Caixue exerted all her strength and finally managed to hold back Zhao Luoning.
Just then, there was a sound from behind the flower bushes.
The man seemed to have something else to do. He looked up at the sky and comforted the woman in a soft voice.
" Nian'er, I was a bit harsh just now. Don't take it to heart. Be a good girl and go back to rest first. When I'm done, I'll come to find you, and we can have a good talk, okay?"
The man was clearly in a hurry, but at this moment, the woman started to sob.
"I'm not an unreasonable person. I'm just scared. My name isn't as nice as Wu Jiarong's, I'm not as good - looking as she is, and my temper isn't as good either. I even have an embarrassing past. I'm afraid I'll be outshone by her. I'm afraid you'll dislike me. I'm afraid you'll marry her and abandon me for the sake of your family."
The man lovingly held the woman in his arms, his tone full of tenderness.
"Silly girl, aren't you always the most confident? Don't worry. In my eyes, no other woman's name is as nice as yours, no other woman's appearance is as beautiful as yours, and no other woman's temper suits me as well as yours. No other woman can make me fall in love with her like I've fallen in love with you."
Only then did the woman stop crying and break into a smile. She playfully punched the man on the chest, her voice as soft as water.
" You're just glib."
The man hugged the woman tightly and only let go after a long time.
" Okay, you go first. I'll wait for you in the room."
The man gave a few more worried instructions before leaving.
The moment he turned around, the light from the eaves happened to shine on his face. Although it was only for a moment, it was enough for Zhao Luoning to see the man's face clearly.
It was actually him!
Oh my god, Zhao Luoning was completely stunned.
Ji Shisu had been cuckolded.
Ji Shisu had been cuckolded by his own elder brother!
Although it was her own younger sister, when Zhao Luoning saw them hugging each other, she still felt that her three - views had completely collapsed.
Even family affection couldn't stop this collapse.
What should she do now?
She suddenly felt extremely sympathetic towards Ji Shisu.
His favorite concubine not only cuckolded him, but her lover was his elder brother?
The concubine was actually his elder brother's wife. The child might not be his but his nephew.
Ji Shisu was really miserable!
After Ji Shijun left, Caixue still couldn't hold back Zhao Luoning, so she could only let her rush out.
" Stop."
Zhao Luoning called out to her.
Ning Ruonian turned around. When she saw Zhao Luoning, her eyes instantly lit up with surprise.
" Sister?" She looked at Caixue who had just emerged from the flower bushes and asked in confusion, " Why are you here?"
" The man just now was Ji Shijun, right?"
Ning Ruonian had nothing to hide from her own sister, so she nodded.
" You're still nodding. Don't you know you've made a big mistake?"
Zhao Luoning was almost frantic with worry.
What if Ji Shisu found out about this?
" Sister, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Luoning considered herself good at handling family affairs, but Ning Ruonian had thrown her a difficult problem this time. This matter was too complicated and suffocating.
She felt flustered for the first time.
" Forget it. This isn't a place to stay for long. If you're discovered, it'll be terrible. You'd better go first. As for the Ji family, I'll help you."
" Go? I'm not going!" Ning Ruonian was unusually stubborn.
" Aren't you afraid that the Ji family will come after you when they find out the truth?!"
Not to mention Ji Shisu, just the means of Mrs. Ji and the old matriarch would be enough for her to bear.
" As long as I'm by my husband's side, I'm not afraid of anything."
The woman knew very well that she was afraid and worried about the many difficulties she might encounter after entering the Ji mansion. But the example of Ji Shisu, the second young master of the Ji family, was right in front of her.
Ji Shisu was such an unconstrained person, yet he couldn't resist the order of his parents and the matchmaker.
She wasn't afraid that the man would change his heart. She was afraid that he couldn't resist the coercion of the family.
She was willing to face all the gossips, all the injuries and oppression just to protect her husband.
Yes, she wanted to protect him.
She couldn't let him be snatched away by others. She couldn't tolerate him holding another woman and saying the vows they once made.
She wouldn't allow it!
However, Zhao Luoning completely misunderstood her.
She asked in horror, " Who do you mean by your husband?"
" Of course it's Shijun."
Zhao Luoning: "..."
Oh my goodness!
Someone please teach her what to do.
This younger sister was really obsessed.
Now she even regarded someone else as her husband.
Ji Shisu, what a miserable guy!
However, what Zhao Luoning never expected was that early the next morning, Ning Ruonian gave her an even bigger " New Year surprise"!
As the saying goes, timely snow foretells a good harvest. It snowed all night, covering the Phoenix City in a vast expanse of white.
Early in the morning, Ji Shisu sent someone to deliver a message. Because the roads were blocked by the heavy snow, the delivery carts of the Ji mansion couldn't get out, so he had led a group of people to clear the roads and wouldn't be back for a few days.
Zhao Luoning was preoccupied with Ning Ruonian's matter. She said to Yu Chi, who had come to deliver the message,
" It's okay. Let him stay outside for a few more days."
Yu Chi: " What?"
Zhao Luoning quickly corrected herself, " What I mean is, go back and tell the second young master that I'm here at home and he doesn't need to worry. He doesn't need to rush back. Take his time to deal with the emergency."
Yu Chi took the order and retreated.
Zhao Luoning actually wished that Ji Shisu wouldn't come back.
At least not until she came up with a countermeasure.
With this matter on her mind, Zhao Luoning ate breakfast absent - mindedly. Her eyelids kept twitching, and she always felt that something was going to happen.
The omen proved to be true.
Rendong rushed in in a flurry and said,
" Second young mistress, something big has happened. Please go to Cihua Courtyard quickly."
Although Rendong hadn't been Ji Shisu's head maid for long, she was always steady and self - disciplined. When had she ever been so flustered?
" Tell me, what's going on?"
Zhao Luoning put down the chopsticks and bowls in her hand, sat up straight, and listened to Rendong recount the cause and effect of the incident.
" The eldest young master brought a woman to see the old matriarch and said that she was his wife. This has made the old matriarch so angry that she fainted. The Wu family somehow got the news and came looking for an explanation from the master and the mistress. Now everyone has gone to the old matriarch's place in Cihua Courtyard."
" What?" Zhao Luoning was stunned.
" He brought a woman. Who?"
" It seems... it seems to be Miss Ning. I... didn't see the person... so I'm not sure."
Zhao Luoning: "..."
Zhao Luoning didn't expect Ji Shijun to act so quickly, nor did she expect him to be so bold.
She was his younger brother's concubine! Didn't Ji Shijun use his brain when doing things?
Was it because she went to see Ning Ruonian yesterday and stimulated them?
What was wrong with these people? Did they all become fools once they fell in love?
Zhao Luoning was so angry that she couldn't even speak.
Forget it. She had to take responsibility for her younger sister's mistakes no matter how big they were.
She quickly gave an order,
" I'll go to Cihua Courtyard. Rendong, you tell everyone that this matter must not be told to the second young master. If anyone lets the second young master hear the news, I'll pull out their tongue!"
Zhao Luoning was always gentle and kind - hearted. This time she gave such a strict order, which made Rendong have to take it seriously.
" Don't worry, second young mistress. Rendong will definitely block the news."
She had been with the second young master for so many years and knew very well which people were the second young master's confidants and would pass on news to him.
Zhao Luoning nodded and walked towards Cihua Courtyard with Caixue.
As she walked, she kept thinking of countermeasures in her mind.
Lu Yu, you've really... given your sister a difficult problem.
What should I do to save you?!