Chapter 42 Hot Springs
Yun Yao returned to the main courtyard of Muxi Garden, but did not see Madam. There were fewer people in the courtyard than usual, and the once quiet and elegant courtyard now seemed somewhat desolate and quiet.
The steward told Yun Yao that the madam had gone out on business and her return date was uncertain, without leaving any message for him. The steward's attitude seemed a bit colder than before. Yun Yao knew that he had been wrong to brush off the steward's calls in order to avoid the madam, so he didn't dare to hold it against him. He apologized to the steward, feeling embarrassed, and quietly returned to his room.
The atmosphere in the main courtyard gradually became quieter after the lady left. Yun Yao rarely left the courtyard except to attend classes, but even so, she could hear some whispers coming from the corners of the Osmanthus Garden. Some of the less experienced servants seemed to believe that Yun Yao was about to fall out of favor and that the lady might get rid of this little lover who couldn't please anyone the next time she appeared.
But Yun Yao ignored all of that. He stayed quietly in the room, as if waiting for fate to decide his destiny.
He dared not allow himself to have any more expectations.
With the semester of his training program nearing its end and no exams or papers required, Yun Yao had some free time again. In his wife's absence, he resumed practicing calligraphy in addition to his regular studies.
Yun Yao copied several calligraphy models, the scent of ink mingling with the fragrance of orchids wafting in from outside the window, creating a faint, bittersweet aroma in the morning light.
His eyelids were slightly lowered, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath his eyes. When his gaze fell on the paper, even the surrounding noise seemed to be filtered out, leaving only his breathing and the heavy feeling of the pen tip about to touch the paper. At this moment, even his heart calmed down.
Until one day, the third young lady, Mingxiao, knocked on the courtyard gate. She told Yunyao that the madam had finished her business these past few days and was now relaxing and vacationing at a hot spring resort that the eldest young master's family had recently purchased.
The Third Miss came today to take Yun Yao with her.
Yun Yao hesitated. Although he had given up struggling, he didn't want to take the initiative to do anything. If his wife really abandoned him because she was tired of him, that would be exactly what he had been hoping for.
But then, the Third Miss gave Yun Yao a meaningful look and whispered, "Madam is at the hot spring resort. My eldest brother's family has arranged for many beautiful and gentle women to serve her attentively, but none of them can get close to her. Yesterday, I went to see Madam, and she asked me how the bowl lotus in her courtyard in the Osmanthus Garden was doing. But today I looked at the whole courtyard, and only your room has a bowl lotus... Yun Yao, do you understand what Madam means?"
Yun Yao clenched his fists tightly. He closed his eyes and realized that he had no choice.
...
Inside the quaint and elegant hot spring resort,
As dusk settled, Yun Yao followed the attendant who was leading the way, stepping on the bluestone path and passing through the moon gate, her clothes still carrying the sweet fragrance of late-blooming osmanthus.
The hot spring pool in front of us is nestled among stacked rocks and artificial hills. The rising white mist, like a light veil, obscures the copper bells on the eaves, turning them into hazy shadows.
On the white marble railings by the pool, several lamps lit up one after another, their warm yellow glow filtering through the crimson gauze canopy and casting dappled patterns of light on the damp ground. A few fallen red maple leaves floated on the water, gently swaying in the warm spring water, shattering the shimmering reflections of the lamps throughout the pool.
The waiter who had led the way had already quietly left. Yun Yao looked ahead and saw warm mist spreading over the bluestone slabs in the hot spring where the shadows of the pines hung low.
The newly changed hot spring water shimmered with a jade-like luster, and the lady's figure was amidst the pervasive mist.
She took off her plain-colored shawl and draped it over the bamboo frame, then gently waved her hand, and the servants on both sides bowed and withdrew.
The lady slowly stepped into the hot spring water. Yun Yao lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her for long. He called softly, "Madam."
In the ensuing silence, after an unknown amount of time, the lady sighed softly, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger, "Yun'er, come here."
Yun Yao bit his lip. Without hesitation, he unbuttoned his clothes and slowly stepped into the pool. The moment his fingertips touched the water, a tingling warmth spread through him. As he sank into the water, the fine hot spring bubbles eagerly climbed onto his skin, like countless gentle kisses, softening the fatigue of the past few days.
However, this comfort made him somewhat uneasy.
Under the moonlight, he slowly walked towards his wife through the steaming hot spring. As he approached, the water level just reached his chest, and the Hetian jade pendant hanging around Yun Yao's neck became warm from the water, standing out conspicuously against her collarbone.
He was already fair-skinned, and now, after being immersed in the hot spring, the skin on his neck was even more radiant than the jade railings by the pool. A few strands of wet hair curled and clung to his cheeks, adding a touch of alluring beauty rarely seen on him.
"I heard you were copying the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion' in your room yesterday?" the lady suddenly asked, her voice damp with moisture.
Yun Yao was stunned for a moment before she remembered that she had indeed been copying calligraphy in her room yesterday, but how could Madam know?
“I’ll have someone send some new ink over tomorrow. I just got a new calligraphy copybook.” The lady seemed to remember something, and her voice softened. “Back at Cuiwei Villa, you often helped me practice calligraphy and painting.”
As the lady spoke, she leaned closer to him, and the pebbles at the bottom of the pool made a soft sound as she stepped on them.
Yun Yao subconsciously took a step back into the water, but was stopped by the lady underwater. His knuckles were distinct, like jade carvings, and she stroked each one with her fingertips, the hot spring water swirling between their palms.
Yun Yao lowered her head and moved towards the edge of the pool, her ear tips almost bleeding red. The place where the lady's fingertips had just brushed against felt like a warm fire was slowly burning, and even the warmth of the hot spring had become scalding.
The white mist suddenly thickened, enveloping the two of them in a hazy mist. Yun Yao could hear the lady's soft breathing, mixed with the tinkling of the spring water, like someone playing an unfinished melody in his ear.
“Madam, I…I don’t really deserve your treatment like this.” Yun Yao’s voice was a little hoarse. He said softly, “I am a cowardly person, a cowardly person, I am just an ordinary person.”
The lady was silent for a moment, then reached out and cupped Yun Yao's face. "Yun'er, what are you afraid of? I told you, with me here, you don't need to worry about anything."
“But Madam, there are many things in this world that are beyond human control,” Yun Yao couldn’t help but confide some of her pain in this world where only the two of them existed. “Looking at myself, I’m getting older, and maybe one day I won’t be able to dance anymore, and I won’t look pretty anymore. What should I do then? So I study hard and live a humble life. I want to do everything I can, but… I feel like I can’t change anything. I feel so useless…”
“Yun’er, don’t underestimate yourself,” the lady said softly, lifting Yun Yao’s chin and looking into his eyes. “No one in this world is perfect. You are a wonderful child, always.”
Looking at Yun Yao's slightly reddened eyes, the lady sighed softly, pulled him into her arms, and gently stroked his back. She seemed to relent as she kissed the corner of Yun Yao's mouth, and sighed, "Yun'er, you always leave me helpless."
At this moment, the sound of flowing water came from behind the artificial hill, intertwining with the faint sound of a zither in the distance, and the water vapor seeped into our ears and noses.
Like a butterfly drawn to a flower, the lady kissed Yun Yao's beautifully shaped lips, the sweetness of which drew her deeper to explore, lingering endlessly.
Finally, when she was breathless, she released the poor flower. As their breaths mingled, the lady stroked Yun Yao's bitten red lips, and thinking of what Yun Yao had just said, she smiled and sighed, "It was my oversight that made Yun'er so worried."
“Madam…” Yun Yao grasped the finger that Madam had placed on his lips. His eyes were like brimming autumn water, yet they held an unspeakable melancholy, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove, causing the gauze shade of the lamp by the pond to sway softly. The lamplight flickered, and so did his heart. The lady's hand slowly moved down Yun Yao's lips, lingering tenderly over the beautiful scenes she had longed for... Yun Yao couldn't help but move closer to the edge of the pond. His back pressed against the warm rock, and as he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the sound of the underground hot spring gushing between the rock layers, gradually matching his own heartbeat.
The white steam from the hot spring, like endless cotton wool, submerged half of Yun Yao's face. The water rippled, and he gripped the edge of the blue stone pool, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.
After it was over, the lady's hand was still on his waist, and through the soaked fabric, the temperature of her palm was surprisingly hot.
On the stone table by the pond, plum wine, warming on a charcoal stove, emitted fine steam. The aroma of the wine mingled with the steam, making this small space feel even warmer and more enchanting.
"Yun'er, you smell so good today." The lady's warm breath lingered on his neck, her fingertips gliding over the jade pendant on his chest, warmed by the hot spring water, like some kind of insect crawling across it. Suddenly, the spring water below rippled, its surface shimmering like a dream.
Yun Yao gasped for breath, "Madam..." He grasped his wife's restless hand and said patiently in a soft voice, "It's probably the scent of osmanthus I picked up on the way."
The lady chuckled and pulled him tightly into her arms. Her skin was warm to the touch, reminding one of the phrase "the hot spring water is smooth and washes away the congealed fat."
"Yun'er, this day last year was the day we first met. Do you remember?"
The lady's voice was moist and slightly hoarse in the mist. Yun Yao suddenly realized that a year had already passed since she came to the lady's side.
"Yun'er..." The lady gazed at Yun Yao's beautiful, melancholy face. Fine, delicate kisses, like late autumn rain, unexpectedly fell on various places.
Yun Yao felt like an immovable orchid, forced to endure the wind and rain, the dew and thunder. The powerful wind commanded everything, arbitrarily manipulating his branches and leaves, bending them into various angles. Thunder struck his body, setting him ablaze, but the relentless downpour irresistibly enveloped everything, and a chilling self-loathing permeated the depths of his soul. He drooped, his branches and leaves withering, allowing the wind and rain to greedily erode him…
Amidst the rushing water, Yun Yao looked up and saw a plum blossom behind the artificial hill. It leaned obliquely over its branches, its sparse shadow falling on the water's surface, like someone dipping ink in the spring to write characters, only to have the writing washed away by the water, the characters becoming a pale pink. It turned out that the petals had been blown down by the wind, brushing against the pond's water, only to be mercilessly swept away by the flowing water, their whereabouts unknown.
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