Yongfeng Town.

Lin Xuan and Yao Shuang were busy at Yuqing Hall.

Fearing it would interfere with Lin Xuan's work with his patients, the little girl took Lin Jia'er back to their home on the edge of town.

The courtyard was covered with a thick layer of white snow.

Xiao Die couldn't stay still, so she took a broom and swept the snow in the yard. When Lin Jia'er saw this, she took a dustpan and shoveled the snow. The little dumpling stomped her foot, and a wave of heat swept out. In an instant, the clouds and mist rose, the snow in the yard dissipated, and even the snow on the roof tiles disappeared.

The courtyard became especially warm.

Lin Jia'er clapped her hands and exclaimed, "The Great Protector is so amazing!"

"hey-hey."

The little dumpling proudly raised its head.

Xiaodie could also stir up a strong wind to disperse the snow, but she was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble. Xiaotuanzi didn't think that much; she just didn't want Lin Jiaer and the others to work too hard.

The little girl looked towards the kitchen and blinked. "Xiaodie, can you cook?"

Xiao Die nodded and smiled, "I can cook some home-style dishes. When we were at Qinghe Restaurant, Sister Dou Dou taught me."

"Then Jia'er and I will start the fire, and you can cook?"

"no problem."

Xiaodie nodded with a smile.

The little dumpling and her friends went to the kitchen.

There were washed vegetables and potatoes, as well as cleaned fish and boiled cured meat in the kitchen. Yao Shuang knew that Lin Jia'er would come back, so she prepared the food in advance so that it would be convenient to cook when she got home.

Wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops.

In the evening, Lin Xuan and Yao Shuang went home early. They jogged all the way home, wanting to get home early to cook. When they entered the yard, they were surprised and delighted by the scene before them, knowing that Lin Jia'er had returned.

"Father! Mother!"

Lin Jia'er ran out to greet them, "Sister Xiaodie has prepared the meal and is just waiting for you to come back."

As Yao Shuang watched Xiao Tuanzi and Xiao Die come out, her eyes were filled with gratitude, and she said gently, "Great Protector, Xiao Die, thank you for bringing Jia'er back, cleaning the yard so well, and even cooking for us."

"hey-hey."

"We're all brothers!"

The little dumpling blurted out, then realized something was wrong and quickly added, "The eldest said we're all family."

"Junior Brother Qin is right."

Lin Xuan and Yao Shuang nodded repeatedly.

The little dumpling blinked and said sweetly, "Senior Brother Lin, you've worked hard. Come inside and eat."

"Okay, okay."

Lin Xuan and the others entered the house.

The room was warm, with a stove under the table, Lin Jia'er's homework posted on the wall, and the dishes on the table still steaming. The couple couldn't stop smiling.

...

evening.

The wind and snow gradually subsided.

Qin Luo arrived in Black Mountain alone.

Stone lived in a bamboo house near the mountain god's temple.

Qin Luo arrived near the bamboo house and saw Shi Tou chopping bamboo. He chuckled and asked, "What are you doing chopping bamboo?"

When Shi Tou saw Qin Luo arrive at the bamboo forest, his joy was evident on his face. He answered truthfully, "Brother Qin, I may not be back for a long time after I leave this time. I want to make a bamboo staff to carry with me as a memento."

Do you drink alcohol?

“The Great Protector once took me to drink.”

"I'll deal with her later."

"It has nothing to do with the Great Protector; it's just that I wanted to drink it."

"We still need to teach her a lesson."

"this……"

Stone scratched his head.

Qin Luo entered the mountain god temple. The memorial tablets inside had been updated with the title of Marquis Renyong, and a jar of wine sat on the altar. "Chang'an, could I borrow this jar of wine?"

Chen Chang'an smiled and nodded, "Brother Qin, you can take it and drink it."

Qin Luo brought the stone to the mountaintop. He unsealed the yellow clay jar, and a rich aroma of wine filled the air.

"It's actually monkey wine."

Qin Luo and the others drank monkey wine at their gathering. They thought they had finished it, but they didn't expect there was still a jar in the mountain god temple. It should be a gift from Xiong Shan to Chen Chang'an. After all, he wanted to learn from Chen Chang'an, so he had to give a token of appreciation.

Shi Tou and Qin Luo sat on the ground.

In an instant, it felt like I had traveled back many years.

Qin Luo used the snow beside him to make two transparent ice glasses. He filled the glasses with wine, handed one to Shi Tou, and then laughed loudly, "Come on, cheers!"

Shi Tou raised his wine glass with both hands, clinked glasses with Qin Luo, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Hahaha."

After finishing a glass of wine, Qin Luo looked at the stone, and they both laughed out loud. They hadn't seen each other for many years, and had only met briefly at the Dragon Tiger Temple. Now they finally had time to catch up.

Qin Luo gazed into the distance and said, "Stone, the road is under your feet, your legs are on your body. Go wherever you want, and don't care what others say."

"Brother Qin, I'll listen to you."

Stone said solemnly.

Qin Luo shook his head. "You have to listen to yourself. At most, we can give you directions, but those directions might not be correct. I used to be afraid to reason with you because I didn't want you to become like me. You have to live your own life."

The stone nodded heavily.

"Come on, let's drink!"

Qin Luo poured wine for Shi Tou again.

Shi Tou's eyes were filled with tears. He had only wanted to come back and see Qin Luo, without disturbing him, but Qin Luo took the initiative to ask him to drink. This was a sign of Qin Luo's approval of him.

"Cry if you want to!"

"Hahaha."

Stone laughed as he wiped his eyes. "I wasn't crying, it was just too cold, and the wind and frost got into my eyes."

"Let's drink, let's drink."

Qin Luo and Shi Tou clinked glasses.

They drank and reminisced about the past.

The wind and snow dissipated, and as far as the eye could see, there was a blanket of white snow, and at the end of the mountains, the stars shone brightly.

The jar of monkey wine was finished.

Stone collapsed drunk beside Qin Luo.

Qin Luo smiled, picked up the stone, and carried it back to the bamboo house at the foot of the mountain.

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