Niang = polite word used for women in general; it was being translated as ‘Miss’ .

Xing niang = Miss Xing

Gao niang = Madam Gao = the concubine of Ran Yan’s father; (both ways are used)

Furen = Madam/Mrs . /Lady = the legal wife

Amu = nursemaid/maid

Muqin = mother

Fujun = husband

Nubi = servant

Xiaosi = a young boy servant

Xiaoyatou = a young maid

Fourth Miss Yin = Yin Wanwan

“Miss, Miss . ”

Ran Yan gradually opened her eyes and saw Wan Lu’s worried face; Wan Lu was shaking her incessantly .

“Miss woke up . ” Wan Lu relaxed and dropped to the floor inside the carriage . Her face was a little awkward, and she hanged her eyes while stretching her hand to the small table at the side, reaching for a gla.s.s of water to give to Ran Yan . Seeing her finish drinking, she hesitated to speak out .

Ran Yan frowned and spoke in a hoa.r.s.e voice: “You are now mimicking Sang Chen? If you have something to say, say it, or else you are going to choke yourself to death!”

Ran Yan knew Wan Lu’s temper; she is frank, outspoken, and bold, so this is the first time she was displaying such behavior .

“Did Miss dream about Ge Lan?” Wan Lu cautiously asked .

“En” Ran Yan confirmed .

Wan Lu saw her indifference and calmed down a little . She continued asking: “Has Miss remembered something from the past?”

“Did I ever lose my memory” Ran Yan looked at Wan Lu .

Wan Lu stared at Ran Yan . Only after not finding anything unusual that she was bold enough to say: “It can’t be considered memory loss . Miss still remembers a lot from before, it’s only Fourth Miss Yin and Ge Lan whom you don’t remember . Master had once questioned you in private, but you cried out that your head was hurting and fainted two breaths later . Since then, no one in the Fu dared bring up Fourth Miss Yin and Ge Lan . ”

“I have yet to remember everything . Can you tell me what kind of person Ge Lan was?” Admiration had grown in Ran Yan’s heart towards that loyal and devoted servant, and she didn’t want to forget her .

Wan Lu’s face was filled with sorrow and pity when Ge Lan was mentioned, “She was a calculating person who handled things with a seasoned hand . There were times when she could think about things more thoroughly than Xing niang . Every matter in the courtyard had to be discussed to her and Xing niang before being done . When she was here, she could sometimes even deal with Gao niang . Although our days were difficult, no one bullied us, and we never suffered a shortage of food and clothing . Even the people from the main courtyards respected Miss . ”

Ran Yan was surprised . No wonder that even after being married into their household for many years, it was only until two years ago that Gao niang succeeded in tossing the eyesore di daughter into that village . As is turns out, she originally had a trusted adviser at her side .

She tried to carefully recall the Ge Lan in her dream: she was around seventeen years old, with a beautiful and dignified appearance, “How many years did she spend by my side? And for how many years did she contend with Gao niang for my sake?”

“Furen had two educated amu at her side . One of them was Xing niang, and the other was Ge Lan’s muqin, Yu niang . Yu niang was someone furen let go when she married into the Ran Fu . Afterward, she got seriously ill and pa.s.sed away . Since her pa.s.sing, her family’s days were never the same; they were only a farming family . Their life got harder and harder to the point of being reduced into a state of having no food nor clothes anymore . Her fujun then recalled about the Ran Fu, and willingly sent Ge Lan to be your nubi; you were four at that time, and she was six . ” Wan Lu appeared to be lost in those memories, mumbling: “Nubi was only four and a half that year, so I can’t remember it very well . I heard about all this later on when I was chatting with Ge Lan . ”

Ran Yan silently listened and didn’t interrupt her .

Ran Yan no longer rejected that memory . Wan Lu was very happy, and she had a myriad of words to say; her phoenix eyes curved slightly as she began: “Ge Lan would often laugh at me, saying that I always had a snot hanging in my nose when I was younger, or that I liked to mess up my hair bun, and that I frequently quarreled with the Masters’ xiaosi in the clan school; it definitely was her thinking of ways to vilify me . ”

Ran Yan took a sip of water and smiled, “I’m afraid that what she said is a true story . Even now I can see some traces of you from those years . ”

“Miss is mocking me again . ” Wan Lu curled her lips and didn’t speak again, feeling resentful .

Ran Yan had a rough understanding of the situation after hearing all of what Wan Lu said .

Ge Lan and Wan Lu, both were Ran Yan’s personal maids . Wan Lu is probably the companion Zheng furen picked for her; she was brought up in a servant relation since she was a child and is much more dependable than a servant who was brought mid-way; yet, Ge Lan could be deemed as an unexpected gain .

Zheng furen had pa.s.sed away just two years prior to that time, and the Ran Fu still had many servants whom she had brought along from the Zheng clan of Xingyang . These people were gradually brought over from that great clan, and they were all – more or less – crafty people . Madam Gao spent five years only to get rid of every single one of them .

During these five years, Madame Gao didn’t dare be too presumptuous . Regardless of it being her coaxing to Ran Wen, her facade to the outside or to mislead the servants who came from the Zheng clan of Xingyang, she had to pretend to be a good wife and a loving mother, so her treatment towards Ran Yan had to be one hundred percent more zealous and warmer .

As a result, if Ran Yan wished for a xiaoyatou younger than ten, Madam Gao would definitely take the initiative to properly arrange Ge Lan for her; this was by no means viewed as strange . However, she had never thought that this six-year-old xiaoyatou would actually delay her plans for many years .

“The young Ge Lan was very clever and quick-witted . She obviously disliked Madame Gao . Every time she saw her, her mouth couldn’t be any sweeter, and during the time to serve her tea, the nubis at the side couldn’t understand it and thought she wanted to curry favor with Madame Gao, so they always grabbed her hair bun and scattered it; they did it several times . ” Wan Lu’s voice carried a dull hurt .

Ran Yan dropped her eyes and saw her reflection on the water inside the cup, which swayed along with the carriage’s movement .  Her heart disdained the original owner, but also pitied her . She had so easily [1] forgotten the two most important people in her life – a life that was as insipid as water .

One of them had given her all she had so that she could establish a firm foothold in the Ran Fu, but even her own life she had to hand over in the end . The other was her closest friend for more than ten years, the only one who could bring her joy and trust her; but in the critical moment when she was suffering hards.h.i.+ps and needed her support…

“Indeed, people cannot be weak . ” Ran Yan murmured .

People can be petty, not smart, and cautious, but they must be strong .

If the original owner could have been a bit braver and a bit stronger, perhaps Ge Lan wouldn’t have been taken by the enemy and died . Even if Yin Wanwan couldn’t escape death ultimately, she could have prevented her soul from being so badly hurt and scarred, which led to her suicide as a form of atonement .

Weakness is not a mistake, and Ran Yan didn’t have any blame .

Then, while she tightly held the cup on her hands, her heart spoke, Ge Lan, I’ll help her remember you .

This can be regarded as her (RY now) borrowing her (RY before) body and giving her (RY before) the greatest repayment .

[1] 不費吹灰之力 “As effortless as blowing off dust . ” ↺

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