At the beginning of February, the chief steward invited back Mr. Lin Mengyunlin, and Gu Xiao excitedly performed the apprenticeship and began to learn painting with Mr. Lin for an hour every afternoon.

The spring of Shangli Town came very early, the new shoots of flowers and trees in the garden have bloomed, spitting out tender yellow green shoots, Li Xiaonuan and Gu Xiao have to go back in the garden every day after school, playing in a circle in the garden while watching and walking, looking for which tree and which flower buds are the first to sprout, after ****, how many leaf buds and flower buds have grown, and go straight to the bamboo forest in the northwest corner of the garden to look for spring bamboo shoots, marveling at the growth of new bamboo shoots and new bamboo is almost visible to the naked eye!

When the shoots grow and the green grows, the Cold Food Festival is approaching.

After dinner, Mrs. Li left Li Xiaonuan, motioned for her to sit beside her, and said gently:

"The day after tomorrow is the Cold Food Festival, I will let people send you back to pay tribute to your parents, get up early tomorrow, rush on the road, and you can go to Tianwo Village in the evening, take the big boat, live on the boat tomorrow night, and come back early the day after tomorrow morning after the memorial ceremony, don't rush on the road, just stay in Yunpu Town for one night and come back, and let Steward Liu wait for you, he is familiar with the road, and the people are safe."

Li Xiaonuan looked at Mrs. Li gratefully, bit her lip and nodded, Mrs. Li stroked her bun with pity, and said with a smile:

"You are a good boy, and your parents can only rest assured when they see you."

Li Xiaonuan lowered her eyes and nodded, and Mrs. Li babbled a few more words, and then sent her back.

At the end of the next day, Li Xiaonuan got up to clean up and eat a bowl of bird's nest porridge and two small pieces of dim sum.

Li Xiaonuan hurriedly walked to the door of the main house and welcomed in, Grandma Sun smiled and bent her knees slightly to salute, pointed to the suitcase in her mother-in-law's hand and said:

"This is the dim sum that the ancestor ordered the small kitchen to make overnight, all of which Miss Cousin loves to eat, and she will take Miss Cousin to eat on the road, and the ancestor said, it's still early, Miss Cousin doesn't need to resign everywhere, anyway, she will only come back in two or three days."

Li Xiaonuan bent her knees and thanked her, and at the end of the winter, she stepped forward to take the suitcase and handed it to her mother-in-law who was about to accompany her, Grandma Sun hesitated, pulled Li Xiaonuan to the side, and explained in a low voice:

"Miss Cousin will go back this time, and she will hurry back after the memorial service, and the rest will ...... People and things, don't pay attention to them, you are still young, if there is anything, just let Liu manage the matter, I have also explained to him, he is an old man, he knows the severity. ”

Li Xiaonuan's heart warmed softly, tilted her head, looked at Grandma Sun with grateful eyes, solemnly bent her knees, and said in a low voice:

"Thank you Mama for mentioning it, Mama loves Xiao Nuan, and Xiao Nuan knows it in her heart."

Mama Sun laughed, gently dusted Li Xiaonuan's shoulder, and said gently:

"Let's go."

Li Xiaonuan smiled and nodded, shook off the white cotton cloak at the end of winter, put it on Li Xiaonuan, and walked towards the back corner gate of the garden surrounded by the girl's mother-in-law.

The boat lady had already prepared, standing on the dock and waiting, Sun Mama watched Li Xiaonuan get on the boat, watched the boat mother collect the cable, and slowly left the dock with the boat, before turning back.

At the end of winter, Li Xiaonuan helped Li Xiaonuan into the cabin, Li Xiaonuan looked left and right, everywhere he looked, the color was the warm luster after the tung oil oil had been countless times, the cabin was very spacious, divided into front and rear cabins, there was an armchair and a small table under the window on the left in front, there was a low couch under the window on the right, Zhang Xiaoji was placed in front of the couch, and there were small flower stands at the four corners of the cabin, and there was a flower pot that was in full bloom of bright yellow spring flowers.

Li Xiaonuan walked to the couch, sat down, and looked carefully, all the furniture was fixed on the floor.

At the end of winter, he took Chunqiao and Xiaoyu into the inner cabin to pack up his things, Lan Chu made tea from the small pavilion outside the cabin and brought it over, Li Xiaonuan looked through the silk yarn on the window, looked at the boat lady who walked by and the corridor street that was sliding back quickly on the shore, turned his head to look at Lan Chu, and asked curiously:

"I saw this cabin, where else can I live in?"

Lan Chu pursed his lips and laughed, pointing to his feet,

"Right down here, everyone lives in Tongpu, it's just a one-night or two-night one, if you go a long way, such a small boat will not work."

Li Xiaonuan smiled and nodded, and instructed Lan Chu to take a copy of the book he brought, half lying on the couch, and reading the book intently.

Steward Liu and the two little servants took another small boat, walked to the front, stopped at Yunpu Town at noon, Steward Liu's boat arrived in the town first, ordered food from the town's wine shop and sent it to the boat, everyone hurriedly ate and set off.

At the end of the unitary period, the heavy night enveloped the earth and the river, the boat arrived at Tianwo Village, docked at the simple wharf at the edge of the village, the boat lady got off the cable and stayed in the boat, Li Xiaonuan looked through the window screen, silently looked at the village in the distance in a dark and silent place, lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and ordered the end of the winter to call Mama Wei in.

Mama Wei came in to greet her, Li Xiaonuan turned her head to look at the end of the winter and Lan Chu, and said with a smile:

"You go down and rest first, I want to say a few words to Mama."

At the end of the winter, Lan Chu hurriedly bent his knees and retreated, Li Xiaonuan pulled Mama Wei to sit on the couch, leaned over her ear, and said in a low voice:

"Mama, tomorrow, you get up early, and go over quietly to see the uncle and aunt first, and see if they are okay."

"Girl!"

Mama Wei's face was full of resentment, her brows were raised, and Li Xiaonuan hurriedly stepped forward to cover her mouth,

"Whisper, Mama!"

Mama Wei nodded hurriedly, Li Xiaonuan let go of her hand, lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, turned her head to look at Mama Wei, and said in a low voice:

"Mama, no matter what, that's also Xiao Nuan's elder, besides, you also said that they were very good to Xiao Nuan's parents in the past, and they also loved Xiao Nuan, although they ......"

Li Xiaonuan paused, sighed softly, and lowered his voice,

"Mama, I still want the old people to live well, if I can know that they are doing well, I will be relieved, Mama!"

Mama Wei let out a long sigh, sighed again, stretched out her hand and gently stroked Li Xiaonuan's hair, and said sadly:

"The girl is kind-hearted, just like your mother! Only people are sorry for themselves, and there is no one who is sorry for others! ”

Li Xiaonuan was stunned, lowered her head, and coughed lightly with a slight embarrassment, Li Xiaonuan's mother is like that, what she pursues is to repay grievances with directness, repay virtue with virtue, and die friends do not die in poverty!

Early the next morning, Steward Liu took the two little maids back and forth a few times, and the arrangements were made, Mama Wei came back, accompanied Li Xiaonuan, late winter, Chunqiao and a few mothers-in-law guarded and walked to the Li family cemetery.

At the end of winter, a burlap mat was placed in front of the stage, Li Xiaonuan knelt on the ground, bowed respectfully, watched the mother-in-law burn the paper money, kowtowed and resigned from the god, stood up, and silently looked at the tall and neat grave, the clan uncle took care of it very well, and there was not even a single weed on the grave.

Li Xiaonuan stood stunned for a long time with her eyes down, before turning around and slowly walking towards the dock.

Under a willow tree with a crooked neck in the distance, the patriarch stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Li Xiaonuan who passed in front of him, Li Xiaonuan turned his head to look at him from afar, paused, bloomed with a smile on his face, solemnly adjusted his dress, and respectfully bent his knees to make a blessing before continuing to walk in the direction of the dock.

The group got on the boat, untied the cable and set off, it was already the right time, the boat lady did not hurry to support the boat, a large and a small two boats leisurely to Shangli Town back.

At the right time the next day, the boat stopped at the Gufu wharf, Li Xiaonuan got off the boat slightly tired, Mama Wei took her mother-in-law and Chunqiao and other girls, and returned to Songfeng Courtyard with her luggage, Li Xiaonuan went to Ruixuan Hall with the end of winter to ask for peace.

Mrs. Li pulled Li Xiaonuan to sit on the couch and asked carefully if she had eaten and slept well along the way? Is there any seasickness, is it good over there in Tianwo Village...... Li Xiaonuan smiled and replied carefully to Mrs. Li's words, and Mrs. Li nodded with satisfaction and ordered:

"You're tired, go back quickly, let the girls wait for you to bathe and wash, take a good rest, and let the kitchen send you to the yard to eat at noon, don't come over again, sleep well in the afternoon, and if you rest at night, come and eat."

Li Xiaonuan stood up, respectfully agreed, resigned Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhou, and went back to Songfeng Courtyard.

Li Xiaonuan took a hot bath, ate half a bowl of rice, yawned and put down the dishes and chopsticks, rinsed her mouth, and went to sleep in the room.

Or his own bed is the most comfortable, Li Xiaonuan lay in the soft quilt, put himself comfortable, yawned, and soon fell asleep.

When Gu Xiao came back from school, he ran into Songfeng Courtyard first, and hurriedly greeted him at the end of winter, signaling him to speak softly and in a low voice:

"Young master, lighter, the girl just fell asleep."

Gu Xiao hurriedly paused, and asked in a low voice with bated breath:

"Is Nuan Nuan good along the way? Is it sad? Crying or not crying? ”

The end of the winter smiled and nodded, shook his head again, and replied in a low voice:

"It's all good, it's just that I don't sleep peacefully at night, the girl said that she picked the bed, and she couldn't sleep well in a place outside Songfeng Courtyard, and at this time, I ate a small half bowl of rice and just fell asleep."

Gu Xiao was relieved when he heard it, and took a look at the main room on tiptoe.

"That's good, I'll go to learn painting in the afternoon, you tell Nuan Nuan, I'll come to see her after class!"

At the end of the winter smiled and nodded in agreement, Gu Xiao turned around and walked out of the courtyard gate and went to Ruixuan Hall.

Gu Xiao learned to paint, and when he went to Songfeng Courtyard, Li Xiaonuan was still asleep. Xiaoyu sat in the outer warm pavilion with her head bowed and did needlework, and at the end of winter, she was crooked in the warm pavilion and fell asleep.

Gu Xiao stretched out his hand to stop Xiao Yu, who was about to speak, and went into the inner room lightly, Xiao Yu was stunned, stretched out his hand and pushed the end of winter, thought about it, stopped again, and hurriedly followed Gu Xiao into the inner room.

Gu Xiao was lifting the curtain and looking in, Xiao Yu hurriedly stepped forward to take the curtain and said in a low voice:

"Young master, wait outside, don't wake up the girl!"