Old friend (repair)
She had never seen her father so anxious, so she lowered her eyes and smiled gently, replying softly, "Everything is fine. My husband is very considerate to me, and my parents-in-law are also very kind to me. Father, you don't need to worry too much."
A gentle breeze rustled outside the door, carrying with it the soft patter of snowflakes falling from the branches outside the window. Several months had passed since she last saw them, yet everything inside remained the same, and a sense of familiar peace welled up within her.
Lin Fu nodded upon hearing this, looking at her with a gentle yet firm gaze, and said in a deep voice:
"That's good. Your father was worried that you would suffer some injustice there. You've been pampered since you were little, so you're bound to be a bit spoiled. If you encounter any unpleasant things, don't suffer alone. Remember that your father is still here. Although you've married into the Dou family, our Lin family will always be your support. If they dare to bully you, just come back."
Upon hearing this, Gao Youyi couldn't help but chuckle as she held her handkerchief. "Xu'er, you have no idea how worried your father has been about you day and night since you got married. He hasn't been able to sleep soundly at all. He's just pretending to be calm in front of you."
Lin Fu was exposed by Gao Youyi, and he looked somewhat embarrassed. He then covered his mouth with his fist and coughed a few times to cover it up.
Kao Yu-yi smiled and gave him a reproachful look. Her eyes and brows radiated warmth as she looked at her father, showing the deep affection between them. Although they were a couple who married later in life, they were now even more loving than before.
As they were talking, Steward Zhang prepared a full table of reunion dinner in Yuexue Hall and led everyone there.
Since this was her first visit home after her marriage, the Dou family sent a lot of things out of courtesy. Zhu Ling and Rong Wei instructed the servants to carefully move in the several large boxes they had brought.
Lin Fu then declined, saying, "We are already very happy that you are back, why bring these things?"
Lin Xu smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a token of my daughter's and the Dou family's goodwill. Father and Mother, please accept it."
The large boxes were filled with a dazzling array of items, including festive New Year goods, trendy silk fabrics, jewelry, intricately embroidered collars, and deerskin boots.
Another box was filled to the brim with these writing implements, including inkstones made from the finest Huizhou ink. Lin Fu was known for his exceptional talent, and Dou Huaisheng, catering to his tastes, also filled the box with many jade artifacts and other cultural objects.
Lin Xu handed his father the visiting card personally written by Dou Huaisheng. Lin Fu opened it, glanced at it quickly, then sighed with deep emotion, saying:
"It's rare to find someone as thoughtful as Brother Jin."
Dou Huaisheng still manages to conceal his true nature flawlessly, even earning his father's admiration for his gratitude and politeness—a far cry from the ungrateful scoundrel he remembered from his past life. Lin Xu often marvels at how skillfully Dou Huaisheng acts; no wonder the Lin family never noticed until their deaths in their previous life.
Only she understood that Dou Huaisheng had not yet revealed his true colors, which concealed a knife behind a smile.
Thinking of this, Lin Xu gently comforted her father, saying, "Father-in-law has just been promoted, so it is only right that you be grateful for your past help. Besides, our two families have now resolved the issue of marriage between our families. These gifts are all for Father-in-law's New Year's greetings, which is only right."
Upon hearing this, Lin Fu waved his hand and said, "Now that Brother Dou has been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, holding the same fourth-rank official position as me, and with the Imperial Son-in-Law having an undisputed relationship with him, he is already a very influential figure in the court. As for me, I only received some small favors from him in the early years, and it is already commendable that he was willing to do so. We must not be arrogant about our achievements, nor should we be stubborn and cling to the past."
Lin Xu nodded softly: "Father is so humble, I have learned a lot."
In the front hall, Gao Youyi and Lan Yue, accompanied by several maids, looked with great interest at the remaining pearls, jade, and some rare jewelry in the box. The screen mostly concealed her and Lin Fu's figures, and only their whispered conversations could be heard.
Lin Fu put his hands behind his back, and after a long while, he sighed deeply and said:
"As long as you are not treated coldly by your husband after you marry him, and Dou Yanxun respects and loves you, you two can settle down and make a living. Everything else is just trivial matters."
Lin Xu was about to nod when he realized what was happening, but his heart trembled slightly.
What does Father mean by this?
She glanced hastily at Lin Fu's face, but sensed a subtle depth in his eyes, which were filled with fine lines. She was momentarily astonished.
If she hadn't been overly worried, her father's tone just now clearly indicated that he had already sensed something and was implying something...
Could it be that the Dou family had already taken action without her knowledge?
Could it be that in this life, all of Dou Huaisheng's actions have already been discovered by his father?
Her heart pounded like a drum, and she could only lower her voice and say:
"Father...what do you mean?"
Before Lin Fu could reply, rows of maids bowed and presented a variety of steaming, sumptuous dishes. Gao Youyi, seeing this, quickly smiled and invited everyone to sit down.
Lin Xu was helped to a seat by Gao Youyi. Rong Ge'er was lying in his wet nurse's arms, reaching out to Lin Xu with his little hand that had just come out of his mouth.
Amidst the harmonious atmosphere, it was no longer possible to inquire further about the father's health.
She could only smile and sit down, focusing on her meal. Now that she had finally returned, Steward Zhang had specially instructed the kitchen staff to prepare everything with all their might. Looking at the dishes, they were all the flavors she had loved before she got married.
Rong Ge'er now only drinks breast milk. He cries and fusses when he sees delicious food, but it's no use. He just stands by with red eyes, watching everyone eat.
Gao Youyi was beaming, probably not only because of the joy of the festival, but also because she had finally sent Qi Rou'er and her child away.
Lan Yue remained as gentle and kind as ever. Now that she had become a concubine and had Rong Ge'er to raise her, her life should have been much more luxurious than before. However, she still dressed simply, wearing only a hairpin and no other elegant jewelry.
Knowing how to conceal her talents and keeping to herself, she was far wiser than the Qi family of the past.
Thinking of the Qi family...
Lin Xu's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.
Now that she has finally returned, with the flowers all gone, summer turning to autumn and the world blanketed in white frost, she should finally clean up the past that was almost completely buried by dust.
Amidst laughter and conversation, the banquet quickly came to an end. Lin Fu had only been sitting for a short while when several of his usual colleagues and subordinates came to visit him.
He disliked people using visits as a pretext to offer bribes and always refused. As a result, his friends would come in groups, which would both avoid gossip and add to the excitement and novelty.
Seeing that it would be difficult to find a time to talk with his father before dark, Lin Xu lowered his head and sipped a few cups of osmanthus wine. He straightened his clothes and walked along the clean bluestone path toward a place he hadn't been to in a long time.
Looking around, the once elegant and charming Yilan Garden is now overgrown with weeds and in a state of disrepair.
Gazing at the courtyard gate overgrown with withered vines and the nearly broken glazed tiles in the distance, Lin Xu was momentarily lost in thought, overwhelmed by indescribable emotions.
Their first encounter was with Qi Shuang'er, a newly arrived "orphan" girl. Her graceful figure moved with the grace of a lotus flower, and she was undeniably beautiful. At that time, Lin Xu was a spoiled and unruly child, and it was the first time he had ever seen such a delicate and gentle woman.
Qi Shuang'er, who was tall and slender, bent down slightly to brush away the dust that had been smeared on Lin Xu's cheek by her mischievousness. She said softly to Lin Xu, "Miss is so beautiful and elegant, while I am so plain-looking. I really don't know how to express my gratitude to the Lin family for taking me in. Miss, may I call you Xu'er?"
Their later encounter took place under the long, winding corridors of the mansion, where Qi Shuang'er gracefully approached and handed her a jacket sewn with needles and thread soaked in rose juice.
At that time, Madam Qi smiled gently at her, her face full of concern: "Xu'er, I have altered this jacket for you. I changed the size to make your waist look better. At this banquet for noble ladies, our Xu'er will definitely be the most dazzling and outstanding."
The things she remembered clearly from her past life still frequently appear in her midnight dreams.
The last time I saw Qi Shuang'er in my previous life was when the Lin family fell from power. Qi, dressed in gold and silver, rushed into the courtyard and shouted loudly, "Injustice!"
With tears streaming down her face, she struggled to crawl on the blood-soaked ground and countless corpses of the Lin family mansion. She cried and used all her strength to crawl to Lin Fu's side. Before she could even touch Lin Fu's bleeding wound, a flying arrow suddenly pierced her heart, and she died vomiting blood.
Sometimes I think, everything is fate.
She experienced everything in her life, but died unjustly. After being reborn, she finally understood many of the truths of what happened back then, and thus developed a desire for revenge and a determination to fight her enemies to the death.
She finally hardened her heart and relentlessly pressured the Qi family, taking away their power, seizing their children, and placing them under house arrest day and night. Now, when they meet again, she suddenly realizes that what she wants is not about winning or losing.
She just wanted to see Qi Shi struggle desperately but had to admit defeat with tears in her eyes, and she also wanted to ask her a question.
--Why.
Why does she repeatedly try to harm me when we have no grudge against each other?
Why is she still so insatiable, even though she is already a concubine of the Lin family, and repeatedly tries to get rid of me?
She climbed the steps one by one, her fingertips lingering for a moment on the vermilion door, which was almost peeling off, before finally pushing it open.
There was no one behind him, only the cold wind carrying the biting chill of midwinter rushing in.
The once exquisitely decorated bedroom is now extremely dilapidated, with a few tattered spider webs hanging sparsely high up. She stepped over a few dried medicine dregs and a few pieces of broken ceramic bowls on the ground and finally arrived at Qi Shuang'er's window.
She could hardly bear to look at the person lying in bed.
His hair was a mixture of gray and white, his eyes were sunken, his cheeks were bloodless, and his lips were cracked and stained with blood.
Qi Shuang'er barely opened her eyes, and it took her a long time to adjust to the light coming in from outside before she coughed a few times with difficulty.
“It’s you.”
There was no hint of surprise in his voice, as if he had already expected her to be there.
"Qi Shuang'er".
Lin Xu looked down at the person lying on the bed, who was terminally ill, without a trace of pity in his eyes.
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