After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 31.1
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Chapter 31: Uncomfortable Waist
As dusk envelops everything, the setting sun casts a glow on the pillow.
In the Hou Mansion, before the time for the evening meal, Huo Pingxiao returns to the mansion and heads straight to the study.
Through the loosely woven bamboo curtain, he sees Ruan An arranging pens, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk with her delicate hands.
The girl, with her black hair half-tied up, is wearing a soft, teal Luo skirt. Her eyes are gentle and sweet, her cheeks puffing slightly.
Just as Ze Lan is about to report to Ruan An inside, the man beside him raises his hand to stop her.
Huo Pingxiao, still in his ceremonial armor, barely moves his thin lips upward, suddenly taking an interest in the girl’s every move.
Unaware of the strangeness outside the study, Ruan An purses her lips slightly, her thick eyelashes fluttering constantly.
Something about the arrangement on the desk seems off.
She had fiddled with it many times, adjusting the two armchairs behind the desk.
Thinking whether it would be better for Huo Pingxiao to sit on the left or right.
Ruan An lowers her gaze, pondering again.
Maybe let him sit on the left?
But then, the inkstone would be a bit far, making grinding ink inconvenient.
As Ruan An contemplates the desk arrangement and is about to move the inkstone, a deep, magnetic voice suddenly drifts down from above her hair: “It’s just teaching a word, why so meticulous?”
Startled, she stiffens. Turning around, she meets Huo Pingxiao’s gaze under his fierce helmet, those deep eyes.
The warm evening light streams through the latticed windows, gradually spilling over his strong face, highlighting his handsome features.
His eyes on her carry a light, mild warmth. Her heart flutters uncontrollably under his gaze.
Ruan An blinks, trying to hide her unease.
She can’t help but think that Huo Pingxiao looks exceedingly handsome in his luxurious armor.
“Does the Marquis have time to teach me writing now?”
She asks timidly, immediately avoiding his gaze.
She still dares not look directly into his eyes.
“Yes.”
He replies lazily, stretching out his hand to pinch her earlobe, red as a cherry.
Her ears instantly turn redder, while the scales on Huo Pingxiao’s armor gently rub against each other with his movement.
Accompanied by a soft, grinding sound, Ruan An feels her loosely tied hair by the temples curling up with these faint noises.
Like feathers, they brush against her neck, tickling and tingling.
When he lets go, the warmth of his fingertips lingers on her earlobe.
Ruan An bashfully lowers her eyes, his deep, lazy voice drifting by her ear: “Wait for your husband to take off his armor, then I’ll come back to teach you.”
“Mhm.”
After a while, Huo Pingxiao changed into a dark-colored brocade robe and re-entered the study.
The man exuded the distinguished air of a noble, a prince or duke. After he sat down beside her, Ruan An glanced at him and observed Huo Pingxiao’s expression discreetly.
His brows and eyes were cold and stern, and his demeanor had become more serious.
Ruan An then withdrew her gaze.
Huo Pingxiao’s temperament was undoubtedly proud and unyielding, but he was, after all, a general in the military, known for his strict discipline.
He had said he would teach her to write, and his attitude became even more serious than hers.
The small patch of ink that Ruan An had previously ground had already dried. Just as she was about to pick up the ink stick to grind more, Huo Pingxiao took the inkstone in front of himself.
“Like this.”
His long, distinct-fingered hand quickly ground the ink, and he spoke in a faint voice, “Write a few characters first, let me see.”
The beauty of handwriting depends on the grip, the strength of the stroke, and the technique.
For someone like Ruan An, he had to start teaching her from how to hold the pen.
After listening, Ruan An nodded, dipped her brush in the ink, and began writing a few characters on the rice paper with lowered eyes.
Huo Pingxiao looked over as she wrote.
As he expected, when Ruan An held the brush, her slender, white index finger almost formed a triangle.
Yet, the young lady’s demeanor was extremely serious and focused.
Seeing this, Huo Pingxiao couldn’t help but chuckle softly and said in a low voice, “That’s not how you hold a pen.”
Ruan An’s hand trembled slightly. She was actually very nervous inside, but fortunately, Huo Pingxiao did not mock her too much.
The young lady gathered her unusual thoughts, determined to learn how to write well, and followed him earnestly.
Ruan An handed her brush to him and said softly, “Then you demonstrate.”
Huo Pingxiao slightly lowered his eyes, looked at her small hand stained with ink, and although he reached out his large hand to hold hers, he did not take the brush from her.
“Come here, I need to hold your hand to teach you.”
The man looked at her with clear and straightforward eyes, yet he had a serious demeanor, ready to teach her earnestly.
Ruan An nodded and stood up from her armchair, thinking of walking in front of him after he stood up, so he could teach her properly.
Unexpectedly, Huo Pingxiao lowered his lashes and motioned for her to look at his legs.
Ruan An didn’t understand his gesture and stood there, looking confused.
Huo Pingxiao glanced at her and drew out his words leisurely, “Sit on my lap.”
Ruan An’s cheeks buzzed, and she bit her lip, asking in a hesitant voice, “Can’t you stand up?”
Huo Pingxiao looked at her and firmly said one word: “No.”
Seeing the young lady’s embarrassment, the man explained, “It’s more convenient to teach you this way. You are much shorter than me; if we stand, my waist will be uncomfortable.”
My waist will be uncomfortable…
Ruan An muttered these words in her heart. After all, Huo Pingxiao was a military general, how could he easily strain his back?
He shouldn’t be so fragile…
But since the man had said so, she couldn’t refuse any further and had to let him stand and teach her.
“Alright then.”
Ruan An said this and walked over timidly.
After taking a deep breath and adjusting her uneven breathing, she sat shyly on his knee under the gaze of the man’s deep eyes.
As soon as she settled down, the man also smelled the sweet fragrance on her body. Huo Pingxiao leaned forward and gently grasped her small hand holding the pen.
“Don’t hook your wrist.”
He commanded in a low voice and patiently straightened her tightly clenched slender fingers.
The warm breath of the man gradually enveloped her, feeling the closeness between them, Ruan An was about to move her body forward.
But Huo Pingxiao suddenly pressed his other hand on her soft belly, pulling the girl closer to him.
Ruan An became anxious and was about to struggle, but Huo Pingxiao suddenly whispered close to her ear, “Concentrate.”
“If the cousin doesn’t learn to write properly, the brother won’t teach you.”
As if his warm breath brushed her eardrum, Ruan An closed her eyes tightly because of his words.
When she opened her eyes again, her face was as red as it could be.
How could she learn to write properly with Huo Pingxiao doing this?
He was so close…
He was really too, too bad!!!
After Ruan An moved to the mansion, her days were quite comfortable and easy. Every ten days, she only needed to go to the Gao family courtyard for morning tea and bring Huo Xi back to the mansion.
In less than half a month, her medical hall officially opened in Feng’an Square.
Huo Pingxiao originally wanted to open a clinic for her in the affluent Anren Alley, but Ruan An had her unique perspective on the business she was going to take over.
Noble families and wealthy households naturally prefer the world-renowned doctors’ group, descendants of which some become imperial physicians, and others inherit their family’s old brands, prescribing and treating patients in Chang’an City.
Although Ruan An had some fame among the common people, in the eyes of these noble families in Chang’an, she was just a traveling doctor without a specific school of medical heritage.
Moreover, there are always private matters in the inner houses, and each family has regular business with these old-branded medical halls, not wanting unfamiliar doctors to leak any information.
A newly opened medical hall like hers couldn’t attract business from these wealthy families.
Despite this, Ruan An had never belittled herself because of her identity as a traveling doctor.
Among the traveling doctors, there are those who deceive patients with witchcraft, but most of them, although jokingly called barefoot doctors by the people, have medical skills and unique remedies that have saved many ordinary people’s lives.
There are also benevolent traveling doctors who help the world without charging the poor.