New ink fragrance in old times

Tang Qing's body trembled slightly, as if he had just come back to his senses. He turned to look at Lin Mo, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, and then he regained some of his spirit: "Oh, "The Analects"... I haven't memorized it yet."

Lin Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that changing the subject would only temporarily address the problem, but it would at least allow Tang Qing to temporarily escape from the emotion of parting and focus on the matter at hand.

So, he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I haven't memorized it yet either. Let's go together. Otherwise, if we can't memorize it when my uncle checks, we won't have dinner."

Tang Qing thought of the ruler made by his uncle. If he couldn't memorize it, he would inevitably be scolded and even unable to eat dinner.

"Okay, let's go together."

Tang Qing nodded, with a hint of determination in his voice.

Time is like a gurgling stream, slipping silently through fingers. Every dawn and dusk of the day silently tells the story of the Lin family.

Lin Mo stood in the yard, looking at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, feeling mixed emotions.

Thinking of the day when my uncle just left, my aunt and Tang Qing, Tang Shan and Tang Xin's faces were full of reluctance. After that day, they couldn't stop smiling.

Whenever someone came to visit the house, Tang Shan and Tang Xin were always the first to rush out the door, standing in the yard full of hope, waiting for the return of their uncle.

However, as time went by, that initial joy was gradually shrouded by a thin layer of haze. The promise made by my uncle when he left was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples, but with no return date.

Anxiety and disappointment began to slowly show in Tang Shan and Tang Xin's eyes, and every wait turned into a silent sigh.

Later, even if someone occasionally came to visit their home, they would just hide in the room quietly, and no longer run to the door with anticipation like before.

Lin Sizhe tried to take the two out to play, but Tang Shan and Tang Xin were not in the mood.

Lin Mo noticed that Tang Qing often sat alone in a corner, holding the wood carving tightly in his hands, with a deep look in his eyes. Lin Mo knew that although Tang Qing did not show much emotion on the surface, he must be feeling bad inside.

Lin Xuebo was keenly aware of the changes in his children. To ease the dull atmosphere at home, he gave them boxes he had made himself. However, this could not completely dispel the gloom in the children's hearts.

Although Tang Qing received the gift he had been longing for, the smile on his face seemed a little forced.

The atmosphere in the Lin family became increasingly strange.

During this period, Lin Xuejin took Lin Mo and several other children into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs. Under the guidance of his father, Lin Mo helped to dry the herbs. He realized that what his father said about "knowing a lot" was not groundless.

During this period, in addition to helping Lin Xuebao and helping Lin Xuejin dry the medicinal herbs, Lin Mo also learned to weave small bamboo baskets to hold his carpentry tools.

Furthermore, Lin Mo's relatively nimble hands were now covered in frightening frostbite due to the harsh winter. His fingers were swollen and red, as if they had been mercilessly carved by the cold wind.

At first, Lin Mo didn't take these minor discomforts seriously and continued to wash his hands with cold water as usual, thinking that it was just normal in winter and would be fine after a few days.

However, things were not as simple as he wished.

Day by day, those hands grew increasingly red. One morning, when Lin Mo looked down again, he discovered that chilblains had quietly formed, like the most uninvited winter visitor, stubbornly lingering. This scene happened to be witnessed by Han Suniang, who had just stepped through the threshold.

"Hey, Sanlang, what's wrong with you?"

Han Suniang's voice was filled with surprise and heartache. She approached slowly with tears in her eyes, her belly growing rounder. "Why did you freeze like this without even telling me?"

Lin Mo smiled awkwardly, trying to cover up his negligence: "It's okay, Mom, it's just that the weather has been too cold these days, and I was careless..."

"Careless? How could you be so careless, kid?"

Han Suniang's words were filled with a hint of blame, but more of worry: "How can this continue? We must find a way to treat it quickly."

Recalling that day, my mother's emotions suddenly lost control, tears falling like beads from a broken string. My father, who had heard the news, was frantically trying to comfort her, while not forgetting to look at me sternly:

"How could you make your mother so worried? Why don't you pay attention to yourself?"

Then, he blamed himself again: "Suniang, this is all my fault. I didn't take good care of Sanlang. Don't cry..."

The other members of the Lin family also rushed over after hearing the noise, and cast reproachful glances at Lin Mo. At that moment, Lin Mo felt unprecedented pressure.

Lin Mo felt the sharp gazes of the Lin family, and he felt a little ashamed and embarrassed.

(He is just too sensitive)

Lin Mo was speechless and could only lower his head silently. He was indeed careless this time, causing his mother to worry about him. He felt extremely guilty and self-blame.

At this moment, Lu Yue stood up, patted Han Suniang's shoulder gently, and said softly:

"Second sister-in-law, don't be too sad. I know you're worried about Sanlang, but you have to take care of yourself too. My mother said that boiled radish water can cure frostbite, and it works really well! Let's give it a try, maybe it can relieve Sanlang's symptoms."

Tears welled up in Han Suniang's eyes. She looked up at Lu Yue: "Really? I..."

"Sister-in-law, don't be sad, I'll do it."

Seeing this, Shen Xin immediately stepped forward and interrupted Han Suniang.

Shen Xin walked quickly to the kitchen, picked up the radish, and skillfully began to wash, slice, and boil water. Soon, a basin of steaming radish water was brought to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo took the basin of radish water, gently tested the temperature, and when he felt it was just right, he carefully immersed his hands in it.

At that moment, a warmth spread from the fingertips to the whole body, as if the coldness of the past few days was being dispelled bit by bit by this warm current.

Lin Mo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly feeling the warmth, and a long-lost look of ease and comfort appeared on his face.

Zhao Yue'e continued to comfort Han Suniang: "Suniang, don't be too sad. It's normal for children to have cold hands and feet. Now that we have the radish water, Sanlang's hands will get better soon."

Lin Xiya: "Yes, sister-in-law, don't worry, this method will definitely work."

With everyone's comfort, Han Suniang's emotions gradually stabilized.

In the following days, Lin Mo insisted on soaking his hands in radish water every day.

He felt the warmth coming from his fingertips. Each soak was a baptism of the soul, and the chilblains on his hands gradually showed signs of improvement.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the winter solstice has quietly arrived.

On this day, every household is immersed in the joy of the festival and prepares winter delicacies.

The Lin family's yard was also very lively. Everyone was busy making dumplings, and the air was filled with the warmth of the festival.

Lin Siyuan carefully carried the basin of water that exuded a faint radish fragrance and warm steam, and walked steadily towards Lin Mo who was sitting in the yard basking in the sun.

The sunlight shines through the clouds onto Lin Mo's face, adding a touch of softness to him.

"Sanlang, come and soak your hands. This is the radish water that your mother specially cooked for you. It will be very beneficial for your hand injury." Lin Siyuan said as he gently placed the basin next to Lin Mo, his eyes full of concern.

Lin Mo looked up at Lin Siyuan: "Thank you, second brother."

"Hey, what are you talking about? We are brothers, Sanlang. You must get better soon, or you won't make mother sad again."

Lin Mo shuddered when he thought of Han Suniang's tears. It was so scary.

"Second brother, don't worry, I will never make mother sad in the future."

Lin Siyuan patted Lin Mo's shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go soaking. After that, we can go eat. We've prepared dumplings for today."

Lin Mo nodded slightly. After this period of time, he could be completely sure that Erlang was a senior brother-con.

Lin Mo slowly immersed his hands in the warm water. A warm current instantly spread from his fingertips to his whole body, and the fatigue of the past few days dissipated a lot with the warmth.

He closed his eyes, enjoying this rare tranquility and warmth.

Zhao Yue'e's voice came from the kitchen: "Erlang, Sanlang, the meal is almost ready, come and help carry the dishes."