The sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, brushed past the ears of the two.
Hearing Shenhe's follow-up question, Lovia thought about it carefully.
"A thank-you gift is given to thank someone for what they've done for you, while an apology gift is given to apologize for something you've done wrong." Lovia tried her best to explain, her voice gradually softening, "Besides, just now... you didn't do anything wrong."
Shenhe fell silent for a moment, the sea breeze blowing a few silver strands of hair across her forehead.
"This is different from what Master told me." She lifted her eyes, her clear pupils reflecting the shimmering surface of the sea, "Master said the word 'Xie' can express both gratitude and apology."
Lovia was slightly taken aback; she hadn't thought much of it just now. It seemed that the 'Xie' Shenhe spoke of was used in its Classical Chinese sense? Cloud Retainer teaches Classical Chinese?
Her face immediately flushed red again.
Oh heavens, how embarrassing... Sure enough, Shenhe looked into the distance and continued: "When Master taught me to read, he said the original meaning of 'Xie' was to bid farewell or decline, and it was only later extended to mean apology and gratitude. Like the tide receding, it is both a farewell to the shore sand and a thank-you for the encounter."
The small tail behind Lovia twitched uncomfortably, "...I see, I was wrong. So... should I say 'thank you' now, or 'I'm sorry'?"
Shenhe tilted her head slightly, the sea breeze blowing her hair into a bit of a mess.
"Neither of us is wrong; we simply have different understandings of the meaning," Shenhe said. "Naturally, whichever one it is, I accept it."
Then, she gave a slight nod: "Then this ice crystal, by your understanding, is an apology gift."
The two had gone in a big circle, and in the end, Shenhe still insisted on giving it. Lovia was dazed by the logic and hurriedly shook her head, raising her hand to try and return the ice crystal: "No, no, no, no need for an apology gift! No need for an apology either! I'm the one who should be apologizing!"
"It's all my fault..." Lovia whispered, feeling her cheeks burning.
She was too timid and socially anxious, causing someone else to apologize out of shock because of her, and even getting the other person's meaning wrong... Moreover, facing such a sincere (and somewhat direct) Shenhe, her previous panic about 'dropping her persona' and the tension of her social anxiety felt a bit like... 'measuring the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a petty person.' No, no, no, that phrase doesn't seem to apply here.
Shenhe didn't even raise her hand to take it back, but said as if it were a matter of course: "That is not so. I startled you. Take it."
However, in Lovia's view, she was clearly the one in the wrong. She was too cowardly and had caused Shenhe to misunderstand and think she'd scared her, when it was just a bout of social anxiety!
But seeing Shenhe's fearsome expression that seemed to say 'I'll keep watching you until you take it,' Lovia had no choice but to nod and stop arguing with Shenhe about who was right or wrong.
She carefully held the ice crystal in her palm. The clear, moist coolness dispelled some of the afternoon heat, and combined with Shenhe's calm voice, it allowed her pounding heart to settle down a bit.
Shenhe nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on Lovia. "You seem to have relaxed a bit."
"Ah... I suppose so." Lovia subconsciously scratched her cheek with her free hand.
Seeing that Shenhe was still standing there and hadn't left, she finally plucked up the courage to introduce herself: "I... my name is Lovia."
Although she felt the other party might lose interest and turn to leave the next second, basic etiquette was still necessary.
"Shenhe." Shenhe stated her name, brief and clear.
She paused, as if recalling something, and then spoke: "Lovia... I have remembered it. Master said that exchanging names with someone is the beginning of a relationship."
Lovia: "..."
Cloud Retainer, you taught her well, but could you teach something more everyday next time? For example, how to make small talk? And if you're really going to teach it, please call me over, because I don't know how to make small talk either... Despite the internal complaints, Lovia still tried her best to maintain her composure on the surface, searching for conversational tactics in her pitifully empty brain.
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