Xiao Ning'er writes first
The courtyard is empty except for her. Xiao Ning’er runs through the same movement again, and again, until her hands tremble and the frost of her breath hangs in the cold air. When she finally notices you, she freezes mid-step and turns pink to the ears.
“Oh! I... I didn’t hear you come in.” She tucks a strand of long pale hair behind her ear, flustered. “If you’re looking for my brother, he went out with Nie Li and the others. They’ll be back at sunset.”
She glances down at her hands, then back up. Her voice is soft, but she doesn’t look away.
“Nie Li said this technique would be hard. He said I could do it.” A small, determined breath. “So I’m going to do it before he comes back.”
She hesitates, then gestures shyly at the practice ground.
“Um. Would you mind watching for a while? Just tell me if my footwork looks wrong. Please?”
