Ruan Bei was eating in the Ran family's dining room.
Aunt Feng, the nanny, was a superb cook. Even ordinary home-cooked dishes were made to be delicious. Ruan Bei ate two large bowls of rice, and Shu's mother, who was eating with him, also served him a bowl of soup.
Lotus root is at its sweetest and most delicious this season. As Ruan Bei sipped his lotus root and pork rib soup, his mother kept pressing him for details about his relationship with Ran Yusheng.
As for the owner of this house, Madam Ran was content with just a little affection.
With Ruan Bei's help, and her extraordinary sensitivity to her lover, she has become able to sense Mr. Ran's presence.
For ordinary people, ghosts are invisible and intangible.
Just like when Ruan Bei and Ran Yusheng first met, several girls holding umbrellas walked past Ran Yusheng, and they only felt a chill.
It was through these subtle differences in temperature that Madam Ran carefully touched and sensed her lover's presence.
The two sat together, and Madam Ran spoke softly. Her hands were resting on her knees, and her palms were cool. She knew that they were her lover's hands covering hers.
Sometimes, when she feels a slight coolness on her face or head, like a gentle breeze, she smiles with her lips pursed.
Although she received no reply and could not see her lover, she was content just knowing that he was by her side.
Even if it was just the ghost of her lover, it easily soothed Madam Ran's broken mental world.
Ruan Bei originally thought that he, being the only one with the ability to see ghosts, would become the two's messenger. In reality, he only helped explain at the beginning, and then the couple went off to have their private conversation, so they didn't need him at all.
It's not as miraculous as telepathy; they've simply devised their own unique communication techniques.
For example, tapping the palm means agreeing, swiping twice means disagreeing, kissing the eye means I'm looking at you, and hooking the pinky finger means I miss you.
Ruan Bei felt a pang of jealousy watching this. If it weren't for the fact that it was a human and a ghost, the scene would look exactly like a couple playing a romantic game.
So he calmly abandoned them, went to soothe his rumbling stomach, and had lunch at the Ran family's house.
It seems that Mrs. Shu has a habit of feeding people. As soon as Ruan Bei put down his bowl, she busied herself cutting up a fruit platter and bringing it over for Ruan Bei to eat.
"Xiao Bei, you eat."
After what happened before, and confirming that Ruan Bei was not a fraudster but genuinely helping their son-in-law, Shu's mother became extremely enthusiastic towards Ruan Bei.
“Our young lady is afraid of pain and refuses to have children. Otherwise, the young master or young lady would be your age by now. I was thinking of helping the young lady take care of her children back then, what a pity.”
The old lady had a lot to say, and she talked on and on about the relationship between her son-in-law and daughter to Ruan Bei.
More than 20 years ago, Ran Yusheng was a student who came from a poor mountain village. He had nothing but a good-looking face and a smart brain.
Even achievements that were once a source of pride in their hometown faded into obscurity in the big city, leaving them with nothing particularly outstanding.
Ran Yusheng was a born ambitious man. He was precocious and far more intelligent than his peers, which is why he seized the only opportunity to leave the mountains, studied hard, and then flew out of the mountains.
After leaving the mountains, he realized how insignificant he was. Even though he was confident in his intelligence, he was a poor student with no resources and struggling to make ends meet. He was far from being able to stand out from the crowd.
So he chose a shortcut: to marry a wife who would allow him to avoid twenty years of hard work.
"Master has sharp eyes; he saw through his dishonesty long ago."
Madam Shu clapped her hands and said, "But Miss likes it. She's overjoyed. She can be happy for half a day just to receive a dried flower. Master can't bear to part with it."
“Our young lady is pitiful. She lost her mother at birth. The master was afraid that she would suffer in the future, so he talked to her. I don’t know what he said, but the master stopped stopping them.”
"I was scared back then. Those poor guys are wicked. They make their fortune off women's money while harboring resentment and feeling like they've lost face and been wronged. Once he becomes successful, will my young lady get away with it?"
“I went to the master and said that this would not do. Although I am just a servant, I love Miss like my own child and I cannot watch her jump into a fire pit.”
"Guess what the master said to me?"
Ruan Bei shook his head hurriedly. He was engrossed in the story and found it both exciting and captivating. He had always thought that Mr. Ran's love was pure and innocent, and that he pursued Mrs. Ran out of love. He never expected there to be such a hidden story.
He kept turning his head to look towards the living room, afraid that the person involved might come over halfway through the conversation.
“Master said… Although this young man is scheming, his feelings for Miss are genuine. Sincerity cannot be faked. A man’s true feelings for a woman can always be revealed in his behavior.”
Just as his father-in-law had predicted, Mr. Ran gradually realized his own feelings and fell in love with his wife, though he didn't know when it started.
Love arises without warning, and deepens with time.
From then on, it became difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and what was false became true. Years later, when we talked about it again, we could regard it as a different kind of fate.
"pity……"
After listening, Ruan Bei was first moved by the somewhat story-like love story, and then couldn't help but sigh.
Mrs. Shu sighed as well, "Yes, it's a pity. The son-in-law is a good man."
Regardless of how outsiders judge Ran Yusheng, in her eyes, anyone who treats her young lady well is a good person.
Perhaps because she didn't want to talk about these unhappy things and ruin her mood, Shu's mother then asked about Ruan Bei's situation. At her age, she naturally liked to inquire about such things.
Ruan Bei picked out the things he could talk about and, when he heard that his family ran a snack shop, he excitedly said that he wanted to go and try his father's cooking.
He also said he wanted to visit Ruan's parents to see what kind of parents could have given birth to such a handsome, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man.
This wasn't Ruan Bei being narcissistic; it was Shu's mother praising him. Ruan Bei blushed deeply upon hearing it, as he rarely encountered such a direct form of praise.
However, Ruan Bei dared not let his family know that he could see ghosts; they could only worry helplessly as they couldn't help him.
As soon as he revealed this meaning, Shu's mother understood and quickly covered her mouth, saying, "I know, I know, I definitely won't tell."
Then he praised Ruan Bei: "Xiao Bei is such a good child, so filial."
Perhaps because she had transferred her hopes for the young master and young lady to Ruan Bei, Mrs. Shu became more and more enthusiastic as they talked, and she became more and more amiable towards Ruan Bei.
Ruan Bei was a patient person, and he didn't mind chatting with the old man. He listened attentively to what the old man had to say, and the two of them became more and more compatible.
After chatting for a while, he had eaten most of the fruit in his hand, and Shu's mother urged him to have some snacks.
Ruan Bei dared not eat anymore, and he couldn't stay any longer either. His home was far away, and he could take the bus home alone, which would save money, but he would have to leave early, as the bus stop was still quite far away.
As for Ran Yusheng, he will definitely stay.
He told Ruan Bei that ghosts shouldn't be in contact with people for long periods of time, and Ruan Bei also relayed this to those who were present at the time.
The bodyguards are fine; their workplace isn't at the main residence, and they don't usually come over unless there's a specific reason. Whether Ran Yusheng stays or not won't have much impact on them.
Mrs. Shu said she was old and not afraid, since the house was very big and she could always move to the corner tower.
Madam Ran was adamant about not letting the ghost go. She wished she could be a ghost couple with Ran Yusheng, so she didn't care about this little influence.
Especially after hearing that Ran Yusheng could only stay for less than a week, the reason he didn't go crazy on the spot was because Ran Yusheng was still there.
In this situation, Ruan Beilai, the messenger, also brought the owner back with him.
However, he left his contact information with the Ran family, saying he would be happy to help if they needed anything, but otherwise, he couldn't do anything else.
He went to say goodbye to Ran Yusheng and his wife. Ran Yusheng knew he had to go to school the next day, so he didn't say anything extra to keep him.
Ruan Bei saw him trace a line on Madam Ran's hand with his fingers, make a circle on her wrist, and then make some seemingly repetitive movements.
Everyone was confused, but Madam Ran calmly went upstairs and brought down two bundles of RMB, a card, and a brocade box, which she piled up in front of Ruan Bei.
“Yusheng said you’re out of money. How can our child be short of money? Use this pocket money first. If it’s not enough, just swipe your card. I’ll send you the PIN to your phone in a bit.”
Then the brocade box was opened, and inside was a watch. Just by looking at the sparkling diamonds on the dial, you could tell it wouldn't be cheap.
“This watch was a gift from someone. The style is too youthful. It’s just right for your age.”
Ruan Bei: "..."
No, how did I become a child of the Ran family?
And when you give pocket money, do you give it in bundles?
Ran Yusheng smiled and advised, "Take it. I originally agreed to give you a reward, but after thinking about it again, you helped me not for money. Since we're not talking about money, let's not discuss such mundane things. You call me uncle, so this is your uncle's pocket money for his nephew."
Ruan Bei: "...This is really too much..."
Madam Ran suddenly reached out and pinched his cheek: "So soft and tender, it feels quite nice to touch..."
Ruan Bei covered his face, looking completely bewildered, and looked to Ran Yusheng for help: "Uncle Ran..."
Ran Yusheng was both amused and exasperated. He gently rubbed his wife's fingers together. Mrs. Ran felt the coolness of her fingertips, glanced at him sideways, and then smiled.
“Xiao Bei, if you call Yu Sheng ‘Uncle,’ then you should call me ‘Auntie.’ When I was young, I was afraid of the pain and didn’t dare to have children. Later I regretted it and thought it would be nice to have a child like Yu Sheng.”
"It's a pity there's no chance now, but look at our Xiao Bei, with his handsome little face, he does look a bit like Yu Sheng when he was young, don't you think, Mom?"
Mrs. Shu looked at Ruan Bei carefully and said with a smile, "I think Xiao Bei is more handsome than the young master. Miss, you are blind to beauty and your opinion is biased."
They both laughed, and Madam Ran said, "So be it, Yusheng is the most handsome in my heart."
She confessed her feelings with her eyes crinkled, like a young girl praising her sweetheart, her eyes brimming with innocent love.
Ruan Bei was forced to eat another mouthful of dog food, which was sweet with a strong lemony sourness, and she even suddenly had the idea of finding someone to date.
If he were to fall in love, I don't expect him to be as deeply devoted as the Ran couple, but at the very least, that person should only like him and treat him very well!
A handsome face suddenly appeared in his mind, with a hint of languor in his eyes, and a smile that would suddenly bloom when he looked at him.
Ruan Bei was jolted awake. How could he have such a beastly thought? He quickly shook his head and turned away.
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