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"Haaah... finally a bit of peace..." Letting out a blissful sigh, Jinshi stretched his arms a bit and leaned back, completely relaxed. His lips were curved into a satisfied smile. "It's so beautifully quiet here."
He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed in a room of the Verdigris-house in front of a small brazier where a kettle was standing, ready to be lit and produce cozy, pleasant warmth. But even without it, it was still quite warm in the room on that cold winter day.
"You should have rather stayed home, sir," Maomao said calmly, while sitting beside him and putting a basket full of tangerines on the floor. "It's really cold outside and a lot of snow has fallen during the night."
Jinshi puffed out his cheeks, pouting.
"And missed the opportunity to visit you and escape my work for a few hours? No way!" His expression showed her that he was ready to leave his residence in almost every weather to see her. (Not to mention that it had also been snowing while he had led the Imperial army to free her from the fortress of the Shi-Clan...)
"Whatever you say." She sighed and then directed her gaze at his face, taking a brief look at his scar as she always did during his visits. "There are no dark circles under your eyes, so I assume you have been sleeping better recently, right, Master Jinshi? I'm glad that you are heeding my advice."
Jinshi smiled.
"I certainly have. Though it's really not easy, considering how much work I have." He took one of the fruits from the basket and turned it around in his hand. "Say, what are you planning to do with so many tangerines?"
"I want to dry the peels and make tea out of them," the apothecary explained, taking the tangerine out of his hand and starting to peel it. "Tangerine peel tea is good for digestion, boosts the immune system, which is especially important in this weather, and helps with respiratory issues. Plus, it warms you from the inside."
Jinshi listened to her with interest and then sniffed the air in a way that would have earned him a scolding from his servants if they had seen him. Inhaling the pleasant tangerine smell that had started to spread.
"Ah, what a nice smell... so you only need the peels, huh? And what are you going to do with the tangerines themselves?"
"Eat them," she replied, shrugging. "The fruits themselves are pretty healthy as well. Here you go, Master Jinshi." She put the peels neatly on a flat, woven plate and handed the young noble the completely peeled fruit. "It's naturally way too much for me alone, so I will also give some to my sisters later."
"Thank you."
Jinshi took the tangerine and started to eat it, while watching Maomao peel a second and then a third one. There was silence for a few minutes.
"How about I help you out a bit, Maomao?" he finally suggested after having eaten his second one. "It would be a lot faster that way."
"If you want to, I don't mind, sir." The apothecary took the next tangerine out of the basket and gave him a little grin, placing the plate with the peels on the floor between the two of them. "But only if you know how to, of course." As it seemed, she was hinting at the fact that in his residence, Jinshi didn't even need to peel his own fruit since Suiren was always doing everything for him.
"Hey! Don't treat me like a child, would you?!" He poked her cheek with his index finger, but his smile revealed that he wasn't actually mad at her, but having quite some fun as well.
And thus, they started to peel the tangerines together. The amount of peels on the plate kept growing bigger and bigger.
Jinshi looked at the fruit he was holding in his hand, and his smile grew a bit wider. Apparently, an idea had occurred to him. He broke off a segment and held it out near Maomao's face.
"Here you go, Maomao, I've already eaten five of them and don't want to be the only one eating. Come on, open your mouth, yes?"
He was more than sure that he would receive nothing but a glare from her, but it was at least worth a try.
Yet to his huge surprise, the apothecary was so immersed into her peeling task (probably thinking about the preparation of the tea) that she did open her mouth, allowing him to place the tangerine segment inside it.
"Only two more and we'll be finished, sir," she said, chewing, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to be fed by him.
Jinshi was beside himself with joy. His cheeks turned red, and his eyes were shining.
"So we have indeed grown a bit closer recently, huh?..." he muttered so quietly that she didn't hear and shifted closer, putting his head on her shoulder. "I'm so happy..."
"First my lap and now my shoulder, eh? Are you alright, sir? Have you gotten tired after all?"
"Not my fault that you are so warm and comfortable. No, quite on the contrary! It's been a long time since I had so much energy as I do now!"
Next, he placed his chin on her head and took her hands that were still holding a tangerine.
"Is it because of the tangerines you have eaten?"