A life of ups and downs is pure joy

When Xiao Yi returned to Qingbo Courtyard, the Lin sisters also returned home. Lin Qinghuan was lying alone on the couch, looking at the folding fan given to her by Dong Yuange, while Lin Qingru was writing big characters on the desk beside her.

"Sister Huan, you've been looking at this fan all night." Lin Qingru looked up and said, her sharp eyes caught sight of Xiao Yi walking in.

"Brother-in-law is back." Lin Qingru said happily.

"Husband, it's just right that you're back. Ru'er has homework to check today, and I'm very tired." Lin Qinghuan said mischievously.

"Sister Huan just said that she would check it herself after I finished copying these words, but she ended up giving it to my brother-in-law." Lin Qingru said.

"Let me see what you read today."

Xiao Yi handed the outer robe in his hand to Yun Xiang who came to serve him, and then sat down opposite Lin Qingru.

Lin Qinghuan held her chin with her hand and looked at her husband and sister with a happy face, feeling very comfortable. This was the life she had most hoped for in the past, with the people who loved her and the people she loved by her around her.

After checking the homework, Lin Qingru and Shuyin returned to their own yard. Before leaving, they winked at Lin Qinghuan mischievously.

"Sixth Miss, the young lady treats you so well." Shuyin was holding a lantern beside her, and Lin Qingru was jumping and skipping beside her.

"She is my biological sister, and I am her biological sister. Naturally, we should be good to each other for the rest of our lives. The same goes for Sister Shuyin and Brother Shurong." Lin Qingru said with her head tilted.

"Who is Shu Rong?" Shu Yin looked at Lin Qingru with some confusion.

"Didn't Sister Huan tell Sister Shuyin about this?" Lin Qingru asked curiously.

Shuyin looked at Lin Qingru's chubby little face with confusion.

"Xiao Hu is Shu Rong. Dad saw that Shu Rong was a child who loved reading, so he made him Zhichuan's study companion, and that's why he changed his name." After Lin Qingru said this, Shu Yin was stunned for a long time.

"My silly brother... actually... actually has good luck." Shuyin said in a crying voice with tears in her eyes, unable to control her excitement.

"Sister Shuyin, why are you crying?" Lin Qingru asked somewhat puzzled.

"Sixth Miss, let's go back."

Shuyin wiped her tears, took Lin Qingru's hand, and took her back to Xiaolianyuan with a lantern.

After helping the two of them wash up in Qingbo Courtyard, Yunxiang and Chuxia also left the inner courtyard and returned to their own rooms.

"Is the painting on this folding fan so strange? You have been looking at it for several hours." Xiao Yi asked as he sat next to Lin Qinghuan.

"Mr. Dong asked Ru'er to bring me this folding fan." Lin Qinghuan said.

"Well, what's confusing you?"

Xiao Yi took a look and didn't find anything strange about it. It was just an ordinary folding fan.

"The folding fan is an ordinary one, but the painting on it was drawn by my mother. I knew it at a glance," said Lin Qinghuan.

"Let me take a closer look." Xiao Yi became interested when he heard this.

"I recognize my mother's paintings and I can tell at a glance. How come Mr. Dong has so many of my mother's things? It makes me very nervous." Lin Qinghuan felt very conflicted.

"They both originally studied under the same master. It's not surprising that Mr. Dong has many of his mother-in-law's calligraphy and paintings. Don't overthink it. Maybe he wants to give them to you and ask you to keep them well."

Xiao Yi gently placed the paper fan in Lin Qinghuan's hand again.

"If that's the case, then I won't worry anymore." Lin Qinghuan thought about it and stopped worrying about it.

"Is my child well behaved today?" Xiao Yi hugged Lin Qinghuan in his arms and touched her belly and asked gently.

"I've complained to mother that daddy is so busy every day and it's so hard to see him." Lin Qinghuan pretended to complain.

When Xiao Yi saw Lin Qinghuan's naughty little face, he felt that she was more and more cute and lovely, so he rubbed Lin Qinghuan's neck affectionately with his nose.

"It's so itchy..." Lin Qinghuan giggled and hugged Xiao Yi's face affectionately with her little hands.

"Huan'er, I hope to see our child soon, but I also hope that it will be just you and me in this world of husband and wife." Xiao Yi suddenly said as he looked at Lin Qinghuan, whose face was blushing with a smile.

"Even if the child is born, there are people in this courtyard to take care of our little devil. Why should my husband worry that he will disturb you and me?" Lin Qinghuan looked at Xiao Yi with some amusement and said.

Xiao Yi looked at the silly woman in front of him and felt very uncomfortable. He had promised Tao Baiwan marriage in the beginning, so how should he tell his wife about it?

"Husband, you are the biggest jealous person right now. You are even jealous of your own child."

Lin Qinghuan saw Xiao Yi frowning slightly, reached out and stroked his forehead and said.

"Huan'er, I really love you." Xiao Yi hugged Lin Qinghuan tightly again.

Lin Qinghuan felt that Xiao Yi was a little strange, perhaps because he was unhappy with political affairs, so she didn't ask much, but just hugged him caringly.

"Husband, I love you too."

Late at night, when everyone is asleep, the fragrance of various flowers and plants in Qingbo Courtyard wafts in the air. The whole courtyard has become more lively than before after having a hostess. The furnishings in the courtyard have also changed more and more over the year. Lin Qinghuan has her own favorite garden design, and Xiao Yi lets her do it.

The next morning, the three old men of the Xiao family went to the morning court as usual and started their day of official life. Xiao Fan had now been transferred back to Jinhan City. As for what he was busy with every day, Lin Qinghuan had no idea, and Xiao Fan's wife Zhang Lijun was even less aware.

Lin Qinghuan saw his sister-in-law quite often on weekdays. Every time he went to pay his respects to Liu Ji, she would be in Qingyin Pavilion. Today, he met her on the road.

"Sister-in-law, your belly has grown visibly bigger. Are you more tired now than before?" Zhang Lijun walked forward and took Lin Qinghuan's arm and asked with concern.

"Yes, getting up today was a bit harder than before. I ate too much and gained a lot of weight. I guess the baby is still not that big."

Lin Qinghuan said self-deprecatingly that now she can't stop talking every day and her face is rounder than before.

"You've always been thin and gaunt, so this is normal now. It's been seven months, and you'll be fine in another three months. Then your sister-in-law won't have to suffer any more."

Zhang Lijun said kindly, holding Lin Qinghuan tighter, "Be careful, the stones are a bit slippery. Mother-in-law fell a few days ago and has been recuperating on the bed for the past few days."

"How is my aunt now? Is she still using the ointment that I asked my mother's sister to prescribe for the yard?" Lin Qinghuan asked carefully while looking at the roadside under her feet.

"It's really amazing. My mother-in-law feels much better after using that ointment. Madam Jia is a very skilled doctor."

After Zhang Lijun finished speaking, she glanced at the housekeeper in the distance and saw a group of new maids slowly walking along the corridor.

"Is there a new maid?" Lin Qinghuan also looked in the direction she was looking.

"A few days ago, we let go a group of maids who were old enough to get married. We probably didn't have enough manpower, so we bought some back." Zhang Lijun said.

Lin Qinghuan watched the maids' backs slowly disappear at the end of the corridor.

As soon as the two sisters-in-law reached the door of Qingyin Hall, they saw Michelle Reis stepping over the threshold.

"Hey, Madam, I was just about to look for you, and here you are." Michelle Reis stepped forward and bowed to Lin Qinghuan, and then nodded and smiled at Zhang Lijun.

"Mother told me yesterday that you, Sister Li, are very clever and skillful. You've taken care of all these crabapple blossoms in the yard."

Lin Qinghuan sighed as she walked and admired the flowers in the yard.

"It's really beautiful. Look at this pink and tender crabapple flower, half-opened, it's the most enchanting."

Zhang Lijun said with a smile as she lowered her head to smell the half-meter-high crabapple tree next to her.

"Yes, Sister Li can grow all kinds of flowers and her yards are more beautiful than those in other courtyards." Xiao Fan's concubine Chen Suxiu sighed as she stood in front of a cluster of bright red crabapple flowers.

Michelle Reis was praised by everyone, and her face turned red as she was already shy.

Liu Ji sat in the pavilion and watched a group of daughters-in-law chatting and admiring flowers in the yard, laughing all the time.

"Look at these children. They are so young and beautiful, just like the flowers. They are full of energy and vigor." Liu Ji sighed while drinking tea.

"What are you talking about, elder sister? You are still as beautiful as ever, otherwise why would my brother-in-law favor you so much all these years? I think the hairpin you wore yesterday was very beautiful." Liu Rong said.

"Speaking of this, how is the gold bracelet I asked you to make for Wen'er?" Liu Ji asked.

"Eldest sister loves Wen'er very much. The bracelet is really beautiful. I sent it to Wen'er's yard yesterday."

"This child has been obedient since she was young. My husband asked me to raise her under his name, and you have been taking care of her wholeheartedly all these years. Although I am her mother in name only, you are her mother in life."

"Wen'er is my sister's child after all. I hope she will be well. In the end, the fact that she can marry into the Duke Shen's Mansion is a great blessing that my brother-in-law gave her."

"She deserves it. I don't know how Nan'er is doing in Luofeng. I really miss her." Liu Ji wiped away her tears after saying that.

"She will naturally not be wronged if she lives in the Lin Mansion. She should go there to avoid the limelight first and then bring her back when the situation calms down."

Liu Ji looked up at Lin Qinghuan who was picking crabapple flowers and putting them into Li Jiaxin's bun in the distance.

"Eldest sister, you said that Yi'er went out this time, but the eldest princess suffered such a crime. Given that girl's personality, isn't it a little strange that she is so calm now?" Liu Rong continued.

"Why is she still thinking about my son now?" Liu Ji looked at Liu Rong in surprise, as if she had realized something belatedly.

"After all, it saved his life. I asked Wen'er, if the arrow had gone even a little off, his life would have been lost." Liu Rong said in a low voice.

"Ling Luo is dead, and the Queen Mother will not allow her to enter the Xiao family. It would be in vain. Besides, it is not appropriate for her to be a concubine with her status." Liu Ji said.

"I'm just afraid her purpose is not towards me. You should know that the emperor is not punishing me this time for the sake of the Crown Prince and the Queen. I heard that it was the eldest princess's wet nurse who went to plead for mercy in person." After Liu Rong finished speaking, she habitually glanced at Lin Qinghuan and others in the distance.

"I remember she loved following Yi'er since she was little. Is this child so obsessed? But my Yi'er has already married Huan'er. It is impossible for him to divorce her and marry her again. Besides, this is a marriage personally arranged by the emperor. How could he let her do what she wants?"

Liu Ji shook her head in denial.

"That's good, look at Yi'er and Huan'er, they're finally living a peaceful life."

Liu Rong murmured softly as if to comfort herself, and when she looked up, she saw Lin Qinghuan and others walking towards her and Liu Ji.