He spoke with a hint of self-deprecation, “What’s so impressive about that?”

“Like you right now. Even if your right hand is injured, you can still eat with your left hand without needing anyone’s help,”

Jiang Yanyi remarked, feeling that he had a touch of self-indulgence. “When copying books, if you wrote with both hands, wouldn’t it save half the time?”

Thinking back to her previous life as a student, where her language teacher had demanded she copy various ancient poems, she recalled how, if she had been able to write with both hands, she wouldn’t have suffered from hand cramps while doing homework.

Feng Shuo looked at Jiang Yanyi, and the discrimination and ridicule he faced as a left-handed person seemed to fade away, replaced by a glimmer of warmth that illuminated the dark clouds in his heart.

He held the chopsticks, and in a cryptic manner, said, “You don’t know that those born left-handed are said to have bad fortune?”

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself that superstitions really could cause harm.

She raised an eyebrow at him, “You actually believe that kind of thing?”

Feng Shuo took a sip of soup, the rich, fragrant broth warming him all the way to his stomach.

The cold memories seemed to dissipate with this warmth. “I don’t.”

Seeing him drink the soup, Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, “Eat more of the pig trotter; it’s good for you.”

Feng Shuo paused, then switched to a pair of communal chopsticks and offered her a piece of the pig trotter with both skin and meat.

Jiang Yanyi waved her hand, “I already ate before coming here.”

No wonder she was so late.

Feng Shuo didn’t withdraw his hand, holding it up, “Next time, you can come here to eat.”

As he spoke, he brought the chopsticks closer to her lips, “It’s communal chopsticks.”

Even though there was a month-long period, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t figure out what stage they were at.

Using communal chopsticks felt both formal and pretentious, and after hesitating for a moment, she accepted the piece of pig trotter.

Feng Shuo glanced at her feet and said softly, “You should also eat more to nourish yourself.”

Jiang Yanyi: “…”

This romance was becoming impossible!

After that, no matter what Feng Shuo said, Jiang Yanyi ignored him and picked up the military book he had left on the table to read.

However, he was reading a military treatise, and after just two lines, Jiang Yanyi found her head spinning.

She quickly bookmarked it and put it back.

Feng Shuo noticed and said, “There are some books in the bookshelf over there. You can take a look and see if you find something you like.”

His bookshelf contained many rare books that were worth a fortune outside.

Jiang Yanyi had no idea about this, but guessing that Feng Shuo would take some time to finish his bowl of soup, she stood up and headed to the bookshelf.

The books were arranged neatly on the shelves, and Jiang Yanyi realized that there were hardly any new titles; clearly, these were not mere decorations but were often read.

After searching for a while, she finally found a travelogue by a poet from a previous dynasty among a sea of military strategies.

Flipping through a few pages, she discovered it contained descriptions of local customs and cuisine from different places, instantly piquing her interest.

She took it back and sat cross-legged on the mat by the window, engrossed in reading.

The daylight filtered through the gauzy window, and she sat there with her legs crossed, resting her elbow on the low table.

One hand supported her chin while the other traced the edge of the pages, her fingers pale against the yellowed paper, creating an indescribable contrast.

Her loose hair was tucked behind her ear, revealing a delicate face.

In a moment of tranquility, perhaps amused by something interesting in the book, her lips curved upward in a smile, her eyes sparkling like the rippling surface of a lake in early spring.

After finishing his bowl of soup, Feng Shuo glanced up and was greeted by this enchanting scene.

He watched her quietly, reluctant to break the beauty of the moment with his voice.

Jiang Yanyi sensed his gaze and turned her head, her smile still lingering on her face. “Finished eating?”

“Yeah,” Feng Shuo replied casually, then suddenly asked, “When do you plan to tell your uncle about us?”

“Ah?”

Jiang Yanyi’s serene expression instantly morphed into one of panic, and the book she was holding fell to the floor.

Feng Shuo frowned as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Jiang Yanyi said hurriedly, picking up a book that had fallen to the ground.

Feng Shuo pierced right through her nervousness. “What are you afraid of?”

Jiang Yanyi’s face scrunched up as if she had just bitten into a steamed bun.

Just as she was about to respond, she heard a few faint meows coming from outside the house.

The words she had wanted to say transformed into, “Is there a cat in the house?”

Feng Shuo replied, “No. It’s probably because the weather has turned cold recently, and the heating system has been turned on in the house. Nearby wild cats have come to seek warmth.”

At night, the kitchen in the Feng residence was locked up, and the servants usually kept it very clean, so there were no mice.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager didn’t like cats, which was why there was usually not a single trace of cat hair to be found in the household.

Upon hearing the meowing, Feng Shuo felt a hint of curiosity as well.

Jiang Yanyi listened closely to the sound of the meows and thought they sounded quite young.

There were likely a few kittens out there. She said, “I’ll go take a look.”

Following the sound, she pushed aside the bamboo fronds outside Feng Shuo’s room and discovered a nest of newborn kittens near the heating wall.

There appeared to be about four or five of them, in colors of white, orange, and mottled patterns, all still with their eyes closed.

The mother cat was not around, and the kittens seemed to be hungry, huddled together with their eyes shut, tilting their heads up and mewing pitifully.

Underneath them were only a few fallen bamboo leaves, providing almost no warmth.

They relied solely on the heat from the underground system to warm this area.

The overhanging eaves sheltered them, and the bamboo fronds blocked the wind, allowing the kittens to survive.

Feng Shuo, wearing a thick cloak, followed Jiang Yanyi and, upon seeing the nest of kittens, frowned slightly. “Where did this nest of kittens come from? Where’s their mother?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “She must have gone out to find food.”

She looked anxiously at the sparse top of the bamboo fronds and said, “If it snows, these kittens won’t survive here.”

Feng Shuo shot her a glance. “You want to keep them?”

Jiang Yanyi nodded, her expression a bit eager as she looked at Feng Shuo. “I don’t have a heating system at my place. If I move the kittens over, they won’t freeze to death. Plus, if the mother cat comes back and can’t find her kittens, they won’t have any food. Can I keep them here for now?”

Feng Shuo raised an eyebrow. “This place can be borrowed to keep these little creatures, but I don’t have the time to feed them.”

Jiang Yanyi immediately replied, “I’ll come over to feed them every day!”

The kittens would still need the mother cat for milk, so she could simply bring some food for the mother.

The thought that all the kittens might survive and that she would have many cats to pet made Jiang Yanyi’s face light up with joy.

Feng Shuo heard her say she would come to feed the cats every day and subtly curved his lips. “Fine.”

Jiang Yanyi squatted among the bamboo fronds and gently stroked one of the cream-colored kittens.

The kitten, with its eyes still closed, lifted its head and mewed loudly, its mouth and nose pink, with tiny ears pressed flat against its head, barely covered in a thin layer of fluff.

Jiang Yanyi’s heart melted, and she gently patted its head with her fingertip.

Seeing this, Feng Shuo pondered, “Do you like cats?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “Who wouldn’t like such adorable little creatures?”

She withdrew her hand and crawled out from the bamboo fronds. “I’ll go back and find some warm old clothes to make a nest for them.”

Feng Shuo stopped her. “Do you have any old clothes?”

That question caught Jiang Yanyi off guard.

She and Qiu Kui had just bought new clothes after leaving the military camp; they didn’t have any old clothes.

Even their bedding was new, and it would be a little painful to cut up anything for the kittens.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi’s conflicted expression as she struggled to answer, Feng Shuo said, “I have some old clothes in my room.”

He handed her an old cotton robe, which was very warm inside.

Jiang Yanyi crawled back into the bamboo thicket, laid the robe down in the kittens’ nest, and when she came out, her hair got caught on a bamboo branch, causing a slight mess.