, and it wasn’t a bad thing for Ah Yan to marry him.
Thinking like this, Ran Pingyu didn’t go to test it. After today, there were other opportunities to assess, so why bother making his elder brother unhappy.
Here, they were delighted, and the conversation was very pleasant. Ran Yan, who was halfway up the mountain outside the city, was about to run away.
“Tenth Brother, I…” Ran Yan just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by Ran Yunsheng, “Ah Yan, Tenth Brother can see that you have no affection for Mr. Sang Chen, but I have to tell you honestly as your brother. Sang Chen… This gentleman has such a family background, is such a talented person, and he keeps himself clean. He is not like those noble children who are either promiscuous or enjoy those cock-fights and dog-racing games. There is no one to worry about. Look at that Qin boy! Mr. Sang Chen is a really good man who is hard to find, you must not be willful in this matter, and you must cherish the people in front of you.”
Ran Yan’s irritability has eased a lot. She sat on the porch and watched Xing Niang wipe her tears with joy. Ge Lan and Wan Lu stared at her with gleaming eyes. Even Xiao Man was elated… So Ran Yan couldn’t help but think: Could it be that she couldn’t get married in her previous life because her requirements were too harsh?
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