Chapter 52 Nonsense!

The sun was shining brightly that day, and Tang Xiaoning was once again busy with her needlework on the daybed by the window.

This time, her "grand plan" was to embroider a "special" purse for Li Minghua, with a pair of... barely recognizable mandarin duck patterns drawn on it.

As expected, the fair fingers suffered again, with gasps of "Hiss..." and "Ouch!" echoing around them.

Li Minghua was sitting quietly in a round-backed chair on one side, flipping through a sword manual, trying to concentrate.

However, those suppressed cries of pain kept tugging at her mind like little hooks.

She didn't turn a single page for a long time, but her brows furrowed more and more.

Finally, after Tang Xiaoning let out another low gasp, Li Minghua decisively closed the sword manual and put it down.

She stood up, her tall figure looming over Tang Xiaoning. She walked straight to Tang Xiaoning, extended her hand, palm up, and said succinctly, "Give it to me."

"What are you doing?" Tang Xiaoning immediately clutched the embroidery hoop and the half-finished purse tightly to her chest like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, her face wary. "You said I made this myself! It's a token of my affection! Don't you understand?!"

Li Minghua looked at the few fresh red dots on her fingertips, sighed helplessly, and softened his tone: "I'll teach you."

Without saying a word, he sat down next to Tang Xiaoning, very close to her.

She took the battered embroidery hoop and sewing basket with effortless grace, her tone unusually gentle:

"If you keep embroidering like this, you'll prick all ten of your fingers like sieves. How can you possibly express your feelings then?"

She extended her right hand and gently enveloped Tang Xiaoning's delicate hand holding the embroidery needle.

His breath brushed against Tang Xiaoning's ear; the gesture was far too intimate.

But Tang Xiaoning found it very pleasing.

“Look…” Li Minghua turned his head slightly, his voice low and clear, ringing in her ear with a guiding tone, “The needle goes through here… the force must be even…”

She held Tang Xiaoning's hand and gently moved the needle and thread through the fabric, her movements steady and fluid.

"Don't pull the thread too tight all at once, it will wrinkle easily... The backstitch should be fine and dense, so that it will be firm and look good..."

A gentle voice mixed with warm breath sprayed against my ear, the warmth of the hand covering the back of my hand and the reassuring strength, plus the unique, refreshing scent of Li Minghua lingering around my nose...

Tang Xiaoning was completely oblivious to any explanation of the acupuncture techniques.

She felt a tingling sensation on half of her body, her cheeks burning, her heart pounding like thunder, and she felt dizzy, as if she were walking on clouds.

She had no idea whether the mandarin ducks under the needle were flat or round.

"Minghua..." Tang Xiaoning couldn't help but turn her head away, her voice soft and ethereal, with a hint of coquetry, "If you talk to me like this... I... I can't concentrate on my embroidery..."

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gazed at the profile so close to hers.

Li Minghua's movements suddenly stopped.

Tang Xiaoning's words instantly snapped her out of her concentration on teaching, and she realized just how ambiguous the distance between them was at that moment.

They were almost huddled together, her hand still tightly wrapped around the other's!

This felt like being burned by an invisible flame. She immediately let go of Tang Xiaoning's hand and quickly pulled her body back a full half foot.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat to cover up her embarrassment and quickly lowered her eyes.

She didn't dare look into Tang Xiaoning's watery eyes, but stared at the crooked "mandarin ducks".

Her ears quickly flushed a bright red, and she tried to maintain a stiff, calm voice: "...Then, practice slowly on your own, and you'll get better with practice."

Tang Xiaoning was overjoyed to see Li Minghua's adorable expression—clearly embarrassed but trying to maintain a serious demeanor.

She was not about to give up.

She deliberately leaned forward, her pretty face almost touching Li Minghua's eyelids, and drew out her words, her voice sweet and soft, full of a playful smirk:

"No way! I think you're the better teacher! Really! Master Li!"

She deliberately pronounced "Master Li" in a drawn-out, lingering tone, like a small hook coated in honey.

The tender and lingering "Master Li" sent chills down Li Minghua's spine, making him feel goosebumps all over his body, and he almost reflexively jumped off the smooth stone bench.

Looking at Tang Xiaoning's face, so close yet smiling like a cunning little fox, she could only sigh helplessly and indulgently in her heart.

She resignedly picked up her needle and thread and embroidery hoop again, put on a stern face, and tried her best to adopt the demeanor of a strict teacher, but her voice betrayed a hint of softness: "...Just this once. Learn seriously."

"I know, I know! Master Li is the best and the most amazing!" Tang Xiaoning immediately smiled brightly, like a cheerful little bird.

She leaned close to him again, her shoulder almost touching Li Minghua's arm, looking like she was saying, "I'm the best and most diligent."

Li Minghua held Tang Xiaoning's hand holding the needle, guiding her as she stitched away on the plain brocade.

She taught with utmost seriousness, her thin lips slightly pursed, her eyes focused intently on the needle and the fabric, explaining in a low voice the direction of the stitches and the varying pressure: "The backstitch here needs to be denser so the edges don't come undone..."

Her warm breath brushed against Tang Xiaoning's earlobe, and her calloused fingertips steadily guided Tang Xiaoning's slightly clumsy fingers.

However, Tang Xiaoning, the prized student of "Master Li," had no time to think about the increasingly "plump" couple.

She felt a soothing warmth emanating from the back of her hand, which was wrapped in a blanket, and the crisp, refreshing scent lingering around her nose was more pleasant than any incense.

Li Minghua's slightly lowered profile was clearly defined in the sunlight, and his focused expression had a fatal attraction for Tang Xiaoning.

Tang Xiaoning's heart was pounding like she was carrying a disobedient little deer, and her eyes couldn't help but wander from the embroidery hoop to Li Minghua's face.

Yes, her wooden female warrior look is so beautiful when she's focused!

One teacher was completely absorbed in teaching, while the other was learning with a mind elsewhere. The atmosphere, however, was quite harmonious due to this wonderful combination of focus and distraction.

The outline of the mandarin duck wings on the embroidery hoop had barely been formed.

Li Minghua held Tang Xiaoning's hand and completed a fine backstitch, pausing slightly in his movements.

Her eyes remained lowered, as if she were merely casually mentioning something insignificant, her voice maintaining the steady tone she had used during the lesson, only the ending sounds seemed a little softer:

"You... and your cousin, have known each other since childhood?"

Her fingertips almost imperceptibly caressed the back of Tang Xiaoning's hand, her gaze still fixed on the needlework, as if she were merely curious about the historical origins of the needlework technique.

Tang Xiaoning's thoughts were still lingering on Li Minghua's slightly pursed lips. Upon hearing this, she almost reflexively replied:

"Ah? My cousin... well, we haven't really known each other since we were little," her voice was slightly languid and absent-minded. "His father was transferred to the capital a long time ago, and his family moved there when I was very young. I rarely see him more than once every few years. What's wrong?"

She tilted her head and looked at her blankly.

Li Minghua did not answer immediately.

She nodded slightly, as if confirming a trivial fact.

"...It's nothing." She responded softly, her voice still calm, and continued to focus on her "teaching career."

Time slipped away a little more as we sewed our needle and thread.

The steam from the tea on the stone table had long since dissipated.

Under Master Li's guidance, Tang Xiaoning's fingers were finally spared further injury.

A while later.

Li Minghua seemed to adjust her posture, her gaze still fixed on the embroidery hoop, and as if by chance, she started chatting again.

Her tone was even more casual than before, as if she were asking about the weather: "Does Zhou Wenyuan still come to visit often these days?"

This time, Tang Xiaoning finally noticed something unusual in that sweet, focused gaze.

Her hands gradually stopped moving, no longer being led by Li Minghua to follow the needle.

She turned slightly to the side, completely releasing the embroidery hoop, resting her chin on one hand, and tilting her head.

Those bright, large eyes locked onto Li Minghua beside her with a knowing smile; a knowing smile played on her lips.

"Oh ho~ Minghua~" She deliberately dragged out her tone, making it soft and drawn out, with a hint of teasing, "I've noticed... these past few days, you've been subtly inquiring about my cousin and Zhou Wenyuan, haven't you? Hmm? Tell me about it?"

"!" Li Minghua's body froze again!

Her seemingly focused gaze on the embroidery hoop instantly lost focus, becoming flickering, and her fingers gripping the embroidery needle turned slightly white from the force.

His neck seemed to tilt slightly to one side unnaturally, and his voice was tense and strained, as if trying to cover something up: "...It was just a casual question. Is there anything wrong with it?"

She tried to maintain her composure and forced her gaze back onto the embroidery hoop, but felt as if the crooked mandarin ducks were mocking her.

"Oh~~~~ Just asking casually~~~" Tang Xiaoning's voice trailed off, each rising tone carrying a strong sense of teasing.

She leaned forward, her pretty face suddenly close to Li Minghua's, their noses almost touching.

Those big, watery eyes blinked, brimming with a cunning glint, like a little fox who had discovered a secret: "I feel like..."

She paused deliberately, savoring Li Minghua's suddenly dilated pupils and rapid breathing, before revealing the truth, word by word:

"There are some people who, as soon as their status is settled, can't help but start 'settling old scores,' secretly inquiring about 'potential rivals' here, right, Ms. Li?"

She pronounced the three words "secretly" with exceptional clarity and loudness.

Ms. Li, whose thoughts were perfectly pinpointed: "!!!"

Shockingly taken aback by this bold joke, Li Minghua sprang up from the stone bench like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The force was so great that it almost overturned the sewing basket on the table.

The blush on her cheeks was like the most beautiful sunset, spreading from her ears all the way down her neck, and even tinged her eyes with a touch of crimson.

Those usually calm and composed eyes were now filled with an overwhelming panic. They looked left and right, but dared not meet Tang Xiaoning's smiling eyes.

"Nonsense!"