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: TWOF Chapter 28\n
: TWOF Chapter 30\n
I hope you can support me, many thanks! My Kofi\n
Looking around, Fu Rong did not see any trace of Xu Jin, only her older brother, who she did not know when he was sent here. He was lying under that date tree in his original position.\n
Such a normal day of playing turned into this. Fu Rong should have been angry, but looking at the bamboo basket next to her older brother that was 70% full of dates, her anger became laughter.\n
Did Xu Jia help her knock down the dates by himself, or did Xu Jin order him to?\n
If he could consider such a little matter, she didnât know what Xu Jia was thinking when he knocked down the dates.\n
She couldnât find Xu Jin, so Fu Rong squinted at the object in her hand. It felt burning in her hand. If Xu Jin gave her something else, she could have thrown it away, but this was his dragon jade pendant. In the future when Xu Jin asked for it back and she said she lost it, wouldnât he be furious? A promise token from a prince in her hand was completely useless. If a normal person found it, donât mention selling it, they could even become a low-ranked official if they used it correctly. And if it was obtained by Xu Jinâs enemies, they could frame himâŚ\n
Fu Rong didnât want to test Xu Jinâs bottom line of indulging her.\n
Putting the jade pendant into her clothes and hiding it well, Fu Rong went back to Fu Chenâs side. She knelt and looked at him closely. Seeing her older brother sleeping soundly and looking completely fine, Fu Rong sat down, pondering as she gazed at the patch of grass in front of her. \n
In the previous life when she came to pick dates, she didnât bump into Xu Jin or Xu Yan. \n
From Xu Xiâs words, she was forcibly brought over by Xu Yan. Xu Yan had taken her to run around the mountain. What was so good about this mountain? Xu Yan didnât like to eat dates. Thinking that Xu Yan had fallen in love with her during their first encounter, Fu Rong had a nagging feeling that Xu Yan had come for her today. That guy was very gentle, and before marriage, had quite a few complicated thoughts. If she left her house three times, she would bump into him at least two times.\n
In this life, the two of them had an earlier first encounter. It wouldnât be weird that Xu Yan had chased her up the mountain.\n
Then what about Xu Jin?\n
Fu Rong racked her brains, trying to recall, but she couldnât remember where she had picked the dates in the previous life. After all, she was different from her then, so it would be impossible to have every event in her life, small or big, stay the same. She probably went to a different place at that time, so she did not bump into Xu Jin and his servant?\n
It seemed that only this could explain the change in the two lives.\n
She didnât know what Xu Jin was planning. He was being assassinated. She heard that he and his brother were assassinated after a victorious war in the previous life. But he had always had many enemies, so perhaps this kind of assassination was like a part of his daily schedule?\n
Fu Rong couldnât be involved with such a dangerous person. Xu Jin was a prince who had so many privileges. His enemies wouldnât be able to do much with him, but if they knew that Xu Jin wanted to marry her, would they point their swords at his âloverâ, and even her family?\n
Fu Rong shivered.\n
Sheâll just wait and see. The best situation would be that Xu Jin only was infatuated with her for a while and would be regretful after returning to the capital. If Xu Jin really set his mind on marrying her, Fu Rong would definitely destroy his intentions.\n
Once, it was hard to win over his heart. Now, she had to make him despise her. There really was nothing easier than this.\n
Sitting on the ground that was warmed by the bright sunshine, she sometimes thought about the previous life, sometimes worrying about her present life. Sometime after, there was movement next to her.\n
Fu Rong turned her head. It seemed as if her brother was about to wake up.\n
She quickly picked up her bamboo basket, and quietly walked over to a date tree at the side, and started to knock down dates.\n
Fu Chen stood up drowsily to see his younger sister bending over to pick up the dates.\n
He stared at his sister blankly, feeling as if something wasnât right.\n
He had promised his sister to help her pick dates. After his sister walked toward him, he had no idea what happened next.\n
âBrother, youâre awake?â\n
Fu Rong carried the dates and walked over. Seeing him sitting, she pouted and threw a date at him, âHumph! You said you would help me pick dates but lied down to sleep! You were sleeping like a pig and I wasnât able to wake you up. If you do this again Iâll ignore you!â\n
âI fell asleep?â Fu Chen rubbed the part of his neck that was hit by the date and asked blankly.\n
âHow would you not know that you fell asleep?â Fu Rong looked at him strangely, then proudly presented the basket of dates to him, âLook, I picked these myself. Older brother, letâs go. Itâs pretty late. If we still donât go back, daddy will be worried.â\n
She had a relaxed and carefree attitude.\n
Fu Chen still couldnât understand how he had fallen asleep. He stood up with confusion. He suddenly remembered something. He raised his hand and touched the back of his neck with a strange expression, âI seemed to have been pricked or something.â\n
Fu Rong cursed Xu Jia inside. With doubts and concern on her face, she motioned for her brother to lower his head, âLet me see.â\n
Fu Chen bent over.\n
His hair was tied to the top of his head. Because of his tanned skin from martial arts, there was a visible red dot on his neck. Fu Rong pressed it with fake surprise, âThere is a small blood spot. Did a bug bite you? Brother, does it hurt?â\n
Fu Chen shook his head. Afraid that his sister would worry, he brightened up and said, âIâm fine. Itâs normal to be bitten by a bug in this kind of place. Alright, letâs go.â It was probably because he had slept for too long, which caused his head to feel drowsy and feel that something was wrong.\n
He wasnât suspicious, and Fu Rong sighed in relief.\n
Xu Jinâs matter couldnât be explained in a few words. And it would be quite useless even if her brother knew, so it was better to not say it.\n
âWhy is there a leaf on your head?â One hand was holding the bamboo basket and one hand was holding the bamboo pole. When he stood up, he saw that Fu Rongâs hair was a little messy. There was a green date leaf on top of her head. Fu Chen asked wonderingly and then started to laugh again. âSo dumb, you hit yourself with a date.â\n
As soon as Fu Rongâs heart lightened, he started teasing her. She seemed as if she was sitting on a swing and was swinging from high to low, âAnd youâre laughing, help me get rid of the leaf!â\n
Fu Chen first flicked the back of her head, then got rid of the date tree leaf.\n
Fu Rong raised her head to see Fu Chenâs clear and handsome smile.\n
Her heart seemed to have been touched somewhere. Fu Rong pouted to her older brother, âI canât walk anymore. Brother, carry me.â\n
She also had an older brother. He was the best older brother in the entire world.\n
But Fu Chen refused, âYouâre almost going off to marry. If you were as young as Xuan Xuan, I would carry you.â\n
Fu Rong didnât really want him to carry her. She only wanted to joke with him. She went behind Fu Chen and dragged his shirt, complaining as she walked, âSo Iâm not your younger sister when Iâm older. Brother, you canât choose favorites.â\n
âAlright alright, Iâll carry you.â Fu Chen thought that she really couldnât walk any further. He turned around and gave her the object he was holding. âHold this.â\n
Fu Rong felt warm and happy inside. She smiled so much that her eyebrows were curved, âI was joking. Who wants you to carry them, youâre covered in sweat.â\n
âIâm still your older brother no matter how much I smell.â Fu Chen glared at her and continued to walk forward.\n
Fu Rong took two dates from the bamboo basket. After wiping one, she popped it into her brotherâs mouth and ate the other one herself. She asked him vaguely, âWhen brother marries my sister-in-law in the future if we donât get along, who will brother favor?â \n
Fu Chen was sixteen this year and had never thought about his marriage. There wasnât any trace of his wife, so he naturally said what delighted his younger sister, âItâll be you guys of course. No one is more important than my younger sisters.â\n
Fu Rong smiled. As she smiled, she thought that Xu Yan had probably said this to Xu Xi, then became unhappy. On one side was his wife, who hoped that her husband would favor her more than her younger sister-in-law. On the other side was his younger sister, who was worried that her older brother would only help her sister-in-law and forget about her. After thinking for a moment silently, Fu Rong sighed and said, âBrother, rest assured, we will definitely get along well with our sister-in-law, and wonât make things hard for you.â\n
Why did sister-in-laws have to be at odds with each other? It would be great to get along in harmony, and everyone would be happy. To be fair, her sister-in-law would be the person to live her entire life with her older brother, so her brother should see more importance in his wife. As for them, Fu Rong believed that no matter which one of the three got into an accident, her older brother would stand in front of them and keep them away from the heavy winds and rains.\n
She looked serious. Fu Chen glanced at her, and asked with surprise, âWhy did you bring this up out of the blue?â\n
Fu Rong blinked her eyes, and mentioned Liang Yingfang, âYingfang said that she has a distant cousin who doesnât get along with her sister-in-law, making her older brother troubled the entire day. Yingfang has always been afraid that her brother would marry a bad sister-in-law, so when older sister and Older Brother Liangâs marriage was settled, Yingfang was delighted.\n
Fu Chenâs footsteps slowed down. He thought earnestly for a moment, smiled, and said, âStupid, when I choose my wife in the future, you guys can observe along with mother. Iâll choose a wife that gets along with you guys well, which will prevent disputes in the future.â\n
These words sounded even better than the previous words. Fu Rong was happy, and thought of something else at the same time, and said hurriedly, âAlright, you said this. When the time comes, donât think of not wanting to marry the person we choose.â She didnât know what her older brother was thinking in the previous life. He hadnât married at twenty-four. It had made her mother so worried. This time, she couldnât let her older brother stay single. She wanted to hold a little nephew or niece.\n
Fu Chen smiled, âThen that depends on what girl you guys choose for me. If she is a ferocious female tiger [1], I would rather not go back home.â\n
Fu Rong hit his arm, âWho would be so bored to pick a ferocious female tiger for you?â\n
In the refreshing scent of dates, the brother and sister argued as they walked down the mountain.\n
When they arrived at home, Fu Rong wrapped Xu Jinâs jade pendant in a handkerchief and put it in a box by itself. She kept the key. She would return to Xu Jin in the future when she had the opportunity.\n
~\n
In mid-autumn, the temperature became colder. The autumn breeze blew across the treetops, and the cold wind blew up the snow, causing a depressing scene in Xindu City.\n
At the age of nineteen, Fu Pinyan was released after passing his test. Before he was promoted to the governor of Jizhou, Fu Rong and her sisters could be considered to be pure Jiangnan [2] girls. They moved to Xindu last year. Fu Wan and Fu Xuan adapted pretty well, but Fu Rong didnât like the winters here. It was windy and cold, and would sometimes blow up yellow dust. There were also now a lot of pretty flowers and grass in the courtyards.\n
After the season turned to winter, Fu Rong rarely went out. She paced around her house. She would either go to Fu Wanâs room and help her older sister embroider some dowries, go to the main room to play with her younger brother, or go to Fu Xuanâs to read some books and write some characters. There were many people at home, so there were people to interact with.\n
Today, Qiao Shi was preparing the yearly presents to bring into the capital. Fu Rong watched her as she held her younger brother, and realized that there seemed to be one more item than last year. She said, âBig brother has established his marriage with the Qin family, so are we also preparing a New Yearâs gift for the Qin family?â\n
Her own family was the second house of the Jingyang Marquis Manor. The first house of the Jingyang Marquis had two songs and two daughters. The eldest daughter married into the crown princeâs mansion as a side consort. The eldest son Fu Ding had established his marriage with the general Qin family and would have his wedding next May. Fu Ding was upright and generous and had the air of the eldest brother. Fu Rong called him âBig brotherâ with sincerity.\n
Qiao Shi turned over the fabric, âYes, and next year weâll also have to prepare a big red seal. Does Nong Nong want to go to the wedding banquet?â\n
Fu Rong chuckled, âActually, not really. But I canât bear to leave mother, so Iâll go with mother.â\n
Qiao Shi clearly knew that her daughterâs sweet words were fake, but she was still happy. She squinted at her and said, âFrom your past few monthsâ performances, Iâll bring you along if you behave. If you are too playful and mess around, you can stay at home and play with your younger brother. Iâll only take Xuan Xuan into the capital.\n
Fu Rong hurriedly promised that she would behave.\n
In the previous life when Fu Ding had established his marriage, his entire heart was on Xu Yan. She didnât think that there was anything fun in the capital, and also complained about the bumpy carriage ride, so she didnât go. This time, she couldnât miss her opportunity. This time to congratulate them, they would have to stay in the capital for ten to fifteen days, and she might even bump into noble people.\n
The New Yearâs present was ready. Taking advantage of the carefree start of the month, Fu Chen went into the capital with servants to send it.\n
At the end of the twelfth lunar month, Fu Chen finally came back, bringing home quite a few cartloads full of presents. There were the four literary treasures for Fu Pinyan and Fu Chen, satin and fur powder for Qiao Shi and her daughters, specialties of the capital, and many more items.\n
The family was together again, and they celebrated the New Year happily.\n
After New Year every family hosted frequent banquets.\n
The Qi family invited them to one on the sixth, and the invitation had been sent over earlier.\n
Fu Rong didnât want to go. Last time, she was terrified by Qi Ceâs smile and wanted to stay far away from him.\n
Qiao Shi still remembered the matter of Qi Ce seducing Bai Zhi, and also didnât want to bring her daughters along, especially one of her daughters that was becoming even more talented. She was afraid that Qi Ce would set his eyes on Fu Rong. It was just that in the previous year, Qi Zhu had invited Fu Rong over quite a few times, and they were all refused because of excuses. Now with a happy holiday, they couldnât hold off much longer. It wouldnât look good to refuse too many times. After all, the two families still needed to get along with each other, so she persuaded Fu Rong, âLetâs go, you and your older sister can chat with your friends before dinner, and weâll immediately come back home after dinner.â All the women would be in the back courtyard, so they wouldnât bump into Qi Ce.\n
Fu Rong thought for a moment. Her older sister could stay at home. As long as she didnât wander around the Qi manor, Qi Ce wouldnât have an opportunity to get back at her, so she agreed.\n
On the morning of the sixth, Fu Rong slept soundly under her covers for quite a while before getting up.\n
Lan Xiang specially selected a plum-red fox fur clock and held it in her arms, praising, âMy lady looks best in this one. Standing in the snow, you would look like a plum blossom fairy.â\n
Being so bluntly praised by her maid, Fu Rongâs mouthwash almost dripped out of her mouth. After wiping her face, she said, âChange it, Iâll put on the white green one.â\n
She was going to the Fu family, so why would she need to carefully dress up?\n
[1] Female tiger- Mu Lao Hu. Used to describe an overly strict (and ferocious) woman. \n
[2] Jiangnan- The region in China south of the Yangtze River.\n
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