After the Chung Yeung Festival, the weather gradually cooled down. The autumn rain in the capital for half a month was dripping, and it only cleared up in the past two days.

Lin Yan's yard planted two acacia trees, but now the trees are already bare, and there are dead branches and leaves everywhere under the trees. A few pots of chrysanthemums were placed under the porch, and now they are also crooked and wilted.

On the kang table near the window, there was a blue and white porcelain plum vase, on which were inserted a few red and pink wood hibiscus flowers, and the petals were still carrying the morning dew, which became the only life in the room.

Lin Yan was drenched in a rain on the way back to Beijing, and fell ill as soon as she arrived at home, and she was sick intermittently for half a month, and it was only in the past two days that she got as good as the weather.

Lin Yan couldn't help but sigh in her heart, she had lived in the windy and sandy land in the northwest for three years, but she was not accustomed to the water and soil when she returned to Beijing, I really don't know whether to say that she is squeamish or not.

Mu Zhi took rouge gouache to apply makeup to her face, and used a thick layer of powder to hide her haggard after recovering from a serious illness.

Lin Yan took Mu Zhi and Mu Lan to Funing Hall.

The wife of the Wuguo Mansion, Li, was afraid of the cold, and the earth dragon had already burned in the house, and as soon as she entered the house, the heating came to her face.

Li sat on the beauty couch in front of the ebony carved screen, with a kind face, holding a six- or seven-year-old small glutinous rice dumpling. Xiao Tuanzi was pulling her sleeves to be coquettish, the little girl's eyebrows and eyes were crooked, and her delicate voice was still childish, crisp: "······ I saw a lot of crabs in the kitchen basket, so big, grandmother, let's steam the crabs and eat them today, and then dig out the chrysanthemum wine brewed by Fu Mo, and make sauce elbows, Buddha jumping over the wall, ······"

Li coaxed her lovingly in a low voice: "No, the cold of the autumn crab is heavy, and it is not good for the girl's family to eat too much." Grandmother asked the kitchen to make soft-shelled turtle soup at noon, and we also made sauce elbow and Buddha jumping over the wall, let's not eat crab, is it okay to drink soft-shelled turtle soup? ”

Xiao Tuanzi looked unhappy, pulling Li's sleeve and twisting his mouth around unhappy.

Although Li doted on his granddaughter, he did not intend to give up his principles, but only coaxed her in a low voice, but did not meet her requirements

At this moment, Li Shi saw Lin Yan coming in from outside, raised his head, smiled lovingly at her, and said softly: "Yuan Yuan is here?" He beckoned to her and said, "Come to Grandmother." ”

When the little group beside the Li family saw Lin Yan, he snorted and twisted his head, obviously unhappy.

Lin Yan smiled and went over to greet the Li family, and then walked to the Li family's side.

Li put down the little ball, pulled her to sit down beside her, touched her hand and asked her, "Are you feeling better?" As he spoke, he looked at her face again and said, "Although I look better than a while ago, my face is still haggard." After three years of illness, you have been sick for more than ten days, and your body is afraid of being very weak, so you should make up for it. After speaking, he looked at the clothes she was wearing, tried the thickness of the clothes, and continued: "Why did you only wear such a little clothes, now that the weather is getting colder, how can you wear such a little clothes." He frowned, and then said, "The maid in your house is really getting better and less able to serve people." He turned his head and said to the maid next to him: "Go to my house and find a cloak to come out and put it on the four girls." ”

Lin Yan hurriedly said: "Grandmother, I'm not cold, besides, there is a earth dragon in this house, and it is very warm." ”

Li said: "You are not fully ill, I would rather wear more clothes than catch a cold again." ”

Knowing that it was the Li family's loving heart, Lin Yan didn't say anything anymore, and said quite ashamedly: "It's all the granddaughter's unfilial piety, which makes the grandmother worry and worry." ”

Li Shi took her hand and put it in his arms, and said, "What are these words, you are the granddaughter of your grandmother's heart, and your grandmother is not worried about who you are worried about." If you say something like this, your grandmother will be sad. ”

Lin Yan smiled and said, "Yes, Yuan Yuan knows that he is wrong." ”

Lin Yan smiled again and looked at Xiao Tuanzi, who was still twisting his head and getting angry, and said with a smile: "Youyu, aren't you going to talk to your sister?" ”

Xiao Tuanzi snorted heavily, and said in a crisp voice: "I don't talk to liars!" ”

Lin Yan said regretfully: "I saw the hibiscus flowers you sent this morning, I thought you had reconciled with your sister, but it turned out that you haven't, my sister is really sad." ”

Xiao Tuanzi listened to her words, his face loosened, but he still said with a hard mouth: "I didn't give it to you on purpose, I hate Mu Hibiscus the most, so I gave it to you." He snorted again and said, "Because I hate you the most." ”

Lin Yan smiled and said, "What should I do, but my sister likes it very much." ”

Xiao Tuanzi is Lin Yan's youngest sister, and her maiden name is Lin Wan. Because he is the youngest in the family, he took a milk named "young jade", which means like a jewel.

The Lin family of Wuguo Mansion is the family of Jiangmen, Lin Yan's father Lin Sanye Lin Ying three years ago was the commander of the Shaanxi Metropolitan Command Division, guarding the northwest, Lin Yan and two younger brothers with their mother Zhuang Shi with their father abroad, but left the youngest Lin Wan in the capital, taken care of by Mrs. Li.

The Zhuang family was reluctant to take care of the young daughter at that time, but Lin Wan was only three years old at that time, and the northwest was a bitter cold and sandy place, so the Zhuang family was not worried about taking the young daughter to the northwest, so she could only be taken care of by her mother-in-law.

Lin Wan didn't understand her mother's worries when she was young, she only remembered that her parents and brothers and sisters left her, thinking that she was abandoned, and she has been holding a grudge until now.

Li smiled and persuaded him: "Okay, okay, how can the two sisters have an overnight feud." Saying that, he hugged Lin Wan again, and said, "Didn't my sister bring a gift to Youyu when she came back, didn't Youyu also like those stone carved ponies, puppies, and small bows and leather boots, see how much my sister hurts Youyu." ”

Lin Wan was awkward again, and said with her eyebrows raised: "Sister doesn't hurt me." After a pause, he said gloomily: "Daddy and mother don't hurt me either, they only hurt my sister, sixth brother, seventh brother, and don't hurt Youyu." Youyu shouldn't hurt them. ”

Li hurriedly said: "Who said that your father and mother love Youyu the most." As he spoke, he kissed his little granddaughter again and coaxed: "Youyu is also grandmother's careful liver." ”

At this moment, the curtain at the door shook softly, and the ring sounded softly, and then the slender figures of two women were reflected in.

Those who came in were Lin Yan's eldest aunt, Mrs. Lin's Dou family and Lin Yan's cousin Lin Yan.

Dou is dressed very plainly, wearing a moon-white satin placket all over his body, almost no jewelry, dignified posture, and a cold face, which makes people feel that it is not easy to get close. frowned slightly, and there was an indissoluble sadness on his body.

But such a woman, who would have thought that when she was in the boudoir, she was also a fierce woman who dared to go to the street to stop the frightened horses, and blocked the Qinglou with a bow and arrows to chase her fiancé all over the street.

It's just that Dou's enthusiasm for life gradually disappeared as Uncle Lin died on the battlefield with his sister-in-law twelve years ago.

And Lin Yan was wearing a Suzhou embroidered purple and gold gown, combing a good-looking falling horse bun, and her face was as delicate as a girl.

Lin Yan is one year older than Lin Yan, and she is in the good bloom of fifteen, because the two are of the same age, and they have had a good relationship since childhood. When Lin Yan saw Lin Yan, she secretly smiled at her and winked her eyebrows.

And Dou was a little surprised by Lin Yan who appeared in the house, and said, "Yuan Yuan is also here, is he feeling better?" I heard yesterday that your illness has improved, but thinking that you have been on the sickbed for more than half a month, I thought you would have to recuperate for a few more days, so why did you leave the house today. ”

Her voice was cold, but Lin Yan could hear the deep concern in her words.

Lin Yan smiled and said, "Aunt Xie cares, it's much better." What's more, I'm not a serious illness, and I'm bored from staying in the house all day, so going out for a walk is good for my body. ”

Dou nodded, said no more, and led Lin Yan to ask for peace from the Li family.

Li asked people to help her up, and said softly: "It's been cold these days, I heard that your old cold disease has also occurred, you should also pay more attention." You don't have to come here every day, there is no shortage of people to serve here, and you take care of yourself is filial piety to me. ”

Dou said: "My mother loves me, and I understand it, but I can't always rely on my mother's love and slackness, and I don't fulfill my daughter-in-law's duty." ”

Li patted Dou's hand and said no more.

Lin Zhong, the uncle of the Lin family, was not born by the Li family, the old Wuguo Gong married two wives before and after his death, and the original Dou family was born in the Yueguo Mansion, and gave birth to a son Lin Zhong and a daughter Lin Eun, Lin Zhong married his cousin's daughter Dou, and Lin Eun married into the Qinghe Mansion and became the princess of Qinghe.

The current Mrs. Li is the stepfamily of the old Wu Guogong, who was born in the Li family of Zhao County and is a famous family for hundreds of years. The Li family gave birth to two sons and a daughter, the second son is the current Wuguo Gong Lin Yong and Lin Ying's father Lin Ying, and the first daughter is Lin Xian, the filial piety queen who has passed away.

Lin Xiansheng has the crown prince Xiao Tai.

Lin Xian passed away a year and a half ago, five years after his accession to the throne.

Empress Yuan passed away, and the throne could not be suspended, and the candidates for the successor were now white-hot in the court.

And Lin Yan's return to Beijing was precisely under the arrangement of the family, and the goal was to become the successor, escorting the Lin family and her cousin.