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She's picky about the pillows I make for her...

Lu Ziqi gently patted her head: "You clearly can't drink but you still dare to challenge others. I really don't know whether to praise your courage or scold you for being ignorant and fearless."

"Because you can no longer drink with him like you used to, and you'd really regret it. I still remember how happy you were when you and he were drinking together, clutching the wine jar." She paused, then gently rubbed her cheek against his warm palm. "That's why I wanted to take care of that arrogant guy for you. But alas, his former glory is gone..."

The emotion in her heart gradually overflowed into doting eyes, but her finger flicked his smooth forehead: "Silly girl, you should consider your own worth before standing up for me. Besides, you're misusing words again. Come with me for a walk and get some fresh air. After you come back, have a good meal and a good night's sleep, and I guarantee you'll be full of energy tomorrow."

"No, I'm too lazy to move!"

"We have to move."

"Then carry me on your back."

"Absolutely not!"

He simply lay face down on the table and pretended to be dead: "You decide what to do..."

He sighed dramatically, "If you really find it too much of a hassle, then forget it. I was originally planning to take you to the horse farm to pick up Ling'er."

His ears twitched, and he suddenly looked up: "A horse farm?"

"Yes, there's a small horse stable on the south side of this house, used by the Lu family's children for practicing riding and archery. Huo Nan took Ling'er there this afternoon, and I guess it's time to wrap things up for now..."

She sat up straight and glared at him: "They even have their own racetrack?!"

Suddenly realizing, he exclaimed, "Didn't I tell you? No wonder you've been holding back from letting me teach you to ride a horse..."

Gritting her teeth, she said, "Again...you know it's again...you're deliberately hiding it from me again!"

So he turned and left.

So he got up and chased after them.

Thus, the cunning man won again through sheer cunning...

As the sun sets, the dying man licks his teeth.

Song Xiaohua finally caught up with Lu Ziqi, jumped onto his back, bit his neck hard, and then savored the taste with satisfaction before hanging there, rolling her eyes and exhaling.

It turns out that living like a pig can only produce a pig-like physique...

Lu Ziqi deliberately slowed his pace in a secluded spot, allowing the person behind him, panting heavily, to succeed before giving up. He carried her slowly for a short distance, waiting for her breathing to calm down slightly: "How is it? Has that feeling of revulsion lessened?"

After fussing around and breaking a sweat, Song Xiaohua was indeed less listless and started whimpering, "I'm hungry."

"Then hurry up and get down and walk by yourself. I've already told the kitchen to prepare a light and appetizing meal so we can eat it when we pick up Ling'er."

I obediently climbed down, feeling a sense of satisfaction, a subtle yet simple feeling. So I simply closed my eyes and let him lead me.

Before long, a cool breeze swept over me, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air.

After his wife passed away, Lu Ziqi completely razed the garden where the two of them lived to the ground and turned it into a sea of flowers that blooms all year round.

Song Xiaohua sniffed and suddenly said, "Dongqing, Tong'er must really like me."

These abrupt words made Lu Ziqi stop in his tracks: "What?"

"You said it yourself, she loves flowers the most, all kinds of flowers. And me..." She opened one eye and closed the other, tapping her cheek with her index finger, striking a pose so cute it was almost comical: "Isn't it just the most beautiful little flower?"

Lu Ziqi turned around and looked at the person who was standing in front of a riot of colors, grinning foolishly. He seemed to have been struck dumb, his body visibly trembled and stiffened, and even his voice sounded tight and choked.

"Tong'er..."

This time, it was Song Xiaohua's turn to be shocked and freeze.

Because his eyes were fixed on the sea of flowers behind him, and the fleeting look of bewilderment and disorientation in his expression, as if he were in a dream, suggested that he had truly seen something...

"Winter... Holly, don't scare me!"

The afterglow of the setting sun carried an eerie crimson hue. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, swirling a few petals silently through the air.

A chilling wind blew, and ghostly shadows flickered...

Song Xiaohua felt a chill run down her spine and screamed as she hugged Lu Ziqi tightly: "It's okay if you don't like me, but don't like him too much either. Let's make a deal, at least wait a hundred or eighty years before taking him away... Otherwise, forget it. By then he'll be old and ugly, with white hair, wrinkled skin, a crooked mouth, no teeth, trembling, and drooling. You definitely won't like that. So, I'll just take the loss and keep him..."

Lu Ziqi was both amused and exasperated by her shouting and nagging, and his face was covered in black lines. At the same time, he realized that the woman with long flowing hair standing in the bushes, holding flowers and smiling sweetly, was not his Tong'er.

Although her beautiful eyebrows and eyes, her clever expression, her quiet temperament, even her light blue dress and the shimmering light in her eyes when she looked at him, all bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the person in my memory and dreams, the person who has already gone far away.

But, in the end, it wasn't her.

The woman seemed taken aback by Song Xiaohua's 'out-of-place' reaction, then couldn't help but cover her mouth with her sleeve and laugh. Her voice was bright and clear, like a happy bird soaring and singing freely in a lush mountain forest.

"Xiao Han, you're being naughty again." Lu Ziqi shook his head and scolded her gently, but his words were filled with undisguised joy.

"Brother-in-law... By the way, can I still call you that?"

"Of course, I will always be your brother-in-law."

"Alright, brother-in-law, it's been a long time."

"It's been four years, hasn't it? The little girl from back then has grown into a young woman."

"That's right, I'll be turning 18 in two months!"

"That means Xiao Han is getting married soon."

As she spoke, the woman gracefully walked through the flower bushes, stood still, and shyly spat out, "Brother-in-law, you start teasing me as soon as we meet. Is it because no one can protect me anymore?"

The setting sun cast a soft blush on her snow-white skin, further highlighting the girl's boundless shyness. Every gesture, every smile, added to her captivating charm that was impossible to look away from.

Still shaken, Song Xiaohua couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "Wow! What a beauty!"

"The renowned Xue Jiu Mei is someone who will never be without protection, no matter when or where."

Lu Ziqi smiled and pointed to the person next to him who was already dumbfounded. Just as he was about to speak, the woman gave him a graceful bow first: "I will also call you Second Sister-in-law, just like Sister Wanxin! As for calling me 'Brother-in-law' for so many years, I'm afraid I won't be able to change it for a while, so please don't mind, Second Sister-in-law."

Song Xiaohua quickly composed herself and began to skillfully adopt the demeanor of a gentle, courteous, and modest girl, returning the greeting with a smile: "How could I mind? Then I will take the liberty of calling you Little Han Sister?"

"Greetings, Second Sister-in-law."

"There's no need to be so polite among sisters."

At that time, the wind was blowing gently, the flowers were fragrant, and my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and I were laughing and chatting in a peaceful and friendly atmosphere, contributing to harmony together...

Unfortunately, this situation was soon shattered.

Huo Nan, carrying Lu Ling on his shoulder, strolled over slowly, sized up the woman who was smiling gently with her eyes lowered, and then snorted heavily, "Trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog!"

Xue Yuhan, the eldest daughter of the Xue family, is the youngest of six brothers and two sisters, and is the younger sister of Xue Zitong. She is intelligent, clever, charming, and adorable, and has been the apple of everyone's eye since childhood.

Four years ago, the family fortunes declined, and I followed my elder brother to the southern barbarian lands to guard the frontier.

A year ago, my father passed away. My eldest brother, having made great contributions in quelling the rebellion, returned to Beijing first to rebuild the family business.

Half a month ago, I finally returned to my home, which I had been away from for a long time and which was now thriving again.

By this time, the Lu and Xue families had completely put aside their past grievances.

In the ever-changing arena of power, there are never permanent friends or permanent enemies, only alliances of interests formed according to the times and circumstances.

Faced with Huo Nan's ruthless and deliberate provocation, Xue Yuhan's reaction was to smile slightly, and then, with lightning speed, smash the bouquet of flowers in her hand hard against the face covered by the thick beard. At the same time, she bent her knee and pressed it against a certain important part of the plan for having offspring...

With Huo Nan's 'soulful' soft moan, she proved that even if it really was a 'dog,' it was definitely a hundred times more courageous and fierce than a 'tiger.'

Upon seeing this, Song Wuque, who had been catching up from behind, grinned, revealing his lower teeth, and burst into laughter...

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The sun sets, and the moon rises.

Song Xiaohua stood with her hands behind her back by the study window, gazing at the full moon, which looked like a disc, and recited: "The bright moonlight shines before my bed, I wonder if it is frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, and lower my head to think of my hometown."

Lu Ziqi poured himself a cup of tea, quite puzzled by her unprecedented "artsy young woman" behavior: "Why are you suddenly reciting poetry? Are you homesick?"

“No.” He paced back and forth, his face serious. “It’s just that I have a new interpretation of this poem.”

He raised an eyebrow, picked up his cup, and sipped his drink: "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Clearing his throat, he began with a rhythmic cadence: "Before the bed, there is a woman named Mingyue, already naked. Her snow-white skin looks like frost on the ground. Looking up at the captivating Mingyue, I feel my heart surging with uncontrollable emotions, yet I can't help but lower my head and think of my wife back home. In fact, what this poem expresses is the contradictory and conflicted emotions of a man facing the temptation of beauty, wanting to do something but feeling guilty towards his wife."

"puff……"

Lu Ziqi spat out all the tea in his mouth, coughing repeatedly.

Song Xiaohua quickly came over and gently patted his back, while continuing in a serious tone: "What do you think of my interpretation? It makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?"

Finally catching her breath, she raised her hand to wipe her wet eyes: "Yaoyao, just say what you want to say. Can you please not misinterpret the great work of the Poet Immortal like this?"

She knelt down in front of him, raised her face, and revealed the most innocent and harmless smile: "Dongqing, you and I are of one mind, how could you not know what I want to say?"

Looking at Song Xiaohua, who looked like a little lapdog, Lu Ziqi sighed and said helplessly, "Xiaohan is someone I watched grow up. She's like my own sister. You're overthinking it."

"Really? Am I overthinking it?" Song Xiaohua asked gently and persuasively, "Then why would she deliberately imitate Tong'er's words, actions, and clothing? Is it just for fun?"

"Perhaps... it's a way of remembering. Or perhaps, it's just a child's whim."

"A child? You said it yourself, she'll be getting married soon!" Her eyes darted around, then her face suddenly filled with resentment and sorrow: "You really like this way of remembering her, don't you? You wish she could appear in front of you like this every day, right? Besides, she's from a wealthy family, a perfect match for you, maybe..." She covered her face and wailed: "I understand, you want to divorce me!"

Lu Ziqi really wished he could just choke to death on that mouthful of water he just drank...