A life of ups and downs is pure joy

It was springtime and the sun was shining brightly. In order to make the most of this beautiful time, Lin Qinghuan ordered housekeeper Hong to move all the winter jasmine flowers in the mansion to the Chenxiang Garden. The flowers still looked beautiful in large patches and clusters.

"I never thought these little yellow flowers were pretty before, but now when they are piled together, their ornamental value is instantly improved." Lin Qingyi sat next to Xue Feng, looking at the flower wall piled up next to the wooden wall, and her girlish heart was overwhelmed.

"Huan'er is so clever and clever. We are blessed by Aunt Xue and can enjoy the beautiful scenery of this courtyard together." Lin Mo pulled Lin Zhichuan to run around in front of the flowers. Lin Qingru lay obediently beside Xue Feng. Now she has become more and more sensible, and she also found that her mother is different from before. Overnight, she changed from a naughty little girl to a well-behaved, sensible and caring little cotton-padded jacket.

"Well, it's really beautiful. I vaguely remember that when I was a child, my father planted forsythia in the small yard of our home. Every spring, the yard was full of a sea of yellow flowers, and my mother would pick the petals to make tea for me and my elder sister." Xue Feng smiled with satisfaction, and all he could see were the happy scenes of his childhood. At that time, his father was a legal advisor in the county government. Although the family was not rich, his parents loved each other, and the family lived happily in a house with three small rooms and a small yard.

"Golden petals and green calyxes bring the chill of spring, and there are many kinds of yellow flowers. The winter jasmine braves the cold of winter and the chill of spring, and strives to bloom in the harsh environment. Aunt Xue, now we must also be like this winter jasmine, and live strong for everyone who loves us." Lin Qinghuan gently held Xue Feng's hand. Lin Qingru also kept looking at her sister, nodding as if she understood.

Mother Zhang brought over some freshly baked cakes on a white glazed plate. They all smelled delicious. Zhichuan, in the distance, came running over, wearing a small flannel jacket embroidered with white ducks, muttering, "Gao, Gao, Gao, Gao..."

"The little greedy cat is here." Xue Feng opened her arms, and Zhichuan fell into his mother's gentle arms with a smile.

In Jialan Garden, the sound of stringed instruments and pipes rose and fell, making it very lively. Chang Xinrui lay gracefully on the couch, while Lin Qingwan sat at the piano table opposite her, playing the song "Dielianhua" with great concentration. Whenever there was a wonderful part, Chang Xinrui's face showed joy, and her delicate and charming face was also charming when she smiled.

"I heard that the eldest lady moved all the winter jasmine flowers in the mansion to the Chenxiang Garden." Chang Xinrui's personal maid Feng Sanniang said while serving fruit.

"Well, what's this sickly guy doing again?" Chang Xinrui glanced at Feng Sanniang and asked with a frown.

"I heard that the second young lady couldn't cure Aunt Xue, so she called the Xiao family to come and see the doctor. In the end, I only heard the eldest young lady crying and sobbing. I guess she can't be cured." Feng Sanniang handed the fruit to Chang Xinrui and said in a low voice.

"Hmph, it seems that Xue Feng is destined to be unlucky. Come on, since there is a flower viewing party, let's join in the fun. Wan'er, go with your mother to see your concubine Xue." Chang Xinrui stretched out her arms, and Feng Sanniang stepped forward to help her up.

"You guys go, I don't want to go." Lin Qingwan replied.

"You're not listening. All the sisters are going. It would be embarrassing if you didn't go." Chang Xinrui said with a meaningful smile, "How can such a lively atmosphere be without my Wan'er?"

"It's so annoying." Lin Qingwan stood up angrily.

There was constant laughter in the Chenxiang Garden. A group of people gathered around a small desk, eating snacks and drinking tea. "This jasmine tea tastes really refreshing, with a light and elegant aftertaste." Lin Qingyi took a sip of the tea and said with endless aftertaste.

"Oh, Sister Feng is so lively today. I don't know if my sudden visit is disturbing you." Chang Xinrui's voice was heard from afar, and she was seen walking towards her with a charming figure. Lin Qingwan followed behind her, but she didn't carry her guqin today.

"Sister is coming, why didn't you tell me in advance? I'm afraid all the kids in the room will make a lot of noise." Xue Feng stood up gently, and Mother Zhang helped her forward. They greeted each other and went back to the small pavilion together. The pavilion, which was not large to begin with, suddenly felt crowded with the addition of two people.

Lin Qingyi didn't want to talk to Lin Qingwan, so she dragged Lin Qingru and Xiao Zhichuan to the yard to play.

"The second young lady is here too. Hey, I've had a headache these past few days and was just about to ask you something." Chang Xinrui said with a smile when she saw Lin Mo sitting beside her feeding the fish.

"Aunt Chang, you look rosy but your voice is a little hoarse. I guess it's because the wind has been strong these days and the cold wind has blown your head. It's nothing serious." Lin Mo stood up, glanced at Chang Xinrui and said slowly.

"This second young lady's medical skills are really superb. I've heard of the four diagnostic methods of diagnosing my condition through observation, auscultation, listening, questioning and palpation, but I never thought she could tell what's wrong with me just by looking at me." Chang Xinrui took a sip of the scented tea handed to her by Mother Zhang.

"Mother, my second sister is good at medicine. My fifth sister's health has been taken care of by my second sister over the years. Grandmother really loves my fifth sister. It's like she specially assigned a female doctor to live in the mansion for her." Lin Qingwan said in a delicate voice.

"Grandma saw that I was weak, so she asked Sister Mo to worry about me. Thanks to Third Sister for reminding me. Sister Mo has worked hard over the years." Lin Qinghuan stepped forward, took Lin Mo's hand and said gratefully.

"You are my biological sister, so don't say such polite words." Lin Mo tucked her hair behind her ears and said softly.

"Well, now that I'm older, I love to see these children loving each other." Chang Xinrui said with a smile.

"Yeah, they are all good kids." Xue Feng replied indifferently.

"Oh, by the way, how is your sister's health these days? She looks much better than before." Chang Xinrui looked at Xue Feng and asked with concern.

"Yeah, much better." Xue Feng said.

"The second young lady is indeed born into a family of imperial physicians. I heard the general say before that when he was injured in Yinan, it was the sister of the Guan family who took care of him carefully, and he recovered from the injury very quickly." Chang Xinrui pretended to mention Madam Guan casually. Lin Qinghuan felt Lin Mo's hand unconsciously tightened around her.

"Sister, have some tea. The dried jasmine in this tea was sent from Weinan by the general." Xue Feng glanced at Lin Mo, then turned to Chang Xinrui and said.

"Oh, the general really favors my sister. It's really far for Weinan to send her here. He has to go by water, right?" Chang Xinrui took a sip of tea and continued to ask.

"As a woman who has never left the house, I really don't know these things. I just accepted what the general gave it to me." Xue Feng said indifferently.

"Speaking of this, I am very envious of Sister Su. She is the only one in our courtyard who can follow the general to Yinan, which is so far away." Chang Xinrui said coquettishly, her eyes full of envy.

"Aunt Chang, my mother can be a military advisor to father. Next time, you should go with father. After all, my mother has not been very good at serving tea and water since she was a child." Lin Qingyi shouted from a distance.

Chang Xinrui's originally smiling face was a little embarrassed at this moment. Seeing this, Xue Feng said, "The general likes you because you are beautiful and considerate. No wonder he has always been partial to you over the years."

"Fourth sister, Daddy likes Aunt He's cheerful and iron-like personality. You should think carefully about this. Not all men in this world are like Daddy." Lin Qingwan said in a delicate voice.

Lin Qingyi stopped where she was, holding Lin Zhichuan's small wooden sword, and looked at Lin Qingwan with a resentful look on her face.

"Hey, third sister, you don't know, but that fourth brother in Kyoto admires sister Yi very much. He lets sister play with his personal sword and teaches sister how to dance with the sword for a long time. Every time I sit there, I feel like a superfluous person." Lin Qinghuan said with pretended complaint.

"Really? That's something I didn't expect." Lin Qingwan looked at Lin Qinghuan's face which turned pale and blue.

"The Fourth Prince grew up with our Yu Zhi and treats Qingyi like his own sister." Chang Xinrui said with a smile.

"Let the children play, we'll have tea." Xue Feng signaled Mother Zhang to add tea to Chang Xinrui.

Back at Lingzhu Garden, Lin Qingyi took off her shoes and lay on Lin Qinghuan's couch, crossing her legs and said happily, "Qinghuan, did you see Third Sister's face? Hahaha, this is the first time I've seen her suffer such a big loss."

"Sister Yi, you are really brave today. You actually said that Aunt Chang is good at serving tea and water. You are really sharp-tongued." Lin Qinghuan thought of Chang Xinrui's expression, although she had already appeared to be a virtuous woman without any flaws.

"Hmph, as soon as daddy goes to my mother's yard, she starts playing little tunes and singing in the next yard, expressing her longing for him and her unforgettable feelings. Daddy, who is used to coaxing me, is absent-minded. Just because mother doesn't say anything doesn't mean she doesn't mind." Lin Qingyi complained.

"You are quite good at talking. Serving her tea and water is like saying that she is of low status." Lin Qinghuan stuffed a few mouthfuls of cake and spoke with puffed cheeks.

"Swallow it before you speak. I can't hear what you are saying." Lin Qingyi stretched her ears with half of her face embarrassed but couldn't hear what Lin Qinghuan said for a long time.

"I think you're just like a servant girl when you talk about her like that."

Lin Qinghuan swallowed the cake with great effort and quickly took a sip of tea to soothe his throat.

"She was born a palace maid, and becoming my father's concubine just elevated her status." Lin Qingyi replied nonchalantly, thinking for a moment, "Although my mother is also a concubine now, it was my mother who couldn't figure it out and insisted on following my father."

"But Sister Yi, don't talk like that next time. If Daddy is around, you'll get scolded again. After all, she's the elder."

Lin Qingyi was often scolded, and Lin Qinghuan thought that it was time to remind her of the art and propriety of speaking.

"Okay, I get it, Qinghuan. I'm the older sister, why do I act like you're the older sister now?" Lin Qingyi looked at Lin Qinghuan aggrievedly and said with a pout.

"Haha, then Sister Yi takes care of Huan'er more on weekdays." Lin Qinghuan looked at her happily and said.

"However, Aunt Chang is indeed a bit annoying. She has been pretending to be indifferent and saying that Sister Mo is the girl that grandmother matched you with. She also mentioned that Aunt Guan is serving Dad in Yinan. She has ulterior motives and wants to sow discord between Sister Mo and you." Lin Qingyi sat up and said seriously.

"Sister Mo is very thoughtful. I am indeed afraid that she will think too much. However, Sister Mo is sensible in her daily life. Empress Guan taught Sister Mo very well. I don't think she will believe these things." Lin Qinghuan thought of Lin Mo's well-educated and polite appearance and felt that she was worrying too much.

"You're right. Sister Mo is such a nice girl. She will definitely not believe Aunt Chang's nonsense." Lin Qingyi lay down again with a relaxed look.

"Sister Yi, do you think father will let Madam He be the mistress of the Lin Mansion?" Lin Qinghuan suddenly remembered that since her mother passed away, father had not remarried to take over the position of mistress.

"It doesn't matter. Mother doesn't seem to care about these things. She has really liked Daddy since she was a child. She feels satisfied as long as she can stay with Daddy forever." Speaking of the love between He Su and Lin Muchang, Lin Qingyi was smiling.

"Sister Yi, what kind of man do you like?" Lin Qinghuan looked at Lin Qingyi and asked curiously.

"I like a good man who is as handsome as my father and has great martial arts skills." Lin Qingyi said after thinking for a while.

"Are you talking about Ning Junze?" Lin Qinghuan said jokingly.

"Fourth brother?" Lin Qingyi tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Fourth brother is better looking, but he seems to like Huan'er more."

"Don't talk nonsense, he will just say that I'm always eating." Lin Qinghuan was still a little scared when he thought of Ning Junze.

"By the way, I heard from An Cai that those gossipy people from the Riwangyue Tower will never appear in Luofeng City again." Lin Qingyi played with the velvet gloves that Lin Qinghuan had placed on the couch, and said lazily.

"Well, why?" Lin Qinghuan almost forgot about these people.

"It seems like it was fourth brother's order, and An Cai told me that." Lin Qinghuan looked at her in surprise. Ning Junze was quite cruel. These people were just greedy for money, and now they couldn't even go home.

"Chuxia, what are we having for dinner?" Lin Qingyi shouted to the girl who was staring at Hongqi in a daze in the yard.

"I'll ask my mother." Chu Xia replied.

"Ancai is so slow even when he goes to Wangyue Tower to buy a roast goose." Lin Qingyi said anxiously as she looked at Lin Ancai who had not appeared in the yard for a long time.

"I don't have the pleasure to enjoy the roast goose anymore. It's too fatty. Brother Xiao told me to eat less fatty meat these days." Thinking of Xiao Yu, his mood unconsciously improved.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you and second sister are both called Senior Brother Tiantian, and the other is called Brother Xiao of the Xiao family." Lin Qingyi shook her head and said to me.

"He is actually Sister Mo's senior brother. He has been treating me for these years. It's not excessive for me to address him as Brother Xiao." Lin Qinghuan's voice became smaller and smaller. Why did she feel embarrassed as if her thoughts were seen through?

"The roast goose is here~" Lin Ancai ran into the yard, followed by Qibao who also ran in with a big food box. Lin Qingyi stood up with a leg raised, hurriedly put on her shoes and went to meet the roast goose.

In Jialan Garden, Feng Sanniang was helping Chang Xinrui comb her hair. "Well, how's the guy in Chenxiang Garden?" Chang Xinrui asked.

"My lady, you don't have to worry about her anymore. She won't live long." Feng Sanniang knew some medical knowledge and some basic functions and uses of medicines. She was also a master at making incense. She came from the same music house as Chang Xinrui, but because she was not good-looking, Chang Xinrui took her from the music house to the Lin Mansion to be the housekeeper of Jialan Garden.

"Hmph, today the little bitch from Shi'an Garden was so good at talking that she ended up bullying me." Chang Xinrui angrily threw the gold hairpin in her hand into the jewelry box.

"Madam, I feel that every time the young lady says something seemingly casually, it actually hurts people to the point." Feng Sanniang said.

"That sickly guy from Lingzhuyuan?" Chang Xinrui asked with a frown.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it." Feng Sanniang thought that Lin Qinghuan was only twelve or thirteen years old now.

"Her rotten body won't allow her to do anything evil. She looks like she's dying every few days. But He Su from Shi'anyuan relies on the fact that she's a lady from a wealthy family. Now her little bitch can even bully me." Chang Xinrui said angrily, squeezing out each word from between her teeth.

"Look at you. I told you to perform well in front of the Fourth Prince, but you broke the strings of your zither, and then you caught a cold when we went out to play together. Now the Fourth Prince likes this wild girl." Chang Xinrui began to blame Lin Qingwan who was reading a book nearby.

"Neither the breaking of the zither strings nor Ning Junze's liking for Lin Qingyi are things I can't control. I've already said it, but you insist on me showing it." Lin Qingwan is arrogant by nature. Even if she is angry that Ning Junze likes Lin Qingyi, she will not let it go and will pretend to be indifferent.

"Hmph, maybe the guys in this palace have never seen a wild girl before, so she's just new to them. It's absolutely impossible for them to marry her as their legal wife." Chang Xinrui looked at her daughter's pretty face, clenched her fists and muttered.

It was late at night and it started to rain outside. I guess the forsythia flowers in the Chenxiang Garden would fall silently in the rain.