At the Third Watch, first quarter, twenty-four lotus lanterns hung within Dreamweaving House. Pei Hongxiu gazed in a daze at the newly woven Brocade of Amorous Knacks—amidst the intertwined lotus vines on the silk, abacus beads and an ivory comb were locked into a ring, while a little figurine of Huwa wielding a carving knife skipped at the heart of the flower. Xiao Moli’s calligraphy, reading "Perfect Match," was embroidered in gold thread, casting a soft glow in the candlelight.
"Is Boss Pei still satisfied?" Zhang Yifan’s abacus clattered from behind her, the Gilded Abacus Beads leaping between his fingers into the shape of a heart. "This brocade incorporates carved motifs from thirty-eight abacus beads, symbolizing..." He suddenly leaned in, his warm breath brushing the tip of her ear, "...thirty-eight impulses to kiss you."
"Scoundrel!" Pei Hongxiu’s ivory comb immediately pressed against his throat, yet the moment it touched his warm skin, her wrist helplessly went soft. Huwa hid behind the loom and snickered, carving a "throat-defying grimace" into the foot pedal, the abacus bead tongue licking the tip of the ivory comb.
Chapter 118