New Year should bring a new atmosphere.
On the day before the New Year, that is, on New Year's Eve,
Wu Yingxue, as usual, practiced the Azure Dragon Aura alone, observing the heavens and earth to comprehend the profound principles, and swung her spear to practice various spear techniques.
After finishing her martial training,
she habitually wanted to head to the center of Pingshui County, to Xu Xi's residence.
Was there something she needed to do?
Not really.
The girl simply felt that other activities were too dull, far less interesting than staying by her teacher's side, listening to his amusing little stories, or helping him handle administrative affairs.
"Huh, what's this...?" Just as she took a step forward, Wu Yingxue noticed something amiss.
The red and white robe she was wearing, along with the exquisite light armor over it, had somehow developed small cracks and numerous tears.
Suddenly, the girl recalled the phrase, "New Year, new atmosphere."
Before the Dingyuan Prince's Mansion was purged,
as a princess, she had an endless supply of clothes every year. During festivals, she would always be dressed in splendid attire, never in torn garments.
But times had changed.
She was no longer a princess.
Moreover, she had little interest in dressing up.
However, since it was the once-a-year New Year's Eve, it wouldn't be appropriate to visit her teacher in such tattered clothes.
"Let's find someone to mend it," Wu Yingxue thought.
She acted quickly.
With a leap, she jumped onto the rooftops, light as a bird, swiftly gliding over the houses toward her destination.
When she stopped, she found herself in front of a group of women busy with needlework.
They were either someone's mother or someone's wife.
Not skilled in combat,
naturally gentle,
yet eager to contribute to the survival of the army.
Thus, they were gathered by Xu Xi's faction to handle simple tasks.
"Little Master Wu?" someone asked, noticing her arrival and inquiring about her purpose.
The girl didn't hide her intentions, honestly pointing to her clothes and saying she wanted someone to mend them. She didn't need anything fancy, just to patch up the holes.
Such a simple request
was naturally fulfilled.
The women enthusiastically took on the task.
But what happened next completely surprised the girl. The women pushed her from behind, forcing her into a room.
"Little Master Wu is planning to visit Grand Master Xu, right?"
"We understand, we understand."
"We'll patch up the tears, but for today, Little Master Wu should change into a new set of clothes."
Wu Yingxue widened her eyes: "Huh!?"
The sudden turn of events was beyond the girl's expectations. She had no idea what was happening. When she stepped out of the room again, her clothes had been completely changed.
No longer the valiant red and white martial attire,
nor the striking light armor.
Instead, she was now wearing a simple, pale green dress.
The skirt rippled like lake water, showing the shape of the wind, smooth and flowing. A dark sash tied tightly at her waist, with both ends hanging equally long.
The exquisite cloud-patterned fabric,
the swaying flower in her hair.
As the girl walked, she seemed to step out of a painting, graceful and delicate, completely unlike her usual bold and straightforward self.
The clothes were beautiful, the accessories were beautiful, but what truly showcased this beauty was the girl herself.
"Is this... really me?"
Wu Yingxue was bewildered.
Looking at herself in a bronze mirror brought by someone, she couldn't help but feel astonished.
In her memories, while living in the Dingyuan Prince's Mansion, she had worn such dresses before, though not often.
But in her memories,
none of those times had she looked as beautiful as she did now.
Could it be...
that this was what the elders in the mansion often called, "A girl changes eighteen times as she grows"?
The girl fell into deep thought, utterly amazed.
"It feels a bit restrictive, but there's no other choice."
After the initial shock, Wu Yingxue frowned slightly, tugging at her sleeves and collar.
Accustomed to fighting in martial attire, she found the long dress rather inconvenient. No matter what she did, it didn't feel as free as usual.
However,
this was the only option.
On New Year's Eve, if she were to wear her old, tattered martial attire, even she would feel embarrassed.
"I hope Teacher won't find it unattractive..."
Muttering to herself,
the girl instinctively wanted to leap onto the rooftops but then remembered her changed attire.
Running across rooftops in a long dress would be too conspicuous.
After some thought, the girl chose to walk properly, under the curious gazes of passersby, heading toward the county center's official residence in her new dress.
That place, originally the workplace and residence of county officials,
had now become Xu Xi's office and storage area.
The official residence was spacious.
For Xu Xi to live there alone would be a waste of space.
But people were reluctant to disturb him, afraid of interrupting his administrative work or martial training. Thus, Xu Xi was forced to live there alone.
Others, including Wu Yingxue, lived in much smaller spaces.
Xu Xi didn't want to be the only one enjoying such privileges.
So, he converted the official residence into a storage area, using most of the space to store items, leaving only a small portion for work and rest.
"Teacher has been acting more foolish lately, not knowing how to take care of himself."
Muttering such words,
Wu Yingxue skillfully navigated through the cluttered storage areas, weaving through narrow paths, and finally arrived at Xu Xi's door.
She reached out to open the door,
but her hand froze mid-air.
Now dressed in the pale green dress, she stood quietly in front of the door, hesitating. After a while, she began to gently adjust her hair.
The strands of hair on her forehead were fiddled with, now to the left, now to the right.
Was it too messy?
She pondered this, repeatedly and tirelessly adjusting her hair, repositioning the hairpin holding her long locks.
Her slender fingers pinched the collar of her dress, meticulously smoothing it out, even though it was already quite tidy.
What else was missing?
The girl thought deeply. Her usual style was bold and straightforward. Would dressing like this today make her teacher find her strange?
Hmm, maybe pulling up the sleeves a bit...
would make her appear less delicate.
But since her usual style was so different, perhaps changing it up occasionally might make her teacher think it was nice?
The girl was caught in endless deliberation, hesitating over unnecessary details for a long time.
Finally,
Wu Yingxue took a deep breath and patted her cheeks.
Summoning her courage, she opened the door,
pretending to be nonchalant as she entered the room.
"Teacher, I'm here."
The room was silent, with no response, and no sign of the person she had hoped to see. Only a pile of administrative documents awaited on the desk.
Indeed, Xu Xi was not in the room.
"Huh!?"
The girl blinked.
If Xu Xi wasn't here, then all her earlier hesitation had been for nothing.
"I've done something foolish..."
Wu Yingxue wanted to punch herself but decided against it because it would hurt.
She walked over to Xu Xi's desk, sat down, and began handling administrative tasks, both to ease his burden and to wait for his return.