Chapter 215 Lin Shiyuan's Coquettish Act

Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, his handsome face tense, but the mischievousness and smugness in his eyes were almost impossible to hide.

Yao Qingling realized what was happening and pulled her hand back: "You're kidding me, humph!"

Who would have thought that Lin Shiyuan, the butcher, would have such a coquettish side in private?

Lin Shiyuan pulled her back to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Without a powerful family background to rely on, and without the support of influential figures, it was inevitable that he would face exclusion while working in the government office. The threats posed by Zhan Xingzhuo to him were also very real.

But these things mean nothing to him.

He will become a powerful minister sooner or later.

And it will be soon.

The man remained calm, picked up the tangerines from the kang table, heated them by the stove, peeled them, gave half to Qingling, and ate the other half himself.

He asked, "When did He Yin say you'd be out of confinement?"

Yao Qingling: "It should be soon. I'm much better than before."

Having found the cause of her illness, she diligently took her medication, followed the doctor's advice to avoid overthinking, and spent her free time walking around the room. She even learned the Eight Pieces of Brocade from Nie Yun. There was no patient more obedient and well-behaved than her.

Hearing her praise him like that, Lin Shiyuan gently curled one corner of his lips: "Really? Then who was thinking about those fake medicines just now?"

Qingling: "That's not my fault, the problem just came knocking on my door." She paused, tilting her head to look at him, "Why did you ask when I'd be out of confinement?"

Lin Shiyuan said, "I heard from the Imperial Observatory that it will snow in a few days. I'd like to take you to the outskirts to see the snow. Is that alright? Don't worry, I'll make all the arrangements. You won't get cold."

He looked at her with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.

Qingling's first reaction was, what's so interesting about a snow scene? It's cold and the ground is slippery.

Then she realized that Lin Shiyuan usually lived in the south, and this was his first winter in the capital, and also his first time seeing snow in the capital!

Qingling's eyebrows curved slightly: "Okay."

Lin Shiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and peeled a second warmed tangerine for her.

Qingling suddenly said, "These days, these little maids have been so busy, so bring them along too. And Lin Qiao, I haven't seen her in a long time. She hasn't seen Zhao'er yet."

Zhao'er is the nickname Qingling gave to her child, which means bright and beautiful.

Her full name is Yao Ruizhao. The character Rui is the same as the character Rui in her mother's name. Normally, this should be avoided, but Qingling wanted to use it to commemorate her mother.

Everyone is reminiscing about General Mingwei, including Qingling herself. Everyone's impression of her mother is still based on her suicide for love, and they talk about it with great interest. But the world knows too little about her.

Qingling never resented her mother for abandoning her. Now that she is a mother herself, she misses her mother even more.

Zhao'er inherited his father's bloodline. His surname is Yao, so his name will include his mother's name as a way to remember her.

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

Does she really not understand what he's thinking?

After Zhan Xingzhuo gave him that pile of silver?

Sigh, she doesn't know... never mind.

A few days later, it snowed as expected.

Since it was inconvenient for Lin Shiyuan to come to the Marquis's residence to pick her up during the day, he sent Lou Yue the address.

Lou Yue and the other girls were overjoyed to know they were going out to play, and they prepared a lot of food and put it on the carriage well in advance.

There was a heater inside the carriage, so it wasn't cold at all.

As she staggered out of the city gate, an old man approached her and said, "Miss, here's some hot almond tea for you."

"Give it to me?" Qingling asked in surprise. "Really, it's free?"

The old man said, "A young master named Lin has already paid money, saying that he would give the money to the young lady in the carriage if he saw one with a flame emblem."

When Qingling heard that the surname was Lin, she understood what was going on.

She thanked him and smiled as she held the warm almond tea in the carriage.

One sip, and it's sweet, fragrant, and warming.

After traveling a while, they passed a post station, where a young waiter ran out and gave Qingling a sprig of plum blossom.

Similar to the old man's account, it was a gift from a young master surnamed Lin.

Qingling held the plum blossom in her hand, took a sniff, and found it fragrant.

Lou Yue watched her laugh from the side and muttered, "I never thought that someone as serious as Doctor Lin would do something like this."

That's truly eye-opening.

Xia Chan thought, "If a man wants to please a woman, what can't he do?"

She remembered that when she was in the Duke's mansion, Qingling was a newlywed, and Master Zhan had tried his best to please her by painting for her and playing the flute for her.

However, Lin Shiyuan is different from Zhan Xingzhuo; his character is much more upright.

Nie Yun sat on the carriage floor outside with the coachman, listening to the maids' teasing inside. Her expression was indifferent as she reached out and caught a snowflake.

Is this snow?

It's cool to the touch and melts in your palm.

But she felt that Yao Qingling was the snow that Lin Shiyuan wanted to protect.

Having been by Yao Qingling's side for so long, she began to understand why Yao Qingling was so attractive.

She was sincere to everyone, even her servants, treating them equally and giving them opportunities to learn and grow. When necessary, she also became their support.

In the eyes of the powerful and wealthy, the lives of all servants are in their hands. Like ants, they consider it good fortune to have such a master.

Yao Qingling did not demand anything from Lin Shiyuan. Even when he was at his most vulnerable, she treated him as an equal and worked together to build a future.

In the capital city, where there is no snobbery, which young lady would do such a thing?

But Yao Qingling is also someone who clearly distinguishes between love and hate. If anyone hurts her, she will retaliate without hesitation or tolerance.

In this chaotic world, compassion cannot save people; a degree of indifference and cruelty can better protect oneself.

This is very similar to Lin Shiyuan.

It seems that Nie Yun is also starting to like this woman.

She gave a helpless smile. Since Lin Shiyuan liked her, so be it. She was relieved.

When they arrived at the thatched cottage that Lin Shiyuan had mentioned, Yao Qingling had just lifted the curtain when Lin Shiyuan was outside the carriage. He helped her down from the carriage.

Yao Qingling looked up at the thatched hut.

The place was vast and empty, with only this one thatched hut in the vast expanse of the world. The roof was covered with snow, like an old, white-haired hunter guarding the foot of the mountain.

Not far away are mountains, their treetops covered with snow, the pines still green, and the trees in the middle still bearing fallen leaves, some yellow and some red. An eagle spreads its broad wings, lets out a sharp cry, and flies across the sky, disappearing into the dense forest.

Qingling asked, "How did you find this place?"

She had lived in the capital for many years and had no idea that such a mountain valley existed.

Lin Shiyuan held her hand: "Let's go inside first."

The group behind them unloaded the items from the carriage and carried them into the thatched hut.

This thatched hut looks quite old; it's unclear which reclusive master once lived here. Qingling could see signs of renovation.

She touched the nearest pillar.

The pine wood was just cut from the mountain; the bark is still fresh.

Lin Shiyuan said, “I’ve been in the capital for a while now, wandering around, and I stumbled upon this mountain valley. This thatched hut is uninhabited, but I took some time a few days ago to tidy it up. What do you think?”

Qingling put her hands behind her back and pretended to wander around.

The house wasn't large, but it had a bedroom, a kitchen, a front yard, a backyard, and a hay shed for livestock. It seemed that the wise person who lived here knew how to enjoy life.

I just don't know why they left.

Lin Shiyuan not only repaired the house, but also decorated it.

In this simple little house, he placed a vase and inserted plum blossoms that best suited the season. He nailed sheepskin to the walls for wind protection and warmth. Although there was no heated kang (a traditional heated bed), there was a stove.

It's already quite remarkable that he alone has accomplished so much.

Most importantly, Qingling likes the tranquility here. When she opens the window, there is a vast expanse of sky and earth outside, and the beautiful scenery is right in front of her.

With no outsiders around, they don't need to be wary of anyone or worry about anyone disturbing the peace here.

Qingling stood by the window, looking at the foot of the mountain not far away. She seemed to see a rabbit peeking out and hopping out, parting the grass to look for food.

cute.

She smiled as she looked at the rabbit: "I like it very much."