Chapter 127: Dampness
Chapter 127: Dampness
It was only one o'clock in the afternoon, and most families in the village had not yet started cooking their New Year's Eve dinner. They were all busy with the usual New Year's customs and chores, and the Cheng family was no exception.
Cheng Qiuyan caught a cold in the winter and had a cough. Lin Guohui volunteered to cook the New Year's Eve dinner, but Cheng's mother-in-law persuaded him to stop. Cheng's father-in-law also tactfully suggested that her mother hadn't cooked the New Year's Eve dinner for several years and let her do it, with Bingbing assisting.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qiuyan became a little impatient. "Don't let the children come. All three of them are still looking sloppy," she shouted upstairs from the stairs in the main room. "What time is it? They haven't even taken a bath yet. You two still need to wash your hair, wipe your faces, and put on makeup. When are we going to have our New Year's Eve dinner?"
Cheng Bing came out of his room, and Cheng Qiuyan glanced at him: "And you! You haven't showered yet either. What have you been doing up so early? Have I been nagging you since this morning?"
Cheng Bing: "I want to wait until my sisters finish washing before I..."
"Do you think you can wait for them forever?" Cheng Qiuyan continued to complain upstairs. "Hurry up and come down, go upstairs and grab some clothes, don't dawdle." She thought for a moment, then looked at her son. "The solar water heater probably won't have enough water, go and heat up the bathtub to take a bath."
Just then, Cheng Xiaoxiao and Cheng Junjun heard their mother calling them and hurriedly grabbed their clothes and came downstairs. Upon hearing this, Cheng Junjun burst out laughing, "Huh? He's using a bathtub?"
Although the family's bathtub is still in use, the children have rarely used it in recent years; it's mostly used by the adults. In winter, elderly people from other families who are not very mobile or who are afraid of the cold will come to borrow it. For this reason, Cheng's father-in-law added several layers of cotton wadding to the door curtain and repaired the windows. But it is still an old-fashioned bathing facility. Now, it seems really inappropriate to throw a handsome young man into the bathtub to take a bath.
Lin Guohui listened from the side, trying not to laugh.
Cheng Qiuyan said, "If he doesn't go wash, why don't you two go wash? Besides, the outside door is closed, and no one will go in. The faucets are all new. Every time they're used, your mother-in-law has to work hard to wash and scrub them clean. They're even warmer than solar water heaters. You used to wash all the time when you were little, so why can't you wash now?"
The two girls came down the stairs. Cheng Junjun covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "Okay, okay, let him go. I'll take a shower first, and I'll go make him some food."
Cheng Qiuyan looked at Cheng Bing: "What are you standing there for? Go get your clothes!"
Cheng Bing: "Oh."
When Lin Guohui heard that his son had been assigned to the bathhouse, his eyes crinkled with laughter, and he asked with special affection, "Dad will go and fill the water and light the stove for you first, okay?"
Cheng Qiuyan had just finished talking about the children when she turned around and started scolding her husband: "Didn't you say you were going to shave? Aren't you going now?"
"Okay, okay, I'll go right away after lighting the stove, I'll go right away after lighting the stove."
So Fang Yuenian sent Cheng Bing a WeChat message, but didn't receive a reply for a long time.
He figured it was Chinese New Year anyway, so he sent Cheng Junjun a message asking what she was doing.
Cheng Junjun: "Cheng Bing is taking a shower."
Fang Yuenian was a little surprised. Why did he just tell her before even asking Brother Cheng?
Cheng Junjun: "He's in the bathtub, hahahahahahahaha."
Fang Yuenian stared at the line of text and couldn't help but laugh. Huh? Brother Cheng is taking a bath?
No, no, the more he thought about it, the more it itched to go. After thinking it over, he realized that the Cheng family's bathhouse was just around the corner in the yard. If he went there secretly, he shouldn't disturb the adults in the family, right? Yes, yes, definitely not.
A short while later, Fang Yuenian arrived at the Cheng family's house quietly. She went around to the bathroom and turned the door to the outside, only to find that it was locked from the inside.
If he didn't enter through this gate, he would have to go around to the Cheng family's courtyard and walk through it, which wasn't a good idea. He took off the hood of his down jacket, shook off the snow, and took out his phone to send a message to Cheng Junjun.
As it turned out, Cheng Junjun was adding firewood to the stove on a small stool. The door was next to her, and she immediately heard someone turning the doorknob. When she opened it, she saw Fang Yuenian standing alone.
"Ah, Sister Jun," Fang Yuenian smiled with delight, lowering her voice, "How come you just happened to open the door for me?"
“I’m cooking for him,” Cheng Junjun smiled, “Why are you all covered in snow? Come in and warm yourself by the stove.”
The walls of the bathhouse in the Cheng family's kitchen were thick and wide, and a heavy cotton curtain kept the heat out. Even if people outside spoke quietly, Cheng Bing inside couldn't hear them. However, Fang Yuenian could hear the sound of water inside.
A thought struck him, and he quickly said to Cheng Junjun, "Sister Jun, you go ahead with your work, I'll cook for him."
“Okay, I just added some more, so we don’t need to burn it now. You guys chat for a while. My sister is taking a shower too, and I can’t delay her, so I have to finish my shower quickly,” Cheng Junjun shrugged. “We haven’t finished showering yet, and the three of us have already been scolded.”
Fang Yuenian chuckled softly, "Go ahead, go quickly, I'll keep an eye on him."
After Cheng Junjun left, Fang Yuenian, seeing that no one was coming, rubbed her hands together, confidently stood in front of the curtain, and coughed loudly: "Ahem!"
The sound of water inside paused for a moment, and then Cheng Bing asked, "Who's outside?"
Back in high school, they mostly spoke Mandarin when they were out together, and even more so in college. Now, it's a bit strange to hear him speak in dialect. Fang Yuenian asked in a pretentious tone, "Is it going to be burned?"
Cheng Bing immediately recognized it.
He hadn't actually been put into the pot yet because it was too hot. Cheng Junjun was worried that he would catch a cold from the heat, so she added a handful of rapeseed stalks. Now, even with the partition, he couldn't get down. He had no choice but to sit by the pot and scoop water to wet himself. The whole room was filled with steam and heat.
“Fang Yuenian,” he said.
Fang Yuenian bit her lip. It had really been a long time since she had heard him call her name so seriously. "Ah, what's wrong?"
What are you doing here?
"Nothing much, I heard you're at the bathhouse, so I'll come and heat it for you."
"I don't need to burn it now."
Fang Yuenian was surprised. "You're not still not down there? Is the water too hot? Why are you so quiet? Are you not washing? Don't get cold..."
“I’m very hot,” Cheng Bing said calmly. “Don’t stand by the door, go sit by the stove.”
Fang Yuenian drew out a hum, "I... I'm not going to barge in, what are you afraid of? I'm hot too, I don't need to warm myself by the fire."
Cheng Bing sighed inside and didn't say anything.
Fang Yuenian followed up with a grin, asking, "Why are you taking a bath today? I haven't done it in years, I've almost forgotten what it feels like. Oh, by the way, call me if the water gets cold. Also, are your windows closed tightly? This curtain is so thick, won't you suffocate in there? Can you breathe properly? Otherwise, I'll..."
His hand reached for the curtain, but Cheng Bing, inside, said in time, "Don't lift the curtain."
Fang Yuenian paused, then put her hand down. "I never intended to go in."
Cheng Bing: "You stay out there and don't get any ideas."
Fang Yuenian: "Oh."
Bored, he sat down by the stove and stared blankly at the flickering flames inside.
Cheng Bing asked, "You came here at this time, isn't anyone at home saying anything to you?"
"No, don't worry, I'll be back in a bit."
"Um."
The water was still too hot, so Cheng Bing turned on the tap and added some cold water, which made Fang Yuenian outside make a fuss again, criticizing him for adding cold water and threatening to add firewood to the stove.
Cheng Bing: "Because the water is too hot, I still can't go down."
Fang Yuenian imagined the scene in her mind, and suddenly a romantic thought arose. She quickly slapped her forehead and said, "Ah, okay, then add a little bit and hurry up and go down."
Cheng Bing tested the water temperature and finally reluctantly put the food in the pot.
He hadn't taken a bath in several years, so he used all the partitions to immerse himself in the excessively hot water, which made him feel a little dizzy.
Fang Yuenian listened intently to the sound of water, still unwilling to give up, and tentatively asked, "Um, Brother Cheng, you should take a warm bath this New Year, you should soak for a while, or... I can come in and scrub your back?"
The sound of water inside stopped again.
Cheng Bing's chest heaved slightly, but she ignored him.
"Would you like a back scrub?" Fang Yuenian tried again to sell her back scrub service. "I'm very skilled at it."
These words were too suggestive, so Cheng Bing splashed a handful of cold water on her face.
Fang Yuenian didn't receive a reply and gradually began to think about it. That's right, we're in the Cheng family's bathhouse now. Yes, we can't do anything reckless.
He then calmly warmed himself by the fire, stopped flirting, and seriously became a wood-adding worker.
More than half an hour later, Cheng Bing decided to get up. He had soaked himself until his skin was completely pink.
Fang Yuenian understood, stood up, and asked, "Are you getting up?"
"I'm already up," Cheng Bing said, wringing out a towel.
"Should I put the fire out?"
Cheng Bing said, "Let me handle it."
“Oh, no need, I’ve covered it,” Fang Yuenian said with practiced ease. “I haven’t used the stove in a long time. What about you? Do you still use your kitchen stove often?”
“I’ve been cooking a lot these past few days since I got back. Would you like some roasted sweet potatoes tonight? I’ll bury two in the stove for you later.”
"Okay, I want to eat!" Fang Yuenian said hurriedly, and when she heard him seemingly getting dressed, she started to feel restless again.
She'd been back for almost half a month, busy with nothing but trivial things, and hadn't seen him much. Fang Yuenian rubbed her fingers together, turned and went outside to get some water to wash her hands. When she came back, she stood outside the curtain and whispered, "Are you... dressed?"
Cheng Bing stopped what he was doing; he hadn't even started putting on his clothes yet, and had just dried himself off.
Fang Yuenian grumbled, "Um, that, Brother Cheng..."
Cheng Bing placed the towel on the shelf to the side and asked, "What?"
Fang Yuenian stammered, "I...I want to..."
Cheng Bing glanced at the neatly folded, clean clothes, with underwear on top.
After thinking for two seconds, he picked up his underwear, put it on, and said, "Come in."
Fang Yuenian was overjoyed, "Great!"
He flung open the curtain, and a wave of heat rushed out while a cold wind rushed in. Both of them couldn't help but close their eyes for a moment as they were hit by the hot air and the cold air.
Before Fang Yuenian even opened his eyes, he felt himself being pulled in by a strong force, and then he fell headfirst into Cheng Bing's arms.
Seeing Cheng Bing's current condition, Fang Yuenian was stunned the moment she opened her eyes, "You, how could you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Cheng Bing asked frankly.
Fang Yue Nian's gaze swept over him. "It's nothing. You, you should put on some clothes quickly, you're going to get cold."
Cheng Bing nodded. "Mm." He reached for his clothes and sat down on the long bench by the wall, as if he was about to get dressed properly.
His legs were long and straight, his waist-to-hip ratio was excellent, and his back was firm and lean. Fang Yuenian had actually seen him several times before, but every time she still couldn't help but blush and her heart race. Now, watching him put on his clothes so slowly and deliberately, one piece at a time, was even more torturous.
Cheng Bing kept her face down, letting the man stand there without saying a word, but her movements became increasingly slow.
Fang Yuenian licked her lips, unable to resist any longer. Finally, just as he was about to put on his sweater and get up to get his trousers, she pounced on him and successfully sat on his lap.
"You did this on purpose!" Fang Yuenian gasped. "Brother Cheng, you're deliberately trying to seduce me."
Cheng Bing placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Isn't this what you asked for?"
Fang Yuenian kissed him without a second thought.
Cheng Bing spread her long legs to maintain her balance and put her arms around his waist.
They kissed in the damp, warm, and steamy bathroom.
On this New Year's Eve when they turned nineteen. (Author's note:)
Thank you for reading. This book
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