Chapter 57 Enlightenment

The mother, holding the silver, looked at the kind-hearted girl with a cold face and was somewhat bewildered.

Tang Xiaoning found her clumsy attempt at "remedy" both amusing and touching.

Her chivalrous nature is so unique, even her jealousy and possessiveness of food are so...unique.

Finally, Tang Xiaoning, satisfied, held up the largest and most magnificent sugar phoenix and strode forward.

Li Minghua now had an extra sugar painting of a simple little rabbit that he had just "compensated" the child with.

The rabbit's lines were rough, with only a rough outline, creating a strange contrast with her upright posture and slightly bewildered expression.

"Let's go!" Tang Xiaoning held the phoenix in one hand and naturally took Li Minghua's arm with the other, as if the little "storm" had never happened.

Li Minghua stiffened slightly, then relaxed and let the other person pull him into the crowd.

She subconsciously adjusted her pace, shielding Tang Xiaoning on the side closest to the road, her eyes scanning the crowded pedestrians around her warily.

The two walked side by side through the bustling crowd. Tang Xiaoning stuck out the tip of her tongue and carefully licked the phoenix's proud head.

She squinted her eyes contentedly, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

She turned her head and saw Li Minghua looking down, frowning, scrutinizing the rabbit-shaped sugar painting stick in his hand with the same rigorous gaze one would use to study a martial arts manual.

"Pfft..." Tang Xiaoning couldn't help but laugh out loud, almost choking on the sugar crumbs. "Cough cough... Lady Li, are you casting a 'frozen spell' on this sugar rabbit?"

She deliberately moved closer and gently bumped her shoulder against Li Minghua's arm.

Li Minghua was startled by her bump, and when she came to her senses, her face remained expressionless, except for a slight blush at the base of her ears.

"...No. It's just that...this object has a peculiar shape and its purpose is unknown."

She paused, seemingly realizing that her words were inappropriate, and added, "Not as exquisite as your phoenix."

The tone was one of certainty regarding the phoenix sugar painting.

"Haha, it's just candy, its purpose is to eat!" Tang Xiaoning laughed, her eyes crinkling. Looking at Li Minghua's serious and confused expression, she felt her heart melt completely.

She winked mischievously, "How about... I trade with you? A phoenix for a rabbit?"

Li Minghua immediately hid the rabbit sugar painting behind her back, her movements so fast they almost created a gust of wind, and said decisively, "No need!"

Realizing she had overreacted, she met Tang Xiaoning's teasing gaze, pursed her lips, looked away, and lowered her voice, "...Your phoenix is ​​very good."

Her fingers tightened slightly as she held the rabbit-shaped candy stick, as if it weren't just a piece of candy, but something that needed to be carefully preserved.

A girl selling silk flowers nearby saw this scene, nudged her companion with her elbow, and whispered with a smile, "Look, look at that young couple over there... that pretty girl is so protective of her partner, she won't even trade a piece of candy for him."

His companion followed his gaze and chuckled softly, covering his mouth, "They're probably the same as us."

Li Minghua possessed profound internal strength, so he naturally heard everything clearly. His body instantly straightened even more, and he stared straight ahead, pretending not to have heard.

He tightened his grip on the sugar stick, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Tang Xiaoning was in a great mood, licking the phoenix sugar painting in small sips. The sugar syrup melted and clung to the corners of her rosy lips like an alluring little mole.

She tugged at the other empty corner of Li Minghua's shirt, her voice sweet and soft: "Minghua~"

Hearing the sound, Li Minghua turned his head and his gaze fell on her lips, which were covered with glistening sugar stains. His heart skipped a beat, as if he had been burned by that sweetness, and his breath hitched slightly.

Almost instinctively, she wanted to raise her hand and wipe away the unsightly sweet mark with her fingertips.

"Huh?" Tang Xiaoning looked up at her, puzzled.

Li Minghua's raised hand froze in mid-air. In the end, she only pulled out a clean, plain white handkerchief from her sleeve with a slightly flustered expression and handed it over: "...It got on you."

But it didn't say where it got on.

Her gaze lingered on the sugar stain, then quickly shifted to the wings of the sugar phoenix.

Tang Xiaoning paused for a moment, then reacted, sticking out her pink tongue and quickly licking the corner of her lips, asking with a smile, "Is there anything else?"

Li Minghua's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly. He forcibly looked away and said in an even lower voice, "...That's all."

She silently put the handkerchief away, only to feel that her palms were slightly sweaty, and the handkerchief seemed to have become scalding hot.

Tang Xiaoning looked at Li Minghua, who was trying to remain calm, but whose neck was tinged with a faint blush.

Suddenly, I realized that compared to the meticulously depicted romance in storybooks, the most real and touching "romance" for me was this "wooden" female knight-errant who was at a loss because of a little sugar stain on her lips in this crowded market.

"Minghua," she stopped teasing her, her voice soft and gentle, filled with affection and expectation, her eyes curving into crescents, "Let's go to the market again next time, okay?"

She playfully shook Li Minghua's arm.

The chaos in Li Minghua's heart was instantly soothed by a warm current. Looking into Tang Xiaoning's pure and joyful eyes, all her tension and clumsiness transformed into a heavy promise.

She stopped, turned around, solemnly met Tang Xiaoning's gaze, and nodded: "Okay."

Where you go or what you do doesn't matter.

As long as this person is by your side, walking side by side, feeling this unique and down-to-earth bond, it surpasses all the pre-set romantic scenarios in the world.

*

Since their date at the market, Li Minghua seems to have lost interest in the contents of "The Mirror of Love and Lust," probably because he found most of the techniques in it to be impractical.

Therefore, he developed his own "Li Minghua-style" straightforward romance.

For example, when she practiced swordsmanship in the early morning, she would casually use the sword energy to outline a crooked "Ning" character on a spider web covered with morning dew, and then calmly point it out to the sleepy Tang Xiaoning.

Tang Xiaoning: "..."

For example, she would silently note down a particular orchid that Tang Xiaoning glanced at a few times, and then one afternoon, she would bring the orchid, which was in full bloom, pot and all, to Tang Xiaoning's window.

Tang Xiaoning: "..."

Inner monologue: This... wouldn't you call this cruel? But... I love it!

For example, when she peels fruit for Tang Xiaoning, she is no longer satisfied with just peeling; she has started to try carving it.

Although most of the results are abstract.

For example, a "rabbit" that looks like it has been run over by a wheel, or a "Fuwa" whose facial features are squeezed together.

But Tang Xiaoning always carefully collected them, claiming that he wanted to "keep them as a family heirloom," which made Li Minghua blush, but he became even more diligent in carving.

That day, the two were in the study, one reading a storybook, and the other... well, looking at Tang Xiaoning.

"Minghua," Tang Xiaoning looked up from the storybook and rubbed her neck, "my neck is a little sore."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Minghua put down the sword he was wiping halfway through, walked behind her, and began to massage her shoulders and neck with a slightly clumsy but just right touch.

Her fingertips, calloused from sword practice, felt surprisingly good pressing against her aching muscles.

"Here?" Li Minghua asked in a low voice.

"Hmm... a little lower... yes, right there..." Tang Xiaoning squinted comfortably, like a cat being stroked. "Minghua, when did you learn this?"

"...Yesterday, I consulted the massage therapists in the manor." Li Minghua's tone was calm, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

Tang Xiaoning felt incredibly sweet inside. She turned around, hugged her waist, and buried her face in her chest, nuzzling against her: "Our Minghua is so great! She learns everything so quickly!"

Li Minghua's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed, gently placing his hand on the top of her head and letting out a soft "hmm".

The warm atmosphere didn't last long before it was broken by an uninvited guest.

Zhou Wenyuan is here again.

This time, however, he learned his lesson and didn't bring any gifts that might earn him a "bad review" from Li Minghua. He simply said he was visiting Tang's mother and, incidentally... bringing a few newly collected rare chess manuals.

He knew Tang Xiaoning wasn't very good at chess, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he could take this opportunity to "give her some pointers" and showcase his talent.

Sure enough, Tang's mother was very interested in the chess manual and pulled Zhou Wenyuan to set up a chessboard in the flower hall.

Tang Xiaoning couldn't leave her mother behind, so she stayed by her side, with Li Minghua naturally standing behind her like a shadow.

This time, Zhou Wenyuan was determined to ignore Li Minghua, this "iceberg." He showed utmost patience and gentleness, explaining the game to Tang Xiaoning in a deliberately soft voice:

"Xiaoning, look, this is the 'Precious Treasure' Formation. It seems like a dead end, but it actually hides a chance for survival. We need to make our move here..."

As he spoke, he instinctively reached out to point to a spot on the chessboard, his finger just extending...

"Smack!"

A black Go stone lands precisely on the spot his fingertip is about to touch!

The force was just right, neither too light nor too heavy, to stop his movement.

Zhou Wenyuan's fingers froze in mid-air.

Everyone looked in the direction from which the chess piece had flown, and saw that Li Minghua was holding several chess pieces in her hand, staring blankly at the chessboard, as if the "flying chess piece from the sky" had nothing to do with her.

Tang Xiaoning was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and almost burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve.

Tang's mother was also somewhat taken aback: "Minghua, you..."

Li Minghua raised his eyes to look at Zhou Wenyuan, his tone calm and composed, as if it were a matter of course: "The placement of this piece is indeed crucial."

The subtext is: I know, you don't need to tell me, just stay away from her.

Looking at the perfectly placed black piece on the chessboard, and then at Li Minghua's expression that said "I'm playing chess seriously," Zhou Wenyuan felt a lump in his throat.

He finally understood that this Miss Li was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but her ability to "place pieces remotely and assert sovereignty" was also unparalleled!

He awkwardly withdrew his hand and chuckled dryly, "Miss Li...you have excellent chess skills."

Li Minghua nodded slightly, showing no modesty: "It's acceptable."

Tang Xiaoning looked at Zhou Wenyuan's frustrated yet timid expression, and then at Li Minghua beside her who had a "I'm very reasonable" look on his face. She couldn't help but laugh so hard that her shoulders were shaking.

For the next period of time, Zhou Wenyuan became completely obedient.

Not only did he not dare to point randomly, he even subconsciously kept a safe distance from Tang Xiaoning when speaking.

Li Minghua would occasionally "casually" refill Tang Xiaoning's tea, or precisely push the plate in front of her when she looked at a certain plate of pastries.

Under Li Minghua's powerful aura, Zhou Wenyuan's brightness continued to decline, and he eventually faded away.

As soon as the person left, Tang Xiaoning immediately slumped in her chair, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up:

"Hahaha... Minghua... did you see his expression? It's hilarious... You threw that chess piece at the perfect time!"

Li Minghua watched her laugh heartily, a smile also appearing in his eyes, but he said, "He's too close, he's in the way."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're in the way!" Tang Xiaoning leaned over and kissed her hard on the lips. "This is a reward for you! Well done! But next time you don't need to waste chess pieces, just glare at him, and I guarantee he won't dare to come near!"

Li Minghua touched the corner of his mouth that had been kissed and nodded readily, "Okay, I've got it."

It seems that Ms. Li's self-taught "direct romance" and "wife-protecting tactics," though perhaps a bit "frightening" to outsiders, are remarkably effective and have won the heart of her "beloved."

As for that abandoned "The Mirror of Love and Lust"?

It will probably only be brought out again as a "reference book for difficult problems" when Ms. Li needs to study advanced questions such as "why she shed tears" or "what is the use of the keepsake".

After several setbacks, Zhou Wenyuan seems to have finally begun to seriously consider Tang Xiaoning's previous advice: should he really find someone he loves?

After all, the position next to Tang Xiaoning was clearly already taken and was heavily guarded, as solid as a rock.