Chapter 13: Practicing Swords in the Morning Mist, Warmth Melts the Ice
It was just dawn, and the morning mist from the south of the Yangtze River had not yet dissipated, shrouding the bamboo forest of Fang Mansion like a thin veil. The air was filled with the fragrance of moist green grass, and the stone pavement was wet with dew, feeling soft and cool underfoot.
Xiaoyanzi, dressed in a lake-blue shorts outfit that looked even more energetic than the moon-white she'd worn yesterday, clutched the wooden sword Xiao Jian had carved specifically for her. The blade shone faintly in the morning mist. She stood in the middle of the bamboo forest, imitating Xiao Jian's movements, raising her hands and swinging her arms. Her movements were still a little stiff, like a young swallow just learning to fly, flapping its wings clumsily yet earnestly.
"Hold your wrist more firmly. Hold the sword steady. Don't hold it like a loach." Xiao Jian's voice came from the fog. He was wearing a tight-fitting suit of the same color, and his posture was as straight as a bamboo. The long sword in his hand occasionally cut through the morning mist, bringing up tiny droplets of water. "The sword moves with the body. It's not the arm that's exerting the force, but the waist that drives the shoulders, and the shoulders that drive the arms."
Xiaoyanzi bit her lower lip to adjust her posture, the wooden sword swaying in her hand. She secretly raised her eyes to glance at Xiao Jian, and saw that he was staring at her wrist. She quickly tightened her fingers, knuckles turning white. "Xiao Jian, is this right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Fang Zhihang came out of the fog with a cane. He was wearing a navy blue gown with his coat draped over his arm. When he heard his daughter's words, he frowned slightly: "Ci'er, how can you call your brother's name directly? You should call him elder brother or elder brother." His tone was gentle, but with some of the etiquette of an old-fashioned family.
Xiaoyanzi stuck out her tongue and quickly lowered her head, almost dropping the wooden sword in her hand again: "Oh... I see, Dad." She secretly raised her eyes to glance at Xiao Jian, and saw that he had a smile on his lips, and she suddenly felt less nervous.
"Dad, it's okay." Xiao Jian put away his sword and walked to his father's side, taking the coat from his arms and putting it on. "Sister likes to call me that. It makes us feel closer. No need to be so formal." He looked at Xiao Yanzi with indulgence in his eyes. "Keep practicing. That was much better than before."
"Brother is still the best!" Xiaoyanzi immediately beamed, her voice sweet and crisp. She raised her wooden sword and continued to practice, but a picture suddenly flashed through her mind - in her previous life, when she first met Xiao Jian at the Huibin Building, he was wearing a long green robe, playing with a wine glass in his hand, pretending to be a weak scholar. She didn't know he was her real brother at the time, she just thought he looked familiar. Seeing the sword hanging from his waist, she was itching to grab it. The two of them ended up chasing each other around the Huibin Building, causing a chaotic chase, and several tables and chairs were overturned. In the end, it was Liu Qing and Liu Hong who pulled them apart.
Thinking of this, Xiaoyanzi couldn't help but burst out laughing. She stopped practicing sword skills, shrugged her shoulders, and a cunning light flashed in her eyes.
"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Jian raised an eyebrow, seeing that she was thinking about something, "Are you thinking about how to be lazy again?"
"No!" Xiaoyanzi quickly stopped laughing and raised the wooden sword seriously, "I was thinking about the move 'Shadows of Bamboo' just now, I think it's very powerful!" She would never say that she remembered the embarrassing thing about stealing his sword in her previous life, otherwise her brother would definitely laugh at her recklessness.
Mrs. Fang also came over at this time, carrying a lunch box. The faint aroma of porridge wafted from the bamboo basket. "You've been practicing for so long, why don't you take a break and eat something first?" She was wearing a lilac dress and a fresh gardenia pinned to her hair. She walked over to Xiaoyanzi and wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose with a handkerchief. "Your hair is so messy, you look like you just came back from robbing a bird's nest from a tree."
"Mom!" Little Swallow pouted in dissatisfaction, but obediently let her mother fix her hair. "I'm a martial arts master now, not a little girl who robs bird nests!"
"Even the greatest hero has to eat." Fang Zhihang sat down on the stone bench, looking at his daughter's hair wet with morning dew, his eyes full of love. "Your brother is right. You can learn martial arts, but you can't show off. If you get tired, you won't be allowed to practice in the future."
"I'm not tired!" Xiaoyanzi immediately expressed her determination. She picked up the bowl of porridge her mother handed her and gulped down half of it. The sweet and sticky rice aroma mixed with the flavor of osmanthus filled her mouth, warming her heart. "This porridge is delicious! Mom, your cooking is still the best."
Xiao Jian sat aside, watching his sister wolf down her food, then glancing at his parents' smiling eyes. The sunlight, after the morning mist had dissipated, fell on them, bringing warmth and warmth. He knew his sister was harboring a lot of past memories, and that her turbulent past made her cherish her present stability. He gently tapped the rim of her bowl, "Drink slowly. No one's trying to snatch it from you. I'll teach you some new moves after you finish."
"Okay!" Little Swallow nodded vigorously, slurping down her porridge faster, her eyes sparkling as if filled with the morning light. The breeze from the bamboo forest blew gently, carrying the fragrance of gardenias and the sweetness of rice porridge, transforming this ordinary yet warm morning scene into the warmest memory in her heart.
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