Chapter 82
As Wei Ling had predicted, Ting'er came to her early in the morning, accompanied by his wet nurse, Mama Tong, carrying a small box containing the four treasures of the study.
It was winter now, and fearing that the strong wind outside would chill him, Yining asked the maid to tidy up the warm room for him to use for studying.
There was a charcoal fire burning in the warm room, keeping it quite cozy. A light snow was falling outside, not too heavy, but the ground was covered with broken pearls and jade. The warm room felt more comfortable than outside.
Ting'er pursed his lips and took the pen with an unhappy look.
Yining sipped tea and supervised him writing. Ting'er, only five years old, couldn't even reach the ground with his legs, dangling in mid-air. Still young and immature, he couldn't hold the brush properly. After writing a few words, his attention wandered, sometimes grabbing the brush hanging on the pen holder, sometimes fiddling with the inkstone.
Yi Ning looked at it and said, "Ting'er, you must concentrate on practicing calligraphy." She felt that things had changed. In the past, Luo Shenyuan had supervised her calligraphy practice, and now there was a little kid supervising her as well.
Ting'er looked at her and said, "Aren't you drinking tea over there too?" He had beautiful eyes, large and with thick lashes. He put his brush down with a thud and said dissatisfiedly, "You drink tea while I practice calligraphy. Why is that? How beautiful is your calligraphy?"
This little devil is still not obedient. Yi Ning put down the tea and called Songzhi over to spread out the paper and grind the ink for her: "Come here, I will write for you."
She had no other words, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote neatly in the official script on the paper.
Ting'er saw that she was concentrating her energy and her handwriting was quite elegant and beautiful, just like his calligraphy. He looked at Yi Ning in a daze. Yi Ning thought his face was as pale as a bun, so she pinched it and asked with a smile: "My handwriting is beautiful, isn't it?"
When Ting Ge'er was pinched by her, his face turned slightly red and he took a step back: "You... who asked you to pinch me! I'm a man, you can't pinch my face!"
"You don't like it?" Yi Ning thought his blush was adorable and continued, "Then I won't pinch you. Don't run away, come here and I'll teach you how to use a brush."
Ting'er just refused to go over.
At this moment, someone quietly walked in and stood at the door of the greenhouse, a shadow blocking her light. Yi Ning looked up and saw Cheng Lang wearing a moon-white robe. His handsome face was like a beautiful jade, shining brightly in this icy winter day. He saw Yi Ning looking at him, and pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "Don't look at me like that. My uncle asked me to come here."
He was already a legitimate official in the Ministry of Personnel, a fifth-rank official. He wasn't some idle son of an aristocratic family with nothing to do.
Yining didn't have any other intentions. After calling him "Cousin Cheng Lang", she moved aside.
Cheng Lang sighed and said, "My cousin is really avoiding me like the plague." He had never been treated like this in his life.
Yi Ning hummed and said to him, "Cousin, you're too modest. You're far more terrifying than snakes and scorpions. I heard there was once a famous Qinhuai courtesan in the capital, renowned for her talent and beauty. My cousin spent a fortune on her, booking a private theater to listen to her music. But then he fell out of love with her and ignored her. This woman later threatened to disfigure you, but you didn't care about her either. But is this true?"
Yi Ning's tone wasn't exactly friendly, so Cheng Lang just laughed and said, "That's strange. They all started out so aloof and indifferent, but then they became desperate and persistent, which is really annoying. My cousin really misunderstood me. I didn't force her to do these things."
Yi Ning really disliked Cheng Lang's indifferent attitude towards others. Perhaps he had taught her that. She always wanted to care about him, otherwise she would not care about others.
Cheng Lang took a copybook and asked Ting'er to come over and practice. When Ting'er sat down, he caught a glimpse of the words written by Yi Ning next to him.
"Did you write this?" Cheng Lang raised his head and asked Yining.
Yi Ning nodded calmly. Cheng Lang smiled and said, "You must have been practicing calligraphy from someone else's copybook. Your handwriting looks familiar to me."
Cheng Lang is very intelligent and has a photographic memory for everything he sees.
Yi Ning had been using the calligraphy that Luo Shenyuan had written for her since she was little, so her handwriting was about 70% similar to his. Cheng Lang must have seen Luo Shenyuan's handwriting.
Cheng Lang had already taken the paper and carefully examined it. After reading it, he smiled and said, "This is the handwriting of your third brother Luo Shenyuan, right?"
Yi Ning found it incredible. He had been smart since childhood, but she had no idea Cheng Lang had reached this level. She asked him, "Have you seen Luo Shenyuan's handwriting?"
"I met him in the capital a few years ago." Cheng Lang put down the paper, looked at her and said, "It seems that he dotes on you."
No one would allow another person to have the same handwriting as his own, especially someone as smart and cautious as Luo Shenyuan.
Luo Yining knew that her third brother treated her well, but this was just her feeling. When someone else said it, it still felt a certain indescribable meaning. After she left Luo Shenyuan, she realized how much influence this person had on her, his words, actions, and even his way of thinking... She stood up and said, "You should teach Ting'er to write first."
Yi Ning stopped thinking about Luo Shenyuan. She missed him but couldn't see him. She went to the small kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to make some pumpkin pastries.
This dessert is her specialty. It's made by steaming sticky pumpkin mixed with glutinous rice flour, filling it with red bean paste and brown sugar, and then pan-frying it over low heat. It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a sweet, fragrant juice oozing out at the first bite. She came up with it when she was very young, and everyone loved it when she shared it with them, making it her signature dish. It's a treat for all ages.
Ting'er worked hard to practice calligraphy, so she planned to let him try it.
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