Lin Daiyu's Rebirth

Lotus curled up in Tiechui's broad arms, her fingertips tightly grasping his rough undershirt.

Her voice trembled a little, and it seemed that she would cry in the next second:

"Brother Tiechui, do you really never mind my past?

I always have nightmares at night, dreaming that we finally broke up..."

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the traces of tears that had not yet dried in the corners of her eyes, making people feel pity.

The swaying candlelight also cast the figures of the two people on the mottled wall. This is really a good thing that comes in pairs!

"younger sister."

Tiechui's hoarse voice suddenly cut off the end of her tone like a thunderclap.

"Brother Tiechui, I'm afraid...

Tiechui's rough palm covered her lips lightly like a feather, stopping her from continuing.

At the same time, his other arm held her tighter, as if he wanted to knead her into his body.

His warm breath was like a spring breeze, sweeping across the tips of her red ears, bringing a hint of itch and making her body tremble involuntarily.

"On the beautiful day of New Year's Day, you are not allowed to say such depressing words."

There will be a temple fair in the city in a few days, let's go and see it together."

Lotus's tense shoulders gradually relaxed, tears still condensed on her eyelashes, and she gradually forgot what she had just dreamed of.

I don’t know how long it took before they both fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was as blue as a gem. It was a rare good day.

Fatty got up early and tidied the house.

She neatly piled the eight-immortals table with cakes and festival gifts carefully wrapped in red silk, which made people feel happy.

"Put it away quickly!"

Fatty's eyes and hands were quick. Seeing Lianhua coming over, she quickly stuffed a red envelope into Lianhua's palm, then said with a smile on her face,

"Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. According to custom, you should go back to your parents' home to see your father and mother!"

The fat lady's face was wrinkled with laughter. She continued, "Take these back and make Aunt Wang and the others happy."

Lotus's face suddenly turned red.

She declined somewhat embarrassedly, but her eyes unconsciously looked at Tiechui beside her, as if asking him for help.

Seeing this, Tiechui scratched the back of his head and smiled innocently.

A hint of shy blush appeared on his dark cheeks, and he whispered:

"Here, sister. Let's go there early so as not to keep Aunt Wang and the others waiting anxiously."

After saying that, Tiechui picked up the cakes and gifts without saying anything else, and walked towards Aunt Wang's house with Lianhua.

The rooster in the chicken coop has not yet crowed, but the firewood in the stove is already crackling.

Aunt Wang tiptoed to add rice cakes into the steamer, while Old Man Wang held a bamboo broom and carefully swept the front and back of the house.

Until a familiar figure entered the yard, Wang Po's bamboo shovel fell to the stove with a clang.

Lotus, wrapped in a red cotton-padded jacket, looked much fuller than in the twelfth lunar month, and her bulging belly showed a soft curve under the coarse cloth clothes.

The old woman ran over tremblingly, her dry fingers hanging in the air, and finally gently landed on the top of Lotus's head, as if touching fragile glass.

"Let me see..."

Aunt Wang's voice was stuck in her throat. Her cloudy eyes looked at Lianhua's flushed cheeks, and tears were shaking violently in her eyes.

The hot tears unexpectedly fell on the back of Lotus's hand. She hurriedly wiped them with her sleeve, but more tears were rubbed onto the coarse cloth.

"Good boy, you've suffered!"

Aunt Wang suddenly clenched her calloused hands, stroking her daughter's hair with her fingertips. "Are you still feeling nauseous these days?"

Lotus bit her lip and nodded, tears falling from her eyelashes.

She suddenly threw herself into the old man's arms: "Mom..."

Aunt Wang hugged her tightly and buried her head in her hair that smelled of soapberry. Her wrinkles of decades were filled with bitterness and joy.

In this way, Aunt Wang and Lianhua talked on the kang, while Tiechui and Old Man Wang cooked a table of dishes.

……

The sound of the night watchman broke the silence.

Xiao Quanzi's hand holding the lantern trembled violently.

The candlelight in the lantern swayed violently in the cold wind, casting his blue-gray shadow on the vermilion lacquered pillars, which twisted and turned long and short.

"Who? Who's there? Don't come out and scare people in this New Year!"

His shout echoed in the empty corridor, making the copper bells on the eaves jingle.

The night was as dark as ink, wrapping the entire palace tightly.

Xiao Quanzi stared at the rockery three meters away, his pupils shrank to the size of needles in the darkness - in the shadow of the rugged rocks, there was clearly a vague human figure curled up.

The moonlight was completely swallowed up by the clouds, leaving only the slight trembling of the man's shoulders, rising and falling strangely in the thick night.

His Adam's apple rolled up and down, and Xiao Quanzi bit the tip of his tongue hard.

Cold sweat ran down my back and soaked my cotton clothes.

"Don't scare yourself..." he muttered to himself, but still took out the peach wood talisman from his arms and held it in his palm.

At this moment, a suppressed sob broke through the air, like a rusty knife, cutting through the solidified air.

The sleepiness came without any warning.

My legs, which had been full of energy just now, suddenly felt as if they were filled with lead, and my eyelids drooped as if weights were dropped on them.

Xiao Quanzi hurriedly pinched his palm, his nails digging deep into the flesh.

The piercing pain suddenly woke him up. When he looked carefully again, he found that the figure in the shadow of the rockery had moved, and the corners of his white clothes swayed gently in the night wind.

The sobbing sound became clearer and clearer, and the sobbing with a crying tone mixed with intermittent mumbling echoed in the silent courtyard.

Xiao Quanzi's back was pressed against the cold pillar, the candle in the lantern went out with a puff, and the darkness swallowed him in an instant.

"Little Quanzi..."

A familiar voice came over instantly. When he stood still, Xiao Quanzi couldn't help but be startled by the person in front of him:

"Cai Lian, why are you here?"

Cailian burst into tears:

"She is simply not a human being. Not only did she torture me, she even didn't let the prince and Jin'er go!"