Chapter 145 My heart is filled with sweetness
The two munched on roasted sweet potatoes, oblivious to the dust on their fingers. The sweet aroma mingled with the sound of rain, filling the small kitchen to the brim.
The afternoon sun shone on the Xuan paper on the table, filtering through the texture of the window screen. Ye Wanning sat by the window, holding a wolf-hair brush, the tip dipped in ink but she hesitated to put it down—she wanted to paint a folding fan for Pei Zhi, something to use in the summer, but when she got to the tiger's tail, she just couldn't get it to look natural.
Either too stiff, or too floaty; she erased and repainted, leaving several marks on the fan surface. "Why did I stop painting again?" she muttered, tapping the fan surface with the tip of her brush, a little anxious.
Pei Zhi is going to the military camp tomorrow, and she wanted to finish the drawing today so he could take it with him, but she can't even draw the tail properly now.
"Can't finish drawing it?" Pei Zhi came up from behind. He had just finished dealing with matters in the manor and came over when he saw her frowning at the fan. He leaned closer to the table, looked at the half-finished tiger and couldn't help but laugh: "The tiger is quite spirited, but the tail is a bit lacking."
"I just can't draw the tail well." Ye Wanning was a little discouraged, and handed him the pen: "Can you help me take a look and tell me how to draw it more naturally?"
Pei Zhi took the pen, but instead of drawing it himself, he held her hand and made her hold the pen: "Draw the tail in one stroke, keep your wrist loose, don't use too much force."
His voice, warm and moist, whispered in her ear: "Look, start with the tiger's rump, slowly move backward, and lift it slightly at the tip of the tail to create a flowing effect."
He guided her hand across the fan, and the flowing ink lines gradually took shape, bringing the tiger's tail to life. Ye Wanning's ears suddenly turned red; the warmth of his palm, the heat from his breath, and the ticklish sensation made her heart race.
"Alright." Pei Zhi released his grip, looked at the fan and nodded in satisfaction: "It looks much better this way."
"It's all thanks to your teaching, otherwise I definitely wouldn't be able to draw well." Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little embarrassed.
Pei Zhi didn't speak, but picked up a brush and gently drew a begonia flower on the corner of the fan. The pale pink petals set off the dark tiger in an unexpectedly harmonious way: "This way, there's both a tiger and your favorite begonia."
He put down his pen and smiled: "The fan you give me should have something we both like."
Ye Wanning looked at the crabapple blossoms on the corner of the fan, feeling a warm glow in her heart. She took the fan to a ventilated place to dry, and after the ink had dried completely, she tied a light brown tassel to the handle.
Pei Zhi picked up the fan and gently fanned himself, the breeze carrying a faint scent of ink and crabapple blossoms. "It's really beautiful." He tucked the fan into his waistband, his eyes full of smiles. "Tomorrow at the military camp, I'll show it to Vice General Zhang and the others. This was painted by my wife."
Ye Wanning smiled and nodded, her heart filled with sweetness at his smug look.
The next day, Pei Zhi went to the military camp with the fan in tow, and told everyone he met, "This was painted by my wife, and it is more precious than any famous fan."
Later, Deputy General Zhang specifically told Ye Wanning, "Madam, the general carries that fan with him wherever he goes now. He even takes it out to fan himself during breaks from training, as if afraid that others won't know that it was painted by you."
Ye Wanning couldn't help but laugh when she heard this—it turned out that even such a composed person like him had a childlike side, and this childlike side was only shown in front of her.
The setting sun dyed the pond at the General's Mansion orange-red, and koi carp floated slowly on the surface, their tails occasionally brushing the water and splashing small water droplets.
Ye Wanning squatted by the pond, holding a bag of new fish food in her hand—she had bought it at the market, having heard that koi liked it, and wanted to give them a change of pace.
She grabbed a handful and gently sprinkled it into the water, but the koi only watched from afar, not swarming over to grab the food as usual. Ye Wanning was a little puzzled, so she sprinkled another handful, but still no one came near.
"Why aren't you eating? Don't you like it?" She couldn't help but frown.
“These fish are wary of strangers, so you have to feed them slowly when they are new.” Pei Zhi’s voice came from behind him. He had just returned from the military camp and came over when he saw her squatting by the pond.
He took the fish food, pinched a little with his fingertips, and gently sprinkled it on the surface of the water near the koi, his movements so light as if he were afraid of startling them: "Don't give them too much, and don't rush them. They'll come and eat once they get used to the smell."
Ye Wanning nodded and, imitating him, pinched some and slowly sprinkled it. Before long, a few bolder koi swam over and cautiously pecked at the food, and the others followed suit, making the pond lively.
Pei Zhi squatted down beside her, watching the koi fish scramble for food, and suddenly reached out to brush a willow leaf off her shoulder—a leaf had fallen onto her clothes earlier when the wind blew by.
“Look, that red one is the most lively.” Pei Zhi pointed to the red koi and laughed, “Just like Little Bean, it’s the most eager to grab food.”
Ye Wanning looked over and sure enough, she saw the red koi darting among the fish, snatching food quickly and nimbly: "It's so lifelike! Next time Xiaodouzi comes, let him see this 'Xiaodouzi Koi'." She couldn't help but laugh.
The two squatted by the pond, slowly scattering fish food. The koi were still swimming on the surface, probably not having had enough. The sun gradually sank, casting their shadows into the pond water, which swayed gently with the ripples, like a flowing painting.
"It's getting dark, and it's getting a bit chilly." Pei Zhi stood up and reached out to pull her up. "Let's go back, or you'll catch a cold."
Ye Wanning nodded, letting him lead her back. Holding his hand, watching their overlapping reflections in the pond, she felt incredibly at ease. She realized that even feeding the fish could be so heartwarming when he was there, on an ordinary evening.
After returning to the room, Pei Zhi poured her a cup of hot water: "Your legs must be sore from squatting for a while. Drink some water and rest for a bit."
The morning dew still clung to the leaves of the herb garden. Ye Wanning squatted by the herb rack, holding a handful of dried herbs in her hand, looking a little worried—perilla and mint looked so alike that she couldn't tell them apart even after trying for a long time.
The herbs in her hands were piled up in a mess, and the bamboo baskets used for sorting were almost all mixed up. "Is this perilla or mint?" She picked up a leaf and smelled it, only noticing a faint fragrance, but couldn't tell what it was.
Ye Wanning put the leaves back in the pile, feeling a little discouraged. She was worried: if these herbs were sorted incorrectly, it would be troublesome to use them later.
"Can't tell the difference?" Pei Zhi's voice came from behind him. He had just finished his morning exercise and saw her wandering around in the herb garden, so he came over.
Pei Zhi squatted down beside her, picked up a mint leaf from the pile of herbs, and held it to her nose: "Mint has a refreshing smell, smell it."
Ye Wanning leaned closer and inhaled gently, a cool sensation traveling from her nose to her throat. Pei Zhi then picked up a perilla leaf: "Perilla has a spicy aroma, unlike the taste of mint."
She smelled the perilla again; it had a different scent, a little spicy and warm, completely different from the coolness of mint. "So that's how it's classified!" Ye Wanning's eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed the herbs, carefully categorizing them one by one.
Pei Zhi didn't disturb her. He sat on the rock next to her, picked up a bundle of dried honeysuckle, and helped her arrange them into small bunches: "These herbs need to be tied up and hung up, otherwise they will get damp. I'll hang them under the eaves for you in a bit, where the ventilation is good."
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