Being a second wife is difficult: I'm busy raising children in the Earl's mansion.

The snow was falling heavily and hadn't stopped since last night.

Jiang Wan looked up for a while and saw snowflakes falling on the bluestone bricks, accumulating into a thin layer of white.

She tucked her hands into her sleeves, her fingertips already a little stiff, but her face remained expressionless.

At the other end of the garden, three children were busy working around a half-finished snow lion.

Lu Wan squatted next to the snow lion's head, holding a ball of fresh snow in her hand, carefully applying it to the head.

She applied the ointment twice, then straightened up and took a half-step back, tilting her head to examine it closely, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were judging some remarkable masterpiece.

A moment later, he squatted back down, wiped the snow off the lion's left cheek, and muttered, "This side is a bit swollen, brother, do you think so?"

Lu Hui knelt on the other side, intently pinching the snow lion's tail.

He was always prudent in his work, and he pinched the tail until it was round and plump, stacking it up section by section, giving it a rather fluffy appearance.

Hearing his sister ask, he looked up and glanced at her, then nodded vigorously.

Lu Shan wasn't there.

Jiang Wan's gaze swept around the snowdrift before finally finding her a few steps away under an old plum tree.

The little girl had run off somewhere; she was squatting on the ground, her hands cupped around her mouth as she breathed on them, with a few broken plum blossoms scattered around her feet.

She didn't join her older siblings in their fun; she just squatted there quietly, occasionally glancing up at the snow lion, then looking down to fiddle with the plum blossoms, as if she had her own little world.

Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat.

"I'll go back and warm my hands first." She adjusted the cloak around her neck, her voice not loud, but just loud enough for all three children to hear. "You guys have fun."

Lu Wan responded the fastest, not even having time to put down the snowball in her hand, she called out loudly, "Then Mother, don't go too far. Once we've finished building the snow lion, we'll go and call Mother to come and see!"

Lu Hui chimed in without looking up, "The tail is almost done, only the claws are left."

Lu Shan remained silent, but Jiang Wan noticed out of the corner of her eye that she tightened her grip on the plum blossom branch.

Jiang Wan smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk back the way she came.

Qinghe took two steps, but was stopped by her waving hand: "You don't need to follow. It's a rare good snow, you should play for a while too."

Qinghe was still hesitating when Lu Wan ran over and tugged at her sleeve: "Sister Qinghe, come quick! Can you help me see if this lion's eyes are crooked?"

Qinghe was pulled over and agreed with a smile.

As Jiang Wan turned through the moon gate alone, she heard light footsteps following behind her.

She stopped and turned around, and saw Lu Shan running out from under the plum tree, holding the cluster of plum blossoms in her arms, and looking at her from the stone wall of the moon gate.

The little girl ran quickly, her chest rising and falling slightly, her breath dispersing into a small cloud of mist in the cold wind.

She didn't say anything, just stared at Jiang Wan with a soft gaze, carrying a hint of pleading and helplessness.

Jiang Wan bent down and waved to her: "Sister Shan, why did you follow me?"

Lu Shan took two steps forward, then stopped, first nodding, then shaking her head.

Just as Jiang Wan was about to ask another question, someone else came chasing after her from outside the moon gate.

Lu Wan jogged in, and upon seeing Lu Shan, she breathed a sigh of relief, bending down to pat the snowflakes on her shoulder: "I was wondering why you were nowhere to be seen when I turned around, and then I saw you coming this way to Mother—"

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Shan suddenly covered her mouth and coughed twice.

The cough wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the snow, as if someone had choked on the cold air.

Lu Wan immediately squatted down, patting her back anxiously, "Are you cold? I told you not to run so fast, but you wouldn't listen—"

Lu Shan waved her hand gently without saying a word, but took a step forward and buried her face in Lu Wan's arms.

This action effectively shut Lu Wan up.

Lu Wan didn't ask any more questions. She just subconsciously raised her hand to hug her, gently patted her back, pulled her closer to her, and whispered soothing words in her ear.

"It's alright, it's alright, your sister is here."

After a few breaths, Lu Shan finally lifted her head from her embrace. Her eyes were red, her nose was red, and her eyes were wet.

She sniffed, her voice low and hoarse: "Sister... I want to go with Mother."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Wan paused in patting her back.

She didn't answer immediately, but looked down at her sister for a long time.

Tears streamed down his small face, yet he gazed at her intently, a hint of trepidation in his eyes.

It was as if she was afraid her older sister would stop her, or as if she was afraid her older sister would be unhappy.

Lu Wan felt a slight tremor in her heart.

Of course, she was reluctant to let her sister leave. The snow lion wasn't finished yet, and she had just wanted to pull Lu Shan along to put ears on the lion.

But when she glanced at Lu Shan's ears, which were red from the cold, and remembered those two coughs from earlier, the reluctance in her throat turned into a soft sigh: "You..."

She reached out and ruffled Lu Shan's hair, then pulled her hood back up.

Her movements were swift and natural, but she deliberately dragged out the last syllable, "Alright, alright, then go ahead."

She released her grip, took a half step back, put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and smiled at Lu Shan.

Her smile carried a hint of "older sisterly indulgence and helplessness," and her eyes curved into crescents, as if she had hidden all her reluctance within those two curves.

"Go ahead, go ahead," she nodded toward Jiang Wan, her voice rising with a touch of lively cheerfulness, "Anyway, once the snow lion is finished, you have to come out and see it. Don't stay inside pretending to be asleep."

Hearing her say that, Lu Shan finally smiled and nodded.

Lu Wan then turned her head and smiled at Jiang Wan, changing her tone to reveal a thoughtfulness unique to girls her age.

"Mother, Shan'er must have gotten cold from playing. Please take her back first, so she doesn't get cold. I'll tell my eldest and second brothers later."

Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her neck slightly hunched, making her look like a little tabby cat who had everything perfectly in place.

Jiang Wan had been crouching a few steps away, not in a hurry to go forward.

She looked at Lu Wan, and a slight stirring passed through her heart—

This older sister, who is just a child herself, has already learned to put aside her own reluctance and take care of her younger sister first.

She stood up and walked over only after the two sisters finished their private conversation.

She turned her head towards Lu Wan, reached out and gently patted her shoulder, her voice very soft: "Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Wan was startled when Lu Wan was patted on the shoulder. She was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and swung her hands behind her back. Her tone returned to its usual lively self.

"It's not hard work, Mother, please take Shan'er back home quickly, look how white her face is from the cold."

Jiang Wan nodded, then reached out her hand to Lu Shan: "Come here, let Mother hug you."

Lu Shan took half a step forward, and Jiang Wan reached out and pulled her into her arms.

The little girl, wrapped in a brocade jacket, fell into her arms even lighter than she had expected. She loosened her grip a bit more, pulled the girl closer to her chest, wrapped the small bundle of flesh in her cloak, and stood up.

Lu Wan stood by and watched, not leaving immediately.

She stretched out a finger and gently poked Lu Shan's cheek, which was exposed outside her cloak, and said in a low voice, "When you're better, we'll build a small one together, just for you to play with."

Lu Shan leaned on Jiang Wan's shoulder, glanced back at her, smiled, and nodded softly.

Lu Wan then withdrew her hand, waved to Jiang Wan, and turned to run back towards the garden.

After running a couple of steps, she turned back and called out, "Sister Shan, you rest well, I'll come back to see you!" Her voice drifted over from afar, mixed with the snowflakes, making it somewhat indistinct.

Jiang Wan glanced at Lu Shan, who was gradually calming down in her arms, and then looked at Lu Wan's retreating figure before tightening her cloak and walking towards the east courtyard.

The charcoal fire in the east courtyard was burning brightly, and the warmth from inside the house made Jiang Wan's frozen skin itch.

She placed Lu Shan on the warm couch, and as soon as she let go, the little girl instinctively grabbed her sleeve.

The grip wasn't strong, but it was very tight, as if afraid that the person would never come back once they left.

Jiang Wan didn't pull her hand away. She wrapped the blanket around her in that position and then turned her head to instruct the maid outside the door to invite Physician Liu over.

Lu Shan sank into the soft mattress, but her eyes kept following Jiang Wan's movements.

Jiang Wan walked to the table to pour water, and her gaze was fixed on the table. When Jiang Wan sat down on the edge of the tatami, her gaze also shifted back, quiet and without making a fuss.

Jiang Wan poured half a cup of warm tea and handed it to her. She obediently held it and sipped it slowly.

The steam from the tea hit her face, bringing a touch of color to her lips, which had turned pale from the cold.

Jiang Wan waited until she had taken two sips before asking softly, "Is your throat sore?"

Lu Shan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and answered softly, "A little bit."

Jiang Wan didn't ask any further questions. She used a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth, then pulled the blanket up a bit, wrapping her up completely.

Now, only a small head is visible outside the white quilt on the bed, making the face appear even smaller against the flickering firelight in the charcoal brazier.

Jiang Wan tidied her stray hairs and softened her voice: "You'll feel better after taking your medicine."

Lu Shan, wrapped in the blanket, looked up at her, as if weighing the weight of her words.

After a moment, she softly hummed in agreement, then shrank back down, leaving only her eyes showing, hiding the promise under the covers as well.

The female doctor, Liu, arrived quickly. After taking her pulse, she said that her lung qi was slightly weak and she had caught a cold, but it was nothing serious.

I prescribed a mild and soothing remedy for colds and coughs, which included jujubes and fritillaria cirrhosa. The resulting broth was sweet, and the child could drink it.

When the medicine was served, the whole room was filled with a sweet aroma of herbs.

Lu Shan held the small bowl, sniffed it, then looked up at Jiang Wan, hesitating for a moment: "Mother, is this really not bitter?"

Jiang Wan didn't answer. She took the spoon, stirred it gently a couple of times, and then lowered her head to taste a small portion.

When the medicinal soup enters the mouth, the sweetness of the jujubes and the mellowness of the fritillaria cirrhosa spread first, but the moment you swallow, a faint trace of the bitterness unique to Chinese medicinal roots rises from deep in your throat.

Jiang Wan remained expressionless, put down her spoon, and smiled: "It's sweet, Shan-jie, would you like to try some?"

Lu Shan was skeptical, her little face scrunched up, but she still steadily picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.

The medicine lingered on the tip of my tongue for a moment—

First came the sweetness, then a faint bitterness rose up. Her brow twitched slightly, but she didn't spit it out; instead, she swallowed it down.

Seeing that she had swallowed, Jiang Wan picked up a candied plum from the plate and handed it to her: "Here, press it down."

Lu Shan took it and put it in her mouth, puffing out her cheeks and sucking for a while before the wrinkles between her brows slowly relaxed. Her voice was muffled as she said, "It seems to be sweet..."

After saying that, he smacked his lips again, as if to confirm whether the bitterness had really passed.

Jiang Wan smiled, but didn't expose her. She just tucked the blanket around her and let her stay there.

After taking her medicine, Lu Shan wrapped herself in a blanket and nestled on the couch. With nothing in her hands, her gaze followed the occasional sparks that flew from the charcoal brazier.

A pair of eyes flickered in the firelight, revealing a hint of listless drowsiness.

Jiang Wan saw this, got up and walked to the bookshelf, took out a roll of plain white paper and a fine pen from the drawer, moved a small table to the window, and turned back to call her: "Since we have nothing to do, let me teach you to draw something."

Lu Shan's eyes lit up. She took the quilt and moved off the couch, stepping barefoot onto the carpeted floor.

Jiang Wan softly said, "Put on your shoes." She looked down at her toes, shrank back shyly, and obediently shuffled over in her shoes.

Jiang Wan pushed open half of the window, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, making Lu Shan shrink her neck from the cold.

The snow in the courtyard was thick, and a layer of white covered the upturned corners of the pavilion in the distance. A thin line of snow hung from the eaves, making the pavilion appear somewhat slender against the gray sky.

Jiang Wan picked up her pen and made a few strokes on the paper.

She drew lightly with sparse lines, sketching the arc of the eaves, and leaving a blank space under the eaves: "I'll draw a corner of the pavilion first, and then I'll ask Sister Shan to add a few plum blossoms for me, okay?"

Lu Shan leaned over the low table, tilted her head, and gave a serious reply.

The two people were drawing when the curtain was lifted from the outside.

A cool breeze carrying a warm, sweet aroma wafted in as Xiaoman walked in carrying a black lacquered tray with two steaming cups of milk tea on it.

The white porcelain cup glowed with a light brown light, and a few dried osmanthus flowers floated on its surface, swirling gently in the steam.