Yuan Yingti returned to the bedroom, closed the door behind her, and gently leaned her back against the door panel, eavesdropping on the sounds outside.
The splashing of water had stopped. She heard the sound of clothes being hung on the rack, and before long, the swishing sound of shoes being scrubbed.
Yuan Yingti thought of the shoes and silk socks she had left to dry under the eaves. It seemed A-Nu had found them and washed them for her as well.
Silk socks and shoes were also intimate items, but compared to undergarments and underclothes, they were nothing at all. Yuan Yingti maintained her composure and continued to listen.
After the shoes were scrubbed clean, the wooden basin was put away, clattering against the stool with a thud. After a while, the sound of chopping vegetables rang out from the kitchen—dong, dong, dong.
It sounded no different from any other day.
Yuan Yingti's feet had gone numb from standing. She twisted her ankles, braced herself against the wall, and slowly walked to the bed to sit down. Most of the redness had faded from her face, and the heat in her body had dissipated. She stared into the empty air, yet still felt terribly embarrassed.
If only A-Nu were a woman.
Should she have A-Nu buy a maidservant?
But buying a maidservant required money, and she didn't know if A-Nu still had any. Besides, her presence here was a secret—the fewer people who knew, the better. Adding an outsider for no reason would only make her uneasy.
Yuan Yingti shook her head.
She could only have A-Nu by her side, and A-Nu was a man who could not become a woman.
Yuan Yingti lay on her side on the bed, slowly rolled inward, then slowly rolled back.
The chopping outside stopped. The oil in the pan grew hot—sizzle, sizzle.
Yuan Yingti raised a hand to cover her face and consoled herself: It's already washed, so what's the use of thinking more about it? Besides, no one else knows about this.
A-Nu was honest and dutiful; he definitely wouldn't go around talking about it.
Lunch was ready.
Today Xie Zhi had stir-fried chicken. The plump, tender rooster had been rendered of its fat, giving off a mouthwatering charred aroma. Each piece gleamed with a caramel-like luster, steaming with heat. Worried that Yuan Yingti might find it too greasy, he had also stir-fried a dish of greens and made a bowl of plain soup.
After setting out the food, he went to knock on the door.
Soon, the young miss came out and sat obediently at the table. Her complexion had returned to normal, though a faint trace of pink still lingered on her earlobes.
Xie Zhi smiled silently, said nothing, and handed her the bowl and chopsticks.
Yuan Yingti held up her chopsticks and caught a rich, charred fragrance.
"A-Nu, did you not make noodles today?" she asked.
"No, I was afraid the young miss might get tired of them." Xie Zhi picked up a piece of chicken leg meat and placed it in her bowl. "I stir-fried chicken. Young miss, please try it."
Yuan Yingti still wanted noodles and had little expectation for the new food. She hesitated, then picked up the leg meat and took a small bite.
Xie Zhi watched her chew slowly and swallow.
Then—her eyes lit up again.
"So delicious—!"
Yuan Yingti had never tasted chicken this fragrant. The meat was tender and juicy, while the skin was charred, crisp, and springy. Every chew filled her mouth with flavor, yet it was not greasy in the least.
So good!
A-Nu's noodles were fragrant, and his chicken was fragrant too!
Yuan Yingti's appetite was greatly aroused, and she ate happily.
The satisfaction and surprise brought by her taste buds completely swept away the last of her embarrassment. She thought of nothing else and just wanted to enjoy her meal.
Xie Zhi watched her eat bite after bite and could not help feeling pleased.
He had figured out this young miss's tastes.
She seemed ethereal, like someone who did not eat the food of mortals, yet she actually preferred strong flavors.
Yuan Yingti's chopsticks rose and fell without pause, and before she knew it, a grain of rice had stuck to her lips.
Xie Zhi watched her pink, delicate lips part and close for a moment, then raised his hand and brushed his fingertip across her lips, wiping away that grain of rice.
Yuan Yingti paused briefly, then said thank you to him.
No matter what he did, she would never feel he was overstepping.
Xie Zhi thought with a vicious edge: if he had just licked it off for her, would she have said thank you then too?
……
The undergarment incident ended just like that, over a good meal, and the two of them settled into a harmonious, tranquil rhythm of life.
Several days passed, and the weather quietly turned warm. Sunlight pooled warm in the courtyard. Yuan Yingti lay comfortably on a rattan lounge chair, her head tilted slightly back. Behind her, Xie Zhi was helping her wash her hair.
The warm water trickled gently over her scalp, so soothing it felt like all her bones might melt. Yuan Yingti kept her eyes open, "watching" the sky.
After the undergarment incident last time, Yuan Yingti had thrown caution to the wind and stopped being reserved around Xie Zhi altogether.
She had him cook her meals, wash her clothes, and even scrub her shoes. By now, washing her hair had fallen into his hands as well.
Washing hair was too exhausting—doing it herself made her dizzy and overheated, and she simply refused to do it herself.
As for the modesty of keeping distance between men and women, she had long since stopped caring. A-Nu had even washed her undergarments and underclothes for her—so what was washing her hair?
A-Nu was kind and never refused her. The moment she asked him to help wash her hair, he agreed at once. His fingers were long and strong, threading through her hair with just the right pressure. Yuan Yingti exhaled softly in comfort.
Xie Zhi lowered his gaze, watching her fine, delicate brows relax, her face like a pale pink flower bud, glowing with a thin flush of red in the sunlight.
Her hair was long and thick, heavy in his palm once soaked, like a wet length of silk, glossy black and lustrous. Xie Zhi ladled water over her hair with a wooden scoop. He had never washed anyone's hair before, yet now, tending to her, his movements were unexpectedly smooth and practiced.
He slowed his motions, sliding one hand beneath her neck to cradle the slender nape. Water trickled down through his fingers, soaking her collar, running into places he could not see.
Xie Zhi said sorry.
Yuan Yingti said it was fine, forgiving him easily.
After the wash, Xie Zhi dried her hair with a cotton cloth. Yuan Yingti lay on the lounge chair, her hair spread out, letting the sunlight dry the last traces of dampness.
But when she tilted her head back, the glaring sunlight made her eyes uncomfortable again. Yuan Yingti instinctively wanted to pull some hair over her eyes.
Yet suddenly something was handed to her.
"Young miss, use this."
Yuan Yingti reached out, and what her fingertips touched was a smooth, soft ribbon. She looked up in delight: "A-Nu, you made this?"
"Cut from leftover scraps of fabric," Xie Zhi answered.
"How did you know I needed this?" Yuan Yingti unfolded the ribbon happily.
"Last time I saw the young miss using her hair to cover her eyes, I guessed you were sensitive to bright light."
Yuan Yingti smiled brightly. Back at the marquis's estate, she had owned many eye coverings, but now that she had fallen on hard times, she had never dared trouble A-Nu to prepare one for her. She hadn't expected him to notice on his own.
She couldn't help saying, "A-Nu, you're so good—so attentive and thoughtful."
Xie Zhi chuckled softly.
"Let me tie it for you, young miss."
He took the ribbon from her hand, leaned in slightly, and laid the snow-white gauze over her eyes. The sunlight was blocked out, and Yuan Yingti felt much better, obediently closing her eyes.
Xie Zhi's fingertips slipped behind her ear, slowly, unhurriedly tying the knot.
The ribbon bound her eyes, making her soft, exposed lips all the more striking. Xie Zhi leaned close, whispering low against her ear, "Miss, you smell wonderful."
His words carried a hint of malice—a test probing her step by step.
Yuan Yingti, however, was completely oblivious, and even curved her lips upward. "The bathing beans you bought smell lovely—use this next time too."
Xie Zhi laughed.
"Mhm."
…
A day passed in the blink of an eye. At night, Xie Zhi heated water, and Yuan Yingti went to the side room to bathe. After washing up, she returned to her room and slept.
Once the lamplight in her room went out, Xie Zhi carried the remaining half bucket of hot water to the courtyard, stripped off his clothes, and began to wash himself in the open air.
The sound of splashing water rang out, and Yuan Yingti turned over in her bed. Lying in her thick quilts, she sighed inwardly—A-Nu's body was truly strong.
If she bathed out in the open courtyard every day, she would surely catch a chill.
But A-Nu was perfectly fine; his body was as sturdy as an ox.
At that thought, Yuan Yingti's mind wandered… she wondered if he looked like an ox.
She hid half her face beneath the covers and giggled quietly to herself.
Probably not.
That day, Sanniang had said that A-Nu had a distinguished bearing and striking looks. Did he look a lot like Mama Fang?
Yuan Yingti tried to recall Mama Fang's appearance, but she thought for a long time and still couldn't remember anything.
She had lost her sight at seven, so she had long since forgotten what Mama Fang looked like.
…And she would probably never know what A-Nu looked like either.
Carrying this faint trace of regret, Yuan Yingti drifted into a deep sleep.
The dead of night was silent, the moon half-shrouded by clouds.
Outside the courtyard, tree shadows swayed, and insects chirped faintly—it was the darkest hour.
Suddenly, fierce pounding came at the courtyard gate.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Yuan Yingti jolted awake from her dreams and sat up abruptly.
Who was it? Who was pounding on the gate?
Had Prince Qi come to capture her?
In a panic, she threw off the covers, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and stumbled toward the door.
The moment she pulled it open, the door across from her opened at nearly the same time.
"A-Nu, is… is it Prince Qi?"
Yuan Yingti was so frightened she nearly lost her footing. Xie Zhi reached out and steadied her arm, holding her firmly in place.
"Don't be afraid, Miss. I'll go check."
His tone was calm, with not a trace of panic. Yuan Yingti nodded nervously, her heart leaping into her throat, almost ready to burst.
The pounding continued, each knock more urgent than the last, growing louder and louder, as if it would shatter the door.
Xie Zhi gently pressed her forearm to signal her to stand steady, then picked up the cleaver from beside the stove, tucked it behind his waist, and walked outside.