Seeing Meng Xiaoyu flash a bright smile at the waiter, the temperature around Han Rushuang instantly dropped several degrees.
Her gaze towards the waiter grew even colder.
The waiter felt the surrounding air become even chillier.
Noticing Han Rushuang’s icy stare, he shivered involuntarily.
He couldn’t understand when he had offended this guest.
After thinking for a moment, the waiter glanced at Meng Xiaoyu again.
He thought to himself that this girl in purple, who was both pretty and adorable, was much better.
Not only did she smile at him, but she also kindly helped him set the table.
After setting the table, the waiter tidied up the tray.
He intended to tell Meng Xiaoyu and Han Rushuang that the meal was ready and to enjoy their food.
However, as soon as he looked up, he was stunned by Meng Xiaoyu’s sweet and lovely smile.
The words he had prepared got stuck in his throat, and he just stood there, staring blankly at her smile.
“Out,” Han Rushuang coldly uttered two words to the waiter, who was dazedly staring at Meng Xiaoyu.
Startled back to reality by Han Rushuang’s icy command, the waiter quickly apologized to both Han Rushuang and Meng Xiaoyu, nodding and bowing, before hurriedly leaving the room.
After the waiter left and closed the door, Han Rushuang pulled the starry-eyed Meng Xiaoyu, who was looking at the food, into her arms.
She then lowered her head and kissed Meng Xiaoyu’s lips, prying open her teeth to find her sweet, soft tongue and entangle with it.
Only when Meng Xiaoyu was almost out of breath did she release her lips.
“From now on, you’re not allowed to smile at anyone other than me and sister,” Han Rushuang said somewhat unreasonably, looking at the slightly panting Meng Xiaoyu in her arms.
After seeing her nod, Han Rushuang gently placed Meng Xiaoyu on her lap.
She then picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a small piece of fish, removed the bones, and brought it to Meng Xiaoyu’s mouth.
After Meng Xiaoyu opened her mouth and ate the fish, Han Rushuang took a bite of vegetables herself.
She then picked up some vegetables and brought them to Meng Xiaoyu’s mouth.
Only after Meng Xiaoyu opened her mouth and ate did she remove the chopsticks and take another bite herself.
Meng Xiaoyu was very puzzled and frustrated.
She didn’t understand why the usually cold and aloof sister Rushuang had suddenly changed.
Since she had confusedly agreed to be with both sister Rubing and sister Rushuang that afternoon, sister Rushuang seemed like a different person.
She not only kept smiling but was also very enthusiastic.
Now, she was holding Meng Xiaoyu on her lap, feeding her food, and not letting her leave.
If Meng Xiaoyu didn’t open her mouth to eat, Han Rushuang would just keep holding the food in front of her.
Meng Xiaoyu had just realized that she had agreed to be with the Han sisters in a daze.
She was initially shocked but then quickly accepted it.
She thought, “I like being with sister Rubing and sister Rushuang, so spending a lifetime together isn’t bad.”
Given Meng Xiaoyu’s straightforward personality, she quickly accepted the fact that she would spend her life with two women.
However, what puzzled and frustrated her was why her ice-cold sister Rushuang had suddenly disappeared.
Was this person, who was holding her tightly, sharing chopsticks, and feeding her with a smile, really her sister Rushuang?
Thinking of this, Meng Xiaoyu opened her mouth and swallowed the shrimp that Han Rushuang brought to her lips.
As she chewed, she continued to feel puzzled and frustrated.
This feeling lasted until Meng Xiaoyu finished her meal, took a bath, and finally lay in bed, snuggling into Han Rushuang’s arms to sleep.
—
At dawn, Meng Xiaoyu opened her eyes.
She didn’t understand why she woke up so early today.
But once awake, Meng Xiaoyu couldn’t fall back asleep.
She rolled around in bed a few times before getting up.
After dressing and washing up, she picked up the “Qingyue Sword” given to her by her old master and left the room.
Meng Xiaoyu planned to practice swordsmanship in the small courtyard behind the inn.
“Ah, what kind of lousy sword technique is this? No matter how I practice, it feels off, and it’s so hard to master. This difficult sword technique, and that old man said it’s the most basic entry-level technique. It’s ugly and hard to practice. I don’t want to practice it anymore.”
After practicing the entry-level sword technique taught by her old master for a while and feeling something was off, Meng Xiaoyu decided to stop and started complaining about how difficult and ugly the technique was.
After complaining for a while, Meng Xiaoyu seemed to think of something.
Her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, saying, “I’m so stupid! Why do I have to practice the old man’s sword technique? I can practice the Tai Chi Sword that grandpa taught me! Although the Tai Chi Sword looks slow and soft and has no attack power, it can strengthen the body! And the moves are much prettier. Most importantly, I’ve been practicing the Tai Chi Sword with grandpa since I was seven. I even practiced with him in the park the night before I crossed over.”
Thinking of her grandpa, Meng Xiaoyu started to feel homesick.
She had been in this world for almost three months.
She wondered how her parents and grandparents were doing.
Would they be sad because they couldn’t find her?
Thinking of her gentle father, nagging mother, and kind grandparents, Meng Xiaoyu couldn’t help but cry.
She missed home and her family so much.
After crying for a while, Meng Xiaoyu pulled herself together.
She wiped her tears, patted her face, and told herself, “Meng Xiaoyu, you have to be strong. You can’t cry. If your parents and grandparents knew you were like this, they would be even sadder. So you have to pull yourself together and stop crying. And don’t you still have to practice the ‘Tai Chi Sword’ that grandpa taught you? Grandpa said, ‘When practicing the Tai Chi Sword, you must have a peaceful mind and no other thoughts.'”
After thinking about it, Meng Xiaoyu organized her thoughts and calmed her emotions.
Fortunately, Meng Xiaoyu had a carefree nature; sadness came quickly but left just as fast.
So, she quickly adjusted her mood.
With her mind clear, Meng Xiaoyu gripped the “Qingyue Sword” and began practicing the Tai Chi Sword technique.
Since she had started learning Tai Chi Sword from her grandfather at the age of seven, the moves were deeply ingrained in her mind, becoming second nature.
After executing the first move, the second one followed naturally.
Then came the third, the fourth, each move seamlessly connecting to the next without interruption.
Unlike practicing the sword techniques taught by the old man, where she had to think about the next move after completing the first, Meng Xiaoyu smoothly performed the entire set of Tai Chi Sword techniques.
Her movements were fluid and continuous, without any pauses.
After finishing the Tai Chi Sword practice, Meng Xiaoyu felt pretty good.
So, she continued with Tai Chi Fist.
With a peaceful mind, she quickly got into the zone and noticed something.
Whether she was practicing Tai Chi Sword earlier or doing Tai Chi Fist now, she felt a warm current flowing slowly through her body.
It was a comfortable sensation, like soaking in a hot spring.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before when practicing Tai Chi with her grandfather.
At the same time, Meng Xiaoyu felt as if she had become one with the universe.
She seemed to hear the sound of wind rustling through leaves, water flowing in a stream, waves crashing on the shore, bees buzzing among flowers, birds singing on branches, and many other natural sounds she had heard before but never paid attention to.
So many sounds entered Meng Xiaoyu’s ears, yet they didn’t turn into noisy clamor.
Instead, they formed a beautiful symphony, with the entire universe and nature as the performers.
Meng Xiaoyu gradually became immersed in this grand symphony, entering a state of complete absorption.
