After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 62 A Romance in Ice and Snow (Part 1)

Mrs. Cui smiled and said, "Of course we can! We usually stay here when we come down from the mountain late."

Du Huan's eyes suddenly reddened. He hadn't expected that Brother Lin's family was living such a hard life. After he and Furong got married, he would treat Brother Lin better and at least help him more so that he would suffer less.

Du Huan gritted his teeth and followed Cui Shi until they finally reached the wooden house. The moment Du Huan saw the wooden house, his eyes reddened again.

It's so tough! Brother Lin and the others are suffering so much.

Cui led Du Huan into the house. Afraid that he would be cold, she took out an old iron kettle and boiled some hot water for him. Because of the fire, the wooden house instantly became warm.

"Young Master Du! You must not wander around while you are staying here. It is dangerous on the snowy mountain. If you get lost again, it could be fatal in this cold weather," Cui Shi said worriedly.

"I know, Aunt Cui, my memory is excellent!" Du Huan patted his chest nonchalantly.

Seeing his expression, Cui felt relieved. "Alright, you rest here for a while. Your Uncle Lin and I will go up to the snow mountain to take a look."

Du Huan asked curiously, "Auntie, what else could be on this snow-covered mountain besides snow? Why do you go up the mountain so often?"

Lin Feiyun liked Du Huan's cluelessness. "You don't know this, but there are many good things growing on this snow mountain under your feet, such as snow lotus and rhodiola rosea! In short, they are all very precious medicinal plants."

"The people of Linjia Village all rely on this mountain for their livelihood."

Du Huan nodded in sudden understanding. Lin Feiyun and Cui Shi then left with their tools. Cui Shi said with some worry, "I'm worried that if you talk to him like that, he might..."

"Bewitched?" Lin Feiyun said with a smile, "Don't worry! This child isn't like that. Besides, he was born into a wealthy family. Young masters like him have no concept of these things, so you don't need to worry."

After hearing this, Cui felt a pang of sadness. "They are all children from wealthy families, but our eldest son has suffered all this. It's all my fault!"

Lin Feiyun put his arm around Cui's shoulder and said, "It's not your fault. Everyone has their own destiny. His good fortune is yet to come!"

Only then did Cui's worries dissipate, and she nodded.

Du Huan rested in the wooden house for a while and felt extremely comfortable. He didn't expect that although the wooden house was simple, it was quite warm.

He felt his strength return, so he stood up, picked up the iron kettle from the wooden shelf, used the water to extinguish the fire, and then went outside.

He looked around but there was no one there. However, he remembered the way down the mountain, so he headed down the mountain based on his memory.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Cui and Lin Feiyun came down from the snow-capped mountain and returned to the cabin. They had originally planned to invite Du Huan to go back to the village for dinner.

But as soon as she entered, she saw the fire that had been extinguished and the empty bed. "Big Head Dad, where is he?" Cui asked anxiously.

Lin Feiyun touched the fire with his hand; it was already cold, so he must have been gone for some time.

"Perhaps he went down the mountain to play with Da Tou. Let's go back and check!" Lin Feiyun guessed.

Cui agreed, and the two hurriedly went down the mountain. When they arrived home, they saw Lin Yunche and Da Niu cooking porridge in the kitchen. Cui asked, "Where is Young Master Du? Has he come back yet?"

Lin Yunche shook his head, "No, didn't he go up the mountain with you? He never came back."

Suddenly, Cui stamped her foot. "Oh no! Could this child be lost on the mountain? Dad, let's hurry up the mountain and look for him!" Cui said, pushing Lin Feiyun out of the way.

Lin Yunche glanced at the backyard. The jade rabbit was still there. Could it be that Du Huan was planning to walk back to the county town to the Bai family? "Father, Mother, you go to the mountain to look for him. I'll ride a horse to the Bai family and see if he's gone there."

Cui nodded, and after Lin Yunche finished speaking, he led Xueqiu out of the yard and hurriedly headed towards the Bai family.

Meanwhile, things weren't peaceful at the Bai family either. Just now, Madam Du and Granny Wang came to their door.

Madam Du sat in the flower hall, feeling annoyed as she watched Chen slowly sipping her tea. She had originally wanted to ask Wanqing about something, but before she could even meet Wanqing, Chen had already put on airs. Madam Du had no choice but to deal with her.

"Mrs. Bai, are you really sure you didn't see our Huan'er?"

Madam Du is extremely anxious. Yesterday, she had a big argument with Huan'er, and this morning the servants said that Huan'er had disappeared. She immediately sent people to search everywhere, turning over almost the entire Huai'an County. She even asked at Mufeng Pavilion, where Du Huan often went, and at the homes of Hu Tao, Meng Zhan, and others he might have visited, but there was no trace of Du Huan. She was truly afraid that something had happened to him.

Madam Chen quickly put down her teacup, her face filled with alarm, and said with a forced smile, "What? So Young Master Du is missing?"

The reason why Madam Chen was so calm just now was that she thought Madam Du had come to propose marriage between Du Huan and Furong. How could this not be a marriage proposal, but rather that the person had disappeared?
Madam Du observed Chen's reaction and could tell that she didn't seem to be lying. But if she wasn't at the Bai family's house, where else could Huan'er have gone?

Madam Du stood up to take her leave, but then saw Qiuwen, Chen's maid, rush in from outside and whisper a few words in Chen's ear. "Madam Bai, is there any news about our Huan'er?" Madam Du immediately asked.

Madam Chen shook her head. "Madam Du, you've misunderstood. It's not news about Young Master Du, it's news about my eldest daughter's fiancé. He suddenly came to our door."

"I understand! Then I won't bother Madam Bai any longer!" After saying that, Madam Du got up to take her leave. On the way, she ran into Lin Yunche, who was being brought in in a very casual manner. Lin Yunche looked up at the noblewoman in front of him, then turned around and went straight into the flower hall.

Madam Du frowned. "What a pity! I never expected Wanqing's husband to be like this."

Lin Yunche entered the room and greeted Madam Chen, saying, "This young man greets Madam Bai!"

Madam Chen already looked down on Lin Yunche's background, so she naturally maintained her haughty demeanor. "There's no need for greetings, but you seem to be in a hurry. Is there something urgent you need to see Qing'er?"

Lin Yunche did not deny it and nodded directly. Originally, he wanted to go directly to the backyard to deliver a letter to Bai Wanqing, but Uncle Liu was not here today. He casually pulled a maid aside and asked her, only to find out that the maid was someone from Chen's side. There was no other way but to find that woman through Chen.

Madam Chen frowned. He was indeed a rough man. With this kind of behavior, how could the master think that he had great potential?

Forget it! What kind of person could Bai Wanqing, a divorced woman, possibly find?

Madam Chen was somewhat annoyed that Madam Du hadn't proposed marriage today, and she was also feeling a bit tired. So she ordered Qiuwen to go to the backyard to call for someone, while she arrogantly went back to rest, leaving Lin Yunche alone to wait in the flower hall.

Lin Yunche didn't care; he was used to this kind of thing. A moment later, Bai Wanqing quickly approached with small, quick steps. Lin Yunche caught a glimpse of her in the distance; she seemed even thinner than before.

Lin Yunche's gaze remained fixed on Bai Wanqing until she approached before slowly withdrawing it.

Bai Wanqing was surprised that Lin Yunche would come directly to the Bai family's door to find her. "Young Master Lin, what has happened that you've come to see me at this time?"

Lin Yunche nodded immediately, "Has Du Huan come to the Bai family to see Miss Bai the Second?"

Du Huan? Fu Rong? Bai Wanqing knew that Du Huan was under house arrest by Madam Du, but why would Lin Yunche come to the Bai family to look for Du Huan?
“No, Furong just left my courtyard. She didn’t mention that Young Master Du had come to see her. She’s quite upset about it.” Bai Wanqing continued, “What? Did something happen to Young Master Du?”

Lin Yunche had a bad feeling. Since he hadn't come to the Bai family, he must have gotten lost on the snow mountain. He didn't answer Bai Wanqing's question, but turned around and was about to leave.

In her haste, Bai Wanqing tugged at his sleeve. Lin Yunche, caught off guard, quickly pulled away. "Sorry, I was just a little anxious."

Lin Yunche turned his head and said, "Du Huan went to Linjia Village last night, and he's probably lost on the snowy mountain right now! I need to go back and find him as soon as possible!"

Snow-capped mountains? Lost? Bai Wanqing felt a little anxious. "Then I'll go with you."

Lin Yunche raised an eyebrow. "You? Who was it that got lost on the snow mountain last time? Have you forgotten?"

Bai Wanqing said earnestly, "I'll go with you. If Young Master Du really gets lost on the mountain, he might freeze to death. I know some medicine and can help in an emergency."

Lin Yunche neither agreed nor disagreed, but agreed to bring Bai Wanqing along.

Bai Wanqing hurriedly went back to the backyard to change into men's clothing. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Furong waiting at the door.

"Furong, it's so cold, why are you waiting in the courtyard instead of coming in?" Bai Wanqing asked with some concern.

"Big sister, I heard your conversation with Brother Lin just now. Young Master Du is in trouble. Furong wants to go too!" Furong pleaded, tugging at Bai Wanqing's sleeve.

"Furong, why don't you stay home and be a good girl? I'll let you know as soon as we find her, okay?" Bai Wanqing coaxed.

Furong shook her head. "Elder sister, Young Master Du saved Furong, risking his life. Furong cannot stand by and watch someone die. Furong is not an ungrateful person."

As she spoke, Furong's tears were about to fall, and Bai Wanqing had no choice but to bring Furong along as well.

Lin Yunche looked at the two people riding horses, said nothing, and led them back to the snow mountain.

He went home first, where only his eldest daughter was home.

"Have your parents not come back yet?" Lin Yunche asked.

Da Niu nodded, "No! Young Master Du hasn't come back yet, and it's almost dark. That unreliable handsome brother is really worrying me." Da Niu said, mimicking how Cui Shi usually scolded her.

Lin Yunche glanced at Bai Wanqing, who then gave Furong another fur coat. The three of them headed towards the snow-capped mountains.

(End of this chapter)