Chapter 42 ☆ Taking a bath (Part 2)

Cheng Yaoyao bit her lip, her face delicate, with a hint of grievance and helplessness. “It’s too dark.”

Xie San put down the basket in his hand. “I forgot. I’ll light a kerosene lamp for you.”

Xie San found a kerosene lamp and a candle stub. No one in the countryside would light a lamp when bathing, and their bathroom had a skylight, so they could usually see clearly by moonlight.

Cheng Yaoyao remained motionless, staring at her toes in slippers with a groan. Her small, round toes twisted restlessly. “…There are also mosquitoes and geckos.”

To be honest, the bathroom conditions in Xie San’s house were much better than those in the educated youth dormitory. However, the bathroom was always damp, and the corners near the ground were covered with moss, which naturally attracted mosquitoes and geckos that ate mosquitoes.

When Cheng Yaoyao was hanging her clothes earlier, she had looked up and seen a gecko, which scared her so much that she almost screamed.

Xie San sighed softly. “Would it be okay to shower in the utility room?”

Cheng Yaoyao asked, “Is it okay? Will it get the floor wet?”

“It’s okay,” Xie San replied. “I’ll get the water out first.”

The utility room was an empty space with clean, water-polished blue brick floors and walls. There were only a few sundries in the corner, including wooden boards, straw raincoats, bamboo baskets, and some aged medicinal herbs, which emitted a bitter and old fragrance.

Xie San brought two large buckets of water into the utility room and set up two benches—one for the washbasin and the other for clean clothes.

He lit the kerosene lamp and a candle stub, providing a dim light in the utility room.

Cheng Yaoyao stood on tiptoe, looking around the room like a wary kitten, checking for mosquitoes and geckos.

Xie San whispered, “There are herbs hanging in the room, so there won’t be any mosquitoes.”

“Okay, then, you can go out. I want to take a shower,” Cheng Yaoyao said, shooing Xie San out.

Xie San walked to the door. Cheng Yaoyao followed him to close it but then leaned over to the crack of the door and asked, “Are… are you going to bed?”

“Not yet,” Xie San replied.

Cheng Yaoyao hesitated, her peach blossom eyes seemed to want to say something. Her little mouth was about to flatten.

Xie San quickly reacted and said, “I’ll be at the door.”

“You are not allowed to peek!” Cheng Yaoyao suddenly became assertive again and gently closed the door. Xie San even heard the sound of her bolting the door from inside.

Did she really think he could peek?

Xie San leaned a basket against the door and carefully polished the edges with a razor and his fingers, smoothing out the sharp lines that had pricked his hands.

There was a rustling sound from inside the room, and Xie San realized that his hearing was very sharp. He heard the fabric breaking free and sliding to the ground, and her fingers splashed water, which kissed her skin and fell to the floor.

…

Xie San felt a sharp pain in his finger and came to his senses. He realized that the file^[1]refers to a tool used for smoothing or shaping materials, such as wood or metal. had pierced into his flesh, leaving a cut that wasn’t too deep but still painful.

The basket fell to the ground. Xie San pinched his fingers and was shocked to find that he was sweating all over.

As a series of warm blood drops dripped down, Xie San wanted to find something to bind the wound. However, he was afraid that Cheng Yaoyao would get scared if he left. Just as he hesitated, he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the room, like the muffled sound of soap falling into a washbasin.

He also heard a faint sound, like Cheng Yaoyao was crying but not quite crying.

“What’s wrong?” Xie San’s expression froze, and he asked in a low voice while leaning against the door.

There was a strange silence.

Xie San knocked lightly on the door with his knuckles and asked seriously, “Yaoyao?”

There was a faint, soft sound, and Cheng Yaoyao seemed to be crying.

Xie San’s forehead veins popped up, and he said in a deep voice, “What’s the matter? Yaoyao, if you don’t say anything, I’m coming in.”

“No… it’s okay.” Cheng Yaoyao’s voice sounded strange, as if she was about to cry. Her voice was low and soft, with a hint of charm that made Xie San’s heart skip a beat.

Cheng Yaoyao suddenly became angry again. “Are you bleeding?”

How did she know?

Before Xie San could even finish his question, Cheng Yaoyao shouted angrily, “Go wash yourself! Bandage up the wound!”

Xie San was confused. “But you…”

“Go quickly! Don’t you listen to me?” Cheng Yaoyao said it fiercely. Xie San imagined her fierce and coquettish expression as she stomped her feet.

There was a clanging sound from the washbasin, and Cheng Yaoyao seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Xie San’s mouth was dry, and he didn’t dare to say anything more. He quickly went to the yard to get some water and washed the wound on his hand.

There was no need to bandage such a small wound. Xie San soaked his hand in cold water for a while, and when the bleeding stopped, he wiped it clean and returned to the door of the utility room.

There were some anxious noises coming from inside the room, like someone getting dressed.

He knocked gently on the door and said, “I’m still at the door. No need to worry.”

The noise inside indeed slowed down a bit. After a while, the door was opened, and a warm scent of peach blossoms mixed with Cheng Yaoyao’s unique sweetness wafted out and hit Xie San’s face.

Boom, boom, boom.

His heart began to beat wildly, each beat making his mouth dry.

Cheng Yaoyao’s black hair was tied up, and her cheeks were so tender they seemed to be dripping with water. She wore a pure white cotton dress with thin straps hanging off her shoulders, revealing a pair of small, deep collarbones. Her legs were straight and slender, and her snow-white feet were in slippers, with round and well-behaved toes.

The first thing she noticed was the wound on his finger. “How did you get hurt?”

“It’s nothing, just a cut from a file,” Xie San said, raising his hand. The wound on his fingertip wasn’t deep.

Cheng Yaoyao suddenly covered her nose, frowned, and said in a strange voice, “You… take your hand away!”

Xie San quickly lowered his hand. Was the wound so ugly that it scared Cheng Yaoyao?

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes trembled. After a long while, she handed him a wet handkerchief. “This is clean water. Bandage your finger to prevent infection. Do it now!”

“…Hmm.” The wet handkerchief was snow-white and clean, with the same peach blossom scent as Cheng Yaoyao. Xie San hesitated and wrapped his fingers. The fingers that had been a bit dull and painful were now comforted by the cold handkerchief.

Cheng Yaoyao then put her hands down, her cheeks flushed. She said a bit embarrassedly, “The room is wet. Do you want to clean it up?”

“You go to sleep.” Xie San didn’t dare to look at her and said, “I’ll clean up.”

“But your hands are injured.” Cheng Yaoyao turned around, the soft fabric of her dress sticking to her body, outlining her graceful curves. She exuded a warm fragrance that permeated Xie San’s nose.

Xie San frowned and said, “It’s okay. I want to take a shower too.”

“Okay then.” Cheng Yaoyao finally felt relieved and said to Xie San, “Good night.”

“…Good night.” Xie San said it in a deep voice.

The room was filled with warm steam, mixed with the scent of peach blossoms and Cheng Yaoyao’s unique fragrance. Cheng Yaoyao’s changed clothes were still thrown in the washbasin, with a soft pink blouse on top. Xie San stared at the clothes, sweat coming from his palms.

…

Cheng Yaoyao returned to the room, blew out the candle, and let out a long breath.

While taking a shower, Cheng Yaoyao smelled Xie San’s blood through the door, and the emptiness in her body almost made her fall to the ground. Fortunately, she had a handkerchief stained with Xie San’s blood in her pocket, so she didn’t embarrass herself.

The Yang Qi had been sufficient in the past two days, so she hadn’t felt anything unusual. Maybe she used more Spiritual Spring water when bathing, and the little lotus leaf began to be restless again. Cheng Yaoyao also vaguely felt anxiety and emptiness. Just after bathing, she almost pounced on Xie San and took a bite.

The little lotus leaf hadn’t tasted the blood, so it shook wildly and threw a tantrum, forcing Cheng Yaoyao to go out and find Xie San.

Cheng Yaoyao ignored it, drank a large cup of cold tea, and the burning feeling in her chest slightly dissipated. She walked to the bed in the dark and lay down tiredly. The little lotus leaf suddenly trembled.

Cheng Yaoyao’s senses became very sharp, and a breath belonging to Xie San slowly surrounded her. This bed was where Xie San had slept for many years, and it was soaked with his scent, which gradually penetrated into Cheng Yaoyao’s body, making the anxious feeling slowly fade away.

The little lotus leaf swayed gently in comfort.

Cheng Yaoyao drank half a cup of Spiritual Spring in one gulp and felt the tightness in her chest disappear. Her whole body felt indescribably comfortable. Her snow-white toes curled up, and she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Xie San seemed to still be in the yard, and she didn’t know if he had finished his shower. She turned over, got up, slipped on her slippers, and tiptoed to the door to see if Xie San was still outside.

She gently pushed the door open and looked. There was no one in the yard. Instead, the light was on in the utility room opposite. The door was ajar, and she could see Xie San’s shadow moving slightly on the opposite wall.

Still taking a shower?

Cheng Yaoyao had no choice but to climb back into bed. This time, she hugged her little pillow and fell asleep quickly.