Fallen for Wu Zong

Sure enough, once Xiao Ruotong sat down on the sofa and drank a cup of tea brewed by Zhao Ruxi, she felt different.

"Oh, this place feels even more comfortable than my warm room at home!" she exclaimed, looking around at the furnishings. "I can't help but want to decorate my main room in the courtyard like this when I get back. Anyway, the people who come to visit in my courtyard are all sisters or friends of similar age, so everyone is very relaxed. It couldn't be more comfortable to decorate the room like this."

She then pointed to the sofa she was sitting on. "This chair is comfortable, not too high, and the backrest isn't too tiring. Who made it? Could you lend me the carpenter for a couple of days?"

"Okay. You can take him back later, no problem. Anyway, it's cold, and we don't do any carpentry work at home right now."

This sofa was made by the carpenters of the Earl of Suiping's Residence.

That's how aristocratic families operate. Regardless of whether they're actually needed, they have to support all sorts of skilled workers, such as carpenters, gardeners, bricklayers, embroiderers, and cooks.

After settling on the sofa and drinking two cups of tea, Xiao Ruotong put down her teacup and looked at Zhao Ruxi across from her. "There are some things I never planned to say in this lifetime. But today your words have given me a lot of inspiration, and my mood has suddenly brightened. So I wanted to tell you these things."

Zhao Ruxi was eating a pastry when she heard this, so she quickly put it down and her expression became visibly serious.

"I... I've taken a liking to your third senior brother," Xiao Ruotong said.

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

She was so glad she had put the pastry down earlier, otherwise she would have choked terribly.

She stared wide-eyed at Xiao Ruotong in disbelief, then quickly realized it wasn't surprising.

She has never been fond of gossip, and she felt that her relationship with her fellow disciples was simply that of siblings, and that their bond was mainly maintained by their master, so she didn't want to get too involved with anything else. Therefore, she never inquired about her fellow disciples' family affairs.

Apart from Kang Yannian's sister-in-law, she had never met the other three sisters-in-law. Her three brothers-in-law never mentioned their family matters in front of her.

It wasn't until she overheard her master chatting with Wu Zong that she learned that although Wu Zong had married Cen Song's cousin, Cen Song's cousin had passed away five years earlier. When Zhao Ruxi became his disciple, he was a widower with a twelve-year-old daughter and had no intention of remarrying.

People married young these days. Even though his daughter was twelve, he was only thirty at the time. Two years have passed, and now Wu Zong Zong's daughter is fourteen, the age to get married. It was Kang Shilin who inquired about Wu Zong's daughter's marriage that made Zhao Ruxi realize Wu Zong Zong's status as a widower.

Wu Zong was extremely handsome, a man in his prime at thirty-two. At thirty-two, he was at an age where he looked young yet acted with great maturity. In terms of appearance, he and Xiao Ruotong were a good match. In terms of personality, Wu Zong was a very capable and responsible person, and an excellent person.

Xiao Ruotong doesn't have many male friends of similar age to meet, and Wu Zong is so good and outstanding. It's not surprising that Xiao Ruotong would fall for Wu Zong when she was being pressured by her family to get married.

However, Wu Zong has a fourteen-year-old daughter. Although his family is also a prominent family with a decent background, it seems to be a large clan that hasn't split up. His family is quite large. He is also seven or eight years older than Xiao Ruotong. Given these conditions, it's likely that the Princess of Zhennan wouldn't be interested in him.

Princess of Zhennan had always harbored resentment towards Wei Zheng, the Duke of Ying, for betraying her daughter. She would certainly be unwilling if Xiao Ruotong married someone far inferior to Wei Zheng.

"Does my senior brother know? What did the Princess say?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Xiao Ruotong shook her head. "None of them know. I've never mentioned it to anyone. Even my personal Nanny Yun, doesn't know what I'm thinking."

Zhao Ruxi blinked and remained silent for a moment.

"I know I'm not good enough for your senior brother. With his qualifications, he could marry any young lady he wants without any problem. If he had a son, I would even consider asking someone to inquire about this marriage. But he doesn't have a son, so I can't bring myself to propose," Xiao Ruotong said.

"If I hadn't been influenced by your calligraphy today, I would have kept this matter to myself for the rest of my life. But now, I want to try."

She lowered her head and sighed, "My mother is pressuring me about getting married again."

"So... you want me to ask your senior brother for you?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Xiao Ruotong nodded. "If you have a chance to see him, please ask him for me. If he's unwilling, I'll give up. It's not good to mention this to anyone else. Only you can help me."

"Alright, I'll ask around for you when I go to my master's house in two days," Zhao Ruxi said.

She still really hopes to make this happen. Wu Zong is a good person, and Xiao Ruotong is excellent. The two are a perfect match. If they get married, they will definitely be very happy.

Now, the four of them are all busy with their own affairs and no longer go to Beining. Kang Shilin is getting old, and going to Beining is too tiring. It is still winter, and the roads are snowy and not safe. At Kang Yannian's request, Kang Shilin resigned from his position as a teacher at the Beining Women's Academy before Zhao Ruxi took the provincial examination.

Knowing that their master preferred activity to stillness, the four siblings agreed to meet at their master's house once every ten days. The Northern Painting School also occasionally held some activities in the capital, so Kang Shilin wasn't too bored.

Two days later, it was the day that the fellow disciples would gather at the Kang Family. Zhao Ruxi decided to find an opportunity to bring up the matter with Wu Zong at that time.

"When did you fall for my senior?" Zhao Ruxi asked gossipy. "Was it when you were learning sketching in Beining?"

Only then did Xiao Ruotong and Wu Zong have any interaction. Otherwise, they would never even see each other.

Xiao Ruotong nodded, her face slightly flushed.

I didn't actually talk to him much. I just saw how good he was to you, how he always looked after you, and I thought he was a really good person.

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

Should she be thankful that Xiao Ruotong didn't misunderstand and still saw the good in Wu Zong?

"That's right. My master asked him to help me out, and he enthusiastically helped me set up the estate and even lent me his house to run a training class. My senior brother is a good person." She gave Wu Zong a "good person" card without hesitation.

After saying this, she pushed the plate of pastries towards Xiao Ruotong: "Here, try another one. These are some new pastries that my cook and I developed; they taste quite good. If you like them, you can take some back with you later."

She didn't want to continue this topic with Xiao Ruotong. She didn't know what Wu Zong thought of Xiao Ruotong, and saying anything now would be inappropriate.

In modern times, she would encourage Xiao Ruotong to pursue her dreams without hesitation. But in an era where one person's actions could affect the reputation of the entire family, she dared not say such a thing. Of course, she also couldn't discourage Xiao Ruotong. So let's not talk about this anymore.

The only thing she could do was to convey Xiao Ruotong's feelings to her two days later.