Chapter 136 I just can't embroider it well
"Move the umbrella a little closer to you, it's all wet." She reached out to push the umbrella handle.
"It's okay, I'm not cold." Pei Zhi held her hand and continued picking mint. "Just make sure you don't get cold. If you catch a cold, who will make me mint tea?"
Ye Wanning stopped insisting and simply quickened her pace in picking mint. The bamboo basket was soon full, and the refreshing scent of mint wafted out, mingling with the moisture from their clothes, creating a particularly pleasant aroma.
On the way back, Pei Zhi carried the bamboo basket, letting her walk inside while he walked on the outside, close to the roadside. The fog hadn't completely dissipated, and the two figures walked side by side on the narrow mountain path, like a light ink painting.
Ye Wanning would occasionally touch his arm, feeling the warmth of his body, which warmed her heart even more than the mint in her hand. As they approached the foot of the mountain, the fog gradually dissipated, revealing the rooftops of the General's Mansion.
Pei Zhi suddenly stopped, took out a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to Ye Wanning's mouth: "You must have been scared just now, eat a piece of candy to calm your nerves."
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window screen. Ye Wanning sat by the window, needle in hand, embroidering a purse for Pei Zhi. The tiger purse she embroidered last time was laughed at for looking like a cat, so she practiced for a few days this time and her stitches were much better. But when she got to the tiger's eyes, she just couldn't get them right.
She wrapped the silk thread around the needle a few times and tried to embroider two stitches, but the eyes were still crooked. Frustrated, she slammed the needle into the embroidery hoop and glared at the purse with a frown.
"What's wrong? Are you sulking over a purse?" Pei Zhi's voice came from behind him. He had just finished dealing with military affairs, and the chill on his body had not yet dissipated.
Seeing Ye Wanning frown at the embroidery frame, he walked over, bent down, and leaned close to her. His gaze fell on the crooked tiger's eyes, and he couldn't help but laugh: "It's much prettier than the last one that looked like a cat."
"Still laughing!" Ye Wanning glared at him. "I wanted to embroider something decent for you to wear on your waist, but I just can't seem to get the eye right."
Pei Zhi stopped laughing, pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, picked up a thread from beside the embroidery hoop, and chose a dark black one: "I'll teach you, this way of embroidering makes the eyes more expressive."
He held her hand, guided the needle through her fingertips, and slowly pierced the fabric: "Here, we need to embroider a small circle first, then fill in the color. Be careful to apply even pressure."
Pei Zhi gently brushed his hand against her ear, his tone teasing, and Ye Wanning's ears instantly burned. Following his touch, she slowly moved the needle across the fabric, and her previously crooked eyes gradually became round and bright, truly much more expressive.
After finishing the last stitch, Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief and was about to pull her hand back when he pressed it down. Pei Zhi picked up the purse and examined it for a while: "My lady's stitches are getting better and better."
After saying that, he tied the purse to his belt and straightened his back, saying, "Look, isn't this better? It's better than any jade pendant."
Ye Wanning looked at his childish expression and chuckled, "Showing off as soon as you tied it on? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
Pei Zhi reached out and pinched her cheek: "This was embroidered by my wife. I can show it off however I want."
In the afternoon, a guard from the manor came in to report something. As soon as he entered, he noticed the purse on Pei Zhi's waist and couldn't help but glance at it a few more times. Pei Zhi pointed directly at the purse and said, "This was embroidered for me by my wife. Isn't it beautiful?"
The guard was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded with a smile, "Beautiful! Beautiful! Madam's stitches are truly exquisite!"
Ye Wanning sat on the side, her face flushed red to her ears. She reached out to take the purse off, but Pei Zhi wouldn't let go, laughing and saying, "I won't let go, I won't let go. My wife's embroidery is so good, others should know about it."
After the guard left, Ye Wanning punched him lightly: "If you do this again, I won't embroider for you next time."
"No, no!" Pei Zhi quickly begged for mercy, pulling a new silk handkerchief from his pocket. "I'll make this for you, and next time you can embroider a rabbit for me, okay?"
The stones by the stream were warm from the sun. Ye Wanning squatted on one of them, holding Pei Zhi's ink-stained handkerchief, and rubbed it vigorously with soapberry water. But the ink stains on the handkerchief seemed to be stuck to it; after rubbing for a long time, they only faded a little, and her wrists turned red.
"If you keep scrubbing like that, you'll tear the handkerchief." Pei Zhi's voice came from behind. Ye Wanning turned around and saw him carrying a food box, smiling as he walked towards her.
He squatted down beside her, took the handkerchief and put it into the warm water next to him to soak: "Ink stains need to be soaked in warm water first, then add some soap and rub the edges. Just using brute force won't work."
He was very skilled; his fingers pinched the edge of the handkerchief and gently rubbed the ink-stained areas. In no time, the ink had faded considerably. Ye Wanning was stunned: "How do you even know how to wash a handkerchief?"
"When we were at the border, we washed our own clothes and handkerchiefs. We learned that skill through practice." Pei Zhi smiled, then suddenly raised his hand and splashed some water on her face. The water droplets landed on the tip of her nose, feeling cool and refreshing.
"Pei Zhi!" Ye Wanning reacted and splashed some water on him as well. "You did that on purpose!"
Pei Zhi laughed and dodged, but didn't actually go far. Instead, he slowed his pace, letting her water splash onto his arms. The two chased and played by the stream, getting water all over themselves, and even the reeds beside them swayed and nodded.
Pei Zhi took her hand, pulled her into his arms, bent down and smiled at her: "If you keep making a fuss, your clothes will get wet, and you'll catch a cold when you go back."
His robe was damp, clinging to the back of her clothes, making it feel wet. He held her, and she could feel his body temperature. Pei Zhi's words immediately quieted her down.
Ye Wanning leaned against him, listening to his heartbeat, feeling a little embarrassed. She reached out to push him away, saying, "Let go quickly, it's not good if someone sees us."
"There's no one here." Pei Zhi hugged her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Let me hug you for a while. I'm tired after finishing military affairs."
The two stood by the stream, the water flowing slowly, sunlight filtering through the leaves, even the water droplets splashing on them glistening. After a while, Pei Zhi finally released her, picked up the clean handkerchief, wrung it out, and put it away: "The handkerchief needs to be dried before you put it away, otherwise it will get moldy."
He took out a paper package from the food box, which contained red bean paste cakes he had just boughtâknowing she would be hungry while washing handkerchiefs, he had brought some snacks on purpose.
"Lord Pei even left me some snacks?" Ye Wanning took the red bean cake and took a bite. The sweet aroma mixed with the scent of grass by the stream was especially delicious.
She handed him another piece, and as he took a bite, a little sugar got on his lips. She couldn't help but reach out and wipe it off for him: "You're just like a child, you can even get sugar on your lips when you eat snacks."
"That was given to me by Madam, and I'm happy to have it on my lips." Pei Zhi took her hand and gently touched it to his lips.
Ye Wanning's face flushed instantly, and she quickly withdrew her hand, pretending to look at the handkerchief: "The handkerchief is almost dry, let's go back."
The pigeon coop in the general's mansion is located on the east side of the courtyard. As the sun is about to set, the pigeons gather around the coop door, cooing incessantly, waiting to be fed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com