"Achoo!"
"Here's a tissue."
"Euh, thank you, Senior Sister." sniffing, Zhu Na Ra grabbed the tissue with her free hand before honking into them. "Uh, this sucks…"
"Eh," I nodded. "Now copy these passages. And make sure to keep your handwriting neat this time."
Seated in a broken gazebo, I watched as water dripped down from the edges of tiled roofs as a reminder of last night's storm. The ground outside dark and moist as new life began to break through the surface.
On the surface of an old desk, a stack of paper sat in the middle as a thin layer used sheets of paper laid scattered around the gazebo floor, carelessly.
Since my junior sister had time to spare now since she sprained her ankle, I figured it would be a convenient time for Zhu Na Ran to catch up on late work, much to her chagrin.
Pouting, Zhu Na Ran set aside the tissue and picked up the brush once more, albeit with some reluctance.
"Why are you pouting? You wouldn't need to do this if you had done your work and attended class."
"Erm," her pout turned into a frown as she slowly wrote out each stroke. The character was crooked and disproportionate by the time she finished. Furrowing her brows at the wobbling character, Zhu Na Ran unceremoniously dropped the brush on the desk. Splattering ink onto the paper scattered with messy characters. "This is too difficult…"
"Sigh," this girl. Picking up the brush, I set back on its stand and picked up the page that she was working on.
On one side of the page, was a series of messy characters. The hand was too heavy as the paper was saturated in ink, merging the individual stroked into one giant ink blob. And others were too light resembling mere wisps of ink.
The page had already stamped on lines, and yet somehow, the characters began to grow wayward as Zhu Na Ran's patience grew thin.
Setting down the paper, I see my junior sister fuming with frustration and embarrassment as she fiddle with another brush.
Switching out the used sheet of paper, I set aside and replaced it as a fresh sheet, crisp and clean.
Standing up, I walked around the desk to stand behind her. "Here, let me help," sitting down behind her, I wrapped my right arm around to grab hers. Having her hold the pen, I correctly position her hand.
"You do it like this," slowly guiding her hand. Slowly the first character began to form and then the next. "Top to bottom left to right. Every individual stroke has its purpose and as does stroke order."
Soon enough, a whole sentence formed on the sheet of paper: "Even the tallest tower started from the ground."
Setting down the brush, I pulled back my hand, releasing her. "Do you understand?"
"Eh," Zhu Na Ran nodded as she looked down at the sentence. "I got it. All things can be accomplished one step at a time."
"Eh, that's right."
Peering over her shoulder, I see her hand slowly copying the sentence down the line. Although they were a bit shaky, it was a noticeable improvement compared to before.
"Good, keep practicing," patting her shoulder, I stood up and walked back into my original seat. Taking out my work, I began to work side by side with her as she slowly worked on her assignments. Occasionally stopping to help grind her ink or refill her teapot with fresh tea.
Although it was a bit of struggle for her, boredom would whittle down her attention.
However, slowly but surely, the large stack of work decreased to a few pages. And for that, I'm impressed by Zhu Na Ran's efforts and perseverance.
Perhaps last night put some sense into her.
"Senior Sister, can you check my work."
Setting down my book, I took hold of the pile of complete work. Looking down on the sheets of completed work, I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction.
The work itself wasn't perfect, some strokes were shaky and messy in some areas, but I could tell that she tried her best, evident by the amount of care she put in her work. "Eh, very good," nodding, I set down the pile of completed work. "You did well."
Zhu Na Ran's face suddenly bloomed in a smile. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"
"You're the one who did the work," I couldn't help but let a small smile come out from her infectious grin.
"Wah! I'm so tired," stretching her arms and legs; Zhu Na Ran stumped down against the desk, her head turned sideways towards the garden. "Gods, I've been working since morning, and my hand feels like falling off."
Massaging said hand, Zhu Na Ran yawned as she slid down on the ground, basking in the warm sunshine that came through. The warm light illuminated her face, and her brown hair gained a golden sheen to it.
"Even behind my eyelids, all I see is characters and rules," she mumbled as she used her arm to cover her eyes from the light.
Perhaps that would be a good thing for her, considering her tendency of impulsivity.
"Eh," setting down my book, I got to check a small pot that sat atop a temporary stove. I lifted the lid to check on the medicinal soup, I wrinkled my nose slightly at the strong medicinal odor, as I stirred the dark concoction.
It looks ready. However, I took note of the amount of soup left as most of it was gone. It seems that I would need to get more from Bao Ku Hall.
Although Yu Lan Peak was rich with spiritual herbs and plants, it lacked a decent amount of medicinal herbs. Therefore, I would need to visit the set pharmacy to get some more medication.
After killing the flame, its embers glowed as steam enveloped the black pot as I carefully set down the lid and grabbed the wooden bowl beside the pot.
Ladling some medicinal soup into it, I carried out to Zhu Na Ran and sat it down on the desk.
"Euh," Zhu Na Ran sat up, covering her nose as she cringed away from the bowl. "Do I have to drink it?"
"Do you want to get better?"
"Yeah," she nodded as she reluctantly dragged the bowl closer to her. She looked like a picky eater trying a new dish for the first time.
Though, from my time with her, she is anything but that.
"Erm," frowning, she picked up the bowl and brought it closer to her face, noticeably gagging at the smell.
I watched as she battled herself on whether or not to drink the concoction. "It's hot and bitter so be sure to drink it slow-"
In one go, Zhu Na Ran drank the entire soup.
Goodness.
"Blah! So bitter!" Slamming down the wooden bowl, Zhu Na Ran stuck her tongue out as she retched and gagged several times. "Bleugh, hot, hot, hot," fanning her tongue, she downed the rest of the lingering bitterness with a cup of cold tea. "Hah, ha, how could something be so bitter, ah."
This girl, why doesn't she listen to my warnings. "I told you to drink it slowly. Plus, bitter medicine is good for you. The more bitter, the more effective it is."
Hissing through her teeth, Zhu Na Ran attempted to cool down her burnt tongue.
Rubbing my brow, Zhu Na Ran began guzzling down the pot of cold tea. Tea dribbling down her chin as she carelessly drank, staining her shirt dark gray against her light gray clothing.
Once the pot was empty, she slammed the teapot back down on the desk as she wiped her chin with her sleeve. "Bleugh, even now, I still feel the bitterness with every part of my body," her body visibly trembling after drinking the medicinal brew.
"Here, have some malt candy," taking out a small bundle, I unwrapped it to display the little white pearls of sugar. "It should combat bitterness."
Grabbing a few pieces, Zhu Na Ran threw them into her mouth. Instantaneously her expression changed.
"Wah! So sweet," her eyes became like crescents as she gleefully savored the candy.
The corners of my mouth twitched as I watched her eat and a few more pieces. "Don't overeat. You'll hurt your stomach."
"I won't," she smiled and grabbed a few more pieces before throwing them into her mouth. "Ah, I wonder how Xiao Niao is holding up."
"Xiao Niao?"
"Yeah," Zhu Na Ran nodded. "My bird child that I've taken under my wing. Ah, Xiao Niao was so pitiful when I first saw it—lying half-dead off the side of the road. And now, after a week of intensive care, Xiao Niao should be able to fly soon!
I'll take you to see Xiao Niao later, Senior Sister. Xiao Niao is a very well behaved kid. Well, Xiao Niao can be a little sassy at times, but crows know how to repay their debts."
"Alright, but I don't think we can go anytime soon."
"Ah? Why?"
"Have you forgotten your injury," nodding towards her the wrapped up ankle. "You're not supposed to put too much weight onto it. You'll only slow down your healing time."
"Wah? This little thing? I can handle it," to prove her point, she stood up and shook her legs for effect. "See? Perfectly capable of walking" and started to walk around.
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fi-" Suddenly, Zhu Na Ran's injured ankle seized, and she started tumbling forward.
"Be careful-oof!"
"Ahh," hissing in pain, the back of my head throbbed after slamming into the floor. Yet, the pain quickly numbed as I realized that there was pressure on my chest.
"Ugh," Zhu Na Ran groaned as she laid on my chest. She slowly rose and rubbed her head as her eyes squeezed shut in pain before slowly opening up. "Oh f*ck!" Scurring back, Zhu Na Ran covered her face with her hand as the tips of her ears grew pink. "I'm so sorry, Senior Sister! Let me help."
I felt her hands roaming my chest before I pushed her away. "Stop, stop! Just stop!" My face burned even further as I gripped the front of my shirt.
"Hah, sorry, Senior Sister," Zhu Na Ran meekly apologized as she awkwardly looked away.
I fixed my clothes as mortification added heat to my embarrassment. "Forget it…"
"What, what was that, Senior Sister?"
"Forget about going outside. You're going to stay here until you recover."
"Wah! Wa-wait! Senior Sister, what about Xiao Niao?!? Senior Sister!"