Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Miss Li glanced at the door and said in a low voice, "You know perfectly well that Xiao Tao isn't sick."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "You and your lover communicate through Xiao Tao, right?"

Miss Li was initially startled, then immediately asked, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Of course it's related, and it's crucial."

Miss Li really couldn't understand what locking Xiao Tao up had to do with testing Wu Lang.

Ruan Wan continued, "I need to contact your Wu Lang in Xiao Tao's place, otherwise I won't have the chance to be alone with him."

Miss Li looked at Ruan Wan with suspicion. "What are you trying to do? You're not trying to seduce Wu Lang, are you?"

Ruan Wan frowned, rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I have a husband."

Miss Li immediately said, "You also have a lover, so you should understand Wu Lang and me. Why are you siding with my father?"

Ruan Wan looked into Miss Li's eyes and asked, "My husband would die for me, would your Wu Lang do the same?"

Miss Li fell silent; she dared not make a judgment on such a momentous matter as life and death.

When and where did you and Wu Lang meet?

Miss Li untied the sachet from her waist. "Just hang this sachet on the bolt of the back door. At dusk, there's a small pond to the west of my house, next to a grove of trees. Wu Lang will be waiting there."

Ruan Wan took the sachet, smelled it, and found it to be a very ordinary sachet, even somewhat crudely made, which did not match the silk and satin worn by Miss Li at all.

Indeed, love can make people blind.

Having obtained the information she wanted, Ruan Wan bid farewell to Master Li, saying, "Miss Li is recovering very quickly. I will come again tonight, and she will be fully recovered."

Master Li said, "Why go through all this trouble? I'll prepare a side room for the divine physician to rest in. There's no need to run back and forth."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "Now that I've cured Miss, I'm leaving Pingjiang Town. I plan to take a stroll around; my husband is still waiting for me in town."

Master Li wanted to send Ruan Wan away in a carriage, but Ruan Wan politely declined.

Watching the Li family's gate close, Ruan Wan went around to the back door, hung up a sachet, and then walked towards the street.

When they returned to the cloth shop, Lou Qianyuan had already taken the measurements. Ruan Wan originally wanted to take Lou Qianyuan to the town for a stroll.

Lou Qianyuan pulled Ruan Wan directly into the fabric shop, where the owner smiled and took Ruan Wan's measurements.

Ruan Wan tried to break free, but Lou Qianyuan held her down. Lou Qianyuan smiled and said, "The boss said we made two sets of clothes, so we'll give you one free."

The boss quickly took the measurements. Ruan Wan wanted to speak, but Lou Qianyuan pulled her away.

After walking a few hundred meters, Ruan Wan broke free from Lou Qianyuan and said, "Did you shamelessly ask the shop owner for these clothes?"

Lou Qianyuan laughed and said, "Bargaining is one thing, isn't it? Didn't you bargain when you bought things in Liuzhou too?"

Ruan Wan asked, "How did you convince her to agree? A piece of clothing isn't cheap."

Lou Qianyuan pushed Ruan Wan forward, saying, "Oh, don't worry about these things. You didn't bring me out just to make clothes, did you?"

Ruan Wan found a teahouse and told Lou Qianyuan about her plan.

Lou Qianyuan cursed, "This man is obviously after the Li family's wealth; he wants to exploit them."

Lou Qianyuan looked at Ruan Wan with a worried expression, "Won't it be dangerous for you to do this?"

"So I brought you here to protect me."

When I left this morning, I told Sister Hongdou that I wouldn't be going home for lunch or dinner today.

At noon, Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan randomly chose a restaurant, ordered some seasonal dishes, and ate a little.

Today wasn't market day, so the streets were still a bit deserted. The only place with a slightly larger crowd was the small theater in town, which was still quite lively.

During the two years that Ruan Wan lived in the Ruan family mansion, Su Ying would invite an opera troupe to her home in the first month of the lunar calendar to hold a banquet for the princes and nobles of the capital.

Although Ruan Wan had never witnessed it before, from the first to the fifteenth of the month, at least five or six opera troupes would be invited, from imperial relatives to guests and friends.

These guests were all entertained in the garden. Although Ruan Wan couldn't go out, she still listened to a lot of their conversations.

Therefore, Ruan Wan has never heard a play since she came into this world.

Since there was still a long time until 7 PM, Ruan Wan simply bought tickets and dragged Lou Qianyuan to see a play.

The theater was very small, with only one stage and a dozen or so chairs underneath, where a few elderly people sat sparsely.

Ruan Wan pulled Lou Qianyuan to find a seat, but the elderly people were so engrossed in watching the show that they didn't even notice the two of them.

In both her past and present lives, Ruan Wan had never seen a play. On the stage, two actors dressed up and sang incessantly.

Ruan Wan couldn't understand a single word. At home, she could understand some of it. The opera troupes in the capital had a style that was somewhat similar to Peking Opera.

Her great-grandmother often played Peking Opera on her radio, and Ruan Wan eventually learned to understand some of it.

Once inside the theater and other entertainment venues, Lou Qianyuan reverted to his playboy ways, squinting his eyes, shaking his head, and tapping his fingers to the beat.

At this moment, all Ruan Wan wanted to do was shove a fan into his hand.

It seems that sending him back to the capital was the right decision.

Ruan Wan nudged Lou Qianyuan and asked in a low voice, "What opera is this? I can't understand a word of it."

Lou Qianyuan, who was listening intently, opened his eyes and laughed, "This is a local opera. There aren't any opera troupes like this in the capital. Some wealthy families would specifically keep such troupes. People who aren't from this area basically can't understand it."

Ruan Wan sneered, "Judging from your expression, you've heard it quite a bit."

Lou Qianyuan immediately explained, "These kinds of places are frequented by powerful and influential families, making it easier to gather information."

Ruan Wan said "Oh" and then asked, "Can you tell me what this song is about?"

Lou Qianyuan moved his chair closer to Ruan Wan, pointed to the old woman dressed as a theatrical character on the left, and said, "This old woman is playing the mother-in-law."

Lou Qianyuan then pointed to the young woman beside him, "This woman in blue is playing the daughter-in-law."

"The story tells of a husband who went to the capital to take the imperial examination. His mother-in-law, believing slanderous rumors, mistakenly accused her daughter-in-law of having an affair. To prove her innocence, the daughter-in-law hanged herself. Later, when her husband returned, he wept bitterly in front of her body, which moved Heaven, and in the end, her spirit returned to life."

Ruan Wan rolled her eyes. If she had known it was such a lame story, she wouldn't have bothered to find out what it was about.

This reminded Ruan Wan of when she got her first mobile phone. Back then, her friend helped her download a few foreign language songs, and the melodies were very nice.

Ruan Wan listened to the songs on repeat for several months. Later, after seeing the lyrics in the lyric book, she could no longer look at those songs the same way.

Ruan Wan couldn't help but complain, "Why does the daughter-in-law have to kill herself to prove her innocence? If the old woman is accusing her of adultery, then let the old woman provide the evidence!"

Lou Qianyuan was immediately confused. "Well, a woman's reputation is especially important. Since ancient times, there have been women who died to uphold their chastity."

Ruan Wan then asked, "Why is a woman's reputation so important? Why doesn't anyone demand that a man have a good reputation?"

Lou Qianyuan immediately replied, "Although I may look like a playboy, I have never been to a brothel, and I don't have any concubines or maids at home. I'm completely innocent."

Ruan Wan rolled her eyes at him. "Who asked you? I was asking about this character in the play. If the wronged daughter-in-law dies, will she definitely be exonerated? What if she's wrongly accused again and commits suicide out of shame? How will she prove her innocence then?"

Ruan Wan then thought of her mother, whose remains were still buried beneath the cliff.

My mother was wrongly accused of having an affair, and my father was away from home. My grandmother did not investigate, but was prepared to use torture to execute my mother, all for the sake of that ridiculous reputation.

Lou Qianyuan was speechless for a moment. This was different from the education he had received since childhood. The sages had said that a woman's reputation was of paramount importance.

But Ruan Wan's words seemed to make sense, and Lou Qianyuan's mind was in a state of confusion at the moment.

Ruan Wan's voice grew louder and louder. The old lady in front of her, who was listening to the opera, turned around and glared at Ruan Wan. "If you're not going to listen to the opera, get out. What are you making all this noise for?"

Ruan Wan immediately fell silent, got up and walked out of the theater, with Lou Qianyuan quickly following her.

Lou Qianyuan was a little confused about what made Ruan Wan angry, so he just followed behind her without daring to speak, afraid of accidentally making her angry again.

As the sounds of the opera faded into the distance, Ruan Wan gradually calmed down. This was the mindset of the times, and no matter how angry she was, she couldn't change it. This was the status of women in this dynasty.

Ruan Wan glanced at the sun; it was only past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), and there was still a long time until evening.

Ruan Wan immediately deflated. Why get angry when you have to buy a ticket to enter a theater? Just treat it like a period drama.

Ruan Wan looked at Lou Qianyuan and asked, "It's still several hours until tonight, where should we go?"

Lou Qianyuan saw that Ruan Wan seemed to have calmed down, and he relaxed as well. He frowned and pondered for a while.

Suddenly remembering something, Lou Qianyuan pulled Ruan Wan and headed towards the east side of the town.

They flagged down an oxcart on the road. Lou Qianyuan asked where they were going, and since it was on the way, he asked his elder brother to give them a ride.

On such a spring day, sitting on an oxcart, feeling the warm sunshine and gentle breeze, Ruan Wan's mood instantly improved.

Ruan Wan asked Lou Qianyuan, "Where are we going?"

Lou Qianyuan still refused to say, "You'll know when we get there."

Seeing Lou Qianyuan's mysterious demeanor, Ruan Wan actually felt a bit of anticipation.

The oxcart traveled slowly for half a day, finally arriving at its destination before sunset.

Ruan Wan also understood why Lou Qianyuan couldn't say it; if she had known beforehand, the impact wouldn't have been so great.

A small grove of peach blossoms was in full bloom, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, which seemed to be carried down by the wind, giving the pink peach blossoms an orange sheen.

The scenery was so beautiful it seemed otherworldly. Ruan Wan beamed with joy as she looked at Lou Qianyuan and asked, "How did you know about this peach blossom grove?"

Lou Qianyuan smiled and said, "Brother Zhang mentioned it briefly during our chat yesterday."

Lou Qianyuan looked at the beautiful scenery before him. Ruan Wan was standing there, naturally blending into the landscape. Even in simple clothes, her beauty could not be concealed.

Lou Qianyuan said, "Wan'er, why don't you dance?"

"Why are you dancing in broad daylight?"

Lou Qianyuan pointed to the setting sun on the horizon and said, "Such a beautiful scene is rare and precious; it would be a shame not to dance with it."

Ruan Wan thought about it and realized it made sense. This scene reminded her of the days when she was alone in the mountains.

Back then, amidst the beautiful scenery in the mountains and forests, we danced freely.

Looking at the peach grove before her, Ruan Wan thought of that dance. She used to dance it often in her previous life, but she hadn't danced it much in this world.

A dance that does not require string and wind instruments.

Lou Qianyuan watched from the side, completely mesmerized. This dance was unlike anything he had ever seen before; its movements were gentle and graceful, unlike any other dance.

On the contrary, it exuded a strong sense of power. Lou Qianyuan felt as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

After a moment of distraction, Lou Qianyuan focused his attention back on Ruan Wan.

Lou Qianyuan was stunned. He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Instead of falling to the ground, the peach blossom petals flew into the air, and the glow of the setting sun condensed into a ribbon that surrounded Ruan Wan.

This peach grove, for Ruan Wan, seemed to be isolated from the real world.

Ruan Wan, however, seemed oblivious to all of this, completely absorbed in her dance.