Lin Suhe looked at Jiang Wangchuan with her clear, bright eyes and said in a sweet voice,
“I… I’m not a child anymore.”
Jiang Wangchuan awkwardly lowered his hand and continued washing the clothes.
“Haha! You two are really amusing.”
Aunt Li smiled happily as she watched them and scrubbed her laundry with even more energy.
She noticed Jiang Wangchuan rubbing a round bar over the clothes. When he beat the fabric with the wooden laundry bat, white foam appeared.
Curious, she asked,
“Hey, Chuanzi, what’s that you’re rubbing on the clothes? Why is it making bubbles?”
Jiang Wangchuan held up the soap bar proudly in his palm.
“My wife made it. It’s called soap. It cleans clothes much better than plant ash.”
“So little Suhe knows how to make something like this? That’s amazing.”
Lin Suhe smiled brightly at Aunt Li.
“Aunt Li, another day I’ll have Chuanzi bring you a few bars.”
Aunt Li laughed happily.
“Good girl. Thank you in advance.”
After finishing the laundry, they returned home.
Jiang Wangchuan sprinkled water over the soaking wheat again.
He kept thinking about making malt syrup, so he checked the wheat several times a day.
Around noon, when the sun was at its warmest, Jiang Wangchuan heated water for Lin Suhe to wash her hair and bathe.
There was no large wooden tub in the house, so she had to make do with a basin. She couldn’t wash her body and hair at the same time.
Jiang Wangchuan carried the basin into the room and let her bathe first.
Lin Suhe was small enough to stand inside the basin.
She tied her long braid into a bun behind her head, wiped herself with clean water, rubbed soap over her body, and then rinsed it off.
That counted as a proper bath.
When she came out smelling fresh and clean, Jiang Wangchuan poured out the dirty bathwater, filled the basin with fresh warm water, and called her over to wash her hair.
Lin Suhe untied her braid.
Her long, silky hair fell over her shoulders, making her small, fair face look even more beautiful.
Jiang Wangchuan stared at her in a daze.
“Brother Jiang?”
Her gentle voice snapped him back to reality.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem… Lower your head. I’ll pour the water for you.”
Lin Suhe obediently lowered her head and pulled all her hair in front of her shoulders.
Jiang Wangchuan slowly poured the warm water over her hair until it was completely soaked.
Then he poured some of the shampoo they had made from soap pods yesterday into his palm and gently massaged it into her hair, creating soft, fine bubbles.
Afraid his hands were too strong and might hurt her, he carefully used only his fingertips to wash her hair.
Every now and then, his fingers brushed against the edge of her ears.
The warm touch made the tips of her ears turn a lovely shade of pink.
Lin Suhe rolled up her sleeves and scratched her own scalp a few times.
“Brother Jiang, that’s enough.”
Jiang Wangchuan’s eyes caught sight of her slender, fair arms.
They were so white they almost dazzled him.
He quickly looked away and poured more water over her hair to rinse away the bubbles.
After washing her hair, Lin Suhe felt wonderfully refreshed.
Jiang Wangchuan took a clean cloth and gently dried her long hair.
Its smooth strands carried a light fragrance that lingered around him.
He was extremely careful, trying not to pull out even a single strand.
Lin Suhe blinked her big eyes and looked up at him.
“Brother Jiang, my hair is so long. Why don’t you cut it shorter for me?”
In ancient times, getting water was troublesome.
Bathing and washing hair were troublesome too.
Lin Suhe was used to bathing every two or three days, and in summer she liked to bathe every day.
Such long hair felt like a burden.
Jiang Wangchuan immediately disagreed.
“Why cut it? Long hair looks beautiful.”
Lin Suhe frowned.
“It’s just too much trouble to wash.”
“What trouble? Absolutely not! You’re not cutting it! From now on, I’ll wash it for you.”
Whenever Jiang Wangchuan got anxious, his words became rough.
He simply couldn’t bear to cut off such beautiful long hair.
Lin Suhe pouted.
“Fine, I won’t cut it. But why are you being so fierce?”
After spending several days together, she already knew he had a rough mouth but a soft heart.
She had become much bolder and even dared to argue back.
Jiang Wangchuan deliberately put on a stern face to scare her.
“You’re my woman, so you have to listen to me.”
Lin Suhe pressed her lips together and lowered her head.
Her eyes quickly turned red.
Jiang Wangchuan panicked.
He hurriedly crouched down to look at her.
“Hey! You’re not about to cry, are you? Can’t you even take a little joke?”
“Hmph.”
Lin Suhe let out a small snort and turned her face away.
This man always loved teasing her.
He had done it in bed last night too, deliberately saying things that embarrassed her.
He was so annoying.
She decided not to talk to him anymore.
Jiang Wangchuan reached out with both hands, gently held her face, and turned it back toward him.
“Are you really angry?”
Lin Suhe looked away without answering.
He tested the waters.
“If you still won’t talk, I’m going to kiss you.”
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she still remained silent.
She didn’t believe he would actually kiss her.
He was surely bluffing again.
“I’m really going to kiss you.”
The moment he finished speaking, cool, soft lips gently touched hers.
Lin Suhe had no time to react.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the handsome face just inches away.
For a moment, she even forgot how to breathe.
Jiang Wangchuan only brushed his lips lightly against hers before pulling away.
Seeing her staring blankly at him, he looked away awkwardly.
“Ahem… I did warn you I was going to kiss you.”
A deep blush spread across Lin Suhe’s face.
She had never expected him to actually do it.
This was her first kiss…
“You… you’re awful!”
She stomped her foot and quickly turned around, too embarrassed to face him.
Even the tips of her ears felt like they were on fire.
Jiang Wangchuan looked at her tiny, rosy earlobe.
Remembering the taste of her soft lips just now, he found them sweet and unforgettable.
He wanted to kiss her again.
But he didn’t want his impulsiveness to frighten her.
Suppressing the urge, he quietly combed her long hair smooth and reminded her,
“Stay here and let your hair dry in the sun. I’ll go make lunch. After we eat, we’ll head into town and sell the soap.”
Lin Suhe was still too shy to answer.
Jiang Wangchuan didn’t mind and simply went about his work.
By the time lunch was ready, Lin Suhe’s hair had dried.
She tied it into a full bun behind her head.
Only after hearing Jiang Wangchuan call her did she shyly walk inside.
She didn’t dare look him in the eye.
She kept her head down and quietly ate.
As Jiang Wangchuan added more food to her bowl, he asked teasingly,
“We’ve been sleeping in the same bed, and you never seemed this shy. Why are you so embarrassed over just one kiss?”
Lin Suhe spoke softly,
“Sleeping in the same bed… we didn’t do anything. But kissing… it was my first time… I’m… I’m just not used to it.”
Jiang Wangchuan nodded.
“Then after a few more kisses, you’ll get used to it.”