The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 3

At the next flower-and-wine gathering, Ning Fu did not seek to steal the spotlight as she had in her past life.

Back then, she had wanted nothing more than to catch a certain person’s eye, but now, there was no need.

This time, it was Miss Lin who won the hair ornament.

Xie Ru-Yi smiled faintly and said, “Miss Lin, your writing is excellent.”

“It’s only because you all let me win,” Miss Lin replied, her face flushed.

“You have talent, Miss Lin. Oh, by the way, A-Fu, why are you so quiet today? Is your health not fully recovered?” Xie Ru-Yi asked her with concern.

Ning Fu and Xie Ru-Yi were not particularly close due to a past conflict between their families, so she was a little surprised to be asked. She said, “Perhaps. I’m still a bit tired, but it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry, Miss Xie.”

As the host, Ning Fu had prepared a gift of a hair ornament with an original painting by the famous artist Dong Gui from the previous dynasty. Miss Lin was overjoyed to receive the painting and thanked her profusely.

“I heard that your own calligraphy and painting are also outstanding. This painting will not be wasted in your hands,” Ning Fu said with a smile. She then went and sat quietly by the old matriarch’s side.

“A-Fu is growing into a young lady,” the old matriarch said, looking at her affectionately. She had seen Ning Fu sneak a glance at the third young master of the Prince of Xuan’s household.

The old matriarch was, of course, very satisfied with the Prince of Xuan’s household. Not only did he save Ning Fu’s life, but he was also the most favored by the Emperor among all the royal relatives. She just didn’t know what the Prince of Xuan’s household’s plans were for Zong Si’s marriage.

It would be extremely beneficial for the Duke’s residence to form an alliance with the Prince’s household through marriage.

“Lady Wei just teased me, and now even Grandmother is teasing me,” Ning Fu said with a gentle smile.

“Grandmother would never,” the old matriarch replied, chuckling.

The men’s side of the gathering was not as lively as the women’s. Ning Yu and Zong Si discussed the recent flood, and the others, for fear of appearing reckless as they had in the past, refrained from interjecting. Most of them were busy with their studies and imperial examinations, so their conversation was centered on education and governance.

“Ning Yu, your sister—I saw her last year and she was just a little girl. To see her today, she has grown into such a beautiful woman,” Wei Fu said suddenly.

Zong Si and Lu Xingzhi both looked up at him.

“My sister is off-limits to you,” Ning Yu interrupted him.

The Duke of Ning’s residence was not thriving with descendants; it only had two branches. Ning Yu, Ning Ran, and Ning He were born to the first branch, while Ning Zheng and Ning Fu were the children of the second branch, Ning Zhen-Yuan. Ning Ran was already married, and Ning He was not present today, so Ning Yu knew exactly who Wei Fu was referring to.

“Then what kind of husband do you think your sister should have?” Wei Fu asked curiously.

Ning Yu paused and then looked at Lu Xingzhi.

The man had a proper appearance and did not speak much. The Lu family was not considered prominent in the capital, but Ning Yu’s aunt, who had always been a snob, had been inquiring about Lu Xingzhi’s background.

He had originally thought that his aunt would only be interested in noble young masters like Zong Si. Who wouldn’t want their daughter to marry into a high-ranking family? His own mother had felt the same way.

“Definitely not a man like you,” Ning Yu said, collecting his thoughts.

Seeing this, Wei Fu did not press the matter further.

Zong Si guessed that the Ning family might be picking a suitable candidate for the young lady. But as long as it wasn’t him, he didn’t care. It was the Ning family’s private matter.

Zong Si remembered the day he saved Ning Fu from falling into the water. She had originally been struggling in a panic, but then she looked up at him and suddenly stopped. Instead, she娇滴滴地（delicately and charmingly) hugged him tightly and weakly called him “lang-jun.”

“Lang-jun” was a term a woman used to address her husband.

Zong Si did not want to get tied to her just for saving her, but at the time, the situation was urgent, and he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

After he got her ashore, he stopped Lu Xingzhi, who was passing by, and asked him to look after Ning Fu while he went to call for help.

.

“Did the Crown Prince’s son stop me that day because he was afraid of being tied to a scandal, being alone with a woman?” After the banquet, Zong Si and Lu Xingzhi walked together, when the latter suddenly asked.

Zong Si did not say anything, but glanced at him.

“In your opinion, the Duke of Ning’s residence would be a good match for me. Even if something went wrong and someone had to take responsibility for the fourth Miss Ning, I could be the one to do it, and you could get away unscathed,” Lu Xingzhi said, his lips twitching.

If it weren’t for Ning Fu’s strange “lang-jun,” Zong Si might not have acted that way.

He was only trying to save someone, and the Duke of Ning’s residence would surely be reasonable and not blame him for holding Ning Fu. But since Ning Fu had called out to him, Zong Si couldn’t help but worry that she would use it to demand that he take responsibility.

After all, for a young lady who had not yet reached marriageable age to call out “lang-jun” was reason enough for alarm.

Zong Si said coldly, “I’m sorry.”

Lu Xingzhi replied, “There is no need to apologize. I was just asking what was on my mind. I don’t regret saving the fourth Miss Ning, and I can accept any consequences. I just hope that you won’t regret your decision in the future.”

Regret?

Regret keeping his distance from her?

Zong Si lifted his eyes and looked at him, his gaze also falling on the little lady who was standing not far away with Ning Yu, her face full of indecision.

Ning Fu was called over by her mother, Lady Ning, to thank them. It was acceptable for Ning Yu to bring her, and it wouldn’t cause any gossip. They would still have to visit the Prince of Xuan’s residence and the Lu family later, but since the benefactors were visiting today, she needed to come and thank them as well.

“Seeing that you are all here, I brought A-Fu to thank you,” Ning Yu explained the purpose of their visit.

“Thank you, Crown Prince’s son and Second Young Master Lu, for saving my life that day. A-Fu is grateful,” Ning Fu said, not looking at Zong Si, but letting her eyes rest on Lu Xingzhi.

So, the second Young Master Lu was such a handsome man. Ning Fu had no recollection of him in her previous life. Although Zong Si was more handsome, his looks were too intimidating. A young girl might prefer his captivating features, but as a woman who had already been married, Ning Fu preferred the gentle and proper looks of a man like Second Young Master Lu.

Her moment of distraction was noticed by all three men.

Ning Yu looked at Zong Si with a strange expression. Not long ago, Wei Zi-yi had secretly told him that A-Fu was fond of Zong Si, but now she was attracted to Second Young Master Lu.

His fourth sister was truly… a lookist.

Second Young Master Lu remained calm, allowing her to look at him. He asked with concern, “Is your health better, fourth Miss Ning?”

“I’m fine now,” Ning Fu said with gratitude. “I’ve prepared these two gifts. Please accept them, Crown Prince’s son and Second Young Master Lu.”

She had prepared a thousand-gold-worth sandalwood paper for Second Young Master Lu. For Zong Si, she had prepared “The Poetry Collection of Master Bian Yang.” This was Zong Si’s favorite collection of poems. In her previous life, he had asked for it a few times, but she had given it to the fourth prince. In this life, she was using it to express her gratitude, and it felt sincere.

She had been thinking about it and found the poetry collection while recuperating. For it, she had rummaged through many miscellaneous items, even her dowry that her mother had prepared for her future. Even though she had already been married, it still made her blush to look through it, but she went through it from beginning to end.

While Zong Si was not a good husband, what happened between them was exciting enough to make her a little nostalgic.

Looking at it now, it could satisfy her cravings a little.

As for the poetry collection, she had read a few poems in her spare time.

Ning Fu had always had a knack for giving gifts, and Zong Si and Lu Xingzhi could not refuse these two.

A moment later, Zong Si found an excuse and left. Lu Xingzhi, on the other hand, stayed and chatted a bit longer.

…

Back at the prince’s residence, after bathing, Zong Si had nothing to do. He casually picked up “The Poetry Collection of Master Bian Yang” that Ning Fu had given him and flipped through it.

He paused after opening it.

This was not a poetry collection, but a book of illustrations detailing how to perform acts of love between a husband and wife.

The content was vulgar and made one blush. Even though Zong Si’s expression did not change, and he flipped through the illustrations emotionlessly, the tips of his ears were turning red.

He randomly flipped to a page, which had a delicate and elegant inscription in a woman’s handwriting.

“Zong Si’s waist and abdomen are not good, so he probably cannot perform this position.”

It sounded like a mix of pity and disdain.

No matter how cold a man was, when it came to this matter, he couldn’t be indifferent.

Zong Si stared at it for a moment, then let out a cold laugh and tossed the book aside.