Chapter 142 is good; it shows improvement.
His warm palm pressed on her shoulder, and she instantly relaxed. He helped her adjust her posture, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent: "Breathe evenly, exhale when you draw your sword, inhale when you retract it, practice with me."
Ye Wanning slowly drew and sheathed her sword, initially clumsy and unresponsive. It took several repetitions for her to gradually get the hang of it. Pei Zhi stood behind her the whole time, occasionally adjusting her posture, his voice soft and unhurried.
"Yes, that's it, draw your sword a little faster." Pei Zhi's voice was right next to my ear, and it was encouraging. "It's amazing that you can do this on your first practice. You're much better than me the first time."
Ye Wanning couldn't help but laugh, and her sword movements became even more steady. The morning light slowly brightened, illuminating the two of them; the sword shadows intertwined with the morning light, falling to the ground like a flowing painting. The dew in the courtyard gradually dried, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh grass, exceptionally refreshing.
After practicing for half an hour, Ye Wanning was covered in sweat and her arms were sore. Seeing this, Pei Zhi quickly helped her sheathe her sword and handed her a water pouch that he had prepared beforehand: "Drink some water first and rest for a while."
Ye Wanning took the water pouch and drank a large gulp, the warm water quenching her thirst. Leaning against a pillar, she watched Pei Zhi sheath his sword and couldn't help but ask, "Do you practice your sword this early every day?"
“Yeah, it’s a habit I developed at the border. I always feel like something’s missing if I don’t practice.” Pei Zhi walked to her side and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “If you want to practice in the future, I’ll accompany you every morning and teach you slowly. One day you’ll be able to spar with me.”
"Really?" Ye Wanning's eyes lit up, and she asked again, "Really?"
“Of course it’s true.” Pei Zhi nodded and reached out to pinch her cheek. “But we won’t practice today. Your arms must be sore. I’ll go make you some ginger soup to warm you up.”
The steam in the bathroom hadn't dissipated yet when Pei Zhi emerged, wearing a large, plain-colored bathrobe. Water droplets dripped from his wet hair, sliding down his neck and into the robe, carrying a hint of dampness and warmth.
Ye Wanning was already sitting by the dressing table with a dry cloth, waiting for him. When she saw him come out, she quickly stood up and said, "Come here quickly, let me dry your hair."
Pei Zhi walked over and sat on the stool in front of her. She picked up a dry cloth and gently dried his hair, her movements gentle, afraid of hurting him. His hair was black and thick, and it was still half-dry after drying for a while. Ye Wanning was a little anxious: "When will you be able to dry such long hair? Sleeping with it wet will give you a headache."
Pei Zhi suddenly smiled and took out a small silver object from the dressing table drawer—a hollowed-out silver box that could hold charcoal and had a small opening to blow hot air. He said he brought it back from his last trip to the Western Regions to dry his hair.
"I forgot about this." He took out the silver box, the charcoal inside still warm, able to blow out a warm breeze. He stood up and let Ye Wanning sit in front of the dressing table, then stood behind her: "Your hair is long, sleeping with it wet will give you a headache, let me dry it for you first."
Ye Wanning was a little stunned. Before she could come to her senses, she felt a gentle breeze on her head. Pei Zhi gently blew on her long hair with the silver box, while his other hand gently combed through it, his fingers gliding along the strands of hair, his movements so light as if he were afraid of startling her hair.
"Blow slowly, don't burn yourself," Ye Wanning whispered. In the mirror, she could see Pei Zhi's focused expression—his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes fixed on her hair, as if afraid of not blowing it evenly.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Pei Zhi's voice came through her hair, warm and making it sway gently. The warm air mixed with his breath brushed against her neck, tickling her and making her want to laugh, but she dared not move, afraid of disturbing him.
He dried her hair bit by bit, from the top to the ends, until it gradually became dry and soft. His fingers occasionally touched her scalp, the warm fingertips gliding over it, making her heart beat faster.
His gaze in the mirror was focused, a faint smile playing on his lips, making her blush. "Alright, your hair is dry." Pei Zhi put away the silver box and picked up a comb to brush her hair.
His hands were very gentle; the comb teeth slowly brushed through her hair, causing no pain whatsoever. He combed her hair into a loose bun and gently tied it with a light-colored ribbon: "This way, your hair won't be pressed down or messy when you sleep."
Ye Wanning touched the bun in her hair, simple yet beautiful, and couldn't help but ask, "How do you even know how to comb your hair?"
"I'll comb it for you, then you'll get it." Pei Zhi hugged her from behind, his chin resting on her hair bun, his voice as soft as a feather. "From now on, I'll blow-dry and comb your hair for you when you take a bath, so you won't have to do it yourself anymore."
The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms lingered in the kitchen. Pei Zhi leaned against the stove, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths, inhaling the aroma: "What are you making for me?"
"Osmanthus sugar cake." Ye Wanning thought that Pei Zhi loved this the most, but she hadn't controlled the amount of water when kneading the dough, and the dough stuck to her hands, no matter how she rubbed it, it wouldn't be smooth. "What should I do?" she muttered to herself, trying to rub her hands on her body, but instead of getting the dough off, she almost knocked over the sugar jar next to her.
"What are you doing, all flustered?" Pei Zhi walked in from the doorway with a smile. He had just finished dealing with matters in the manor and came over following the sweet fragrance. As soon as he entered, he saw Ye Wanning with her hands covered in dough and her nose smeared with flour, looking just like a little cat who had gotten into trouble.
"I wanted to make you osmanthus sugar cake, but I added too much water." Ye Wanning was a little embarrassed, holding up her hand with the sticky dough. "Look, it's all stuck to my hand."
Pei Zhi came over and first steadied the sugar jar, then pulled her to wash her hands. As the warm water rinsed down, he carefully scrubbed the flour off her hands with soap, making sure she didn't get a single speck of powder on them: "When kneading dough, you have to add the flour first and then the water. If there's too much water, just add more flour. Don't rush."
After washing and drying his hands, he walked to the workbench and picked up the dough. He had large hands, and with a gentle knead, the sticky dough took shape. He added some dry flour and kneaded it evenly until it became smooth and no longer sticky.
"See, this is good enough." Pei Zhi placed the dough on the table. "Come here, you knead it. Make sure to use even pressure, just like I did just now."
Ye Wanning went over and tried to take the dough like him, but she was too weak and the dough was still soft and mushy after kneading it for a while. Pei Zhi came over from behind and took her hands in his, kneading the dough with her: "Use your wrists, don't just use your fingertips, that way the dough will have a good chew."
His chest pressed against her back, his breath warm against her ear. Ye Wanning's ears turned red instantly, her mind completely focused on his palm, even slowing down her kneading of the dough.
"You're not paying attention, try to concentrate more." Pei Zhi smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'll need your help wrapping the filling later."
Ye Wanning quickly focused and followed his kneading technique. Gradually, she got the hang of it, and the dough became increasingly round and smooth in her hands. Pei Zhi released his hand to look at her results: "Not bad, you've improved."
He taught her how to make sugar cakes, dividing the dough into equal portions and then rolling them into round wrappers with a rolling pin: "You must use force; the wrapper should be thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges so that the filling won't leak out."
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