Miss Truth

Ran Yan’s heart slightly tightened. Sang Chen’s four-dimensional rabbit was stubbornly fierce, and she wouldn’t have been too surprised by anything it did. When she initially went to him, she simply wanted him to clarify his stance with the Cui Family, but she forgot that this rabbit always operated beyond her expectations.

"Wife, the Cui Family is a large clan; they are busy during the New Year, visiting relatives and friends until the tenth day of the new year. They probably won’t cancel their rituals over such a small matter, so rest easy and let’s talk after the New Year," Mrs. Xing’s consoling words were not made up on the fly. The residence of Ran Pingyu alone was bustling with preparations for the New Year, let alone such a large family.

Ran Yan nodded in agreement, as that was the only option.

The time before the New Year seemed to pass both exceptionally quickly and slowly. Xiao Song hadn’t come to see her for two days. Although she wasn’t incessantly worrying, Ran Yan always felt as if something was missing.

"Wife, let’s make some peach charms," Wan Lu suggested when she saw Ran Yan staring blankly at a green plum tree, and brought over two pieces of peach wood.

Peach charms originated from the Zhou Dynasty. They are made by writing the names of "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei" on peach wood boards or drawing the images of these two gods on paper, which are then hung up, inlaid, or pasted on the door to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters.

Ran Yan brought her mind back to the task and asked Wan Lu to grind some ink. Just as she picked up the brush, a cracking sound came from outside, followed by a second and third noise. Ran Yan asked, "What’s happening outside?"

While grinding ink, Wan Lu explained, "Probably Lady Ershi setting off firecrackers."

The firecrackers in the Tang Dynasty were different from those in later generations. They actually set bamboo on fire, which would crackle and burst to drive away mountain ghosts and plague spirits, hence called "firecrackers."

"Wife, do you want to check it out? This morning, Doctor Liu mysteriously brought a bundle of bamboo, claiming it’s a hundred times more effective than regular firecrackers. It might be set on fire soon, shall we have a look?" Wan Lu said excitedly.

Ran Yan held her forehead; Liu Qingsong was unreliable, sending over firecrackers without explaining how to use them? What if people in the residence treated them like ordinary bamboo and threw them all into the fire, injuring someone?