On the fourteenth day of the eighth month, Tiger Might General Ran Sheng, Administrator of Liaoxi, rode straight to Ye City from Liaoxi Commandery, two thousand li away, with a hundred mounted guards to visit his elder brother Chen Caozhi and sister-in-law Xie Daoyun. His face covered in a curling beard, Ran Sheng looked imposing and martial. Each glance carried an authority that needed no anger; he already had the bearing of a great general who commanded an entire region-
Ran Sheng congratulated his elder brother Chen Caozhi on the birth of his precious son and lovely daughter. From Liaoxi, he had brought a hundred northern pearls, twenty roots of hundred-year-old Goguryeo ginseng, and twenty sable pelts as gifts for the siblings Chen Bozhen and Chen Fangyu. A pair of fine-bred foals, one male and one female, would arrive in Ye City a few days later-
Chen Caozhi first asked Ran Sheng about his administration of Liaoxi, then gave him the family letters to read. These were the new letters Huang Xiaotong had brought back from Qiantang at the beginning of the month. In their letters to Chen Caozhi, Clan Chief Chen Xian, his sister-in-law Ding Youwei, and Run'er had all mentioned Ran Sheng, praising his courage and skill in battle, his service to the country, and the honor he brought the clan. Ran Sheng was delighted to read them. He also looked at Run'er's painting of the two babies lying on their stomachs and exclaimed, "Little Lady Run'er paints so well-" A long breath slowly escaped his chest.
Ran Sheng then asked his sister-in-law Xie Daoyun in detail about recent affairs at Chen Family Cove. He was deeply comforted to learn that the clan was flourishing and Uncle Jing remained healthy. He said to Chen Caozhi, "Elder Brother, Palace