A life of ups and downs is pure joy

It had been seven or eight days since Xiao Yi came back to Luoyi Pavilion after picking up Lin Qinghuan and saying that he was going to the East Palace.

"Young Madam, the people in the front yard said that the old lady will arrive in Jinhan around dusk." Yun Xiang said while massaging Lin Qinghuan's legs.

"Yun Xiang, what kind of person is your old lady?" Lin Qinghuan wanted to find out so that she could be mentally prepared.

"The old lady is very kind. She especially likes to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. She often sets up soup kitchens to help the poor. She is highly praised in Jinhan. Don't you know, young madam?" Yun Xiang thought that everyone in Jinhan City should know that the old lady of the Xiao family is a living Bodhisattva, so he looked at Lin Qinghuan in surprise and said.

"I grew up in Luofeng. As soon as I entered Jinhan, I went to live in the palace for a long time. I am not familiar with Jinhan City at all, and I don't know anyone." Lin Qinghuan said.

"I see." Yun Xiang said and then changed sides to continue massaging Lin Qinghuan's legs.

"Then who is your eldest master's concubine Hu Tao Niang?" Lin Qinghuan thought for a moment and asked again.

"She...um...Young Madam, she has been with the old lady since she was a child. Because she was favored by the old lady, she became the eldest son's concubine." Yun Xiang only said half of the sentence. She didn't dare to tell Lin Qinghuan that their eldest son seemed to like this woman very much and actually allowed her to enter the study in Qingbo Courtyard to serve him.

"Okay, I understand." Lin Qinghuan said, signaling her to stop pinching and take a break.

"Young Madam, it's still early. Would you like to take a rest?" Yun Xiang asked.

"I'm not going to sleep anymore. Let me play the piano. This time when I came home, my third sister gave me a lot of guidance on piano skills." Lin Qinghuan stood up and stretched and said.

"Then I'll go get you a cushion." Yun Xiang saw that there was nothing on the Huanghuali piano bench and said.

"Ah."

Lin Qinghuan can now play a complete piece of music, although she makes a few mistakes from time to time. However, her music is much more coherent, and to the maids working in the yard it sounds like the pleasant sound of flowing water.

"Young Madam has made great progress in playing the piano over the past year." Luo Yun sat in the yard, watching the maids watering the flowers and washing clothes, and felt relaxed and comfortable listening to the piano music.

"Our girl is very smart and learns things quickly." Li Xue said.

After playing the piano for a while, Lin Qinghuan felt a little tired, so he stood up, went back to the table, sat down and took a few sips of tea.

After a while, he found a book and lay on the couch to read.

"Girl, it's snowing." After a while, Chuxia walked in and said, but saw Yunxiang pointing his index finger at her and shushing. It turned out that Lin Qinghuan, who dozed off as soon as she read, fell asleep on the couch. Yunxiang even considerately covered her with a plush quilt.

"Sister Yunxiang, you go and rest for a while, I'll take care of you." Chuxia said.

"Okay, it's a bit cold, sit by the brazier and warm yourself."

"Ah."

Xiao Qiannan was following the Queen's order and was rushing back to the Xiao Mansion with a bunch of supplements to welcome her grandmother back to Beijing. She was so happy along the way because another person who loved her the most in this world had returned to the mansion.

At this time, Xiao Yi, the crown prince and several of his confidants were discussing in the East Palace the matter of Nei Chi State's attack on the former Luomen State's territory. Although Lin Mutang had won a temporary victory, the general who was originally guarding the border had abandoned the city and fled and had been dealt with by military law. Now the local county magistrate was guarding the area, and the court had not yet assigned any military generals to go.

Xiao Yi wanted to let General Zhao Dafang, a confidant of the Eastern Palace, go there. The border cannot be entirely under the command of Lin Mutang. Zhao Dafang is young and strong, so he is willing to show himself in front of the Eastern Palace. Therefore, he is very proactive and wants to write a letter on the spot to ask for permission to go and guard the important place. However, this person has not yet made any major military achievements, so it must be no easy task for him to go there. Therefore, he needs a lot of people to recommend him intentionally or unintentionally to have hope.

Before they knew it, the sun had set, and the carriage carrying the old lady and Walnut had already stopped next to the stable in the west yard.

Lin Qinghuan waited for a long time but Xiao Yi did not come to pick her up, and the old lady had already arrived at her yard, so she could only go alone in the snow with a few maids wearing thick robes. The snow had been piling up all afternoon, and the snow outside the paper umbrella was still fluttering. It was indeed not a suitable day to go out.

"Master, the old lady has arrived. I guess everyone has gone to pay their respects to her. I just don't know where the young lady is..." Xiao Yi and Da Yuan, who had just arrived at the gate of the Xiao Mansion, were rushing to Luoyi Pavilion, the southernmost part of the Xiao Mansion.

"The young lady has gone to the old ancestor's courtyard by herself. She has been gone for quite some hours." Luo Yun said when he saw Xiao Yi rushing over in a dusty state.

The master and servant did not expect that Lin Qinghuan would go there by himself. They were surprised and hurried to Anyou Hall.

"Is this girl the wife of my eldest grandson? Come here and let your grandmother take a good look at her." After Lin Qinghuan saluted and stood up to stand beside Liu Ji, Grandmother Xiao waved to her again.

"She's a good-looking girl, hmm, very pretty. How old is she this year?" Grandmother Xiao looked just like the kind-hearted mother Yun Xiang had described. Lin Qinghuan's originally nervous mind relaxed.

"Grandma, Huan'er is seventeen years old." Lin Qinghuan said obediently.

Grandmother Xiao took off a bracelet from her hand and put it on Lin Qinghuan herself. Xiao Qiannan, who was standing next to her, pouted and muttered, "Grandmother gave the bracelet passed down from our ancestors to my eldest sister-in-law."

Liu Ji glanced at her and patted her gently.

"Oh, the old ancestor really likes this girl. He even gave the Bi Yu bracelet to Huan'er. It's really enviable." The speaker was Xiao Bowen's concubine Chen, and standing next to her was her daughter-in-law Zhang Lijun.

"Grandma, I don't dare to accept such a valuable thing." Lin Qinghuan originally thought it was just an ordinary bracelet, but after seeing everyone's reactions, she realized that it was very valuable, so she quickly wanted to take it off and return it.

"Silly child, your grandmother gave it to you because she recognized you as the eldest grandson's wife from the bottom of her heart. Just wear it." Liu Ji said. Lin Qinghuan looked up at Grandma Xiao who was smiling at him, and he stopped refusing and retreated to Liu Ji's side.

Aunt Chen glanced at Liu Ji and said nothing more.

Seeing so many women gathered in one room for the first time, Lin Qinghuan observed them carefully. Michelle Reis, still standing to the left of Lady Liu as usual, smiled slightly when she saw him looking at her. To the right of Aunt Chen stood Xiao Fan's wife, Zhang Lijun. On the left stood three women, presumably his concubines; Lin Qinghuan didn't know their names. However, standing next to the old ancestor was a woman dressed completely differently from the other maids. She had a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, but she was quite pretty and had a very charming aura similar to Chang Xinrui's. She must be the Walnut Lady Yun Xiang had mentioned. She looked a few years older than Michelle Reis, probably around twenty-four or twenty-five. Walnut Lady seemed to sense Lin Qinghuan's gaze, and she raised her eyes, their gazes meeting. Lin Qinghuan quickly averted his gaze, feeling extremely awkward. Walnut Lady's lips curled up.

"Oh, my great grandchildren are here." Grandma Xiao saw Xiao Yi, Xiao Fan and Xiao Zuo coming together outside.

The three of them paid their respects to Grandma Xiao. It was the first time that Lin Qinghuan saw Xiao Fan and Xiao Zuo, so she looked at them curiously.

"Grandma, your grandson misses you so much." Xiao Zuo stepped forward and said coquettishly. He looked about the same age as Xiao Qiannan and was the son of Xiao Tuzhi, the second son of the Xiao family.

"Zuo'er has grown so tall. It seems that he is almost as tall as Yi'er and Fan'er." Grandma Xiao always had a friendly smile on her face towards the children.

"Grandma, Zuo'er feels like he has a very good appetite every day now, but he feels very hungry again after eating for a while. Nanny said that it feels like a big glutton lives in my stomach." Xiao Zuo said.

"Zuo'er is in the growth stage now. Tell your aunt what you want to eat." Liu Ji said.

"The pork elbow that my aunt sent to me yesterday was so delicious. I thought I could save it for the next meal, but the plate was empty in a short while." After Xiao Zuo finished speaking, everyone present was amused by him. When Lin Qinghuan saw the child, he suddenly missed Lin Qingru and Xiao Lin Zhichuan who lived with his grandmother in Luofeng. The longing in his eyes was seen by Xiao Yi, and he frowned.

After chatting for a while, it was time for Grandma Xiao to rest, and everyone dispersed. The people in Xiao Yi's room greeted Liu Ji, and then watched Xiao Qiannan and Liu Rong accompany her to the direction of Qingyin Pavilion.

Li Jiaxin and Hu Taoniang stood next to Xiao Yi, but Lin Qinghuan was some distance away from the three of them. Seeing that Liu Ji had left, she also thought about turning around and returning to Luoyi Pavilion.

"I'll take you home." Xiao Yi said from behind. Lin Qinghuan thought he was talking to the two concubines next to him, so she ignored him and continued walking by herself.

"My dear, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Do you want to go to the yard and sit with Tao'er?" Hu Tao Niang walked up to Xiao Yi, took his hand, and looked at him eagerly.

Michelle Reis glanced at her, then looked at Lin Qinghuan who didn't even turn back, then saluted and quickened her pace to catch up with the young lady.

Xiao Yi thought Lin Qinghuan was angry with him, so he nodded to Hu Tao Niang, and the two of them went to Honglian Pavilion.

"Madam, you look frail, but you walk quite fast." Li Jiaxin said as she and Lin Qinghuan walked side by side.

"Sister Li, you're kidding me. I just feel that the weather is a little cold and want to go back to warm myself by the fire." Lin Qinghuan said, holding the hot water bottle tightly in his hand.

"Madam, there is something I want to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not..." Michelle Reis hesitated to speak.

Lin Qinghuan looked at her strangely, and then said, "Sister, just say whatever you want to say, no need to worry about others." Lin Qinghuan glanced at Chu Xia and Yun Xiang beside them.

"Madam, what I'm worried about is not these two maids, but your thoughts." Li Jiaxin said with a smile.

"But it doesn't matter."

"It's time for Madam to calm down her anger with the eldest young master, especially now that the one from the Red Lotus Pavilion has returned. It's time for her to be more careful." After Li Jiaxin finished speaking, Yun Xiang glanced at her.

"Is Honglian Pavilion the courtyard of Aunt Hu?" Lin Qinghuan asked.

"Young Madam, yes." Yun Xiang said in a low voice.

"Well, thank you sister for the reminder." Lin Qinghuan said.

"Then madam, please be careful when you go back, the ground is slippery. I'm going back to the yard." When they reached the garden hall, the two of them went back to their respective yards.

"This Hutao girl is very much favored by your eldest master, right?" Lin Qinghuan asked Yun Xiang beside him.

"I guess so..." Yun Xiang said to Lin Qinghuan with some embarrassment.

"No wonder Madam Li is so anxious when she comes back. However, this Walnut Lady is so charming that it is normal for her to please your eldest master. She is just like Aunt Chang from my mother's family. I remember that father likes her very much." Lin Qinghuan said. Yun Xiang did not dare to respond for a moment.

"Go and have a rest." Chu Xia saw Yun Xiang was in such a state of embarrassment, so she took the hot water bottle from Lin Qing Huan's hand and handed it to Yun Xiang.

Lin Qinghuan returned to the house, took off the Bi Yu bracelet on her hand and put it in the dressing box, then took out a jade bracelet from another exquisite box, looked at it for a long time, and then carefully put it back into the box.

Chu Xia naturally recognized the bracelet that Lin Qinghuan regarded as a priceless treasure and took out every day to look at for a long time. She could only sigh and go forward to help Lin Qinghuan take off the few ornaments on her head.

"Miss, I saw that my son-in-law went to Honglian Pavilion with Aunt Hu." Chu Xia said.

"Where he goes has nothing to do with me." Lin Qinghuan glanced at her, then said with a smile, "Hey, you said we'll go live in Xiaochunfeng after the New Year. Are you happy? I'll take Hongqi, Mother Huang, and Juduo with us, and we'll be together again in Suheju."

"Really? Mother can also live with us in Xiaochunfeng!" Chuxia looked at her daughter with a happy smile.

"Well, someone has to take care of our food and drink. We can't fill our stomachs by drinking dew. By the way, ask Mother Huang to bring my Xiaobai with her." Lin Qinghuan smiled lightly, and her two dimples looked particularly beautiful at this time.

At this moment, the master and servant had already forgotten the two people who were reminiscing about the past in Honglian Pavilion. Xiao Yi looked at Hu Tao Niang who was dancing for him, but all he could see was Lin Qinghuan's ruthless back.

Hu Tao Niang twisted her waist and walked forward to sit on Xiao Yi's legs, her arms also wrapped around Xiao Yi's neck, looking at him with tenderness in her eyes, and whispered softly in his ear.

"Husband, Tao'er misses you so much. Will you forget about Tao'er after marrying a new bride?"

Xiao Yi raised the corner of his mouth into a smile, playfully lifted the chin of the charming woman in front of him and spoke softly.

"Tao'er is too suspicious."

After a long time, Hu Tao Niang leaned in Xiao Yi's arms with her shoulders slightly exposed and a look of happiness on her face.

"You must be tired from the journey. Take a rest first. I'll go take care of some work." Xiao Yi got up, put on his clothes and was about to leave the house.

"Husband, will you come to see Tao'er tomorrow?" Hu Tao Niang pulled the quilt to cover her body slightly, frowned and looked at Xiao Yi and asked.

"Yeah." Xiao Yi glanced at her and said.

After Xiao Yi left the Red Lotus Pavilion, Liu Rong asked someone to bring a bowl of contraceptive medicine, and Hu Taoniang drank it reluctantly.

After drinking, he angrily threw the bowl to the ground and shouted at the maid who came to bring the soup, "Go back and report!"

After dinner, Lin Qinghuan sat alone at the chess couch, playing chess with his left and right hands, a lively scene. The jade plates on the couch were filled with small, delicate snacks sent from Huaying Pavilion. A silver goblet with a gilded pattern of creeping plants, flowers, and birds was filled with sweet rice wine brewed by Huang Mama.

Several big maids did not disturb Lin Qinghuan's elegance. They were playing with snowmen in the yard. The faint laughter came in through the thick windshield. Lin Qinghuan laughed along when she heard it.

Xiao Yi unknowingly walked to the outside of Luoyi Pavilion and heard the laughter inside. Da Yuan saw that he didn't move for a long time and wanted to go forward and knock on the door.

"Young Master, it's freezing cold, would you like to go to the Young Madam's room and warm yourself by the fire?"

"If I go in, I'll probably upset them. Forget it, let's go back to the study."

After Xiao Yi finished speaking, he left a lonely black figure in the snowy world. Da Yuan looked back at Luoyi Pavilion again, then quickened his pace to catch up with his young master.