Also... a snowball fight?
The lady wouldnât fight with her husband, but... she was indeed a bit interested.
Yun Qian bent down and seized a handful of snow, closed her eyes, gathered her strength for a full half-minute, then when she opened her eyes again, a snowy white ball appeared in her hand, looking soft and fluffy like a pastry, lightly pressing on it would leave a fingerprint.
This was the snowball Yun Qian made.
Thinking about it, hitting someone with it wouldnât hurt, just like her, soft and gentle.
Yun Qian walked to Xu Changâanâs back.
"Miss, wait a moment." Xu Changâan said upon feeling Yun Qian approaching, "Iâll clear the path and smooth out the accumulated snow, so later it would be convenient for you to build a snowman... ah..."
Xu Changâan had just said half of a sentence when he felt a cluster of snowflakes hit the back of his head, the residual snowflakes entering his neck, sending a chill through him.
Xu Changâan: "..."
He felt the snowflakes melting on his back and slowly turned around, meeting Miss Yunâs moist and clear eyes.
"Miss, what are you doing?" Xu Changâan chuckled, tossed aside the shovel in his hand, and approached her.
"I wanted to try it." Yun Qian said, then saw Xu Changâan lean closer; in the span of a sentence his forehead almost touched her cheek.
"Try it? Something from a book again?"
"Hmm."
"Never mind, it doesnât matter where you read it." Xu Changâan bent down, picked up a clump of snowflakes, "Can I interpret this as a provocation from you?"
"Eh..." Yun Qian was stunned for a moment, looking at Xu Changâanâs smile that spilled out like that of a mischievous person, dumbfounded.
It seemed... somewhat different from what she imagined.
Xu Changâan seemed quite interested.
"Iâm afraid of the cold." Yun Qian gently stepped back, clutching her collar tightly.
"I know, the lady values reciprocity more than anything." Xu Changâan squinted his eyes: "I gave her spiritual power for protection, even if itâs a bit cold, she wonât catch a coldâa rare opportunity... heh."
"..."
Yun Qian hadnât said anything yet when she saw Xu Changâan had already started to pile up snowballs, and unlike her soft and weak efforts, Xu Changâan simply rubbed his hands together and a solid snowball appeared.
Immediately, Xu Changâan threw the snowball on the ground to roll, circling around Yun Qian, then picked it up... it was a snowball bigger than the ladyâs head.
"This..." Yun Qianâs eyelashes fluttered.
Is he going to throw this snowball at her?
Yun Qian rarely had a feeling of wanting to retreat.
Maybe she shouldnât have thrown that snowball?
"Go." Xu Changâan gently tossed, and the snowball rolled a very short distance before falling to the ground, then rolled all the way to the edge of Yun Qianâs dress.
He pinched his thumb and forefinger together, making a snapping motion.
"Boom."
A small muffled sound.
The snowball instantly exploded.
Yun Qian stepped back slightly, but still some snowflakes splashed onto her neck, melting into water while taking away warmth, causing Yun Qian to shiver slightly.
But a tiny bit of cold didnât matter anymore.
"Is this... my room?" Yun Qianâs beautiful eyes stared at the snow sculpture left at the original spot after the snowball explodedâit was none other than her boudoir on the island, extremely lifelike with the bed, dressing table, and wardrobe.
"No, itâs our room." Xu Changâan reminded Yun Qian, then reached out to wipe away the snow from Yun Qianâs neck, shaking his head: "Sadly, itâs made with spiritual power. My method isnât skillful enough; if I carved it by hand, it would surely be better."
"Itâs already very good." Yun Qian squatted down, reaching out to touch the snow sculpture on the ground but hesitated, afraid of ruining the shape of the room, "I thought... that was a snowball meant to be thrown at me."
"I have to be willing." Xu Changâan shrugged.
The lady was "heartless," so he couldnât be "unrighteous."
Even if he had protected Yun Qian from catching a cold with Spiritual Qi, he wouldnât throw a snowball at her. You know, he insisted on Yun Qian wearing gloves just to build a snowman.
"I... also canât bear to." Yun Qian nodded, thinking that her husbandâs handiwork, such a beautiful room... would be a waste throwing it at her.
Squandering treasures would surely bring down thunderbolts.
"Miss, the kind of willingness I mentionedâis it the same thing as yours?" Xu Changâan covered his face.
"Perhaps?" Yun Qian blinked.
"Whatever it is, never mind. Miss, try making a snowman; itâs probably just a big ball with a small ball stacked on top. Iâve drawn it before, you should remember." Xu Changâan finished speaking, placed the snowman-building tools aside, then picked up the shovel on one side, starting to shovel snow.
Speaking of which, shoveling snow was quite interesting, watching the layers of accumulated snow being cleared away brought a strange sense of satisfaction.
He didnât avoid working with Yun Qian, he simply looked forward to seeing what the lady would come up with if he didnât guide her from the side.
"Iâll try." Yun Qian mimicked Xu Changâanâs style, starting to roll snowballs and then rolling them on the ground.
ââ
A long time later.
When Xu Changâan walked over with a shovel from a distance, he saw Yun Qian standing, staring at the snowman in front of her.
Xu Changâan looked at the outright disproportioned, not even spherical "snowman," unable to resist the twitching of his eye.
"How is it?" Yun Qian turned around and asked Xu Changâan.
"Itâs really... cute." Xu Changâan said.
"Cute?" Yun Qian heard this, scrutinizing this un-humanoid, indescribable plaything in front of her, as if feeling a bit confused: "Is it really cute?"
The lady suddenly was not very happy.
Because he sometimes said she was cute too.
Could it be that her husbandâs definition of cute was so casual?
"Cute... adorably ugly." Xu Changâan said earnestly, "Comparing with the clay figures youâve made before, this time shows great progress; at least it can be seen as a person, right? Look at the snowmanâs head, bald, so much like a monk."
Remember last time Yun Qian crouched in the muddy water making mud dolls, those were downright uglyânot just bad looking, didnât even resemble humans, with arms molded like tentacles.
This time at least showed improvement.
However, as Xu Changâan finished speaking, he realized.
Last time making mud dolls was in a dream.
Not something that truly happened.
"Am I making progress? Hmm." Yun Qian didnât think too much, nodded, looked at her pale fingers: "I... am not good at this."
She wished she had Nuwaâs skills.
Could mold beautiful creatures, never needing to worry about being without daughters then.
Right now...
What she molded, Xu Changâan hadnât considered a monstrosity that needed slaying with a sword, which was his tolerance.
"Honestly not great. If Miss were in my hometown, craftsmanship class would definitely score negatively." Xu Changâan laughed: "You also mentioned wanting to learn cooking from me..."
What kind of dark culinary creations would result from all this?
Xu Changâan dared not imagine.
"Sure enough, it doesnât look good, does it." Yun Qian looked at the snowman.
"Itâs not about looking good or bad, it... I can only say adorably ugly, with great style." Xu Changâan said with difficulty: "Lifelike, hmm, lifelike, see the fingerprints you left for eyesâit even almost looks alive."
Of course, he liked it very much.
If not in a dream, Xu Changâan would surely find a way to preserve this snowman so when in a bad mood later, he could glance at it for a sure laugh.
"Lifelike..." Yun Qian upon hearing this looked at Xu Changâan and said: "Do you see it also like itâs alive?"
Also?
Alive?
Xu Changâan didnât fully understand, but he knew the lady didnât grasp subtle speech, so he said: "Iâm just joking, honestly speaking itâs not that good looking, later Iâll teach you to make a beautiful one."
"I understand." Yun Qian nodded, watching the snowmanâs head, those gradually falling pitch-black streaks.
Seeing the "snowman" staring back with black-hole eyes flashing with eerie brillianceâa horrifying phantom or nightmare, reflecting in the snow brightly with a strange hue.
"Indeed." Yun Qian lifted her skirt.
Her husbandâs words reminded her to be mindful when crafting these things herself.
Yun Qian picked up the shovel from the roadside and chopped off the snowmanâs head.