After the Rain, the Empty Mountain
Wang Yue guided Xu Hongdou's hand as she ground the ink. Before long, her cheeks had turned red. Remembering that Chen Nanxing was watching, she hurriedly pushed Wang Yue away, picked up the inkstone, and tried to imitate his movements, grinding the ink with a semblance of skill.
After a while, she realized that not only Chen Nanxing but Wang Yue was watching her, too. A little flustered, she put on a cheerful front so they wouldn't notice how she felt. "Do you think I look like a refined young lady from ancient times? Nanxing, want to give it a try?"
Chen Nanxing had been enjoying the peaceful mood, but Xu Hongdou's words ruined it completely. She knew her best friend was embarrassed, so she stuck out her tongue and pretended to be offended. "As if I'd do that! Don't think I don't know what you mean. You two are going to be reading together by candlelight, with me playing the maid who serves you, right?"
Xu Hongdou had only been joking. Now that Chen Nanxing had seen through her, she shook her head firmly, refusing to admit it. Putting on an aggrieved look, she said, "If you don't want to try it, fine. I think it's pretty interesting. I wonder if scholars' wives in ancient times all ground ink for them."
Seeing that the two friends were about to start bickering, Wang Yue tactfully went to fetch some quick-drying paper for writing. By the time their teasing had begun, he had already laid the sheets out.
Listening to them, he hadn't expected Xu Hongdou to be so mischievous. Joining in, he said, "Then I'll trouble my lady to grind the ink while I copy out that marvelous book for her to admire. Nanxing,