The moment the words left Mo Yan’s mouth, Shen Youyou’s eyes lit up. Excited, she asked:
“Where can I bathe? Tell me, tell me! This is super important to me!”
Mo Yan hadn’t expected her to be so thrilled. He quickly told her about a hot spring he had stumbled upon half a month ago.
Shen Youyou couldn’t believe that such a treasure existed on this mountain—she was even more excited!
Finally, she wouldn’t have to worry about bathing anymore.
However… no matter how long Mo Yan explained the path to the hot spring, Shen Youyou couldn’t remember it. South, then west… she couldn’t even distinguish east from west!
Yes, whether in the ancient world or the post-apocalypse, Shen Youyou had always been hopeless with directions. Eventually, feeling too embarrassed to waste Mo Yan’s breath any longer, she said:
“Mo Yan, do you have time later? Could you accompany me? I really can’t remember the way. Please!”
She clasped her hands together, looking pitiful. Mo Yan’s heart melted immediately.
Indeed, going into the mountains alone to bathe wasn’t safe—what if they ran into a wild animal? Better he accompany her, especially since he had nothing urgent to do.
So, he readily agreed.
“All right, fine.”
“Great! Thank you! I’ll go get some clean clothes, and we can leave right now. I’ll tell my mother to watch the kids, don’t worry.”
Hearing him agree, Shen Youyou couldn’t contain her joy. She hurried to tell the little ones, whispered a word to Li Shi, and then set off with Mo Yan toward the mountains.
She didn’t tell Li Shi they were going to bathe in a hot spring—she said they were going to look for game instead. She didn’t want her mother to forbid her from going with a man.
Shen Youyou trusted Mo Yan completely. From her observations over the past few days, he was a gentleman—sometimes he even blushed when talking to her. He was trustworthy, so she had no worries.
Carrying her clean clothes, she waited outside for Mo Yan.
When he arrived, carrying a bow and some tools, she asked curiously:
“You can use a bow and arrow?”
“Yeah. I thought we might look for some game too. I rarely go deep into the mountains with the kids. By the way, here—this is for you.”
He handed her a small bundle.
Shen Youyou held it, squinting at it. “This… what is it? Soap pods?”
“Right. I found these trees in the mountains before, so I picked some. They’re great for washing clothes and hair. This is already mashed—you can use it directly. And at the hot spring, I hid a wooden basin last time—you can use it to wash your hair.”
Mo Yan spoke proudly. He had only read about these in books before. He never expected to see them in the wild. Now he also felt grateful that his older brother had made him read so much as a child. Books truly contained treasure—otherwise, he would have never recognized it.
Shen Youyou couldn’t believe she even had shampoo now. Excited, she said:
“Great, thank you, Mo Yan! Let’s go quickly.”
“Mm-hmm.”
And so, they started walking up the mountain together.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mo Yan said:
“We’re almost there. The path ahead is tricky. Follow me closely.”
“Okay.”
Shen Youyou obediently followed behind him. The path ahead had mostly disappeared, overgrown with branches and leaves. She nearly got poked several times. It was definitely a bit dangerous.
After a while, they finally arrived.
Seeing the hot spring, Shen Youyou’s whole body lit up. All the exhaustion from the climb melted away.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Mo Yan. Excitedly, she said:
“I’m going in! You… um, wait outside!”
Mo Yan blushed and quickly replied:
“All right. I’ll look around for game. If anything happens, blow this whistle—I’ll hear it and come immediately.”
He handed her a bamboo whistle and reminded her again, making sure she would be safe in the mountains.
Looking at the whistle and soap pods in her hands, Shen Youyou teased:
“Are you Doraemon? How do you have everything?”
Mo Yan didn’t understand and asked curiously:
“What’s that?”
Shen Youyou realized she had joked a bit too freely and quickly said:
“Oh, nothing. Go ahead.”
“All right. Be careful. If anything happens, blow the whistle. I’ll leave now.”
With that, he left the hot spring area.
Once she confirmed no one was around, Shen Youyou began undressing and stepped into the water.
“Oh! This feels amazing! Perfect. Before I have my own bathtub, I can just come here.”
Humming a little tune, she soaked happily, letting the warm water soothe her.
After a while, feeling a little dizzy, she realized she had stayed in too long. Fearing she might faint, she quickly got out.
Drying her hair and changing into clean clothes, she felt reborn—inside and out, refreshed and completely comfortable.
After checking her surroundings, she couldn’t see Mo Yan. She blew the bamboo whistle a few times and sat on a stone beside the spring to wait.
After a while, Mo Yan returned, carrying two wild ducks.
Shen Youyou was thrilled. “Wow, Mo Yan! You’re amazing! You caught two wild ducks just like that? Are you that skilled? Incredible!”
Mo Yan felt shy under her blunt praise. Scratching the back of his head, he said:
“Ah, it’s nothing. Dealing with small animals like this is easy. Let’s go—if we stay too long, Auntie will start worrying.”