"Hmm, thank you," Ran Yan replied.

In comparison to medical matters, Ge Lan appeared to be more interested and adept at handling interpersonal relationships. Ran Yan was very aware of her own shortcomings; sometimes she felt more like a work machine, only truly effective when engaging in her forensic work, beyond which she considered herself essentially disabled in other areas.

Therefore, while Ran Yan made an effort to learn social interaction, she also focused on cultivating Ge Lan, often having the old butler take her out to broaden her experiences. As a result, Ge Lan was now even more calm and competent than she had been in Suzhou.

"It's hard to believe, even Doctor Liu has gotten married," Wan Lu sighed. Though this marriage had been arranged long ago, for some reason, Wan Lu always felt that Liu Qingsong seemed like someone who might end up alone.

Ran Yan and Ge Lan chuckled. Ge Lan, having other matters to tend to, excused herself and left.

Wan Lu, carrying a small bowl, went from one child to the next, feeding them fruit puree.

The puree was generally made from fruits that were mild in nature and taste, but today it seemed a bit too sour. Xiao Song's eldest grimaced intensely from the sourness, but after overcoming it, he eagerly watched Wan Lu's movements, waiting for her to continue feeding him.

Xiao Song's second child particularly disliked the puree - each spoonful felt like a life-threatening ordeal to him. He staunchly refused to take another bite, but Wan Lu also often fed them eggs... This left him in a dilemma about whether to eat or not whenever a spoonful was brought to him.

The spoon in Wan Lu's hand paused at Xiao Song's second child's lips, and Xiao Song's eldest, unable to wait any longer, crawled over and opened his mouth to eat it.

Xiao Song's second child, guessing everyone loved eggs, saw how eagerly his older brother ate and became anxious. As Wan Lu delivered the second spoonful, he hurriedly took it into his mouth. As soon as he tasted it, he stiffened slightly, his eyes squinted from sourness, and then he began to spit it out.

Ran Yan, while feeding Ruoruo, couldn't help but chuckle at the actions of the two boys.

Despite her lively and active nature, Wan Lu was truly impeccable in her caretaking of the children, managing to entertain them effortlessly even when handling three at a time.

"Wife, shall we take the young master and young mistress out tomorrow?" Wan Lu asked.

"No, there will be too much chaos at the wedding, and the firecrackers and such could scare them," Ran Yan felt it was not good to suddenly introduce children to such a noisy and unfamiliar environment, especially given the recent unrest.

After playing with the children all day, by evening, Ran Yan went to the front courtyard and summoned the household managers, instructing them on internal and external affairs of the residence, primarily arranging security measures.

Last time Xiao Song was in danger, and despite being a resourceful man, even he couldn't remain absolutely calm; these three children had no ability to protect themselves. If anything happened, Ran Yan knew she would be devastated, so prevention was essential.

After settling everything, the sky had already darkened.

As the deadline for solving the case approached, the government offices were as restless as ants on a hot pan. Xiao Song had long since sent word that he would be working all night on the case and wouldn't be coming home. After putting the children to bed, Ran Yan bathed and rested early.

The next morning,

when Ran Yan woke up, Xiao Song had still not returned. After dressing and grooming, she went to Ran Residence to see Ran Yun, planning to return to Liu Qingsong's Residence to attend the ceremony after noon.

Liu Qingsong's residence was in the same district as Ran Yan's, separated only by a street, so returning home at night wouldn't be a rush.

To prevent what happened last time, Ran Yan also brought more than twenty guards with her this time.

Since Wan Lu and Ge Lan both had other issues to attend to, Ran Yan took two newly trained maids.

The Ran Residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and streamers, radiating a festive atmosphere. Taking advantage of the cool morning, everything was prepared smoothly.

Though Ran Pingyu's wealth couldn't rank among the top in Chang'an, he was certainly rich, a fact evident from Ran Yun's wedding. Nearly every room in the yard held six or eight blocks of ice, and ice filled the sedan chairs and corridors, changing every hour, leaving a trail of cool air.

Thus, marrying in summer presented no difficulties.

Guided by the maids, Ran Yan arrived at Ran Yun's bridal chamber.

"Lady, Wife, Lady Xiang Liang is here," a maid reported from outside the door.

The woman attending to Ran Yun's hair quickly set down the comb and came out, "Seventeen, please come in."

"Aunt," Ran Yan moved to greet her but was promptly steadied by her, "That won't do! Now that you are a conferred lady, how can you bow to a commoner?"

"Uncle, my aunt is my elder and benefactor, our affection is beyond ordinary, so private matters need not regard rank," Ran Yan said as they entered the room together.

Smiling gently and patting Ran Yan's hand, she took a moment to look her over, "Ever since becoming a mother, Seventeen truly seems to have grown up."

She remembered the first time she met Ran Yan; finding her somewhat haughty, and although very polite, her behavior was inevitably a bit stiff. Added to that, the influence of Meiyu's antagonism made her dislike Ran Yan. But now, Ran Yan seemed much softer and had become more articulate.

"Seventeen, Sister!" Ran Yun, still dressed in her ivory sheer dress and her black hair wet, cascading down her back, ran over barefoot.

"Crazy girl, you're about to be a wife, yet you're still so unruly!" she scolded lightly.

Ran Yun laughed, "It's because you spoiled me."

"And now you talk back!" she pretended to strike her.

Ran Yun shrank back, pulling Ran Yan along, "Now I can visit the three little ones every day, they really like me!"

"Good," Ran Yan smiled faintly, "if you're willing to sacrifice your time making money to be with them, I'm certainly happy."

Ran Yun's eyes widened, "It's been a while since I've seen you, Seventeen Sister, you have even started making jokes and smiling! Just the other day Qingsong told me you seemed to have a poker face." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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