knows of some ancient Chinese exercises that might help too.

if he would share such ancient exercise with her, because she really wants to have peace in mind.

teach her the art of taijiquan if she visits him~

would love to visit him then! It has been a while since she saw the Chinese.

already practicing taijiquan in his courtyard. The early morning was the best time to do such exercises, it helped him get ready for the day

ahead, as well as being cool in the early dawn.

stood outside of China's home, knocking at his door lightly. When the door was left unanswered, she tries to go around his house to find him

at his courtyard. Not wanting to interrupt him all so quickly, she just stood there, watching him.

notices the woman watching, but finishes the last movements before he walks up to her. "Good morning aru, may I help you?"

smiles and waves lightly. "Privyet, comrade. Dobriy utra. You must be Chunyan's counterpart, da?"

tilts his head and deciphers the Russian. He knew a little from hanging around Russia so much. "Ah, nihao aru. Shi de, I am her counterpart.

You must be Ivan's counterpart aru?"

giggles at his speech. From what she remembers, she never heard Chunyan say 'aru' before. She thought it was cute. "Da, I am his_

counterpart. I have heard much about you from him, actually." She smiles.

a little trepidation after hearing that. "...what did he tell you aru?"

smiles, not feeling like sharing what she learned about the Chinese. "You said you will teach me, da?"

nods, he had mentioned that. "You would like to learn taijiquan then aru?"

nods and smiles. "Da, I would like to try this. You say it will help me keep a peaceful mind?"

"It will aru. I do it to calm my mind in the mornings. Join me then? I'll show you the moves. Just follow them slowly aru." He takes a_

starting stance and shows her the first movement.

nods and follows right after him, mimicking the stance he pulls off in slow motion. She wonders if she is doing it right.

points out the parts she's gotten wrong patiently and corrects her stance. "It's alright aru, it's only your first time."

quickly fixes her stance and repeating it more carefully, not wanting to so it wrong again.

pleased with how quickly she learns and moves through the next couple of stances at a faster pace. "You're doing well aru."

continues to observe the Asian carefully, taking all the details of his stance with caution. She smiles at the praise. Ah, spasibo~"

teaches her stance by stance until he's finally taught her an entire sequence. He smiles and says, "There, we're done. Do you feel more_

peaceful now aru?" The birds were still chirping in the trees, while the morning air was still cool.

after getting used to the stances, she just repeats it in a slow steady motion while calmly breathing. Once they were done, she smiles at_

him and nods. "Da, I do feel more peaceful now. How strange." She giggles softly.

smiles, "Just keep doing that pattern in the morning aru. It'll help you calm down. You could always come here for a cup of tea aru." _

gestures towards the small pavilion in the corner, where hot tea has been prepared. "Join me for a drink?"

definitely try taijiquan every morning, but she will have to do it inside her house though... Too cold to do it outside. She nods at the_

offer, always liking tea. "I would love to, China."

sits down at the stone table at the pavilion and pours out a cup of tea for Anya before pouring one for himself. "Please, help yourself. He_

*help yourself." He gestures towards the snacks placed next to the teapot.

follows right after him and sits down adjacent to him. She gives her thanks for the tea and for the snacks, taking a sip of the warm tea._

"This is very good, China..."

smiles, "My people have worked hard to perfect their teas aru." He takes a sip of his own cup and picks up a pineapple tart to eat.

smiles. "This is good, da. But I like my people's tea better still." She honestly replies, looking at the snacks, wondering what to pick.

nods, accepting that. "We like our own food the best, surely." He chuckles and picks an almond cookie next. "Try these aru."

(( ... I love almond cookies *u* ))

takes a cookie and thanks him. "Spasibo, China." She examines the cookie before taking a nibble on it. "Hmm~!"

(Ikr? 8D *is looking forward to CNY* )

chews on his cookie and smiles. "These are all handmade aru. Nothing like those mass-produced biscuits."

takes a bigger bite on her piece and blinks at him. She swallows and asks. "Handmade? Did you make this???"