"I can do it myself."
Pei Ye set Little Cat down. In the time it took Li Xianfang to carry over one bucket, he had already brought three and poured them into the large pot on the stove. He had all but exhausted his Chi Flame earlier, after all, so he split a few logs instead.
Li Xianfang had meant to help him arrange them, but Pei Ye declined again. He hauled one up and brought the axe down, splitting it swiftly and cleanly.
Seeing how practiced his movements were, Li Xianfang crouched beside him and watched. "Young Hero Pei, you're actually so good at chores."
Pei Ye laughed. "What's that supposed to mean? Does splitting a bit of firewood even count as work?"
"Mm... I thought you'd never done things like this," Li Xianfang said. "I only just learned myself."
The axe did look as though it had been laid out for use. Pei Ye thought about it: there had been hot water these past two days, and there really was no one besides her to tend the fire. He turned to look at her. Since coming to Vermilion Mirror Hall, she had stopped wearing those long-sleeved, trailing dresses and changed into more practical clothes. Several blisters had formed on her hands and burst; now they were wrapped in two layers of white cloth.
"I used to do this all the time at home. Do you take me for some pampered young master?" Pei Ye said. "It didn't occur to me these past few days. Just call me for this sort of thing from now on. It's no trouble-oh, right, actually, there's no need anymore."
He looked at Li Xianfang and smiled. "Here's some firsthand news for you. Yu Sicheng and Yu Ziliang both died, just half an hour