The maid placed Xu Gui's breakfast on the table, and Xu Mian said, "Eat quickly, after breakfast we'll go to Grandmother's courtyard to wait for Ninth Sister."
After having breakfast, seeing that it was still early, Xu Mian sat behind the embroidery frame, threaded the needle, and began to embroider.
Xu Gui looked at her elder sister sitting behind the embroidery frame, walked over and sat on a stool next to her, and asked, "Third sister, is it good to get married?"
Upon hearing Xu Gui's words, Xu Mian stopped what she was doing and said, "I don't know if it's good or not. I'm not even married yet."
Xu Gui said, "But I see you always embroidering your dowry with such joy. If you didn't think it was right, would you still be doing it like this?"
Xu Mian smiled and said, "Aren't these things things that need to be done? If I don't do them now, can I not do them later? Sixth Sister, I know you all think that I am not a good match for my cousin, but what does it mean to be a good match and what does it mean to be not a good match? When we were in Ganzhou, what Ninth Sister said to us made me realize that we don't need to care too much about other people's opinions. We are the ones who live our own lives, and as long as we can make ourselves feel comfortable, that's all that matters."
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui smiled and said, "I think it would be wonderful if Third Sister lived with Cousin. Cousin is the best to Third Sister."
Upon hearing Xu Gui's words, Xu Mian's face flushed red, and she scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? My cousin is the best to me!"
Xu Gui said, "When we were little, when we visited our maternal grandparents' house, my cousin would always put the things that my third sister liked in front of her. Although I was young at the time, I could still see them."
Xu Mian was gentle and not good at arguing. When her younger sister teased her like this, she could only blush and glare at Xu Gui, which made Xu Gui laugh uncontrollably.
After laughing it off, Xu Gui said, "Third sister, I think it would be best if you could marry cousin. Third sister is gentle and cousin is also a gentle person. With the two of you together, we don't have to worry about third sister being bullied."
Xu Mian said, "Why would I be afraid of being bullied?"
Xu Gui said, "Of course I was scared. There are four of us siblings. Although my mother didn't say it, she was most worried about my third sister. She was afraid that because my third sister was good-natured, she would be bullied. When she was looking for a husband for my third sister, she would always ask about the temperament of the children and the temperament of the parents. She looked at several families, but none of them were suitable."
Xu Mian sighed and said, "I know my mother is worried. She thinks that if I marry my cousin, he will take good care of me. My uncle and aunt are also kind people. Our two families have always been on good terms, so they will not mistreat me."
Xu Gui said that looking at her sister's calm expression, she felt that this was actually quite good. Getting married and living a normal life is just like living with your mother and father. The two of you are together, eating three meals a day, having a few children and raising them well. What do those empty titles matter?
Xu Gui then thought of her aunt from the Ningguo Duke's Mansion. Among her mother's many cousins, this aunt had married the best, the youngest son of the Duke's family, a very high social standing. It was just a pity that her uncle and aunt were only superficially harmonious. When Xu Gui was a child, she went to play at the Mingguo Duke's Mansion and once heard her aunt crying to her mother, saying that her uncle doted on his concubine and did not respect her, the legal wife.
Xu Gui was precocious. After hearing about these things, she began to ponder the affairs between adults. At that time, Xu Gui knew that not all families were like her own.
Xu Gui had considered the question of what kind of person she should marry since she was very young. Naturally, she wanted to find someone who could live with her wholeheartedly and without any concubines or maids. However, in this vast capital city, the Yongning Marquis's mansion was like an anomaly. Even the shop owners on the street, after making money, all thought about taking on a concubine.
After returning from Ganzhou, Xu Gui had been pondering Lu Mingzhang. Back then, Lu Mingzhang had a terrible time in the Ningguo Duke's mansion. Even after joining the army for so many years, the Ningguo Duke's mansion seemed to ignore him. Whenever Xu Gui visited her aunt's house with her mother during holidays, her cousins in the Ningguo Duke's mansion never mentioned him. Xu Gui thought that if he really wanted to ask for her hand in marriage, she would have to marry into the Ningguo Duke's mansion. Given how bad Lu Mingzhang's relationship was with her family, wouldn't she, as the new bride, have a very difficult time in the Ningguo Duke's mansion?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
