A life of ups and downs is pure joy

Lin Qinghuan was in a daze and rushed to Chenxiang Garden with the support of Chuxia and Lixue. Everyone was sobbing softly. Doctor Ge was whispering to his grandmother, and Lin Qingyao was wiping her tears sadly with a handkerchief.

"Miss, be careful." She was anxious to get into the house, but was tripped by the threshold and fell heavily to the ground. Lin Qingyao was so frightened that she ran over.

"Huan'er, did you fall and get hurt?" He looked at her with a distressed frown and said nervously.

"Big sister, Aunt Xue, where is Aunt Xue?" She grabbed Lin Qingyao's clothes tightly, biting her lips and saying while trying to hold back her tears.

"Huan'er, Aunt Xue is gone." Lin Qingyao helped her stand up, her eyes drooping in disappointment, tears streaming down her cheeks, and she spoke in a low and trembling voice.

"Sister Huan, Ru'er has no mother anymore." Lin Qingru ran out from the inner room, wailing towards Lin Qinghuan, and threw herself into Lin Qinghuan's arms, crying bitterly.

Lin Mo followed quickly behind. When she saw Lin Qinghuan, she turned her head to wipe her tears, unable to bear to look at her.

Lin Qingyi and Lin Ancai hurried over to the door. Lin Ancai glanced at her sisters and quickly ran into the inner room. Only his sad cry could be heard, "Aunt Xue, Ancai is unfilial."

At this moment, Lin Qinghuan felt like his heart was being cut by a knife. He was heartbroken and desperate. Tears kept flowing out. He was in so much pain that he couldn't say a word. He could only hug Lin Qingru tightly in his arms.

With the help of Lin Mo and Lin Qingyi, the distraught Lin Qinghuan dragged his legs, which could not walk, into the inner room. Lin Ancai was still knocking his head, and his forehead was red. Lin Qinghuan knew that the person who was sadder than him at the moment was Lin Qingru, and he was the only one who was sadder than him. After all, Xue Feng was like their biological mother.

Xue Feng lay quietly on the bed, with her hands gently folded on her chest, looking as if she was asleep. Her pretty face was extremely pale due to the pain of illness, and her lips were not rosy due to years of anemia.

Lin Qinghuan knelt gently on the wooden couch beside her bed, smoothed her hair with her hands, and uttered a trembling voice from her throat, "Aunt Xue, Huan'er said the afternoon before yesterday that she would come to sing a song for you tomorrow."

Lin Qingyi knelt beside Lin Qinghuan, crying sadly, while Lin Mo held An Cai, who was kowtowing uncontrollably.

"Chuxia, go get a basin of water. I'll help Aunt Xue wash up and let her leave in a decent manner." Lin Qinghuan wiped the tears from her face and said to Chuxia.

Chuxia went out sobbing and busy herself. After a while, she and Lixue came back with things for washing and dressing. When Lin An's emotions stabilized a little, Lin Qingyi took him out of the inner room and went to the outer hall. Lin Mo came forward and together with Lin Qinghuan, they saw Xue Feng off for the last time.

Xue Feng was lying quietly on the bed. She looked her best at this moment. Several girls made her up for the final time. Her face was flushed and her lips were rosy.

"Aunt Xue, I've heard that you were beautiful before, and now it seems to be true. Have you seen the yard full of forsythia when you were a child? They all came to take you home." After saying the last sentence, Lin Qinghuan couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and Lin Mo couldn't help crying out loud either.

Xue Feng's funeral was held in a grand manner under the management of the old lady and Lin Qingyao. She was buried next to Zhang Yulan's mausoleum as Lin Mutang's concubine. Xue Feng's wish before her death was to be with the young lady she loved so much again.

The sky of Luofeng City suddenly turned gray. Lin Qinghuan took Lin Qingru to live with him in Lingzhuyuan, and Zhichuan went to the old lady's house to be taken care of. After all, he was still young, and Lin Qinghuan was in poor health. It was already the limit for him to take care of the sensible Lin Qingru. The news of Xue Feng's death had been sent to Yinan. It was unknown how sad Lin Muchang would be when he knew that his beloved woman had passed away again in a few days. Fortunately, He Su was by his side to accompany him.

"Sister Huan, will mother no longer feel pain now?" Lin Qingru asked, looking at her with her head tilted up.

"Well, Aunt Xue went to look for Sister Huan's mother. They are now living happily in another world." Lin Qinghuan said while touching Qingru's little face. Recently, the child's doll-like face has become thinner because she misses her deceased mother.

Lin Qingru is already eight years old, and with the passing of Xue Feng, she seems to be much more sensible than in previous years. Lianrong is still young, so she is asked to follow Mother Zhang to help take care of Zhichuan in the old lady's room. Although Chuxia is only a few years older than Lin Qinghuan, she is loyal and sensible, so she has been asked to take care of Lin Qingru from morning to night during this period. When Lin Ancai is not studying with the teacher, he stays at home in Lingzhuyuan. He loves Lin Qingru more than before. He takes her out to buy delicious food every now and then, and takes her to the back mountain to catch fish and rabbits. Everything everyone does is to help the little girl get out of the shadow of the pain of losing her mother as soon as possible. Chuxia said that Lin Qingru would often cry in her sleep in the middle of the night, and her eyes were red every time she said it. Lin Qinghuan knew that she was also reluctant to part with Xue Feng in her heart.

The days passed quickly and it was summer in the blink of an eye. The sun was scorching and the cicadas in the yard were chirping. Lin Qinghuan was holding Lin Qingru's little hand in the pavilion and teaching her to write big characters. Chuxia and Lixue were fanning them with big fans. Mother Huang had someone bring in a large jar of ice, which was quite cool.

"Miss, Brother Liuye came to give the old lady some calming tea a few days ago. I heard that it was recently developed by the Medical Saint." Chu Xia said softly.

"When did Brother Xiao come back?" Lin Qinghuan was secretly delighted, but then she felt a little resentful in her heart. "No matter when he comes back, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

Chuxia looked at her own girl and chuckled. Lixue looked at them both with a bewildered look for no apparent reason. Chuxia was with Lin Qinghuan every day, and she was very observant, so she could see through all the little thoughts of the girl.

"According to the date, Brother Liuye means that Medical Saint Xiao should come to the mansion to take the girl's pulse tomorrow. If the girl doesn't want to see him, then I will go back. Anyway, the second girl is next door and can take her pulse every day." Chu Xia said in a deliberately raised voice.

"Why should I go back? My second sister also said that only he can cure my illness." Lin Qinghuan replied anxiously. When he turned around and saw Chu Xia laughing secretly, he knew that he was being teased.

"Chuxia, you are becoming more and more naughty. I should send you to the farm to work for a few days." She said pretending to be angry.

"Girl, I agree to send it to her." Mother Huang came over on a rosewood tray, carrying a few blue bowls that looked like sour plum soup.

"Mother, you always give girls a lump to suppress and beat me." Chu Xia complained.

"Come on, have some freshly made iced sour plum soup. It's too hot today." Mother Huang looked at her daughter with a smile and handed over the soup bowls one by one.

"Miss, drink less. It's a little cold." Chuxia handed a bowl with a smaller amount of liquid to Lin Qinghuan and smiled with relief.

The sun was setting in the west, and Lin An, who had just finished school, arrived in time for dinner at Lingzhuyuan. After dinner, he taught Lin Qingru to read a few poems. Lin Qinghuan looked at the two of them, and his mind was full of the scene of Lin Yuzhi teaching him to read and write when he was a child. He began to miss Lin Yuzhi, and wondered how his elder brother was doing in Kyoto now. He was looking forward to going to Kyoto to see him more and more.

The next day, Lin Qinghuan got up early and asked Lixue to replace the exquisite bamboo-carved incense box in the house with the incense that Lin Mo had just prepared for her, which was mixed with julibrissin flowers. She also changed into a light blue narrow-sleeved shirt embroidered with julibrissin flowers, and kept tidying up her appearance in front of the bronze mirror. From time to time, she walked to the door and looked at the courtyard gate. Hongqi played with her double swords, looking at Lin Qinghuan for a while, and then looking at the courtyard gate. No matter how good her hearing was, she could not hear what Lin Qinghuan was thinking.

Until Lin Qinghuan fell asleep on the couch, he dimly heard Li Xue gently open the door for Xiao Yu, "The girl got up early in the morning and is idle in the room." But when he opened the door, he saw his own girl sleeping on the couch with her mouth drooling.

"Girl, why did you fall asleep so sleepy?" Li Xue quickly ran forward and woke up Lin Qinghuan, deliberately covering her unsightly sleeping posture.

When Lin Qinghuan stood up with a confused look on her face and saw Xiao Yu, she went back to the inner room and sat on the bed, feeling hopeless and wanting to cry but unable to do so.

After Xiao Yu came in, Li Xue set the tea aside, closed the door and left. She probably had Chu Xia told her in advance.

"I don't usually drool when I sleep. Today I just dreamed of a plate of drunken duck." Lin Qinghuan explained hurriedly before he could speak.

"Is the drunken duck delicious?" Xiao Yu looked at her gently, not noticing that she looked very embarrassed just now.

"Just when I wanted to try it, my dream was broken by Li Xue." She tried hard to suppress her laughter and spoke nonsense to Xiao Yu seriously.

"Have you felt uncomfortable during the two months I was away?" Xiao Yu glanced at the embroidered pattern of the cassia flower on Lin Qinghuan's cuffs, and gently took her pulse.

"I've had heart pain for a few days, and it's because I felt so bad after Aunt Xue left." Lin Qinghuan lowered her eyes. Her heart still tightened when she mentioned Xue Feng, but now she also had to take care of Qingru, so she was not as fragile as before and began to control her emotions.

"It's my fault for leaving you alone again. I should have stayed by your side." Xiao Yu looked at Lin Qinghuan and said, his handsome face full of self-blame.

"Brother Xiao, Huan'er didn't blame you. I heard from Chuxia that you went home to visit your parents. No matter how unreasonable and unruly Huan'er is, she still understands the truth." Lin Qinghuan pulled the corner of Xiao Yu's clothes and said with a pout. Every time she saw him, she was happier than the last time. If she gave her more time to fantasize, she even thought of the name of their future child.

"Huan'er, are you no longer angry with me?" Xiao Yu asked softly.

"I have never been angry with you, I have only been happy."

"Happy? Really?" Xiao Yu looked at Lin Qinghuan and asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, really." She replied without thinking.

"Then, are you happy about Ning Junze as well?" Xiao Yu asked Lin Qinghuan.

"Ah? Fourth brother, why should I like him?" Lin Qinghuan looked at Xiao Yu strangely and asked in confusion. Could it be that the previous Lin Qinghuan liked Ning Junze?

"Okay, Huan'er, I understand." Xiao Yu smiled happily, reached out and rubbed Lin Qinghuan's hair, looking at her lovingly.

Lin Qinghuan suddenly felt very shy, and her face began to heat up involuntarily. She was secretly happy in her heart. Oh, I really hope time will pass quickly, so that I can marry Xiao Yu when I am sixteen or seventeen years old. Thinking about it, she laughed out loud with joy.

"Huan'er, I met your brother." Xiao Yu chatted with her while gently giving her an acupuncture.

"Big brother, how is he now? Has he lost weight? I heard that the Seventh Princess is going to marry my brother. Is it true? Is the Seventh Princess pretty? What's her personality like?" When Lin Qinghuan heard Lin Yuzhi, all the questions he wanted to ask came out of his mouth in an instant.

"Huan'er, you asked so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first?" Xiao Yu asked her with a faint smile.

"Well, is it okay for big brother to be alone in Kyoto?" Thinking about it, those questions are not important. The most important thing is that he is safe.

"He's a good person. He's now a civil servant in the Censorate and has a lot of free time. I haven't heard about the Seventh Princess, but I've seen her. She's not as pretty as Huan'er, but she's more obedient than you." After Xiao Yu said the last sentence, he also glanced at Lin Qinghuan to see if she was unhappy.

"Brother Xiao, if you like well-behaved girls, that's fine. I heard from Ruoyun that all the pretty girls in Kyoto are scrambling to get into the Xiao Mansion. Why do you come back to Luofeng to look for a naughty girl like me?" She played with her fingers and muttered softly.

"I don't know whether they are pretty or not. I only know that the prettiest little girl in the world is right in front of me. Even if she is not well-behaved, she is very cute." Xiao Yu tilted his head and smiled faintly as he looked at Lin Qinghuan's unhappy face.

When she raised her eyes, she met his handsome eyes. She felt like she was about to melt into his tender eyes and couldn't help but smile at him.

Li Xue walked in with Lin Mo, carrying a few cups of sour plum soup. They happened to run into Lin Qinghuan and Xiao Yu laughing and looking at each other affectionately. She looked up and saw that Lin Mo's panicked expression was a little strange. Lin Qinghuan quickly sat up straight and shouted to Lin Mo, "Second sister, come here quickly."

"Huan'er, I didn't know my senior brother was here, and this girl Li Xue didn't even mention it." Lin Mo said awkwardly as he looked at the two of them standing there.

"I, I forgot." Li Xue quickly knelt down and said.

"Get up quickly." Lin Mo helped the panicked Li Xue up and motioned Li Xue to go out and do something first. Then Lin Mo walked forward.

"Senior Brother, how is Qinghuan?" Lin Mo asked.

"Very good. Your medical skills are quite excellent." Xiao Yu looked at Lin Mo approvingly and said.

"I adjusted the prescription and gave acupuncture every few days according to my senior brother's instructions." Lin Mo said softly.

"Yeah." Xiao Yu stood up and went to the table to write something after he finished speaking. Lin Qinghuan felt secretly happy in her heart. He really treated her differently from others.

"I guess I'm going to have to take some bitter medicine again." She muttered softly as she looked at Lin Mo.

"Good medicine tastes bitter." Xiao Yu looked up at the sickly beauty on the bed and replied.

"You have a very sharp ear." She muttered softly, and Lin Mo covered his face and laughed.

"This recipe can be taken twice a day. It's not too bitter." After Xiao Yu finished speaking, he raised his head to glance at the bamboo carved incense box on the table and smiled slightly.

"Oh, thank you for your help, Brother Xiao. It saved me a few plates of candied fruits in Lingzhu Garden." Lin Qinghuan said mischievously.

"Qing, let the fifth lady and the second lady chat first. I'll go pay my respects to Grandma Cheng." Xiao Yu glanced at Lin Qinghuan silently, then got up and walked out. Liu Ye, who was waiting outside the yard, took the things in his hand, and the two of them headed towards Anxinzhai.

"Huan'er, do you like him very much?" Lin Mo asked, seeing through Lin Qinghuan's thoughts.

"Second sister, I, um." She didn't want to hide anything from Lin Mo.

"Huan'er, I can see that senior brother treats you differently." Lin Mo looked at her with a smile.

"Sister Mo, will Daddy let me marry him?" she blurted out.

"Ah? Huan'er, this, hahaha..." Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, then laughed with a red face, "Huan'er, shame, shame."

She touched her face and smiled embarrassedly, but she was thinking in her heart, really, there is nothing to be embarrassed about.

After a few days, Father Lin Mutang and Aunt He Su will return to Luofeng.