A life of ups and downs is pure joy

When the carriage arrived at the gate of Dong Mansion, Xiao Yi helped Lin Qinghuan get off the carriage. The woman stood at the door and watched Dayuan come forward and hand over the visiting card. The servant at the door took it with both hands, glanced at the carriage of Xiao Mansion, and then ran in quickly.

"Husband, I'm so nervous!"

Lin Qinghuan kept pulling the handkerchief in her hand and spoke anxiously. After all, she had never seen this Mr. Dong before. It was just that in the past year, she would receive poems and paintings from her master from time to time, but the person he was had always been a mystery.

"I'm always with you, don't panic."

Seeing that Lin Qinghuan's face was red, Xiao Yi pulled her hand that was holding the handkerchief, trying to make her relax a little.

"Yeah." Lin Qinghuan looked up and smiled at Xiao Yi.

"Brother Xiao, why are you here?"

While the two were whispering, a man who looked about the same age as Xiao Yi came out of the door and shouted at Xiao Yi.

"When did Brother Dong come back?"

Xiao Yi looked at Dong Moyuan, the eldest grandson of his childhood friend, Old Master Dong, with some surprise.

"I've been back for a few days now. I was just thinking of going to look for you someday, but I didn't expect you to come. Hey, who is this sister?"

Dong Moyuan walked up and patted Xiao Yi's shoulder happily. Then he saw Lin Qinghuan standing next to his old friend and asked curiously.

"This is my wife, Lin Qinghuan."

Xiao Yi pulled Lin Qinghuan to his side and introduced, "Huan'er, this is Dong Moyuan, the grandson of my good friend, Old Master Dong."

"She is the sister-in-law you mentioned in your letter."

Dong Moyuan looked at Lin Qinghuan happily and nodded.

"Why are you looking for my uncle?"

Dong Moyuan asked as he led the two of them towards the mansion.

"Master, Mr. Dong asked me to come and welcome Princess Changping."

A child who looked like a book boy ran to the front of the corridor and saluted Dong Moyuan and said.

"Am I the only one here?" Lin Qinghuan asked in panic.

The servant bowed respectfully to Lin Qinghuan and nodded.

"The master only summoned the princess, saying that Lord Xiao hadn't seen his old friend for several years and must have a lot to talk about, so he didn't need to go with her."

Lin Qinghuan glanced at Xiao Yi, then nodded to the servant.

Walking into a quiet courtyard, Lin Qinghuan looked up at the inscription above.

"Huanlangyuan."

Lin Qinghuan murmured as he stood at the door.

"Princess, please follow me to the study to find the teacher." said the little servant.

"Young sir, does Mr. Dong live alone in such a large yard?"

Lin Qinghuan asked in a low voice. Dong Yuange's residence was really remote and secluded. If Lin Qinghuan went back alone, she would definitely not be able to find Xiao Yi.

"Princess, please call me Tonghua. In this courtyard, besides the master, there are Tongshu, me, and two maids, Siqin and Siqi. The master likes quietness, so there are very few servants. Princess, please come this way."

Tong Hua led Lin Qinghuan through a vase-shaped stone gate and into the inner courtyard. They walked along a narrow cobblestone path, passed through a square courtyard and arrived at a mahogany corridor.

"Princess, please come in."

The two walked to the door of the study. Tong Hua went forward and knocked twice, then gently pushed open the wooden door and stood to the side with her hands hanging down and said.

Lin Qinghuan nodded, took a deep breath, lifted her skirt and stepped in. She saw a young man who looked like Tong Hua coming out and bowing to her. Then he and Tong Hua stood on both sides of the study door.

When he reached the middle, Lin Qinghuan glanced around. There were bead curtains hanging everywhere. Through the hazy curtains, he saw a desk in the distance on the left, with a man sitting behind it. Lin Qinghuan guessed that this man was Dong Yuange.

"Mr. Dong, Qinghuan is coming in."

Lin Qinghuan mustered up the courage and spoke through the beaded curtain.

"come in."

Dong Yuange raised his head and said.

Lin Qinghuan gently lifted the beaded curtain and walked in, but the man sitting behind the table seemed familiar.

"You've grown so big."

Dong Yuange watched Lin Qinghuan slowly approaching in white clothes, and vivid memories came flooding back to him, as if he were seeing the smiling girl again.

"Yuan Ge, Master said today that I can draw better than you."

Zhang Yulan threw her painting on Dong Yuange's desk with a smile on her face.

"I've said before that Lan'er is extremely talented, but she became my disciple later than me."

Dong Yuange picked up the painting of his junior sister and slowly opened it, his face full of admiration.

"Is this true?"

Zhang Yulan asked playfully while sitting on the table and swinging her legs.

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"

Dong Yuange rolled up the scroll and tapped Zhang Yulan's head gently. "Look at you, you don't look like a girl at all."

"Well, then go find a girl who looks like the girl you like."

Zhang Yulan frowned and turned her head away, ignoring the guy.

"Why are you angry? I never said I don't like you being like this." Dong Yuange hurriedly stepped forward to coax her.

"Everyone says you are the most talented man in Jinhan, and all the girls in the boudoir are in love with you. Now, it is very good for them to see you like this. It makes them very happy."

Zhang Yulan said with a proud look at Dong Yuange who came to cheer her up.

"Lan'er, why are you always so naughty, yet so cute?"

Dong Yuange looked at the woman he had liked since childhood and looked at her with a doting smile.

"Big sister said that this is her personality. Oh, and yesterday she had an argument with her brother-in-law and returned home in anger. I heard Big brother argue with her for a long time, and in the end, she returned to her own courtyard in tears."

Zhang Yulan jumped down from the desk and sat on the soft cushion beside her and said.

"Your elder sister has a strong temper, and General Lin is also a man of integrity. It's inevitable that they will have arguments when they get along."

Dong Yuange said.

"Okay, let's not talk about big sister for now. Have you finished reading this book? I want to go to the hunting grounds to ride horses. Will you come with me?"

Zhang Yulan snatched the book from Dong Yuange's hand, then pulled him and asked coquettishly.

Dong Yuange agreed naturally, smiling.

But now that I have come to my senses, the person in front of me is not the one in my dream. I have wasted a lot of time and sighed.

"Mr. Dong, has Qinghuan seen you somewhere before?"

Lin Qinghuan looked at Mr. Dong curiously, who was staring at her in a daze, and asked, but she couldn't remember where he was.

"I met you once in the Fourth Prince's residence. Please go and sit down there."

Dong Yuange saw that although Lin Qinghuan looked exactly like Zhang Yulan, their expressions and smiles were different, and their personalities were also completely different. The strange feeling in his heart gradually dissipated.

"I remember now. It was in the backyard of Fourth Brother's main hall. Mr. Dong was with another gentleman. Qing Huan ran into him by chance."

Lin Qinghuan's sealed memory suddenly became clear as if it had been unlocked from a fog. She recalled the two strange men that day, and it turned out that one of them was Mr. Dong.

Dong Yuange smiled and nodded and continued to ask.

"Have you ever had a teacher or studied?"

"I've never had a master. Due to my health condition, I didn't go to school with my brothers and sisters when I was young. My eldest brother taught me a few words, and later I read some interesting books, and it was Qinghuan's husband who guided me."

Lin Qinghuan told the truth.

"Xiao Yi, the Grand Secretary of Jinglin and the smartest man in Jinhan, is worth a hundred teachers. You must have read a lot of books by now."

Dong Yuange said with a smile.

"My husband said that the smartest person in Jinhan is Mr. Dong, but he is a secluded person and does not participate in government affairs."

Lin Qinghuan said quickly.

Dong Yuange smiled knowingly and then looked at the brush in front of him, which looked very old.

"Qing Huan, your mother and I are old friends, and we were also senior and junior brothers and sisters. Now that she is gone, if you like painting, I will teach you."

Dong Yuange pointed to the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall and said.

"Qing Huan is not talented, but rather clumsy. I don't have the natural talent that my mother possesses. In the future, I will have to trouble Master Dong... no, I will have to trouble Master Master to teach me carefully."

Lin Qinghuan stood up happily and bowed respectfully.

"Child, you have been granted the title of Princess, so you cannot bow to me, Master Yiqing. Get up and just call me Master."

Dong Yuange walked around the desk and took Lin Qinghuan's arm, indicating that she should skip the formalities. Lin Qinghuan accepted the formalities and felt very happy. It seemed that she, the princess, was quite powerful. She didn't need to perform formalities when meeting anyone, but everyone was very polite when meeting her.

After leaving Huanlangyuan, Lin Qinghuan felt relieved. It turned out that becoming a disciple was so simple, just a matter of a few words. He had stayed up all night in vain. Starting tomorrow, he would learn painting from Jin Han, the number one painter and his own master. His happy little face was always smiling.

The maids and old women passing by all glanced at him and whispered to him, wondering when such a beautiful girl came into the mansion, and she looked so happy.

Tong Hua, following behind Lin Qinghuan, clearly felt that Princess Changping had two different faces, and the difference was huge.

"Princess, the eldest young master's yard is in front."

Tong Hua took Lin Qinghuan to Dong Moyuan's Qingyu Pavilion.

The two maids at the door saw that Lin Qinghuan was well-dressed and looked good, and they knew that she was the woman that the eldest young master had mentioned earlier.

"Princess Changping is well." Two maids stepped forward and saluted.

"Princess, Tong Hua has gone back first. A carriage will come to pick you up tomorrow."

Lin Qinghuan and Tong Hua nodded, then entered the yard with two maids. From a distance, they saw Xiao Yi and Dong Moyuan playing chess in the courtyard with smiles on their faces. Xiao Yi had previously mentioned to them that his best friend was an official in Shanhe Valley. They never expected that he was the eldest grandson of the Dong family.

"Brothers and sisters are here."