Chapter 2 — In Rebirth, My Sister Stole My Cold-Faced Husband

“It's just…” mother paused for a moment, “I heard it's a bit confusing.”

"The other year at the palace banquet, the Crown Prince's inkstone was broken."

"……Why?"

“Says that the inkstone blocks his view of his weapons.”

I was silent for a moment. In my previous life, I married someone who was extremely restrained, but ended up being killed by a bowl of poison. Let's try changing to a "mischievous" person in this life?

“I have no opinion.”

Mother almost broke the rosary in her hand.

“Can you…be so casual?”

"Mother, last time at the banquet you wore a flower brooch and said that fate is determined by heaven."

I smiled: "God decided it would be the Ta family, so let's just be the Ta family." Mother's expression seemed as if she no longer recognized me. Three days later, the two families exchanged cards. Seven days later, Ta Lam Uyen went to the palace to deliver the bride price. I stood by the second floor window and looked down, a young man wearing a bright red cavalry turned around and dismounted from his horse. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, standing there like a straight birch tree——but that birch tree knew how to tilt its head and smile foolishly. He raised his head to see me. I instinctively took a step back. He grinned again, holding up the thing in his hand to me. It's a paper tiger pasted with paper. Thanh Hoa: "..." He called out from below: "Future wife! I bring you something very powerful!" All the servants in the Tham palace looked over. Thanh Hoa felt embarrassed for me: "Miss, maybe... just pretend you didn't see it?" I looked at that wrinkled paper tiger and, for some reason, suddenly burst out laughing. In his previous life, the bride price was a pair of white jade bracelets sent by Bui Nghien Chi. Both precious and proper, with no flaws to be found——exactly like him. But from beginning to end, he never came by himself once.

“Go, come down and receive it.”

I pushed the door open and went downstairs, walking to Ta Lam Uyen. He was a head taller than me. When he bent down to look at me, there seemed to be light in his eyes.

“Miss Shen, this is for you.”

He brought the paper tiger in front of me, "I glued it myself, it took two days. Look at this beard - I pasted it three times, burning two pieces of paper." There were indeed scorch marks on his sleeves, he deliberately kept them busy, and even more deliberately showed them off for me to see.

“Why tiger?”

“Tiger exorcism.”

He grinned, "In the future, when I'm not around, it will guard you for me." Thanh Hoa's expression from "losing face" gradually changed to "seems not so bad". I received the paper tiger. The paste is indeed very bad. But for some reason, holding it in my hand feels heavy. Less than an hour after Ta Lam Uyen left, Bui Nghien Chi arrived. Not to the Tham mansion——but "just happened" to pass through the gate of the Tham mansion. Thanh Hoa came to report: "Miss, Bui Thieu Khanh's carriage is stopping at the entrance of the alley, his boy came in to give a card..."

“What concubine?”

“That said……invite the Tham family to enjoy the flowers.”

In March, the flowers haven't bloomed yet, so what's the reward? We put the card aside.

“Don't go.”

“But——”

“Answer him, saying that my body is not healthy.”

Thanh Hoa looked at the paper tiger in my hand for a moment and said nothing more. Early the next morning, Ta Lam Uyen arrived again. This time he rode a tall, handsome apple-red horse and stopped in front of the gate of the Tham residence.

“Miss Tham!” He called inside loudly, "The weather is nice today, let's go horseback riding!"

Thanh Hoa quickly ran over: "Miss, Mr. Ta is outside..."

“I heard it, the whole street heard it.”

I changed into a neat outfit and went downstairs. He saw me step out, turned around, dismounted, and stood still for a moment.

"Nothing."

He scratched the back of his head, "it's just...you're even more beautiful in a cavalry outfit than I thought." I do not respond.

“Sit in front or behind me?”

“Your horse.”

“So where do you want to sit?”

"……Behind."

"Impossible."

He directly pulled me onto the horse's back, letting me sit in front of him, with my hands from both sides around to hold the reins.

“That's safe.”

His voice came down from above his head, carrying a smile, "If you sit in the back, I can't control you." My back was pressed against his chest, a layer of clothing apart and I could still feel his heartbeat. Whether it's his or mine, I can't tell clearly. The horse's hooves stepped on the green stone pavement, the morning wind blew straight into his face. When passing the turn at Truong An Nhai, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a black-painted horse-drawn carriage stopping on the side of the road. The car curtain was lifted to one corner. Bui Nghien Chi sat in the car, holding a document in his hand. His eyes stopped on Ta Lam Uyen's arm that was hugging me. The joints of the fingers were clearly visible, little by little tightening. The corner of the library was grabbed until it was wrinkled. Ta Lam Uyen also seemed to see him, but only let out an "oh" sound.

"People from Dai Ly Tu? They don't go to solve cases early in the morning, so why are they standing here watching the excitement?"

The curtains of Bui Nghien Chi's car were completely lowered.