CHAPTER 593: CHAPTER 389: EXCLUSIVE PRENATAL EDUCATION

Chapter 389

Xiao Song bathed on Li Dejian’s boat. It took a while before someone found a set of clothes that had not been worn before, not the popular round-collared robe of the time, but one with a crossed collar and wide sleeves.

Ran Yan didn’t like the feeling of being on water, so she walked along the embankment instead. Originally, upon encountering a corpse, Ran Yan had wanted to get a closer look, and, since she hadn’t examined a body in a long time, she unconsciously drew near.

She could smell the stench of decay from more than a dozen yards away when Ge Lan spoke up to stop Ran Yan, "Lady, you can’t get any closer, I’m afraid it might be bad for the child."

Ran Yan stopped in her tracks and caressed her already bulging belly but didn’t get any closer. She had not specifically studied whether the fetal child could be affected by the miasma from the corpse, but surely the gases from decay were not good.

"Ah, look quickly, what a handsome young man," a nearby wife said in a hushed voice under her umbrella. Many of the surrounding wives turned to look and soon someone quietly echoed the sentiment.

Ge Lan and Wan Lu also turned around.

Wan Lu tugged at Ran Yan who was still looking at the corpse, "Lady, it’s your husband."

Only then did Ran Yan turn her attention from the corpse and look around.

Standing on a boat moored by the riverbank, Xiao Song, clad in a wide-sleeved smoky robe, stood sideways looking as solitary as a high mountain. His damp black hair was loosely tied with a silk belt at the back. An official dressed in a green official uniform was talking to him, and due to the difference in their height, Xiao Song was slightly bowing his head, with a few stray hairs falling down, partly obscuring his slightly raised sword-like eyebrows and sharp eyes.

People who are serious always have an indescribable attraction, even though Xiao Song looked like this every night after his bath at home, there was still something different about him at that moment.

After the official reported, he hurriedly disembarked the boat, and Xiao Song also came down soon after. The wide robes were in stark contrast to his usual neat and efficient attire, and even his serious demeanor naturally exuded a hint of languor.

"Lady," Xiao Song came up and noticed Ran Yan was so close to the corpse, he frowned slightly and said, "Let’s go, the affairs here have already been explained."

"Jiulang," Li Dejian grabbed Xiao Song’s sleeve, "you can’t just leave like that. Why doesn’t Lady visit Qingyin Temple another day, and we go boating on the lake, returning home after a short while?"

Xiao Song glanced at Ran Yan and seeing no objection from her, he said, "Alright then."

Li Dejian laughed heartily and swished open his folding fan, "Lady, please."

Ran Yan was also somewhat tired, and there were vacant rooms on the boat where she could rest, which was more comfortable than a carriage.

Li Dejian’s boat was specifically designed for leisure, and although it wasn’t very large, it had four rooms. Apart from one larger hall, the other rooms were quite small and merely places for simple rest.

Out of consideration for Ran Yan’s pregnancy, everyone greeted her and then allowed her to rest.

It was only then that Li Dejian realized, even though Ge Lan was on the boat, he still couldn’t meet her face-to-face, and knowing she was just next door tormented him. If he recklessly barged into Ran Yan’s room, Xiao Song would likely tear him to pieces.

The lake was calm, and the boat sailed smoothly.

Laying on the couch, Ran Yan could barely feel any movement; she slept too much, wasn’t tired, and just listened to the conversation in the next room.

Having just discovered the floating corpse, everyone’s mood was somewhat affected; they had little desire to enjoy themselves, and the topics they discussed all revolved around the corpse they had seen earlier.

Cheng Huailiang had the loudest voice, "I fear I won’t be able to eat meat for half a year..."

As he spoke, his voice choked up, as if he wanted to vomit again.

Initially, submerged due to its own weight, the corpse would sink to the bottom, but as decay bacteria worked decomposing proteins and producing gases within the body, it would float to the surface.

For a body to float, it would have reached at least an intermediate stage of decay. In rivers and lakes, the water temperature tends to be colder which slows the decay rate. Sometimes, if the water is extremely cold, the body might never resurface and can sink indefinitely, eventually becoming nothing but bones without ever floating.

The appearance of the decay usually takes about three to seven days in spring and autumn. Judging from the temperature of the previous days, even if the victim was killed ashore and thrown into the water after decaying, they must have been dumped in the water today for the time of death to possibly have occurred four to five days earlier.

So Ran Yan concluded that the victim’s time of death could not have been less than four days. However, after observing the surrounding area, she noted only a patch of reeds could potentially hide someone, but that area was full of mud. Whether it could support a person was one issue; it was also too close to the crowd and entirely unsuitable for discarding a corpse.

Considering the climate, the possible water temperature of Qujiang, and the geographical environment nearby, Ran Yan guessed that the victim’s time of death was most likely between seven days to half a month.