The two sisters returned to the house and leaned against the window, chatting about trivial matters. Both of them were thinking the same thing, not trusting Tao's family, and wanting to keep an eye on her whenever they had the chance.

  "Third sister, fourth sister, where's Third Aunt? Let's go take a look." Suddenly, two heads popped out from the window, one big and one small. The bigger one had phoenix eyes that curved like a crescent moon when she smiled, while the smaller one had a missing front tooth in her cheeky grin. It was indeed Lin Wu of the main house and her six-year-old younger sister Lin Ba Lin Jin Yue, who rarely got to go out and meet guests.

  The newcomers were guests, and although Lin Jianyin's sisters didn't feel like it, they still had to put on a smiling face to welcome them: "My mother is tired and just fell asleep. How did you come?"

  Lin Wu himself was resolute in not admitting to being scolded by the old lady, and had no choice but to take Lin Ba out for a stroll to cover up the situation, and at the same time took care of the matters he had been planning for a long time. He just smiled and said: "The other day, Ba Mei was saying that she hadn't seen Si Jie in a long time, so I took advantage of my free time to take her out to see Si Jie." As he spoke, he affectionately tidied up Lin Ba's hair bun, appearing to be very fond of this younger sister.

  Actually, everyone knew what was going on with these two sisters, but Lin Jin-yin pretended to be clueless. Just as she was about to call someone to bring some pastries for her poor cousin Lin Ba, Lin Jin-rong had already placed a plate of pastries in front of Lin Ba and said calmly: "It's really hard for Eighth Sister to have such a big heart at such a young age."

  Lin Bayan was small and had been suppressed by Mrs. Zhou, so he was very timid and didn't dare to reach out for the pastries, but just nodded randomly in response to Lin Jianrong's words, secretly glancing at Lin Wu's expression.

  Lin Wu was delighted: "Eat, it's what your sisters gave you, you can eat as much as you want." He immediately threw away his younger sister and got to the point in a few words: "Fourth sister, now that you're out, you don't have to copy the Admonitions for Women either, and you can move around freely. Can you teach me how to play the sheng?"

  No wonder she reminded the old lady to let her go earlier, it was all for this? Lin Jiran smiled brightly: "Can't, how can't?" Isn't she just trying to curry favor with the Lu siblings? She's helping Lin Wu! As long as it's not teaching Lu Yun and not seducing herself, it's fine. Lin Jiran found that her heart was getting harder and harder.

  Lin Jinyan was surprised and looked at Lin Wu with suspicion: "When did you suddenly fall in love with playing the sheng?"

  Lin Wu's expression didn't change: "It was that night when I heard Fourth Sister play once, and I felt it was wonderful, touching my heart and lungs. I really loved that feeling. Fourth Sister, when can I come over?"

  Lin Jinyong's lips curled up into a smile: "Whether it's early or late, starting tomorrow, you'll come to my garden after breakfast, and I'll teach you for half an hour. As long as you study diligently, I'll definitely impart all my knowledge to you."

  From then on, Lin Jinyong and Lin Jinyin took turns to stay by Tao's side, either doing needlework or reading books, writing letters, taking care of food and drink, or chatting and laughing, in short, they had to make sure that Tao was happy and worry-free.

  Lin San Ye occasionally met with someone, and afterwards continued to be as carefree and unrestrained as before. He secretly stayed out overnight without telling the old master or mistress. However, since he didn't mention this person or matter, Tao Shi also pretended not to know and tolerated it. On the other hand, Huang Niang was suddenly being neglected, her eyes were sunken with dark circles, and she became even more obedient in front of Tao Shi. Seeing this, Tao Shi felt inexplicably pleased and gradually began going out again, still paying respects and asking after the old mistress's well-being as before. The old mistress looked at her pregnant belly and although was not warm or cold towards her, didn't make things difficult for her either.

  Lin Wuxue practiced blowing the suona with great effort, but unfortunately, his skills were not up to par and he lacked talent. As a result, every morning in the Lin family garden, a truly ear-piercing and heart-wrenching suona sound would ring out, driving everyone who heard it crazy, yet they couldn't express their true feelings and had to praise Lin Wuxue to his face instead.

  Mr. Lin Jingrong is extremely serious about this, not a bit annoyed, and every time he hears that mournful cry, his face always has a sweet smile, gently comforting Lin Wu: "Work hard, as long as your skills are deep, an iron rod can be ground into a needle."

  Meanwhile, Lin Yuzhen invited the female relatives and children from the Lin family to come over and play. Lin Jinyong refused without hesitation, citing that he needed to take care of Tao Shi's body as an excuse. Lin Wuhuan went with joy and returned with joy, his eyes looking at Lin Jinyong becoming increasingly affectionate and touching.

  In the midst of it all, the first frost arrived right on schedule.

  This morning, Lin Jinyong wore a new bean green plum blossom patterned jacket and skirt, with a pair of thick-soled embroidered shoes made by Huang Niang on her feet. She stood at the door of Anle House, waiting for Old Lady to get up as usual, and then summoning them to enter and pay their respects. Standing with her were all the women from Lin's house except for those from Tao's family. She could feel the eyes of Eldest Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Luo occasionally sweeping over her and Lin Jinyong beside her, with unclear intentions.

  Because of Tao's tardiness, Lin Jin was somewhat uneasy, but he silently and proudly raised his head, straightened his back. Lin Jin Rong had a faint smile on the corner of her lips, no one looked at each other, only the pale blue sky reflected in their eyes. So the two gazes merged into one, Zhou returned her gaze, leaving only Luo, with a hint of expectation.

  It's not surprising that Luo's family is like this, Lin Jinrong has been out for more than half a month, and the twins haven't been released yet. Every time she sees Lin Jinrong, and then looks at Lin Wu and Zhang Fang with their smug expressions, as if everything is under control, she feels uncomfortable. Fortunately, Tao's family was late, and they couldn't wait to stir up some trouble.

  Frosty days, even if the sun rises red and the sky is clear for thousands of miles, are still much colder than usual. On this day, Old Lady Lin got up later than usual, and Lin Wu started to rub her hands slightly, taking light steps in place, seeing the women around her looking over at her, she smiled coquettishly: "It's so cold today, my hands and feet are a bit numb, I feel like it's even colder than when it snows in winter, unfortunately, we can't wear padded clothes to come out."

  So, including Lin Dashi's wife and other daughters-in-law who always paid attention to their appearance and behavior, they all smiled and said: "Fifth sister is joking, how can it be compared to the cold of snowy days?" "Snowy days are not cold, but the days when snow melts are cold."

  Lu's eyes sparkled as he looked at Lin Dashi's wife, Yu Shi, whose slightly bulging belly was visible, and said with a smile: "Elder nephew's wife, you're really admirable. Four months pregnant, yet every morning and evening, you're always on time, never once neglecting your duties or being late by even a single thread. My elder sister is truly fortunate to have a daughter-in-law like you."

  Lin Jirong and Lin Jinyan's eyes simultaneously turned to Luo Shi. Everyone could hear the implication behind Luo Shi's words, Qi Shi was four months pregnant and still visited her family every morning and evening on time, but their own mother-in-law had not even reached three months yet and had not come. In a big household with many people, it was normal for rumors to spread, but the two sisters had seen Tao Shi in good health just last night and did not see anything wrong, yet now she was nowhere to be found, and no one came to explain what happened, which made them feel anxious and uneasy.

  Suddenly, Zhou saw Lin San's wife, Wen Shi, glance down with a faint smile: "Third nephew's wife is gentle and virtuous, knowledgeable and courteous, clever and pleasing to people. Serving her parents-in-law is also done with all her heart, what more could brother and sister be dissatisfied with? If it were me, I would also cherish her in the palm of my hand."

  This remark was somewhat provocative. Madame Wen was good in every way, but she had not yet seen any joy in entering the house, and Madame Luo was a sweet face with a bitter heart, narrow-minded and intolerant of others. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had their own accounts to settle. When Madame Wen heard this, her head hung even lower, while Madame Luo smiled without showing her anger, only saying ambiguously: "That's right, I'm the one who should be cherished." Looking at Madame Wen's appearance again, she felt annoyed in her heart, and so lost the mood to provoke a quarrel between the two women. She just anxiously stared at the door curtain of the old lady's room, with a few more complaints, wondering what was going on with the old lady? Why did she let so many people stand at the door and wait?

  Lin Jinyong and Lin Jinyin did not expect that Zhou Shi would speak up for them, although they didn't know what was hidden behind Zhou Shi's smile. They could only look at her with gratitude, as Zhou Shi nodded reassuringly at them with the dignity of a senior matriarch.

  Suddenly, Mrs. Gong rushed over in a hurry, her eyes were red, and she stumbled, although not to the point of being rude, but it could be seen that she had suffered a great shock and fright. Lin Jin stepped forward hastily and said in a low voice, "Mom, what's wrong?"

  "Something's not right, ma'am." Mrs. Gong sighed and gently pressed down on Lin Jin's hand. Seeing that the old lady's curtain was still lowered, she didn't dare to barge in, so she went straight to the main wife and hastily said: "Ma'am, please save our mistress!" She was about to kneel down when she spoke.

  "What?!" The women of the Lin family suddenly became agitated, although they were normally well-behaved and not allowed to make a big noise, but they still gathered around in shock. Lin Jingrong's sisters turned pale as paper in an instant, their hands clasped together icy cold.

  "Zhou's family has been in charge for many years, and was only startled for a moment. She calmly supported her mother-in-law, Gong, and said in a low voice: 'What time is it now? Why bother with these empty formalities? Hurry up and say what's important!'"

  Mrs. Kung restrained her tears and said in a low voice: "Our mistress has disturbed the fetus. We must ask Old Mistress to take pity on us and go see her."

  It's not just a simple case of stirring up fetal energy. Why did the fetal energy stir, and why is it necessary for Old Lady to take a look? The key lies in why the fetal energy stirred and why Old Lady needs to be invited to take a look. The young ladies may not know about it, but the daughters-in-law are somewhat aware of Third Master's romantic affairs outside, and they suspect that this has something to do with it.

  Luoshi's face seemed concerned, but in fact he was gloating and said: "Why don't you hurry up and ask for a doctor? Even if the old lady had gone to see one, it wouldn't have been of any use! Take a deep breath and speak clearly, this sudden shock is not good for the old lady."

  Gong's mother sighed: "I've already sent someone to invite him, but..." If those words were spoken, the Third House would really lose face, so she closed her mouth tightly again.

  Do they still have to go through this? Even with all the care she and Lin Yan had taken, it was still like this? Lin Jingrong's whole body was icy cold, as if she had been drenched in cold water. She suddenly pushed Lin Yan away, and Lin Yan understood, no longer caring about dignity or propriety, lifted her skirt and rushed out to check on Mrs. Tao's situation.

  Lin Jinyong stepped forward and squeezed Luo's family to one side, raised his eyes pitifully and looked at Zhou Shi: "Big aunt..."

  As a woman, life is at stake, this is not the time to watch the excitement. Zhou sighed and comfortingly stroked Lin Jinyong's hair, quickly walking towards the old lady's door, directly lifting the curtain.

  ——*——*——*——

  *Sigh*, power outage again. Luckily, my laptop still has battery... Wishing everyone a peaceful night and a Merry Christmas! There will be an extra update on Christmas, O(∩_∩)O~