The howling wind swept the white sunlight, and the scene rushed westward.
Qi Huan persevered through her calligraphy practice until evening, finally producing some strokes with vigor.
"Barely passable," Li Shuchen released his grip and straightened up, rubbing his wrist, then said, "Persistence is key in calligraphy practice. We shall continue tomorrow."
"......"
Qi Huan choked, they would continue tomorrow?
Being taught by the handsome Li Shuchen was a sweet burden - she couldn't help but blush and her heart raced, secretly delighted, yet reluctant to study.
Gazing at Li Shuchen's elegant profile, she eventually nodded with difficulty.
At the tavern, she only needed to collect payments on time, leaving ample time to spend at the writing desk with Li Shuchen.
Gradually, as her grip steadied, Li Shuchen withdrew his guidance and had her copy from calligraphy manuals onto blank paper.
Engrossed in practice, time slipped away as the sun set.
Returning from Lu's Residence, Yan Qinghe and the others entered the courtyard to find a man and woman sitting together at a wooden table in the hall, practicing calligraphy.
"Qi Huan, you promised we'd make grass packs together, how could you study behind my back?" Yan Qinghe complained, yet couldn't help but praise, "...Tsk tsk, not bad at all. Qi Huan is indeed bright."
"Li Shuchen taught her well," Qi Huan replied.
As soon as the words left her lips, Xiu Wen's eyes lit up as he humbly sought advice, "Your Highness, how did you teach her?"
Xiu Wen was teaching calligraphy to Lu Yueming at Lu's Residence and could explain words and their meanings, but he was helpless when it came to the art of calligraphy itself.
He learned by imitating others' works and had Lu Yueming copy from famous calligraphers' manuals as well.
However, even though he gave her a manual of the delicate Xiu Hua's regular script, Lu Yueming's imitations looked like tangled scrawls, the strokes illegible.
Seeing Qi Huan's rapid progress, Xiu Wen couldn't help but admire, "Your Highness is indeed superior even as a teacher."
For the sake of his only student, Xiu Wen looked at Li Shuchen expectantly, awaiting his guidance.
"Nothing special, I just guided her hand."
"......" Xiu Wen hesitated, "Isn't that inappropriate? There's a distinction between men and women, wouldn't that be too forward?"
Qi Huan's eyes flickered, she knew this one!
She interjected, "Li Shuchen said there's no need for such formality between teacher and student."
Then she added her own opinion, "A teacher is a parent for life, just treat Lu Yueming like your own daughter when teaching her!"
"I stand corrected, I was narrow-minded."
Qi Huan didn't dwell on this little episode.
Until a few days later, when Lu Yueming came to confide in her again.
"Qi Huan, did you know?... Xiu Wen thought my writing was ugly, so he held my hand and taught me stroke by stroke. My heart was pounding so hard. He's different from any man I've met before. Though not a martial artist, he's very gentle. Being with him is like basking in spring's warmth.
When I couldn't learn, he didn't hit my palms like other tutors used to, but patiently explained again until I understood.
He always has a smiling face, as if without any worries in life... His smile has infected me too, my mother says my temper has improved a lot lately..."
Lu Yueming cupped her face, her eyes glistening as she reminisced about her time with Xiu Wen, an involuntary smile on her lips.
Seeing her girlish infatuation, Qi Huan reminded her sensibly, "...Xiu Wen is only fulfilling a tutor's duty. Lu Yueming, you should focus on your studies to honor his efforts."
"Mmhmm! I know... Xiu Wen says I've improved greatly."
Fearing Qi Huan wouldn't believe her, Lu Yueming dipped her finger in her teacup and traced the character "Ming" on the table with the water.
She urged eagerly, "Qi Huan, look! Can you recognize what character this is?"
The complex character for "Ming" was still "Ming," so of course Qi Huan recognized it, "It's 'Ming.'"
"Heheh, it seems I really have improved if my writing is legible!" Lu Yueming beamed.
"......" Qi Huan looked at her, at a loss for words.
She finally understood why they got along so well.
Learning was their common "enemy."
Best to change the subject, she enthusiastically recommended, "Lu Yueming, would you like to try our tavern's new dish - Bite-sized Crispy Pork?"
"Yes, yes!" Lu Yueming clapped excitedly.
Training martial arts drained a lot of her energy, so she ate heartily. At banquets, the other ladies only pecked at their food, not even enough to fill her teeth, while she stood out as unladylike and was mocked. But Qi Huan simply smiled as she dug in.
"Qi Huan, if this Bite-sized Crispy Pork is so delicious, why aren't you eating any?"
"I'm still in mourning, so I can't eat meat."
Understanding the reason, Lu Yueming didn't pry further. With her eyes shining, didn't all the meat dishes now belong to her?
As she was happily eating, the wooden door to the private room was suddenly kicked open.
Qi Huan turned to see an imposing middle-aged man storming in.
As the tavern's proprietress, she stood up and reminded him, "Esteemed sir, I think you may have entered the wrong room?"
"Get out of my way!"
Blocked from his path, the enraged Lu Baiian grabbed Qi Huan and flung her aside. She slammed against the door frame, her back immediately searing with pain.
She was wearing a newly made willow-green jacket and skirt today. Likely for aesthetic reasons, the tailor had only lined the inner layer with a thin padding of cotton. Elegant yet impractical - not only was it chillingly thin, it also turned out to be not impact-resistant.
The pain washed over her, beads of sweat forming on Qi Huan's forehead, but her eyes remained fixated on the intruder.
Lu Baiian overturned the table and grabbed Lu Yueming by her collar, looking like he wanted to tear her to pieces with his glare, "Did you write to your maternal grandfather to have me stripped of my rank?"
Exposed, Lu Yueming boldly admitted it.
She spat out the piece of crispy pork still in her mouth, splattering Lu Baiian's face, "Yes, so what? Are you going to kill your own daughter too?
......Oh, I almost forgot, Commander Lu still has a son from his concubine, so he won't lack an heir.
Look at my poor memory, Commander Lu is no longer a commander now, he probably has nothing left to pass on anyway.
I'm going to tell you, without my mother, you're nothing. You clung to my grandfather to gain power, yet you dared to mistreat his cherished granddaughter. Hahaha, I made sure all your efforts were in vain!"
"Wretched girl!"
Lu Baiian's bulging veins throbbed with rage as he raised his hand to strike, determined to shut her insolent mouth.
He put his full force into this slap. If it had landed on Lu Yueming's face, the marks would likely take over half a month to fade.
Qi Huan ignored the pain and shouted, "Li Shuchen!"
