Chapter 24 Ginger Soup
Tang Xiaoning's heart felt as if it had been scalded by the warmth contained in those seemingly ordinary words.
A surge of warmth instantly erupted from her heart, sweeping through her limbs and bones, making her fingertips tingle.
So that's how it is! Her heroine Li is not ignorant of those roundabout methods; she has her own scale in her heart, clearly distinguishing between responsibility, boundaries, and efficiency.
In Li Minghua's world, Liu Yiyi's "bitter trick" in the pouring rain was nothing more than a "trivial matter" that needed to be handled by a designated person according to the rules.
The one who truly needs her full attention to "protect" and "avoid worries" is Tang Xiaoning.
It feels so good to be placed so clearly and unquestionably first...
Tang Xiaoning felt a surge of heat rush to her cheeks. She hurriedly lowered her head, trying to use her falling hair to cover the sweet smile that she couldn't suppress and was about to burst out.
She even awkwardly rubbed her toes lightly on the dry bluestone floor before trying to make her voice sound normal, with a slightly soft, nasal tone: "Oh...I see..."
She paused, quickly glancing up at Li Minghua's still composed profile, before continuing softly, "Then...then let's hurry back? The rain looks like it's getting heavier..."
"Hmm." Li Minghua nodded very slightly, without saying anything more, but his gaze never left Tang Xiaoning's reddened ear tips.
The two walked side by side under the long corridor once again.
Outside the window, the rain pattered softly, tapping on the tiles and banana leaves, creating a damp stillness.
Tang Xiaoning quietly moved her body a little closer to Li Minghua, her arm occasionally brushing against the other's slightly cool sleeve.
She secretly turned her head to the side, her gaze tracing Li Minghua's clear, slightly aloof profile, and felt her heart filled with an unprecedented sense of security and indescribable joy.
It was as if this long, quiet corridor was the most peaceful place in the world.
In the shadow of the pillars, Uncle Fu, who had rushed over, happened to witness Li Minghua pulling Tang Xiaoning away resolutely, and the scene of the two whispering to each other under the corridor.
A look of surprise flashed across the old butler's wrinkled face, which quickly turned into deep emotion.
He stroked his white beard, watching Li Minghua protect Tang Xiaoning as they walked away. His eyes revealed a sense of relief and understanding. He murmured to himself, "Miss Li has a clear mind, she sees things very clearly... Good, good."
He silently turned around to arrange the follow-up matters.
At this moment, Liu Yiyi, who was being carefully helped up by her servant Agui and was walking back with a limp, couldn't help but look back at the empty moon gate.
Rainwater mixed with tears blurred her vision, and a chilling sense of despair seeped into her bones, even more intense than the dampness on her body.
She hadn't expected that even in such a disheveled state, the female warrior wouldn't hesitate to approach her, or even utter a single word of concern.
Is the heroine's heart truly made of iron and stone, impossible to warm up?
Or perhaps... that seemingly cold, hard heart has already been quietly softened by the gentle, flowing warmth of another person, making it unable to tolerate even the slightest scheming from others.
Liu Yiyi's sprained ankle is indeed inconvenient. Although it is not serious, she still needs to rest for a few days.
She was placed in the servants' quarters in the backyard. Tang Xiaoning, unusually generous, gave the order: "Let her rest well and not do any work for the next few days."
When these words got out, they seemed to be a sign of the young lady's kindness and compassion.
However, when only the two of them were left in the warm room, Tang Xiaoning immediately tugged at Li Minghua's sleeve, leaned close to her ear, and whispered something with a sly and smug expression:
"It's better to let her stay home and recover than to have her dragging a limp around trying to get close to you, which is both annoying and troublesome!"
She blinked, as if she had solved a major problem.
Li Minghua lightly brushed the edge of the book in his hand with his fingertips, his gaze still fixed on the pages, but he nodded almost imperceptibly, which could be considered as acquiescence.
The sound of rain outside the window was gentle and quiet, and with less deliberate noise, my ears were indeed much more at ease, and my heart also calmed down.
The rain that day continued unabated, only changing from a light drizzle to a fine, dense downpour, silently soaking the courtyard.
A charcoal brazier burned in the warm room, making it cozy and inviting.
Tang Xiaoning nestled on the tatami mat covered with thick cushions, listlessly winding up the exquisite little wooden figure that Zhou Wenyuan had given her, watching it tirelessly spin around on the small rosewood table with a "clack, clack" sound.
"Sigh..." Tang Xiaoning rested her chin on her hand and let out a long sigh, her voice soft and drawn out.
"This rain just won't stop, it's so stuffy, I can't even go for a walk in the garden." In a fit of frustration, she wound up the clockwork twice more, and the little wooden figure quickened its pace, almost leaping off the table.
Li Minghua sat in the armchair by the window, turning his gaze from the glossy, green banana leaves washed clean by the rain outside to the person on the couch who exuded an aura of "I'm so bored."
“If you want to move,” she put down her book, her tone earnest, “you can practice the footwork I taught you the other day in the open space under the veranda. The drizzle is light, so it won’t bother you.”
"No way!" Tang Xiaoning rejected the idea almost immediately, stopping her hand from playing with the little wooden figure.
She pouted, glancing at Li Minghua with a hint of coquettishness in her eyes: "The ground is wet and slippery. What if I accidentally," she deliberately drew out her words, implying, "fall? Wouldn't that just give some people the opportunity to 'show concern' and 'show care'?"
She emphasized those words, as if she were savoring a hint of jealousy on her tongue.
Li Minghua seemed not to have caught the unspoken meaning in her words. He simply followed her train of thought, frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then nodded seriously: "Hmm, that makes sense. Safety first."
Her open and honest expression stemmed purely from her concern for Tang Xiaoning's safety.
Tang Xiaoning: "..."
Looking at Li Minghua's completely clueless and straightforward manner, she was speechless for a moment, feeling both annoyed and amused.
Sometimes talking to this unsympathetic "blockhead" is exhausting yet... uniquely interesting?
She couldn't help but reach out and gently poke Li Minghua's strong forearm through his sleeve.
Just then, the maid Xiao Cui walked in carrying a red lacquered tray.
Two lustrous white porcelain bowls rested on the tray, warm white steam rising from their rims. A spicy yet sweet aroma instantly filled the quiet, warm room.
“Miss, Miss Li,” Xiao Cui said in a clear voice, carefully placing the tray on the small table. “The kitchen just made some brown sugar ginger soup, it’s hot, it will drive away the cold and dampness.”
"Perfect timing! My hands and feet were feeling a bit cold." Tang Xiaoning immediately perked up, temporarily setting aside her little "complaint," and stretched out her hand.
She first picked up the bowl closest to her, carefully blew on it, and then tentatively sipped a small amount. Her brows relaxed, "Mmm, delicious! Warm and sweet. Minghua, you should drink some too!"
Li Minghua did as instructed and picked up the bowl in front of her.
But as soon as she brought the bowl to her lips and took a bite, she paused slightly, her fingers gripping the rim of the bowl tightening almost imperceptibly.
Tang Xiaoning, who had been paying close attention to her reaction, immediately noticed the subtle pause: "What's wrong?"
She put down her bowl, leaned over, and asked with concern, "Was it too spicy? Did you choke?"
Li Minghua shook his head, looking down at the dark brown soup in the bowl with a few strands of ginger floating on top, his tone tinged with confusion: "There's too much ginger. And the sugar... seems to be less than usual."
She is very sensitive to subtle changes in taste, especially this ginger soup that was specially flavored for her.
Tang Xiaoning was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on.
The kitchen staff knew that Li Minghua didn't have a sweet tooth, so they would always put less sugar in the sweet soup or ginger soup they usually sent to her.
Today, Li Minghua's bowl of soup... was definitely not made according to "Miss Li's standards"!
Her eyes darted around, a hint of suspicion and a desire for confirmation in her gaze. She leaned closer to the bowl in Li Minghua's hand, her small nostrils twitching slightly as she sniffed the pungent aroma.
Then, she quickly dipped her fingertip into the soup in Li Minghua's bowl and tasted it.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" The intense spiciness and bland sweetness on her tongue made Tang Xiaoning's face scrunch up instantly, as if she had eaten something extremely bitter.
"This isn't brown sugar ginger soup! It's clearly ginger water! It's burning hot!" She glared angrily at Xiao Cui, "Who made this? Was it that..."
The second name almost burst out of my mouth.
Besides Liu Yiyi, who is still recovering from her injuries but whose spirit is "lingering," who else could it be?
Even when she's not in the kitchen, her "thoughtful" statement that "a female knight-errant doesn't like sweets" has probably already taken root in people's hearts!
A nameless anger, stemming from being offended, surged up in Tang Xiaoning's heart—the same familiar formula.
But why can't this person stay still even when he's lying down?
"Xiao Cui!" Tang Xiaoning called out, her tone carrying an unquestionable command, "Go to the kitchen and find out who was in charge of making this ginger soup today? How was it made? Have you forgotten Miss Li's rules?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "rules," her eyes sharp.
"Yes, Miss." Xiao Cui was startled by her mistress's unusually stern demeanor and quickly responded before retreating.
As she closed the door, she couldn't help but glance quickly at Miss Li, who was looking down at the bowl thoughtfully, and then at her own sullen young lady. A knowing yet helpless smile crept onto her lips.
Li Minghua watched as Tang Xiaoning's eyebrows furrowed and cheeks puffed out, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice and was determined to "get justice."
The slight displeasure she felt because the ginger soup didn't suit her taste vanished like thin ice melting in the sun, leaving only a comforting warmth.
She didn't say anything, but naturally pushed her bowl of "specially made" ginger soup, which had a strong ginger flavor and a bland sweetness, in front of Tang Xiaoning.
Then he casually picked up Tang Xiaoning's bowl of ginger soup, which was just the right amount of sweetness and half-drunk.
“It’s alright,” Li Minghua’s voice was calm and even, as if he were just exchanging an ordinary item. “I’ll just drink this bowl, a few sips will do.”
She paused, looked at Tang Xiaoning's lips, which were slightly red from tasting the spicy soup, and added, "I don't want this bowl anymore, it's too spicy and will hurt my throat."
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