Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Suppressing the urge to gently touch Bai Xuerou's fingers...

While Ling Zheng was feeling displeased, Bai Xuerou smiled and leaned close to his shoulder, saying, "Regardless of the reason, since Sanlang said so, then it must be true. I'll be more careful in the future and talk to you more often, okay?"

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Ling Zheng didn't think about it any further and responded softly, a little embarrassed.

No matter how intelligent and composed he was, he was only eighteen. Lost in his lover's tenderness and sweet words, he completely forgot his earlier dissatisfaction. For a moment, he was even a little dizzy, thinking—

He's probably overthinking it.

Once the few things I was most looking forward to were accomplished, time suddenly seemed to fly by.

It feels like just yesterday that it was April, and now it's May and summer is here.

Bai Shan—no, now we should call him Wei Yi—sent a message that he had successfully joined the Zhenbei Army.

The Prince of Zhenbei treated him with great courtesy, personally visiting him to invite him to serve. Now he is a general in the Zhenbei Army, commanding 5,000 soldiers.

Bai Shan's success was undoubtedly excellent news, and Bai Xue Rou's mood improved for many days. Even Ling Shu Jun's eventual release from confinement did not affect her.

Fortunately, after this experience, Ling Shujun seemed to have learned her lesson and stopped openly targeting Bai Xuerou as before.

Although Ling Shujun still didn't have a pleasant expression, she was actually more peaceful compared to the past few years.

At least they won't resort to sarcasm at the drop of a hat.

This is also what troubles Bai Xuerou the most. She is not a particularly eloquent person to begin with, and she always feels extremely helpless when facing Ling Shujun, who dares to say anything regardless of the consequences.

Ling Shujun's appearance reminded Bai Xuerou of something else.

After Bai Xuerou woke up, she felt that Ling Shujun pushing her into the water must have been the work of another concubine, but Ling Zheng never reacted.

She didn't think he couldn't think of it, so there was only one reason left.

Ling Zheng overlooked this possibility.

The reason for this is probably that the Prince of Zhenbei did not want to investigate further. After all, all the concubines in his household now have children, and he had already punished Ling Shujun for this, so he did not want to cause any more trouble.

Bai Xuerou understood all of this, but she still couldn't help feeling cold inside.

In the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and in front of the Ling family, she, as Ling Zheng's wife, didn't seem to be that important.

As more and more details she had never noticed before appeared, Bai Xuerou became increasingly convinced of the plot in the novel.

If Ling Zheng is like this now, then what about the possibility of the Zhenbei Army advancing further, and the temptation of vying for the Central Plains and possibly even ascending to the throne?

Bai Xuerou had no doubt what decision Ling Zheng would make.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, Bai Xuerou suddenly felt a chill.

Summer came and went, and it felt like we had just moved back from the waterside retreat when the short autumn was over and winter arrived.

That's how it is in the North; spring and autumn are incredibly short, often passing by before you even realize it.

Winter has arrived in Yandu.

Bai Xuerou changed into a winter coat made of fur, but she still felt cold, so she rarely went out anymore.

Speaking of this, Bai Xuerou couldn't help but think of cotton.

The novel is set in the late Tang Dynasty, and she doesn't know when cotton was introduced to China in history, and in this world, it wasn't there at this moment.

The softness and warmth of cotton still lingered in her memory—

As time went by, Bai Xuerou integrated that memory better and better, and now she can recall it at will, without feeling the initial unfamiliarity anymore.

Fortunately, Bai Xuerou remembered that cotton seemed to have originated from the Western Regions, so as early as summer, when she remembered it, she ordered people to head there to try and find cotton seeds to bring back. She didn't have high hopes for this, and had even prepared for the worst—

Maybe there's no cotton in this world.

Although many things are the same in the two worlds, how can we be sure about these things?

Just a few days ago, the caravan that had been traveling for half a year finally returned safely, bringing back the cotton seeds she wanted most.

No one knows how surprised she was at that moment.

The caravan leader, who was part of her dowry, was calm, reliable, and quite insightful. He recognized the uses of the cotton and excitedly explained the planting methods to her.

Bai Xuerou listened with a smile, instructing her to carefully collect the seeds, ready to be planted next April. She also generously rewarded the caravan, telling them to rest well.

Only after everyone had left did Bai Xuerou finally reveal her joy.

Nowadays, noble families often use furs for warmth and goose down to fill bedding, while commoners mostly use kapok. However, neither precious furs nor kapok can compare to cotton for warmth. Moreover, cotton is easy to grow and obtain; if it could be widely cultivated, it would surely benefit many people.

Whether before or after transmigrating into the book, Bai Xuerou was self-aware that she was just an ordinary person, not particularly intelligent or strategic, and certainly lacked any sense of the bigger picture.

But that memory from the modern era is her greatest support.

Living in a chaotic era, the common people suffer the most.

If she was powerless to help, that would be one thing. But since she knew about these things and had the ability, she should do something. She didn't ask for anything else, just to make the people's lives better and to let more people survive the winter. That would be a good thing.

In addition, Bai Xuerou also drew attention to three high-yield foods: sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, but unfortunately, no trace of these crops was found in the Western Regions.

She was inevitably a little disappointed, but as her thoughts wandered, she began to think about going to sea.

Since it didn't originate from the Western Regions, it must have come from overseas.

Regardless, we should give it a try; maybe it will work.

Before Bai Xuerou could be happy for even a few days, something happened.

Aunt Ge was seriously ill and could no longer get out of bed. The doctor had seen her and said that she did not have much time left.

During those days, the Prince of Zhenbei was in a bad mood, and even the women in his household quieted down.

As the master of this mansion, the Prince of Zhenbei's thoughts are not easy to guess. He is dignified and profound, and his emotions are hard to discern. His reactions in the past few days have already been considered out of control.

He even went to see Aunt Ge and ordered someone to invite a famous doctor, but Aunt Ge's health was really failing, and even the famous doctor from the north could not help.

Despite the best efforts of Prince Renzhenbei, he could only watch as Aunt Ge passed away.

Ling Zheng was quite moved by this and said, "I never expected that Father had such deep feelings for Aunt Ge."

Bai Xuerou's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she smiled and echoed the comment, a hint of mockery flashing through her mind.

You only start to care when you're about to die.

This reminded her of a saying from her past life—

Belated affection is worth less than grass.

Sorry, I feel like I'm insulting grass.

Grass can also be used to feed cows and horses.

Aunt Ge was dying, which reminded Bai Xuerou of the poison from before. So she sent a message to Wei Yi, asking him to double-check if there were any problems.

She was simply being cautious by nature and wanted to double-check, just in case something happened to Aunt Ge and the medicine was indeed faulty—

We can't exactly go looking for Ling Xun again.

It's so troublesome just thinking about it.

Bai Shan, knowing her thoughts, went to check and, after confirming there were no problems, sent a message to Bai Xuerou.

Bai Xuerou felt relieved, but then she remembered that she had said she would take care of Ling Xun, but Aunt Ge obviously did not believe her and had not mentioned it.

It's okay, she'll just be more careful from now on.

Some things are better left unremembered. Bai Xuerou thought of Ling Xun one day, and the next day she saw him again in the garden.

This year, the snow came exceptionally early, falling in early November, and it was quite heavy. It started falling yesterday and hasn't stopped today.

Ling Xun sat alone in the pavilion, without a charcoal fire, without a cloak, and without even a servant by his side. The cold wind swirled up snowflakes, causing the hem of his robe to tremble; just looking at him made one feel cold.

"Why are you sitting here all alone?" Bai Xuerou approached and asked with some concern.

She had come out to enjoy the snow while it wasn't too heavy. There was an old pine tree here, its branches weighed down by the snow, a beautiful sight. But then she saw Ling Xun.

Ling Xun hadn't expected to run into Bai Xuerou, but he had sharp ears and had heard her movements long ago, so he wasn't surprised.

He came out to have some peace and quiet. He had considered whether to avoid her, but considering that it was her who came, he ultimately didn't leave.

"Third Sister-in-law," Ling Xun stood up to greet her.

“My mother isn’t feeling well,” he said, pausing before continuing, “I want to find a place to be by myself for a while.”

The things between the mother and son are not for outsiders to know. The cold words and neglect they have received over the years have worn away almost all their affection. He originally thought he didn't care, and he really didn't care on a daily basis.

But now, seeing Aunt Ge lying on the bed, barely breathing, Ling Xun felt somewhat uncomfortable.

It wasn't just sadness and pain; there was a sense of relief, but also a feeling of unease about living alone in this vast mansion from now on.

All of this was so complicated that even Ling Xun himself couldn't figure it out.

Bai Xuerou guessed that this was the reason.

Aunt Ge's condition is deteriorating; she probably doesn't have many days left.

Although Aunt Ge and her son Ling Xun didn't seem as close as other mothers and sons—

Everyone in the household knows that Ling Xun is unloved by his mother and father, neglected by the Prince of Zhenbei, and even Aunt Ge doesn't care much about him, always speaking coldly to him.

After Bai Xuerou married into the family, she didn't notice anything at first, but as time went on, it became difficult for her not to notice.

Regardless of the circumstances, they are, after all, blood relatives and biological mother and child.

Ling Huaixun wasn't very old, and now that Aunt Ge was in such a state, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"But you can't neglect your health. What if you get sick from the cold?" Bai Xuerou said disapprovingly.

Putting everything else aside, we still need to prepare a stove and a cloak.

Although Ling Xun had been learning martial arts from the Prince of Zhenbei, he was not made of iron. In such cold weather, he would still get sick if he stayed in the cold for too long.

Ling Xun subconsciously looked into her eyes, only to find that her eyes held the same sincerity as always, without the slightest falsehood or pretense.

Bai Xuerou's concern was entirely from the heart.

"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I was rash." After a pause, Ling Xun admitted his mistake, lowered his head and said, "It will never happen again."

Bai Xuerou softened her heart as soon as she saw it.

"Good boy, I know you're feeling bad," she said gently, looking at the dejected boy, and reached out to gently pat his head.

She's only eleven years old. When her younger brother was that age, he was still quite mischievous, but he's already so calm and composed.

"No matter what, you must take care of yourself. So that Aunt Ge won't worry about you," she whispered.

A soft touch landed on his head, very light. Ling Xun was slightly taken aback, feeling a little uncomfortable from the gentle and intimate comfort, but he couldn't help feeling happy and even reluctant to leave.

Suppressing the urge to gently rub against Bai Xuerou's fingers, he remained motionless, but his ears couldn't help turning red.

After spending more than six months together, Ling Xun discovered a small flaw that he had never noticed before—

He enjoys affectionate touches.

Currently, the only person who would do this to him is Bai Xuerou.