The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 24

“Second Brother, do you think Sister Ning’s hairpin is pretty?” Zong Ning had been captivated by Ning Fu’s hairpin when she saw her today. It was a small, ingenious piece on a simple yet creative hairstyle.

If Zong Ning hadn’t felt awkward talking to her, she would have long ago asked her which shop the hairpin was made in.

And Zong Duo, at this moment, was truly embarrassed. He felt a sense of dismay at having his private thoughts discovered.

“Second Brother, if you thought Sister Ning’s hairpin was pretty, why didn’t you just say so? It’s not offensive,” Zong Ning said without a second thought. After all, her third brother had already rejected Sister Ning, so she naturally assumed that no one from the Prince of Xuan’s Estate would have any further connection with her.

She actually quite admired Sister Ning.

After the initial embarrassment, Zong Duo simply stopped denying it. “The Fourth Miss’s hairpin is exquisite. If you want one, I can buy it for you. It suits a young girl like you.”

Zong Ning’s eyes lit up. “Second Brother, you’ve finally learned to care for me.” He usually only gave her swords, took her hiking, or had her play with crickets. Although she liked these things, she was still a young lady and preferred things that girls liked.

Zong Duo frowned. “Have I given you so few things?”

“Anyway, when you marry, if you only take your wife out to practice sword fighting and stick swinging, she’ll definitely be unhappy. You have to buy her more dresses, jewelry, and cosmetics,” Zong Ning pouted. “You really need to learn, Second Brother.”

Zong Duo pursed his lips. He was clueless when it came to these things and knew nothing about cosmetics.

But if he married a wife, he couldn’t mistreat her. Even if he didn’t like it, he was willing to learn!

As a man, he should be good to his wife!

“Third Brother, why didn’t you say that the male courtesan was working for you? You made me believe it was true,” Zong Ning turned to Zong Si. But having just been punished, she was still a little shaken and didn’t dare to complain openly.

It was only after going down the mountain that Zong Ning learned from Zong Si’s attendant that the male courtesan was not a real courtesan but was helping Zong Si find someone.

She had told herself that there was no way her Third Brother would be interested in men.

“I never said he was a male courtesan,” Zong Si said calmly. But he also didn’t deny it, just watched to see what outrageous thing the Fourth Miss Ning would do.

“Third Brother, you just let him tease me,” Zong Ning said, displeased. “You didn’t expose him and just watched the show.”

“It’s because you have no trust in me at all,” Zong Si said, looking at her from the side.

Zong Ning was choked up. After hearing him say that, she felt she was in the wrong, so she stopped complaining and muttered under her breath, “I’ll let Sister Xie take care of you in the future.”

As soon as they arrived at the estate, Zong Si left for some business. Zong Duo, however, did not return to his own quarters. Instead, he said to Zong Ning, “I’ll go to your place and sit for a while.”

“Okay,” Zong Ning was always happy to be close to her brothers.

The two walked together.

After much hesitation, Zong Duo finally spoke. “After I resolve the barbarian issue on this trip and return to the capital, your third brother and Sister Xie’s engagement should be finalized.”

Third Brother and Second Miss Xie were a perfect match. It wasn’t good to delay it any longer.

“From what Mother said, that seems to be the case,” Zong Ning also hoped for a happy occasion in the Prince’s Estate soon.

Zong Duo paused. He usually didn’t care about his appearance, but now he was a little self-conscious. He coughed awkwardly and asked, “What do you think of my looks, little sister?”

When a man suddenly cares about his appearance, it means he has developed a fondness for a young lady.

Zong Ning suppressed her curiosity and smiled meaningfully. “Second Brother is naturally a handsome and talented person. I thought a young master like you wouldn’t care about your looks and would only care about how good you are at fighting.”

“I don’t seem to be very popular with young ladies,” Zong Duo said. He usually didn’t think there was anything wrong with this, but now he was a little insecure.

He knew in his heart that young men with sweeter words were more likable. He, who wasn’t good at speaking, was at a disadvantage.

Zong Duo became serious. He could fight, so he could also learn to charm a young lady!

As long as the person he liked married him, he would say all the sweet things she wanted to hear!

“I wonder which young lady you have your eye on, Second Brother,” Zong Ning finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

Zong Duo was silent for a moment, then said with some embarrassment, “I’ve fallen for the Fourth Miss Ning. Although she and your third brother had a failed betrothal meeting, the matter was never spread outside. Only the Prince of Xuan’s Estate and the Ningguo Duke’s Estate know about it. Even if outsiders know, it’s just a rumor. If I propose to her, outsiders won’t gossip. As for me, I don’t mind.”

“What does our mother think?” Zong Ning asked.

Zong Duo felt a sense of relief. “My mother always puts my feelings first. As long as I agree, she will naturally agree too. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Zong Duo didn’t have to inherit the Prince’s Estate and was not the eldest son. He had no real power and would only assist Zong Si in the future.

Therefore, unlike Zong Si, Zong Duo was not entirely forbidden from marrying a young lady from the Ningguo Duke’s Estate.

Although Zong Duo had once envied Zong Si’s position as the heir, he now felt at ease. In some ways, he was more free.

“When I return to the capital this time, I will ask the Duke’s Estate what they think of me,” Zong Duo said. As long as Ning Fu agreed, he would propose marriage.

“I will definitely support you, Second Brother,” Zong Ning said. She just wondered what her third brother would think.

Sister Ning was also a very good person.

Zong Duo then went to see the Second Lady Zong and told her about his plan.

“If that’s what you want, Mother will help you get it,” the Second Lady Zong said with a smile. “It’s very difficult to find someone you are fond of. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity. Besides, it’s rare for a blockhead like you to finally be enlightened.”

Her husband favored their eldest son, Zong Ting, more, so the Second Lady Zong wanted to make it up to her second son with a good marriage.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Mother,” Zong Duo said with a hint of excitement.

The Second Lady Zong couldn’t help but shake her head. When had her second son ever said such a thing? He had been independent and strong-willed since he was a child and never asked for anything. Now he was asking her for a favor. “You go to the north with peace of mind. I’ll sound them out for you. If your and your Third Brother’s engagements can be finalized when you return, it will be a great joyous occasion.”

When Zong Duo heard her say that, his heart settled, and he focused entirely on preparing for his trip to the north.

A few days later, the two young masters of the Prince of Xuan’s Estate left the capital. Emperor Jing-wen personally saw them off, which was a great honor.

“I wonder when the Second Young Master and Third Young Master will return.”

“When they return, their marriages should be settled. I wonder who they will marry.”

This caused some people around them to chuckle mockingly. “Do you think they haven’t already decided? These are young masters from the Prince of Xuan’s Estate. They probably settled on a choice long ago. The timing just hasn’t been right to announce it to the public.”

“…”

After several days of endless discussion, the matter of Zong Si and Zong Duo leaving the capital gradually cooled down. A few days later, fewer and fewer people talked about them, as they were gradually drawn to other exciting events.

The capital was just like that; it was never short of things to gossip about.

Ning Fu had stayed at home since she left the palace and had not gone out. The imperial arts examination was not far off, and Ning Fu did not dare to be lax. Besides, Ning Yu’s wedding to Wei Zi-yi was approaching, and the Duke’s Estate was very busy.

Lady Wei’s visits to their second household were more frequent than usual. Lady Ning had a good eye. For her son’s wedding banquet to be praised, although she usually looked down on Lady Ning’s ways, Lady Wei had to ask her for ideas and help.

Today, she had asked Lady Ning to help her write the wedding invitations. She had beautiful handwriting and her calligraphy was excellent.

Lady Ning, for the sake of the Duke’s Estate, also did her best.

“After Yu’er’s wedding, it will be Ah Fu and Zheng’er’s turn,” Lady Wei said with a much kinder tone than usual.

Her two children’s marriages were going very smoothly. If Yu’er could pass the imperial examinations next year, she would be considered a mother who had raised her children well throughout the capital.

Lady Ning glanced at Ning Fu and said, “There’s not even a candidate for her husband yet. I don’t know when it will be her turn.”

It was impossible for her not to worry at all. After the New Year, a few more young masters had become engaged, and the options were becoming fewer and fewer.

Ning Fu was still young, but she was at an awkward age. If she were two years older or two years younger, there would be many young men to choose from. However, there were very few young men born in the two years before and after her, so there were not many peers. This resulted in a situation where if they were to arrange her marriage now, Lady Ning would think it was too early. But if they didn’t, the young men available in two years would be too young.

Although she thought highly of Young Master Lu, she still couldn’t be sure of his intentions.

But as a mother who loved her daughter, even though she was conflicted, Lady Ning was still willing to keep Ning Fu by her side for two more years. She was afraid that if she married too young, she would be at a disadvantage in someone else’s household. Besides, childbirth was also a difficult hurdle.

“We will cross that bridge when we get to it. There’s no need to rush,” Lady Wei said with a smile, but she was a little dismissive in her heart. The more picky they were, the worse the outcome would be.

“After Yu’er gets married, we’ll have to set up a new courtyard for him. There’s a lot to do. Little sister, why don’t you help me for a while? Normally, I don’t mind doing all the work in the estate myself. It’s just a bit of hardship. I’m the first wife, so it’s only right for me to worry about things, but recently, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed,” Lady Wei sighed again.

Ning Fu, who was helping her grind ink, finally looked up.

Lady Wei was finally unable to hold on and had come to ask for help with the household matters herself. But her attitude showed that she was unwilling to give up much power. Even at this point, she still didn’t forget to portray herself as a kind and generous person.

It was one thing for her to praise herself, but she had to step on her mother as well. What did she mean, “doing all the work myself”? It made her mother sound selfish. To ask for help with this attitude showed that she still had a high opinion of herself.

Lady Ning was also very upset. She smiled and said, “Since you’re not feeling well, sister-in-law, why don’t you rest? I’ll take over everything for now. I know you care about the estate, but your health is more important. You shouldn’t get sick from overwork.”

Lady Wei’s face did not look good. She didn’t say anything more for a moment and only said, “I’m a hardworking person. I’m used to worrying, so how could I just rest? I’ll think of a way later.”

Ning Fu and Lady Ning exchanged glances. Ning Fu laughed inwardly. Her mother was truly her role model.

“I mainly have to worry about Ah Fu’s imperial arts examination. Sister-in-law, why don’t you go ask Lady Zhang for help?” Lady Ning said, twisting the knife again.