Something she couldn't do in the past.
"Oh right, Long Xu Nian's marriage is hastened. Do you want to take a look tomorrow? Grandpa did say that he'll give us a day of holiday, right?" Nan Luo asked with a grin on his face.
Nan Hua turned to look at Nan Luo. "Hastened?"
"Yes. The Long Family asked for the Wen Family to hasten the marriage. The Young Master of Wen Family agreed, so the marriage will be held tomorrow. Did you not follow the news?" Nan Luo asked curiously.
Nan Hua merely sent a glance at Nan Luo.
But as someone who knew Nan Hua very well, Nan Luo knew that the glance meant: "Why should I care for someone unimportant?"
"In that case, we'll just go there~. I heard that she has been using expensive medicines one after another. I wonder how long it would take before her face return to normal."
Because of the white fox, Long Xu Nian's face was disfigured. It was unknown whether her face had healed after such a long period of time. After all, medicines that could cure deep wounds without leaving any mark didn't exist yet.
Not to mention, the face was a delicate location.
"Has Grandpa give the permit?" Nan Hua asked.
Nan Luo nodded. "Yeah, he surprisingly didn't mind us playing outside. Probably he knows that we'll be bored if we're locked in the residence all the time."
Nan Hua: "…"
Are you sure that the one who was bored not you, Nan Luo?
Hou Liang shook his head when he saw the two children already made their plan for tomorrow. "Young Miss, if you want to go out tomorrow, it'll be better for you to take servants and guards to protect you."
Protect her?
Nan Luo scoffed. "I can protect her!"
"For safety reason, it's better to have more people to protect Young Miss and Young Master." Hou Liang didn't know whether to cry or laugh when he saw Nan Luo's defiance stance. It was clear that the young master wished that he would be the only one who protected Nan Hua.
Hearing that, Nan Luo snorted but didn't refute. He knew that he was still not strong enough. He had to train more!
"Rest!"
Thwack!
"Hua'er…." Nan Luo said in aggrieved tone. Even his little sister was bullying him.
Nan Hua's expression didn't change in the slightest bit. She pointed to the direction of his quarter. "It's late."
"Fine, fine, I'll go and rest. You should rest too, Hua'er."
"Mhm."
Nan Luo watched as Nan Hua returned to her quarter before he sat down, a helpless expression on his face. He murmured lightly, "Would seeing Long Xu Nian having to hasten her marriage put you in better mood? Due to the recent scandals, Long Xu Nian's reputation hadn't been good."
Xiao Yan passed a glance at his young master but he said nothing. He knew that the reason Old Master Nan agreed was because he wanted Nan Hua to feel better. Would seeing someone who used to bully her in worse situation made her feel better?
Normal people would.
But it was uncertain whether the same logic would apply to Nan Hua, especially considering that Nan Hua was always so expressionless.
…
The next day, Mu Yan and Xiao Yun were busy to prepare for Nan Hua's outing. Mu Yan was a silent girl and always acting very careful. However, her work had always been very good so far, so no one was criticizing her.
Xiao Yun would follow Nan Hua outside today. "Miss, would you like to wear thicker clothes?"
"It's spring." Nan Hua didn't have any intention to torture herself by wearing thick clothes when it was unnecessary. She was also walking around by using carriages, so there was no need for her to be so proactive.
"Would you start wearing veil, Miss?"
Normal unmarried woman would not go around to flaunt their faces. They would usually wear veil that would cover their faces when they were outside. Not to mention, noble girls would not usually walk around on the street like what Nan Hua and Nan Luo did.
Nan Hua looked at the veil and shook her head lightly. She was only 9 years old, so there was no need for her to bother with it so much.
"Hua'er!" Nan Luo called from outside the quarter. He waved his hand excitedly as his dark brocade robe fluttered along with her movement. "Are you ready?"
Walking out of her quarter, Nan Hua was dressed in beautiful light blue brocade dress. There was cloud treading at the hem of her clothes, making delicate and beautiful pattern. Coupled with Nan Hua's angelic appearance, she looked like a fairy that descent in the appearance of a child.
Nan Luo looked at Nan Hua and clicked his tongue. "You should start to wear a veil, Hua'er. Men are all untrustworthy and might try to harm you because of your beauty."
The thought that his sister would be coveted by many people put Nan Luo in a bad mood. He didn't want his little sister to be coveted by many other people as he didn't want his little sister's face to be ogled by other people.
Hmph!
Those who dared to covet his sister would have to face his fist!
Nan Hua looked at Nan Luo with indifferent expression. She was only 9 years old, what kind of men would take a fancy to a girl who hadn't even grown up yet?
"Hua'er, do you not believe me?" Nan Luo asked in dissatisfied tone.
"You're also a man."
Nan Luo was stumped… It seemed that he had forgotten that he was also a man. However…
"I'm different! I'm your twin brother!"
Nan Hua paid no heed to Nan Luo as she walked towards the carriage with her twin brother blabbering beside her. Behind them, Xiao Yun and Xiao Yan were following respectfully.
Xiao Yan looked at his sister and whispered, "Did you not ask Young Miss to wear a veil?"
While Nan Hua was still young, her body hadn't grown up yet. However, it didn't mean that her beauty could be hidden away so easily. Those who see her would be able to tell that she would be a great beauty when she grew up.
Probably… one that wouldn't lose against Shangguan Die, who was acclaimed as one of the prettiest women in the entire Fei Yang Kingdom.
Xiao Yun sighed helplessly. "Miss didn't want to. Since Miss had decided, how could someone like me go against her wishes?"
"Right…"
The two servants could only sigh as they watched the two children entered the carriage and headed into the city. Right now, the street was bustling because of Long Xu Nian and Young Master Wen's marriage.
Even though Long Xu Nian's recent reputation hadn't been very good, she was still the only daughter of Long Family. No one would dare to show her any disrespect.
"It's crowded." Nan Luo looked around curiously.
Nan Hua nodded lightly. She could see that there were a lot of people who gave face for Long Family. They were gathering as they watched the bride came out slowly. She was not allowed to stop on the ground, so usually the brother would carry her to the carriage and in her husband's house, it would be her husband who would carry her.
Sometimes, it was also the joy matron.*
Nan Hua watched as Long Qian Xing stepped forward and bent down slightly in order to carry his older sister. Since Long Qian Xing was only 13 years old, he was still shorter than Long Xu Nian. Not only that, he also looked very immature.
"I thought that he wouldn't carry her when I heard from Grandpa that their relationship is bad." Nan Luo was stunned.
"Young Master Long Qian Xing is a person of great self control," Nan Hua remarked faintly.
To be able to show an expression of joy in his face even though Long Xu Nian was stabbing her younger brother with needles… it proved that Long Qian Xing truly had great self control. It was unknown what kind of poison Long Xu Nian prepared for her younger brother, but it must be anything but good.
Unbeknownst to herself, Nan Hua's eyes turned a shade colder when she was watching how Long Xu Nian treated Long Qian Xing.
…
(A/N) Joy matron
Joy matron was the term for the female attendant who usually helped during marriage. When the husband accepted the bride, sometimes the one who would carry her out of the sedan was the joy matron and not the husband. If the female didn't have siblings, it was also the joy matron who might carry her to the sedan in order to not step on the ground.
But the tradition for marriage could be different in accordance to the era. There would always be some details that can be changed. I just refer to one of them here.
(The process can also be complicated… especially if the one who got married was someone of high status)