```
Grasping the gift box in his hand, Lin Xin hastened to chase after her, remembering Xiao Lingling's stone house.
In the dark night, the freezing rain, driven by the rushing wind, lashed against his face, icy and bone-chilling.
The valley of Tingjian was deserted during the night, illuminated only by the sporadic glow of stone houses that sat silently, undisturbed.
The sound of rain was incessant, falling upon the grass between the stone houses, producing a soft, rustling noise.
Lin Xin quickly arrived at Xiao Lingling's stone house and saw that the door had just opened, with Xiao Lingling about to enter and close it behind her.
He strode over in just a few steps, bracing the stone door with his hand.
"Lingling, what's the matter?" he asked, seizing Xiao Lingling's hand with his other.
"It's nothing... Big Brother Lin, really, it's nothing," Xiao Lingling mumbled, head lowered.
"Then why did you give me all those medicinal pills?" Lin Xin asked gravely.
