Precisely because she was in a bad mood, she could only keep eating snacks to vent her emotions. Moreover, she used to be on military campaigns and constantly on the move. Now that she was idle with nothing to do, eating was all she could do.
This kind of weight gain didn't mean she was in good health.
Life in the palace must be very boring. Zhou Donglin asked, "Sister - in - law, when will you go to the palace next time? Could you please take a little trinket in for Li Qiyu?"
The elder brother and sister - in - law of the Li family looked at each other. They didn't know what to do.
After all, the small hairpin Zhou Donglin gave Li Qiyu when she got married had brought her a lot of trouble. Now Li Qiyu rarely wore that hairpin. If Zhou Donglin sent something else and the emperor found out, it would be a big deal.
The problems the Li family was worried about, Zhou Donglin had of course also considered.
Zhou Donglin said, "I've raised a little cat. Its temper has been tamed very gently by me. I'd like to trouble sister - in - law to take it in and give it to Qiyu. Of course, you don't need to say it's from me, and I won't tell anyone. Just pretend it's something you brought in for her." Then, Zhou Donglin added, "Please keep this from Qiyu too."
He knew her difficulties and didn't want to add any more mental burden to her.
The elder sister - in - law of the Li family let out a sigh. Seeing how much Zhou Donglin cared about Li Qiyu, she could only nod.
Then, she couldn't help but advise, "Donglin, your mother often comes to chat with me. She's very worried about you." The elder brother of the Li family knew what his wife wanted to say and quickly tugged at her sleeve. But the elder sister - in - law ignored his reminder and continued on her own, "In a person's life, there's not only love. You should also think about your family. You're not young anymore. It's time to start a family and establish a career. Otherwise, when you're old and alone, it'll be so pitiful."
The elder sister - in - law of the Li family really had Zhou Donglin's best interests at heart. After all, it wouldn't do the Li family any good if Zhou Donglin got married and had children. Both the Li and Zhou families had seen Zhou Donglin's infatuation. It was precisely because they knew he was a kind and honest person that they hoped he could move on earlier and have his own happy ending.
So, Zhou Donglin wasn't angry. He thanked the elder sister - in - law of the Li family and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister - in - law. I think it's good to be alone."
"But..."
"For others, there may be other things in this life. For me, there's only one person in this life. I appreciate your kindness, sister - in - law, but I'm afraid I can't follow your advice."
After Zhou Donglin finished speaking, he turned around and left the Li family's house. The elder sister - in - law of the Li family stamped her feet behind him.
"Look at this infatuated fool. Why is he so stubborn?"
The elder brother of the Li family had watched Zhou Donglin grow up, so he understood him better than his wife.
"Don't worry. Although he's infatuated, he's not stupid. He knows his limits."
Song Jiaye was so suspicious that he almost never left Li Qiyu and Zhou Donglin out of his sight, but he hadn't been able to catch Zhou Donglin with any evidence. This showed how smart Zhou Donglin was.
The elder sister - in - law of the Li family could only sigh.
"If only our sister had married him."
The situation when Li Qiyu got married back then was so complicated that the elder brother of the Li family didn't want to talk about it. He could only shake his head and advise, "Forget it. Things have come to this. We can't turn back. It's useless to say more."
Zhou Donglin, who hadn't gone far, also heard the words, "Things have come to this. We can't turn back."
His heart was suddenly stabbed as if by something. He covered his chest, leaned against the wall, and gasped for air.
He felt like he was going to suffocate.
Although so many years had passed, every time he thought that he had lost her forever, he still felt sad.
They weren't separated by death, but it was more painful than that.
Zhou Donglin often wondered if he died, would his heart stop hurting?
The elder sister - in - law of the Li family brought the kitten to Li Qiyu as promised. It was said that Li Qiyu was very happy when she received the cat. Hearing this news, Zhou Donglin was also very gratified. Being able to do a little something for her, even just a little, made him feel extremely honored.
He had high hopes for Xuetuan. He had heard that white cats could bring good luck to people, and he hoped that Xuetuan could also bring good luck to Li Qiyu.
Not long after, Song Jiaye summoned him to the palace.
On the surface, Song Jiaye wanted to ask him why, as a top - ranked scholar, he had resigned from his official position to become an ordinary citizen.
In fact, he suddenly changed the topic and asked about the origin of Xuetuan.
"I heard that the cat of the empress was given by you?"
Despite all his precautions, Song Jiaye still found out. But Zhou Donglin wasn't flustered at all. He said, "I did raise that cat for a few days. But it sneaked into my house at that time. Later, I found out it belonged to the elder sister - in - law of the Li family, so I returned it."
Zhou Donglin's explanation was reasonable. Song Jiaye looked at Zhou Donglin and said meaningfully, "I can let the matter of the cat go. I came to you today just to make one thing clear. In everything, there's a sequence of first and last."
Zhou Donglin smiled, and there was a bit of sarcasm in his smile. If we were talking about the sequence of first and last, he was the one who came first.
But the other person was the emperor, and this was the palace. Zhou Donglin wasn't that stupid. He said, "Your Majesty has misunderstood."
Song Jiaye looked at him and smiled, saying, "I also hope it's a misunderstanding."
Suddenly, he became beaming again: "Your parents are almost dying of anxiety. I can see that your father is heart - broken. Tell me if you have a beloved girl. I'll arrange a marriage for you."
Song Jiaye's pretending to be ignorant was really disgusting. And if he was going to arrange a marriage, he was going to force someone on him.
Zhou Donglin directly said, "Your Majesty should know that I have someone I like. It was Your Majesty who once taught me what it means to like someone."
Song Jiaye felt like he had overplayed his hand. Zhou Donglin was a straightforward person. If he really said that he liked Li Qiyu, things would be hard to handle.
Zhou Donglin continued, "The girl I liked back then is dead."
Song Jiaye secretly let out a sigh of relief. He pretended to look very sorry. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have touched on your sad past."
Saying this, he paused for a moment and then continued, "But now, you're neither starting a family nor establishing a career. It's not a good way to be so decadent. You have to make a choice."
This was forcing him to make a choice.
Zhou Donglin vaguely realized that making this choice would surely lead to something bad. But the arrow was on the bowstring and had to be shot.
He could only brace himself and say, "A real man should focus on his career."
There was a malicious smile in Song Jiaye's eyes: "Makes sense."